YuGiOh! GNext
by Anime Master ZERO
Summary: Set fifteen years after Jaden's graduation, this story follows the high school life of Mikey Angel, a young beginner who's just starting his life at Duel Academy. New heroes! New stories! Same old card games! A collaboration with Comic Master Alpha.
1. The Boy Who Would be King

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

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**YU-GI-OH! GNEXT**

**EPISODE 1-01**

**The Boy Who Would be King**

It was nearing the end of summer vacation and Michael "Mikey" Angel wasn't all too pleased. It wasn't because that summer was nearly over and he would be returning to school. Rather, it was _who_ he would be going back to school with. Being fifteen years old, this autumn meant he would be entering high school. And if any of his classmates from junior high were going to the same school as him, he knew he would be doomed for another three years of torment. Mikey wasn't what one would call a "popular kid". Ever since elementary school, he had always been a social outcast. He mostly kept to himself and maintained a very small circle of friends. And even at the age of fifteen, despite the fact that his voice had already deepened, he was still a little bit underdeveloped compared to other boys his age.

On this particular day, Mikey was sitting at his desk enjoying a popsicle he had gotten himself from the refrigerator. He wore a pair of loose-fitting blue shorts and a white T-shirt as he leaned back in his chair staring up at the ceiling. As he sucked on his frozen treat while running a hand through his short spiky brown hair, his cobalt eyes wandered toward the open window in front of him and he got a glimpse through the window of the house next door. Past the curtains, he could see a blonde girl the same age as him with her hair tied into two Gothic Lolita pigtails. Her name was Samantha Korangar, but was known as Sammie by all her friends. Mikey had admired her from afar ever since they first met, but he never had the courage to walk right up and talk to her. He sighed and leaned forward. He grabbed a pencil and opened up the sketchbook he had on his desk. It was filled with all sorts of drawings of Sammie, several of which also included Mikey himself. Another sketchbook laid open on the side of the desk near his computer monitor. Its contents were completely different from the one he was drawing in at that moment; that one in particular was filled with sketches of various monsters and weapons, namely Duel Monsters.

"Mikey, it's almost time for bed!"

"Okay, mom!" Mikey called back. He finished his popsicle and closed his sketchbook before heading downstairs to throw away the stick. After brushing his teeth, he returned to his room and went to bed. As he lay there staring up at the ceiling, he couldn't shake the feeling that his life was about to suddenly change drastically.

ooo

The next morning, Mikey was eating breakfast when the doorbell rang. His mom went to answer it as he and his younger brother Gabriel fought over the last piece of toast.

"Mikey, it's Sammie!" Immediately, Mikey scooted his chair closer to the table as the blonde girl entered the kitchen wearing blue jeans, white shoes, and a black blouse with white frills. She was holding an envelope in her hands.

"Morning, Mikey!" she greeted cheerfully, "Guess what?"

"Umm... What?" asked Mikey.

"You know I applied to Duel Academy this year, right? Well, I just got accepted!" Sammie answered. Mikey blinked. He had heard of Duel Academy, but it never crossed his mind that anyone he knew would ever actually go.

"You should come, too!" Sammie suddenly said.

"Sammie, I don't play Duel Monsters, remember?" replied Mikey, "I just collect the cards. Besides, I never even applied."

"You don't have to," said Sammie, "All you need to do is pass the entrance exam."

"Entrance exam?"

"Yeah, they begin today and end tomorrow night. Come on, Mikey! You should come!"

"Sammie, I told you. I don't play. Heck, I don't even have enough cards to build my own deck."

"Then we'll just have to go out and buy you your own deck!" Now Mikey was truly confused.

"Mom? Help me here? Gabe?"

"I think you should at least give it a try," said Mrs. Angel, "After all, I've heard that Duel Academy is not only a school of card games, but it also excels in other aspects. Despite its original intent, it's become one of the top elite schools in the world." Mikey still wasn't convinced.

"Lemme put it this way, Mikey," Gabriel interjected with a big grin, "If you go, you won't have to put up with the guys who stripped you naked and shoved you into the girl's locker room in junior high." Mikey immediately buried his blushing face in his arms against the table as Sammie giggled at his embarrassment.

"Come on, Mikey. At least take the entrance exam," she said. Mikey took this moment to weigh his options. Finally, he managed to bring himself to sit up.

"Alright, I'll give it a shot. Just let me get dressed first."

A few minutes later, Mikey was out the door in blue jeans, a maroon tank top, and his bright orange sneakers. He and Sammie went to a local card shop and looked around.

"There they are," she said as she pointed to a shelf behind the counter. Mikey looked and saw several booster sets as well as starter decks and structure decks beside them. Until now, he had only ever purchased the booster packs, but he never had enough money to buy even a single starter.

"Pick any one, Mikey," urged Sammie, "Don't worry about it. I'll pay for it."

"No, Sammie! Please, I don't want you to have to go to all that trouble."

"Mikey, stop trying to put it off. You're going to have to face up to it sooner or later."

"But I..."

"Get a deck or I swear that you will be in a scrotal cast for two weeks," Sammie threatened, her voice growing darker and deeper ever so slightly as she gave him a glare that would frighten even the bravest men in the world. Mikey gulped and immediately pointed to a random deck on the shelf.

"I'll take that one!" he quickly told the clerk.

"Glad to see you went for it!" Sammie said cheerfully. Once they had bought the deck, Mikey opened the box lest Sammie threaten him again and examined the cards.

"Okay, so now what?" he asked.

"We go take the entrance exam!" declared Sammie and off she went dragging Mikey by his bare arm. After an hour's bus ride, the pair of them finally arrived where the entrance exams were being held.

"Sammie, if you've already been accepted then why are you even here?" asked Mikey as they stood in the registration line.

"Well they still need to assess me to see which dorm I should be in," was the answer. Once the pair was registered they entered the building. Immediately, Mikey was completely amazed by what he saw. Card games were being played left, right, and center. Giant holograms filled the entire area with humans standing behind them wearing devices on their arms.

"Well done on your exam, Mr. Reproba," Mikey heard someone say. He turned and saw a boy about his age with spiky black hair and blue eyes in jeans and a muscle shirt receive a clear plastic bag containing a yellow jacket.

"Thank you."

"I don't know if I even belong here," Mikey said to himself, "Hey Sammie..." He turned to his friend, but found her nowhere to be found.

"Hey, where'd you go?" His answer came at the sound of a loud explosion. The fifteen-year-old brunet turned around to face the noise just in time to see the hologram of a woman with long white hair wearing a crimson and black dress disappear. Below the spot it had once floated he could see Sammie deactivating her Duel Disk.

"Michael Angel, please proceed to arena four for your exam!" a voice over the speakers called out.

"Where's arena four?" Mikey asked out loud. The boy who had just gotten his Yellow jacket overheard him and walked over to him.

"It's that one over there," he said pointing to one of the unused duel arenas, "You can get there by taking the stairs down to the bottom most floor and then following the signs."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Without wasting another moment, Mikey ran down the stairs and followed the signs that directed him to duel arena four. Upon entering, he was outfitted with a Duel Disk. It was clearly Kaiba Corp's newest model. In its deactivated form, it looked little more than just the part that held the deck and graveyard with a very slight protrusion on the outer side.

_I can't do this_, thought Mikey. A loud explosion erupted from the arena next door and he turned around to see a giant black dragon just as it finished its attack.

"Michael Angel?" a new voice asked. The examiner had arrived and Mikey turned around to face her.

"Uh, that's me."

"Well, let's get started." The woman Mikey was about to duel wore a blue coat and had light brown hair, "You look a little lost."

"Well, truth is... This is my first time actually dueling," Mikey confessed.

"I see. Well I think I should tell you right now that there are certain cards that you can't play. You see, these new Duel Disks Kaiba Corp. has recently released have all the ban rules programmed into them." The young teenager gulped. He hadn't read up on the ban rules yet, so he was scared about the contents of his deck and whether or not which ones were playable.

"Well don't worry about a thing, Michael," the examiner reassured him, "But even if this is the first time you've ever dueled, don't think I'm going to go easy on you."

"Um, can I ask what your name?" asked Mikey.

"Oops! I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself," the woman apologized," You can call me Miss Marina. I'm the girls' physical education teacher and the head of the Obelisk Blue girls' dorm."

"I see." Mikey shook his head to get rid of any possible images out of his mind and tried to focus.

"So let's duel," said Miss Marina. The slight protrusion on the side of her Duel Disk slid outward and two wings shot out from both sides of it, creating card zones.

"Where's the power button on this thing?" asked Mikey.

"Underside behind your hand."

"Oh, I see it now." Mikey switched on his Duel Disk and readied himself with his first five cards.

--

**Mikey:** 4000

**Miss Marina:** 4000

--

"You can go first," offered Miss Marina.

"Um, sure." Mikey drew his first card and then looked at the cards he had available to him, "I summon Masaki the Legendary Swordsman in attack mode." He placed his first card in a monster zone and called forth a samurai in green armor. (ATK/1100 DEF/1100)

"That ends my turn," he concluded.

"You really are a beginner," noted Miss Marina as she drew her first card, "I summon Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 in attack mode." She placed a card onto her own Duel Disk and summoned an insectoid machine with what appeared to be two torpedo pods on its back. (ATK/1500 DEF/1300)

"Amphibious Bugroth MK-3, attack his monster!" she ordered. The torpedo pods opened up and two projectiles shot out and struck Masaki, the samurai letting out a horrendous scream and disappearing in a cloud of smoke and pixels.

--

**Mikey:** 3800

**Miss Marina:** 4000

--

"Next I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn," Miss Marina concluded.

Mikey nodded and drew his card. After a short analysis of his current hand, he summoned Dragon Zombie. (ATK/1600 DEF/0) Once the undead dragon was on the field, he ordered it to attack Amphibious Bugroth MK-3. His offense succeeded as the machine was destroyed.

--

**Mikey:** 3800

**Miss Marina:** 3900

--

_I better set a card down just in case she tries something else_, thought Mikey. He selected a Trap Card and set it facedown on the field before ending his turn. Now it was back to Miss Marina.

"Okay, Michael. I begin by removing my Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 from play allowing me to Special Summon Aqua Spirit." Taking the card out of her graveyard and placing it in her pocket, she then drew a card from her hand and summoned a young girl with blue skin that innocently smiled. (ATK/1600 DEF/1200)

"Next I activate the Field Spell Card Umi." A hidden tray slid out from Miss Marina's Duel Disk and she placed her card in it before it closed. A hologram of the card appeared to the side of her field and the entire arena was suddenly flooded. Mikey was very surprised to suddenly find himself waist-deep in water.

"Now since my Aqua Spirit is an Aqua type, she gets a boost of two hundred attack points, raising her total attack power to 1800. Aqua Spirit, attack his Dragon Zombie. Spirit Cascade!" Water gushed out of Aqua Spirit's veil and poured toward Dragon Zombie. The creature was washed away and destroyed.

--

**Mikey:** 3600

**Miss Marina:** 3900

--

"I'll end it right there for now," announced Miss Marina.

_How can be she so calm when we're standing waist-deep in water?_ Mikey wondered, _Okay, Mikey. Get a grip on yourself. Her water card is what boosts her monster's attack points. If I can get rid of it, then I should be able to take out her monster_. He drew his next card and looked at it before reading the text.

"This will work. I play the Spell card De-Spell and I'll use it to destroy your Umi." The Umi hologram shattered and the water suddenly vanished, much to Mikey's relief.

"Hey! How come I'm still dry?" he asked.

"Every card we play is just projected as a hologram," explained Miss Marina, "But I do have to admit, some of these holograms can look a little too realistic. Anyway, have you got anything else in your move?"

"Actually, yeah." Mikey then summoned his next monster, "I summon Battle Ox." A brown Minotaur wearing armor appeared before him. (ATK/1700 DEF/1000)

_Next I think I'll use this card_, he thought to himself.

"I play Sword of Deep-Seated and I'll equip it to my Battle Ox, boosting its attack and defense points by five hundred." A purple broad sword appeared and Mikey watched as his Battle Ox discarded its axe with a grunt and picked up the new weapon with enthusiasm.

_Well he definitely understands how different Spell cards work_, thought Miss Marina.

"Battle Ox, attack her Aqua Spirit!" commanded Mikey. Battle Ox let out a loud moo before charging in and slashing Aqua Spirit, effectively destroying her.

--

**Mikey:** 3600

**Miss Marina:** 3300

--

"I'm done for now."

"That was a pretty good move, Michael," commented Miss Marina as she drew.

"Please call me Mikey," said the teen, "It's really uncomfortable when people call me Michael."

"Whatever makes you feel at ease," replied the girls' PE teacher.

_Why am I getting the feeling that she likes me?_ Mikey asked himself mentally.

"First, I'll discard my Warrior of Atlantis to use its effect," announced Miss Marina, "letting me bring the card A Legendary Ocean to my hand. And now I play A Legendary Ocean!" Mikey could barely let out a yelp as the entire duel arena was completely submerged and immediately shut his eyes and mouth.

"You're really not used to dueling, are you?" asked Miss Marina, "It's okay, Mikey. It's only a hologram. You're not going to drown." Mikey slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He was standing on the bottom of the ocean surrounded by ancient ruins.

"You don't need to hold your breath, Mikey," Miss Marina assured him. The young brunet slowly exhaled and took another look around.

"This is really weird." Even though the ocean was just a hologram, it still seemed very real. He could even feel his hair and clothes move as if he were truly underwater.

"Now listen carefully, Mikey," said Miss Marina as she began to explain the card's effect, "A Legendary Ocean boosts all Water monsters by two hundred attack and defense points. In addition, it also downgrades all Water monsters in both players' hands by one level. Basically, five-star Water monsters can now be played as four-star monsters and seven-star Water monsters can be played as six-star creatures."

"And I take it these means you're going to use that ability right now?" asked Mikey.

"That's right," replied Miss Marina as she took a card from her hand and placed it onto her Duel Disk, "I summon Terrorking Salmon." A giant fish appeared. (ATK/2400 DEF/1000) Immediately, its stats were boosted by two hundred points.

"Terrorking Salmon, attack his Battle Ox!" Terrorking Salmon started swimming toward Battle Ox. At first nothing seemed particularly threatening about the attack animation until an entire school of evil salmon suddenly appeared and overran the bovine beast-warrior, ripping him to shreds with their razor sharp teeth.

--

**Mikey:** 3200

**Miss Marina:** 3300

--

And by the effect of Sword of Deep-Seated, Mikey returned the card to the top of his deck.

"That's my move for now."

Mikey drew his Sword of Deep-Seated back into his hand and took a moment to think. There was nothing he could do at the moment, so he decided the best thing to do was to play something defensive in the meantime. In the end, he set a card facedown and set a monster in defense mode before concluding his turn. Then it was back to Miss Marina who summoned a Mermaid Knight. (ATK/1500 DEF/700)

"And since A Legendary Ocean is treated as Umi, my Mermaid Knight can attack twice." she declared, "But first I'm going to take care of that monster. Terrorking Salmon, attack!" Upon attacking, the card was flipped face-up to reveal it to be an Aqua Madoor. (ATK/1200 DEF/2000)

"I activate my Trap Card, Castle Walls," announced Mikey, "boosting Aqua Madoor's defense by five hundred points along with the two hundred it gets from A Legendary Ocean." Terrorking Salmon was stopped and bounced back, causing its owner to take damage.

--

**Mikey:** 3200

**Miss Marina:** 3200

--

"That was an impressive move for a beginner like you," commented Miss Marina, "I end my turn."

_Please let my next card be something I can use_, he thought as he drew. When he saw what he got, he smiled.

"I play Lightning Vortex. Now by sending one card from my hand to the graveyard, I can destroy all your face-up monsters." Immediately, bolts of lightning shot down and obliterated Miss Marina's monsters.

"You've left yourself wide open," said the girls' PE teacher as she drew her next card upon the start of her turn, "First I summon Unshaven Angler in attack mode." A very ugly fish appeared on her side of the field. (ATK/1500 DEF/1600)

"Next I activate my facedown card Big Wave Small Wave. Now I first destroy all Water monsters on my field; in this case, my Unshaven Angler. But in doing so I can Special Summon any number of Water monsters from my hand equal the number that destroyed by my Spell. So I'd like to introduce you to Levia-Dragon – Daedalus!" Unshaven Angler exploded and in its place rose up a mighty blue water dragon. (ATK/2600 DEF/1500)

"Levia-Dragon – Daedalus, attack his Life Points directly! Wrath of the Sea!" Levia-Dragon – Daedalus opened its mouth and prepared to unleash a powerful blast from its maw.

"I activate my Trap Card," Mikey declared, "Spellbinding Circle!" A magical seal appeared and surrounded the sea serpent, immobilizing it and pausing its attack.

"You've managed to buy yourself some time, Mikey. Hopefully, you'll manage to draw something that could save you."

_Here's hoping_, thought Mikey. He drew his next card and his eyes lit up when he read the text.

"I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"Too bad that's all you can really do now that you're top-decking," replied Miss Marina as she drew her next card, "However, I'm willing to give you a leg up. I play Upstart Goblin. This lets me draw one card from my deck and gives you one thousand Life Points.

--

**Mikey:** 4200

**Miss Marina:** 3200

--

Once Mikey's Life Points were up, Miss Marina drew her card as per the effect of Upstart Goblin.

"But don't think that means whatever you have facedown will be able to stop my next move monster. I activate Levia-Dragon – Daedalus' effect. By sending Umi to the graveyard, I can destroy every card on the field except for Daedalus. And since A Legendary Ocean is treated as Umi, I can sacrifice that instead." The ocean floor split wide open and the ruins collapsed as Levia-Dragon – Daedalus sucked in all the water through its mouth until the field had returned to normal. Then it unleashed a massive torrent that hit the entire duel arena. Mikey watched helplessly as all the cards on the field were destroyed.

"My Man-Eater Bug!" he cried.

"Ouch. That must have hurt," commented Miss Marina. "I'll end my turn there. It's your move."

"Not sure how much that's going to help me right now," Mikey muttered as he drew, "I can't do anything this turn, so I pass."

"Then it's my turn again." Miss Marina swiftly drew her card and examined it, "I'll set this card facedown and remove my Mermaid Knight in my graveyard from play to Special Summon another Aqua Spirit in defense mode. That's it for this turn."

_Huh. Why'd she play it in defense instead of attack when I clearly have nothing to defend with? Heck, why not attack with Daedalus? Did she forget?_ Mikey wondered, _She said she wasn't going to go easy on me, but then again she DID give me that Life Point boost._ Shrugging it off for the time being, he drew his next card.

"Now I activate my facedown card: Spiritual Water Art – Aoi," Miss Marina declared, "Now by sacrificing one Water monster from my field, I can send one card from your hand to the graveyard." She destroyed her Aqua Spirit and then activated a laser pointer on her Duel Disk, which she used to point to the card on Mikey's left when the boy showed her his hand. He placed it into his graveyard.

"You can continue with your turn now."

Mikey set the card he had facedown and ended his turn. When Miss Marina drew, she withheld her attack and passed, allowing Mikey to draw again.

"I should thank you for what you did last turn, Miss Marina," said Mikey, "You sent a monster to my graveyard that I couldn't summon because it was too high a level. But now I can thanks to the other card in my hand. I play Premature Burial."

--

**Mikey:** 3600

**Miss Marina:** 3200

--

"And with it, I'm going to resurrect Tri-Horned Dragon." A giant blue dragon with three horns protruding from its head slowly rose up and let out a deafening roar. (ATK/2850 DEF/2350)

"I'm impressed, Mikey," Miss Marina complimented, "A lot of beginners don't realize that they can always summon powerful monsters from their graveyards even though they were never initially summoned in the first place."

"I never actually played the game before, but my little brother does," Mikey explained, "I used to watch him from time to time. Anyway, I believe it's my Battle Phase now. Tri-Horned Dragon, attack Levia-Dragon – Daedalus! Tri-Horned Charge!" Tri-Horned Dragon let out another roar and ran forward. It lowered its head as it approached and slammed hard into Levia-Dragon – Daedalus. The sea serpent hissed loudly as the horns impaled its body and it was promptly destroyed.

--

**Mikey:** 3600

**Miss Marina:** 2950

--

_That boy claims he's never played before, but he's doing really well_, thought Miss Marina, _I should give him one more test._ She drew her card and began her turn.

"I summon another Amphibious Bugroth MK-3. And next I play a second Legendary Ocean!" The duel arena was flooded a second time and Mikey found himself underwater again as soon as the card was played, "And since Legendary Ocean is on the field in place of Umi, Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 can attack you directly."

"I activate Waboku," Mikey said as he revealed his facedown card, "making your damage zero." He then drew upon his next Draw Phase and turned to his monster.

"Tri-Horned Dragon, attack Amphibious Bugroth MK-3!" he ordered. His dragon roared and charged.

"I activate Tornado Wall!" announced Miss Marina. Tri-Horned Dragon successfully obliterated Amphibious Bugroth MK-3, but the teacher suffered no damage to her Life Points as a barrier of tornadoes came down in front of her.

"As long as Umi or Legendary Ocean remains on the field, my Tornado Wall protects my Life Points from battle damage," she explained.

"So you're saying there's no point in attacking you, then," Mikey summarized.

"Yes."

"Alright. It's your turn then, Miss Marina." Miss Marina drew her next card and proceeded with her move.

"I think it's time we ended this entrance exam," she said, "I play my own Premature Burial."

--

**Mikey:** 3600

**Miss Marina:** 2150

--

"And with it I'll resurrect my Levia-Dragon – Daedalus!" A erupted in front of her and her sea monster returned to the field, "But I'm not going to use him just yet; because, now I sacrifice my Levia-Dragon – Daedalus in order to summon his more powerful form. Say hello to Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus!" Her monster disappeared from the field and with an explosion of magnificent power, a larger and uglier two-headed version of the last one appeared, letting out a roar so great that it shook the entire ocean. (ATK/2900 DEF/1600)

"And by sending Umi to the graveyard, I can use its effect to destroy all cards on the field AND in our hands except for itself!" Tornado Wall was destroyed and the entire ocean was once again obliterated as the mighty sea dragon absorbed all the water.

"Maelstrom of Malice!" Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus opened its mouths and unleashed all the water it had just finished drinking up, filling the entire duel arena once again and creating a massive whirlpool that swallowed everything up.

"Crap! My card!" Mikey was devastated as the card in his hand was removed and sent to his graveyard, but then turned his attention to the field as his monster was also destroyed, "Tri-Horned Dragon!"

"And now, Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus, attack Mikey's Life Points directly!" ordered Miss Marina, "River of Power!" Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus opened its mouths once again and charged up energy in the back of each throat before unleashing a pair of deadly blue laser beams that hit Mikey with maximum force.

--

**Mikey:** 700

**Miss Marina:** 2150

--

"That's it for now," declared Miss Marina, "It's your move."

_There's no way I can beat that thing_, thought Mikey as he dropped to his knees, _Her deck is just too powerful compared to mine. Hers is a fully functional one with a theme. Mine is just a starter deck. No one could win with mine. I should probably just give up._

"Mikey! Don't you even dare think about giving up!" a voice called out. Mikey looked up toward his left and saw Sammie standing there.

"Sammie?"

"I know things don't look that great right now, Mikey, but I won't let you surrender the duel! It's no over until the last card is drawn!"

"But I have no chance of winning," Mikey began to plead.

"That's not true. Everybody can win! They just need the right cards and I'm sure that somewhere in that deck of yours is a card that'll help you win. So don't you dare give up or else I'll kick your ass!"

"You really think I could beat that giant sea dragon?"

"Yes!"

"Well, if you're THAT confident in me, I guess I'm willing to continue." Mikey stood back up and drew his card, "I set one card facedown and end my turn."

"That girl has a lot of confidence in you," said Miss Marina as she drew, "Is she your girlfriend?" Mikey immediately began to blush.

"WHAT? NO! We're just neighbors. And really good friend since childhood!" Mikey stammered.

"I see. Well anyway, Ocean Dragon Lord, attack him again!"

"I activate Call of the Haunted!" Mikey revealed his facedown card, "And I'll use it to bring back Tri-Horned Dragon."

_It's the best I can do right now_, he thought. His monster reappeared on the field but it was not destined to remain as his opponent's creature annihilated it with one blast.

--

**Mikey:** 650

**Miss Marina:** 2150

--

And with that attack, Miss Marina ended her turn. Mikey gulped as he looked at his deck and drew another card. He placed it on the field in facedown defense mode and concluded his turn. And with that, Miss Marina drew her next card. She immediately added it to her hand and ordered her monster to attack. Mikey's card was flipped face-up, revealing it to be Skelengel. And due to its flip effect, the boy was able to draw a card enabling him to somewhat replenish his hand. She finished up with another Upstart Goblin to add another card to her hand and then ended her turn.

--

**Mikey:** 1650

**Miss Marina:** 2150

--

"This better work," he whispered as he drew. He gasped when he saw the card he received. Taking the two cards he had in his hand, he set one in one of his monster zones and the other in one of his Magic/Trap zones before concluding his turn. Miss Marina then drew.

"It looks like I'm end this right now, Mikey," she announced, "First, I discard another Warrior of Atlantis to bring A Legendary Ocean to my hand." After sending the monster to her graveyard, she searched her deck for the field card and added it to her hand before shuffling her deck.

"Now I play my field card." Putting the card inside her field tray once again, the duel arena was submerged a third time in water, "And now to use my monster's effect by destroying A Legendary Ocean."

"Not going to happen!" Mikey then revealed his facedown Trap Card, "Miss Marina, I have to thank you for those one thousand Life Points you gave me. Otherwise this wouldn't have worked. I activate Skill Drain. Now by reducing my Life Points by that one thousand, I negate your Ocean Dragon Lord's effect."

--

**Mikey:** 650

**Miss Marina:** 2150

--

"It's not going to stay on the field for much longer, I'm afraid," said Miss Marina, "Although I really don't have any desire to wipe out my own card either, this is the only way to end it quickly. I play Heavy Storm!" Once her card hit her Duel Disk, Skill Drain and A Legendary Ocean were both destroyed.

"Despite this, I can still win with just my monster's attack. I play Stop Defense, switching your facedown monster into attack mode." Mikey's card was flipped up and the hologram revealed a small head.

"No, wait! Is that what I think it is?"

"This is Hane-Hane," Mikey explained, "And once it's flipped face up, I can send one monster on the field back to its owner's hand. And I think the obvious choice here is your Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus." Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus roared as its body vanished and the card was returned to Miss Marina's hand.

"Now I believe it's my turn." Mikey drew his final card, "I sacrifice Hane-Hane so I can summon Cyber-Tech Alligator!" His weaker monster vanished and he brought forth a giant winged half-machine reptile to the field. (ATK/2500 DEF/1600)

"Cyber-Tech Alligator, go! Trident Arm!" Cyber-Tech Alligator roared and drew back its right arm before thrusting it forward and firing its mechanical claws at Miss Marina.

--

**Mikey:** 650

**Miss Marina:** 0

--

Mikey let out an enormous sigh of relief as he deactivated his Duel Disk and collapsed.

_He won, but just barely_, thought Miss Marina.

"Congratulations, Mikey," she said to him, "You passed."

Several minutes later, Mikey stepped forward to the table and received his bright red school jacket.

"You did it, Mikey!" Sammie cheered as she glomped him from behind.

"Yeah, I did," he replied quietly.

"Attention all new students!" a voice boomed out. Everybody turned to the stage where all of Duel Academy's top staff were assembled and the one speaking was the woman in the center.

"First of all, I'd like to congratulate all of you for successfully passing your entrance exams. These duels were based on evaluating your performance, so even though some of you may have lost you still passed. Now please listen carefully because this next part is very important. A week from today, the ship for Duel Academy will be taking off from the city's port at precisely nine o'clock AM. Make sure you get there on time or else you'll miss it. I wouldn't want any of you new students not to show up just because you missed the boat. So remember, a week from today at nine AM, the ship will leave! So make sure you get there early!" Once she was done speaking, she turned and walked away as the new students began cheering.

"Your speech has once again riled them up," a man with long black hair in a blue coat said to the woman.

"They're just excited about starting the school year, Trevor," she replied.

"Well they're sure to be in for a lot of surprises, Miss Rhodes." The Duel Academy Headmistress, Chancellor Alexis Rhodes, turned to him.

"Well let's make sure it's a pleasant one." She looked out into the crowd and looked straight at Mikey, who kept hugging his jacket trying to keep it away from an overexcited Sammie who, in turn, kept pulling at his shirt to get him to show it to her.

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**Next time on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

School is in! And Mikey's about to get a taste of a life he's never experienced before. How will things turn out for our young hero? Find out next week on the next exciting episode of _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	2. Cirque du Duel

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami. One of the jokes belongs to LittleKuriboh.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

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**EPISODE 1-02**

**Cirque du Duel**

The ocean liner cut through the water smoothly as it carried its cargo of first year students to its destination: the island known as Duel Academy. Everywhere on the ship, teens were busy occupying their time as they waited for their ride to end. Some had already put on their school jackets while others decided to wait until they got there. Lots of people were chatting and just as many were trading cards while more were passing the time by dueling.

"This is going to be great!" Sammie said excitedly as she stood near the prow of the ship, "I can't wait until we get to Duel Academy! It's going to be great! Don't you think so, Mikey? Mikey?" She turned around to find her friend and found him keeled over the railing heaving into the sea.

"You're not really much of a seaman, are you?" she asked.

"I get motion sickness _very_ easily," groaned Mikey. Salvation finally came an hour later when the ship finally made port and the brunet stepped foot onto the island. He could here Sammie excitedly squealing "We're here!" over and over again, but right now he was just glad to be on solid ground again.

"Yes, Sammie. We're finally here," Mikey replied after finally managing to regain enough of himself to understand what his friend was screaming about. A dark-suited man with a single spike of hair shooting straight up from the front of his head stood erect on the port and faced the new students as they disembarked from the ship.

"ATTENTION STUDENTS!" his voice suddenly boomed out, "My hair welcomes you to Duel Academy! Please follow the unnecessarily long path to the main building school for the welcome ceremony and the beginning of your orientation! And please make sure you're all wearing your school uniforms when you get there!"

_Well, this is it_, thought Mikey. He opened his backpack and took out his red jacket. He slipped it over his T-shirt and zipped it up just under the collar before slinging his bag back over his shoulder. He looked over at Sammie and saw that she was already wearing her uniform of a white vest with blue trims and a blue skirt. He quickly turned away with his face all red and pressed a tissue from his pocket against his nose.

"Mikey, are you okay?" asked Sammie.

"Yeah," he replied, his seasickness now completely gone thanks to his nosebleed.

_It's going to take a LONG time to adjust to this place_, he thought as he followed the moving crowd.

After a long walk and following several directions, the students finally found themselves in a large auditorium. Mikey found himself separated from Sammie and placed with other students in red jackets. He quietly found a seat and sat down as he waited for the welcome ceremony to begin. He tried to look around to see if he could find the blonde, but he couldn't even begin to figure out where she was. He did notice the black-haired boy from the entrance exam pass by wearing a yellow jacket, but that was just about it. He sighed and leaned back in his seat. There was no point in trying to find her now. As he waited, he could see a large screen being lowered onto the wall behind the stage and the words "Welcome to Duel Academy" appeared on it. Once everybody was settled down, several members of the school staff walked into the stage.

"Welcome to orientation day here at jolly old Duel Academy!" an elderly man greeted, "Before we begin, we have a few things we'd like to discuss with you concerning the stories you've heard about this school. First and foremost, you may have heard that we keep the three Sacred Beast cards hidden under this school. Truth is we don't. This is just a silly rumor that was conjured up over twenty years ago. And even if these rumors were true, those cards would have been removed and placed in a safer location long ago. Alrighty then, next concern is directed more at the Reds. Some of you may want to sleep in the dorm room that was occupied by Jaden Yuki. The fact of the matter is that building no longer exists. One of our sponsors demanded that it be torn down and in exchange he provided funding to build a completely new dorm. Finally, a new addition: in previous years, only the Obelisk Blue dorm had dwellings for female students. However, beginning this year, the other dorms will also include quarters for all female students! Now that we've cleared all that up, I'd like to introduce to you our headmistress. Please welcome Chancellor Alexis Rhodes!" The entire auditorium erupted into applause as Chancellor Rhodes stepped forward.

"Welcome to Duel Academy, everyone. Now as new students, you'll first need to know several things about us. We'll begin with this orientation video. Afterwards, you will be broken up into groups and taken around the island. At the end of the day, you will then be taken to your dorms for your welcome dinner."

When her speech ended, the lights darkened and the video rolled. The film began by detailing the history of the school starting with how Seto Kaiba started the school and moved onto some of the key highlights. Afterwards, it moved on to explain the school itself in its present day situation. It went on to describe the curriculum, the facilities, and the programs. When the video was over, the students were separated into groups and each of them received an orientation package that included a book explaining everything in greater detail, a few flyers, and some free giveaways among which were pens, mouse pads, and stress balls. Mikey noticed that his entire group consisted of Reds like him. Towards sunset, he found himself being taken further from the school and toward a red building that stood near a cliff. It was separated into two two-story parts; one had a large sign that said "Boys" and the other had one that said "Girls". In the middle was a one-story area that served as a common room and dining hall.

"Well students, this is it," the orientation guide announced, "This is where you'll be staying for the year. You'll be meeting your dorm heads at dinner this evening. Now then, I have some envelopes here containing your room keys so come up and get them when I call you. Keep in mind that you WILL be paired up with a roommate." He then looked at his list and took an envelope from his bag.

"Angel, Michael." Mikey stepped forward and received his key. The number engraved on it said B-201. He approached the boys' half and looked at the first door he saw. It had a plate reading B-101. The brunet took note of this and climbed the stairs to the second floor. He found his room at the very end of the walkway and unlocked his door. He took in a deep breath and stepped inside. He flicked on the light switch and looked around. It was a pretty small room, but just big enough to allow for two people to move around comfortably. In the farthest corner was a bunk bed. Beside it was a desk with a window above it. Right beside the door was a second desk. Next to that desk was a closet. Mikey looked around and saw that his luggage had been delivered to his room and was sitting in the middle of the floor. He took his two suitcases and proceeded to unpack. As he opened the roller boards, he heard the door open.

_Must be my roommate_, he thought. He got up and turned around. The boy stepping in appeared to be the same age as him with fiery red hair and green eyes. He wore white pants, red shoes, and a bright pink shirt underneath his red school jacket. As soon as they made eye contact, the newcomer immediately came up to Mikey.

"Hi there!" he greeted excitedly, "You must be my roommate. Nice to meet you, I'm Max. Max Harley!"

"Um, I'm Mikey Angel," replied the brunet. He yelped in surprise as Max suddenly hugged him.

"Mikey, huh? That's simply a FABULOUS name!"

_Great. I have to room with a gay guy_, thought Mikey, _And I think he likes me._ He pulled himself away from Max.

"It's nice to meet you too, Max," he said trying to be polite, "Anyway, I still need to unpack."

"FABULOUS!"

Mikey grabbed some of his clothes and opened the closet. Immediately, he spotted two devices on the middle shelf. They were Duel Disks! But unlike the one he had used during the entrance exam, these ones featured red markings along the edges.

"Are. Those. The. Newest. Duel. Disks?" asked Max, "That's. Absolutely. GreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeAAAAAaaaaat!"

_I'm definitely taking the top bunk_, thought Mikey. Once he was unpacked, he stuffed his key into his pocket and stepped outside to look around. Overall, there really wasn't much about the Osiris Red dorm to look at. He descended the stairs and walked about. As he turned a corner, he noticed a small one-story area on the side of the dorm that he hadn't noticed before. He took a look inside and could immediately tell that it was the boys' dorm shower area. After another round, he walked towards the common building for dinner. Immediately inside was the common room, which had a few chairs, a red carpet, a bright red couch, some tables, and a TV. A few other Red students were there, as well. Mounted on the farthest wall was an elaborate painting of the monster from which the dorm had gotten its name: Saint Dragon, God of Osiris.

_Very impressive artwork_, Mikey thought to himself as he stepped closer to the picture, _I like the attention to detail._ A bell suddenly rang and the few students there got up and proceeded into the dining room. Mikey followed them. After a few more minutes, the entire hall was filled with students in red jackets. A door at the back of the room reading "Staff Only" opened and two people entered. The first was a big muscular man with a dinosaur bandanna and the other was a redheaded woman in a long crimson coat.

"Howdy, y'all," the man greeted, "and welcome to the Osiris Red dorm! I'm the head of the boys' dorm, Tyranno Hassleberry and also the boys' PE teacher."

"And I'm the head of the girls' dorm, Clarissa Frost," the woman said introducing herself, "I'm also the school nurse and the religion teacher."

"Now I know y'all are hungry an' that's good!" said Hassleberry, "So we're all gonna just let you guys dig in right now and then after dinner we can all get together in the common room for a little welcome party. Miss Frost, would ya kindly?"

"Certainly, Mr. Hassleberry." Miss Frost opened the door to the kitchen and several Duel Academy culinary staff members came out with trays and placed them before the students.

"Is this meatloaf?" asked Mikey as he looked at his dinner. Four slices of meatloaf served as the main course with a small pile of vegetables on one side and a dome of yellow rice mixed with raisins and pine nuts on the other. Beside the plate was a juice box and dessert was a block of cherry Jell-O.

"That's right, soldier!" answered Hassleberry, "So y'all better eat up. Back when I was a student here, we didn't get grub like this in the Red dorm. But thanks to funding from an old pal of mine, we've got a better dorm and better food."

"You're very fortunate to know Mr. Princeton, Mr. Hassleberry, oh sorry I mean 'Sarge'," Miss Frost commented.

"Well I wouldn't exactly call it fortunate," Hassleberry replied, "He was kind of a dick back then. Well, dig in troops!"

As Mikey ate his very delicious dinner, his mind began to wander. He wondered how Sammie was doing at that moment.

ooo

At the Obelisk Blue dorm, students from both the boys' and girls' sides were gathered together in the main hall where there was a buffet, sparkling juice, and even room for ballroom dancing. Sammie had already managed to engage in excited conversations with several other female students and was having a very good time. Mixed in with the new pupils were the dorm's two teacher supervisors. The first was Miss Marina. The second was the man with the long black hair, who had introduced himself as Dr. Snappe, the chemistry teacher.

Meanwhile at the Ra Yellow dorm, all students had assembled in the dining hall at several long tables enjoying an exquisite steak dinner. At the very end of the room, the two teacher supervisors sat at a separate table overlooking the students. The head of the Ra Yellow boys' dorm was an elderly balding man named Mr. Bibby who was the geography teacher and the head of the girls' dorm was the school's English teacher, a slightly younger woman named Mrs. Jackson.

ooo

After dinner, the Osiris Red students convened in their common room and had their little party. It was really nothing more than an icebreaker party, allowing the students to get to know each other. One of them had found a Wii stored in the cabinet under the TV, hooked it up, and was now playing with some other students. Board games had also been set out as well as card games that weren't Duel Monsters, which many students scratched their heads at the concept. A cooler of free pop sat on a table just outside the door to the dining room.

_Whoever this sponsor is must have really liked the Osiris Red a lot_, thought Mikey as he sat on a chair watching the Wii game with a can of orange pop in his hand. He heard a commotion going on and he turned around to see his roommate Max having a dispute with one of the other students.

"We don't want your kind here!" a big student bellowed as he pushed the redhead to the floor.

"What in Sam Hill is going on here?" demanded Hassleberry as he stormed in to stop the fight.

"This little fag tried to come onto me!" the bully barked.

"All I did was ask you to pass me a cola. You're blocking the cooler," was Max's response.

"Why would they let someone like you in here, anyway?" the bully asked, "There ain't no room for your kind here!"

"Now see here, soldier! You're way outta line!"

"Shut it, gramps!"

"It's okay, Mr. Hassleberry," Max assured the teacher as he got up, "I'm used to handling these sorts of things. He's just trying to compensate for something, that's all." This really got the bully's blood boiling. He was about to lash out until Hassleberry stopped him.

"There ain't gonna be no fighting here!" he ordered, "If you wanna settle this, then take it outside and duel!" The bully finally let up. Hassleberry then looked at the homophobic student with a malicious glare and a grit in his teeth, "And if you call me gramps one more time you piece'a'shit I will shove my size fifteen boot so far up your ass it would take an act of God to pull it out!"

"Fine. I'll beat this kid's scrawny gay ass no prob." And with that, he stormed out.

"Hey Biff, wait for us!" two other Reds called out.

"Hey Max, you okay?" asked Mikey as he walked over.

"I'll be fine," replied Max, "I've had unfabulous times like this before."

"Mr. Hassleberry, are you sure about this?" Mikey asked.

"I've seen all types of duelists in my years, kid," answered Hassleberry, "and I can tell you this: never get intimidated by anyone. Just because someone's big don't mean that they're always tough. Likewise, someone who's small ain't always weak. A duelist's true strength is unleashed in a duel, rather than an ass whoopin'."

_Wow. That's deep_, thought Mikey. He turned as Max left the common room and returned to his room to fetch his Duel Disk. A few minutes later, the two Osiris Reds stood right outside the common building.

"You ready to lose, fag?" Biff the bully asked.

"Do you know what your problem really is?" replied Max, "You're too narrow-minded and you hate anyone who's different." He flicked the power switch on his Duel Disk and the side protrusion slid out. From monster zone three, the wings with other four slid out from both sides and the Magic/Trap zones slots opened up. The lights came on and the Life Point counter filled up. He then smiled a snide smirk as he reached into his coat and pulled out half a mask that seemed like half of the mask of comedy with red lips, blush, and a star at the corner of the eye. Max slid it onto his face and laughed.

"What the...?" questioned Mikey at the display, "What is up with that Max?"

Max bowed to Mikey and gave a giggle, "I am not Max Harley. Right now you may call me by my stage name, Le clown des rêves heureux, or Clown Reves if you prefer."

"You're going down!" shouted Biff as he activated his Duel Disk.

--

**Max:** 4000

**Biff:** 4000

--

"Ain't no fag goin' first!" Biff declared as he drew his first card, "I summon Goblin Attack Force in attack mode!" He placed his first card onto the field and summoned a team of three goblins in armor wielding clubs. (ATK/2300 DEF/0)

"Try and beat it!" Biff challenged.

"My draw." Max drew his card and looked at his hand, "I play the Spell Card Stumbling. As long as this card stays on the field, all monsters that are summoned in attack mode are immediately switched into defense mode. With that being said, I summon Dream Clown in attack mode." A clown wearing a star-studded suit and a blue cape appeared in front of Max. (ATK/1200 DEF/900)

"Like that's supposed to do anything?" asked Biff.

"Yes," answered Max, "You see, when Dream Clown is switched to defense mode, his effect lets me destroy one monster on your side of the field. And since I summoned him in attack mode, Stumbling activates and lets me switch him into defense mode." He turned his card sideways on his Duel Disk and his Dream Clown backflipped in the air and landed on one foot before bowing.

"That means that I can destroy your Goblin Attack Force now!" The goblin trio began to laugh at the display of acrobatics before the Dream Clown smirked and threw a set of three knives that pierced their hearts and destroyed them, "I'll set a card facedown and end my turn."

"Beginner's luck and it ain't gonna happen again." Biff drew his next card, "I remove from play my Goblin Attack Force so's I can summon my Gigantes." A giant red ogre with a tree-like club in its hand appeared. (ATK/1900 DEF/1300)

"Then I'll summon Giant Orc." Biff continued with his turn by Normal Summoning a large orc wielding a massive femur as a weapon. (ATK/2200 DEF/0) Due to the effect of Max's Stumbling, the two monsters were automatically switched into defense mode. He concluded his turn there and Max drew.

"First, I'll switch Dream Clown into attack mode. Then I summon Crass Clown." Dream Clown stood back up right and was quickly joined by an ugly clown with a long pole balancing on top of a blue ball that immediately switched into defense mode upon hitting the field. (ATK/1350 DEF/1400)

"Next I activate my facedown card Zero Gravity," declared Max, "Now all face-up monsters on the field switch battle positions." At that instant Crass Clown, Gigantes, and Giant Orc all shifted into attack mode while Dream Clown returned to defense mode, stumbling and landing on its hand end and holding its sleeves up in a different defensive stance then before.

"And as you know, Dream Clown can destroy one of your monsters when it goes into defense mode," Max reminded his opponent before declaring Gigantes to be destroyed, the Dream Clown firing seltzer from a bottle underneath its sleeve. "And then you have Crass Clown's effect. When he's switched into attack mode, I can return one monster from your field back to your hand." Crass Clown stuck his pole under Giant Orc's feet and then launched into the air where it vanished and the card returned to Biff's hand.

"Crass Clown, attack Biff directly with Circus Trick!" ordered Max. Crass Clown rolled across the field to Biff and stuck its pole into the ground. It bounced up and down a few times before lifting itself off its ball and then kicking it straight into Biff.

--

**Max:** 4000

**Biff:** 2650

--

Crass Clown laughed as the attack hit and the ball bounced back. It landed back on top of it and rolled back into place.

"Beginner's luck," growled Biff.

"You said that on my last turn," replied Max.

"Well now it's my turn again!" Biff drew his card and laughed, "You'll be sorry now! I remove from play Gigantes so's I can summon another one! And then I summon Giant Orc!"

"Isn't this what he did last turn?" asked Mikey as he turned to the person standing beside him.

"Then I set a card facedown and end my turn."

"Big and dumb as he is, he's planning something," Max whispered to himself as he drew, "I set a card facedown and end my turn."

"You're done now!" Biff drew and revealed his facedown, "I activate my own Zero Gravity!" Just like the last time, all the monsters changed battle positions. But for Max's monsters, they were being switched into their 'prone' positions, their effects unable to activate because of they positions they were switched to.

"Gigantes, attack Crass Clown with Brute Force Crusher!" The red ogre approached the ugly clown and slammed its club down, destroying it, "Now Giant Orc will attack your Dream Clown. Orc Smash!" Giant Orc trampled over to the other side of the field and slammed its bone club down on top of Dream Clown before returning to its spot and crouching down.

--

**Max:** 3000

**Biff:** 2650

--

"Once Giant Orc attacks, it switches into defense mode and stays that way until after my next turn. I'll finish up with a facedown." Max then began his turn.

_He's got me backed into a corner for the time being_, he thought_, I should see if I can fend him off for as long as I can_. He selected two cards from his hand. The first was a monster he set facedown and the other was the continuous Spell Card known as The Dark Door, which he played immediately that formed a shadowy barrier with a single opening through that allowed only monster to attack per turn. Max ended his turn there.

Biff then made his move. He started off by summoning Goblin Black Ops, which brought forth a trio of goblin ninjas. (ATK/1300 DEF/0) Upon arriving on the field, Stumbling switched them into defense mode. But Biff didn't care. He then ordered Gigantes to attack. It destroyed the facedown monster, which turned out to be Peten the Dark Clown. (ATK/500 DEF/1200) And since The Dark Door was on the field, Gigantes was the only monster he was able to attack with that turn.

"I now use my clown's effect," declared Max, "I remove Peten the Dark Clown in my graveyard from play in order to Special Summon a second Peten the Dark Clown from my hand or deck." Max removed his deck from his Duel Disk and searched until he found another Peten the Dark Clown, which he summoned in defense mode. He then shuffled his deck and placed it back. Biff ended his turn there and the redhead drew his card. Max passed his turn and it was back to his opponent.

The first thing Biff did was switch his Giant Orc back into attack mode. Then he did the same to his Goblin Black Ops. Next he summoned another Goblin Attack Force, which was immediately switched into defense mode.

"Now here's something you might find interesting. Goblin Black Ops can attack you directly!" the bully announced, "Goblin Black Ops, Stealthy Goblin Strike!" His goblin ninja trio disappeared for a few seconds and reappeared behind Max. They quickly flipped through the air and launched kunai at him. The young Osiris Red was struck in the back.

--

**Max:** 1700

**Biff:** 2650

--

"Ow! That had to hurt," Mikey said wincing. The Goblin Black Ops returned to their spot and switched into defense mode, much like the rest of the goblin monsters.

"Then I play Goblin Thief!" added Biff, "This lets me take five hundred of your Life Points and add them to mine. Taking from an ass bandit, how fittin'."

--

**Max:** 1200

**Biff:** 3150

--

"Okay, now he's just being an ass," another Red added. Once Biff ended his turn, Max began his. He immediately summoned his deck's second Dream Clown and upon switching into defense mode thanks to Stumbling, he used its effect to destroy Gigantes by throwing a banana under the feet of the ogre. One he was done, Biff started his turn and switched his Giant Orc back into attack mode before ordering to assault Dream Clown. The attack connected and the clown was gone. Then he set two cards facedown and ended his turn before turning the duel back over to Max.

_His Goblin Black Ops will be able to attack me again this coming turn, so I better get rid of it_, he thought.

"Peten the Dark Clown, I switch you into attack mode. Now attack Goblin Black Ops with Bloodlust Slash!" commanded the redhead. His clown switched out of defense mode and vanished only to reappear behind Goblin Black Ops. Taking out a dagger, the clown closed in and stabbed all three of them with it before returning to its place on Max's side of the field, bowing to the audience of Osiris Reds.

"I finish with a facedown."

"Then it's my turn," declared Biff, "And I activate one of my facedowns: the Trap Card Skill Drain! Now by giving up one thousand Life Points, all effects of face-up effect monsters are negated. Meaning your clowns can't use their effects!"

--

**Max:** 1400

**Biff:** 2150

--

_Isn't Skill Drain one of my cards, too?_ Mikey wondered to himself.

"And it also means that my monsters don't switch into defense mode after attacking!" added Biff, "But you're lucky that my Giant Orc attacked last turn AND that your Stumbling card is still on the field. But I'll get you next turn you little..."

"Okay! Just keep the duel going!" one Red interrupted.

"Fine. I summon Goblin Elite Attack Force." Biff played a card and brought out a trio of goblins in glorious silver armor that switched into defense mode before he ended his turn. (ATK/2200 DEF/1500)

_I've got to think of something_, thought Max as he drew. He set a monster facedown and switched Peten the Dark Clown into defense mode before ending his turn. Biff drew and summoned another Goblin Elite Attack Force before switching his other two monsters into attack mode.

"I'll play Smashing Ground to destroy your clown!" the bully declared. A giant fist shot down from the sky and smashed down on top of Peten, wiping it off the field.

"I remove Peten from play to bring out my third one from my deck," announced Max, "since my monster's effect activates when it's in the _graveyard_." Placing the card in his pocket with the other one, he then summoned his third Peten the Dark Clown from his deck.

"Fine. Giant Orc, attack his clown!"

"I activate my facedown Quick-Play Spell Card, Shrink!" Max revealed his facedown, "This lets me halve the attack points of any monster on the field and I pick your Giant Orc." Giant Orc's attack points instantly dropped to eleven hundred as its body became shorter than three feet high and its attack was avoided by Peten the Dark Clown before smacking the Orc upside the head. Since Peten had one hundred more defense than the Orc Biff took damage in rebound. The audience laughed hysterically as Max, or Clown Reves, bowed with Peten.

--

**Max:** 1400

**Biff:** 2050

--

"You're lucky this time, but you won't be next time," growled Biff. Max sighed with a little relief and drew his next card. He passed and then it was back to his opponent. Biff immediately switched his second Goblin Elite Attack Force into attack mode and summoned a second Goblin Black Ops. He then ordered one Goblin Elite Attack Force to attack Peten the Dark Clown. It was destroyed and with no more than the maximum three of the same card allowed per deck, Max could not summon another one. Thusly, Biff ended his turn there.

Max drew his next card and examined it. He took a moment to think before setting it facedown. Then it was back to Biff. The bully drew and switched Goblin Black Ops into attack mode.

"Goblin Black Ops, attack the little fag directly!" he ordered. The ninja goblins leapt up and vanished. They reappeared behind Max and launched their kunai into his back.

--

**Max:** 100

**Biff:** 2050

--

"Now I end my turn."

"Not before I activate this!" declared Max, "Labyrinth of Nightmare. Now at each of our End Phases, our respective monsters switch battle positions." Right on cue, every single one of Biff's monsters was switched into defense mode.

"Sure. Make your last move you little fag," the bully taunted.

_Not just yet, but this will lead up to my last move_, thought Max as he drew.

"You should have finished me last turn. Drawing it out shows ignorance, but you have shown enough of that already. C'est la vie. I set two cards facedown and end my turn."

"Is that all?" Biff scoffed as he drew, "First I switch all my monsters into attack mode. Now Goblin Black Ops, attack that little fag directly!"

"I activate Zero Gravity!" Max revealed his first facedown and all of Biff's monsters immediately switched back into defense mode, "Next I activate my other facedown. It's Trap Card called Tragedy. When one of your face-up monsters is switched from attack mode to face-up defense mode, it destroys all of your defense position monsters and guess whose monsters just got switched to defense!"

"WHAT?" There was a large explosion and Biff's entire front line was wiped out.

"Don't underestimate me!" declared Max.

"I'll get you next turn, fag!" shouted Biff.

"There won't be a next turn for you," replied Max as he drew his last card of the duel, "First I play Giant Trunade, returning all of our spells and traps from the field to our hands." A giant gale swept across the field and Skill Drain, Stumbling, The Dark Door, and Labyrinth of Nightmare returned to their respective owners' hands.

"Now I discard one card from my hand," Max sent his The Dark Door to the graveyard, "in order to Special Summon The Tricky in attack mode." A caped harlequin with a question mark on its chest and replacing its face appeared before Max. (ATK/2000 DEF/1200)

"Now I discard another card to Special Summon a second one!" Max sent Stumbling into his graveyard and brought out a second The Tricky.

"And with no defense, Biff's going to lose!" exclaimed Mikey, "Right?"

"That's right, soldier!" replied Hassleberry.

"Trickies, attack his Life Points directly!" ordered Max. The Trickies somersaulted into the air and flew across the night sky toward Biff.

"Clown Trick!" A dagger slipped out of each clown's sleeve into their hands and they both twirled in the air before throwing them at Biff, burying their blades deep into his chest.

--

**Max:** 100

**Biff:** 0

--

Max deactivated his Duel Disk as his two monsters vanished.

"How could I lose to that queen!?" screamed Biff as he dropped to his knees, "He musta cheated! There's no way he coulda won without cheating! That's it, he cheated!"

"Now that's enough, soldier!" shouted Hassleberry, "You're way outta line!"

"Shut up!" Biff got up and stormed over to Max, "I'll kill the little..." He stopped in his tracks when Mikey suddenly placed himself in front of the redhead and spread out his arms.

"Outta the way, pipsqueak! This ain't about you!"

"I'm not going to let you lay a hand on Max!" Mikey said firmly.

"You his _boyfriend_ or something?" Biff asked with a mean-spirited laugh.

"He's my roommate," answered Mikey, "And one way or another, he's also my friend." He was suddenly grabbed by the front of his jacket and lifted off the ground.

"Then I'll pound you both into a pulp!" Biff drew back his fist and Mikey winced as he prepared for impact.

"Am I interrupting anything?" a female voice asked. All eyes turned as Sammie approached the Osiris Red dorm.

"What's an Obelisk Blue doing here?" several Reds whispered amongst themselves.

"Sammie, what are you doing here?" asked Mikey.

"Our dinner ended some time ago, so I decided to come see how you were doing," answered Sammie, "Looks like you've gotten yourself into another one."

"Apparently," muttered Mikey. Sammie turned to Biff.

"Please put my friend down and leave him and his roommate alone," she asked politely.

"Come on! Youse really think I'm gonna let a girl tell me what to do?" Biff scoffed.

"Trust me, Biff. You don't want to get on her bad side," Mikey assured his assailant.

"Tell ya what, babe. Ditch these losers and go out on a date with me," Biff offered.

"Hell no."

"Then you can kiss this punk's ass goodbye!" Biff drew his fist back again and swung. His fist connected with Mikey's face and sent him flying. He then knelt down over the brunet, grabbed him, and prepared to punch him again. However, his arm didn't move. He turned and saw Sammie grabbing onto his wrist with one hand.

"I said to let him go," she said firmly.

"I told you, I ain't takin' nothin' from no girl!"

"You asked for it." Sammie bent Biff's wrist so hard that he screamed in pain and dropped Mikey. Then she literally threw him ten feet away.

"She is a very strong lady," noted Max as he helped Mikey up.

"Believe me, she's scary when she's mad," answered the brunet as Sammie proceeded to beat the crap out of Biff.

"Ow! The back of my lower legs! Ow, the side of my head! The back of my face! The front of my front! OW!" When Sammie was finished, she calmly walked back to the others dusting off her hands.

"How are we going to explain this?" asked Max.

"He attacked you guys," answered Sammie, turning to Mikey, "I attacked him back for you. It was self-defense." Miss Frost came over to Mikey and took his hand away so she could examine his face.

"Tyranno, get Mr. Angel an ice pack," she said.

"Right away, Clarissa." As Hassleberry went to the kitchen, Miss Frost went to check up on Biff. By the time she returned, Mikey had a cold compress against his face.

"He's out cold," she reported, "We'll take him to the infirmary. After he's recovered, we'll hand him over to Dr. Snappe for disciplinary measures." Hassleberry shuddered at the mention of the name Dr. Snappe, but nodded in agreement, knowing the military drills he was going to give would be nothing compared the psychological torture Snappe would deliver.

"Who's this Dr. Snappe?" asked Mikey.

"He's the head of the Obelisk Blue boys' dorm," answered Sammie, "He's very strict and he's also got a strong dislike for Osiris Reds. He's also the head of the disciplinary committee and the chemistry teacher."

"Chemistry? Hang on a sec." Still holding the icepack against his face, Mikey ran up to his room. When he came back, his face was as white as chalk.

"I have him," was all he said.

"I heard that he DOES make exceptions, though," Sammie added, "He might like you if you do really well in his class."

"Might," Mikey repeated. There was an awkward silence for a few moments.

"Well you've always done really well in school, Mikey. I'm sure he'll like you in no time!" Sammie assured encouragingly. After several more minutes, she finally left to return to her dorm before curfew.

"So you've known her since you were little?" asked Max.

"Yeah. We've know each other since long before I can remember," replied Mikey.

"Are you two, you know?"

"No, we're just really good friends."

"Then, do you know if she's got someone?"

"Not that I know of. Why are you asking, anyway?" Mikey wondered, "Aren't you gay?"

"I'm not gay," Max answered with a raised eyebrow, "But sexual orientations aside, why did you come to defend me? I'm just your roommate."

"Whether we like it or not, we're stuck with each other for the whole year. That being the case, we should try to become good friends."

"So I'm your friend out of convenience?"

"No, not at all! Truth is, Max, Sammie's the only real friend I actually have. Ever since elementary school, I've been a really unpopular guy. So the friends I DO have, I really value a lot."

"Wow. I had no idea." Max suddenly hugged Mikey, "Well then, let's be FABULOUS friends!" The brunet decided not to pull away, given the situation, and just gave in. When they finally pulled apart, they patted each other on the shoulder.

"This is going to be simply FABULOUS!" exclaimed Max.

"Yeah," replied Mikey dryly out of annoyance for the apparent catchphrase.

"Let's celebrate our new friendship with some music I brought along!" Max suggested.

"Cool. What'd you bring?"

"Backstreet B-"

"Uh, no thanks." Mikey then returned to his room. Tomorrow was going to be the start of the school year and he wasn't prepared to miss any classes. Especially since one of them would be with Dr. Snappe."

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**Next Friday on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Mikey begins his life at Duel Academy. Making new friends. Having new experiences. And seeing a very scary side of Sammie. How will Mikey handle all of this? Find out on the next episode of _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	3. Start of School Marks End of the World

Disclaimer: All official Yu-Gi-Oh

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

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**EPISODE 1-03**

**The Start of School Marks the End of the World**

Morning slowly approached the isolated island that was the school known as Duel Academy. In room B-201 on the second floor of the Osiris Red boys' dormitory, two teenagers were fast asleep in their respective bunks. Max was curled up on the bottom bed clad in hot pink pyjamas snoozing silently. In the bunk overhead, Mikey was sleeping comfortably wearing just his boxers. Their slumber was not to last, however, as a bugle suddenly started blaring, causing all the Red students to jump out of their skins. Mikey, who was not used to sleeping on a bunk, tried to scramble out of bed and promptly fell on top of Max who was just getting up himself.

"That was so not fabulous," said the redhead.

"Sorry," Mikey apologized as he got up off his roommate and helped him to his feet, "What time is it?" He went to his deck where he had left his watch and picked it up. It was reading five o'clock in the morning.

"Are you kidding me?" It was at that moment that Max opened the blinds and sunlight flooded in.

"I think you must have forgotten to set your watch when you came here, Mikey. It's actually seven o'clock."

"Oh. Well that makes more sense now." Max walked over to the closet and pulled out his clothes for the day.

"Well, are you going to get dressed or were you planning on going to class in your underwear?" he asked, "Though that's probably not a bad thing." Mikey immediately walked over to his desk chair where he had laid out his clothes the night before and pulled on his pants.

A few minutes later, the boys were dressed and they went to the boys' bath area. It was already pretty busy by the time they arrived. Some were showering while others waiting in line for the sinks and toilets with their toiletry bags in their hands.

"I'm not used to this," Mikey sighed. He wasn't accustomed to boarding school life as he had always attended Catholic school prior to coming to Duel Academy. Max placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"Neither am I, but we'll try to get through it together Mikey-boy. Just don't drop the soap," he said with a giggle while Mikey's face twisted uncomfortably at the joke.

"I don't think those are the right words to choose given the current circumstances and location," was Mikey's reply.

Once they had finished all of their morning bathroom routines, the students filed into the dining hall where breakfast awaited. The counter to the kitchen was open and on it were toasters, bread, bagels, muffins, cereal, plates, bowls, plastic cutlery, some juice and milk, a coffee machine, and napkins. Behind it, the school kitchen staff was walking around refilling anything that ran out. It was a self-serve breakfast set-up that Mikey was familiar with whenever his family went on vacation and stayed in hotels that served complimentary breakfast. He grabbed two pieces of bread and slotted them into one of the toasters before pouring himself a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee. Once his toast was ready, he took his food to one of the tables and sat down. Max sat across him with his own breakfast and the two of them ate without exchanging a word.

Meanwhile, at the Obelisk Blue dorm, the students were being served a more high-class breakfast. Sitting together at tables in an extravagant setting, each of them received a menu from which they ordered their food. Sammie ordered a Between the Sheets special and a cup of hot Earl Grey tea.

After the students had finished their breakfast, all of them returned to their rooms to get ready for the day's classes. Mikey managed to arrive at the school's main building without any problems, but inside was another story. He was completely lost. Reaching into his jacket pocket he produced a map of the building.

"Max, where's room C-304?" Mikey asked as his roommate passed him.

"I'm actually headed there, too," was Max's response, "I think it's on the third floor in the C wing."

"Where's the C wing?"

"Good question," Max said with a shrug before double taking to get his bearings. Mikey sighed and looked around for anything that could help, but the halls were so full of students rushing every which way that it was hard to tell Finally, Max called out to him having finally found a directory and the brunet made his way over to him.

"'You are here'," the redhead read, "Good. At least we know where we are now. Okay, so we need to head upstairs. There's a staircase about three classrooms to our right. Once we get up there, we'll need to hang a left and then take another left five classrooms later before making a right. C-304 should then be the second door to our left." Mikey took out his cell phone and snapped a picture of the list of rooms from the directory.

"Let's go."

Fortunately, the two Osiris Reds were able to make it to their first class on time. Upon entry into the lecture theater, they saw several other students taking their seats, sitting down, or still trying to find a place to sit. Mikey noticed that everybody was sitting according to their colors so he and Max ended up following the other Reds. They managed to find two seats near the front of the lecture hall and sat down. As they waited for class to begin, the brunet looked around. He had never seen a classroom this big nor had he ever seen so many students in the same class before.

"Intimidating, no?" asked Max.

"Very," answered Mikey. He managed to find Sammie taking her seat, but she was too far away. He watched as she sat down beside another Obelisk Blue with brown hair wearing a white Obelisk Elite coat. He sighed and turned back around to face the front just in time to see the teacher walk in. He was a pale skinny man with a big mess of brown hair and glasses. He tapped the microphone on his headset to test it and then called for the attention of the students. Once the room had quieted down, he began to speak.

"Welcome to Math 10, everyone," he began nervously, "I'm your teacher, Mr. Higsby." After introductions and the explanation of the curriculum were out of the way, he began his lesson.

_If this is high school, I wonder what college will be like_, thought Mikey as he began to take notes.

Fifty minutes later, class was let out and the students all filed out of the theater. Once he had packed up his books, Mikey took out his schedule and map to check for the location of his next class.

"Hi Mikey!" a cheery voice greeted. Mikey turned around and saw Sammie standing there and immediately returned the greeting. "How did you find the first class?"

"It's different from junior high, that's for sure," he answered.

"Anyway, we should hurry up and get going," said Sammie, "We need time to get to our next class."

"Sammie, I don't even know where the classroom is, so I need to check."

"I already know where it is." Mikey stopped and turned toward her.

"You do?"

"I memorized the school's layout during orientation yesterday. Come on, let's go or we'll be late!"

Without even waiting for his reply Sammie grasped tightly onto Mikey's wrist and dragged him along. He could barely keep up with her but he didn't mind being her little rag doll for now, as the goofy grin on his face indicated.

With Sammie to help guide him through the school, the rest of classes that morning seemed to fly by. With the exceptions of the significantly larger student body and size of the school itself, Mikey was almost starting to feel like he was back in junior high again. At lunch, the three students went to the cafeteria to see what was on the day's menu. Mikey couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath when he saw the prices.

"I'd rather just head back to the dorm," he said, "There's no way I can afford any of this." He turned to leave, but Sammie stopped him right then and there.

"Mikey, you can't keep living life the way you've always been. Now find us some seats and I'll get the food."

"No, Sammie. I can't impose on you like that," Mikey tried to argue, but it was to no avail. Once Sammie was set on something, she was determined to see it through to the end.

"Just sit down, shut up, and wait for me, god dammit!" she ordered as she shoved him down into a chair with a furious fire in her eyes that washed away as she turned to Max with a bubbly smile, "What about you, Max? Do you want anything?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll just charge it to my student card," replied Max. He and Sammie then left Mikey by himself while they went to get food. The brunet sighed in defeat and took out his notes. There weren't a lot since it was just the first day of school, but he had nothing else to do while he waited and he had always studied during lunch. When his friends finally returned, Sammie handed him a cheeseburger, fries, and an orange pop. She then set down her own lunch of a salad and sat down beside him while Max took his seat across from the pair with a chicken salad wrap. Mikey opened his mouth to say something, but Sammie quickly shut him up by grabbing his burger and shoving it into his mouth in a fluid motion. He nearly choked on the beefy concoction at first and wheezed while Sammie just smiled innocently. Mikey took the hint ate without complaint.

After lunch, the trio went to their afternoon classes. The first of these was English. After that was the one Mikey had been dreading all day: chemistry. As he sat in the classroom waiting for class to begin, he looked around at all the other students. Most of the Blues were calm while several of the Reds were clearly nervous. Mikey guessed they had heard about the teacher who would be stepping in through the door at the front of the room.

A few minutes later, the dark-haired man Mikey had seen on the day of the entrance exam walked in and turned to the students.

"I am Dr. Trevor Snappe, your chemistry teacher," he said in a stern and emotionless tone, "Now turn to page six in your textbooks."

_Not even a course introduction_, thought Mikey as Dr. Snappe began his lecture on the periodic table of elements. He talked nonstop without so much as putting up even an overhead slide. Mikey had to take his notes based entirely on his teacher's words, which was something completely new to him. All his teachers in the past had overhead slides or PowerPoint presentations with notes to accompany their lessons that students would copy down. At the very least, they would just write on the board. But this teacher had a completely different approach. As a result, Mikey found himself rushing just to try to keep up. By the time half of the class was over, he could barely read what he had written. He was going to need to devise a way that could slow down the lecture in some way.

As the lesson continued, Dr. Snappe cast glares at every student before him. Anyone who made eye contact could immediately feel a chill run down his or her spine. This was especially predominant in the Osiris Reds. By the end of class, lots of people were ready to leave as quickly as possible just to get away from those unnerving eyes.

"Your homework for this evening will be to read the entire first chapter in the textbook," Dr. Snappe informed the students, "I will also expect each and every one of you to have a printed copy of the periodic table of elements by next class. That is all." As soon as lips stopped moving, everybody scrambled out of the room.

"That was so not _fabulous_!" Max exclaimed once they were outside.

"Well at least I now have something to do tonight," was Mikey's reply.

"Oh no you're not," Sammie said in response to the brunet with a huff.

"What do you mean? We just got assigned homework."

"But you're coming to the mixer party by the lake tonight."

"There's a mixer?" Mikey asked, confused.

"Of course there is!" Max cheerfully cried, "The posters are everywhere! It's going to be absolutely FABULOUS!"

"How come I never saw anything?" Mikey inquired as they passed a bulletin board covered with nothing but mixer posters.

"I don't know," answered Sammie, "Have you been walking around blindfolded again?"

"Not since the incident."

"Come on, Mikey! You should come!" Max urged.

"Can't. I have homework, as do you two," Mikey protested.

"It's only reading," Sammie said, "and you're a pretty fast reader, Mikey."

"It's not just that. It's also the way Dr. Snappe teaches his lessons. He doesn't give us any notes to copy down. All he does is talk," Mikey explained his situation.

"That's easy to fix," Sammie assured him, "My sis is in university and her Profs are like this all the time. All she does is bring a recorder into class and tape the lectures while she takes notes."

"Problem. I never owned a tape recorder."

"Then buy one at the school store." Sammie grabbed Mikey's hand and started to drag him off, "And as for your homework, I'm sure you can get it done before the mixer."

"But Sammie, I..."

"Just go with her, Mikey," Max encouraged, slapping his roommate on the rear as an exclamation.

"...Please don't do that," was all Mikey said.

ooo

After buying the tape recorder and a few blank tapes, Mikey immediately returned to his dorm. Once he got there, he sat down at his desk and immediately started on his homework. His binder was placed beside his textbook so he could take any additional notes while he read. He finished just as dinner was called and he quickly went downstairs. Fish and chips were the meal of the evening. Following dinner, Mikey returned to his room to put his books away before heading off to the mixer party to spare himself Sammie's wrath. He and Max arrived at the lake just as the event started. He could see students from all three dorms gathered to enjoy the drinks, snacks, and activities.

"You actually came, Mikey!" Sammie greeted as she approached.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," Mikey lied, "Wow. There sure are a lot of people here."

"People will do anything to throw a party," replied Max as he ran ahead. Sammie then turned to Mikey.

"Just try to have a good time for once. Don't sit off to the side like you did at every dance we had in junior high." And with that, she left him alone. Mikey sighed heavily and jammed his hands into his pockets before walking around the area. He saw a few snack and beverage stands and a whole bunch of games.

"Can I get you something to drink?" someone asked from a nearby table.

"Just an orange pop, please," Mikey answered. The beverage stand attendee pulled a can of Crush from a cooler and handed it over. The young Osiris Red popped it open and took a sip before continuing his stroll while Jamiroquai's "Canned Heat" played from an iPod with speakers somewhere. He checked out whatever games people were playing and most of then didn't seem to catch his interest. At one point, however, he did see a Ra Yellow student with short black spiky hair sitting off on the side playing a game of chess on a magnetic board alone, eating a chocolate bar with one hand. He walked over to say hi. Upon coming close enough to see his face, Mikey immediately recognized him as the boy who had helped him at the entrance exam.

"Hi there."

"Hey."

"Hey, thanks for helping me back at the entrance exams," Mikey said, starting things off.

"No prob," the Ra Yellow replied as he moved his leftmost pawn two spaces ahead. Mikey sat down across from him and moved his right knight.

"By the way, I never got to know your name," the brunet brought up.

"Coltyn. Coltyn Reproba."

"I'm Mikey Angel."

The two continued their game of chess and as the party wore on, the two became acquainted with each other and before long they were acting like good friends. After their game, Coltyn returned the set to his pocket and the two of them got up and began to walk around. When Mikey threw his pop can into a recycle bin as they passed one, his new friend immediately got him another one.

"So how are you finding Duel Academy so far?" Coltyn asked.

"Honestly, it's very different from what I'm used to," Mikey replied, "It's going to take me a while to adjust."

"Well here's hoping that it won't take long." The two clanked their cans together and took a gulp.

"Mikey!" The brunet brought his pop down and saw Sammie waving to him as she approached with Max. He waved back as they approached.

"We've been wondering where you've been," the Max said, "We wanted to show you something. Oh! Who's this?"

"Guys, this is Coltyn," Mikey introduced, "Coltyn, this is Sammie and that's Max." Coltyn stepped forward and took Sammie's hand into his own.

"A pleasure to meet you," he greeted before kissing her hand. Then he took Max's hand and shook it.

"Anyway, you said you guys wanted to show me something?" Mikey inquired.

"Oh, that's right!" Sammie remembered, "Come on!" She grabbed Mikey's hand and dragged him along with Max and Coltyn in tow. They ended up in the woods somewhere on the other side of the lake. Mikey looked around and wondered what it was that he was supposed to see.

"So what did you guys want to show me?"

"Just wait for it." Max placed a hand on his roommate's shoulder in assurance and they waited. A few minutes later, something crawled out of a bush. It was a fox and it had some meat in its mouth. After looking around for a while, it moved across to the other side of the clearing and set the carcass down. Almost immediately, a pair of fox pups came out and started to eat.

"Isn't that cute?" Sammie nearly squealed.

"I admit, I've never seen anything like this in person before," Mikey replied. He finished off his pop and suddenly felt something in his lower regions. "I'll be right back, guys. I need to use the bathroom." Dropping his empty can into a recycle bin on the way, he found his way to a public restroom somewhere on campus. After he quickly did his business, he stopped by the sinks to wash his hands. While he was doing so, he could have sworn he heard something. After shutting off the water, he stood still and listened. There was that noise again. It sounded like a moan and it was coming from behind the restrooms. After drying his hands, Mikey went to investigate. What he saw was something he wish he had never laid his eyes on. There was a male student sitting with his back against the wall moaning in pleasure while a girl in a yellow knelt down in front of him with her face buried between his legs.

_Oh dear God!_ Mikey quietly stepped away, but his foot snapped a twig and immediately alerted the two of his presence. The girl pulled away and looked straight at the frozen teen. The boy quickly zipped up and ran away, leaving the two alone. As soon as she began to approach, Mikey began blurting out random apologies. She stopped him when she placed a finger over his lips.

"It's okay. I know exactly why you're here," she said seductively, "You want some action and you aren't getting any. No prob. I take it it's your first time, so I won't charge you anything."

"Wait. Say what?"

"Don't be scared. I'll be gentle." By this point, Mikey was completely freaked out and backed away as quickly as he could.

"No, wait! You got it all wrong!"

"There's no need to get all worked up. I can help you relieve the tension."

"Wait! STOP!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" Mikey froze with fear at the voice and slowly turned around to see Sammie with her death face on.

"Who are you?" the girl asked.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" demanded Sammie.

"Sammie, it wasn't my fault! I swear it!" Mikey quickly scrambled toward her and dropped to his knees as soon as he could move again, "She came onto me first! Please believe me!" Sammie stared down at him long and hard before turning to the other girl, who just shrugged.

"I'm just here to please."

"Then in that case, it would please me to shove that Duel Disk so far up your ass your shits will look like Duel Monsters, slut!" replied Sammie. The girl flicked her hair back and looked at her.

"Sorry, you're not my type. But if you wanna go we can go, bitch."

A few minutes later, both girls were positioned on opposite each other on the beach of the lake armed with Duel Disks adorned with their dorms' respective colors.

"Who was she, anyway?" Mikey asked as he sat on a log with Coltyn on the ground beside him.

"That Ra girl's name is Melanie Dickson," the black-haired Ra Yellow explained, "Her parents got divorced when she was little and since then her mother has worked as a prostitute since then in order to make ends meet. It looks like she picked up a few tricks of the trade from her."

"How do you know all this?" asked Max as he leaned over from behind the log.

"It's always a good idea to know who your classmates are," replied Coltyn, "And apparently now she and Sammie are dueling for you, Mikey. You must feel pretty lucky to have two girls fighting over you."

"Not when my choices are my friend who can and has kicked my butt and a slut."

"LET'S DUEL!" shouted Sammie and Melanie.

--

**Sammie:** 4000

**Melanie:** 4000

--

"I'll go first," said Melanie as she drew her first card, "I'll set two facedown cards and end my turn."

"Is that all?" asked Sammie as she drew, "It's my move now. I'll start by summoning Senju of the Thousand Hands!" She played the card and summoned a large orange creature with one thousand hands. (ATK/1400 DEF/1000)

"When he's summoned, I can use his effect to bring one Ritual monster to my hand from my deck." Sammie searched her deck and pulled out a blue card, which she placed into her hand before shuffling her cards and returning them to the deck port, "Next I play my End of the World Ritual Spell Card. Now I can summon a Ritual monster as long as sacrifice monsters whose total levels equal that of the one I'm summoning from my field or hand. So now I'll sacrifice two level-four monsters from my hand." She discarded Sonic Bird and a second Senju and played her Ritual monster.

"I summon Ruin, Queen of Oblivion!" A white-haired woman in a crimson, white, and black dress appeared on the field wielding a wicked staff with a dark aura surrounding her. (ATK/2300 DEF/2000)

"Now before I attack, I play Heavy Storm to clear your field!" Sammie played another card and a strong storm began to blow.

"I reveal my facedown, Judgment of Anubis!" declared Melanie as a statue of a jackal appeared in front of her, "Now by discarding one card, I can negate your Spell and destroy it. But that's not all. I can then select one face-up monster on your side of the field and destroy it before inflicting damage to your Life Points equal to its attack points." First a dark cloud of gas escaped from the statue and blocked the wind before shattering Heavy Storm after Melanie sent a card to her graveyard. Then the jackal sculpture fired a pair of red laser beams from its eyes and struck Ruin, Queen of Oblivion, destroying her. But the lasers didn't stop as they continued on toward Sammie and hit her. Sammie stepped back with a pained expression on her face and laughed as she licked her rosy lips.

"Bring the pain, bitch!" Sammie said to her opponent, as her eyes seemed to fill malice and intensity.

--

**Sammie:** 1700

**Melanie:** 4000

--

"Ouch," Max commented.

"I'll end my turn," Sammie announced. With that, Melanie then began her turn.

"I activate Call of the Haunted to summon Ghost Knight of Jackal," she announced. Her card flipped up and a brown Anubis-like creature appeared wielding a battle lance and straddled on top of a horse. (ATK/1700 DEF/1600)

"Ghost Knight of Jackal, attack her Senju!" Ghost Knight of Jackal reared up on its horse before galloping forward. As it approached the target, it swung its lance and slashed. Senju of the Thousand Hands was cut in half down to the waist and destroyed.

--

**Sammie:** 1400

**Melanie:** 4000

--

"When Ghost Knight of Jackal destroys a monster as a result of battle, I get to summon that monster to my side of the field in defense mode," Melanie explained before Senju appeared in a defensive stance beside her monster, "Your move." Sammie drew and immediately played the card she got, summoning a crimson knight with a helmet that resembled the hat of Dark Magician. (ATK/1600 DEF/1000)

"I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior and when he's normal summoned, I can place one Spell Counter on him to increase his attack points by three hundred. And if I remove that counter, I can destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field." As Sammie finished her explanation, a magical orb appeared and attached itself to Breaker's sword.

"Breaker, attack her Ghost Knight of Jackal!" On the blonde Blue's command, Breaker leapt into the air and sliced down on Ghost Knight of Jackal with its sword.

--

**Sammie:** 1400

**Melanie:** 3800

--

"I set a card facedown and end my turn," concluded Sammie. Then it was back to Melanie.

"I sacrifice Senju to set one card facedown," she declared as Senju vanished to be replaced by an ominous looking face down, "That's it for now." Sammie then proceeded with her move.

"I play Nobleman of Crossout." Once the card was played, a knight in shining armor appeared and stabbed the facedown monster. It was revealed to be Guardian Sphinx and was removed from play. "Now Breaker, attack that bitch head-on!" Breaker moved in and his blade cleaved right through Melanie.

--

**Sammie:** 1400

**Melanie:** 1900

--

"It's your move."

"And here I go." Melanie drew her card; "First I summon Desertapir in attack mode." She called forth a brown tapir. (ATK/900 DEF/300)

"Next I play Creature Swap, forcing us to switch monsters." By some magnetic force, Breaker the Magical Warrior was pulled over to Melanie's side while Desertapir was sent to Sammie's, "Breaker, attack Desertapir!"

"I activate Sakuretsu Armor!" Sammie unveiled her facedown and wicked spiked armor surrounded Desertapir. Breaker's sword was stopped short of its target before it was blown back and the armor unleashed a deadly blast that destroyed it.

"Fine. I'll end with a facedown card," said Melanie.

Sammie then began her turn. First she played Pot of Avarice. Taking Sonic Bird, the two Senju of the Thousand Hands, Breaker the Magical Warrior, and Ruin, Queen of Oblivion from her graveyard, she added them back into her deck and shuffled. Afterwards, she drew two cards.

"I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and use its effect to bring one Ritual monster or Spell to my hand." She called forth a grotesque green monster with countless arms and hands. (ATK/1400 DEF/1000) Once she had added the card she needed to her hand, she ordered it to attack.

"I activate Curse of Anubis, switching all Effect Monsters on the field into defense mode and making their defense points zero," announced Melanie.

"Then I end my turn." Melanie drew her card and began to make her move. She started off by playing Upstart Gobin, increasing Sammie's life by one thousand and drawing a card of her own. Melanie knew that Sammie wasn't tough enough to come back. Had Sammie known what was going on in Melanie's mind she would have laughed out loud.

--

**Sammie:** 2400

**Melanie:** 1900

--

After drawing her card, Melanie played Foolish Burial and sent Kaiser Sea Horse to her graveyard. After that, she played Premature Burial to resurrect it at the cost of eight hundred of her Life Points. The aquatic warrior stood valiantly knowing Melanie's plans.

--

**Sammie:** 2400

**Melanie:** 1100

--

"Now I sacrifice Kaiser Sea Horse in order to summon Mystical Knight of Jackal!" Her monster vanished and was replaced by a giant jackal-headed monster with a long cape and armed with two golden katars. (ATK/2700 DEF/1200)

"Mystical Knight of Jackal, attack Manju!" The massive creature moved in and stabbed Manju with both weapons, obliterating it, "And by my Jackal's effect, the monsters he destroys in battle are placed on top of your deck. Your move now."

"So it is." Sammie drew her next card and summoned Manju again to use its effect, "Now I play Contract with the Abyss. Now I'll send Ritual Raven as a tribute in order to summon Demise, King of Armageddon!" The ground split wide open and the sky became cloudy and black as a thousand midnights, as if the world was being destroyed and a giant in black armor wielding a massive axe rose up from the abyss. (ATK/2400 DEF/2000)

"Now by paying two thousand of my Life Points, I can use my monster's effect to destroy all cards on the field except itself!"

--

**Sammie:** 400

**Melanie:** 1100

--

Sammie grinned as the energy of her Life Points were drained into the giant fiend. A mighty blast of dark energy erupted from Demise's armor and wiped out every single card on the field until nothing was left save for itself and the smoldering holographic ruins of the field.

"Demise, end this now!" ordered Sammie, "World Ender!" Demise raised his axe over his head and swung down on Melanie.

--

**Sammie:** 400

**Melanie:** 0

--

"Now get the hell out of here before I tear your implants out of those phony knockers!" Sammie threatened. Defeated, Melanie fled and Mikey came out of hiding.

"Is she gone?"

"She's gone." The brunet let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Sammie. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come along."

"I wouldn't rest just yet, Mikey," said Max, "You still have some explaining to do."

"I told you guys, already! I had to 'drain the lizard'!"

"Yeah, that's what she said," replied Coltyn. It took Mikey a while for the realization to hit and when it did, his face turned bright red and he immediately fled back to his dorm. Sammie couldn't help but giggle at her friend as he ran off.

"I should probably get going, too," said Max as he stretched.

"Me too," added Coltyn.

"So should we get together again sometime?" asked Sammie.

"Oh abso-tivley, posi-lutley!" answered Max.

"Looking forward to it!" was Coltyn's response. The three then departed for their respective dorms.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Next Friday on**_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

It's the first weekend of the school year. What's Mikey, a newcomer to the boarding school life, to do? Find out on the next exciting episode of _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	4. Blaze of Glory!

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**EPISODE 1-04**

**Blaze of Glory!**

Classes had been in session for a week now and students were looking forward to their first weekend of the year. Whenever they weren't in class, they would be discussing their plans with their friends. The group of four was no exception. When their classes for the day were finished, they all gathered at the Ra Yellow dorm. Mikey made note of his surroundings while they were there. It was a nice building and very comfortable. The common room was a lot bigger than the one at the Osiris Red dorm and had more couches and a bigger television. Just inside the dorm entrance was a human-sized statue of Sun Dragon, God of Ra. When they went up to Coltyn's room, the two Reds were amazed by what they saw. It was at least double the size of their room back at the Red dorm. In one corner was a double with a yellow quilt and in the opposite corner was a large, nice desk with a computer sitting on its surface. A window with yellow blinds looked onto the area right out front, which indicated the location of Coltyn's room. There was also dresser with a mirror, next to which were the black-haired teen's empty suitcases. On top of it were several of his personal belongings. A set of coat hooks were mounted onto the wall near the door and a mechanic's repair kit sat on the floor beside the desk.

"This is nice," Mikey complimented.

"Thank you," replied Coltyn.

"I noticed that you don't have your own bathroom, either."

"No, I don't. We have common shower room for each gender per floor."

"Well it's certainly better than ours," Max commented.

"Yeah," Mikey agreed, "At least you guys get to stay indoors. At our dorm, we have to walk _outside_ to get to the showers and back. Last Thursday it was so cold in the morning I thought my nipples would freeze off."

"Do you guys have a laundry service, too?" inquired Sammie.

"Yeah. We just drop our clothes into the provided bags and leave it outside our doors for the dorm staff to take care of it," answered Coltyn. He walked over to his bed and sat down cross-legged with his back against the wall. "Anyway, we came here for a reason, did we not?"

"That's right!" Sammie took a seat on the edge of the bed while Max got the desk chair, leaving Mikey to sit on the floor.

"So what do you guys have planned for the weekend?" Sammie asked the others.

"Well Miss Frost holds a service on Sunday mornings, so naturally I'm going," Mikey answered, "Other than that, I'm just going to study."

"You're more boring than watching cement dry," Coltyn responded dryly.

"This coming from the guy who is as plain as white paper. But, you're not the first to say that about Mikey," Sammie replied, a smug smirk on her face.

"Colty-boy's right," Max said, addressing Coltyn by the nickname he came up for him, "You need to learn how to loosen up more."

"With you as a roommate I'm not surprised he is uptight. Don't drop the soap in those showers, Mikey!" Coltyn joked, causing Mikey to turn nearly the same color as his jacket.

"Hey!" blurted out Max in offense.

"But I digress," Coltyn continued, "I say we dedicate this weekend to teaching Mikey how to enjoy life more. All in favor?" His own hand shot up immediately along with Sammie's and Max's.

"Wait. Don't you guys have other plans?" asked Mikey, trying to fend off his friends from meddling in his affairs again.

"Mikey, we're on an island with nothing but a school," Sammie stated, "What could we possibly have better to do?"

"Well, there's..."

"I'm sure there's a beach somewhere on this island," Max interrupted. Coltyn replied by stating that that option would be best saved for a hot day.

"Well, is there anything going on at all this weekend?" the redhead inquired.

"I know that campus rec is open every day," Sammie pointed out, "but Mikey's only good at basketball. He sucks nut at any other sports."

"Gee, thanks."

"I'll go check the calendar." Coltyn got off his bed and shooed Max off his chair. He sat down at his desk and logged into the Duel Academy website on his computer. "Okay, I've found something. First there's a student-hosted game show like event happening on Saturday. On that same day, there's a barbecue and at night there's going to be an _Unreal Tournament_ party. Sunday night is movie night."

"What movie?" Mikey asked out of curiosity.

"This week it's _Transformers_," answered Coltyn.

"I liked that movie," Mikey thought out loud.

"Then that's what we'll do!" Sammie announced.

"Now we just need to figure out what we're going to do for the rest of the weekend," said Max. Coltyn did a Google search and quickly found something.

"Here's a list of what high school level boarding school students do on their weekends," he informed the others as he wheeled himself away from his screen for everyone to see.

"Where are we going to do shopping here?" Mikey asked, "The only stores on this island are the school store and the card shop."

"I think the card shop would be a good idea," Sammie said, "After all, Mikey, you've only got a starter deck. If you ever hope to get anywhere here, you're going to need your very own deck."

"You don't even have your own deck?" Coltyn asked in disbelief, his mouth slightly agape and eyebrow arched.

"I'm just not all that into Duel Monsters," was Mikey's reply, shrugging with little concern.

"Then why the hell are you here in the first place?" The brunet pointed toward Sammie.

"Okay, so we've got movie night and shopping," Sammie summarized, "What else can we do?"

For the next hour, the four friends stayed in that room planning out their weekend together. Several ideas were tossed around. Some were rejected while others were mutually agreed upon and even more engaged further debate. But in the end, things worked out for everyone and a rough schedule had finally been drawn up.

"So are we all agreed on this?" Mikey asked as he tapped a pen in his hand to the paper.

"Yes," answered Coltyn, leaning back in his computer chair and drinking from a juice box.

"Definitely!" replied Sammie, throwing her fist into the air in excitement.

"Abso-tivley, posi-lutley! It's totally _FABULOUS_!" Everyone just stared at Max after his response. Mikey scooted away a few inches.

"So we meet at the Red dorm," Mikey confirmed, "Come on, Max. We have to get back. It's going to take us a while to get back to our dorm from here."

"Okie-dokie!" Max got up and grabbed his bag before following Mikey out. Sammie went after them, leaving Coltyn by himself in his room.

ooo

On Saturday morning, everyone gathered outside the common building of the Osiris Red dorm. With it being the weekend, nobody was required to wear their school uniforms so Mikey was happy wearing his casual wear of blue jeans, a white T-shirt with some band logo on the front, and a red button-up short-sleeved shirt overtop. Prior to the friends' get-together, he waited inside the common room playing some Wii Sports with Max, who had on white pants and a pink polo shirt. Coltyn arrived early in blue jeans and a black muscle shirt along with a deck box attached to his belt and Sammie later arrived right on the dot in her usual casual dress of jeans and a black and white blouse.

"Well now that we're all here, let's get the weekend started!" she announced. Their first stop was the card shop. Mikey, quite frankly, could not believe just how many boosters that store sold.

"I haven't seen these packs in years!" Max exclaimed as he took a box down from one of the shelves.

"They retired that series long ago," Coltyn informed him.

Besides boosters, the store also sold tins, starter decks, structure decks, and individual cards. There were also card sleeves, protectors, and binders made especially for children's trading cards. Behind the counter was a large sign that said: 'We trade cards too'.

"That's a good idea," Sammie noted after reading the sign, "Maybe you can trade away all your useless cards here for some better ones, Mikey." Mikey took out his deck and shuffled through his cards. She was right; compared to the decks everybody else appeared to run at this school, his was pitiful by comparison.

"What are your trade-in values?" he asked the person behind the counter, a slightly portly girl with her braided hair slung over her left shoulder that tangled every now and then with her grandmother's glasses.

"We have a list of each card's value," the store clerk explained, "Then you can trade your cards in for store credit equal to that value and use that credit to get any cards with a total price up to an equal value."

"Considering the cards you have, I don't recommend it," suggested Coltyn, "Starter deck cards barely have any value at all. On top of that, they only come with the bare minimum of forty cards. Once you make a trade, you're going to be short. Best to just wait until you get more cards first before you decide to trade. But speaking of cards..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his student card.

"I'll take two packs of Blaze of Glory." The clerk grabbed two packs of the bright orange and red booster and tendered them into the register. Coltyn then swiped his card through and keyed in his student ID number. Once the transaction was complete, he took his new boosters and opened them.

"What did you get?" Sammie and Max asked excitedly.

"Nothing, that I don't already have," was the answer as he thumbed through the cards, "Wait, here's a new one! Goka, the Pyre of Malice." Coltyn put his cards away and the others resumed their shopping.

Once they were done, they left the shop. With nothing much really going on for the moment, the four of them just hung around until it was time for the barbecue. Grills and tables had been set up right outside Duel Academy itself with students lining up for a chance to get some free meat. Mikey enjoyed his cost-free cheeseburger, potato chips, and pop, as did everyone else with their food.

"I bet high schools on the mainland don't have stuff like this," he said after swallowing a mouthful.

"Not free barbecues, at least," replied Coltyn.

After lunch, the four friends headed to the school's rec center. Even though they had all been there before for gym class, none of them had ever visited the building for the sole purpose of having fun. Mikey rented out a basketball and they engaged in a two-on-two game at one of the courts. Sammie and Coltyn were on one team while Mikey and Max made up the other. Five minutes into the game, the brunet scored the first goal.

"Not bad," Coltyn complimented as he walked towards Mikey while dribbling the ball, "But just how good are you?" And with that he faked left before bouncing the ball between his friend's legs and catching it as he came up behind him on his right. Moving ahead a few more feet, he then threw the ball and scored.

"Nicely done, Coltyn." Mikey turned around and retrieved the ball.

Two hours later, they finally left campus rec although half of that time was mostly just Coltyn against Mikey in one-on-one. The latter of the two had to admit that he hadn't had so much fun before during the school year. The others were right; he needed to loosen up more. That night after dinner, Max and Sammie decided to stay in while Coltyn took Mikey to the _Unreal Tournament_ party. The following morning, Mikey attended Miss Frost's service by himself before meeting up with everyone for lunch at the Ra Yellow dorm.

"This is a lovely dining room!" Max exclaimed, "The décor is simply FABULOUS!"

"Then there's the food itself," Mikey said as he enjoyed his soup and sandwich.

"It's nice, sure," Coltyn admitted, "But I'm sure the Obelisk Blue dorm has a much better dining room."

"I can guarantee that," replied Sammie, "It's like a five-star gourmet restaurant."

"Stop, please! You're just going to make me hungry again," Mikey begged, causing everyone else to laugh.

Afterwards, everybody just hung around campus doing various things. As the appointed time for the Sunday movie night came, subjects of their conversation started to move towards the film itself.

"So who do you think will be the villain in _Transformers_ 2?" asked Max.

"I think it's going to be Galvatron," answered Coltyn, "And after that, it'll be Unicron in the third movie."

"You really think so?" asked Mikey.

"My cousins are big _Transformers_ fans."

"Oh. The only _Transformers_ series I ever watched was _Beast Wars_."

Someone hiding behind the corner was eavesdropping upon the friends' conversation. Jumping out he seemed peeved as he growled at the group. Coltyn calmly got up and walked over to the person.

"Who are you and what do you want?" he demanded.

"You guys really think you know everything about _Transformers_?" the spy answered with a scowl as his pimply face came into the light.

_Great, not another one of these psycho fanatic_, thought Mikey. However, Coltyn stayed calm.

"Nobody ever said anything about knowing everything," he replied to the fanatic, "But on the subject of knowing things, who the hell are you?"

"I'm Spike and I'm the world's biggest _Transformers_ fan ever!"

"I've traveled around the world and I've met bigger fans than you," Coltyn muttered.

"That's impossible!" Spike yelled, "No one's a bigger fan that me! Everyone knows that Michael Bay destroyed the franchise with that piece of shit! You are nothing but posers! Nothing but Go-bots in a world of Headmasters, Target Masters, and more!"

"Dude, you really need to get out more," said Coltyn, his voice cold and dry.

"Coltyn, what the heck do you think you're doing?" asked Mikey.

"We've still got three more hours until the movie starts and I'm bored," answered Coltyn before turning back to Spike, "You want to settle this right now?"

"Bring it on Go-bot! I'll trash you like a Junkticon!" Spike took out his Duel Disk from his backpack and put it on.

"Wait a second, Coltyn. You don't have your Duel Disk," said Sammie.

"Yes, I do," replied Coltyn. Reaching up with his right arm, he grabbed onto his left shoulder and pulled off the flesh.

"EW!"

"Gross!" exclaimed Mikey, "Coltyn!"

"It's only artificial skin, guys!" Coltyn assured them. When everybody could finally bring himself or herself to look, they saw that Coltyn's entire left arm was mechanical.

"Is that..." Max began.

"A prosthetic? Yes," answered Coltyn. As he turned to face Spike, his artificial arm suddenly transformed. The outer coverings shifted places until they had formed a complete Duel Disk, while leaving only the hand and the inner frame to maintain the arm.

"Let's do this!" Coltyn slammed his desk into his deck slot.

--

**Coltyn:** 4000

**Spike:** 4000

--

"I go first," declared Spike as he drew, "I summon Red Gadget in attack mode!" He placed his card onto his Duel Disk and called forth a red robot with a giant silver gear on its back. (ATK/1300 DEF/1500)

"And whenever a Red Gadget is summoned, I get to search my deck for a Yellow Gadget and add it to my hand." Spike searched through his deck and pulled out a monster card. Once he put it in his hand, he shuffled his deck and returned it to its slot.

"Your move."

"Let's see how well you take this." Coltyn drew his first card and added it to the others being held in his mechanical left hand before taking another one and playing it, "I summon Fox Fire in attack mode." A small red fox with a flame at the end of its tail was summoned to the field. (ATK/300 DEF/200)

"That's it?" laughed Spike, "That thing's no bigger than G1 Ravage!"

"I'm not done yet," replied Coltyn as he took another card from his hand, "Now since I have another Fire monster on the field, I can Special Summon Goka, the Pyre of Malice. However, once I do so I have to destroy the other monster." A metal urn of sorts appeared on the field and fired a blast of flame that destroyed Fox Fire. As soon as it had, a fiery spirit rose out from the top of the urn and roared. (ATK/2200 DEF/1900)

"Next I remove my Fox Fire from play in order to Special Summon Spirit of Flames." Coltyn took his Fox Fire from his graveyard and placed it into his pocket before bringing out a fiery red demon. (ATK/1700 DEF/1000)

"I should also add that Spirit of Flames gets a three hundred point boost to his attack points during my Battle Phase." Coltyn then pointed forward at Red Gadget, "Goka, attack Red Gadget! Inferno Blaze of Destruction!" Goka let out a hollow roar and conjured several fireballs, which were launched straight at Red Gadget. The red robot was blown to pieces and pieces of scrap metal were sent flying in all directions.

--

**Coltyn:** 4000

**Spike:** 3100

--

"Spirit of Flames, it's your turn! Fire of Ifrit!" On Coltyn's command, Spirit of Flames leapt up and roared. It surrounded itself with fire before launching itself at Spike in the form of a blazing meteor.

--

**Coltyn:** 4000

**Spike:** 1100

--

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn," concluded Coltyn, "Your move."

"Good move, but it won't be enough." Spike drew his card. "I summon Yellow Gadget in attack mode and use its effect to bring a Green Gadget to my hand." He brought out a yellow robot with a two halves of a silver gear on its back. (ATK/1200 DEF/1200) Once he had added the card to his hand, he continued.

"Next I play Tribute to the Doomed. Now by sending one card to the graveyard, I can destroy one of your monsters and I pick Goka!" After Spike sent one card to his graveyard, a mummy rose up from behind Goka, the Pyre of Malice and grabbed it before dragging it down to the grave, "After that, I activate Premature Burial. Now I can bring back a monster from my graveyard by giving up eight hundred Life Points."

--

**Coltyn:** 4000

**Spike:** 300

--

"And I summon Boot-Up Soldier – Dread Dynamo!" A brown robot with an empty socket in its chest rose up and stood erect before Spike (ATK/0 DEF/2000), "And I should mention that if I have a Gadget on the field, Dread Dynamo gains two thousand attack points. Yellow Gadget, connect to Dread Dynamo!" Yellow Gadget leapt up and connected the two gear halves on its back together before settling inside the brown robot's chest. There was a loud click as it locked in place.

"Dread Dynamo, attack Spirit of Flames! Dynamic Slam!" Boot-Up Soldier – Dread Dynamo cocked back its arm and launched a punch that smashed into Spirit of Flames, killing it instantly.

--

**Coltyn:** 3700

**Spike:** 300

--

"Yellow Gadget, it's your turn to attack!" Yellow Gadget detached itself from Dread Dynamo's chest and spun straight towards Coltyn. The yellow robot struck its mark and the black-haired teen grunted against the impact despite the fact that the monsters were all holograms.

--

**Coltyn:** 2500

**Spike:** 300

--

"I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn."

"My turn," Coltyn drew his next card. "I remove Spirit of Flames in my graveyard from play in order to Special Summon Inferno in defense mode." He called forth a giant flame that slowly developed a face upon hitting the field and grinned wickedly, revealing a mass grave of skeletons inside its maw.

"Next I remove Goka, the Pyre of Malice and summon another Inferno," Coltyn continued, "Now I sacrifice both Infernos in order to summon Firestorm Prominence." Both monsters flared up and then suddenly vanished. But then a massive explosion of fire erupted and from it emerged a giant flaming crocodile. (ATK/2000 DEF/1500)

"Finally, I activate my Trap Card, Backfire," Coltyn revealed his facedown. "As long as this card is on the field, every time a Fire monster on my side of the field dies you lose five hundred Life Points. And considering you only have three hundred left, it's something you definitely won't consider. But that's not all. If Firestorm Prominence is destroyed, then all facedown and non-Fire monsters are also destroyed. It's your move."

"Okay, now he's just fucking with him," said Sammie. Now it was Spike's turn again, his face contorting with nervousness as a cold sweat formed on his pimply brow. First he drew and then proceeded with his first Main Phase.

"I start by revealing my first facedown card. It's my Call of the Haunted and I'll use it to bring back Red Gadget." As soon as the red robot appeared, Spike searched his deck for a Yellow Gadget and added it to his hand, "Next I summon Green Gadget." This brought out a green robot with a gear as its main body. (ATK/1400 DEF/600)

"Then I activate my other facedown, Stronghold the Moving Fortress. This Trap Card gets Special Summoned to the field as a monster in defense mode as soon as it's activated." Once the card had been revealed, a massive silver robot appeared with three round slots in its chest appeared in a crouching stance. (ATK/0 DEF/2000)

"And here's the kicker!" Spike added, "If all three Gadgets are on the field, Stronghold the Moving Fortress gains three thousand attack points!" Yellow Gadget detached itself from Boot-up Soldier – Dread Dynamo and together with Red Gadget and Green Gadget; they locked themselves into each of Stronghold's ports, giving it a power boost. He then ended his turn.

Coltyn drew his card and looked at it before looking at the situation before him, a large smirk on his face, almost mocking Spike. He knew he could easily win this duel, but he could also tell that this person was an amateur and had no idea how to use his deck properly. He figured he should draw it out a little longer, but then remembered that he and his friends had a movie to catch and getting good seats would be a priority in that case. Knowing this, he pointed forward with his mechanical arm and clenched his fist.

"Firestorm Prominence, attack Boot-Up Soldier, Dread Dynamo! Burning Salamander!" Firestorm Prominence opened its mouth and unleashed a stream of flames at the brown robot, which retaliated by charging toward the flaming crocodile with its punch ready. With both monsters standing at two thousand attack points each, when the attack connected, both monsters were obliterated.

"And since Firestorm Prominence was a Fire monster," Coltyn reminded his opponent, "you take five hundred damage thanks to Backfire! Plus the death of my monster means the death of all of yours." From the remains of Firestorm Prominence, a massive rain of flames shot up and hailed down upon the field, blasting the machines to pieces. Following that was a fiery explosion that blasted up from under Spike and took out his remaining Life Points.

--

**Coltyn:** 2500

**Spike:** 0

--

"How could I have lost?" asked Spike as he collapsed.

"I think I have the answer to that," said Coltyn as he put his cards back into the deck box on his belt, "Spike, you looked up that deck on the net, didn't you? And then you constructed it based on that. But your one major weak point was that you didn't know how to use it properly."

"What are you talking about?" Spike demanded, "I can _so_ use my deck properly!"

"Uh, no you can't. A Gadget deck would actually be able to beat my Fire deck. But that's only if it's used properly. Yours was poorly used. Spike, you only looked for a powerful deck and the list of cards needed to make it. But you never read up on any of the strategies associated with it. If your goal is to be a Gadget duelist, then you've got some serious work to do. And if you're just a copy duelist, you seriously suck at that too." And with that, Coltyn left and walked back to his friends, not giving the whiny geek a second thought. As he approached, his arm reverted back from Duel Disk mode until it resembled a limb again.

"Okay, that's kinda freaky but at the same time pretty cool," Sammie commented.

"How did you lose your arm anyway?" Mikey asked curiously.

"I'd rather not say," was Coltyn's answer, "I really don't want to have to remember."

"I understand."

"Well come on, everyone!" Max suddenly called out from several feet ahead, "We have a movie to catch and we simply MUST get some _**fantabulous**_ seats!"

"Oh yeah! That's right. We almost forgot about it!" Mikey ran ahead, "I'll get the popcorn!"

"I'll come with you!" Coltyn called after Mikey as he pulled the artificial skin back over his left arm.

"Max and I will get seats," Sammie offered, "If anyone tries to take them, I'll stab them in the left ass cheek with a ballpoint pen!"

"Why the left ass cheek?" Max asked, his eyebrow arching slightly.

"Because I said so, dammit!" She growled back with a tick.

And so Mikey, Sammie, Max, and Coltyn spent the next few hours enjoying _Transformers_. After the movie ended, everybody returned to their respective dorms and went to bed. After all, tomorrow was Monday, which meant classes would be up again. As Mikey lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, he smiled knowing that he had enjoyed his first weekend at Duel Academy and he looked forward to anything else that he and his friends may have planned for the future.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Next Friday on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh!: GNext**_

Things heat up for Mikey when he finds himself dueling for Sammie. Will he succeed? Find out next week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	5. Don't You Wish Your Card Games were Fun?

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**EPISODE 1-05**

**Don't You Wish Your Card Games were Fun Like Mine?**

Mikey sighed in the same manner he always did. How he always got himself into these situations he would never know. He was just enjoying his break between classes when someone suddenly came up to him and challenged him to a duel. He never knew exactly how it happened but one thing led to another and before long he found himself locked in a card game against his challenger. He was down to his last one thousand Life Points with two cards in his hand, two more on the field, and Cyber-Tech Alligator in play in attack mode. Meanwhile, his opponent was standing strong at twenty-five hundred Life Points with two cards in his hand, one facedown, one Solemn Wishes in play, and two Revival Jams in defense mode.

"Cyber-Tech Alligator, attack a Revival Jam," ordered Mikey, "Trident Arm!" The giant reptilian cyborg cocked back its right arm and thrust it forward, firing its claws into one of the ghost-like water creatures, piercing through its gelatinous membrane and splattering it to the winds. As soon as it had wiped out the Revival Jam, it reeled its hand back in and it reconnected with a loud clang.

"I sacrifice one thousand Life Points!" declared Mikey's opponent. Once it was his turn, he drew and his Life Points were restored by five hundred for the umpteenth time that duel. "Now because I paid the Life Point cost, Revival Jam returns to the field. And now I'm going to sacrifice both of them so I can bring out Suijin!" A giant torrent burst up and engulfed the Revival Jams and in their place arose a massive blue creature made up of a blue sheet of water with a head bearing a seal upon its forehead.

"Next I activate Call of the Haunted and use it to bring back Tribe-Infecting Virus. Now I use its effect to destroy one monster type on the field by discarding a card and I choose machine!" After discarding a card, Mikey's opponent's Tribe-Infecting Virus unleashed a cloud of microorganisms that swarmed Cyber-Tech Alligator. The giant beast roared as its armor rusted and eroded while its flesh rotted away until nothing remained but a frail skeleton which promptly fell apart, scattering bones and scrap metal everywhere.

"Suijin, attack him for game!" Mikey braced himself as the attack connected and his Life Points dropped to zero.

"Another win for me!" As his opponent left, Mikey got down and started to gather up his cards that had flown from his Duel Disk during the last attack.

_Why am I even here in the first place?_ he asked himself mentally, _Ever since I started attending this school, I haven't won a single duel._ Once his cards were back together, he looked at his deck for a moment before snapping an elastic band around it and placing it inside his pocket.

"Lost another duel?" Mikey looked up and saw Sammie coming toward him, having caught the end of the duel.

"Yeah," he replied neutrally.

"Then how can you act so calm about it?" she demanded, "Almost every duel you play affects your grades." Mikey suddenly paused and looked at his friend.

"And you waited until now to tell me this?"

"I thought it was obvious." The next thing Sammie knew, Mikey was letting loose an entire string of watered-down swears, "You know Mikey, if you want to get taken seriously then you shouldn't sugarcoat your swears."

"Can I help it if I'm a nice guy by nature?"

"We need to fix that, too."

"What?"

"But first we need to take care of that deck of yours. Come on! We're going to the card shop!" Sammie grabbed Mikey and started dragging him away.

"Ow! Hey, Sammie! Stop!" The brunet struggled to try to break free of her grip, but he just couldn't, "Come on, Sammie! Can't I at least use the bathroom first?"

"No! You're just going to sneak out the window like you always do to get out of something," she shot back with a piercing glare.

ooo

Meanwhile, the Duel Academy faculty members were gathered together inside the staff room having their weekly meeting. They all sat at a large C-shaped table with Chancellor Alexis Rhodes seated in the middle across from the opening with all the dorm heads to her left and the rest of the teachers to her right. They had just finished going over their reports for the week and were now examining and evaluating the current student standings.

"Miss Samantha Korangar has been doing exceptionally well in all of her classes," Miss Marina reported, "It's easy to see that she'll be ranking the top five in the achievement tests."

"Yes, but I believe that she'll find some heavy competition from one of my students," Dr. Trevor Snappe replied as he shifted through his papers. Both Obelisk Blue heads handed their reports to Alexis, who examined them carefully.

"You're right! These two students are definitely candidates for the number one spot," she commented, "Alright, now it's Ra Yellow's turn."

"Mr. Bibby and I have managed to summarize that most of our students have been maintaining their expected averages while a few are showing exceptional potential that could promote them to Obelisk Blue," said Mrs. Jackson, "However, Mr. Bibby has something else he'd like to mention."

"What is it, Roger?" Alexis queried of the geography teacher.

"It regards one of my students," replied Mr. Bibby, "Coltyn Reproba. Fifteen years old. As some of you may know, Mr. Reproba wears a prosthetic. Recently, however, we found out that it also functions as a Duel Disk. Now as this is not school-issued equipment, an examination will need to be carried out to make sure that it meets all the standard requirements. That means we'd need to ensure that all rules have been programmed into it properly. And if not, then we'll be required to confiscate his Duel Disk until further notice."

"Roger, you're talking about taking away a boy's arm," Miss Frost protested, "We can't do that."

"Regulations are regulations, Miss Frost," was Mr. Bibby's response, "We cannot ignore them."

"Roger, I understand what you're getting at," said Alexis, "but Mr. Reproba's prosthetic is more than just a Duel Disk. It's also his arm."

"Perhaps we can set up a time for him to come in to meet with us," suggested Dr. Snappe.

"What about the upcoming physical exams?" asked Hassleberry, "Classes'll be canceled that day and the kid'll need to take his arm off, so we'll do it then."

"That's a very plausible idea, Hassleberry," replied Alexis. "We'll take that into consideration. Now what about your students?"

"The Osiris Red girls are doing just fine for now," Miss Frost reported.

"A lot of the boys are doin' good, too. But there's one young 'un I'm worried about," Hassleberry brought up, "Name's Michael Angel, "Now the kid's been doin' really well in a lot of his classes. Can't say he's been doin' so hot in gym, though. But what I'm really worried about are his duel scores. Ever since he got here, the kid's been losin' every game he's played. Boy's got potential, but he ain't usin' it."

"This could be a problem," Alexis said thoughtfully, "Do we have his deck list?"

"Right here." The school's computer teacher Mr. Matrix, who was the youngest among the teachers with short blond hair and glasses, turned his laptop around for all to see."

"Damn, that's pathetic," commented Hassleberry.

"I believe our teacher review forms have a rating for this sort of thing," said Mr. Bibby, "its called 'cocking shite'."

"Tyranno, as the head of the Osiris Red boys' dorm, you are also that dorm's councilor. You should speak with him about his deck sometime," Alexis suggested.

"Will do."

"Now then, let's move on."

ooo

"Sammie, you know I'm never comfortable with you buying things for me," Mikey said as he stood at the counter in the card shop.

"Well then maybe you should learn how to pay with your student card if you feel that strongly about it," Sammie shot back.

"Sammie, I don't even use my debit card. I only pay with cash."

"It's easy, Mikey. I'll explain. Each time you swipe your student card, the cost of what you bought is charged to your student account. You can check on your account online. And at the end of the year, you just pay off your tab."

Mikey just looked at her for a moment and then turned back to look through the binders of individual common cards. There were quite a few he found that would be useful and for as little as twenty-five cents each, but he had only brought enough cash with him to school for emergencies.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyy!" A loud cry caught the brunet's attention as well as Sammie's and they both turned to see a man carrying a large bag wearing some kind of uniform that included a red hat.

"Who is this?" asked Mikey.

"Let me introduce myself," the newcomer said, "I am the Duel Academy postman. I make sure that mail coming into the school gets delivered to all the students and staff and I also help students to make sure that their mail gets sent out, too. You can call me Mr. Pat!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"What?"

_Does this guy even recognize the idiocy of his name and title?_ Mikey thought.

"Did you want something or not?" demanded Sammie.

"Oh, right! I have mail for you two." The postman reached into his bag and pulled out some envelopes.

"Why didn't you just leave our mail at our dorm rooms?" asked Mikey.

"Because it is a postman's duty to make sure the recipient gets their mail!"

_Talk about a one-track mind_, Mikey thought rolling his eyes. He turned his attention back to the postman when he handed him an envelope. The boy took it and read the front to confirm that it was for him and then looked at the return address. His face turned into one of pleasant surprise.

"It's from my parents!"

"Here, I'll open it for you." Sammie took the letter and sliced open the envelop with her nail before handing it back.

"It scares me that you can do that." Mikey took out the folded sheet of paper and opened it.

"Well, Mikey?"

"It's a letter." He flipped the paper around in his hand and revealed a large capital L that had been written on that side in cloister black font, "And on the back is a message and some money." Mikey removed the paper clip and detached a pair of twenty-dollar bills from it."

"Awesome, Mikey! You have spending money!" exclaimed Sammie, "Now you can get some of the better cards."

"I think I'd be better off saving it for something more important," was Mikey's response. A smaller piece of paper fell to the floor and Sammie grabbed it. "What is that?"

"It's note from your brother," she answered as she flipped it around, showing Mikey a small eighth note that had, indeed, been drawn by Gabriel, "And on the back he's saying you should spend it on cards. And you know what, Mikey? He's right."

"But I might need this money for something else," Mikey protested.

"Just buy the damn cards before shove my foot up your ass," threatened Sammie.

"Bow chicka bow wow!"

"Hey!" Mikey shouted at another student browsing the store who had made the comment, "Alright, fine. I'll spend ten bucks, but that's it."

"I'm glad you'd see things my way," Sammie replied sweetly.

"What do you recommend? I'm no good with this sort of thing." As Mikey browsed through the binders of commons, his friend watched from over his shoulder.

"The big thing right now is that your deck has to have a theme. Once you've picked one, you can add the necessary support cards," Sammie explained, "My deck, for example, relies on Ruin, Queen of Oblivion and Demise, King of Armageddon. They're ritual monsters, so I have support cards like Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and Sonic Bird to help search for them and their respective spell cards. Max's deck is a clown control deck, so he has cards that let him use their effects."

"And Coltyn runs a Fire deck that deals direct Life Point damage," Mikey added.

"Very good, Mikey! You're learning," Sammie congratulated, "Coltyn's deck strategy is actually called a burn strategy."

Mikey took out his deck and spread it out on the counter beside him. As he continued to look at cards, Sammie started to make suggestions.

"You should replace that De-Spell with a Mystical Space Typhoon. It can destroy both Spell and Trap cards regardless of their position. And who runs Castle Walls and Reinforcements anymore? Oh and get rid of that Remove Trap. It's pretty useless these days. And take out Sword of the Deep-Seated. That'll just hinder your draws and five hundred points really isn't big enough of a boost these days."

As Sammie went on, Mikey reached over to pick up his second booster pack and opened it. As he looked at the cards inside, he gasped as one shone out brightly amongst the others. Sammie looked over his shoulder and she too gasped.

"That's a Jinzo!" she exclaimed, "A very rare card and a very powerful one, too! You HAVE to add that!" Mikey immediately did. After an hour of sorting through children's trading cards and taking advice from his friend, he finally stepped back from the counter, stretched his back, and gathered up his deck.

"Now you just need to test it out," Sammie finished off.

"Hey babe!" a voice called out.

"Probably sooner than you think," she muttered. She turned around and saw a second-year Ra Yellow student approaching her. He was fairly slim, about the same build as Mikey, and had hair that had been dyed half red and half blue.

"If opposites attract, then why am I so drawn to you?"

_Oh Lord, that was horrible_, Mikey groaned mentally.

"What the hell does that even mean, you douche bag?" Sammie demanded.

"Lemme put it to you another way, babe. I am the chick magnet with the personality to match."

"What the hell is up with everyone and lame puns on this island!?"

"Where does your dad work?" asked Mikey, "Path-E-Tech?"

There was a long silent pause.

"What the hell was that?" Sammie asked.

"A...clever response?" Mikey tried.

"Okay, you're done. Go sit in a corner 'til I tell you to come out."

"What the heck does that mean?" He was suddenly smacked upside the head, "OW!"

"Shut your damn mouth is what it means!"

"Damn. I can't believe a hot chick like you has to be stuck with a loser like him," the player said, "C'mon, babe. Why don't you ditch this kid and come back to my place? There's always room in this playa's Oasis of Love!"

"Who the heck are you, anyway?" asked Mikey.

"The chicks call me Mags," the player introduced, "'cause they're like metal to my magnetic personality."

"Okay, seriously. I've never dated before and even I can tell those pickup lines suck more than a vacuum cleaner," said Mikey.

"You're one to talk, loser. You got this awesomely hot chick and don't even make the moves on her?" Mags scoffed.

"Sammie's my friend and I don't approve of the way you're treating her. You're the kind of guy who'll have anything in a dress."

"Anything in a dress?" Sammie repeated.

"...Uh, Sammie. That's not what I meant," Mikey stuttered.

"Anything in a dress?" Sammie repeated again.

"I was just trying to help!"

"I don't know which is more insulting, Mikey. The fact that you think I'm anything in a dress or the fact that you think I can't handle this myself."

"I..." Mikey stopped and just curled up into a ball on the floor.

"I don't even wear dresses," muttered Sammie.

"So, you comin' back with this playa or not?" asked Mags.

"Wait a sec! She never agreed to anything!" Mikey suddenly interjected as he got back up.

"Get the hell outta here, loser."

"You want Sammie, you gotta go through me first." Mikey took his Duel Disk out from his backpack, put it on his arm, and activated it. Picking up his new deck off the counter, he slid it in place into the deck slot.

"Fine by me." Mags readied his Duel Disk and stood ready.

"Game on!" the two declared.

--

**Mikey:** 4000

**Mags:** 4000

--

"This playa's goin' first." Mags drew his first card and preceded with his turn, "I summon Giant Rat in attack mode." He played his card and brought out a giant grey rat with a skull in its paws. (ATK/1400 DEF/1450)

"Now I'll set a facedown. That's it for me."

"My move." Mikey drew and then proceeded, "I summon Neo the Magic Swordsman in attack mode." He called forth a handsome warrior with long blond hair, a blue cape, and a sword. (ATK/1700 DEF/1000)

"Neo, attack his Giant Rat," commanded Mikey, "Magical Sword Slash." Neo the Magic Swordsman grasped his sword in both hands and charged. The blade seemed to glow brightly with magical energies as it swung through the air and cut the vermin in half.

--

**Mikey:** 4000

**Mags:** 3700

--

"Giant Rat lets me summon an Earth monster to the field with fifteen hundred or less attack points in attack mode when it's destroyed," declared Mags, "And I'll bring out Gamma the Magnet Warrior." He brought out a pink robot with wings and a big S on its chest. (ATK/1500 DEF/1800)

"I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn," concluded Mikey.

Now it was back to Mags. He drew his card and then switched his monster into defense mode.

"Alright, first I activate my facedown card, Call of the Haunted, and I'll use it to bring back my Giant Rat. Next, I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior." Mags called forth a green creature with magnets for hands as well as one on its head (ATK/1700 DEF/1600), "Giant Rat, attack Neo the Magic Swordsman!"

"Neo, counterattack!" ordered Mikey. As Giant Rat launched its attack, Neo the Magic Swordsman swung his blade and cleaved the rodent in half again, also destroying Call of the Haunted.

"Now I use Giant Rat's effect to summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior!" Mags summoned a grey robot with magnets on its shoulders and head wielding a sword and shield, "Next I play Reload. I place my hand into my deck, shuffle, and then draw the same number of cards I placed into it." And that's exactly what he did. When he received his 3 new cards, he smiled.

"Now watch, loser," he ordered, "I sacrifice all three Magnet Warriors in order to summon..." Alpha, Beta, and Gamma the Magnet Warriors suddenly broke apart and split up into a large floating cloud of components and parts. Then they began to reorganize themselves and began to come back together to create one single robot. Mikey couldn't help but whistle the _Voltron_ theme as this happened. When all was finished, the complete robot resembled a larger humanoid thing with Gamma's wings and wielding Alpha's sword.

"...Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!" announced Mags. (ATK/3500 DEF/3850)

"Holy crap!" exclaimed Mikey.

"That's it for this turn," Mags finished up.

_That's one powerful monster_, thought Mikey as he drew; _how am I supposed to beat something like that?_ He looked at the cards in his hand and realized that there was no way for him to destroy that monster. So for the time being, he decided to just play defensively.

"I switch Neo the Magic Swordsman into defense mode and set a monster facedown." A facedown card appeared on Mikey's field and his swordsman knelt down holding his sword in front of him.

"My move." Mags drew and played his cards, "I play Premature Burial. First I give up eight hundred Life Points."

--

**Mikey:** 4000

**Mags:** 2900

--

"And then I get to summon a monster from my graveyard. So I bring back Beta the Magnet Warrior. Next I summon another Alpha the Magnet Warrior. Finally, I activate the Field Spell known as Gaia Power. As long as this monster remains on the field, all Earth monsters will gain a five-hundred point boost to their attack points at the cost of a four hundred point decrease to their defense points." Mags opened his Field Spell tray and placed a card inside before closing it. Once a hologram of the card appeared, a giant tree rose up in the center of the field.

"Alpha, attack his Neo!" Alpha the Magnet Warrior jumped up on command and slashed Neo the Magic Swordsman with its sword, "Beta, attack his facedown!" Beta the Magnet Warrior then attacked and destroyed what turned out to be Sangan. Mikey was then permitted to search his deck for a monster with fifteen hundred attack points or less and add it to his hand. Once he had done this, he shuffled his deck and returned it to the deck slot.

"Now Valkyrion, attack him for game!" Valkyrion dashed forward and raised its sword in preparation to strike.

"I discard the Kuriboh I brought to my hand with Sangan to reduce the damage to zero!" declared Mikey. He sent one card from his hand to the graveyard and a large wall of giant hairy balls popped up before him and blocked Valkyrion's attack.

"Not bad, loser," Mags commented, "Let's see how well you do. Go."

"Alright then." Mikey drew his next card and looked at it before analyzing his situation. His opponent currently had three monsters on the field and he had none, but at the same time he had his two facedowns. He could tell there wouldn't be much he could do at that moment, so he decided to maintain his defense for as long as he could and based on his hand and his field there was a chance he could last for a few more turns.

"I set a facedown and put a monster in defense mode. Your turn."

"That was pathetic." Mags drew his card and played his move, "I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior. Now watch again as I sacrifice all three Magnet Warriors so I can summon a second Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!"

"Are you kidding me?" yelled Mikey as he watched the Magnet Warriors disassemble themselves and reassemble together into a second Valkyrion that also got the boost from Gaia Power.

"Valkyrion number one, go!" ordered Mags. His first Valkyrion went ahead and launched its attack.

"I activate my Trap Card," announced Mikey as he revealed the card he had set last turn, "Negate Attack! Now your attack is negated and your Battle Phase ends!" A vortex appeared and absorbed Valkyrion's sword. The Magna Warrior backed off and returned to its place beside the other one.

"Fine. It's your move now."

_And it better count_, thought Mikey as he drew his card. Sadly, he couldn't use it so he just ended his turn. Then it was back to Mags, who immediately ordered a Valkyrion to attack. Mikey saved himself when he activated his facedown Waboku, calling forth a group of women in light blue robes to defend him. His opponent growled and ended his turn. Then it was back to Mikey again and this time he found a way he could beat Mags' monsters.

"I play Foolish Burial. Now I can send one monster from my deck to my graveyard." Mikey selected his Tri-Horned Dragon and sent it away before shuffling and replacing his deck, "Next I activate Call of the Haunted to resurrect my Tri-Horned Dragon." And just like that, the most powerful monster in his deck was brought back to life. (ATK/2850 DEF/2350)

"Next I equip him with Malevolent Nuzzler, boosting his attack power by seven hundred points." He played his card and his monster's power rose.

"You think that thing's strong enough to beat my Valkyrions?" asked Mags, "Don't make me laugh, loser!"

"I'm no finished yet!" Mikey announced as he played one of his new cards, "I play Mystical Space Typhoon and I'll use it to destroy your Gaia Power!" A powerful storm blew in and tore the tree's roots right out of the ground. With the giant plant no longer in play, both Valkyrions dropped back down to thirty-five hundred attack points, only fifty points weaker than Tri-Horned Dragon. With things now set up, Mikey pointed at one of the two robots.

"Tri-Horned Dragon, attack! Tri-Horned Charge!" Tri-Horned Dragon roared and charged forward. It lowered its head and impaled one of the Valkyrions with its horns, effectively destroying it.

--

**Mikey:** 4000

**Mags:** 2850

--

_I'm impressed with Mikey so far_, thought Sammie, _Not only are his Life Points untouched, but he's learned that he can summon strong monsters by resurrecting them._

"That's it for this turn," declared Mikey.

"Fine." Mags drew, "I'll start by switching Valkyrion into defense mode. Then I set a facedown. That's it for now." A facedown card appeared on the field behind Valkyrion as it knelt down and crossed its arms in front of its body.

Now it was back to Mikey. With his opponent now playing defensively and his Tri-Horned Dragon being the strongest creature on the field, he was feeling very confident. Looking at his hand, he decided to make things a lot more interesting. First he played Monster Reincarnation.

"Now I discard one card so I can return Kuriboh to my hand." Once he did so, he resumed his turn, "Next I play Premature Burial to bring back the monster I just sent away."

--

**Mikey:** 3200

**Mags:** 2850

--

"So now I bring out Jinzo!" From the ground arose a bald cyborg in green armor and robes (ATK/2400 DEF/1500), "And that negates all your trap cards!"

"Nice move, Mikey!" Sammie called out.

"Your move." And with Mikey's words, Mags went ahead.

"I play The Shallow Grave. This lets us both bring a monster from our graveyards into facedown defense position. And I choose Valkyrion!"

"I guess I'll pick Sangan, then," replied Mikey. As the two duelists brought out their monsters, a pair of facedown cards appeared sideways on the field.

After Mags ended his turn there, Mikey drew his card and grinned. He immediately played it, which turned out to be Giant Trunade. His Call of the Haunted, Premature Burial, and Malevolent Nuzzler returned to his hand and thanks to Jinzo, Tri-Horned Dragon was able to stay on the field. Mags' facedown was also returned to its owner's hand. Once the field had been cleared of all spells and traps, Mikey re-equipped Malevolent Nuzzler to Tri-Horned Dragon.

"Tri-Horned Dragon, attack his facedown!" he ordered.

"Are you crazy or somethin', loser?" asked Mags, "You know that's my Valkyrion, so why are you attacking?"

"To flip it face up," answered Mikey. His dragon charged in and the facedown Valkyrion was flipped up. Its solid defense deflected the attack easily, causing Mikey to lose the difference in points.

--

**Mikey:** 2900

**Mags:** 2850

--

_Now I just need my Lightning Vortex and I can win this duel_, thought Mikey.

_He's getting better_, Sammie noted mentally.

_He's got something planned_, thought Mags, _Well this playa ain't gonna let that happen._ When his turn came up, he drew and saw that he had gotten the card he needed. He immediately set it on the field and ended his turn. Mikey then began his and quickly skipped to his Battle Phase. He ordered his Jinzo to attack the facedown monster, which turned out to be Magician of Faith. Mags used her effect to return Premature Burial to his hand. Once that was over, he set a facedown monster and ended his turn. Then it was back to Mags. He drew and immediately grinned darkly.

"It's over, loser!" he announced, "First, I split Valkyrion into Alpha, Beta, and Gamma!" One of the two robots disassembled itself and the parts rearranged themselves and reconnected with each other into the three Magnet Warriors.

"Next I sacrifice all three to summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior from my hand!" Once again, the three robots combined into one as Mags brought out a card from his hand and placed it on the field in attack mode, "Now for Premature Burial!"

--

**Mikey:** 2900

**Mags:** 2050

--

"And I'll resurrect Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!" The monster that had just been sent away only moments ago now reappeared on the field, "Now to switch Valkyrion to attack mode!" The first Valkyrion slowly stood up and readied its sword. Now Mikey found himself facing three copies of Valkyrion the Magna Warrior.

"I ain't done yet," Mags continued, "Next I play Shield and Sword. This Spell Card switches the original attack and defense points of all face-up monsters on the field!" At that instant, all attack and defense stats of every monster that stood on the field were switched around, rendering all of Mikey's creatures weaker.

"Finally, I equip one Valkyrion with Fairy Meteor Crush," concluded Mags, "Giving him the power to deal damage to your Life Points when he attacks a defense monster. Now go! Valkyrion number one, attack his Tri-Horned Dragon!" The first Valkyrion flew up and slashed Tri-Horned Dragon, causing it to roar loudly in pain as it was vanquished.

--

**Mikey:** 2100

**Mags:** 2050

--

"Valkyrion number two, attack his Jinzo!" ordered Mags.

"I activate my Kuriboh's effect!" Mikey shouted. He discarded Kuriboh from his hand and a whole wall of them popped up in front of him once again as Jinzo was destroyed, protecting his Life Points.

"Valkyrion number three, attack the facedown!" The third and last Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, the one equipped with Fairy Meteor Crush, flew across the battlefield and slashed the facedown Sangan with its sword, destroying it. As a result of the piercing effect granted upon it by the equip card, Mikey received a heavy blow to his Life Points.

--

**Mikey:** 0

**Mags:** 2050

--

"Booyah! I am the best!" Mags raised his hands in victory signs and then preceded to Sammie as Mikey dropped to the floor, "Stay down there where you belong, loser! You ain't good enough for this chick here. She ain't even worth your time. Now then, babe, how about comin' back to this playa's place for some love?" Sammie turned to him with a deadly look in her eyes.

"Listen," she said darkly, "I can put up with your dumbass pickup lines and I can tolerate you coming onto me to an extent. But when you fuck around with my friends, you've gone to far."

"Oooh, you're a feisty one," Mags said with a tiger growl. Sammie immediately kicked him in the groin, forcing him to jerk his head forward only to be met with a head butt that sent him to the ground. She then proceeded to wail on him with even more punishment. Mikey slowly got up and turned to the commotion that was happening on the other side of the shelves, wincing with each hit he heard.

"Ow, the back of my lower legs! Ow, the side of my head! The back of my face! The front of my front! OW!"

One hour later, Sammie finally got up and approached Mikey. She placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at him sweetly before helping him up.

"Come on, Mikey. Don't let guys like him get you down."

"Thanks, Sammie," Mikey said with a small friendly smile. Sammie took his hand into her own, causing him to turn slightly pink and the two of them left. Meanwhile, the store clerk whistled.

"I do **not** want to get on her bad side." He then grabbed a scraper from behind the counter, walked to the other side of the shelves, and bent down.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

It's Club Day! Mikey, Sammie, Max, and Coltyn must decide which school clubs to join. Will Max be able to fulfill his dreams of becoming an actor and make it into the Drama Club? Find out next Friday on a brand new episode of _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	6. Club Day

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

To celebrate Comic Master Alpha's birthday, this chapter gets a midnight(ish) release!

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**EPISODE 1-06**

**Club Day**

It was two weeks into the school year and everyone had finally settled down into the groove of things. Mikey was sitting at his desk doing his homework. As he tried to figure out a particularly difficult math question, he started hearing someone humming. He turned toward his roommate's desk and saw Max sitting back in his chair with his mask in one hand and a white cloth in the other with which he was cleaning the ceramic object.

"Do you really have to do that now?" asked Mikey.

"Yes," was Max's reply, his voice exuding with an unusual seriousness for the effeminate goofball.

"Why?" the brunet inquired further. In response to the question, Max picked up a piece of paper from his desk and showed it to his roommate. It was a poster from the drama club saying that they were seeking new members.

"Anyone who's interested has to show up at their booth on club day," Max added.

"Well that would explain a lot," Mikey commented as he continued to read the poster, "According to this, they're looking for someone who can do comedy. Sounds like it's right up your alley, Max." The redhead put the white cloth down on his desk and held his mask out, letting the surface shine in the sunlight streaming in through the window.

"Yes, it is," replied Max, "Joining this club will be a _fabulous_ start to my acting career!" His natural voice seemed to come back in the second half of the last sentence.

"So when is club day, anyway?" Mikey inquired.

"This Friday," answered Max, "You're coming with me, right?"

"Well I'm not really into extracurricular activities," Mikey admitted, "I've always stuck to homework and studying."

"You get credit for extracurricular activities here, though. They're actually a mandatory part of the curriculum."

"You're kidding."

"No, I'm not."

"Well if that's the case, we might as well make it a field day for all four of us," Mikey suggested.

"That idea is simply _FABULOUS_!" exclaimed Max.

"Uh, yeah..." Mikey sweat dropped with a nervous faux smile etched onto his face. He then suddenly got up and proceeded toward the door.

"Where are you doing?" asked Max.

"I'm going to the common room," was Mikey's response as he put on his shoes, "I'm going to check out the clubs this school has." Once his footwear was on, the brunet left the room and proceeded downstairs and into the center building. He found an empty computer terminal and sat down in front of it. He typed in his student ID and password and logged in. Once he was in, Mikey immediately started up Firefox, which opened up to the school's website. He browsed his way into the Duel Academy clubs page and began to read up on everything they had. The fifteen-year-old was impressed with how many clubs and teams there were. The school definitely lived up to its reputation. He was a little surprised that there were no dueling teams, but then he remembered that card games were the main focus of Duel Academy's curriculum. Taking out a pen and a piece of paper from his pocket, Mikey started to write down the names of the clubs and teams that interested him.

The young Osiris Red wasn't the only one with this idea, though. In the Obelisk Blue dorm, Sammie was going through the various clubs and making mental notes on every one. In the Ra Yellow dorm, Coltyn already had his heart set on a few clubs and was browsing around to look for any back-ups in case the ones he wanted were either full or just didn't want him.

ooo

Early on Friday morning, tables and booths were being set up all over Duel Academy while all the other students were washing up, getting dressed, or trying to catch a few more minutes of sleep. Mikey, who was normally an early riser anyway, was woken up by a voice. He slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position on his bunk and looked down to see Max already up and dressed. The redhead was wearing his mask and from what the still-drowsy Mikey could see, the young aspiring actor was practicing an audition. He leaned against the edge of his bed and watched for a while before making his presence known.

"You'll do fine, Max," he assured his roommate, "You're a great actor. I'm sure the drama club will take you no matter what." Finally getting out of bed, Mikey crawled over to the foot of his bunk and climbed down the ladder.

"Besides, you said so yourself, they're looking for someone with talent in comedy," he added, "And you're the funniest guy in the school that I know of." Max took his mask off and placed it back inside his jacket before turning to the brunet.

"Thanks, Mikey." And with that he threw his arms around his roommate and hugged him, "You're simply the best!"

"Max, could you please not do that right now? This is really uncomfortable," Mikey said, as he stood stunned still wearing nothing but his boxers.

ooo

After breakfast, during which Mikey took some bread, peanut butter, and jam to make a sandwich for lunch, everyone headed off to class. The four friends met up at the entrance to the school and entered together. Almost immediately, they could see signs, posters, and banners asking people to join each individual club posted and hung all over the building.

"The booths will all be in the gym all day," Coltyn took note.

"Looks like that means we're having gym class outside," Mikey moaned as they headed off to social studies, a class that was shared by two teachers: Mr. Bibby of geography and Mrs. Smithson of history.

"And that is the history of the Second World War in a nutshell," Mr. Bibby concluded for his co-teacher as he took over the class. "Now while we're on the subject of Germany, can anyone tell me how tall Hitler was and where he lived? Anyone?" When nobody answered, he then proceeded, starting while placing two fingers under his nose.

"He was this tall and he lived," he then used his right arm up into a Nazi salute, "over there!" The gesture itself caused many of the students to groan at their teacher's immaturity.

Lunch came three periods later, however one hour wouldn't be enough to cover all the clubs in time. The four friends decided to wait until after their last class. After the day's math class, the first-year students assembled for an outdoor gym class.

"Now y'all be startin' today by runnin' five laps 'round the track," Hassleberry announced to the boys. Mikey glanced around for a moment wondering where Sammie was and found her and the rest of the girls having their phys Ed class at the pool.

"Damn, they're lucky," Coltyn said as he stretched his leg muscles.

An hour later, classes were finally done and everybody started to pile into the gymnasium. Right at the door were students who handed out pamphlets and maps indicating where each club had set up its station.

"Where should we go first?" asked Mikey as he held his map in front of him. All at once, everyone started yelling out the names of their respective clubs.

"Okay... Well, let's just start around here and work our way towards the other end of the gym," he said in conclusion. And so the four friends' quest to survive through the insanely crowded and overly busy gymnasium began. Despite the size of the immense room, the fact that so many people had been crammed into it made the room feel so much smaller. Some of the sports teams had extra space to show off what they did and even let people try it out. The basketball team, for example, had a mini-court set up for people to give the game a try. Mikey decided to give it a shot and managed to score five times. After that, the group moved on. The volleyball and curling teams were skipped. The American football team had a television set up showing previous games. The cheer team had a giant cutout of the school's mascot, the Duel Academy Blue-Eyes White Dragon, behind its table. The swim team had posters and their table had swim caps, goggles and Duel Academy swim gear. The girls' swimsuits were light blue one-piece suits with white trims and the Duel Academy logo on the front. The boys' were light blue Speedos with the logo on the back, which frankly didn't appeal that well to Mikey at the thought of having to wear something like that.

"Come on, people. There's more here than just sports teams, you know," Coltyn called to the others from where he stood several booths apart from the others.

"How'd he get over there so fast?" wondered Sammie.

From that point on, the four friends began to look at the other school clubs. The debate team had signs explaining the debating process as well as footage from the movie _Rocket Science_ playing on a laptop at their table. The travel club's booth looked almost like a travel agency office with brochures and pamphlets on different places around the world. Coltyn was the first of the four friends to find his club of choice as he signed himself up at the booth being run by the Duel Academy chess club. Following were the go club, the shogi club, and the photography club.

"Hey Mikey, here's one that's perfect for you," Sammie commented as they approached the booth for the art club, "You're an awesome artist."

"I'm not that great," Mikey said modestly, "I just like to draw here and there. But..." He took another look at the list of clubs available.

"Then again there isn't a whole lot here that appeals to me." The brunet stepped up to the table, picked up the sign-up sheet, and wrote down his name and grade. Afterwards, the group proceeded. A few booths later, they came up to the anime club and everyone felt like they were in the anime section of a movie store. The back wall of the booth was almost completely lined with racks of anime DVDs. There were also lots of models and figurines as well as wall scrolls. The anime club had four laptops open sitting on their table, each one showing a different anime series. In this case, they were showing _Death Note_, _Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann_, _Eyeshield 21_, and _Ouran High School Host Club_. The pamphlet also mentioned that they were monthly contests for fanart and AMVs and on Halloween they would hold a cosplay contest.

"These guys must have a lot of funding," Coltyn remarked. Next to them was the machinima club. A Playstation 3, an Xbox 360, and a Wii were set up inside sealed display cases with a laptop in front of each one playing a different machinima series. The pamphlets also gave a brief guide on how to make a machinima video. Beside them was Duel Academy Radio.

"I've never seen a school with this many extracurricular activities before!" Mikey exclaimed in awe. As everyone continued to walk around, Max could hear a voice over all the others pierce the air. He listened carefully and could immediately tell that somebody was quoting Doctor Faustus.

"I recognize that monologue, anywhere," the redhead thought out loud and immediately pushed ahead.

"Max, wait for us!" Sammie called after him. After some pushing and the blonde literally kicking people out of the way, the others finally caught up to Max, who was standing in front of the drama club's booth. The head of the club, a third-year Obelisk Blue with hair to match, had already turned down six other applicants. Behind him were several other students. There was a couple consisting of a Ra Yellow and an Osiris Red, another Obelisk Blue whom Max had heard quoting Doctor Faustus earlier, an Osiris Red wearing a pirate hat and eye patch, yet another Obelisk Blue with extremely pale skin and thing stringy black hair, and a blond Ra Yellow playing with a toy spaceship.

"There just aren't any good actors out there," sighed the drama club president.

"At this rate, we'll never find someone to fill in our comedy spot," muttered the pale one.

"Looks like they've got some pretty high standards," Mikey commented, "This won't be easy, Max."

"You just need the right approach," Max replied as he took out his mask. He placed the ceramic object against his face and snapped his fingers, immediately causing all the lights in the gymnasium to go out.

"What just happened?" asked Coltyn. Suddenly a spotlight came on and shone down on a single spot where a boy with red hair wearing a white half-mask kneeling down with his Duel Disk on his left arm.

"Bonjour," he greeted, "I am le clown des rêves heureux! And I am here to dazzle you all!" And with that, Max stood up and laughed wholeheartedly, back flipping and vaulting in a handspring backwards to complete the flip. At that time, the lights came back on.

_Now that's what I call an entrance,_ thought the drama club president.

"And many fine greetings to you as well, le clown des rêves heureux," he greeted back in a false British accent, "Or may I call you Clown Reves?"

_This guy picks up fast_, thought Mikey.

"Permit me to introduce you to my fellow actors, kind sir. This pale young man here is Damien. He is our macabre actor. Lucas, the one with the spaceship, has a love of science fiction. That lovely couple back there is, of course, our romance actors. They are Romano and Julia. The pirate over there is Hector, the adventurer. Our classical friend is our drama expert, aptly named Will. And I am James, master of the performing arts."

"It is a great pleasure to meet your acquaintance," Max replied as he bowed deeply with his arms held out while standing on one foot.

"We are implementing a new style of acting this year, Clown Reves," James explained, "As Duel Academy's main focus is on the game of Duel Monsters, we have begun to use the game to tell a story. So are you up to the challenge of putting on a grand show for this lovely audience around us?" Max giggled childishly and smiled.

"Le clown des rêves heureux is always ready to please an audience!"

"Then choose which one of us you would like to play the opposite role." James stepped back with his cast and let Max make his decision. The clown-loving boy pointed at Damien and the pale teen stepped forward with his Duel Disk ready.

"How will you fair against death?" he asked gloomily as he activated his Duel Disk.

"Enjoy the show, folks!" Max laughed as he switched on his Duel Disk.

--

**Max:** 4000

**Damien:** 4000

--

"Death waits for no one, so you first," Damien said in his monotonous and creepy voice.

"Thank you kindly!" Max took a step back and bowed deeply as he drew his first card, "I begin by discarding my Crass Clown to the graveyard in order to Special Summon The Tricky in attack mode!" Max sent a card to his graveyard and a blue-caped figure rose out of the floor spinning around before flinging back its cape and revealing the question marked harlequin wearing it. (ATK/2000 DEF/1200)

"And now I'll let you take the stage." Max bowed again before ending his turn.

"Draw." Damien drew his first card and played his move, "Attack mode, Skull Servant." A frail skeleton in a dark purple robe slowly rose out of the floor. (ATK/300 DEF/200)

"A Skull Servant?" asked Sammie.

"That's one of the weakest monsters in the game," Mikey noted, "They're practically worthless."

"Never underestimate a card, Mikey," Coltyn warned, "There's a lot of support for low-level Normal monsters these days and I get the feeling we're about to see some."

"Equip," continued Damien, "Amulet of Ambition." A pendant resembling a star with an eye appeared around Skull Servant's neck.

"See what I mean?" asked Coltyn, "Amulet of Ambition can only be equipped to a Normal monster and when it does it boosts that monster's attack points by five hundred for the difference in levels with the monster it's battling."

"I see," Mikey replied, "Skull Servant is a level one monster whereas The Tricky is level five, meaning Skull Servant gets a two thousand point boost."

"Attack," ordered Damien. With his monster now boosted up to twenty-three hundred attack points, it slowly dragged itself over to The Tricky before swiping it with its bony fingers. The clown buckled back and twitched dramatically as it died.

--

**Max:** 3700

**Damien:** 4000

--

"Card facedown," Damien declared, "End turn."

"A well-played move, good sir!" Max drew and examined his cards, "I play the continuous Spell Card Stumbling. Now every monster we summon is automatically switched into defense mode. And now it's time for Blade Rabbit to take the stage!" As he announced his move, a hole opened up in the ground and pink rabbit with teeth like twelve-inch butcher knives and a large carrot hopped out. (ATK/400 DEF/300)

"What's that do?" asked Mikey.

"Blade Rabbit destroys an opponent's monster as soon as it switches into defense mode," answered Sammie.

"Just like Dream Clown!" Mikey realized. He watched as the Blade Rabbit performed a back flip and threw its carrot at the Skull Servant, shattering it into a pile of bones. It retrieved its vitamin-filled treat before taking up a crouching stance.

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn," declared Max. Now it was back to Damien. He drew and then proceeded.

"Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower." A giant black tower completely composed of corpses arose from the ground with several ghosts floating around it (ATK/400 DEF/1500), "Activate Soul Resurrection."

"I've never seen that card before," said Mikey.

"You've never seen a lot of cards," was Sammie's response, "It's the same thing as Birthright except it brings back the Normal monster in defense mode."

"Resurrect Skull Servant." Skull Servant was brought back in a defensive position, "Activate Bone Tower's effect." Two cards were pulled straight from the top of Max's deck and their holograms appeared overhead. One was Crass Clown and the other was Dream Clown. Their mouths hung open as their souls were pulled from their bodies and absorbed into the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower. The two clowns then collapsed as their cards were sent to the graveyard.

"End turn."

Now it was back to Max. He drew his card and examined the field as well as his hand. As things were at the moment, the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower was his biggest concern. He needed a way to destroy it, but nothing he had at the moment would be able to do so. First he set a monster facedown and then switched his Blade Rabbit into attack mode. The pink bunny immediately hopped up into a ready position as the redhead set a monster facedown.

"Blade Rabbit, attack his Skull Servant!" Blade Rabbit hopped across the field toward Skull Servant and bit down on it, slicing the frail skeleton to pieces with its teeth. The pink critter then hopped back to its place and stood there in ready position.

"I'll end with a facedown card," Max announced, "And now it's your turn."

"Draw. Activate Enchanting Fitting Room." Damien played his card.

"What does that do?" inquired Mikey.

"Enchanting Fitting Room lets you pick up the top four cards of your deck and Special Summon any level three or lower monsters to the field at the cost of eight hundred Life Points," explained Sammie, "The rest then go back to your deck and you shuffle." And that was exactly what happened. First Damien sacrificed his Life Points.

--

**Max:** 3700

**Damien:** 3200

--

After he had paid the cost, the pale actor took the top four cards on his deck and looked at them. He took three of them and sent the fourth back into his deck. After he shuffled, he placed the three onto the field. They were two Skull Servants and dirty skeleton in a tattered blue robe wielding a large rusted sword known as The 13th Grave. (ATK/1200 DEF/900) All three switched into defense mode the moment they hit the field.

"Activate Bone Tower's effect," Damien declared. Once again, two cards were pulled from the top of Max's deck. This time, they were Peten the Dark Clown and a second Blade Rabbit.

"I remove Peten the Dark Clown from play in order to Special Summon another one from my deck," announced Max. He removed the card from his graveyard and placed it into his pocket before taking his deck out and searching through it. As soon as he found the card, he placed it on the field in defense mode and called forth a masked clown who tipped his plumed hat and bowed deeply before placing it back on its head. Max then shuffled his deck and placed it back into his deck slot.

"Activate Foolish Burial," Damien declared. He took his deck out and searched it for one card. Once he found that which he sought, he sent it straight to the graveyard and shuffled his deck before putting it back. As he did so, his Duel Disk's built-in holographic projector showed a card on the field being lowered into the ground and then a shovel appeared and covered it with dirt. Once he had done that, Damien ended his turn. Max bowed again as he drew.

_He has four monsters on the field, including that Bone Tower,_ he thought, _and I currently have Peten in play._ He examined his hand for a moment and set a monster facedown before ending his turn. Then Damien drew and he switched his The 13th Grave into attack mode.

"Activate Spell Card," the pale teen announced, "Polymerization. Fusing Battle Warrior from my hand and Skull Servant from my field." An image of Battle Warrior appeared beside one of the Skull Servants and the two monsters were pulled into a vortex. Two seconds later, a bare skeleton with shoulder guards, a shield, and a one-handed axe appeared. (ATK/1200 DEF/900) It immediately switched into defense mode upon its summoning thanks to Stumbling.

"Fused into Zombie Warrior. Activate effect of Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower." Once again, two cards were pulled from the top of Max's deck and revealed. This time they were Labyrinth of Nightmare and Earthquake. The magical energies from the cards were pulled out much like the souls of the monsters before them and absorbed into the Bone Tower while Max sent them to the graveyard.

"Normal summon The Wandering Doom." Damien emptied his hand of the last card as he called forth a green-robed Skull Servant. (ATK/800 DEF/600) After that, he pointed at Blade Rabbit and ordered The 13th Grave to attack. The frail skeleton slowly walked across the field, dragging its rusty sword behind it. Once it reached the pink bunny, it raised its weapon and smashed it down on the critter.

--

**Max:** 2900

**Damien:** 3200

--

Once The 13th Grave had completed its task, it returned to its place. Damien then ended his turn and Max began his with a draw. He smiled when he saw his card and immediately played it.

"Dream Clown, take the stage!" Right away, Dream Clown flipped through the air and landed gracefully with a deep bow (ATK/1200 DEF/900), "And with Stumbling switching every monster into defense mode on the turn they are summoned, his effect activates. Therefore, Dream Clown, destroy his Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower." Everyone watched as the zany clown spun around on one foot before tripping on its own cape and falling flat on its back, but not before it threw a small red rubber ball. The tiny sphere bounced along the ground as it moved closer towards Damien's side of the field and as it approached, it seemed to grow bigger until it became the size of a massive boulder. The other zombies on the field quickly ran to the sides as the rubber ball crashed down on the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower, smashing it to pieces. When the dust finally cleared, the skeletons returned to their original positions. Dream Clown laughed as it picked itself up and crouched down into a defensive stance.

"That was FABULOUS, Dream Clown! And that concludes my turn." Max bowed once again as Damien went ahead and drew his card. First he switched The Wandering Doom and Zombie Warrior into attack mode. Then he summoned Dark Assailant, calling out a skeleton in green assassin's attire with a pair of swords strapped to its back and holding eight daggers between its fingers. (ATK/1200 DEF/1200) As soon as it appeared, it switched into defense mode.

"Zombie Warrior, attack his Dream Clown," ordered Damien. The skeleton warrior charged ahead and raised its axe over its skull. As soon as it came within striking distance, it brought its arm down and the blade made contact with Dream Clown's neck. The beheaded Dream Clown quickly jumped up and ran around frantically as its head stuck out its tongue before dispersing into pixels.

"Oh God," moaned Mikey.

As soon as Zombie Warrior returned, Damien ordered The 13th Grave to attack Max's facedown. Once again, it dragged its oversized rusty sword over to the other side of the field and then chopped down. The card was flipped up and revealed a cute pink creature with an upside-down face. The sword indented the candy-like monster before bouncing the blade back and making The 13th Gave fall on its ass.

"Aha-ha! You just attacked my Marshmallon!" announced Max, "And so you have activated its effect, dealing one thousand damage to your Life Points! And it can't be destroyed through battle, so you are just out of luck."

--

**Max:** 2900

**Damien:** 2200

--

"End turn," was all Damien said. Then Max drew. As things stood now, none of his opponent's monsters were strong enough to destroy his Peten the Dark Clown. However, he needed to be ready to protect it just in case. He took one card and set it facedown before ending his turn. Then it was back to Damien. The black-haired macabre actor drew and set the card facedown. Then it returned to Max, who decided to pass for the time being. When Damien's turn came, he drew and then activated his facedown.

"Reckless Greed," he announced.

"What's that do?" inquired Mikey.

"He gets to draw two cards but at the cost of skipping his next two draw phases," answered Coltyn. As Damien drew his cards, he saw two that he needed and immediately played them.

"Mystical Space Typhoon. Destroy Stumbling." Max watched as his continuous Spell Card was destroyed. "Summoning King of the Skull Servants." Damien played his other card and summoned a skeleton that looked no different from Skull Servant save for its pose while it stood. (ATK/? DEF/0)

"Interesting" Coltyn exclaimed, "King of the Skull Servants gains one thousand attack points for every Skull Servant and King of the Skull Servants in the owner's graveyard. So that was why he played Skull Servant, not just for the normal monster support."

"Graveyard has two Skull Servants and one King of the Skull Servants," Damien announced.

"When did that King get in there?" asked Mikey.

"He must have sent it there using his Foolish Burial earlier," answered Sammie, "So that means his monster gains three thousand attack points." An aura seemed to surround King of the Skull Servants as its power went up. Damien then switched his Skull Servant into attack mode and pointed forward.

"Attack," he commanded his Skull Servant king.

"I activate my Trap Card," Max declared, "Mirror Force!" A shimmering barrier appeared in front of Peten the Dark Clown. As soon as King of the Skull Servants' attack hit it, it was reflected back and destroyed the monster. The king exploded into countless bones, which flew across the field and destroyed the rest of Damien's monsters.

"Nice move!" Mikey cheered.

"End turn," announced Damien. Now Max could attack. Once he drew his card, he switched Peten the Dark Clown into attack mode and summoned Crass Clown. (ATK/1350 DEF/1400)

"Crass Clown, Circus Trick attack!" he commanded. His clown rolled over on its ball and kicked it into Damien.

--

**Max:** 2900

**Damien:** 850

--

"Now Peten, attack with Bloodlust Slash!" Peten vanished briefly and reappeared behind Damien before thrusting a dagger through his back.

--

**Max:** 2900

**Damien:** 350

--

"Max has this duel in the bag!" Mikey cheered, "Go Max!"

"My name is not Max," the redhead replied snidely.

"Sorry. I mean Clown Reves."

"My turn." Since he had activated Reckless Greed, Damien couldn't draw. However, the card in his hand would fix that. He played Upstart Goblin, which let him draw while giving Max a thousand Life Points.

--

**Max:** 3900

**Damien:** 350

--

The card he received was another Upstart Goblin and he played that, as well.

--

**Max:** 4900

**Damien:** 350

--

When he received his next card, he immediately played it.

"Summoning King of the Skull Servants." The King of the Skull Servants appeared again and everybody gasped.

"And Damien has FIVE of the boost monsters in his graveyard!" exclaimed Mikey, "That means his monster gets..."

"Five thousand attack points," Damien declared, "Attack Peten the Dark Clown." The now highly overpowered King of the Skull Servants, now surrounded with the most powerful aura it could naturally acquire, lunged forward and slashed Peten with its bony fingers, piercing through the clown, which exploded into a cloud of confetti.

--

**Max:** 400

**Damien:** 350

--

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Max had to press his hand against his mask to keep in place as the shockwave of the attack shook the entire gymnasium. Once it had passed, he removed Peten from his graveyard and summoned a third one in its place in defense mode."

"End turn," announced Damien.

"Max is going to have to pull a miracle out of his ass if he hopes to win," said Sammie as she watched the duel progress.

_This duel rests on this final draw_, thought Max, _Don't fail me now, my friends._ He slowly drew looked at his card. What he saw made his heart skip several beats and he began laughing heartily.

"Alas, good fortune smiles upon le clown des rêves heureux! I summon Ryu-Kishin Clown!" His card slid into the slot on his Duel Disk and an ugly brown goblin dressed up like a clown with a wide frilly collar and two birthday hats for horns appeared (ATK/800 DEF/500), "And as soon as he is summoned, I can change the battle position of one face-up monster on the field. And I pick King of the Skull Servants." Everybody watched as the overpowered skeleton crouched down into a defensive stance.

"And despite its immense attack power, King of the Skull Servants has zero defense points!" Coltyn exclaimed. Then Max discarded one card from his hand to the graveyard in order to summon the last one he held.

"Take the stage, The Tricky!" The redhead's second The Tricky appeared and he proceeded to end the duel.

"Ryu-Kishin Clown, attack King of the Skull Servants with Twinkle Rain!" Ryu-Kishin Clown danced over to the King of the Skull Servants and sprinkled some glitter all over it. The glitter suddenly morphed into giant razor-sharp stars and they sliced the skeleton to bits.

"Tricky, attack! Clown Trick!" The Tricky then leapt into the air and spun around before producing a dagger from its sleeve and throwing it into Damien.

--

**Max:** 400

**Damien:** 0

--

"That was a really close match," sighed Mikey. Damien said nothing as his holographic projectors switched off and he returned to the others.

"A spectacular performance!" James complimented as he stepped towards Max applauding, "Bravo! You exceeded our expectations. Clown Reves, we would be honored for you to join our drama club."

"The pleasure is all mine!" Max bowed one final time like a lead actor after a big performance.

With the duel now over, the friends continued looking around. Sammie eventually found a place in the literature club and Mikey decided to join another club and signed up for the basketball team for which tryouts would begin at a later date. When they all left, none were happier than Max Harley, the young aspiring actor who had taken his first step towards his dream.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

A weekend at the beach takes a sudden turnaround when a famous Duelist appears on the island. It's a cameo you won't wont to miss next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	7. Fire and Water

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**EPISODE 1-07**

**Fire and Water**

Mikey's head broke through the surface of the water hair spikes first as he came up for air. As he took in several deep gasps of oxygen, he could hear his friends calling his name. He turned towards the beach and saw Max waving at him in his pink skin-tight jammers, much to the chagrin of Mikey. Beside him was Coltyn in his pitch-black board shorts unsuccessfully trying to light the portable grill they brought along. The brunet himself was wearing a pair of blue shorts with a wide green stripe running across the top.

"Mikey!" Max called again as he waved, "We need some help lighting the grill!"

"Okay, I'm coming!" Mikey swam over to shore and sloshed up onto the beach. He made his way over to Coltyn, who was struggling trying to light the grill.

"Where did you get this thing, anyway?" the Osiris Red asked.

"I borrowed it from the Ra Yellow dorm cooks," answered Coltyn, "Unfortunately, the matchbook they gave me only had two matches left and neither of them lit."

"Then what the heck have you been using?" Mikey inquired.

"Flints." Coltyn held up the rocks he had been using and his friend took them from him to have a closer look.

"There's no way you can make a spark using these," he analyzed, "Not together anyway. If only we had something metal."

"My arm is not a lighter," Coltyn said bluntly.

"Did Sammie say when she would be here?" asked Max as he knelt down beside Coltyn.

"She should be here soon," answered Mikey as he checked his bag for anything he could use to strike against the flint.

"Use my pocket knife," Coltyn offered pointing to his duffel bag.

"Thanks." Mikey walked over to Coltyn's bag and dug through it until he found the item he sought. He flipped out the blade and struck the rock several times before the grill finally lit.

"Nice! Thanks, Mikey. I'll take over from here," said Coltyn.

"No prob." Mikey returned the knife to the Ra Yellow and returned to his swim. He was already waist-deep in water when Sammie finally arrived.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone," she apologized, "I had to finish something up back at the dorm."

"It's okay, Sammie!" Mikey called as he turned around. He stopped and his jaw dropped at the sight before his eyes. Sammie stood there in a black thong and a black and white low-cut bikini top. The young teen boy quickly turned away and squeezed his nose as blood started to pour out.

"Is Mikey okay?" asked Sammie as she set her stuff down.

"I wouldn't worry about him," answered Coltyn as he searched for the hot dogs. Back out in the water, Mikey was doing his best to keep his nosebleed under control. But unfortunately, his thoughts couldn't stop going back to Sammie and her revealing bathing suit. It certainly wasn't helping that she was standing there within visual range.

_At least it can't get any worse_, thought Mikey. He was suddenly aware of something poking through his swimming trunks and his face turned as red as his school jacket.

_I stand corrected_, he mentally groaned as he slowly sunk himself lower into the water. Now there was absolutely no way he was returning to shore anytime soon.

"Hey Mikey!" Coltyn called out, "Where are the hot dogs?"

"I put them in the cooler!" Mikey called back.

"I already checked! They're not there!"

"What? Hang on, I'll be right over." Mikey started to head back to shore, but then stopped when he suddenly remembered about his little friend and quickly sunk back down.

"Mikey, are you coming?" asked Max to which the brunet answered with a loud, "No!"

"Just leave him," Coltyn told the redhead, "He's probably got wood."

"Really?" Sammie asked with a hint of mischief in her voice, "Coltyn, could you help me put on my sunscreen?" She made sure her sentence could be heard loud and clear. Somehow, the black-haired Ra Yellow picked up on her intentions and decided to play along.

"Sure thing, Sammie," he answered with a smirk, making sure that Mikey could hear him clearly. This caused the brunet's jaw to drop.

_This can't be happening_, he thought. In his state, he completely didn't notice the wave coming up behind him until it was too late. It took him by surprise and hit hard. When he finally managed to pull himself to the surface, he was coughing violently and trying to wipe the water from his eyes. Over on the shore, his friends were laughing.

"Ha ha. Very funny, guys!" he grumbled. As soon as he could see again, Mikey looked around and noticed something blue and green floating a few feet away from him. At first, he thought it was just a piece of garbage someone had thrown into the sea. But then he realized that he felt a little different from before. Somehow, a little less restrained. It took him a while for it to click in and when it finally did, his face went even redder than it already had been. That red thing wasn't some piece of garbage. It was his swimming trunks. Somehow they had come off when the wave hit him earlier.

"Oh shit," he muttered, realizing a few seconds later that that was the first time those words had ever come out of his mouth.

"Hey Mikey, what's wrong?" asked Coltyn, "Lose something?" This got laughs from the others on the beach.

"Sh-shut up!" Mikey yelled, still completely embarrassed. He slowly walked over to his trunks and reached out to grab them, but a wave pushed them out of his reach. He tried to swim after them, but the water continued to work against him and pushed his shorts even further away, creating even more laughter among his friends.

"Damn it, where's my phone?" asked Coltyn, "I gotta record this."

ooo

Mikey ended up spending fifteen minutes chasing after his swimming trunks, his erection going down after the first five having had his mind focused on catching his only article of clothing. As soon as he caught them, he planted his feet against the sand under the water and pulled them on as quickly as he could. In doing so, he discovered that the drawstring had broken, which explained why they came off so easily.

"Looks like I'm going to have to buy a new pair," he thought out loud as he sighed, "Now I need to get back to the others." He looked around and discovered that he was much further from his original location than he was before.

"Where the heck am I?" Keeping one hand on his waistband, Mikey made his way onto the beach and sloshed up onto the sand, "Great, I'm lost." His stomach suddenly growled.

"And hungry." With one hand still being used to hold up his trunks, the brunet started to walk around hoping to find a way to get back to his friends. As he searched, he caught a whiff of something in the air. He followed the scent until he finally came upon a campfire with five fish skewered on sticks planted around it. Not far away was a boat. Mikey assumed that whoever the campfire belonged to was on board, so he walked over to the vessel and called out. It didn't take long before a man with long spiky hair appeared.

"Why hello there," the apparent fisherman greeted, "Can I help you with anything?"

"Actually, I'm kind of lost and I need to find a way back to my friends," Mikey answered.

"Ah, then you are out of luck because I do not live on this island."

"I figured that. Actually, I'm the one who lives on this island."

"Then how is it that you cannot find your way back?" asked the fisherman.

"Well you see, I've never been on this side of the island before," was Mikey's response, "This is Duel Academy. I'm normally somewhere up on the cliffs."

"Wait, you mean this is the prestigious Duel Monsters school?" the fisherman inquired.

"Yeah."

"Then you must be a student here!" Mikey was about to answer, but then he suddenly heard familiar voices calling out his name. Within minutes, Sammie, Max, and Coltyn arrived.

"There you are, Mikey!" Sammie said, "We've been looking everywhere for you."

"Ah, these are your friends then," the fisherman presumed.

"Who's this?" asked Max.

"Wait a second, I know him," Coltyn thought out loud, "I've seen him featured once in _Duelist Weekly_. You're Mako Tsunami, aren't you?"

"Why yes I am," replied Mako.

"How do you know about him?" Max inquired.

"Mako is the only famous Duelist to run an attribute-themed deck," Coltyn explained, "Most people run decks based on types or archetypes. Mr. Hasselberry, for example, runs a dinosaur deck, which makes it type-based. An example of an archetype-based deck would be Max's clowns. But not many people run attribute-themed decks."

"That's because there's a lot of support specifically for certain types and archetypes," Sammie said in response, "and they usually come in the same sets as the cards they support."

"Oh, by the way, Mako, my name is Mikey Angel," Mikey said as he introduced himself.

"I'm Sammie."

"My name is Max Harley."

"Coltyn Reproba."

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," replied Mako as he got off his boat. A loud grumble from Mikey's stomach suddenly reminded the teen about his situation. Fortunately for him, the fisherman picked up on it.

"Not to worry, friends, I have plenty of fish to go around so help yourselves!"

"Thank you very much," replied Mikey. A few minutes later, the five of them sat around the campfire eating the fish that Mako had caught and cooked. As they ate, Coltyn continued his discussion on attribute-themed decks with Mako.

"Ha ha! So you too run an attribute deck!" the fisherman laughed, "I have never met a Fire Duelist before!"

"There aren't a lot of us out there for some reason," replied Coltyn before taking another bite out of his fish, "It's said that Bastion Misawa ran a Fire deck, but there's no record of him ever using it."

"Well my friend, you are most certainly an interesting boy. I would like to test your deck's mettle against mine."

"Mako Tsunami, it'd be an honor to duel your Water deck." Everybody quickly finished up his or her fish and then Mako went to fetch his Duel Disk from his boat.

"Mikey, how did you manage to break your drawstring?" asked Sammie as she fiddled with Mikey's swimming trunks while he tried to pull away from her.

"I don't know. It just happened." It was bad enough for the brunet that Sammie's swimsuit was so revealing, but to have her wearing it while she was trying to handle his only piece of clothing was just too much, "Sammie, please stop. I'll just buy some new ones when we get back to the school."

"Ha ha! I am ready!" Mako announced as he stood on the prow of his boat with his Duel Disk activated on his arm. The disk was of the original Kaiba Corp model from the battle city tournament. An antique by today's standards but it was all Mako needed.

"And so am I!" Coltyn ripped off his artificial skin and his mechanical arm transformed into his Duel Disk. He shuffled his deck and loaded it into the deck slot.

"Let's duel!" the two Duelists declared.

--

**Coltyn:** 4000

**Mako:** 4000

--

"By all means, you first," Coltyn offered as he drew his starting hand.

"So I shall!" Mako drew his first card, "And I will begin by summoning my Fiend Kraken in attack mode!" He placed his card onto his Duel Disk and a giant squid appeared on the beach. (ATK/1200 DEF/1400)

"I will then set a card facedown and end my turn."

"Why'd he summon a Fiend Kraken?" asked Mikey as he sat on the beach between Max and Sammie, "Couldn't Coltyn easily destroy it?" At that moment, Coltyn drew his first card.

"I summon Molten Zombie in attack mode." This called forth a fiery undead creature that looked as if it had just crawled out from a volcano (ATK/1600 DEF/400), "Molten Zombie, attack his Fiend Kraken with Breaker Blaze!" Lava poured out of Molten Zombie's arm and covered its fist as it staggered forward before thrusting out its punch.

"Ha ha! I activate my Trap Card, Raigeki Break!" announced Mako as he revealed his facedown, "Now by discarding one card to my graveyard, I may destroy one card on the field and I pick your Molten Zombie." After getting rid of Sinister Serpent, a bolt of lightning shot down and destroyed Molten Zombie.

"I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn," declared Coltyn.

"I just realized something," Max thought out loud, sincerity in his voice at his sudden realization.

"What's that?" inquired Mikey curiously.

"We've never seen Coltyn shirtless with his arm exposed before," answered the redhead, causing his other two friends to face fault.

"Are you sure he's not gay?" asked Sammie.

"Yes, it is my move now." Mako drew his card, "I now sacrifice my Fiend Kraken in order to summon the Amphibian Beast." His squid vanished and in its place rose a large green monster. (ATK/2400 DEF/2000)

"Now my Amphibian Beast, attack Coltyn directly!"

"I activate my two facedowns!" Coltyn announced, "First, my Call of the Haunted. This returns Molten Zombie to the field. And thanks to my monster's effect, whenever he's summoned back from the graveyard, I get to draw one card." The black-haired teen drew his card as his monster appeared before him.

"And next I activate Backfire, which deals five hundred points of damage to you every time a Fire monster on my field is killed."

The attack of Amphibian Beast ran forward, continuing its attack and hit Molten Zombie, tearing it in two with its clawed, webbed hands. At the same time, a fiery explosion erupted up from under Mako, thus both Duelists took damage that turn.

--

**Coltyn:** 3400

**Mako:** 3500

--

"I shall end my turn there."

Coltyn drew now and thorough examined the cards he had to work with. He set a monster facedown and then placed another card on the field facedown before concluding his turn. Then it was back to Mako and he summoned Great White, bringing out a shark with human arms. (ATK/1600 DEF/800)

"Now Great White, attack his monster with Deep Sea Crusher!" Great White swam over to Coltyn's card and bit down on it hard.

"You destroyed The Thing in the Crater," the Ra Yellow announced, "Doing so lets me Special Summon one Pyro monster from my hand and I choose my Solar Flare Dragon." Coltyn took a card from his hand and summoned a flaming serpentine dragon. (ATK/1500 DEF/1000)

"But that's not all I'm doing," he continued, "I now activate Inferno Reckless Summon. When a monster with fifteen hundred attack points or less is Special Summoned to my field, this card lets me Special Summon all other cards from my hand, deck, or graveyard with the same name. So say hello to my other two Solar Flare Dragons."

"Aha! But your card also lets me do the same with ANY monster on my side of the field," Mako pointed out before bringing out two more Great Whites. At the same time, two more Solar Flare Dragons appeared on his opponent's field.

"But here's the thing," Coltyn explained, "As long as there's another Pyro monster on the field, my Solar Flare Dragon can't be attacked. And since all three of my dragons are Pyro types, you can't attack any of them. But it doesn't stop there. At my End Phase, you take five hundred damage to your Life Points for each Solar Flare Dragon on the field."

"Buuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrnnn!" Mikey called out, which caused Sammie to elbow him hard in the ribs, "OW! What was that for?"

"Besides making a bad joke, Mikey, it totally doesn't fit you," she replied.

"What's she talking about?" Mikey asked Max as he rubbed his side.

"Don't ask me," was the only thing redhead could say.

"I shall end my turn with two facedowns then," said Mako before turning the duel over to Coltyn. He drew his next card and immediately played it.

"I play Dark Room of Nightmare."

"And I activate Dust Tornado to destroy it," replied Mako as his trap card activated a gale force wind that destroyed the spell.

"Then I end my turn," Coltyn declared, "And thanks to my Solar Flare Dragons, you take a total of fifteen hundred damage."

--

**Coltyn:** 3400

**Mako:** 2000

--

"Mako's going to lose if he can't get rid of those Solar Flare Dragons in two turns," said Sammie as she continued to watch the duel.

"I draw." Mako looked at his cards and selected one of them and set it facedown before ending his turn. Then it was back to Coltyn. The Duel Academy student drew his card and ended his turn immediately after setting one card facedown, causing his opponent to take an additional fifteen hundred points of damage.

--

**Coltyn:** 3400

**Mako:** 500

--

"We are not done yet!" Mako exclaimed as he drew his next card, "I activate my facedown, Hand Destruction. First we each discard two cards to the graveyard. Then we each draw two cards." He sent the only two cards he held into his graveyard and drew two more. Coltyn picked two from his hand and discarded them and then he drew two new cards from his deck.

"Now I activate the spell card Lightning Vortex to destroy all your monsters!"

"Nice save!" exclaimed Mikey as a torrent of lightning rained down on the field, destroying all of Coltyn's monsters.

"Now attack my monsters!" ordered Mako.

"I activate Gravity Bind!" Coltyn revealed his facedown card and a black sphere appeared overhead that unleashed a powerful force that flattened all of Mako's monsters against the ground, preventing them from attacking.

"I end my turn," the fisherman declared. Now it was back to Coltyn. His Gravity Bind would keep Mako's monsters at bay, but he had no idea for how long. He quickly drew his card and proceeded with his turn.

"I summon Fox Fire in attack mode and end my turn." Now it was over to Mako, who drew and then summoned Cure Mermaid, bringing out a blonde, red-tailed mermaid (ATK/1500 DEF/800), which he explained would restore his Life Points by eight hundred during each of his Standby Phases. When it was Coltyn's turn again, the boy switched his monster into defense mode and then removed his Molten Zombie from play to Special Summon Inferno in defense mode. After he ended his turn, Mako drew and his Cure Mermaid's effect kicked in. Everyone watched as the beautiful creature raised her arms and sprinkled a light rain onto the fisherman.

--

**Coltyn:** 3400

**Mako:** 1300

--

Once Mako's turn was over, Coltyn made his move. Given the situation, he too passed his turn. Mako took one look at the cards in his hand and grinned.

"I play Fortress Whale's Oath! Now I shall sacrifice two of my Great Whites in order to summon my Fortress Whale in attack mode!" Two of the sharks vanished from sight and a massive torrent of water arose and from it burst a massive whale with a large horn on its head and an armed fortress on its back. (ATK/2350 DEF/2150)

"Gravity Bind is still in play," Coltyn reminded his opponent.

"Hopefully for not much longer," replied Mako, "I end my turn." Coltyn then drew and looked at the card he just received.

_I could summon Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch, but he doesn't have any cards in his hand so I can't use its effect. Best to save this for later_, he thought before declaring the end of his turn. Mako drew and his Cure Mermaid's effect kicked in.

--

**Coltyn:** 3400

**Mako:** 2100

--

"I play another Hand Destruction," he announced. With no cards in his hand, Mako simply drew two cards. Coltyn, on the other hand, was forced to send two from his hand to the graveyard before he drew his two new cards.

"I will play A Legendary Ocean." The field card tray on Mako's Duel Disk slid open and he placed the card inside. A hologram of it appeared in front of the fisherman's boat and the ancient ruins of Atlantis rose up before a massive flood hit the beach.

"I'm never going to get used to this card," Mikey sighed. Meanwhile, Mako's monsters all received a two hundred attack and defense point boost, but they still could not attack.

"And now I shall summon The Legendary Fisherman!" Originally a level five monster, A Legendary Ocean lowered the creature by one level, allowing Mako to summon it without a tribute. This called forth a harpoon-wielding man riding on top of a blue shark. (ATK/1850 DEF/1600)

"I hope Coltyn's got way to get out of this," Mikey thought out loud, "Mako has five monsters on the field and the chance of him pulling out some way to destroy that Gravity Bind is coming up pretty soon."

"My move." Coltyn pulled his next card off the top of his deck, "I start by playing Premature Burial, so I give up eight hundred Life Points in order to bring back a monster from my graveyard."

--

**Coltyn:** 2600

**Mako:** 2100

--

"And my monster of choice is my Solar Flare Dragon." The fiery dragon reappeared on Coltyn's field and roared, "Next I Special Summon Goka, the Pyre of Malice by destroying Fox Fire." The little red fox exploded into flames as a metal urn appeared and a fire spirit rose up from it. (ATK/2200 DEF/1900)

"And now I sacrifice my Inferno to summon Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch." He knew he wouldn't be able to use its effect, but as things stood its attack power was all he needed. His flaming creature exploded and in its place rose up a royal warrior in heavy armor. (ATK/2400 DEF/1000)

"And now I play Mystical Space Typhoon in order to destroy Gravity Bind." A whirlwind descended from above and shattered Coltyn's Trap Card, causing the gravity orb to vanish.

"Goka, attack his Cure Mermaid!" Goka, the Pyre of Malice unleashed a rain of fireballs onto Cure Mermaid and lit the mermaid a blaze before she burst into a cloud of pixels.

--

**Coltyn:** 2600

**Mako:** 1600

--

"Thestalos, attack the Great White." Thestalos conjured up a fireball in its hand and threw it at Great White, destroying it on contact.

--

**Coltyn:** 2600

**Mako:** 1000

--

"I'll end my turn with a facedown card," Coltyn concluded, letting his Solar Flare Dragon burn Mako, dealing five hundred points of damage.

--

**Coltyn:** 2600

**Mako:** 500

--

"So now it is my turn." Mako drew his card and played it, which was a third Hand Destruction. When he saw the cards he got, he grinned.

"Ha ha! You have dueled well, my friend. However, I am afraid that this is the end for you. I play Giant Trunade, returning all Spell and Trap Cards to our hands." There was a mighty wind as all the spells and traps on the field were blown away. With the field now cleared of those, Mako then set his Legendary Ocean back onto the field and flooded it again.

"Fortress Whale, attack Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch!" ordered the fisherman. His whale curled over and the fortress on its back unleashed a powerful bombardment upon Thestalos.

--

**Coltyn:** 2450

**Mako:** 500

--

"Now it is time to attack his Goka, the Pyre of Malice. Go Amphibian Beast!" The green-scaled monster swam towards Coltyn's Goka and destroyed it with its powerful claws.

--

**Coltyn:** 2050

**Mako:** 500

--

"Now, Legendary Fisherman, destroy his Solar Flare Dragon!" The Legendary Fisherman cocked back his arm and threw his spear straight through the heart of Solar Flare Dragon, killing it instantly.

--

**Coltyn:** 1500

**Mako:** 500

--

"He took out all of Coltyn's monsters in one move!" exclaimed Max.

"And now I shall play Soul Release," announced Mako, "And with it, I shall remove from play your three Solar Flare Dragons, Goka, and Thestalos."

_He removed almost every monster in my graveyard from play_, thought Coltyn.

"I end my turn," said Mako. Now it was his opponent's turn. Coltyn drew his card and looked at his hand. He sighed as he slowly closed his eyes and then placed his hand on top of his deck.

"What's he doing?" Mikey inquired.

"When a Duelist places their hand on their deck like that, it means that he or she is surrendering the duel," explained Sammie.

"The stories about you were all true, Mako," said Coltyn, "You played brilliantly and even though I have more Life Points than you, there is no way for me to win. Therefore, I concede this duel. It was an honor to duel you, Mako Tsunami."

"Your Fire deck was most formidable, my young friend," replied Mako, "I have not had a challenge like that since Yugi Moto and Joey Wheeler. Perhaps some day we can duel again."

"I look forward to it." Coltyn thanked Mako for the duel and transformed his Duel Disk back into his arm.

"We should probably get going now," said Mikey as he got up.

"One moment there, Mikey," Mako suddenly interjected, "I have something for you that I believe you will appreciate." He went into his boat for a moment and when he returned his presented Mikey with a pair of bright red swimming trunks with blue stripes running down the sides. Not only that, but there was still a price tag on them, which indicated that they had never been worn.

"I always carry a few of these in case I ever run into a swimmer who has had the misfortune of losing their suit," he explained, "You may have this one, Mikey. And feel free to come aboard my boat to change." Mikey's face lit up and he immediately took up the offer. A few minutes later, he jumped off the boat with his new shorts on and his old ones in his hand.

"Farewell my friends. We shall meet again soon!" And with those words, Mako cast off.

"Nice guy," Sammie commented.

"I like that he doesn't wear a shirt," said Max. Everyone just looked at the redhead and then took a few steps away from him.

"Let's all just head back." Mikey put out the campfire and the friends returned to their original spot to pack up and then went back to their respective dorms.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Take a look into Sammie's past. Some of her secrets will be revealed next time on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	8. Sammie

Her fingers danced daintily on her dorm room phone, each key being entered with a definitive and unique tone

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha. This particular chapter was written by him. Please do not think that I did.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**EPISODE 1-08**

**Sammie**

Her fingers danced daintily on her dorm room phone, each key being entered with a definitive and unique tone. The call went through, ringing in an all-to-familiar fashion. "Hey Sammie," was the reply as Mikey's voice replied in a tone warped by the mechanical filter of the phone. Sammie sighed as she lied on her bed, looking up at the ceiling, Bob Marley playing faintly through her stereo.

"Hey Mikey," she said with a small smirk on her face, "I don't think I can make it to the basketball courts today to play two on two with you guys. You might have to find another player."

"Why?" he asked curiously, although he had an inkling of the reason.

"You remember what today is," her eyes rolling as the heavily sarcastic words rolled off of her lips.

"Oh yeah! Well then I will go and see if one of the guys from basketball club will take your place. Coltyn needs a partner after all."

She smiled and nodded, "Thanks Mikey, I owe you one."

"No problem, you can pay me back later. I will catch you later."

"Later," she said just before a click popped in her ear from the sound of the call getting disconnected only to be followed by the dial tone. She did the same, sitting up and letting her bare feet hang over the side of the bed after doing so. Her milky white hand grasped a small remote control that she used to turn up the volume on her iPod integrated stereo as it switched to the next song, a John Lennon track.

She had a very diverse catalogue spanning through various forms of rock, featuring talents like Genesis, Pat Benetar, Metallica, the Beatles, The Asian Kung-Fu Generation, Panic! at the Disco, Pink Floyd, Lynard Skynard, and many many more. Some of her friends back home called her the rock diva. She even had a band back home and was the lead guitarist, being fairly good with both acoustic and electric. Both guitars sat on stands next to her dresser, which she looked at with an appreciative smile as she stood up from her bed.

Walking across the room to her desk she opened up the middle drawer and pulled out a small lock box covered in various stickers that had been added over the years with varying maturity levels to the point where almost none of the original paint could be seen. Reaching down the front of her shirt she pulled out a key, strapped around her neck by a necklace. The Obelisk Blue girl inserted the key into the lock box and opened it. Inside there was a deck and a diary. A smile crept up at the corners of her mouth as opened the diary up, a wave of nostalgia hitting her as soon as the lavender perfume that had seeped into the pages his her nostrils. Drawing the top three cards of the deck she placed them in a row, one after the other on her desk and looked at them longingly.

"Hey guys; nice seeing you again. It is that time of year and I still miss playing with you," she said to the cards as she propped her head up with her hands. She sat in the chair staring at the cardboard objects, a sentiment that only she really understood. The palms of her hands and the skin of her elbows grew red and numb after a bit, causing her to sit up straight to relieve the pressure. She looked at the cards still and they looked back, an unbreakable gaze as Sammie stared into the eyes of Chaos.

Black Luster Soldier – Envoy to the Beginning, Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy to the End, and Chaos Sorcerer looked pristine in their fine plastic sleeves. She didn't want to take her eyes off the objects but with reluctance she picked up a pen, placing it in her mouth as she did what she always did this time of year: she read the diary from the beginning.

--

Dear Diary,

My name is Sammie Korangar and I am age 8. My mommy got you for me because she thought it would help me feel better cause I don't have no friends no more. I hate it. I don't like mommy and daddy always taking me everywhere for their stupid job. I hate that Mr. Kaiba guy that they work for.

I miss my real home and real school. I had real friends there like Sarah and Jessi and Tommy and Mikey. I liked talking to Mikey. He was always such a worrywart but he was fun to talk to. But I don't talk to them anymore except on my laptop. I do try to make new friends though but the girls at these other schools are always so mean.

A couple days ago this one girl was making fun of me and spat in my hair so I punched her in, pulled her hair, and kicked her face. The teachers sent me home cause I think I hurt her bad. Mommy was crying and yelling at daddy about it I think cause my name kept getting said.

I just wish mommy and daddy would stop crying and take me home. I don't want to be here anymore.

--

Sammie sighed as she kept reading and realized how angry she was back then. She at least knew how to control her self a little bit now. A little bit. She crossed her legs as page after page went by and she remembered how sporadically she wrote at first, never having a definite day to write but she did write.

--

Dear Diary,

I can't stop fucking crying. Mom and Dad said we have to move again, just when I was starting to make new friends for the first time in over a year. Why can't they let me have friends? Oh well tough shit because that is the least of my worries.

Today I got caught taking some cards from the card store at the corner. No one ever catches me but this fat piece did. At least he is going to let me keep the cards if I work for them at his store but I am only 11. Aren't there child labor laws against that stuff? Whatever. It might be fun I suppose.

Why did I take the cards? I…I don't know…there was this knight and this dragon and this wizard. They were just….I don't know. They called to me I guess. Kind of stupid, right? I just couldn't help myself. They were so expensive but I just couldn't leave that store without them. It was like each of the cards was saying my name. I…UGH I think I am going crazy.

For some strange reason though, thinking about those cards made me stop crying… Well, I gotta go…I got work tomorrow; a waste of a good Saturday too.

--

Sammie chuckled and gave a small smirk before glancing over to her cards and nodded. A warm feeling filled her and she went back to reading, the nostalgia of the diary overwhelming her to the point that she was on the brink of tears. She did her best to hold them back but it was like trying to stop a hurricane with hopes and wishes as her tears trickled down her cheek without her notice as she continued to read.

--

Dear Diary,

Chaos Master Samantha here and I am still number 1 in the neighborhood but everyone calls me a cheater. I don't understand why but they keep saying my cards are banned. What do they mean by that? Oh well, I guess it isn't a big deal, I won't see them in a week anyways. We are moving again. I guess that is it for today, nothing to report really.

OH! Mikey is on AIM, I guess I should go, bye!

--

Sammie laughed a little at that last entry. She remembered how she was the top dog in that town when it came to duel monsters. She had been so grateful to the old game store shopkeeper who let her keep the Chaos monsters. She still kept in touch with him to this day as he was like a second father to her. He taught her how to duel and was so very kind to her. She probably would be even more of a bitch if it weren't for him.

She then remembered how heartbroken she was when she found out what it meant that her chaos monsters were banned. They were like her closest friends in the world. But her heart was renewed when she found Demise and Ruin, the incarnations of her restrained comrades. She honored them through these lesser beings that she loved equally. Demise, the giant of world ending whose powers were birthed in the chaotic flames of Chaos Emperor Dragon. Ruin, a spellcaster sired by Black Luster Soldier and gained his fighting prowess. These were her weapons now, which she vowed to become the world's greatest duelist in the name of all the chaos cards.

Her eyes closed lightly in silent rhapsody upon remembering how her family made their final move, moving in right next door to her old friend Mikey when she was age twelve. That was the same day she found Demise and Ruin. That whole time she felt as if someone or something was guiding her to this happiness. It was on that day that she placed her old deck in storage with her diary and would take it out once a year to pay tribute to all they did.

Opening her eyes she smiled to the three monsters, propping her head up on her hands as her elbows rested on her desk. "I love you," she whispered, not in a way of romantic affection but in a show of familial affection and gratitude. A tear ran down her face once more as she picked up each of the three monsters and gingerly kissed them before placing them back in the box with the diary. She felt an invisible hand on her shoulder and a nonexistent voice said, "we love you too" yet she did not hear it, only felt it in her heart.

The track of the iPod changed to Santanna. She sat alone with a smile on her face. "Maria Maria" played with beautiful harmony as she soon drifted off to sleep, on her desk, next to her 'friends.'

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**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Mikey's in danger of being expelled! Only by proving himself in the duel arena can he save himself from being kicked out of Duel Academy. Can he pull through and save himself from expulsion? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	9. Examination or Extinction

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

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**EPISODE 1-09**

**Examination or Extinction**

"Attention!" a voice boomed over the Duel Academy speakers, "All students are required to proceed to their respective dorms' assigned doctor's offices for their physical examinations."

"Please step forward as I call your dorm room number," a nurse announced to the Osiris Red students.

"Why do we have to go through this?" Mikey asked as he stood in line with the rest of the Osiris Red boys.

"It's standard procedure," Max answered as he stood behind his roommate.

"B-201!" called the nurse. Mikey and Max stepped forward and entered the doctor's office. There, two medics were waiting for them. One of them approached Mikey with a clipboard and started reading what was on it.

"Michael Angel. Age fifteen. Brown hair. Blue eyes." Meanwhile, the other medic was dealing with Max.

"Max Harley. Age fifteen. Red hair. Green eyes."

"I am not comfortable with this," Mikey whispered to his friend.

"Please take off your shoes so we can measure your height," the two medics requested. Mikey took off his bright orange sneakers and stood as tall as he could as a metal bar was placed against his head. The doctor measured him to be five foot eight. Next he was asked to take off his shirt and uniform. Mikey unzipped his school jacket and hung it on the coat tree and slipped his T-shirt off. As he sat on the examination table in a part of the office that had been blocked off by curtains, the medic checked his heart and breathing as well as his eyes, nose, and ears. Overall, it was not much different from the physicals he used to have with his family physician when he was younger.

"Now please take off your pants and underwear."

"WHAT?!"

"Just do it!" Max called from the other side of the room as his pink briefs could be seen being handed over to the doctor and placed with the rest of his clothes.

_Oh God!_ Mikey groaned mentally. Nevertheless, he got up and slowly undid his belt.

Meanwhile, the others were going through their own physical examinations. Sammie was with a female doctor who had just finished taking down her height and weight and was now placing a measuring tape around her chest. Then she moved to her waist. After she was done and the measurements recorded, the doctor went over to her table and picked up a box.

"Now Miss Korangar, I'll need to test for potential pregnancy. Don't worry. It's just a standard procedure."

Meanwhile, at the Ra Yellow medical examination office, Coltyn stood on the scale in his boxers as the doctor measured his weight. His right hand was clasped against his left shoulder or rather where his left shoulder would have been had his arm not been. As soon as he stepped into the office, the doctor immediately told him to remove his prosthetic. Once he had done so, however, it was taken away to be inspected for compliance with the ban rules.

"Well, you're weighing in at about one hundred and thirty pounds, Mr. Reproba," the doctor notified, "That's pretty light for someone your age. But then again, you're short an arm. We're going to have to weight your right arm to determine what your original weight would have been. How DID you lose your arm, anyway?"

"Can we please stop talking about my arm, quickly finish up this physical, and let me put my clothes and arm back on?" Coltyn said emotionlessly.

"We're still waiting for your arm, actually," replied the doctor.

"We're finished analyzing Mr. Reproba's Duel Disk," a member of the school's inspection staff announced as he arrived carrying Coltyn's arm. The black-haired Ra Yellow student grabbed it immediately. He took in a deep breath and quickly jammed it back into the slot in his shoulder. Coltyn let out a loud yell of pain as he made the connection, but bore it as best as he could. When he was finally able to open his eyes again, he flexed his arm and fingers to make sure that they were working properly.

"Looks like you guys didn't screw up, after all," he commented as he grabbed his clothes. As he got dressed, the doctor gave him the rundown of the results of his physical.

"And that's it," the medic concluded. Coltyn finished pulling on his black muscle shirt, slung his yellow jacket over his shoulder, and left without another word.

ooo

About a week later, the Duel Academy faculty was gathered once again for another meeting. This time, the results of the physical exams were included along with the student progress reports. All of the dorm heads had the reports of their respective students placed in front of them.

"So what have we got this week?" asked Alexis. One by one, each of the dorm heads gave their reports on their students, including their physical and academic results.

"My biggest concern is Mikey," Hassleberry announced when it was his turn, "He's doin' really well in all of his subjects, though his PE is mediocre at best. But he's only won three duels since he began here."

"How many has he been involved in?" Alexis inquired.

"Only ten."

"He is certainly a troublesome one," said Dr. Snappe, "Duel Academy prides itself on exceptional students. However, that also applies to dueling. And not only has Mr. Angel lost many duels, he hardly ever duels at all. Chancellor Rhodes, I suggest that we expel Mr. Angel immediately."

"Now hold on there, Trevor!" Hassleberry suddenly said as he stood up, "Mikey's one of my students an' what happens to him is my decision!"

"Dr. Snappe does have a point, however," Mr. Bibby pointed out, "If we allowed students like him to stay it would only tarnish the school's reputation."

"This school ain't about rep!" barked Hassleberry, "It's about teachin' these young'uns how to play card games. An' if they got trouble, then it's our duty to help 'em!"

"Being a former student myself along with Hassleberry, I have to agree with him," said Alexis, "But Trevor and Roger still bring up a good point. If our main sponsor heard about this sort of thing, he'd pull our funding without a second thought."

"Seto Kaiba wouldn't dare do something like that!" exclaimed Mr. Higsby will deep concern in his voice.

"Well, he does own this school," reminded Miss Frost, "He could shut us down with a single phone call."

Everybody sat silent in the meeting room, thinking about what to do next.

"Hassleberry," Alexis finally said, breaking the silence, "Michael is a brilliant student, but his dueling skills are very poor. So I'm going to suggest that we put him through an evaluation duel. If he wins, he'll be allowed to stay. But if he loses, we'll have no choice but to expel him."

"That sounds fair," Miss Marina commented.

"And I shall be the one to test him," Dr. Snappe said.

"No, Trevor. I'm gonna be the one," replied Hassleberry.

"I think not, Mr. Hassleberry," the chemistry teacher answered coldly, "You are far too compassionate on your students."

"But he's still **my** student, so I think I should duel him!" Hassleberry argued as he bolted up from his chair.

"You'll only let him win."

"Gentlemen, sit down this instant!" Alexis commanded, "If Hassleberry feels that strongly about it, we'll let him duel. However, we'll all be there to make sure he doesn't hold back. Are those satisfactory conditions?"

"I have no objection," answered Dr. Snappe as he sat back down.

"Fine, we'll go with that," grumbled Hassleberry as he plopped back into his seat.

"Then it's settled. Hassleberry, I want you to make the arrangements," Alexis ordered.

"Yes, ma'am."

ooo

A few days later, Mikey returned to his dorm from classes to find an envelope with his name on it taped to his door. He curiously took it into his hand and entered his room. After setting down his backpack and taking off his shoes, he opened the letter and began to read it. His face paled immensely, which caught the attention of his roommate when he came in.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Max commented.

"Max, I'm in danger of being expelled," Mikey said slowly.

"What?"

"They say that my dueling skills are extremely poor. But they're going to determine my fate for sure at an upcoming evaluation duel. If I don't win, I'll be sent home." As Mikey finished his explanation, Max suddenly tackled him with a hug and they both fell to the floor.

"They can't, Mikey! You're the best friend and roommate I could ever have! This place would be so totally un-fabulous if you weren't here!"

"Max, you're lying on top of me and I can't breathe!" Mikey gasped. A few minutes later, Max stood up and helped his friend to his feet.

"We're going to make sure you pass that evaluation duel!" the redhead assured.

A couple of hours later, Sammie and Coltyn joined them in their dorm. Everyone had brought all the cards they owned and they were even willing to go so far as to lend Mikey cards from their decks.

"You're dueling Mr. Hassleberry, right?" asked Sammie, "Then you're going to need something to beat those high-attack monsters. You should take Widespread Ruin."

"Dude, I'll lend you Thestalos and my Solar Flare Dragons," Coltyn offered, "A Monarch's always good to have and the Solar Flare Dragons will protect you from battle damage."

"Take my Marshmallon," said Max, "It can't be destroyed in battle and your opponent takes a thousand points of damage if they attack it when it's facedown."

"Guys, I may not know as much about this game as you," Mikey interjected to their suggestions and offers, "but shouldn't my deck have cards that actually work together?" There was a moment of silence before everybody resumed with their talking.

"Hang on a second, guys!" Coltyn suddenly spoke up, "Let's think about this carefully for a minute. Mikey's about to face a Dinosaur deck, so we need to think about what sort of things can help him against that sort of thing."

"Well a lot of them are used for beatdown decks so they hardly ever defend," Max started off.

"I've got just the card for that." Sammie looked through the cards she had in her possession and came up with one, which she handed to Mikey, "It's Mirror Force, Mikey. It destroys all face-up attack position monsters your opponent controls when they attack."

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Coltyn exclaimed.

"There's going to be a lot of monsters with high attack strength, so you'll need to find a way to bring it down," said Max, "Here, I'll give you one of my spare Shrink cards."

"And I'll give you this." Coltyn handed over a card and Mikey took it from him.

"Beast King Barbaros?"

"Trust me, it'll do you good."

By the end of the day, Mikey was looking at his deck and all the changes that had been made to it. He was feeling more confident about his chances of winning now and as he gathered up his cards he said a short prayer before placing his hand on top of his deck.

"My friends have helped me put this deck together. Please let it help me win."

ooo

A few days later, Mikey arrived at the arena where his duel was scheduled to take place. Hassleberry was already there waiting for him with his Duel Disk equipped. All the other teachers were sitting in the stands behind him. Dr. Snappe had a special computer with him that allowed him to see all the cards in both players' hands and on their fields.

"This way we'll know for sure that he isn't holding back," he muttered. As Mikey made his way to the field, he saw his friends sitting in the stands on his side of the arena.

"Mikey," Hassleberry said before they began, "I want you to know that I really want you to win, but I can't hold back so please duel me as if your life was in danger."

"Frankly, I don't see any danger in playing a children's card game," was Mikey's response.

"Well soldier, let's hope it stays that way. Now let's duel!" Hassleberry and Mikey activated their Duel Disks and selected their hands. Two golden coins shot out and revealed themselves. Mikey's was paper while his opponent's was rock.

"I'll choose to go first," the young teen announced. And with that, both Duelists drew their starting hands and the duel commenced.

---------------------------

**Mikey:** 4000

**Hassleberry:** 4000

---------------------------

"I draw." Mikey drew his first card and looked at his hand, "I summon Dragon Zombie in attack mode." He played his card and called forth a purple rotting dragon. (ATK/1600 DEF/0)

"After that, I set two cards facedown. Your move, Mr. Hassleberry."

"I hope you can defend against this, Mikey," said Hassleberry as he drew, "Sabersaurus, front an' center!" He summoned a big reddish triceratops with a sharp sword tipping its tail. (ATK/1900 DEF/500)

"Sabersaurus, attack that Dragon Zombie!" Sabersaurus roared and charged forward. Its horns gored Dragon Zombie and destroyed it instantly.

---------------------------

**Mikey:** 3700

**Hassleberry:** 4000

---------------------------

"Reveal Trap Card!" One of Mikey's facedowns flipped up and was revealed to be Call of the Haunted. His Dragon Zombie slowly dug itself out from the floor and stood ready.

"I end my turn," announced Hassleberry. Now it was back to Mikey. He drew and immediately proceeded with his move.

"I sacrifice Dragon Zombie and summon Cyber-Tech Alligator in attack mode!" His undead dragon vanished and in its place appeared his reptilian cyborg. (ATK/2500 DEF/1600)

"Cyber-Tech Alligator, attack his Sabersaurus with Trident Arm!" Cyber-Tech Alligator cocked back its mechanical arm and then launched its claw forward. It impaled Sabersaurus and destroyed it.

---------------------------

**Mikey:** 3700

**Hassleberry:** 3400

---------------------------

"Mikey's really getting into this duel," Sammie noted. They continued to watch as Cyber-Tech Alligator reeled in its arm with a loud clang and snarled as Mikey ended his turn. Hassleberry then drew and his spirits fell when he saw what he got. He didn't want to play it, but he knew that he was being watched and had no choice.

"I'm Special Summonin' Gilasaurus!" he announced as he brought out a green raptor (ATK/1400 DEF/400), "An' 'cause of its effect, you get to summon a monster from yer graveyard."

"Well I've only got one monster in there, so I'll bring out Dragon Zombie."

"Mikey, be careful!" Coltyn called out, "He Special Summoned that Gilasaurus, so he must be planning to sacrifice it." Mikey took his friend's words into careful consideration and decided to play it safe by bringing out his monster in defense mode. And it turned out that those words were true. Hassleberry then summoned a second Gilasaurus.

"I sacrifice my two Gilasauruses to summon Ultimate Tyranno!" The two smaller dinosaurs vanished and in their place rose a massive black tyrannosaurus rex with numerous spikes covering its body. (ATK/3000 DEF/2200)

"Oh shit," muttered Sammie.

"Oh shit is right," Coltyn agreed.

"What's so bad about Ultimate Tyranno aside from its high attack power?" asked Max having never seen the card before.

"To make it short, Ultimate Tyranno can attack all the monsters on the opponent's side of the field," answered Sammie, "it is Professor Hassleberry's signature card."

"Ultimate Tyranno, attack!" ordered Hassleberry. Ultimate Tyranno roared and stomped forward. The ground shook violently as it approached its prey. The massive dinosaur slammed its foot down on top of Dragon Zombie, killing it instantly, before sweeping down on Cyber-Tech Alligator and grabbing it in its maw. The cyborg struggled to break free, but to no avail as the massive jaws closed down and crushed it into pieces.

---------------------------

**Mikey:** 3200

**Hassleberry:** 3400

---------------------------

"Satisfied now, Trevor?" asked Alexis.

"Quite," answered Dr. Snappe.

"I'll put this card facedown and end my turn," declared Hassleberry. Mikey then drew his card.

_This isn't good_, he thought, _that monster has three thousand attack points and it can attack every single monster on my field._ With nothing particularly useful in his hand, Mikey took his Fire Kraken and set it facedown before ending his turn. Right at that moment, his opponent activated his facedown card, Fossil Excavation.

"This here lets me discard one card to bring back a dino from the grave," explained Hassleberry as he brought back Sabersaurus. When his turn began, he drew and immediately sacrificed his resurrected monster.

"Dark Driceratops, front an' center!" A four-legged dinosaur with a mane of leaves appeared beside Ultimate Tyranno (ATK/2400 DEF/1500), "And here's a little somethin' for ya, soldier. Dark Driceratops has piercing!"

"Oh crap," was all Mikey could say.

"Dark Driceratops, take out that monster!" ordered Hassleberry.

"I've got no choice," muttered Mikey, "I activate Negate Attack." As Dark Driceratops continued its charge, a wormhole opened up and absorbed the impact of its attack before bouncing it back. At that moment, both dinosaurs seemed to appear more complacent, indicating the end of the Battle Phase.

"I end my turn," declared Hassleberry.

"My turn." Mikey drew his card. Now he had two problems to worry about. The first was Ultimate Tyranno with its high attack power and ability to attack multiple targets and the other was Dark Driceratops with its piercing effect. An idea came to him and he made his move.

"I activate Swords of Revealing Light!" As soon as the card hit the field, three swords made purely of light rained down from above and stopped to form a barrier in front of Hassleberry's dinosaurs.

"Great move, Mikey!" cheered Max.

"I'll set a monster and another card facedown and end my turn," Mikey concluded.

"Mikey's on a role today," Coltyn commented.

"I know," Sammie replied, "This definitely isn't the little wimpy pussy I've known for all these years."

"I **can** hear you guys, you know!" Mikey called to the stands.

"My move." Hassleberry drew his next card, "An' I'm activatin' Jurassic World, boostin' up my dinos by three hundred points." His field card tray opened and he placed the card in before closing it. A hologram of the card itself appeared on the field before the arena transformed into a prehistoric environment. He then ended his turn and it was back to Mikey, who drew immediately.

"I flip summon Skelengel," he announced as he revealed one of his facedowns, "This little guy lets me draw one card when he's flipped." After drawing his card, Mikey looked at his hand and smiled.

"I sacrifice my two monsters in order to summon Tri-Horned Dragon!" The two monsters on the boy's field vanished and his mighty dragon rose up and roared (ATK/2850 DEF/2350), "Tri-Horned Dragon, attack Dark Driceratops. Tri-Horned Charge!" Tri-Horned Dragon lowered its head and charged. Its horns impaled the target and destroyed it cloud of pixels.

---------------------------

**Mikey:** 3200

**Hassleberry:** 3250

---------------------------

"I end my turn."

Hassleberry drew and passed his turn. Then it was back to Mikey. He also passed his turn. Hassleberry drew his next card and set it in defense mode. The moment he ended his turn, Mikey's Swords of Revealing Light vanished, allowing the dinosaur Duelist to attack again on his next turn. After the young brunet had drawn his card, he set a monster facedown and switched his Tri-Horned Dragon into defense mode. Then it was back to Hassleberry. He drew and immediately Flip Summoned his facedown, a creature made entirely of brown water known as Hydrogeddon. (ATK/1600 DEF/1000)

"Ultimate Tyranno, attack his Tri-Horned Dragon!" ordered Hassleberry.

"You just triggered my Trap Card!" announced Mikey, "Sakuretsu Armor!" Spiked armor appeared on Tri-Horned Dragon's body and as Ultimate Tyranno went in for the kill, the sharp studs shot out and impaled it through the head. There was a massive explosion as it died. Hassleberry grimaced, but decided to stick to his plan and ordered Hydrogeddon to attack. The monster destroyed was Sangan and Mikey used its effect to bring Marshmallon to his hand. He shuffled his deck afterwards and placed it back into the deck slot. And thanks to Hydrogeddon's effect, Hassleberry was able to summon another one. He then set a facedown and ended his turn. Now it was Mikey's turn again. He set his Marshmallon facedown, switched his Tri-Horned Dragon into attack mode, and then ordered the beast to attack one of the Hydrogeddons.

"I activate Negate Attack!" declared Hassleberry. Just as Mikey had done to him before, the attack was negated and the Battle Phase ended. The Osiris Red student slotted a facedown into one of his Spell and Trap zones and concluded his turn. Hassleberry drew and thought carefully. He knew the facedown was Marshmallon, but there was also no way for him to be able to take down Tri-Horned Dragon with brute strength. He wanted to keep his two monsters on the field for as long as possible so he could sacrifice them, but as things stood he didn't have any options. He placed a card facedown and then switched his Hydrogeddons into defense mode before ending his turn. Then it was Mikey's turn again. He drew and then summoned Neo the Magic Swordsman. (ATK/1700 DEF/1000)

"Tri-Horned Dragon, destroy Hydrogeddon with Tri-Horned Charge!" ordered Mikey, "Neo, do the same to the other one with Magical Blade!" Tri-Horned Dragon impaled one with its horns and then Neo the Magic Swordsman ran in and cleaved the other one apart with his sword.

"And that ends my turn."

"But not before I activate this!" Hassleberry declared, "Volcanic Eruption! Now every card on the field is destroyed!" The volcano in the background suddenly erupted and a massive rain of rock and ash followed by a massive rush of lava wiped the field clean of every single card.

"An' now it's my turn." The Duel Academy PE teacher drew his card and summoned Mad Sword Beast, bringing out a rabid rhinoceros-like dinosaur (ATK/1400 DEF/1200), "Mad Sword Beast, attack 'im directly!" The monster charged forward and rammed its horn right into Mikey's chest.

---------------------------

**Mikey:** 1800

**Hassleberry:** 3250

---------------------------

"That'll be it, soldier!" Hassleberry announced.

"My turn." Mikey drew his card and looked at it closely. First he activated Poison of the Old Man and chose to recover his Life Points by twelve hundred.

---------------------------

**Mikey:** 3000

**Hassleberry:** 3250

---------------------------

Next he set a monster facedown and then placed another card facedown and then ended his turn. Hassleberry drew and then looked at his student.

"Sorry I hafta do this little guy. But a soldier's gotta do what a soldier's gotta do. I play Big Evolution Pill. First I tribute a dino from my field and after that, this card stays on the field for three of your turns. But while it's on the field, I can summon or set any dino I want without a tribute. So first I'm sayin' bye to my Mad Sword Beast." His monster disappeared and then he proceeded to summon a monster.

"Black Tyranno, yer up fer duty!" A pitch-black tyrannosaurus rex appeared and roared (ATK/2600 DEF/1800), "Black Tyranno, attack his monster!"

"I activate Mirror Force!" declared Mikey. As he activated the card Sammie had given him, a reflective barrier appeared and Black Tyranno rammed right into it. The resulting impact somehow blew the dinosaur to pieces.

"I end my turn," said Hassleberry. Mikey then drew his card.

"I summon Wall of Illusion in attack mode." His move brought out a wall made of flesh with a face on it (ATK/1000 DEF/1850), "Wall of Illusion, attack Mr. Hassleberry directly." No one was exactly sure how a wall was supposed to attack, until somehow it did by releasing a ball of energy from its mouth and dealt one thousands points of damage to Hassleberry.

---------------------------

**Mikey:** 3000

**Hassleberry:** 2250

---------------------------

"I'll end with a facedown," announced Mikey.

"Not a bad move, soldier," commented Hassleberry as he drew, "But you left yer monster wide open. I summon Kabazauls in attack mode!" He played his card and called out a purple hippopotamus-like creature. (ATK/1700 DEF/1500)

"Attack his Wall of Illusion!" ordered Hassleberry. Kabazauls sniffled for a moment before letting out a powerful sneeze that send incredibly strong winds at Mikey's monster.

"Not today, Mr. Hassleberry. I activate Shrink and I'll use it on Kabazauls." The attacking monster's attack points were halved and the attack struck Wall of Illusion only to be bounced back and the damage dealt to the teacher while the creature was destroyed.

---------------------------

**Mikey:** 3000

**Hassleberry:** 2000

---------------------------

"I end my turn," declared Hassleberry. Mikey then drew. He switched his Wall of Illusion into defense mode and then played Hand Destruction. Both Duelists discarded whatever cards they had remaining and drew two new ones. Mikey set a third monster and another facedown card before ending his turn. Then Hassleberry drew. What he received caused him to gasp.

_Sorry it had to come to this, soldier_, he apologized mentally.

"I summon Super Conductor Tyranno!" Using the power of Big Evolution Pill, Hassleberry called out a giant green tyrannosaurus rex wearing silver cybernetic armor (ATK/3300 DEF/1400), "But I ain't done yet. I activate Premature Burial! Now by payin' eight hundred Life Points, I can bring back a monster from my grave. Like my Black Ptera."

---------------------------

**Mikey:** 3000

**Hassleberry:** 1200

---------------------------

After paying the cost, a small black pterodactyl appeared (ATK/1000 DEF/500). However, it was not to stay for long.

"Now I activate my Tyranno's effect!" declared Hassleberry, "By sackin' one dino from my field, I can deal a thousand points of damage to yer Life Points at the cost of not havin' him attack this turn. So adios, Black Ptera." Super Conductor Tyranno reached down, grabbed Black Ptera, and ate it before its armor started to flash.

"Super Conductor Tyranno, go!" A massive wave of lightning bolts erupted from the giant monster's armor and it struck Mikey hard.

---------------------------

**Mikey:** 2000

**Hassleberry:** 1200

---------------------------

"An' Black Ptera goes back to my hand since it wasn't destroyed by battle," Hassleberry concluded before ending his turn.

"This is bad," muttered Mikey as he drew, "I have three monsters on the field, but even if he doesn't attack I'm going to lose in two turns if he uses that effect. I need something to wipe out his monster." However, he had nothing and simply ended his turn. Hassleberry drew his card and summoned Black Ptera to the field only to sacrifice it for Super Conductor Tyranno's effect again, dealing yet another thousand points of damage to Mikey.

---------------------------

**Mikey:** 1000

**Hassleberry:** 1200

---------------------------

"I can't watch!" Max cried as he covered his eyes.

"Mikey can still win this," Coltyn assured the redhead, "The conditions are set. He just needs to draw the right card."

_Everything rides on this one draw_, thought Mikey, _If I don't get what I need, I'm going to be expelled._ He gulped and took in a deep breath.

"Here goes nothing. Draw!" He took the top card off his deck and looked at it. His eyes widened and his spirits lifted.

"I sacrifice my three monsters in order to summon Beast King Barbaros!" His field was cleared of all creatures and in their place appeared a massive liontaur with golden armor around its waist and mane and armed with a giant spear and an enormous shield (ATK/3000 DEF/1200), "And thanks to its effect, when I summon it by sacrificing three monsters, all monsters on your side of the field are destroyed!"

"Sam Hill!" exclaimed Hassleberry. He watched as Barbaros slammed its spear into the ground and split it open, allowing legions of demons to pour out. They crawled onto Super Conductor Tyranno and dragged it down into the depths of Hell.

"Beast King Barbaros, attack Mr. Hassleberry for game!" commanded Mikey, "Death Sentence!" Beast King Barbaros thrust its spear forward and struck Hassleberry with maximum power.

---------------------------

**Mikey:** 1000

**Hassleberry:** 0

---------------------------

"Game over!" declared Mikey as the holograms vanished. He let out a big sigh of relief as his friends ran up toward him.

"You did it, Mikey!" cheered Max as he hugged his roommate, "C'mon guys! Group hug!"

"I'm not a very huggy person," Coltyn quickly replied.

"You were awesome, Mikey. Well done, soldier," congratulated Hassleberry as he walked over, "You've proven yourself worthy of stayin' at Duel Academy."

"I couldn't have done it without my friends," said Mikey. While everyone had fun and cheered, Sammie caught something out of the corner of her eye, but decided to ignore it.

ooo

"Here's to Mikey staying with us!" Max cheered as the friends celebrated in the Osiris Red common room. Everybody knocked their pop cans together and drank.

"Hey, has anyone seen Sammie?" asked Coltyn as he looked around.

"I think she said she went to the bathroom or something," answered Mikey.

ooo

Sammie walked down to the pier and saw somebody standing by the light tower.

"I thought I'd find you here," she said as she approached. The person standing there was a teenage boy with brown hair wearing black pants, a black shirt, black shoes, and a sleeveless Obelisk Elite coat.

"You were watching the duel?" she asked.

"That kid is interesting," he answered, "Of course, he's no match for me but it doesn't hurt to check out the competition."

"Mikey's got potential, he just hasn't realized it yet," Sammie explained.

"Whatever. I don't have anymore time to waste on him." And with that said, the boy left.

"You'll see," Sammie vowed, "Mikey will definitely prove himself against you, Saito."

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**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The top-ranked student at the school is out for a challenge. And he has selected Mikey to duel him. How will Mikey respond? And can he get out of it? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	10. Rise of the Dragon Lord

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

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**EPISODE 1-10**

**Rise of the Dragon Lord**

It was a few days after his evaluation duel and Mikey still felt happier than he could have been. Thanks to his victory, he was allowed to stay at Duel Academy with his friends. Not only that, but it seemed that his actions had also caught the attention of the other students.

"How did you manage to win with just a slightly-modified starter deck?" one Osiris Red student asked him one day.

"I heard Mr. Hassleberry went all-out against you and you still beat him!" a Ra Yellow said to him another day.

Of course, there were still those who thought otherwise.

"There's no way you could have beaten Hassleberry," an Obelisk Blue had stated one time, "You must've cheated." Mikey had to admit that the likelihood of him actually winning that duel was extremely slim, so it was no surprise that some people thought that way. But regardless, the school files proved that he had won fairly and that was all that mattered to him.

However, even though the fifteen-year-old brunet had won, he knew that, like studying, he had to keep practicing. Every day after classes, he would spend an hour in the Osiris Red common room playing card games with other students at one of the tables. He knew it was old-fashioned, but it made him feel more at ease to play without giant holograms or a large audience. Plus it was fun.

"I summon Dream Clown in attack mode," Max declared as he placed his card on the field, "And thanks to Stumbling, he switches into defense mode so now I can destroy your Archfiend Soldier."

"Sorry Max, but I'm activating my Skill Drain," replied Mikey as he flipped over his Trap Card and subtracted one thousand Life Points in his head.

"Alrighty then, no problemo. I'll send The Tricky to attack it instead." Max announced his move and his opponent placed the targeted level four Normal Monster into his graveyard before mentally subtracting one hundred Life Points from his score, "Your move, Mikey."

"I think this one will end it," Mikey said as he drew his card, "I MST your Stumbling and then summon Beast King Barbaros with his special effect that lets me bypass tributes at the cost of making is attack 1900. But because I have Skill Drain on the field, his attack strength doesn't get reduced to nineteen hundred."

"Where did you come up with that move?" Max asked, clearly impressed.

"You like it? I thought it up last night," Mikey explained, "I figured if Skill Drain could negate my opponents' monsters' effects, then it could also negate the negative effects of my own monsters."

"Well Mikey, it looks like you win this one," Max said as he placed the rest of his hand on top of his deck, "You've been getting better. Have you decided on what kind of deck you're going to build, though?"

"Not yet," was Mikey's response as he picked up his cards and slotted them into the new deck box Sammie had bought him, "I did a little research and I was surprised by how many different deck types there were. It's hard just to pick one."

"I know how you feel, Mikey. It'll take some time, but I'm sure you'll find what you want to do. Just go with whatever you like."

"Hey Max. Why did you make a clown deck?"

"Well I suppose part of it must be because I just like clowns. But there's another reason. To me, clowns are my heroes."

"Huh?" Mikey looked at his roommate with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh well, we don't have to worry about that now!" Max said, back to his usual self, "Come on, Mikey! Let's go back to our room! Whatever deck you build, I'm sure it will be simply _fabulous_!"

ooo

Sammie was with the boy in the sleeveless Obelisk Elite coat again. She found him standing on the balcony right outside the Obelisk Blue ballroom and approached him.

"Are you thinking about Mikey again?" she asked him.

"I don't know what it is that you find so intriguing about him," the boy answered, "His skills are only equivalent to that of a beginner at best, so I don't see any reason for me to be interested in him."

"Mikey's a different kind of guy," Sammie explained as she leaned against the balcony railing, "It's kind of hard to appreciate his skills unless you've faced him yourself."

"And you know this how?"

"He and I are old friends."

"I see. Well if what you say is true, then I'll just have to face him. Although I won't be expecting much of a fight." And with those words, he turned and left.

_You'll see,_ _Saito,_ thought Sammie as she continued to look out at the horizon.

ooo

Mikey was groaning uncomfortably as he climbed the stairs up to his room. Gym class had been particularly stressful that day. Hassleberry had brought the class into the school weight room and put everybody through a series of tough exercises.

"I can't believe he expected me to bench press my own weight," Mikey moaned as he reached the top of the stairs.

"And then he expected you to do the electric chair for ten minutes," Max added, "You collapsed after one and a half."

"Hey, you weren't any better," Mikey replied as he reached for his key.

"Hey Mikey, something's coming this way." Max pointed towards the sky and his roommate turned to look. Indeed, something was coming toward them. And incredibly fast, too. In fact, it seemed to be approaching much too fast.

"Duck!" Both boys ducked down behind the railing and covered their heads. But there was no crash. Nothing except for something a loud clang-like sound. Mikey slowly lowered his hands and looked up. Something was perched on the railing. He got up and inspected it.

"What is it, Mikey?" Max asked as he stood back up and brushed off his pants. Perched on the railing was a small robot dragon and in its mouth was an envelope. Mikey reached out and took it. The only thing on the front was his own name handwritten in black ink. He flipped it over and saw that the envelope had been sealed with a drop of blue wax and marked with a round seal bearing the initials S.K.

"While _fabulously_ classic, who seals letters with wax anymore?" asked Max. Mikey didn't answer as he broke the seal and opened the envelope. He pulled out the letter and began to read it out loud for his friend to listen.

_I've heard quite a lot about you, Michael Angel. Your friend, Samantha Korangar, has been quite adamant about how much you've progressed. She's constantly insisted that I take some interest in your skills. However, I have serious doubts about just how good a duelist you truly are. Yet she continues to pester me about it. I've also overheard conversations from your other friends in passing, but I mostly ignore them. The reverse Edward Elric thinks you've improved a great deal and the homosexual circus performer has remarked on one occasion on the changes in your game. But those two are nothing compared to Samantha. She is a very persistent one. Therefore, so it can make her satisfied, I expect to meet you this Friday at four o'clock in the afternoon in the Dragon Arena. Your attendance is mandatory. You will come and you will duel me. I will expect to see you at the appointed time and place._

"I think he just insulted all of us in this one letter," Mikey commented as he finished.

"Did he call me a gay clown?" asked Max.

"I wonder why I'm suddenly being challenged?" Mikey wondered.

"Who's it from?"

"There's no signature, just the wax seal."

"Do you think someone with the initials S.K. sent it?"

"Seems likely. But I wonder why my attendance is mandatory?"

"I guess they want to challenge you. You've been improving a lot, lately."

"Hmm. I guess." As Mikey re-read the letter, he noticed a staple in the paper. Something was attached to the back. He flipped it over and his jaw dropped as his face turned whiter than a piece of paper crumpled up and tossed wantonly into the snow.

"What is it?" Max inquired. He tried to take a look, but his roommate pulled it away and stuffed the letter into his pocket.

"It's nothing," Mikey said quickly before unlocking the door to their room and dashing inside. That night, as Mikey lay on his bunk staring up at the ceiling, his thoughts dwelt on the challenge notice.

_If I don't go, does that mean whoever challenged me is going to show that picture to the whole school?_ he wondered, _I better not risk it._ Mikey let out a sigh and turned over so that he was right up against the wall as he pulled his covers up over his shoulders.

ooo

On Friday, Mikey arrived at the Dragon Arena fifteen minutes early. It was huge! It was almost hard to believe that the school could even house something like this. However, its size was the result of what stood out the most. The arena was decorated with massive life-size statues of three Blue-Eyes White Dragons positioned evenly around the room's perimeter. Each one was in a different pose, but all their heads ended up facing the middle of the floor where the duel field itself was. The seats were already eighty-six percent filled and somewhere among them his friends had already seated themselves. Mikey slunk back into the shadows of the entrance and wondered if he should go through with this or not. But then he remembered what came with the letter and his resolve returned. At precisely four o'clock, the doors on the other side of the arena slid open.

_You can do this, Mikey,_ he thought. He took in a deep breath and stepped out. At that moment, a blast of energy erupted from all three Blue-Eyes White Dragon statues' mouths as three deafening roars echoed through the room. Mikey nearly screamed out loud until he realized that the attacks were just part of a big fancy laser show. As he ascended the stairs to the field, he came face-to-face with his opponent for the first time. He was a tall brown-haired fifteen-year-old boy wearing black clothing underneath a sleeveless Obelisk Elite coat. Strapped to his left arm was a Duel Disk unlike any Mikey had ever seen before. It was shining silver, almost white, with the head of a dragon on top with embedded sapphires for eyes and a folded wing on the side.

"Glad to see you made it," the Obelisk Elite said.

"You didn't give me a choice," was Mikey's response.

"I don't like to waste time, so let's get this underway."

"Right." Mikey activated his Duel Disk. His monster slot three slid out and from either side of it, a pair of wings shot out, bringing out the other four slots. Once his deck was shuffled, he placed it in his deck slot and waited. He watched as his opponent's Duel Disk unfolded its wing into a duel field and the dragon's mouth opened into which the deck was placed.

"And so begins this match!" an announcer stated, "Saito vs. Mikey! Begin!"

------------------------

**Mikey:** 4000

**Saito:** 4000

------------------------

"By all means, you first," the one the announcer referred to as Saito said.

"Alright then." Mikey drew his first card and the duel was underway. With all the recent changes he had made to his deck, he felt confident in his ability to win.

"First I discard Thunder Dragon from my hand." Mikey sent one card from his hand to his graveyard, "And thanks its effect, I can take two additional Thunder Dragons from my deck and add them to my hand." He searched his deck for the two cards and then added them to his hand. Once he had done so, he shuffled his deck and placed it back into the deck slot.

"Next I play the Spell Card called Hand Destruction." Mikey selected the two Thunder Dragons he had just taken from his deck and discarded them and then drew two new cards. Saito picked two cards from his hand and sent them to his graveyard before replacing them with two new cards.

"Next I summon Axe Raider in attack mode." Mikey set his card down and summoned an armored warrior wielding an axe (ATK/1700 DEF/1150), "I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Not bad for the first turn of the duel," Saito commented as he drew, "But is it enough? I summon Decoy Dragon in attack mode." He summoned forth a small blue baby dragon (ATK/300 DEF/200), "That ends my turn."

"Why did that guy summon such a weak monster in attack mode?" asked Max.

"Because he's planning something," answered Coltyn, "That dragon must have some kind of effect that activates when it's attacked."

"Huh. I was kinda expecting something a little grander," Mikey commented as he drew, "Oh well. Axe Raider, attack his Decoy Dragon!"

"I don't think so," Saito declared, "When Decoy Dragon is selected as an attack target, its effect activates, allowing me to Special Summon one level seven or higher Dragon from my graveyard and then the attack gets redirected to it. And my choice is this." An effect monster was ejected from his graveyard and he slapped it onto his Duel Disk.

"Darkblaze Dragon, arise!" There was a fiery explosion that erupted from the ground as a giant black and orange four-winged dragon rose up and roared. (ATK/1200 DEF/1000)

"What good will that move do you?" asked Mikey, "Your monster is still weaker than mine."

"But here's the kicker! When Darkblaze Dragon is summoned from the graveyard, his attack and defense points are doubled!"

"No way!"

A fiery aura surrounded Darkblaze Dragon as its attack points rose to twenty-four hundred and its defense to two thousand. Saito then struck out his free hand and pointed at the incoming Axe Raider.

"Counterattack, Darkblaze Dragon!" he commanded, "Black Searer!" As Axe Raider continued its attack, Darkblaze Dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a blast of black and orange fire. The flames completely engulfed the attacking warrior and incinerated it.

------------------------

**Mikey:** 3300

**Saito:** 4000

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"And that's not all," Saito continued, "When Darkblaze Dragon destroys a monster in battle and sends it to the graveyard, the attack points of the destroyed monster are dealt as damage to your Life Points."

"Oh crap..."

"Darkblaze Dragon, strike down my opponent!" commanded the Obelisk Elite, "Black Searer!" Darkblaze Dragon flew across the field and landed right in front of Mikey before unleashing its devastating flames upon him.

------------------------

**Mikey:** 1600

**Saito:** 4000

------------------------

"Ouch. Over half of his Life Points gone in one turn," was all Coltyn said.

"Mikey's opponent is the current top-ranking duelist in the school," Sammie explained, "His dueling strategies are flawless, his style is totally ruthless, and he's never lost a single duel."

"You're kidding," replied Max.

_Darn. I wasn't expecting something like this_, thought Mikey, _I'll have to think of some way to destroy that thing._ Looking at his hand, an idea came to mind. First he activated his facedown Poison of the Old Man and chose to regain twelve hundred Life Points.

------------------------

**Mikey:** 2800

**Saito:** 4000

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Afterwards, he summons Archfiend Soldier in attack mode and called forth a sword-wielding Summoned Skull look-alike wearing a green cape (ATK/1900 DEF/1500). Then he placed two cards facedown and ended his turn. Then it was Saito's turn. He reached into the mouth of his Blue-Eyes White Dragon Duel Disk and drew a card.

"I'm afraid it's not going to be that easy," he announced, "I play Heavy Storm."

"And I activate Rush Recklessly in response," Mikey replaced as he revealed one of his facedowns, "and I'll use it to boost my Archfiend Soldier by seven hundred points." As Mikey's Rush Recklessly and Trap Hole were removed from the field, his monster gained the boost and its attack power rose up to twenty-six hundred, making it two hundred points stronger than Darkblaze Dragon.

"Nothing but a desperation move," was all Saito said in response, "I sacrifice Decoy Dragon and Darkblaze Dragon in order to summon Felgrand Dragon!" Both of his creatures vanished from the field and a ray of light shone down from above. The sound of wings beating through the sky filled the arena followed by a giant burst of wind as a massive and elegant dragon with a hide of gold and silver scales flew down and landed on the floor with a loud crash. It stood up on its hind legs and let out a mighty roar. (ATK/2800 DEF/2800)

"You succeeded in boosting your monster's attack points, but even now it's no match for my dragon." Saito pointed at Archfiend Soldier, "Felgrand Dragon, strike down his Archfiend Soldier! Shining Annihilator!" All eyes watched as Felgrand Dragon opened its mouth and a shimmering golden beam shot out from its maw and blasted Archfiend Soldier into oblivion.

------------------------

**Mikey:** 2600

**Saito:** 4000

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"Your move," was all Saito said to end his turn.

_This doesn't look good_, thought Mikey as he drew; _I need some way to beat that thing._ His hand had nothing but one card with which to defend him, so he set it facedown and ended his turn. Then Saito drew his card.

"You're pathetic," he muttered, "I summon Twin-Headed Behemoth in attack mode." He played his card and brought out a purple two-headed dragon. (ATK/1500 DEF/1200)

"Now I activate Premature Burial from my hand," Saito continued, "I sacrifice eight hundred Life Points..."

------------------------

**Mikey:** 2600

**Saito:** 3200

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"...to resurrect Tyrant Dragon!" There was a loud rumbling noise followed by an explosion as a massive brown dragon with a green gem set into its forehead rose up from the ground and roared (ATK/2900 DEF/2500), "Special Summoning Tyrant Dragon has a cost, however. I must tribute one dragon on my field and I choose Twin-Headed Behemoth." His smallest monster vanished and Saito turned to his two giant dragons.

"Tyrant Dragon, attack his Life Points directly!" commanded Saito, "Dragon's Gunfire!" His dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a giant fireball.

"I activate Waboku!" announced Mikey, "This prevents me from taking any battle damage this turn." A trio of women in blue robes appeared in front of Mikey and they intercepted the fireball.

"I know about Tyrant Dragon's ability to negate and destroy traps that target it, so I laid Waboku facedown."

"When did Mikey learn about that effect?" asked Coltyn.

"Aren't _you_ usually the one who has all the answers?" Sammie replied.

"I'm smart, not omniscient."

"You may have stopped my dragons' attacks, but you can't hold out forever," said Saito as he picked a card from his hand and placed it onto the field, "I set one card facedown and end my turn. And because it's the End Phase of the turn Twin-Headed Behemoth was sent to the graveyard, I can now bring it back with a thousand attack and defense points." His two-headed dragon appeared on the field once again and it lowered itself into a defense stance.

_Saito's played brilliantly_, thought Mikey, _He managed to bring my Life Points down to less than half in one turn and I haven't touched his even once. On top of that, his strategy of sending powerful cards to his graveyard and resurrecting them is insane! He's already managed to bring out three powerful monsters in that way._ He slowly reached for the top card on his deck and pulled it out. He looked at it and set it on the field in facedown defense mode.

_I hope this buys me some time_, his thoughts continued.

"I end my turn."

"For your sake, that card better be something that can defend against my dragons," said Saito as he drew, "I summon Masked Dragon in attack mode." He placed a fourth card into one of his monster zones and a red and white dragon with a restrainer over its face appeared. (ATK/1400 DEF/1100)

"Felgrand Dragon, destroy that monster with Shining Annihilator!" Felgrand Dragon opened its mouth and unleashed its shimmering golden laser.

"Unfortunately for you," Mikey said as he flipped his card over, "Marshmallon can't be destroyed in battle." A pink creature with an upside-down face (ATK/500 DEF/300) popped up and was struck by the blast. Its body shook and wiggled like a Jell-O mold, but it stood strong against the attack.

"And since you attacked Marshmallon while it was facedown, you lose one thousand Life Points." As soon as the laser had died down, Marshmallon bounced towards Saito and opened its mouth, revealing a set of razor-sharp teeth with which it bit the Obelisk Elite before returning to Mikey's side of the field.

------------------------

**Mikey:** 2600

**Saito:** 2200

------------------------

"...He actually managed to damage my Life Points," Saito thought out loud before declaring the end of his turn.

"So far, so good. Gotta keep this up." Mikey drew his card, "I play Pot of Avarice. First I select up to five monsters from my graveyard and return them to my deck then after I shuffle, I get to draw two cards." Mikey selected Archfiend Soldier, Axe Raider, and his three Thunder Dragons and slotted them into his deck before shuffling it. Once his cards returned to his deck slot, he drew two new ones and one of them was a card he had been hoping for.

"I play Swords of Revealing Light!" At that moment, three shining swords of light rained down and struck the ground before Saito's front line.

"So be it," was all Saito said in response, "But rest assured, this duel will be over by the time those swords disappear."

"In whose favor?"

"Touché."

"I end my turn."

"Your stall tactic won't keep you safe for long." Saito drew his next card, "I play Trade-In. Now by discarding one level eight monster, I can draw two cards." He sent another Tyrant Dragon from his hand to his graveyard and drew two new cards. Then he ended his turn. Mikey proceeded and drew.

"I play Lightning Vortex!" Mikey sent a card from his hand to his graveyard and a massive torrent of lightning bolts rained down on Saito's monsters, destroying each and every one of them, "Now I play Premature Burial to bring back the Tri-Horned Dragon I just discarded."

------------------------

**Mikey:** 1800

**Saito:** 2200

------------------------

From the depths of his graveyard, the giant dragon rose up and roared. (ATK/2850 DEF/2350)

"Tri-Horned Dragon, attack!" ordered Mikey, "Tri-Horned Charge!"

"Reveal facedown card, A Deal with Dark Ruler!" Saito's card flipped face-up and he began to explain its effect, "When a level eight monster on my field is sent to the graveyard, I can activate this card on that turn to Special Summon one Berserk Dragon from my hand or deck." He snapped his fingers and a massive black undead dragon rose up and roared. (ATK/3500 DEF/0)

"Crap! Tri-Horned Dragon, cease now!" On Mikey's command, his dragon stopped in its tracks and returned to its place on the field, "That was close."

"You're lucky," was all Saito said.

"I end my turn."

"And I begin mine." The Obelisk Elite drew, "I summon Decoy Dragon and set a card facedown. That ends my turn and that's two turns on your Swords of Revealing Light gone." As his turn ended, Berserk Dragon's attack points suddenly dropped down to three thousand.

_Even if my monsters can't beat that Berserk Dragon, at least I have Marshmallon to protect me_, thought Mikey as he drew. He looked at his card and saw that he had just drawn one of the Thunder Dragons he had returned to his deck. He immediately discarded it and brought the other two into his hand.

"I play Polymerization!" Mikey announced, "Now I fuse two Thunder Dragons from my hand to summon Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!" Two green serpentine dragons appeared over the field and space seemed to warp them together, creating a red dragon-like creature with a large horn on the nose of its head and a second mouth on the back of its neck. (ATK/2800 DEF/2100)

"I then set one card facedown and end my turn."

_I just have to wait a turn and then his Berserk Dragon will be weak enough to attack_, he thought. Saito drew and proceeded. He set a monster in facedown defense mode, switched his Decoy Dragon into defense mode, and ended his turn. As Mikey had guessed, Berserk Dragon dropped down to twenty-five hundred attack points and at the same time his Swords of Revealing Light vanished from the field.

"Now I summon Beast King Barbaros in attack mode. But since I did so without a tribute, his attack points are only nineteen hundred." The spear-wielding liontaur appeared on the field and roared (ATK/1900 DEF/1200), "Tri-Horned Dragon, go! Attack his Berserk Dragon with Tri-Horned Charge!" Tri-Horned Dragon slammed into Berserk Dragon horns first and destroyed it.

------------------------

**Mikey:** 1800

**Saito:** 1850

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"Now I activate my facedown card, Skill Drain! By paying a thousand Life Points, all monster effects on the field are negated, meaning Beast King Barbaros regains its natural three thousand attack points."

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**Mikey:** 800

**Saito:** 1850

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"And thanks to Skill Drain, your Decoy Dragon can't summon a dragon from your graveyard!"

"FABULOUS move, Mikey!" cheered Max.

"Brilliantly executed move," Coltyn commented with a grin. Sammie said nothing, but smiled at Mikey's tactic.

_Mikey's really come a long way since he started_, she thought, _He just might beat him using nothing but a modified starter deck._

"Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, attack Decoy Dragon with Dual Shock!" Lightning charged up in the monster's mouths and two bolts were fired, resulting in the destruction of Decoy Dragon, "Beast King Barbaros, attack his facedown. Death Sentence!" Barbaros lunged with its lance and impaled Saito's facedown, which turned out to be a second Masked Dragon.

"When Masked Dragon dies, I can Special Summon a dragon with fifteen hundred attack points or less because its effect activates in the graveyard," Saito explained, "I summon another Masked Dragon in defense mode."

"Just a little bit longer, Mikey!" Max called out, "You've got him on the ropes!" At the same time, the audience began to cheer Mikey's name. However, not all were feeling the same way. Saito seemed to be totally unaffected and this did not go unnoticed. Coltyn knew how to read body language and Sammie knew the dragon duelist.

"Saito's got something planned," the Ra Yellow thought out loud.

"I know that look on his face," Sammie answered.

"Not a bad move," Saito complimented, which was rare, "However, this is where it ends." He ripped the top card off his deck.

"I have you to thank for this victory, so I'm giving you the honor of losing to my strongest dragon."

"What do you mean?" asked Mikey, completely confused.

"You'll see. I play Dragon's Mirror! Now by removing the fusion material monsters listed on a Dragon-type fusion monster from my field or graveyard, I can fusion summon that monster." Saito took out his cards from his graveyard and removed five of them, placing them inside his pocket, "I choose Decoy Dragon, Masked Dragon, Tyrant Dragon, Darkblaze Dragon, and Felgrand Dragon. Now say hello to the strongest monster in my deck. I fuse my five dragons to summon Five God Dragon!" The entire arena seemed to shake violently as the five dragons that had just been removed from play appeared over the field. A giant mirror with a golden dragon-shaped frame materialized behind them and all five were pulled in. There was a moment's pause before a large clawed hand came out and grabbed onto the frame. Another one followed and a massive dragon unlike any Mikey had seen emerged. The gargantuan monster's body was a sand color with a white belly and two large wings. But what stood out most, though, were its five heads. The one on its rightmost side was composed completely of live flames. The one beside it was a blue sea serpent head. The middle one was brown with several horns in the center and was seemingly made of rock. To its left was a jet-black head brimming with dark energy. The last head on its far left seemed to be made out of metal, but its roar created a mighty wind. (ATK/5000 DEF/5000)

"Mikey's fucked," was all Coltyn said.

"Five God Dragon, destroy his Beast King Barbaros and the rest of his Life Points!" ordered Saito as he clenched his fist and held it out toward his opponent, "Penta-Dragon Blaze!" Five God Dragon roared and all five of its heads opened their mouths. The Fire head unleashed a powerful searing flame. The Water head let loose with a massive blast of water. The Earth head fired a giant yellow beam infused with the power of the Earth attribute. The Dark head's eyes flashed briefly before a blast of dark energy erupted from its maw. The Wind head snarled as it released a blue bolt of lightning. The five attacks spiraled across the field and merged into a massive helix of power that struck Beast King Barbaros with maximum force.

"Barbaros!" Mikey watched in horror as his monster was destroyed so easily. But it didn't stop there. The attack continued and struck him hard before dispersing into its five parts that destroyed his other monsters. Mikey cried as he was thrown back and his cards were scattered all over the field.

------------------------

**Mikey:** 0

**Saito:** 1850

------------------------

"Looks like Samantha was wrong," said Saito as the holographic projectors deactivated and the holograms vanished, "You're pathetic! Turns out you weren't worth my time after all." And with those words, he deactivated his Duel Disk, turned around, and walked away with his coat tails flapping in his wake.

"Mikey, you okay?" Coltyn asked as he, Max, and Sammie ran over to their friend.

"That was so NOT fabulous!" Max said to Saito, "Whatever happened to good sportsmanship?"

"Screw good sportsmanship, I have money!" replied Saito.

"Having money doesn't excuse you from showing your opponent respect, Kaiba!" Sammie said harshly.

"Wait," Mikey looked up, "Sammie, did you just call him Kaiba?"

"So? That's his name, after all."

"Wait a second." Mikey got up and looked at Saito, "You mean you're...." Saito was silent, but then a laugh ripped from his throat and he held up his arm with his Duel Disk.

"That's right! My name is Saito Kaiba!" he announced, "I am the son of Seto Kaiba!"

"NO WAY!" gasped Mikey. Even Coltyn was surprised by this announcement.

"Remember this day well, Michael Angel. There's no way you can even begin to compare to me. You're trash and you'll always be trash. I only bothered dueling you because Samantha has faith in you. I can see now that her faith has been misplaced. You should just stick to playing go fish." And with those words, Saito left.

"He's just like his father," commented Coltyn, "a complete asshole."

"Mikey, are you okay?" asked Max.

"I'm okay," Mikey replied. He bent down and started to gather up his cards. His friends helped and they managed to help him put his deck back together.

"Mikey, don't tell me you're going to start crying again," Sammie muttered sternly. In all truth, Mikey's spirits had hit an all-time low. He had never felt this way before and this was just over a children's card game.

"C'mon, Mikey. Let's go," Coltyn said quietly as he and the others led the brunet away.

"Beaten so brutally and then kicked in the balls when he's down." Sammie turned back to look at Saito as he left, "Kaiba's merciless."

"I know... what I have to do." Mikey slowly removed his arms from his friends and managed to stand up on his own, "This duel taught me a lot about myself. I still have a long way to go, but now I've got incentive. I'm going to beat Saito Kaiba."

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**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

It's the first tag team duel of the series. Mikey, Sammie, Max, and Coltyn will team up and duel each other while Mikey tests out yet another new deck. It's a duel with no stakes, but you still won't want to miss it. So watch out for the next episode of _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	11. First Tag

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

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**EPISODE 1-11**

**First Tag**

A few days had passed since Mikey's utter defeat at the hands of Saito Kaiba, but the boy's resolve had never been stronger. In fact, that one card game seemed to have sparked something within him. Sammie had expected him to stay locked in his room for days and mope, but she was pleasantly surprised when she walked into the card shop one day and saw Mikey standing at the counter buying trading cards.

"This is unexpected, Mikey," she said as she approached him. Mikey looked up from what he was doing and greeted her followed with his usual smile.

"I really thought you'd lock yourself up in your room and mope."

"Well yeah, but because this is for school, I can't waste time worrying about that," Mikey answered as he continued looking at cards.

_Typical Mikey_, thought Sammie, _Always worried about school._

"So, have you thought about what kind of deck you want to build?" she asked as she looked over his shoulder.

"Well, I have a few ideas about what I want. I'm just not sure if they'll be any good for building a deck," Mikey replied, "Tri-Horned Dragon has been a really good card to use, but I just don't think it's right for me. I want something suited more to my tastes. I was thinking about making a Light deck."

"Light, eh? Any particular type or archetype?"

"I kinda like the angelic monsters." Mikey picked up a Guardian Angel Joan and looked at it for moment before putting it back, "I think they represent me the best."

"How so?"

"I'm really good person." Sammie laughed and then suddenly remembered something. She reached into her bag and searched until she found a card.

"Here Mikey, I think this should suit you." She handed the piece of cardboard over and Mikey took it.

"Majestic Mech – Senku?" he inquired as he read the text, "... yadda yadda yadda... ...sent to the graveyard at the End Phase. Sammie, this monster dies once my turn ends. How is that supposed to help me?"

"Because it's also just like you," Sammie answered, "Small and brittle."

"Gee, thanks." Nonetheless, Mikey was intrigued. He took another look at the card and admired the artwork. He wasn't sure what it was, but it somehow seemed as if the card was calling out to him.

"Sammie, are there other cards like this?"

"You can bet your scrawny ass there are," she answered, "In fact, they've all got one thing in common. Besides summoning then normally, all of them have an effect to make them easier to summon. But there's always a drawback to this easier summoning. Like the monster gets destroyed or it loses attack points. Things like that."

"A cost for easy summoning..." A thought suddenly hit Mikey and he dug through his deck until he produced Beast King Barbaros, "Like Barbaros?"

"I think you've got the idea, Mikey. In fact, I think you already know how to use cards like these." Sammie gave her friend an affirming smile.

"Thanks, Sammie. I think I know what I'm going to make now." And with that, Mikey placed his Tri-Horned Dragon and a whole bunch of other cards onto the store counter, "I'm trading these in."

ooo

Saito had his own posse composed entirely of Obelisk Blues. Actually, they were more like his followers than anything. They did everything he commanded without question and they practically worshipped the ground he walked upon. And it wasn't just because he was the son of Seto Kaiba, although that was likely the main reason. Being the undefeated top-ranked duelist at the school, simply being associated with him made others feel much more significant.

That particular afternoon, Saito underwent practice with five students at once. Even though he was vastly outnumbered, he still managed to dominate the field. By the final turn, his Life Points remained untouched and his field was occupied by Tyrant Dragon, Felgrand Dragon, Darkblaze Dragon, a black mechanical-looking dragon known as Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, and, of course, Five God Dragon.

"Strike them all down at once!" ordered Saito, "Tyrant Dragon, Dragon's Gunfire! Felgrand Dragon, Shining Annihilator! Darkblaze Dragon, Black Searer! Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, Darkness Metal Flare! And Five God Dragon, Peta-Dragon Blaze!" Each of his dragons targeted a different opponent and they launched their attacks at once. A massive explosion shook the entire building as all five opponents' Life Points dropped to zero.

"Overwhelming as always, Master Kaiba!" one of them said excitedly as he got up.

"That kid had no chance!" another flattered.

"There's no one who can take you on an win!" a third added.

"Don't flatter me," Saito said sternly as he deactivated his Duel Disk, "I already know my skills are unparalleled. How about telling me something I don't know for a change?" He left without a word and his followers quickly went after him.

"But sir, what could you possibly not know?" another asked.

"You can try to kiss my ass as you want, you're still not getting anything from me."

"Really, sir. We wouldn't dream of it!"

"Whatever." Saito obviously did not believe him and left without saying another word.

ooo

Mikey barely recognized his deck anymore. Not long ago, it had just been a standard off-the-shelf starter deck filled with lots of cards that didn't work that well with one another. Now it was something more. The deck possessed a part of his soul now. And that soul was as bright as the light of the sun. Almost every single card had been completely replaced. Whether or not this would be effective was another story. The deck had been built, but he still had yet to test it out.

Mikey was currently sitting at his desk in his dorm room running a computer simulation of his deck in combat. The Duel Monsters Virtual Desktop had proven to be a useful tool, but it still couldn't compare to real life duels. He leaned back on his chair over the back of which his school jacket had been draped and stretched his arms, a white T-shirt hanging loosely from his frame.

"Hey Mikey, come outside!" Max called from the other side of the door, "And bring your deck!"

"Be right there!" Not sure what was going on, Mikey grabbed his deck, jacket, and Duel Disk, put on his shoes, and headed outside. Immediately upon stepping out of his room, he saw all of his friends standing on the grass below.

"Hey, guys. What's up?" he inquired as he walked down the stairs.

"I think it's time we tested that new deck of yours," said Sammie as she slipped on her Duel Disk, "But we're going to do it a little different."

"Different how so?"

"We're going to have a tag team duel!" Max announced excitedly, "Isn't that simply _fabulous_?"

"A tag team duel?" Now Mikey was really confused.

"Let me explain." Coltyn stepped forward with his school jacket slung over one shoulder, "As the name implies, tag duels involve teams of two duelists. Each team starts with eight thousand Life Points and each duelist has their own field. Teammates are free to discuss strategies with one another. When the duel starts, the fourth person to go is the one who gets to make the first attack. The duel itself works just like any other duel, but with some key differences. Firstly, tag partners are allowed to sacrifice one another's monsters with their permission. Spells and traps can also be used to help your partner, however you can't control your partner's cards. Even though there are four duelists in total, only one field card can be active at a time. Direct attacks can't be declared until both members of the opposing team have no monsters on the field. Finally, victory is pretty self-explanatory.

"Sounds simple, I guess," was Mikey's reply.

"Now that we've got that out of the way, let's duel!" Coltyn tied his jacket around his waist, stripped off his artificial skin, and transformed his arm into his Duel Disk.

"I'll be your partner, Mikey," Sammie offered.

"Thanks, Sammie." Mikey took his place beside Sammie and activated his Duel Disk after tying his jacket around his waist like Coltyn had. Then Sammie and Max activated their Duel Disks as well.

"Set your Duel Disk to tag mode, Mikey," Sammie instructed, "Then enter my friend code. It's 46308509398473."

"Could you please repeat that slowly?" Mikey requested, "This IS just a friendly duel between friends, right?" When all was said and done, all four Duel Disks displayed eight thousand Life Points.

"In a situation like this, the best thing to do to determine who goes first is to cut our decks," Coltyn called from the other side, "Whoever's card name's first letter is closest to A decides."

"What if you get a number?" Max inquired curiously.

"Numbers come before letters."

"Oh."

Everyone shuffled their decks and cut them. Mikey's card was Neo the Magic Swordsman. Sammie brought out Contract with the Abyss. Max presented Dream Clown and Coltyn had Sakuretsu Armor.

"Looks like I choose." Sammie and the others reshuffled their decks and placed them into their deck slots before she made her announcement, "I'll go first, then Max. Mikey goes third and Coltyn will go last."

"Which means I get to attack first," the Ra Yellow summarized.

"Let's do this!" Mikey shouted, trying to sound manly. It didn't suit him.

"DUEL!"

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**Mikey & Sammie:** 8000

**Max & Coltyn:** 8000

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Sammie started the duel and drew her first card. She showed her hand to Mikey, who in turn showed Sammie his hand and the two of them conversed for a moment.

"I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands." Sammie played her card and summoned forth some kind of green creature with ten thousand hands (ATK/1400 DEF/1000), "When he's Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned, I can bring one ritual spell or ritual monster from my deck to my hand. And my choice is End of the World." She added the spell card to her hand and then replaced her deck after shuffling it.

"Next I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn. It's your move now, Max."

"Absolutely FABULOUS!" Max drew his card. Normally, whenever he dueled, he would always wear his mask. But for some reason, he wasn't today and that surprised Mikey.

"Take the stage, Crass Clown!" Max played his card and his very ugly ball-teetering clown appeared (ATK/1350 DEF/1400), "And I'll end with a facedown of my own. Take it away, Mikey!"

_This is it_, thought Mikey, _My new deck's first test run._

"Here goes nothing." He drew his card, "I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn." He gave Sammie a nod before the duel was passed onto Coltyn.

"I play Tribute to the Doomed. I discard Raging Flame Sprite from my hand to destroy Manju." As Coltyn sent his card to his graveyard, a mummified hand reached up and pulled Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands down to the grave, "Next I remove Raging Flame Sprite from play to Special Summon Spirit of Flames." A column of fire erupted from the ground and a red fire demon appeared. (ATK/1700 DEF/1000)

"Then I summon Molten Zombie in attack mode." Coltyn brought out a seared undead monster (ATK/1600 DEF/400), "Molten Zombie, attack Mikey's facedown!" His creature lashed out and destroyed Mikey's monster, which turned out to be Shining Angel.

"Shining Angel's effect activates, letting me summon a Light monster with fifteen hundred attack points or less in attack mode," Mikey announced, "And I pick a second Shining Angel."

"Spirit of Flames, attack Shining Angel!" ordered Coltyn, "And as you know, Spirit of Flames gains three hundred attack points during the Battle Phase." There was a blast of flame as Spirit of Flames punched Shining Angel.

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**Mikey & Sammie:** 7400

**Max & Coltyn:** 8000

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Mikey then summoned a third Shining Angel. Coltyn set one card facedown and ended his turn. Then it was back to Sammie. She drew her card and consulted with Mikey before making her move.

"I activate End of the World. I sacrifice Sonic Bird from my hand and Mikey's Shining Angel in order to Ritual Summon my Ruin, Queen of Oblivion!" She sent a card from her hand and Mikey's monster to the graveyard and then brought out a white-haired woman in a red and black dress wielding a staff with a black aura emanating from her body. (ATK/2300 DEF/2000)

"Ruin, kill that Spirit of Flames! Dies Irae!" Ruin, Queen of Oblivion brought up her staff and held it in her hands. A surge of black energy charged up between the prongs at the top before being fired at the red fire demon. There was a loud screech as it was destroyed.

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**Mikey & Sammie:** 7400

**Max & Coltyn:** 7400

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"And if Ruin destroys a monster by battle, she can attack a second time in a row." Sammie then pointed to Crass Clown, "Attack, Ruin!"

"I'm sorry, Sammie, but I can't let you do that." Max swept his arm out to the side and revealed his facedown card, "I activate Zero Gravity. This changes the battle positions of every monster on the field." Ruin's attack was stopped as she knelt down and held her staff out in front of her in a defense stance. At the same time, Coltyn's Molten Zombie hunched over and Max's Crass Clown got off its ball and hid behind it.

"I end my turn," Sammie declared.

"Fabulous!" Max drew and examined his situation; "First I switch Crass Clown back into attack mode and activate his effect to return Ruin to Sammie's hand." He switched his card into an upright position and his clown hopped back onto its ball. It then stuck its pole under Ruin, Queen of Oblivion and vaulted her high into the air. She vanished from sight and the card returned to Sammie's hand.

"Crass Clown, show them your absolutely _fabulous_ talent! Circus Trick!" Crass Clown bounced up and down on its ball. It then stuck its pole into the ground and lifted itself into the air. Spinning around, it kicked the ball across the field. The giant sphere bounced off Mikey's head and back under the clown's feet.

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**Mikey & Sammie:** 6050

**Max & Coltyn:** 7400

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"OW! Hey, wait a minute. How can a hologram, which is just a projected image, hurt me?"

"I'll set one card facedown and summon Dream Clown in attack mode." Max set one card onto the field and summoned one of his Dream Clowns. (ATK/1200 DEF/900)

"And that's where I activate my Trap Card, Torrential Tribute!" Sammie flipped one of her two facedowns over, "Once a monster is summoned, I activate this to destroy every single monster on the field." There was a giant crash as a massive tsunami came down hard on the field and destroyed every single monster on it. Max ended his turn and Mikey began his.

"I remove from play two Shining Angels from my graveyard." The brunet's Duel Disk ejected two cards from his graveyard and he placed them in his pocket before bringing out a card onto the field, "And I'll Special Summon Soul of Purity and Light." A shining light shot up from the ground in front of him and a transparent angelic woman appeared. (ATK/2000 DEF/1800)

"And next I'll summon Voltech Kong in attack mode." He placed another card onto his Duel Disk and brought out a gorilla with lightning bolts bursting uncontrollably from its body in a blinding dance of electricity (ATK/1800 DEF/1000). "Soul of Purity and Light, direct attack! Purifying Light!" Soul of Purity and Light charged up a ball of light in between her hands before firing a single beam of radiance from it.

"I activate my Mirror Wall!" Max revealed his facedown and a giant wall of crystal rose up in front of him and Coltyn, "This halves the damage we take this turn." The beam of light struck the barrier and was refracted into several rays. However, one small beam managed to get through and struck both duelists.

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**Mikey & Sammie:** 6050

**Max & Coltyn:** 6400

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"At least I can still do some damage. Voltech Kong, it's your turn." Mikey's electric gorilla pounded its chest before charging forward, "Slam Shock through that Mirror Wall!" Voltech Kong reached the crystal wall and raised its arms over its head. It clasped its hands together and dealt a mighty blow to the barrier. A powerful electric current surged through it and expelled out on the other side and right into Max and Coltyn.

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**Mikey & Sammie:** 6050

**Max & Coltyn:** 5500

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"And as since Voltech Kong damaged your Life Points, my opponent sends one card from the top of their deck to their graveyard for each Light monster on my field. And I'll pick Coltyn." Coltyn removed the top two cards from his deck and placed them into his graveyard. "I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn." Mikey slotted two cards into his Duel Disk and concluded his turn. Then it was over to Coltyn. The boy with the mechanical arm drew his card and turned to his partner to discuss strategy.

"I activate the Equip Spell Card called Snatch Steal. When this card is played, I can equip it to any monster my opponent controls. In exchange, the owner of the controlled card games one thousand Life Points during each of his or her Standby Phases. So I'll be taking control of Soul of Purity and Light." As Mikey walked across the field to hand over his card, his monster faded away from his side of the field and reappeared on the other side.

"Now I sacrifice Soul of Purity and Light, thereby preventing any Life Point gain, so I can summon Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch." Coltyn removed the Light monster from the field and replaced it with his own card, bringing out his armored flame-wielding emperor. (ATK/2400 DEF/1000) After returning Soul of Purity and Light to Mikey, who immediately placed it in his graveyard, he declared the activation of his monarch's effect.

"Thestalos, roast the left card in Sammie's hand."

"Your left or my left?" asked Sammie.

"Mine." Sammie discarded her card, which turned out to be Ruin, Queen of Oblivion.

"That's a hundred Life Points gone for every star your monster has," Coltyn explained, "And since Ruin is a level eight monster, that means you guys take eight hundred points of damage." Thestalos slammed hits fist into the ground and a fiery explosion burst up from under Mikey and Sammie.

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**Mikey & Sammie:** 6050

**Max & Coltyn:** 4700

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"Now I play a Field Spell, Molten Destruction. It boosts Fire monsters by five hundred attack points, but lowers their defense points by four hundred." Coltyn's Field Card tray slid open and he placed his card in before shutting it. As a hologram of his card appeared, massive volcanoes rose up around the field and turned it into a molten wasteland. The four duelists stood in the center of the inferno on individual rocks with a pool of searing lava surrounding them.

"Thestalos, attack Voltech Kong!" ordered Coltyn, "Show them why you're called the Firestorm Monarch. Attack with Royal Blaze!" Thestalos flared up his flames and unleashed them on Mikey's beast.

"I activate my Trap Card, Negate Attack." Mikey's card flipped face-up and the fire was absorbed into a vortex.

"I'm gonna get you back, Coltyn." Sammie drew her card, "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior." She called out a crimson-armored warrior with a Dark Magician-like helmet wielding a sword and shield. (ATK/1600 DEF/1000)

"When Breaker is summoned, he gains one Spell Counter, which boosts his attack points by three hundred." As Sammie finished her explanation, a yellow crystal sphere appeared and Breaker attached it to the hilt of his sword, giving the blade a golden glow. She then set the last card in her hand onto the field and ended her turn. Then it was over to Max.

"To keep Mirror Wall on the field, I have to give up two thousand Life Points during my Standby Phase. But I'm not doing that, so bye-bye Mirror Wall." The giant crystal wall began to crack and then it shattered, "Now I discard one card from my hand to Special Summon The Tricky in attack mode." The redhead sent a Ryu-Kishin Clown from his hand to his graveyard and called out a yellow and white harlequin with question marks on its face and chest wearing a blue cape. (ATK/2000 DEF/1200)

"Tricky, put on a FABULOUS performance. Attack Breaker with Clown Trick." The Tricky leapt into the air and threw a dagger that slid out of its sleeve at Breaker the Magical Warrior.

"I activate my facedo..."

"No you're not!" Mikey interrupted Sammie and stepped forward, "We activate MY trap instead: Sakuretsu Armor." A suit of spiked armor appeared on Breaker and the dagger bounced off it before the protective gear shot its spikes out and impaled The Tricky, destroying it on contact. Sammie turned to her tag partner with a clear expression of impression on her face.

"That was very impressive, Mikey," she complimented, "When did you finally grow some balls?"

"Just doing what I had to," was all Mikey said before suddenly realizing what Sammie had just said, "Hey!"

"I'll set one card facedown and turn the spotlight to you, Mikey!" Max declared.

"Thanks." Mikey drew his card and looked at it, "I play a Field card: Luminous Spark. It's the same thing as Molten Destruction, but it works for Light monsters." He placed the card into his Field Card tray and Coltyn's Molten Destruction was destroyed as a brilliant white light engulfed the field.

"AH!"

"Mikey!"

"Hey, I didn't know it would be that bright!" Mikey pulled out a baseball cap he had tucked into his jacket's inside pocket and squeezed it onto his head. Sammie, Max, and Coltyn put on sunglasses and the duel resumed.

"I sacrifice Voltech Kong and summon Airknight Parshath!" A brilliant light shot up and from it rose an armored centaur with white angel wings wielding a sword and shield (ATK/1900 DEF/1400), "Luminous Spark boosts him up to twenty-four hundred attack points, making him on par with Thestalos. I'll set a card facedown and end my turn."

"Both of you are top-decking now?" Coltyn drew his card, "That could cost you. Thestalos, suicide against Airknight Parshath!"

"I activate my card, Widespread Ruin!" Sammie revealed her facedown, "When the opponent attacks, I can destroy the monster with the highest attack points and if there's a tie, I get to choose. So say goodbye to Thestalos." There was a massive explosion as Thestalos was destroyed.

"It's no big loss to me." Coltyn took a card from his hand and slotted it face-up into one of his Spell/Trap zones, "I play Premature Burial. I pay eight hundred Life Points to resurrect one of the cards Mikey sent to my grave with Voltech Kong."

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**Mikey & Sammie:** 6050

**Max & Coltyn:** 3900

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"Come on back, Solar Flare Dragon!" Coltyn's burning dragon appeared on the field and roared (ATK/1500 DEF/1000), "Next I play Inferno Reckless Summon to bring two more from my deck to the field." Two more Solar Flare Dragons joined the one on the field and they all roared.

"Also, I seriously doubt you have more than one Parshath in your deck, Mikey."

"You doubt correctly."

"I end my turn and you guys lose five hundred Life Points on my End Phase for each Solar Flare Dragon." Three simultaneous snarls could be heard as the Solar Flare Dragons spun around in the air and spread their flames out far enough to hit Mikey and Sammie.

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**Mikey & Sammie:** 4550

**Max & Coltyn:** 3900

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"Mikey, if we lose because of those things, I'm going to beat you into next week, catch up with you, then beat you back into this week!" Sammie threatened as she drew, which really frightened Mikey, "We're lucky we can destroy at least one of them, but we can't hold out forever. I activate Breaker's effect. By removing his Spell Counter, I can destroy any Spell or Trap card on the field. And I choose Premature Burial." The crystal orb attached to the sword of Breaker the Magical Warrior shattered and the blade glowed even brighter.

"Spell Breaker!" On Sammie's command, Breaker's sword ceased glowing and his shield started to shine instead. The light focused into the center before a solid beam of energy shot out from the gem in the center of the shield and blasted Premature Burial. The Solar Flare Dragon that had it equipped screeched as it was destroyed.

"I end my turn," Sammie announced, knowing that Solar Flare Dragon couldn't be attacked as long as there was another Pyro-type monster on the field.

"_Fabulous_!" Max drew his card and proceeded, "I play Stumbling. You know this card. So then I call Dream Clown to take the stage!" His card hit his Duel Disk and his caped clown appeared. (ATK/1200 DEF/900)

"Sorry Max, but there won't be any monster destruction today," Mikey flipped his facedown card over, "thanks to Skill Drain. I pay a thousand Life Points to negate all monster effects on the field."

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**Mikey & Sammie:** 4550

**Max & Coltyn:** 2900

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"Nicely done, Mikey." Max watched as his Dream Clown switched to defense mode and ended his turn. Now it was Mikey's turn. He drew his card and looked at it carefully. He played it and it turned out to be Hand Destruction. Once everybody had followed through with its effect, Mikey's face brightened when he saw what he had. First he sent Thunder Dragon away to bring another to his hand. Then he discarded that to bring out a third. Then he played Pot of Avarice and selected all five monsters in his graveyard – Shining Angel, Soul of Purity and Light, Voltech Kong, and both Thunder Dragons – and returned them to his deck. Once he shuffled, he drew two cards. He smiled at what he saw and played them immediately.

"I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Stumbling. Now I sacrifice Airknight Parshath to summon Majestic Mech – Goryu in attack mode!" Mikey placed his card onto the field and called forth a mechanical white dragon with yellow markings all over its body and golden energy radiating from its joints (ATK/2900 DEF/1800), "Normally, I'd have to sacrifice two monsters. But Goryu's effect lets me bring him out without a tribute at the cost of sending him to my graveyard at my End Phase. However, Skill Drain will let me keep him out. Oh and speaking of Skill Drain, those Solar Flare Dragons are no longer protected."

"Shit," muttered Coltyn.

"Majestic Mech – Goryu, attack one of the Solar Flare Dragons." Majestic Mech – Goryu roared as it opened its mouth and charged up, "Majestic Blaze!" A jet of golden fire shot out and struck one of the Solar Flare Dragons."

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**Mikey & Sammie:** 4550

**Max & Coltyn:** 1000

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"I regret having to give up Goryu's piercing effect, but it's something I'm willing to give up to keep him on the field; your move, Coltyn. Think you can beat my Goryu?"

"I intend to." Coltyn drew his next card and switched his remaining Solar Flare Dragon into defense mode before setting another monster. He then ended his turn.

Then Sammie drew. She set a monster facedown and ended her turn. Max drew and knew that switching his Dream Clown into attack mode would be suicide thanks to Skill Drain. He set a card facedown and ended his turn. Now it was Mikey's turn again and the card he drew made him smile.

"I summon Majestic Mech – Ohka in attack mode." Another bright light shot up and a white mechanical four-legged beast with wings and red markings appeared (ATK/2400 DEF/1400), "This is basically just the level six version of Goryu, so you know how it works. Ohka, attack Solar Flare Dragon. Majestic Ray!" Majestic Mech – Ohka opened its mouth and fired a white beam of light that blasted through Solar Flare Dragon, killing it instantly.

"Majestic Mech – Goryu, it's your turn now. Attack Dream Clown with Majestic Blaze!" Mikey's command was announced and Majestic Mech – Goryu complied, launching its golden fire onto Max's monster, "I end my turn."

"This is certainly a pain in the ass," Coltyn commented as he drew his card, "I play Meteor of Destruction, which deals a thousand points of damage to your Life Points as long as you have three thousand or more." An giant meteor suddenly flew down from the sky and crashed into Mikey and Sammie.

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**Mikey & Sammie:** 3550

**Max & Coltyn:** 1000

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"I'm done," was all he said afterwards. Sammie began her turn and ended it immediately after drawing. Max set a monster when it was his turn and Special Summoned his second The Tricky in defense mode. When Mikey's turn was up again, he summoned another monster. This time it was Majestic Mech – Senku, a white mechanical humanoid creature with wings and blue markings. (ATK/1000 DEF/500)

"Senku, since you're new you get to go first. Attack The Tricky with Majestic Spear." Majestic Mech – Senku changed its arms into a pair of spears and flew over to Max's field. It shot upward and then came down hard on the clown, piercing it with its weapons before returning to its position. Then Majestic Mech – Ohka destroyed the redhead's facedown, which turned out to be Blade Rabbit, and then Goryu incinerated Coltyn's facedown, which was a UFO Turtle.

"You destroy UFO Turtle, I get to summon a fifteen hundred or less attack point Fire monster in attack mode." Coltyn brought out The Thing in the Crater and replaced his deck after shuffling it. When his turn came up, he switched his monster into defense mode, played Heavy Storm to clear the field (much to the relief of everyone's eyes now that Luminous Spark was gone), and set two cards facedown before ending his turn. When it came back to Sammie, she once again drew and passed. Max did the exact same thing. Then Mikey was up again and ordered Majestic Mech – Ohka to attack The Thing in the Crater. Strangely, Coltyn didn't summon another monster with its effect. However, Mikey didn't mind so he ordered Majestic Mech – Goryu to attack for the win.

"Majestic Blaze!"

"I don't think so." Coltyn revealed one facedown, "Call of the Haunted. I bring back Solar Flare Dragon." There was another blazing explosion as his fiery dragon returned.

"And now for my other facedown, a second Infernal Reckless Summon!" Once again, Coltyn had his impenetrable Solar Flare Dragon wall on the field thanks to the elimination of Skill Drain. Mikey gritted his teeth and ended his turn. Now it was Coltyn's again and he had somehow managed to save himself and Max. He drew his card and played it.

"I activate Dark Room of Nightmare and end my turn." With his continuous Spell Card combined with his Solar Flare Dragons, the damage dealt on Coltyn's End Phase was made worse.

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**Mikey & Sammie:** 2750

**Max & Coltyn:** 1000

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"Sammie, if you've got something, now would be a good time to use it," said Mikey.

"Don't worry. I have something planned." Sammie drew her card and Flip Summoned her facedown monster, which was Magician of Faith. She returned End of the World to her hand.

"I play End of the World and I'll tribute Ruin, Queen of Oblivion to summon Demise, King of Armageddon!" The sky darkened and the ground rumbled as a giant black-armored fiend appeared wielding an enormous axe (ATK/2400 DEF/2000), "Now I sacrifice two thousand Life Points to use Demise's effect," she continued.

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**Mikey & Sammie:** 750

**Max & Coltyn:** 1000

----------------------------------

Demise, King of Armageddon raised his axe up and slammed it hard into the ground. The resulting catastrophe completely obliterated every single card on the field save for the one who caused it.

"Demise, end this duel now," Sammie ordered coldly, "World Ender."

"Flectere si nequeo superos, Achaeronta movebo." These words were barely audible as Demise, King of Armageddon muttered them while he raised his axe. With one mighty swing, he took out Max and Coltyn with a single attack.

----------------------------------

**Mikey & Sammie:** 750

**Max & Coltyn:** 0

----------------------------------

_I certainly wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that_, thought Mikey as the holograms faded.

"Damn, that's a powerful attack," Coltyn muttered as his Duel Disk reverted back into his arm, "Hey Max, you okay?"

"Fabulous!" Max got up and turned to Mikey, "So how was your first tag team duel, Mikey?"

"Intense," was the answer, "Sammie really makes a tough tag partner. But I'm glad I was dueling with her instead of against her."

"You wanna try going up against me?" Sammie challenged.

"Uh, no thanks. I think one duel is enough for today." Mikey backed away and started to return to his room.

"Where are you going?" Sammie asked.

"Back. I have homework."

"There you go again, trying to excuse yourself with homework."

"But I really do have homework."

"No excuses, Mikey. You need to give that new deck a good workout." Sammie walked over to Mikey.

"Hey, what are you doing? Let me go. Hey! Put me down! Hey! HELP!" Coltyn and Max watched as Sammie half-dragged and half-carried a protesting Mikey away from the Red dorm.

"She never gives him a break, does he?" asked Max.

"No, she doesn't," replied Coltyn as he untied his jacket and slung it over his shoulder, "Want to go get something to eat?"

"_Fabulous_ idea!" As the two of them headed off, the only sound that could be heard in that area of the island was that of Mikey's protests and whines.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

New rules. New cards! All introduced in the Teacher Tournament! It's the students versus the teachers and it's coming next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	12. The Teacher Tournament

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

These new ban rules came into effect as of March 1, 2008.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**EPISODE 1-12**

**The Teacher Tournament**

The announcement of the new rules that would be coming into effect had the attention of every person at Duel Academy, including the staff. All over the island, people were gathered around computers, reading the latest issue of _Duel Monsters Weekly_ magazine, or tuned into the Card Game Channel on television. Mikey and Max were seated on the floor of the Osiris Red dorm common building with all their other fellow Reds watching a press conference being held by Industrial Illusions president Maximillion Pegasus and Kaiba Corp. president Seto Kaiba. Mikey had seen pictures on the net, but he had never seen them live before. Seto Kaiba had aged quite a bit since he retired from dueling, now sporting a more mature face and darker hair. By contrast, Pegasus looked like he hadn't aged one bit.

"Mr. Pegasus! Mr. Kaiba!" one reporter called out, "When the ban rules were first released, Monster Reborn was one of the first cards to be forbidden. So why, after so many years, have you decided to bring it back?"

"As you know, Monster Reborn was definitely one of the most overpowered cards at the time," Pegasus explained, "But we released more and more cards over time. It wasn't long before we had created so many more powerful new cards that Monster Reborn just didn't seem to be as overpowered as it used to be. So we've decided to bring it back. But in exchange, we have placed bans on cards like Magician of Faith and Call of the Haunted to help balance things out."

"And what's with the sudden increase in the amount of starting Life Points?" another reporter asked.

"Quite simple, my good fellow. Duelists just want their fun to last. And what better way to do it than to double their Life Points?"

"Then how do you explain the fact that tag team duels still remain at eight thousand Life Points per team?"

"Long-lasting duels are fun," answered Pegasus, "Long dragged-out duels, however, get boring."

"Mr. Kaiba, do you have anything to say to this?"

"Kaiba Corp.'s staff is now programming the new rules into the Duel Disks that are being constructed," Kaiba answered, "At this point, I will also announce that all current duelists are required to update their Duel Disks as soon as possible. The new rules are available for download at the Kaiba Corp. and Industrial Illusions websites. For those who don't have the USB Duel Disk cable, stations will be set up all over the world for people to go and update their Duel Disks with the new rules."

"Max, do you have a USB cable?" Mikey asked as he turned to his roommate.

"No, do you?"

"No."

"Coming up next," the Card Game Channel announcer's voice suddenly boomed, "we'll be bringing you live coverage of the exhibition tournament organized by Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corp. to demonstrate the new rules."

"The teachers are so going to add this to the curriculum," Mikey thought out loud.

ooo

"What do you mean we're not going to add the new rules to the curriculum?" demanded Dr. Snappe.

"You may not realize this, Trevor," said Alexis, "but not all students can learn through textbooks and lectures. Some learn through experience. We need to consider the best way to include the kinetic learners in our student body."

"And this 'tournament' is supposed to do that?"

"Even them textbook types'll learn the new rules no prob this way," added Hassleberry.

"What about a prize?" inquired Mr. Bibby, "Students won't participate if there's no prize."

"We already have that covered thanks to Mr. Pegasus," answered Alexis, "He's agreed to award the winner a trip for four to the Industrial Illusions headquarters."

"Sounds mighty interestin'," commented Hassleberry.

"And since Industrial Illusions makes Duel Monsters cards, it's like a field trip for the winner," Miss Marina added.

"It's like a special lesson," said Mrs. Jackson.

"Mr. Pegasus has also agreed to give the winner and those accompanying him or her a free sneak preview of Industrial Illusions' next set of cards."

"A trip to their headquarters AND free cards? Now no one will pass this up!" Miss Frost said excitedly.

"Very well. You've convinced me," said Dr. Snappe, "So how shall we structure this tournament?"

ooo

The next day, an announcement was made for all students to gather in the auditorium for a special presentation. Mikey, Sammie, Max, and Coltyn sat together as always. Like everyone else, they wondered what the assembly would be about.

"Considering that the new rules were announced yesterday, I'm sure this has something to do with them," Mikey put in his two cents.

"They're probably going to tell us how they're going to teach them to us," said Max, "It's probably going to be classroom learning."

"Classroom learning wouldn't be preceded by an auditorium presentation," Coltyn replied, "They've got something special planned. I say it's a hands-on thing."

"You willing to bet on that?" asked Sammie.

"Sure. You know I'm not a wuss like Mikey."

"Hey!"

"Ten bucks on a duel day," wagered Coltyn.

"And ten bucks on a tournament," answered Sammie.

"Is gambling even allowed at this school?" Mikey whispered to Max.

"I guess so," the redhead whispered back, "considering that the school itself has condoned it before."

As discussions among students continued, the noise slowly died down as Alexis took the podium on the stage. As she looked out at her pupils, she slowly began reciting her speech in her head before broadcasting it out to the student body.

"Welcome, everyone. As you're all well aware by now, Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corp have announced the new rules. And as you're all likely guessing, this assembly is about how we intend to teach you these rules. Now as one who does not take a particular liking to 'beating around the bush', the school staff has decided to organize a tournament." Coltyn slipped Sammie ten dollars and they resumed listening to the announcement.

"Here's how it will work. First, each and every one of you will be required to update your Duel Disks and modify your decks accordingly. Once that is done, you are to report to your respective dorm heads. The tournament will be done in a sudden death elimination format, meaning you're out as soon as you lose even one duel. Each of you will begin dueling your dorm heads. Following that, you will duel your dorm's other head. From that point, you will proceed to the other dorm heads. The movement will be done in a cycle. Osiris Reds will move to Ra Yellow, the Ra Yellows will move to Obelisk Blue, and the Obelisk Blues will move to Osiris Red. This will continue until you have dueled all six-dorm heads once each. Any participants remaining after that will then proceed into the school itself and duel the other teachers. After that, anyone who remains will duel me."

"Sounds simple enough," Mikey commented, "But to duel every teacher at this school? That sounds a bit much."

"And if you win this tournament, you will be awarded with a base of four thousand DP plus additional DP based on the conditions of your victories. The winner will also receive a trip for four to the Industrial Illusions headquarters where Maximillion Pegasus himself will give you a tour of his facility and give you a sneak preview of the next Duel Monsters booster set," Alexis announced.

"A sneak preview?" Mikey inquired.

"It means you get a whole bunch of free cards from the next set before it comes out," explained Coltyn. This announcement caused many murmurs among the students.

"Master Kaiba, you'll win this easily!" a member of Saito's followers exclaimed to the heir of Kaiba Corp.

"For sure!" another agreed.

"Can you idiots do anything else besides stating the obvious?" Saito replied emotionlessly.

"I wish all of you the best in this tournament and may the best win," Alexis concluded.

ooo

The line for the Duel Disk update stations was enormous. It seemed that most of the students didn't own a USB cable as Mikey guessed as he looked around. Nearly two hours had passed before it was finally his turn. The brunet plugged his Duel Disk into the machine and downloaded the new rules.

"Ten machines and only one minute for the update and it takes two full hours to wait in line?" he thought out loud in disbelief. As Mikey left the building, he saw Sammie conversing with Saito a ways away. After the young man left, the meek Osiris Red walked up to the blonde.

"Sammie, can I ask you something?"

"What is it, Mikey?"

"Well, I always see you talking to that guy," Mikey began, "Any reason why? I mean, like, are you guys seeing each other or anything?"

"Oh, nothing like that," answered Sammie, "He's the number one duelist at this school, but so am I. We're like co-number ones. It's kind of a friendly rivalry."

"I see."

"But this tournament will determine which of us is better. And then we'll see who's the real number one: that rich bastard or me!"

"Um, Sammie? You're getting unnecessarily competitive again."

ooo

The following week, the "Teacher Tournament", as the students had dubbed it, began. All students reported to their dorm heads as they had been instructed and began dueling them in alphabetical order by surname. Since Mikey was the only Osiris Red boy whose last name began with A, he was naturally first.

"Hope yer up for another duel, Mikey," said Hassleberry.

"I am, Mr. Hassleberry," Mikey replied as he activated his Duel Disk, "Let's duel!" As the card game began, Max watched from several places back in line.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Hassleberry:** 8000

-------------------------------

"Black Stego, front an' center!" Hassleberry summon a black stegosaurus and ended his turn. (ATK/1200 DEF/2000)

"I set two cards facedown and Normal Summon Beast King Barbaros in attack mode," Mikey declared, "I end my turn."

"I activate Big Evolution Pill and sacrifice my Black Stego to do it. Now I summon Dark Driceratops." Hassleberry sacrificed his monster and summoned a mutated triceratops (ATK/2400 DEF/1500), "Dark Driceratops, attack!"

"I activate Skill Drain!" announced Mikey, "I pay a thousand Life Points to negate every monster effect on the field. Meaning my monster gets boosted up to his original three thousand attack points."

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 7000

**Hassleberry:** 8000

-------------------------------

There was a loud crash as Dark Driceratops was killed instantly against the might of Barbaros' lance.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 7000

**Hassleberry:** 7400

-------------------------------

"I set a card an' end my turn." Once Hassleberry's turn was over, Mikey began his.

"I summon Majestic Mech – Okha from my hand in attack mode. Then I activate my other facedown, Ultimate Offering. Now I can perform extra summons by paying five hundred Life Points for each one."

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 6500

**Hassleberry:** 7400

-------------------------------

"I summon Sangan. Now I sacrifice Sangan to summon Majestic Mech – Goryu."

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 6000

**Hassleberry:** 7400

-------------------------------

Sangan vanished and in its place rose Mikey's majestic white dragon-like monster. (ATK/2900 DEF/1800)

"Now I play Mystical Space Typhoon on your facedown, Mr. Hassleberry." Mikey played his spell and a gust of wind blew down and destroyed his opponent's facedown, "Now I attack you directly with all three monsters. Beast King Barbaros, Death Sentence! Majestic Mech – Okha – Majestic Ray! Majestic Mech – Goryu, Majestic Blaze!" The three monsters fired their attacks at once and blasted away Hassleberry's Life Points down to zero.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 6000

**Hassleberry:** 0

-------------------------------

"Good game there, little soldier. A'right, next in line!" shouted Hassleberry.

"This is just the beginning," replied Mikey. If his life was like a movie or a television show, a good majority of the tournament would be summed up in a series of montages.

ooo

"Ruin, attack with Dies Irae! Demise, you finish up with World Ender!" ordered Sammie. Her two ritual monsters launched their respective attacks and won their owner her first victory in the tournament.

ooo

-------------------------------

**Saito:** 8000

**Dr. Snappe:** 8000

-------------------------------

"I summon Skilled Dark Magician in attack mode," announced Dr. Snappe, "Now I play Spell Absorption and conclude my turn." Then Saito began his turn. His Blue-Eyes White Dragon Duel Disk shone with the luster of having been recently polished and his cards had all been encased inside shimmering card sleeves emblazoned with the image of a majestic white dragon.

"I summon Troop Dragon and then remove it from play from my field to Special Summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" A giant machine-like black dragon appeared and roared (ATK/2800 DEF/2400), "Now I use its effect to Special Summon Tyrant Dragon." A massive brown dragon appeared beside the black one. (ATK/2900 DEF/2500)

"Now I play Future Fusion and I send these five dragons to my graveyard." Saito selected five random monsters from his deck and sent them to his graveyard, "Now I play Dragon's Mirror and remove those same five to bring out Five God Dragon." The giant five-headed monster appeared and let out five simultaneous roars. (ATK/5000 DEF/5000)

"I play Trade-In to discard Felgrand Dragon in exchange for drawing two new cards and then I use Fissure on your Skilled Dark Magician. Now my dragons, strike!" There was a massive torrent of power as Saito's dragons unleashed their might at once.

-------------------------------

**Saito:** 8000

**Dr. Snappe:** 0

-------------------------------

ooo

Coltyn had two Solar Flare Dragons protecting his Life Points and one facedown card while his opponent had filled his entire field with monsters. He looked at his hand and then prepared his move.

_Let's see if these new ban rules work_, he thought.

"I activate Monster Reborn and I'll use it to bring back Ultimate Baseball Kid in attack mode. Next I play Inferno Reckless Summon to bring out two more Baseball Kids, bringing all three up to forty-five hundred attack points. Now I activate my Trap Card, DNA Transplant. It works just like DNA Surgery, but it works for attributes. And I pick the Fire attribute." With Coltyn's opponent's monsters now all converted into Fire monsters, his Ultimate Baseball Kids each gained an additional five thousand attack points.

"Ultimate Baseball Kids, strike him out!"

ooo

Max's turn eventually came and he had total control over the field as he executed his moves with fluidity. His Stumbling proved to be a big nuisance to Hassleberry since the teacher's dinosaurs were made to attack as soon as possible.

"Dream Clown's effect activates and so Super Conductor Tyranno is destroyed. Now I activate Zero Gravity to change the battle positions of all monsters on the field before switching my Crass Clown back into attack mode to send Black Stego back to your hand. Then I play Giant Trunade to return Stumbling to my hand and then discard it and another card from my hand to Special Summon my two The Tricky cards. Put on a _fabulous_ show, boys!" The four clowns attacked at once and completely depleted the rest of Hassleberry's Life Points.

ooo

The dorm heads were all exhausted by the end of the day. Having dueled each and every one of their students for the duration of the entire day had been nothing short of grueling. All of them now sat together in the staff meeting room with the results of their duels.

"Eighty-five percent of my students successfully defeated me," Dr. Snappe said as he handed in his report, "Mr. Kaiba was able to defeat me on his very first turn, as it was to be expected."

"Likewise, Sammie managed to defeat me within the first five turns of the duel," Miss Marina added.

"That's ten extra DP to each of them for their quick finishes as well as another five for no trap cards," calculated Mr. Higsby, who was in charge of keeping track of DP during the tournament.

"Mr. Mandala, Miss Leena, and Mr. Reproba all succeeded in getting five monsters on their fields," Mr. Bibby reported. He droned on for another fifteen minutes before Mrs. Jackson gave her report on the Ra Yellow girls. Then it was down to the Osiris Red dorm. Miss Frost handed over her report and then Hassleberry submitted his.

"So thus far, thirty-five percent of the student body has already been eliminated from the competition," Mr. Higsby announced, "That's more than we expected."

"How are the students taking to the new rules?" inquired Alexis.

"We get a lot of mixed reactions," replied Miss Frost, "Some students have taken an immediate liking to the new rules, others prefer the old ones, and there are those who have no preference. But as far as learning them has been, they've all been pretty quick. A lot of them are still used to the four thousand Life Point count. But then again, the same can be said about us."

"So is everyone prepared for tomorrow's duels?" Alexis asked.

"Ten-four," replied Hassleberry.

"Yes," said Miss Frost.

"Of course," Mr. Bibby answered.

"Not really," was Mrs. Jackson's response.

"I teach girls' PE. I'm sure I'm ready," said Miss Marina.

"You didn't even need to ask," Dr. Snappe replied.

ooo

The next day was the second of the Teacher Tournament and now all students were to duel the teacher in charge of their respective dorms' other half. Once again, the duels were played in alphabetical order of student surnames. At the Obelisk Blue dorm, Saito and Sammie were literally blasting through their duels with incredible ease.

"I play Future Fusion." Saito played his card and discarded Tyrant Dragon, Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, Darkblaze Dragon, and Felgrand Dragon from his deck to his graveyard, "Now I play Dragon's Mirror to summon Five God Dragon." The five monsters he sent to his graveyard were now removed from play and his giant five-headed dragon appeared and roared.

"Now I equip it with Twin Swords of Flashing Light – Tryce." The son of Seto Kaiba discarded his Decoy Dragon from his hand to decrease his monster by five hundred attack points, but in doing so allowing it to attack twice during that Battle Phase, "Now I activate Dragon's Roar, giving all my dragons piercing ability. Go, Five God Dragon! Double Penta-Dragon Blaze!" The first helix of fire, water, earth magic, darkness, and lightning blasted the card in front of him, destroying it on contact. The second shot straight across the field and struck Miss Marina hard, winning Saito the duel.

Meanwhile, Sammie was in the midst of her duel with Dr. Snappe, the head of the Obelisk Blue boys' dorm and the chemistry teacher. She had expected him to run a deck themed around his subject, just as Miss Marina ran a Water deck to compliment her swimming classes. However, it turned out to be quite a surprise when she discovered he played a Spellcaster deck.

"I summon Skilled Dark Magician. Now I play Toon Table of Contents. It lets me search my deck for any card with the word 'Toon' in its name or 'Manga Ryu-Ran'. And so I shall bring a second Toon Table of Contents to my hand." Dr. Snappe repeated this until three Toon Table of Contents cards had been played and he had placed a Toon Gemini Elf into his hand, "Skilled Dark Magician gains one Spell Counter for every Spell Card played and when he has three, I may tribute him to Special Summon one Dark Magician." Three glowing orbs appeared around Skilled Dark Magician, but he did not stay for long as he held up his staff and the spheres moved in front of him. They spun around in a circle, creating a portal. At that moment, Skilled Dark Magician stepped in through the back and emerged from the other side as the mighty Dark Magician. (ATK/2500 DEF/2100)

"I play End of the World. Now by tributing Ritual Raven from my hand, I can summon Demise, King of Armageddon." Sammie played her card and her massive axe-wielding monster appeared (ATK2400 DEF/2000), "Demise, I activate your effect. Wipe out the field." After paying two thousand Life Points, the blonde girl watched as her creature slammed his axe into the ground and blasted away Dark Magician with one enormous blast.

-------------------------------

**Sammie:** 6000

**Dr. Snappe:** 8000

-------------------------------

Sammie then looked at the remaining cards in her hand and continued with her turn.

"I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and use its effect to bring another End of the World to my hand. Next I play Double Summon and bring out another Manju to bring Ruin, Queen of Oblivion to my hand. Now I play End of the World and sacrifice my two Manjus to summon Ruin in attack mode!" Mere seconds passed following the sacrifice of the two multi-armed creatures before the white-haired queen of the Apocalypse appeared beside Demise (ATK/2300 DEF/2000), "Ruin and Demise, attack directly." Ruin, Queen of Oblivion held her staff in both hands as she unleashed a devastating blast of dark energy at Dr. Snappe followed by Demise as he slammed his axe down on the chemistry teacher.

-------------------------------

**Sammie:** 6000

**Dr. Snappe:** 3300

-------------------------------

"I believe it is my move now." Dr. Snappe drew his card and proceeded, "I shall begin with Premature Burial. Now when I give up eight hundred of my Life Points, I may return one monster in my graveyard to my field."

-------------------------------

**Sammie:** 6000

**Dr. Snappe:** 2500

-------------------------------

"Dark Magician, arise." A burst of light erupted from the ground and Dark Magician leapt out onto the field, "Attack Ruin, Queen of Oblivion. Dark Magic Attack." With his free hand, Dark Magician thrust his open palm out and all the colors turned negative. Ruin cried as the magical attack hit her and she died instantly.

-------------------------------

**Sammie:** 5800

**Dr. Snappe:** 2500

-------------------------------

"I set the rest of the cards in my hand onto the field facedown and end my turn," concluded Dr. Snappe. Sammie drew and smiled when she saw what she got.

"Demise, destroy everything with your effect," she ordered.

-------------------------------

**Sammie:** 3800

**Dr. Snappe:** 2500

-------------------------------

Another massive explosion resulting from an axe hitting the ground wiped out every single card on the field save for Demise, King of Armageddon. Once the field was cleared, Sammie played the card she had just drawn.

"I play Monster Reborn. Now Dr. Snappe, let's see how you like it. Dark Magician, you're in my services now." Dark Magician appeared beside Demise, but now bore the expression present only on the faces doomsday bringers. Upon his new master's command, he thrust his empty palm at Dr. Snappe and inverted all the colors on the field as his magic blasted away the rest of the teacher's Life Points.

-------------------------------

**Sammie:** 3800

**Dr. Snappe:** 0

-------------------------------

"You've dueled well, Miss Korangar," said Dr. Snappe.

ooo

"I activate Flame Ruler's effect as I sacrifice him to summon Infernal Flame Emperor." Coltyn sent his monster to the graveyard and replaced it with a massive flaming liontaur, "Attack for game!" His monster unleashed a raging inferno and incinerated the last of his opponent's Life Points.

"Mess with fire and all you're gonna do is get burned!"

ooo

Mikey had never dueled Miss Frost before and in all honesty he wasn't even sure how her deck worked. From what he had heard, the head of the Osiris Red girls' dorm ran an ice deck. Right off the bat he knew that she would have some kind of Water attribute deck, but that still left him in the dark as to what sorts of cards she actually used.

"I hope you're ready, Mikey," she said as she stood with her Duel Disk activated.

"As ready as I'll ever be, Miss Frost," Mikey answered.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Miss Frost:** 8000

-------------------------------

"I'll go first." Miss Frost drew her first card and set one monster. Afterwards, she set two cards facedown and ended her turn. Then it was Mikey's turn. He drew and made his move.

"I summon Voltech Kong in attack mode." He played his card and summoned an electric gorilla (ATK/1800 DEF/1000), "Voltech Kong, attack with Shock Slam." His primate pounded its chest and lunged forward with an electrically charged fist. It struck the card and it flipped up into a blue penguin in a black tuxedo. (ATK/900 DEF/1800)

"This is Nightmare Penguin," Miss Frost introduced, "When he's flipped face-up, he sends one card on your side of the field to your hand. In addition, while he remains face-up, all Water monsters on my side of the field gain two hundred attack points. So first I'll return that Voltech Kong to your hand." A chilly blast burst across the field and Mikey's gorilla was returned to his hand.

"I'll set two facedown cards and end my turn," the young brunet announced.

"Then it's my turn." Miss Frost drew her card, "I sacrifice Nightmare Penguin and summon Mobius the Frost Monarch." Her penguin vanished from sight and a giant explosion of ice stalagmites erupted from the ground before shattering into several pieces, heralding the entrance of a majestic creature in ice-blue armor and a long sapphire cape, "When Mobius is Tribute Summoned, I can use his effect to destroy up to two spell or trap cards on the field. So now I'll be destroying the ones on your side of the field, Mikey."

_No question, I have to use one of my cards_, thought Mikey.

"I activate Compulsory Evacuation Device. I can return one monster on the field to its owner's hand and I pick Mobius." Even though his trap successfully sent Mobius back to Miss Frost's hand, he cringed as his other facedown was destroyed.

"He'll be back soon enough, Mikey," said the teacher, "It's your turn now." Mikey drew his next card and proceeded.

_As long as she has Mobius in her hand, my spells and traps aren't safe on the field. If I have to put something down, it better be something that I can activate right away without having it linger around,_ he thought. He summoned Voltech Kong again and launched an attack.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Miss Frost:** 6200

-------------------------------

"And when Voltech Kong deals Life Point damage, you have to send one card from the top of your deck to the graveyard for each Light monster I have on the field." Miss Frost took the top card from her deck, which was a Penguin Soldier, and placed it into her graveyard.

"I'll set a card facedown and end my turn," concluded Mikey. His opponent then drew and she proceeded.

"I summon Blizzard Dragon in attack mode." She brought out an icy-blue dragon (ATK/1800 DEF/1000), "Once per turn, I can use its effect to select one monster you control and that monster can't attack or change its battle position until the end of your next turn. I choose Voltech Kong. Now I play the Field Spell called Umiruka. It increases all Water monsters' attack points by five hundred but lowers their defense by four hundred." Once her Duel Disk registered the card, the entire field suddenly transformed into the Arctic Ocean. Both duelists and their monsters stood on ice floes floating on the frigid water.

"For a hologram, this card sure made it cold," Mikey said through chattering teeth as he hugged himself for warmth. Even his breath was visible despite the fact that this arctic environment was just a projected image.

"Blizzard Dragon, attack his Voltech Kong," ordered Miss Frost, "Ice Shard Rain." Blizzard Dragon hissed as it spread out its wings and took to the sky. It hovered in the air for a few seconds before it began to beat its wings faster and unleashed a hailstorm of icicles.

"Reveal Trap Card: Waboku!" A trio of women in blue cloaks blocked the attack and Mikey's gorilla was spared.

"I end my turn," declared Miss Frost, "Remember, your monster cannot attack or change its battle position until the end of your turn."

"I'll remember that." Mikey drew his card and began his move, "I sacrifice Voltech Kong to summon Airknight Parshath." His gorilla vanished and in its place appeared a centaur with wings and armor (ATK/1900 DEF/1400), "Now I tribute my Parshath so I can Special Summon another card. Come out Neo-Parshath, the Sky Paladin!" A brilliant light came down from the sky and engulfed Airknight Parshath. His body vanished until all that remained was his armor and weapons. The sword fused with the right gauntlet and the shield with the left. The upper wings merged with the shoulder guards while the lower pair closed around the waist area. A human-shaped being of light filled the armor as two large white metal wings appeared on either side of the monster connected to a single golden crescent by gold and blue ribbons. A shining golden halo of light appeared behind the helmet and the light from above finally died down, revealing the newly summoned Neo-Parshath, the Sky Paladin. (ATK/2300 DEF/2000)

"Mikey, my Blizzard Dragon has twenty-three hundred attack points thanks to Umiruka," Miss Frost reminded him.

"I know, but that's why I activate this next card, Enemy Controller." Mikey played his card and a giant game controller appeared in front of him and the buttons began to move with each command he issued, "Up, left, left, down, A, C, Start." Once the code had been entered, the cable lashed out and struck Blizzard Dragon in the chest. The data was fed in and the monster was switched into defense mode.

"Neo-Parshath has piercing and when he inflicts damage, I get to draw a card," Mikey added before issuing his attack, "Neo-Parshath, attack Blizzard Dragon. Crusader Strike!" Neo-Parshath flew forward and spun around as it struck Blizzard Dragon with its sword, destroying it with one swing.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Miss Frost:** 4500

-------------------------------

Mikey drew his card and placed another facedown before ending his turn. Then it was back to Miss Frost. First she played Foolish Burial and sent Frostosaurus from her deck to her graveyard. Then she activated one of her two facedowns, Birthright, and brought back the freezing brontosaurus. (ATK/2600 DEF/1700)

"Now I play Cold Wave," she announced, "With this card played, neither of us can activate or set Spell or Trap Cards until my next turn." A chilling wind froze all facedown cards on the field and then Miss Frost ordered her monster to attack. Frostosaurus charged in and spun around to smack Neo-Parshath, the Sky Paladin with its tail. The holy creature shattered on contact.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 7200

**Miss Frost:** 4500

-------------------------------

"I end my turn." With Miss Frost finished for the time being, Mikey started his turn. With Umiruka on the field, Frostosaurus had a total of thirty-one hundred attack points and thanks to Cold Wave he didn't have too many options. He set a monster and ended his turn. Miss Frost began hers and summoned Giant Red Seasnake, bringing out a large red sea serpent. (ATK/1800 DEF/800) She ordered it to attack first and it bit down on what turned out to be Sangan. Mikey used its effect to bring Marshmallon to his hand. Then Miss Frost ordered Frostosaurus to attack and he took the maximum damage from it.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 4100

**Miss Frost:** 4500

-------------------------------

She ended her turn and Mikey drew his next card. He set Marshmallon facedown and ended his turn. Miss Frost knew that the card was the one he had just selected and decided to pass her turn. Mikey's next draw made him set that card down as well. Miss Frost attacked it when her turn came up and it turned out to be Skelengel, allowing her opponent to draw one card. Mikey drew when his turn came up and passed. As long as Marshmallon was on his field, he knew he was safe. Both duelists continued to pass, being able to do nothing until they both had six cards in their hands. The passes finally ended when Mikey drew his seventh card.

"I summon Copycat." He played his card and summoned a small wizard covering its face with a mirror (ATK/0 DEF/0), "This guy copies the original attack and defense points of any monster my opponent controls and I pick Frostosaurus. Now I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Birthright." The face-up Trap Card was destroyed and Frostosaurus roared as it died.

"I activate Driving Snow." Miss Frost flipped up her facedown, "When you destroy one or more of my Trap Cards, I get to destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field. Like that facedown of yours."

"I activate it in response. Go Shrink! Halve Giant Red Seasnake's attack points." Giant Red Seasnake hissed as it was weakened before Mikey continued with his move, "Now I play my field card, Luminous Spark, which is the Light version of Umiruka." The ice floes vanished and a radiant light illuminated the entire field.

"Copycat, attack Giant Red Seasnake!" commanded Mikey. A ray of light shot out of Copycat's mirror and pierced through Giant Red Seasnake.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 4100

**Miss Frost:** 2300

-------------------------------

He ended with a facedown before turning the duel over to his opponent.

"You've made an excellent move, Mikey," Miss Frost complimented as she drew her card.

"There's more where that came from," Mikey replied.

"Well I hope you're ready for this then, Mikey. I play Hammer Shot. This card destroys an attack position monster with the highest attack points and as it stands your Copycat is the only attack position monster on the field." A giant hammer suddenly dropped from the sky and smashed into Copycat, killing it instantly.

"Next I activate Premature Burial." Miss Frost continued with her turn and sacrificed eight hundred Life Points to return a monster from her graveyard to the field.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 4100

**Miss Frost:** 1500

-------------------------------

Her creature of choice turned out to be Blizzard Dragon. However, it wasn't meant to stay because she then sacrificed it and summoned Mobius the Frost Monarch. As soon as her monster appeared, she activated its effect and a rain of icicles shot down from the sky and impaled Mikey's facedown and his Luminous Spark.

_I still have Marshmallon_, thought Mikey.

"Next I play Nobleman of Crossout." An armored soldier appeared and stabbed the facedown Marshmallon with his sword. The small monster was destroyed and removed from play.

"Mobius, attack directly with Ice Lance," ordered Miss Frost. Mobius held out his hand and formed a long javelin made entirely of ice. He gripped the shaft and drew back his arm before letting his weapon fly right into Mikey's heart.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 1700

**Miss Frost:** 1500

-------------------------------

"I'll end with two facedowns," announced Miss Frost, "It's your turn, Mikey."

"And I'm going to make it count." Mikey drew his card and his eyes widened. It was just the thing he needed to win the duel.

"Are you ready, Miss Frost?" he asked as he played the card he had just drawn, "First I play Lightning Vortex and I'll discard my Majestic Mech – Goryu to use it." After he had sent his card to the graveyard, a giant torrent of lightning shot down and destroyed Mobius.

"Now I play this," Mikey played the card he had just drawn, "Monster Reborn! And I'll use it to bring back Majestic Mech – Goryu in attack mode." There was a flash of light and the boy's shining white dragon-like creature appeared on the field and roared. (ATK/2900 DEF/1800)

"Majestic Mech – Goryu, attack directly for the win!" commanded Mikey, "Majestic Blaze!"

"You're being too hasty, Mikey," said Miss Frost as she revealed one of her two facedowns, "I activate Magic Cylinder. This negates the attack and redirects the damage to your Life Points."

"Oh crap," Mikey realized. Majestic Mech – Goryu opened its mouth and fired a golden stream of fire. As it shot across the field, two large purple tubes appeared. The attack flew straight into one and then came back out from the other straight towards the young duelist. It struck Mikey with maximum power and depleted the remainder of his Life Points.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 0

**Miss Frost:** 1500

-------------------------------

"Sorry Mikey, but the tournament ends here for you," said Miss Frost.

"Aww, man! The first one out," Mikey cried, "The guys are never gonna let me live this down."

"Being the first one out isn't that bad, Mikey," Max said, trying to console his friend, "But it does mean I now owe Coltyn and Sammie twenty dollars each."

"Wait. You guys bet on me?" Mikey asked in disbelief.

"I bet _for_ you. They bet against you."

"I don't believe this." Mikey got up, gathered his cards, and deactivated his Duel Disk, "I'm going to do my homework." He unstrapped the machine from his arm and tucked it underneath it instead and went upstairs to his room.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Max faces off against his greatest fear. His task doesn't get any easier when his opponent's deck is chock full of the one thing he fears the most. Can the aspiring actor pull himself together long enough to win? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	13. The Teacher Tournament Continues

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**EPISODE 1-13**

**The Teacher Tournament Continues**

Despite being the first of his friends to be out of the competition, things weren't looking completely down for Mikey. Basketball tryouts came up quickly for everyone who had signed up for the team. Sammie had come to watch her childhood friend to show her support. The fact was that Mikey was a pretty weak guy, but she always encouraged him to exercise any opportunity to play some kind of sport. He didn't have any strength or speed, so sports such as football and soccer were out. He couldn't catch anything smaller than his own head, so that ruled out baseball. Water sports were also a no go. However, Mikey did show some promise in basketball despite the fact that he was short. Even now as Sammie watched him, the brunet was still dwarfed by all the other students at the tryouts.

"How do you think you did?" she asked when they were over.

"The team listings will be posted in about a week," answered Mikey as he wiped his forehead on his towel, "Coach really didn't show any particular likings to anyone and frankly he kind of scares me. By the way, why aren't you at your tournament match?"

"I finished already," Sammie replied, "It was quick, so I decided to come watch you try out."

"That...actually means something to me, Sammie. Thanks. Anyway, how are Coltyn and Max doing?"

"If you hurry getting changed, we might be able to catch both of their matches." Mikey looked down at himself with a raised eyebrow and realized he was still wearing his sweat-soaked gym clothes.

"I guess a quick rinse in the shower wouldn't hurt, either," he added as he tugged on his tank top to peel it off his skin. He quickly retreated into the boys' locker room and came out about fifteen minutes later in his school uniform with his gym clothes shoved into a plastic bag.

ooo

Mikey and Sammie arrived at the Ra Yellow dorm and saw Max locked in a duel against Mrs. Jackson.

"I thought he was dueling Mr. Bibby today," the brunet thought out loud.

"They switched starting dorms in this round," explained Sammie.

"What is that thing?" Mikey asked as he pointed to a giant dragon on Mrs. Jackson's side of the field.

"It looks like Armed Dragon LV10 to me." The two of them watched as Max drew his card. Judging from the smile that broke across his face, it had to be something good.

"Dream Clown, the spotlight is yours." The redhead summoned his Dream Clown and his Stumbling took effect, switching it into defense mode and resulting in the destruction of Armed Dragon LV 10, "Now I discard one card to Special Summon The Tricky and then activate my _fabulous_ Zero Gravity!" Once Zero Gravity switched all of Max's monsters back into attack mode, he ordered them to attack and won the duel.

"Max, you were awesome!" cheered Mikey.

"Come on, guys. If we hurry, we can make it to Coltyn's match, too," Sammie urged as she dragged the boys off to the Obelisk Blue dorm. When they arrived, the duel between Coltyn and Miss Marina had just begun.

"I summon Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 in attack mode and play A Legendary Ocean," the girls' PE teacher announced, "Your move." Coltyn drew his card and proceeded with his turn.

"First I play Tribute to the Doomed. I discard Solar Flare Dragon to destroy your monster." As the Ra Yellow students discarded his card, a mummified hand shot out of the ground, grabbed onto Amphibious Bugroth MK-3, and dragged it underground, "Next I play Monster Reborn to bring back my Solar Flare Dragon and then activate Inferno Reckless Summon to bring out two more." Within seconds, Coltyn's three deadliest creatures occupied the field, their bodies all ablaze with searing flames.

"Now it's time for Molten Destruction to take the field." A massive volcano rose up from the seabed, destroying the ancient ruins, and erupted violently until the field had become a molten wasteland, "Solar Flare Dragons, attack!" With all three Solar Flare Dragons boosted up to two thousand attack points, their combined attack dealt a grand total of six thousand points of damage to Miss Marina's Life Points.

"I'll sent one card facedown and end my turn, which results in my dragons dealing a total of fifteen hundred points of burn damage." Flames erupted from under Miss Marina and reduced her Life Points down to five hundred.

"I was just set back a bit," she said as she drew, "I play Fissure and I'll destroy one of those Solar Flare Dragons."

"Reveal Trap Card: Backfire. Now every time a Fire monster on my side of the field dies, you take five hundred points of damage. And since that's all you have left, I win this game." As Coltyn's Solar Flare Dragon was destroyed, an explosion hit Miss Marina and depleted her remaining Life Points.

"Coltyn, that was absolutely _fantabulous_!" exclaimed Max.

"Fantabulous?" asked Mikey, "That's a new one." Coltyn walked over to his friends as his arm transformed back to normal and he threw on his jacket.

"Hey Sammie, how's Kaiba been doing?" Coltyn asked out of curiosity.

"He one-turn-killed his opponent again," answered Sammie, "They're actually considering having him face two opponents on the same day in the next round."

"Damn, that guys pulls out more OTKs than Jaden Yuki pulls miracles out of his ass."

"Kaiba doesn't fuck around."

"Jaden Yuki won most of his duels on luck, as did Yugi Moto," Mikey explained, "Kaiba wins on pure skill alone."

"I wouldn't say he wins on skill alone," Sammie interjected. "Saito isn't your average duelist. I've only heard him say this once, but according to him it's as if his deck knows exactly what he needs at just the right time. As if he and his cards have some kind of spiritual connection with one another. Besides, I would rather be lucky than good any day of the week."

"Did he actually say that?" asked Mikey.

"No. I added that last part."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised," the brunet inaudibly muttered under his breath before speaking up, "So what's going on tonight? With the teacher tournament going on, classes have been cancelled so I don't have any homework." There was an awkward minute of silence.

"God, you really are lost without schoolwork. Well maybe we could go down to the lake. They're supposedly having a cookout down at the Obelisk girls' dorm," said Sammie.

"And you guys know I never pass up an opportunity for free red meat," Coltyn added.

"You guys may want to come in casual clothes," Sammie told Mikey and Max, "It's kind of a 'no Reds allowed' thing."

"Why does everyone always have something against Reds?" asked Mikey.

"Because you're the lowest rung on the ladder," answered Coltyn.

Later that afternoon, Mikey arrived outside the Obelisk girls' dorm in jeans, a green shirt, and a white vest. Max joined up with him soon enough in a bright pink T-shirt and khaki cargo shorts. Coltyn and Sammie were already there waiting in line for food. The former was wearing his usual black muscle shirt along with a pair of blue jeans and a brown leather jacket and the latter had back jeans, a white top, and a black vest.

"Hey, no cutting!" one student shouted.

"We're just going to talk to our friends," Mikey explained.

"Don't worry, guys. We're getting you food, too," Coltyn assured the two Reds, "Just sit tight." Sammie muttered something that Mikey couldn't hear and the black-haired Ra Yellow snickered.

"Somehow I get the feeling she just made fun of me," Mikey said as he and Max went to find a place to sit.

"You make it too easy," answered the redhead as they found a seat by the lake. A few minutes later, Coltyn approached them balancing three paper plates in his hands, each of which had a burger, a hot dog, and a bag of chips. He quickly gave two to the Reds and sat down.

"Coltyn, where are our drinks?" asked Mikey.

"In my pockets." Coltyn reached into his pockets of his jacket and produced three cans of pop, two of which he tossed at the others and accidentally beaned Mikey on the head.

"Ow!"

"Oh come on! It wasn't even that hard."

"Where's Sammie?" Mikey asked as he rubbed his head.

"She went off somewhere saying she had to be someplace for a bit, but she said she'll join us soon."

"She's over there," Max said pointing across the lake, "And I think she's with Kaiba."

"What?" Mikey looked across the lake in the direction of his friend's hand and sure enough he saw Sammie standing by the water with Saito, "What's she doing with him?"

"Do I sense jealousy?" asked Coltyn as he opened his root beer.

"N...No..." Mikey sunk back down in his seat and started to eat his burger, "I still wanna know what's going on over there, though."

"Mikey, Mikey, Mikey," Coltyn laughed, "You little perv."

"W-what?"

"C'mon, Mikey. You're just like all the other horny teens at this school. You want action and all you're getting is from your own hand."

"Hey! That's personal!" Mikey shouted, his face now completely flushed and red like a beet.

"Ha! Your reaction confirms it."

"It's true," said Max, "Why do you think I always wait a few minutes after you finish before I come in?"

"Wait, you knew?" Mikey asked with a panicked look on his face.

"The rooms at the Red dorm aren't soundproof."

"Dear God, please kill me now!" Mikey pleaded.

"Mikey, relax. It's natural," Coltyn affirmed the brown-haired Red, "You'd be a freak _not_ to do it."

"I gotta go." Mikey stood up and started to walk away.

"Understandable," Coltyn said, "A guy has needs, after all." Mikey stopped in his tracks and returned to his seat.

"I'm just going to stay."

After dinner, the four friends gathered for the week's movie night.

"What movie is it this week?" asked Max as they tried to find seats.

"_The Ghost and the Darkness_," answered Sammie.

"Over there." Mikey pointed to four empty seats in the middle of a row and they walked over and sat down. Coltyn passed around a large tub of popcorn he had been carrying and everyone settled down as the film began.

As it turned out, the movie was about the Tsavo maneaters, a pair of lions who terrorized the builders of a railway in Kenya and killed one hundred and thirty-five people. As the film progressed, Mikey sensed movement coming from beside him and noticed Max seemingly huddled and shuddering in fear.

"Max, are you okay?" he whispered. Right at that moment, a lion suddenly jumped out on screen and roared. Max screamed and ran out of the theater as fast as he could.

"What's with him?" wondered Coltyn.

"I better go see." Mikey, who had been holding onto the popcorn bucket, handed it to Sammie and got up. He looked around for a bit and finally found Max huddled under the stairs in a fetal position breathing heavily.

"Hey Max, are you okay?" There was a long silence before Max finally relaxed his breathing and slowly came out.

"Y-yeah. Just a little shaken up."

"You wanna go back?"

"NO!" Max immediately drew back and pressed himself against the wall, "No... I... I can't..."

"You wanna talk about it?" Once again, there was a long silence.

"I've never told anybody this before, Mikey," Max said as he began, "When I was six years old, my parents took me to the circus for the first time. It was amazing! There were games and snacks everywhere. And inside the main tent, I witnessed feats unlike any I had ever seen before. I saw elephants as they walked around and performed tricks. I watched as acrobats flew through the air as they swung on the trapezes. I gasped as I saw the bravery of the lion tamer as he faced those giant cats. I laughed so hard that I nearly wet myself three times when I saw the clowns and their hilarious acts."

"Get to the point."

"Anyway, my family was just leaving the circus when it happened. One of the lions somehow broke free from its cage and began to prowl around the grounds. It panicked everybody. Somewhere in the commotion, I got separated from my parents. I tried calling out to them, but I couldn't find them. As I tried to look for them, I wandered away from the crowds. And right in front of me was the escaped lion. I swear, Mikey, I had never been so scared in my entire life. The lion was pacing around and it suddenly looked at me; I screamed and even louder when it started to come towards me. I tried to run, but I tripped on a rope and fell. I thought I was going to be eaten for sure. But then something miraculous happened. One of the circus clowns saw me and saved me! He came and grabbed me and pulled me away just in time. Soon, the lion was captured and I was reunited with my parents."

"So that's why you run a clown deck," Mikey realized. Max nodded.

"Ever since that day, I've always envisioned clowns as my heroes. But I also have a fear of lions. I can't even watch _The Lion King_."

"Wait, if that's true then how come you're never scared when I summon Beast King Barbaros?"

"I don't know. I guess the reference is just too obscure. But now that you've mentioned it." Max shuddered. Mikey walked over to his roommate and patted him on the shoulder.

"C'mon," he said quietly, "let's head back to the dorm."

"Okay."

ooo

The next day was the continuation of the Teacher Tournament. Coltyn would be facing against Dr. Snappe, Sammie against Miss Frost, and Max was to face Mr. Bibby. The first two were able to complete their matches quickly, and joined Mikey and Max at the Ra Yellow dorm. But when they arrived, the geography teacher was nowhere to be found. Instead, they saw the physics teacher Mr. McMillan, a middle-aged man with medium-length brown hair whom everybody hated.

"Where's Mr. Bibby?" asked Max.

"Mr. Bibby doesn't have a deck, so I'll be filling in for him," answered Mr. McMillan.

"Go get him, Max," Mikey encouraged. Max nodded and stepped forward with his Duel Disk. He flipped the power switch and the device activated.

"I hope you're ready, Max. Because I have no intention of letting you win," said Mr. McMillan as he activated his own Duel Disk. Max won the rock-paper-scissors round and decided that he would go first.

------------------------------

**Max:** 8000

**McMillan:** 8000

------------------------------

"I draw." Max drew his first card and proceeded with his turn, "I set two cards facedown and set a monster in defense mode. That's it for me."

"I hope you're ready, Max," Mr. McMillan drew his first card, "I summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in attack mode." He played his card and summoned forth a large beast with sharp claws and a mane, which roared upon appearing on the field. (ATK/1500 DEF/1200)

"AAAAAHH!" Max screamed and fell backwards as he looked at the monster in fear.

_Max's fear of lions!_ Mikey realized.

"Gazelle, attack his monster," ordered Mr. McMillan, "Hunter's Claw!" Gazelle roared and leapt into the air.

"Max, snap out of it!" shouted Mikey. The beast's claws slashed through Max's facedown monster and revealed itself to be Peten the Dark Clown. The creature was destroyed and Gazelle leapt back to its place.

"Max, quick! Use Peten's effect!" Mikey called.

"Why isn't he doing anything?" asked Sammie.

"I set one card facedown and end my turn," concluded Mr. McMillan.

"He missed his chance to use Peten's effect," said Coltyn.

"This isn't like Max at all," Sammie thought out loud, "He could never mess up something so simple. What's up with him?"

"Lions," muttered Mikey.

"Huh?" Coltyn and Sammie turned to the brunet and the latter spoke again, "What did you say, Mikey?"

"Lions," repeated Mikey, "Max is afraid of lions."

"Motherfucker," muttered Coltyn as he took out a standard-issue Duel Academy pocket computer and went through its contents, "Mr. McMillan's entire deck is composed of Beasts and Beast-Warriors all themed around wild cats."

"If Max can't pull it together, he's going to lose," Sammie commented.

"This is Mr. McMillan we're talking about here," Coltyn replied, "the world's biggest asshat."

"Come on, Max! You can do it!" Mikey called out, "You can beat him. Just try not to let your fear get to you!"

_He's right_, thought Max, _I can't let my fear get the better of me. I have to win this duel if I'm going to advance._ He stood back up and drew his next card.

_It was a clown that saved me back then, so it's going to be clowns that'll save me again_. The redhead reorganized his hand and made his move.

"I discard Blade Rabbit in order to Special Summon The Tricky in attack mode!" Max summoned his caped harlequin, who appeared with an exhilarating twirl (ATK/2000 DEF/1200), "Tricky, attack his Gazelle! Clown Trick!"

"Reveal facedown. Threatening Roar! You can't declare an attack this turn." Mr. McMillan flipped his facedown card over and Gazelle let out a deafening roar that shook the field and Max while canceling The Tricky's attack.

"This isn't looking good," Coltyn thought out loud, "His fear is still gripping to him."

"I take it your silence means you're done for the turn." Mr. McMillan drew his next card, "Good. Now then, I'll continue by playing Polymerization. I'll take Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts from my field and fuse it with Berfomet from my hand to summon Chimera the Mythical Flying Beast in attack mode." The image of a red four-armed demon appeared and a swirling vortex swallowed up the two monsters. In a few seconds, a lion with two heads, one of which had ram horns, wings, and a snake for a tail flew out and roared. (ATK/2100 DEF/1800)

"But that's not all. Now I Normal Summon X-Saber Airbellum in attack mode!" Mr. McMillan continued and summoned a lion-headed man in armor armed with deadly hooked claws equipped to its arms (ATK/1600 DEF/200), "Chimera, attack his monster!" Chimera roared and flew across the field. Both heads sank their teeth into each of The Tricky's shoulders and its claws dug into the body before the beast tore the clown apart.

------------------------------

**Max:** 7900

**McMillan:** 8000

------------------------------

"X-Saber Airbellum, it's your turn now. X-Saber Slash!" X-Saber Airbellum roared and pounced towards Max. It swung its arms and sliced through the young man with an X-shaped slash.

------------------------------

**Max:** 6300

**McMillan:** 8000

------------------------------

"And now for X-Saber's effect," continued Mr. McMillan, "When he deals damage to you via a direct attack, you must discard a random card from your hand." X-Saber Airbellum swung its claws again and slashed a card from Max's hand, which turned out to be Mirror Wall.

"I'll end my turn there."

"Come on, Max!" Mikey yelled, "Don't let him get to you! He's just a..."

"Watch what you say, Mr. Angel, or I'll dock ten marks off your final grade," warned Mr. McMillan.

"I draw." Max looked at his cards and began his move; "I summon Dream Clown in attack mode." His signature clown somersaulted over his head from behind and landed on its head. It lay on its back for a second before jumping back onto its feet and grinned. (ATK/1200 DEF/900)

"Next I activate the spell card Earthquake. This changes all face-up monsters on the field into defense mode." The field suddenly rumbled and all the monsters took on a defensive stance to maintain their balance, "Since Dream Clown was just switched to defense mode, his effect activates, letting me destroy one monster on your side of the field. I pick Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast." Dream Clown threw a small red ball across the field and it grew in size as it bounced over to Chimera until it had become so large that it crushed the beast under its weight.

"When Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast is destroyed, I can summon one of the two monsters used to fuse him from my graveyard," said Mr. McMillan, "I pick my Gazelle." A burst of light announced the return of the lion and it stood up ready to strike.

"I end my turn."

Mr. McMillan drew his next card and a look that nobody liked appeared on his face.

"I sacrifice Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts and summon Manticore of Darkness." Gazelle vanished from the field and in its place rose a large humanoid lion with black feathered wings and a scorpion tail (ATK/2300 DEF/1000), "X-Saber Airbellum, destroy his monster." X-Saber Airbellum slashed Dream Clown apart and destroyed it.

"Manticore of Darkness, attack directly. Rage of the Beast King!" Manticore of Darkness took flight and flew straight at Max with its claws bared. The redhead readied himself, but when the incoming monster roared, his mind went blank.

"Max! Do something!" screamed Mikey. His words managed to snap Max out of his stupor long enough to activate one of his facedown cards.

"I activate Scapegoat!" Just before impact, four small sheep with fleeces colored blue, red, pink, and yellow respectively appeared in front of him. Manticore of Darkness obliterated the pink one and flew back to its place.

"Mere lambs won't be able to stop the might of my lions," said Mr. McMillan, "I end my turn." Max then drew his card and ended his turn right there. Mr. McMillan then drew and proceeded.

"I play the ritual spell card War-Lion Ritual. Now I will sacrifice a second Manticore of Darkness from my hand and my X-Saber Airbellum from my field so I can summon Super War-Lion in attack mode!" X-Saber Airbellum vanished from the field as the physics teacher sent two cards to his graveyard and then summoned a red-maned lion man with sharp claws and fangs (ATK/2300 DEF/2100), "Kill two of his tokens." Both felines attacked and destroyed two more of Max's sheep tokens, leaving only his red one.

"I end my turn," declared Mr. McMillan, "And here is when my Manticore's effect kicks in. On the End Phase of a turn Manticore of Darkness was sent to the graveyard, I can send one Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast from my field or hand to Special Summon it back to my field." He discarded a monster called Leogun from his hand and the Manticore of Darkness he sacrificed to summon Super War-Lion appeared on the field and roared.

"Those are some pretty powerful monsters," Coltyn noted, "And Max's strongest monsters only have two thousand attack points. He's going to need something good to take them down." Max drew his card and immediately set it on the field and facedown position. He ended his turn and Mr. McMillan began his. Without hesitation, he immediately ordered his Super War-Lion to attack. The targeted monster turned out to be Marshmallon.

"When Marshmallon is attacked while facedown, you take one thousand points of damage. And he can't be destroyed in battle," Max declared. Mashmallon suddenly bounced up and bit the physics teacher on the arm.

------------------------------

**Max:** 6300

**McMillan:** 7000

------------------------------

"I'll be seeing you after class for that, Max," Mr. McMillan groaned, "Manticore of Darkness, destroy his last sheep." The fourth sheep token was destroyed and he ended his turn.

"He can't call Max into his office just for that, can he?" asked Mikey.

"I wonder what else this guy has done," Sammie wondered.

"I can check." Coltyn tapped away at his pocket computer as Max drew his card.

"I play the continuous spell card Stumbling. Now every time a monster is summoned, it is automatically switched into defense mode," he explained, "I'll end my turn there."

"Your defense won't last for long," said Mr. McMillan as he drew, "I summon Panther Warrior and end my turn." A humanoid black panther in armor wielding a sword and shield appeared. (ATK/2000 DEF/1600) It immediately knelt down and held its shield out in front of it as Stumbling switched it into defense mode.

Max drew his next card and kept it in his hand before ending his turn. It then moved to Mr. McMillan's turn and he did the same after switching his Panther Warrior back into attack mode. Max passed his turn after that, which was followed by his opponent bringing out another monster. This time it was Soul Tiger, a blue ghost of a tiger that had twenty-one hundred defense points and zero attack points, so Stumbling worked to Mr. McMillan's advantage when he summoned it. Max drew his next card and smiled. He set it facedown and ended his turn. Then it was back to Mr. McMillan who passed his turn. But before he could end it, Max revealed one of his facedown cards.

"I activate Labyrinth of Nightmare. As long as this cad remains face-up on the field, all of our monsters change battle positions on our respective End Phases." At that moment, Super War-Lion, the two Manticores of Darkness, and Panther Warrior switched into defense mode while Soul Tiger was raised into attack mode, "But that's not all. I activate my other facedown, Tragedy. This can only be activated when a monster on my opponent's side of the field is changed into defense mode. It destroys all face-up defense position monsters on that side of the field."

"What?" At that moment, Panther Warrior, Super War-Lion, and the Manticores of Darkness were killed, leaving only an attack position Soul Tiger.

"And may I add that since this was done on the End Phase, you cannot use your Manticores' effects to bring them back," added Max.

"Way to go, Max!" cheered Mikey, "You're back in the game now!"

"And now it's my turn." Max drew his card, "I switch Marshmallon into attack mode and then I summon Ryu-Kishin Clown in attack mode." The fiendish clown appeared and cackled as Stumbling switched it into defense mode. (ATK/800 DEF/500)

"Now I activate Ryu-Kishin Clown's effect to switch the battle position of one monster on the field and I choose him." Max's clown switched back into attack mode and grinned maniacally, "Ryu-Kishin Clown, attack his Soul Tiger." Ryu-Kishin Clown cackled as it pulled a large ball out from its belly and bounced it towards the target. The sphere sprouted spikes as it came down on Soul Tiger and destroyed it.

------------------------------

**Max:** 6300

**McMillan:** 6200

------------------------------

"_Fabulous_, Ryu-Kishin Clown! Now Marshmallon, attack directly!" Once again, the bouncy pink creature leapt and bit Mr. McMillan.

------------------------------

**Max:** 6300

**McMillan:** 5900

------------------------------

"I end my turn and Labyrinth of Nightmare switches them into defense mode."

"We're far from finished, Max." Mr. McMillan drew and played his card, "I activate Pot of Avarice. I return my Manticores of Darkness, X-Saber Airbellum, Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, and Chimera the Mythical Flying Beast back to their respective decks." Once he finished shuffling, he drew two cards and growled. He didn't have anything he could summon so he ended his turn. Max switched his two monsters back into attack mode and summoned Crass Clown (ATK/1350 DEF/1400), which automatically switched into defense mode. He then ordered his two other monsters to attack Mr. McMillan directly.

------------------------------

**Max:** 6300

**McMillan:** 5100

------------------------------

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn." As Max's turn ended, his three monsters changed their battle positions. Mr. McMillan drew and his eyes widened.

"Sorry Max, but you're not winning this duel. I play Heavy Storm." A powerful wind blew across the field and destroyed all spell and trap cards, "Next I play Cost Down and I'll discard this card." He sent Manticore of Darkness to his graveyard.

"Now from my hand I summon Manticore of Darkness in attack mode!" In a burst of light, Manticore of Darkness was back on the field, "Now I play Premature Burial. I pay eight hundred Life Points."

------------------------------

**Max:** 6300

**McMillan:** 4300

------------------------------

"And I shall resurrect my other Manticore of Darkness!" The second beast appeared and both of them roared at once, "Manticore of Darkness, kill his Crass Clown!" The first leapt forward and slashed the evil-looking clown with its claws.

------------------------------

**Max:** 5350

**McMillan:** 4300

------------------------------

"Now Manticore of Darkness, attack his Ryu-Kishin Clown!" The other monster destroyed the other clown and the two monsters rejoined the physics teacher, "I end my turn. Try to destroy my Manticores again, Max." In turn, the Manticores of Darkness roared and Max was once again shaken with fear.

"His fear is back," said Sammie. Unable to calm himself, Max quickly ended his turn. Mr. McMillan drew his card and played it.

"I summon Enraged Battle Ox." He summoned a seemingly glowing Minotaur with an axe (ATK/1700 DEF/1000), "And thanks to his effect, all Beasts, Beast-Warriors, and Winged Beasts gain piercing ability."

"Oh shit," muttered Coltyn.

"Enraged Battle Ox, attack his monster," ordered Mr. McMillan. The Minotaur charged and slashed the pink creature with its axe.

------------------------------

**Max:** 4150

**McMillan:** 4300

------------------------------

"Attack now, my Manticores of Darkness!" Both lion-headed creatures attacked at once and ran their claws through Marshmallon's small body.

------------------------------

**Max:** 550

**McMillan:** 4300

------------------------------

"Max, are you okay?" asked Mikey.

"I end my turn," declared Mr. McMillan.

"One more attack and Max is finished," said Coltyn.

"Max, snap out of it!" shouted Mikey, "You have to stop him or you lose on his next turn!" This woke the redhead up slightly, just enough for him to draw his card and then set two facedowns.

"That's it?" Mr. McMillan drew his card and immediately set it down, "Manticore of Darkness, finish him." One of the Manticores roared and took flight.

"I activate Gravity Bind! This prevents all monsters level four or higher from attacking." A big black energy sphere suddenly covered the field and the Manticore of Darkness was pressed against the ground as were the rest of Mr. McMillan's monsters.

"Fine. You saved yourself this time, but don't count on it happening again. Make your move."

"That was close," Mikey sighed, "Come on, Max! I know you have something to beat this guy! Yes, I know you're afraid of lions and it's something that you can't shake easily. But Max, think about your clowns. A clown was brave enough to put himself in harm's way to save you. Now you have to be brave enough to let _your_ clowns save you." A brief glimpse of his past flashed through Max's mind and he stood back up.

"Thank you, Mikey. You're right. I made this deck in commemoration of the clown who saved my life that day. I can't let that go to waste." The redhead reached into his jacket and pulled out his mask. He placed it on his face and faced Mr. McMillan, "Prepare yourself, Mr. McMillan, for a simply _FABULOUS _show!"

"He's back," Sammie said with a smile.

"I draw." Max drew his card and played it, "And now I summon the FABULOUS Dream Clown in attack mode!" Another Dream Clown bounced onto the field and tripped on its cape as it landed, but quickly stood back up.

"Next I play the spell card Earthquake, changing all monsters into defense mode." Once again, the entire field shook and knocked all the monsters down into a defensive stance.

"And with this, I use Dream Clown's effect to destroy Enraged Battle Ox." Dream Clown reached into its pocket and pulled out a small white handkerchief. It danced all over the field waving it around as it grew into a large sheet until it came in front of Enraged Battle Ox. Dream Clown threw the cloth up and covered the beast before skipping merrily back to its spot. It continued to dance in place until it suddenly produced a horn. It honked it once and the sheet suddenly dropped to the floor with no sign of Enraged Battle Ox anywhere.

"I'll be setting one card facedown and end my turn."

"If only you showed this much enthusiasm in class," said Mr. McMillan as he drew.

"But you never explain things to us!" Mikey called from the sidelines, "You just introduce a concept, talk a little about it, and never give us any examples."

"You will speak only when acknowledged," replied Mr. McMillan, "I set another facedown and end my turn." Max then began his turn.

"I switch Dream Clown into attack mode and end my turn."

"Mine now." Mr. McMillan drew his card, "I activate my facedown cards, two Reckless Greeds. For each one, I can draw two cards and then I must skip my next two Draw Phases." He took four cards from his deck and added them to his hand. He immediately liked what he saw.

"I sacrifice my Manticores of Darkness to bring my strongest monster." Mr. McMillan's two monsters vanished from the field and he slapped a single card onto his Duel Disk, "Come out, Mosaic Manticore!" Deafening claps of thunder echoed across the field and a giant monster descended from above. It was covered in a metal hide and had the body, legs, and head of a lion, the wings of a bat on its back, and the tail of a scorpion. It stood up straight and roared. (ATK/2800 DEF/2500)

"When Mosaic Manticore is successfully Tribute Summoned, I can summon the monsters sacrificed to bring him out on my next Standby Phase at the cost of neither of them being able to attack and having their effects negated. But that's not going to matter right now since I'm about to win. I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Gravity Bind." Max's continuous trap card was destroyed and the gravity orb vanished.

"Mosaic Manticore, attack his clown," ordered Mr. McMillan, "Breath Fire!" Mosaic Manticore opened its mouth and launched a blazing mass of fire at Dream Clown.

"I activate Waboku!" declared Max. Three women robed in light blue appeared before Dream Clown and blocked the attack.

"Fine, you survive another turn. But it will be your last. I play Offerings to the Doomed. I skip my next Draw Phase, not that I can use it anyway, and destroy one face-up monster on your field and I choose Dream Clown so I don't have to put up with its infernal effect." Dream Clown was quickly disposed of and Mr. McMillan proceeded to end his turn, "I move to my End Phase. Rather than having my Manticores return via Mosaic Manticore's effect, I'm using their effects instead." He discarded the two remaining cards in his hand and brought out his two Manticores of Darkness.

"I am not afraid of you or your monsters anymore, Mr. McMillan!" Max drew his card, "I activate my facedown card, Pot of Avarice." He selected his two Dream Clowns, Blade Rabbit, Ryu-Kishin Clown, and Crass Clown from his graveyard and returned them to his deck. After a good shuffle, he drew two cards.

"Prepare for the grand finale!" he announced with gusto, "I play Monster Reborn to bring back The Tricky from my graveyard. Next I sacrifice Marshmallon and summon a second Tricky." Marshmallon disappeared and an identical harlequin appeared on the field.

"Now I play Lightning Vortex." Max played his card and discarded the one remaining in his hand before bringing a rain of lightning down on the field and destroying all three of Mr. McMillan's monsters.

"My Manticores!"

"And you don't have any cards in your hand to bring any of them back at the End Phase," said Max, "Trickies, attack now! Clown Trick!" Both The Tricky monsters leapt up and somersaulted through the air. Each produced a dagger from their sleeves as they spun around and flung them into Mr. McMillan's chest.

------------------------------

**Max:** 550

**McMillan:** 300

------------------------------

"I end my turn."

"I draw!" declared Mr. McMillan. However, as he moved his hand to his deck, his Duel Disk suddenly shut off his deck slot.

"Reckless Greed, Mr. McMillan," Sammie reminded the physics teacher.

"Shit..." muttered Mr. McMillan.

"You may as well surrender, Mr. McMillan," said Max, "You can't draw and you have no cards on your field or in your hand."

"If you dare attack me, I WILL cut your mark in half," the physics teacher threatened.

"I'm willing to take that chance," replied Max as he drew his card, "It's time to close the curtain on this performance. Tricky, please do the honors." In one fluid motion of a knife throw, the duel was ended.

------------------------------

**Max:** 550

**McMillan:** 0

------------------------------

"Have fun repeating my course again," growled Mr. McMillan as he recovered from the last attack, "because I intend to make it a living hell for you when you repeat it!"

"Sorry Mr. McMillan, but that's not happening," Coltyn interjected, "Mikey, if you will please." Mikey reached into his jacket and pulled out his cell phone, which was already opened and from the looks of the screen, it was in the middle of a call.

"I called the school's main office and set it on speaker phone," said Mikey, "The other teachers should be here shortly."

"Wait. You mean...?"

"They heard every little thing you said," answered Coltyn before showing the screen of his pocket computer, "And I've found a list of other things that you've done."

"B-but... I'm the best teacher at this school!"

"Wrong," a female voice from behind Mr. McMillan corrected, "You are, in fact, the _worst_ teacher in this school." Already fearing whom it was standing behind him, the physics teacher slowly turned around and paled at the sight of Alexis and all the other teachers. Not only them, but also a few people from the school board were also present.

"We have several issues we'd like to discuss with you, Mr. McMillan," Alexis said sternly.

ooo

The next day, cries of celebration could be heard from every corner of Duel Academy. Mr. McMillan the physics teacher had been fired. The teachers and the school board had gone over all the things that he had done over the years and every single one of them violated the rules of the education system. As a result, his position was terminated and he was swiftly removed from Duel Academy.

"We won't be seeing him again!" Mikey laughed as he, Coltyn, and Sammie sat on the side watching Max duel against Dr. Snappe of the Obelisk Blue boys' dorm.

"I set one monster and end my turn," said the redhead as he set his Marshmallon facedown.

"Charming, I'm sure," replied Dr. Snappe, "I summon Skilled Dark Magician in attack mode. Next I activate Magical Dimension and sacrifice my Skilled Dark Magician to summon Dark Magician. Then I use Magical Dimension's other effect to destroy your monster; now I tribute Dark Magician to summon Dark Eradicator Warlock. Now I play Monster Reborn to inflict one thousand points of damage to your Life Points as I bring back Skilled Dark Magician. Next I play Toon Table of Contents to bring another until I've played three in total and brought Toon Masked Sorcerer to my hand, giving you three thousand more points of damage from my warlock while giving my Skilled Dark Magician three Spell Counters. Now I sacrifice my Skilled Dark Magician to bring out another Dark Magician. Now then, I believe my wizards have yet to attack. Dark Magician will strike first followed by Dark Eradicator Warlock." Both Spellcasters shot magical blasts from their staffs and wiped out the rest of Max's Life Points.

"That's some deck," Mikey said in bewilderment.

"Dr. Snappe runs a Spellcaster deck with heavy emphasis on Dark Magician and all related cards," Coltyn answered.

"Well, it looks like I'm out of the tournament now," Max said as he came over to his friends.

"You definitely made it further than me," Mikey replied, "I'm a bit ashamed of that, actually. But I'm still happy for you."

After the duels the following day, everybody had faced the dorm heads. Only twenty-five percent of the initial number of participating students remained. Among them were Sammie, Coltyn, and Saito. With stage one of the tournament now over, it was time to move onto stage two: dueling the other teachers.

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**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

It's the second stage of the Teacher Tournament and Coltyn is about to face off against an all-new brand of monsters and a whole different strategy. Found out how he fares next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	14. Number Crunchers

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

New ban rules implemented as of May 9, 2008.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**EPISODE 1-14**

**Number Crunchers**

The next stage of the Teacher Tournament was a series of duels against the teachers that weren't heads of the dorms. With nearly seventy-five percent of the student body now out of the competition, the remaining duels would be conducted in a single day. The students would compete against the teachers in any order that they desired. Mikey, Max, Sammie, and Coltyn were all sitting at a table in the corner of the cafeteria with a roster of the remaining teachers in front of them.

"The history teacher, Mr. Edwards, runs a Warrior deck that relies on equip cards," Mikey noted as they examined each of the teachers one by one.

"The math teacher, Mr. Higsby, has a deck based on level monsters," said Sammie.

"Monsieur Bonaparte the French teacher runs an Exodia deck," Max chimed in.

"Mrs. Rivers the music teacher has a Chain deck while Ms. Phillips the art teacher runs a vanity deck," said Coltyn.

"Is that all of them or are we missing some?" inquired Mikey.

"Well I'm sure the home economics teacher has something to do as well, but we don't have much on her yet," answered Sammie.

"Well now that we've got a list of the teachers, you just need to decide which order you want to duel them in," said Max. A loud explosion suddenly broke the meeting as everyone looked towards the door.

"That came from shop class, didn't it?" asked Mikey.

"Let's go check it out." Coltyn stuffed the roster into his jacket and ran out of the cafeteria with the others right behind him. They arrived at the shop classroom to behold Boot-Up Soldier Dread Dynamo and Stronghold the Moving Fortress equipped with Yellow Gadget and Red Gadget facing off against a Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon and Tyrant Dragon with smoking coming out of its mouth.

"Kaiba," muttered Mikey.

"I set a card facedown and end my turn," Saito declared. The shop class teacher, Mr. Gizmo, drew his card and played it.

"I summon Red Gadget in attack mode and use its effect to bring a Yellow Gadget from my deck to my hand. After that, I set two cards facedown and end my turn." Saito then drew his card, took three cards from his hand, and then sent them to his graveyard.

"I discard three monsters to my graveyard in order to Special Summon Montage Dragon in attack mode." There was a violent rumble and a massive blue and white three-headed dragon appeared and roared (ATK/? DEF/0), "Montage Dragon's original attack strength is the sum of the levels of the monsters I discarded multiplied by three hundred. Tyrant Dragon was a level eight monster as was Felgrand Dragon and Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon was a level ten monster. That's a total of twenty-six. Multiply that by three hundred and my Montage Dragon has an attack power of seventy-eight hundred. And now I play Dragon's Mirror. I remove my three Masked Dragons and two of my Troop Dragons from my graveyard from play and fuse them into Five God Dragon." A vision of all five dragons appeared briefly over the field before being pulled into a mirror with a golden dragon-shaped frame and emerging as one massive five-headed dragon. (ATK/5000 DEF/5000)

"Now I activate my facedown Heavy Storm to wipe the field clean of all Spells and Traps." As a powerful hurricane blew over the field, Mr. Gizmo's two facedowns and his Stronghold the Moving Fortress were blown away.

"Montage Dragon, destroy his Red Gadget," ordered Saito, "Power Collage!" The three-headed dragon opened its mouths and unleashed a mighty blast from each that combined with one another into a massive beam and blasted the small red robot to pieces, ending the duel.

"If you were going to win the duel with just Montage Dragon, why did you bother summoning Five God Dragon?" asked Mr. Gizmo.

"Much like money, if you have power you should flaunt it," Saito answered smugly, "I'll be leaving now. I've still got the other teachers to decimate." As he left a fire suddenly lit up in Sammie's eyes; one that Mikey was all too familiar with.

"He's not gonna get the best of me," she swore as she put on her Duel Disk and turned to the shop class teacher, "I'm your next opponent!"

"Let's go, guys," said Mikey as he started to leave, "It's better not to get in her way when she's like this."

"Screw that. I want in on the action." Coltyn stripped his left arm of the artificial skin and activated his Duel Disk.

"Where are you going first?" Max inquired as he and Mikey turned towards the door as Coltyn ran towards it, "Sammie's already got Mr. Gizmo."

"I'm just going to duel whoever I run into first and work my way from there." And with that, the Ra Yellow left the room.

"Who do we follow?" Max asked as he turned to Mikey, who in turn just shrugged and then jumped out of his skin when a loud crash exploded from behind him.

"Easy win!" he could hear Sammie's voice shout out.

"I think sticking with Coltyn will be safer."

ooo

Alexis was sitting at her desk in her office going over the reports of all the students' DP totals accumulated over the course of the tournament. She was grateful to Mr. Higsby for doing all the calculations in the first phase. But now that he was dueling students, it was up to her to try to work out the math. As she worked, she occasionally glanced at the sofa in the corner of the room. Lying down on it was an eight-year-old girl with dark brown hair tied back into a ponytail. She had the same eyes and ears as Alexis and she wore jeans and a T-shirt with pictures of several popular American superheroes printed on the front. Her socks were stuffed into her shoes, which were sitting next to the couch. She was reading a copy of her latest issue of the comic book _The Immortal Iron Fist_ as she lay there on her stomach with her arms hanging over the end of the sofa holding onto the staple-bound object.

"Cassie, will you please sit properly?" Alexis said firmly as she continued to work.

"No," answered the girl. Cassandra Rhodes, or Cassie for short, was the daughter of Duel Academy Headmistress Alexis Rhodes, who home schooled her in her office. During her early childhood years, she had seen her father Jaden duel in tournaments constantly on television. Every time she saw him and his Elemental Heroes, she felt something stir deep within her. Then one day on a vacation to Los Angeles, her family passed by a comic store and a cardboard standee of Iron Man in the front window caught her eye. After browsing the store for a few minutes, she noticed that a lot of the heroes on the comics resembled her father's Elemental Heroes. It was then that Jaden explained to her that his heroes were actually based on American superheroes. Ever since that day, Cassie had become an avid comic book fan and collector.

"Did you finish that homework I assigned you?" Alexis asked.

"Yes," answered Cassie as she turned the page in her comic.

"So where is it?" the headmistress of the school inquired.

"Somewhere," was the response.

"Where?"

"Over there."

"Cassie, don't get smart with me. Where is your homework?"

"I don't wanna get it now." Cassie blew a bubble with her sugar-free bubblegum and immediately popped it back into her mouth, "Mom, why did you even bother holding this tournament? Can't these kids just learn the new rules like normal people?"

"First of all, Cassie, they're all older than you. And secondly, your definition of 'normal' is not the same as everyone else's," answered Alexis, "The only reason you're here is because you were too smart for regular school and the principal thought you needed more of a challenge. But because of Duel Academy's age limit, you couldn't enroll here as a student. So I had to home school you myself." The head of Duel Academy pushed aside of stack of papers after completing them and proceeded to another one.

"Cassie, from the looks of things we may very well have two winners in this tournament," she said to her daughter, "So decide on which one will win, I want you to duel them with me."

"You mean as a tag team?" Cassie asked.

"Yes."

"I guess. But it depends on whom we're dueling. Are they even gonna be worth my time?"

"You should never judge a duelist before you duel them," said Alexis.

"Whatever." Cassie turned the page in her comic book and continued reading.

ooo

Two of Coltyn's Solar Flare Dragons were all the boy had to keep his Life Points from being wiped out by his opponent, Mr. Edwards, who had his Gearfried the Swordmaster equipped with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade and Gilford the Legend armed to the teeth with three Axe of Despair cards and a Vicious Claws in play.

"Make your move, Coltyn," the history teacher said.

"Alright, I will." Coltyn drew his card and his face suddenly brightened up, "I sacrifice my Solar Flare Dragons and summon Infernal Flame Emperor." Two of his dragon's vanished and in their place rose a massive flaming liontaur. (ATK/2700 DEF/1600)

"Now by removing from play Fire monsters from my graveyard, I can use his effect to destroy the same number of spell and trap cards as the number of cards I removed." Coltyn's Duel Disk ejected his three UFO Turtles, Raging Flame Sprite, and Ultimate Baseball Kid and he placed them in his pocket before a massive wave of fire erupted up and destroyed the warriors' weapons.

"Next I remove from play my Solar Flare Dragons to summon two Spirits of Flames." After sending two more cards to his pocket, Coltyn summoned two red demons, "Now I play Monster Reborn to bring back Gaia Soul the Combustible Collective and I'll sacrifice the Spirits of Flames to power it up by a thousand attack points for each sacrifice. Infernal Flame Emperor and Gaia Soul, attack!" In one swift blast, both of Mr. Edwards' monsters were destroyed. However, all was not finished. As soon as Coltyn ended his turn, his Gaia Soul was destroyed, which triggered his three Backfire cards to take effect and hit the teacher for five hundred points each dealing enough damage to deplete his Life Points.

"Very well done, Coltyn," Mr. Edwards congratulated, "Alright, next please."

"Nice work, Coltyn," said Mikey as he, Coltyn, and Max left the classroom.

"Who do you have next?" the redhead inquired.

"I'm thinking Mr. Higsby," answered Coltyn, "People are talking about him using monsters that nobody's ever seen before. I'd like to find out for myself."

"Sounds good. Let's go." Mikey led the way and the three teenage boys arrived at their destination. Mr. Higsby the math teacher was currently free, so when the trio arrived, he immediately stood up with his Duel Disk.

"Ready to take me on then?"

"I sure as hell am," was Coltyn's response as he readied his Duel Disk. They performed the traditional Rock-Paper-Scissors to see who would go first and Mr. Higsby won.

"I'll be going first," declared the math teacher.

"Fine, let's do this."

-----------------------------

**Coltyn:** 8000

**Mr. Higsby:** 8000

-----------------------------

"I draw!" Mr. Higsby drew his first card; "I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"That's it?" Coltyn drew his card, "Eh, I guess I'll work with it. I summon UFO Turtle in attack mode." He played his card and summoned a turtle with a UFO in place of its shell. (ATK/1400 DEF/1200)

"UFO Turtle, attack his monster." The Machine monster opened its mouth and shot a laser at the facedown card on the other side of the field. It revealed itself to be Flying Kamakiri #1.

"When Flying Kamakiri #1 is destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon one Wind monster with fifteen hundred or less attack points in attack position," explained Mr. Higsby, "And I choose my Armed Dragon LV3." A small orange and grey dragon appeared and growled. (ATK/1200 DEF/900)

"I set down two cards and end my turn," Coltyn finished.

"My move then." Mr. Higsby drew his next card and proceeded with his turn, "And first I'm going to evolve my dragon on my Standby Phase. I sacrifice my Armed Dragon LV3 to Special Summon Armed Dragon LV 5 from my deck!" The small orange dragon suddenly grew and transformed into a big brute of a dragon covered in spikes, its hide now red instead of orange and its grey scales now turned black. (ATK/2400 DEF/1700)

"Now to use its effect," Mr. Higsby continued, "By discarding a monster from my hand, I can destroy one monster on your field with attack points equal to or less than the monster I discarded. And I'll be discarding Ultimate Insect LV3 with its fourteen hundred attack points." Once the card was sent away, the spikes on Armed Dragon LV5's back shot out and zeroed in on Coltyn's monster.

"I activate Backfire!" the boy quickly declared as he revealed one of his facedowns. As soon as his UFO Turtle was destroyed, the resulting explosion hit Mr. Higsby with fiery repercussions.

-----------------------------

**Coltyn:** 8000

**Mr. Higsby:** 7500

-----------------------------

"But first I'll summon Dark Lucius LV4 in attack mode." And with that, the math teacher brought out a dark fiend in spiked armor (ATK/1000 DEF/300), "Armed Dragon LV5, attack with Dragon Talon Terror!" The big dragon lumbered over to Coltyn and slashed him across the chest with its claws.

-----------------------------

**Coltyn:** 5600

**Mr. Higsby:** 7500

-----------------------------

"Dark Lucius LV4, it's your turn now!" Right on the teacher's command, the fiend rushed in and punched Coltyn.

-----------------------------

**Coltyn:** 4600

**Mr. Higsby:** 7500

-----------------------------

"Ouch," said Mikey, "He took a lot of damage and it's only the third turn."

"That Armed Dragon is a problem, though," replied Max, "As long as Mr. Higsby has the power to destroy monsters like that, Coltyn's going to be in trouble."

"I'll set a card facedown and end my turn," concluded Mr. Higsby. Coltyn then drew his card and analyzed the field and his hand for a moment.

"I set a monster and end my turn."

"Is that it?" Mr. Higsby asked as he drew his card, "I summon The Calculator in attack mode!" He played his card and summoned a small red robot with a blank screen for a face and several buttons on its chest. (ATK/? DEF/0)

"Let me explain. The Calculator's attack points is equal to the sum of all the monster levels on my side of the field multiplied by three hundred. The Calculator himself is a level two creature and I also have Dark Lucius LV4 and Armed Dragon LV5. That makes eleven. Eleven times three hundred is thirty-three hundred." There was a massive spark as the Calculator's screen suddenly lit up as it furiously typed on its chest and the number on it shot up it thirty-three hundred, "Armed Dragon LV5, attack his monster!" On Mr. Higsby's orders, the large dragon lashed out with its arms and slashed Coltyn's facedown. Upon its destruction, it was revealed to be another UFO Turtle. But before its effect would activate, Backfire took effect.

-----------------------------

**Coltyn:** 4600

**Mr. Higsby:** 7000

-----------------------------

"With UFO Turtle's effect, I bring out Solar Flare Dragon," announced Coltyn as one of his fiery serpentine dragons appeared on the field (ATK/1500 DEF/1000), "Next I activate my facedown, Inferno Reckless Summon." At that moment, two more Solar Flare Dragons appeared on the Ra Yellow's field.

"And by the effect of your spell card, I summon my deck's only other Armed Dragon LV5," said Higsby as another dragon appeared, "raising The Calculator's attack points up to forty-eight hundred." All eyes turned as The Calculator quickly typed away at the keys on its chest and the number on its face changed.

"But now that I have my dragons out, you can't attack any of them."

"True." Higsby took a card from his hand and set it down, "I'll end my turn there then. And since my first Armed Dragon LV5 destroyed a monster, I can now send him to my graveyard to Special Summon Armed Dragon LV7!" His dragon evolved again and turned into an even deadlier beast covered in bladed armor. With one monster now evolved by two levels, his Calculator's attack power rose by another six hundred point to fifty-four hundred.

"Now it's my turn." Coltyn drew his next card; "I summon Flame Ruler in attack mode." A blue-haired man in a fiery robe appeared and summoned two fireballs into his hands. (ATK/1500 DEF/1600)

"Flame Ruler, attack his Dark Lucius LV4," ordered Coltyn, "Spell Fire!" The fireballs that Flame Ruler had conjured were thrust forward and launched into the spike-armored fiend.

-----------------------------

**Coltyn:** 4600

**Mr. Higsby:** 6500

-----------------------------

With one level four monster gone, The Calculator quickly recalculated its attack points to deduct twelve hundred from it and it became thirty-six hundred.

"I'll set a card facedown and end my turn," declared Coltyn, "And with that, my Solar Flare Dragons each deal five hundred points of damage to you on my End Phase." Searing flames erupted from below Mr. Higsby and dealt some heavy fire damage to him.

-----------------------------

**Coltyn:** 4600

**Mr. Higsby:** 5000

-----------------------------

Mr. Higsby then drew. He was disappointed to see that he had no monsters with fifteen hundred attack points or more for him to discard. However, he did have a card that would change that.

"I will now Sacrifice my Armed Dragon LV7 and evolve it to its next stage of progression! I special summon Armed Dragon LV10!" The Armed Dragon LV7 grew again and changed into a bipedal crimson-skinned dragon in black armor, which boosted The Calculator up to forty-five hundred attack points (ATK/3000 DEF/2000), "And now I shall use its effect."

"No you don't. I activate my facedown Compulsory Evacuation Device and return Armed Dragon LV10 to your hand!" A large machine appeared and quickly swallowed up the big dragon before launching it into the air and back into Mr. Higsby's hand, causing The Calculator to drop down to twenty-one hundred attack points.

"I set a card and end my turn," the math teacher announced. Coltyn then drew and smiled at what he saw.

"I sacrifice my Flame Ruler to summon Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch." Flame Ruler was set ablaze like a sacrificial offering and was replaced by the massive fire monarch (ATK/2400 DEF/1000), "I select the card on your right." Mr. Higsby revealed the card and it was the Armed Dragon LV10 Coltyn had bounced back to his hand.

"Since that was a level ten monster, you take a thousand points of damage," the teen declared as Thestalos threw a fireball straight into Mr. Higsby.

-----------------------------

**Coltyn:** 4600

**Mr. Higsby:** 4000

-----------------------------

"Thestalos, suicide on Armed Dragon LV5!" ordered Coltyn, "Royal Fire!" Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch launched another fireball and Armed Dragon LV5 retaliated with a slash from its claws. Both creatures hit each other and both were destroyed, leaving The Calculator as the only monster on Mr. Higsby's field while also inflicting five hundred points of damage from Backfire.

-----------------------------

**Coltyn:** 4600

**Mr. Higsby:** 3500

-----------------------------

"Solar Flare Dragon, attack it." A steady jet of flame shot out towards The Calculator.

"I activate Negate Attack." Mr. Higsby revealed his trap card and a vortex swallowed up the attack before all three dragons shifted into a complacent position, signaling the end of the Battle Phase.

"Well it was good while it lasted." Coltyn played one of his cards. Once that was done, the black-haired teen ended his turn and his Solar Flare Dragons inflicted another fifteen hundred points of damage.

-----------------------------

**Coltyn:** 4600

**Mr. Higsby:** 2000

-----------------------------

"Wow. Coltyn's really turned this duel around," Mikey commented.

"I won't celebrate yet if I were you, Mikey," said Max as Higsby drew his card. It turned out to be Pot of Avarice and he played it immediately. He selected Armed Dragon LV3, both Armed Dragon LV5s, Dark Lucius LV4, and Flying Kamakiri #1. After he returned them to his deck, he drew two cards and smiled.

"Here comes something new for you, Coltyn. I start by playing Level Modulation. With this card, I can bring back one LV monster from my graveyard at the cost of it not being able to attack or having its effect activated on this turn. In exchange you get to draw two cards." As Coltyn added two cards to his hand, Mr. Higsby brought out Armed Dragon LV7. This raised The Calculator up to twenty-seven attack points.

"Now I summon Sinister Sprocketer in attack mode!" In a flash of light, a small black gear-like creature with a long chain wound around its body appeared. (ATK/400 DEF/0) The Calculator typed on its own chest furiously to enter in the data as its ATK went up to an even three thousand attack points.

"What the heck is that?" Mikey asked.

"I wonder that myself," answered Max, "Never seen that before."

"It's a new type of monster called a Tuner," explained Mr. Higsby, "And with it I can perform a new kind of summoning. Just watch. Sinister Sprocketer, tune up Armed Dragon LV7." Dark Sprocketer flew over to Armed Dragon LV7 and unwound its chain. The massive dragon grabbed onto it with both hands and wound it around one arm.

"Now I sacrifice both my Armed Dragon LV7 and Sinister Sprocketer to perform a Synchro Summon!"

"What's a Synchro Summon?" asked Mikey.

"Don't ask me," replied Max.

"A Synchro Summon is a new kind of summoning," said Mr. Higsby, "By sending one Tuner and one or more other monsters, I can bring out a new monsters whose level is equal to the sum of the levels of the monsters I tributed. Since that was eight in total, I get to bring out a level eight monster." He reached into his Fusion Deck and took out a white card.

"Colossal Fighter, come out!" There was a loud rumble as a giant golden robot burst out of the ground and then punched it. (ATK/2800 DEF/1000)

"What the hell is _that_ thing?" asked Coltyn.

"Colossal Fighter is a Synchro Monster. Basically, I can use them to maintain level count while I make room for more monsters. So The Calculator maintains its three thousand attack points. But there's more. Since I used Sinister Sprocketer to Synchro Summon a Dark monster, I can destroy one face-up spell or trap card on the field and I choose Backfire." Coltyn's trap card exploded, "Unfortunately, I can't attack because of those Solar Flare Dragons. But I will soon enough. So I end my turn for now."

_Best not to underestimate him_, thought Coltyn as he drew his next card.

"I play Foolish Burial and I'll send Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 to my graveyard. Next I play Level Modulation to bring it back." As the black dragon appeared, Higsby drew his two cards. After that, Coltyn ended his turn and his Solar Flare Dragons' effects kicked in again.

-----------------------------

**Coltyn:** 4600

**Mr. Higsby:** 500

-----------------------------

Higsby then began his turn and drew.

"I play Lightning Vortex!" he announced. The math teacher discarded a card from his hand and a torrent of lightning came crashing down and wiped out all of Coltyn's monsters.

"Now I play Monster Reborn to resurrect the card I just discarded. Come back, Greed Quasar!" In flash of light, a silver fiend with armor shaped like a demonic skull appeared (ATK/? DEF/?), "Greed Quasar's original attack and defense are equal to its own level multiplied by three hundred, making it twenty-four hundred. Plus every time it destroys a monster by battle, its own level increases by that of the destroyed monster. And since Greed Quasar is level eight, that adds another twenty-four hundred attack points to The Calculator, bringing its power up to fifty-four hundred." The small robot typed away on its chest and its attack points on its screen shot up to the appointed number.

"The Calculator, attack Coltyn directly!" ordered Mr. Higsby, "Statistic Static!" The Calculator opened its left hand and sparks shot up between its fingers. The sparks grew wilder and more unstable before a massive blast of electricity was unleashed and streaked across the field until it struck Coltyn, depleting the remainder of his Life Points in a single blow.

-----------------------------

**Coltyn:** 0

**Mr. Higsby:** 500

-----------------------------

"I lost..." Coltyn's Duel Disk reverted back into his arm as he gathered up his cards and shuffled them back into his deck.

"You did well today, Coltyn," said Mr. Higsby, "The truth is that you're not the first one to lose against me today. In fact, not one person has won. Like you, every single one of them was taken by surprise by my Synchro and Tuner monsters."

"What exactly _are_ Synchros and Tuners, anyway?" asked Coltyn.

"A brand new type of card," answered Mr. Higsby, "Tuners are needed to bring out Synchro monsters, which reside in the Fusion Deck until they're needed. Here, this site will tell you everything you need to know about them." He quickly scrawled an URL on a piece of paper and handed it to Coltyn.

"You came very close to winning, Coltyn. Your strategy is amazing. I'll see you in class. Okay, next please!"

As Coltyn left, Mikey and Max joined him.

"Hey Coltyn, you bummed about being knocked out of the tourney?" asked Mikey.

"A bit," was the answer, "but I'll feel a lot better once I start reading up on Synchro and Tuner monsters."

"Sounds like it'll be useful knowledge," the brunet commented.

At the end of the day, all the students gathered outside the school's front entrance to hear the announcement by Chancellor Rhodes.

"Congratulations to all of you for coming so far," she said to the entire school, "For most of you, making it past the first round turned out to be a lost cause. For others, you made it but lost quickly. But it gives me great pleasure to announce the finals of the Teacher Tournament. Samantha Korangar and Saito Kaiba! These two shall be facing me tomorrow in the school's main arena. Thank you for your participation and I wish our two finalists the best of luck."

As the students applauded, a silent tension rose up between Sammie and Saito. The two of them glared at each other with the fire of competition in their eyes.

_Whoever wins this will be the true number one_, thought Sammie. Saito just gave her the "It's on!" look, turned around, and left. The challenge had been set before them and the stronger of the two would then be determined.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The Teacher Tournament finals have arrived. Sammie and Saito will be forced into a tag team to determine which of them is the best. Who will it be? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	15. The Teacher Tournament Finals

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

NOTE: This is the **ONLY** time you'll ever see fake cards used in this fic.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**EPISODE 1-15**

**The Teacher Tournament Finals**

The entire student body and faculty had gathered in the main duel arena waiting for the final duel of the Teacher Tournament to begin. Mikey, Max, and Coltyn had gotten front row seats close to where Sammie would be standing during the duel. The time had finally come as their eyes looked upon what was left of the student body in the tournament. Many had proven their worth within the school, showing determination, guile, intellect, and skill beyond the expectations of many. Ultimately only two remained when only one was expected in the inception. This was a surprise to some; an inevitable resolution to a feud for others.

Two had shown themselves to be above all others; above the faculty who had decimated the students; above the students whose hopes had been dashed in a single moment when they heard the familiar sound of their duel disks whining in disappointed submission. Samantha Korangar had shown the power of chaos and torn down her foes with a god that ended their world and dashed their hopes of winning. Saito Kaiba had shown the power of the destined, dominating with a swift and effortless kill in a single stroke. They had climbed to the top of the mountain and here they stood, in the arena with two foes in front of them, the final game to begin.

"So this is it, huh?" asked Mikey, looking at the area below as numerous metallic lenses sprang to life to record the duel that was soon to commence "The final match of the Teacher Tournament."

"Who do you think will win?" Max inquired.

"Well both Sammie and Kaiba have powerful decks, but Chancellor Rhodes didn't get her position without any kind of skill," Coltyn answered analytically as his heart beat anxiously in anticipation, "On top of that, she said her daughter would be dueling with her and there's no information on her deck."

"Well then I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Mikey turned back to the arena and sat back in his seat as the duelists entered the ring. Sammie and Saito entered first and took up their respective places. After that, Alexis entered and right behind her was Cassie. The young girl had a standard Duel Academy Duel Disk, but she had customized it with a skin featuring several of her favorite comic heroes including Captain America, Green Lantern, Starman, Superman, and Moon Knight. She held it proudly as a soldier would a gun. There were many like that Duel Disk but that was hers.

"Here are the rules," Alexis announced, "The duel will take place exactly like any normal tag duel. However, whichever one of you is able to deal the final blow that reduces our Life Points to zero wins."

"Simple enough," commented Saito as he finished shuffling his deck.

"Why whoever deals the final blow?" inquired Sammie.

"The fact is that we never expected two finalists to make it this far," explained Alexis, "So these special rules were made up at the last minute. Now let's cut our decks to see who chooses the order." All four duelists cut their decks and revealed the cards they had exposed as a result. Sammie had cut Sonic Bird, Saito got Berserk Dragon, Alexis had cut Etoile Cyber, and Cassie's card was Polymerization.

"I'll be going first," announced Saito, "Then it will be Chancellor Rhodes' turn followed by my partner and finally the headmistress' daughter."

"I have a name, you know!" Cassie called out.

"Hush," her mother said quickly as all four of them shuffled their decks and drew their starting hands.

"DUEL!"

ooo

In a long bright room, in a large bright house, lived an odd bright man. His hair was silver and his eyes were gold. His voice shone bright like the sun. He laughed and he cried like any old man but to the world they knew not of his woe.

Maxmillion Pegasus was not a man for poetry, but he was a man for entertainment. He drank wine as his beverage of choice as he sat in a chair in his dinning room with a smile on his face, bangs concealing his shame that he remembered everyday his lack of depth perception made itself known. He smiled contently at the sweet taste of his wine as he saw the pair of contest winner hopefuls of Duel Academy.

"Oh Croquette," he said in a flamboyant and beaming tone, "I don't know who to root for to win the contest. Should I root for Kaiba-boy Jr. or that adorable little princess? They both seem like they would be so much fun to play with." He sipped once again at his wine and cheerily giggle a little as the aged security guard behind him gave an apathetic and constipated grunt in response with his sandpapery voice that tore at the ears.

"Oh Croquette, you are such a grump these days. I hope this duel shall lift your spirits. I know it will lift mine if Kaiba-boy Sr. gets into a huff after this."

ooo

In a cold tall building there was a cold and sterile room where a cold and rich man sat behind a cold wooden desk. He typed at a computer with furious typing creating a chorus of clicks; his eyes occasionally glancing at the feed from Duel Academy playing on his personal plasma screen. To some they would be almost surprised that the television could get channels aside from world news channels but this was an exception. This was family. This was love, though only his spiky hair sibling knew of this love shown through apathy.

"Seto," said the sibling as he sat on a leather chair across from the television, his business suit slightly wrinkled as he tied back his long hair into a ponytail, his preferred hairstyle in adulthood, "why don't you stop doing that work and come watch Saito play. This is his world television debut."

Seto glanced over to Mokuba and back to his computer as he worked, "I am watching it. I am also working on a project that will set in motion a sixteen point plan that will increase the company's profits by 76.79 percent by the end of next quarter and allow us to expand our territory into new areas of dueling." Mokuba sighed at his brother with a slight smile on his face. This was family. This was love and only Mokuba had known this kind of love until Saito was born. This was the love known only through the fiery eyes of seemingly cold-hearted men.

ooo

-----------------------------------

**Saito and Sammie:** 8000

**Alexis and Cassie:** 8000

-----------------------------------

Saito proceeded to begin and drew his first card.

"I play Trade-In. By discarding one level eight monster from my hand, I can draw two more cards." With that, he discarded his Tyrant Dragon and drew two new cards from his deck, "Next I summon Infernal Dragon in attack mode." He played his card and summoned a greenish dragon with a forked tail tip. (ATK/2000 DEF/0)

"However, he's not staying on the field for long," he continued, "I remove my Infernal Dragon from play so I can Special Summon the Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon." A vortex opened up behind Saito's dragon and swallowed it up before a giant black dragon equivalent of the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon appeared on the field and roared. (ATK/2800 DEF/2400)

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn." The rich heir of Kaiba Corp set one card down on the field and then turned to Alexis.

"That's an impressive first turn, Mr. Kaiba," she said as she drew.

"I've seen better," muttered Cassie. Alexis ignored her for the time being and proceeded with her turn.

"I play Polymerization and I'll fuse Blade Skater and Etoile Cyber from my hand to summon Cyber Blader in attack mode." The images of two female monsters appeared briefly before they were sucked into a vortex and a single female figure skater in a purple and red suit appeared. (ATK/2100 DEF/800)

"I'll set one card of my own facedown and end my turn."

"My turn finally." Sammie drew her first card and began her move, "I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands in attack mode." A green monster with ten thousand arms appeared on the field. (ATK/1400 DEF/1000)

"When Manju is summoned, I can search my deck for a Ritual spell or monster and add it to my hand." She chose Demise, King of Armageddon and shuffled her deck before ending her turn with two facedown cards. Now it was Cassie's turn. All eyes were on her as she drew her very first card.

"Now we'll see what sort of deck she runs," Coltyn muttered.

"Now you're gonna see what these guys can do!" Cassie announced, "I summon Elemental Hero Stratos!" She slapped a card down on her Duel Disk and a warrior with wings equipped with rapidly spinning propellers and a visored helmet appeared. (ATK/1800 DEF/300)

"An Elemental Hero?" Max awed.

"I've never seen that one before," said Mikey.

"When Elemental Hero Stratos is summoned, I can pick one of his two effects to activate. The first is to destroy any number of spells or traps on the field equal to the number of Elemental Heroes, Destiny Heroes, or Evil Heroes I control; the other is to add any one of the three to my hand from my deck. I choose the second effect and I'll bring Elemental Hero Captain Gold to my hand." With her move done, Cassie proceeded with her turn, "Now because of Captain Gold's effect, I can discard him to add Skyscraper to my hand." She did so and brought the field card to her hand. No sooner was it in her grasp, she played it and several tall buildings appeared around the field, turning it into a city street.

"Now I play Monster Reborn to bring back Elemental Hero Captain Gold!" Cassie's card to effect and hero in golden armor and a red cape appeared beside Elemental Hero Stratos (ATK/2100 DEF/800), "And since it's my turn, Skyscraper adds a thousand attack points to my Elemental Heroes if they battle a monster with a higher attack than their own original attack power. Like, say that big black dragon of yours." The young girl pointed at Saito's Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon.

"Elemental Hero Captain Gold, attack that dragon!" she ordered, "Golden Kick of Justice!" Captain Gold leapt towards the sky and spun around in the air before flying straight down towards Saito's dragon with one leg outstretched.

"Reveal facedown," announced Saito, "Mystical Space Typhoon and I target your Skyscraper." A powerful tornado erupted from his spell card and destroyed the buildings surrounding the arena, returning it to normal.

"I know all about your Captain Gold, Cassie," he said to the girl, "If he's on the field but Skyscraper isn't, then your monster is destroyed." There was an explosion as Elemental Hero Captain Gold was destroyed by his own effect and pieces of golden armor fell to the floor.

"I set down two cards and end my turn," said Cassie.

"And now it's back to me." Saito drew his card; "I summon Exploder Dragon in attack mode." He summoned a blue white-bellied dragon carrying an explosive device in its claws. (ATK/1000 DEF/0)

"Exploder Dragon, attack Cyber Blader!" ordered the Kaiba Corp. heir, "Explosive Kamikaze!" Exploder Dragon roared and took flight.

"That's a suicide run!" exclaimed Mikey.

"Exactly," replied Coltyn.

"Huh?"

"Just watch."

Exploder Dragon flew towards Cyber Blader, who spun around as it came close and then lashed out with a kick aimed to cut the dragon's neck with her skates. Exploder Dragon's throat was slit wide open and at the same time, the bomb it was carrying exploded, destroying the femme fatale in the process.

"When Exploder Dragon is destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, its effect destroys the monster that destroyed it. In addition, while this card is attacking neither player takes battle damage," Saito explained, "Now then, it's time for my Red-Eyes to attack. Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, kill Elemental Hero Stratos. Darkness Metal Flare!" Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon opened its mouth and charged up its attack. A few seconds later, a powerful red and black fireball erupted from its maw and struck Elemental Hero Stratos with such intensity that the high-flying warrior was blown into a rain of scrap metal and seared flesh.

-----------------------------------

**Saito and Sammie:** 8000

**Alexis and Cassie:** 7000

-----------------------------------

"I activate my Hero Signal!" declared Cassie as she revealed one of her facedowns, "When a monster I control dies in battle, I can Special Summon a level four or lower Elemental Hero from my hand or deck. So from my deck I summon Elemental Hero Lady Heat." A burst of flame erupted from the floor and a slender young woman in a red and white suit appeared. (ATK/1300 DEF/1000)

"While Elemental Hero Lady Heat is on the field, she deals two hundred points of damage to your Life Points for every Elemental Hero I have during my End Phase."

"Your End Phase is still a long ways away," said Saito, "I end my turn." Alexis then drew her card and proceeded with her turn.

"I summon Cyber Tutu in attack mode." There was a burst of light and a pink-haired ballerina appeared (ATK/1000 DEF/800), "If the attack points of my opponent's monsters are higher than that of my Cyber Tutu, she can attack directly. Cyber Tutu, attack their Life Points directly with Graceful Kick!" Cyber Tutu danced past Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon and stopped in front of Sammie and Saito. With one fluid motion, she kicked them both in the stomach and returned to her place.

-----------------------------------

**Saito and Sammie:** 7000

**Alexis and Cassie:** 7000

-----------------------------------

"I end my turn."

"Alright, so it's mine now." Sammie drew her card and added it to her hand before flipping over one of her facedown cards, "I activate End of the World. Now I discard Dark Magician of Chaos from my hand in order to Special Summon Demise, King of Armageddon in attack mode!" The ground split wide open and a wave of darkness flooded out from the abyss below as the axe-wielding monarch of doomsday slowly rose out from the forbidding depths. (ATK/2400 DEF/2000)

"And now I'll activate his effect," announced Sammie, "By paying two thousand Life Points, I can destroy every card on the field except him."

"Samantha, what the HELL are you doing?" demanded Saito.

-----------------------------------

**Saito and Sammie:** 5000

**Alexis and Cassie:** 7000

-----------------------------------

With one mighty swing of his axe, Demise, King of Armageddon split the ground wide open and every single card on the field was annihilated save for himself.

"Now Demise, attack Cassie and Chancellor Rhodes directly with World Ender!" ordered Sammie.

"Flectere si nequeo superos, Achaeronta movebo." The words of Demise, King of Armageddon were barely heard as his axe rose up again and came swinging down with full force at the necks of the two opposing duelists.

-----------------------------------

**Saito and Sammie:** 5000

**Alexis and Cassie:** 4600

-----------------------------------

"That's it for me," Sammie declared.

"What the hell are you doing?" demanded Saito, "My dragons were going to win this!"

"I don't care," the blond replied, "I am going to win this my way, you stuck up prick!"

"Oh, this can't be good," was all Mikey could say in response.

"When tag team members can't cooperate, they're doomed," said Coltyn.

"This is so NOT fabulous," groaned Max.

"My turn!" Cassie drew her card; "First I summon Elemental Hero The Heat in attack mode." In a flash of flame, a male version of Elemental Hero Lady Heat appeared on the field. (ATK/1600 DEF/1200)

"His effect lets him gain two hundred attack points for every Elemental Hero I have on the field," the young girl explained, "Since he's the only one on the field, he boosts himself up to eighteen hundred. But I'm not done. Now I play Miracle Fusion. This lets me remove from play fusion material monsters from my graveyard and field listed on a fusion monster, and then summon that fusion monster. So I'll be removing Elemental Hero The Heat and Elemental Hero Lady Heat from the game to fuse them together into Elemental Hero Inferno!" Elemental Hero Lady Heat appeared briefly beside her male counterpart before the two of them were pulled into a vortex and emerged as one being; a warrior in blazing red armor and his hands scorching with the power of fire. (ATK/2300 DEF/1600)

"Next I play The Hero Returning Alive to return a Warrior to my hand from my graveyard and I choose Elemental Hero Captain Gold," Cassie continued, "Now I discard Captain Gold for Skyscraper from my deck, which I play." For the second time that duel, tall city buildings rose up around the arena.

"Elemental Hero Inferno, attack Demise, King of Armageddon. Pyro Blast!" Elemental Hero Inferno brought his hands a foot apart from each other and began to build up a ball of fire. Once it had grown to the right size, he drew back his arms and launched it. The fireball struck Demise, King of Armageddon and destroyed him.

-----------------------------------

**Saito and Sammie:** 4100

**Alexis and Cassie:** 4600

-----------------------------------

"And that's it for me," Cassie said with a smug smirk.

"Stay out of my way and leave this duel in the hands of someone capable." Saito drew his card and played a different one from his hand, "I set a monster facedown as well as another card. My turn ends here."

"My move." Alexis drew, "And I activate my Machine Angel Ritual. Now I sacrifice Cyber Prima from my hand so I can Ritual Summon Cyber Angel Benten!" The offering was made and in a flash of light, a woman with long black hair wielding a fan attached to a long chain appeared on the field. (ATK/1800 DEF/1500)

"Cyber Angel Benten, attack that facedown monster!"

"I activate Sakuretsu Armor!" Saito's facedown flipped up, causing an empty suit of armor appeared and the spikes that studded the exterior suddenly shot out and impaled the monster, destroying it, "I know about Cyber Angel Benten's effect to deal damage equal to the destroyed monster's defense points. It's not going to happen."

"Well then, I suppose it's your turn then, Miss Korangar."

"Good." Sammie drew her card, "I'll summon Senju of the Thousand Hands in attack mode." This brought out her thousand-armed monster and she used it to bring Ruin, Queen of Oblivion to her hand before ending her turn. (ATK/1400 DEF/1000)

_What the hell is she thinking?_ Saito wondered to himself, _putting a monster out in attack mode with no facedowns to protect it just to bring a card to her hand is absolutely careless._

"My move!" Cassie removed the top card of her deck and looked at it, "I summon Elemental Hero Ocean in attack mode!" The space beside Elemental Hero Inferno began to glow and from it arose a blue aquatic warrior wielding a silver staff. (ATK/1500 DEF/1200)

"Once per turn, I can use Ocean's effect during my Standby Phase to return an Elemental Hero or Destiny Hero from my field or graveyard to my hand," Cassie explained, "But we've got time now so I'm going to attack. Elemental Hero Inferno, attack Senju of the Thousand Hands with Pyro Blast!" Elemental Hero Inferno gathered up fire and concentrated it into a ball between his hands once again and launched it into Senju of the Thousand Hands.

-----------------------------------

**Saito and Sammie:** 3200

**Alexis and Cassie:** 4600

-----------------------------------

"Now Elemental Hero Ocean, attack that facedown monster with Tidal Smash!" Elemental Hero Ocean spun his staff over his head and grasped it in both hands like a spear before aiming it at Saito's facedown. The gems flashed for a brief second before a massive torrent of water erupted from the weapon and smashed into the card, which turned out to be a Masked Dragon.

"I use Masked Dragon's effect to summon another Masked Dragon in defense mode," announced Saito.

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn," Cassie finished.

"My move." Saito drew his card and examined his hand. As things stood, all he needed to do was hold out until he had enough dragons in his graveyard. Then he would be able to summon Five God Dragon.

"I end my turn," he announced.

"And I'll begin mine." Alexis drew her card and played it immediately, "I activate Premature Burial. Now by paying eight hundred Life Points, I can bring back a monster from my graveyard."

-----------------------------------

**Saito and Sammie:** 3200

**Alexis and Cassie:** 3800

-----------------------------------

"I summon Cyber Prima in attack mode!" A cybernetic ballerina with long white hair appeared in front of Alexis and bowed deeply (ATK/2300 DEF/1600), "Cyber Prima, attack Masked Dragon with Laser Dance!" Cyber Prima got onto her toes and began to spin around. As she danced, a multitude of laser beams shot out and rained down on Masked Dragon until nothing remained. Saito then brought out a third Masked Dragon. After that, Alexis ended her turn. Sammie didn't seem too pleased when she drew another Ruin, Queen of Oblivion but she decided she would save it for tribute fodder later. So she simply ended her turn in hopes that Saito's Special Summoning dragons would last. Then it was back to Cassie.

"I draw. And now on my Standby Phase, I activate Elemental Hero Ocean's effect to return Elemental Hero Stratos to my hand. And now that it's my Main Phase 1, I summon Elemental Hero Stratos in attack mode." For the second time that day, Elemental Hero Stratos took the field, "And with his effect, I bring Elemental Hero Woodsman to my hand. Now it's time. Elemental Hero Ocean, destroy his Masked Dragon with Tidal Smash!" A torrent of water shot out of Ocean's staff and destroyed the dragon.

"I use Masked Dragon's effect to summon Troop Dragon in defense mode." Saito quickly brought out a small green winged dragon similar to a mere foot soldier and it crouched down on the field with its shield held in front of it. (ATK/700 DEF/800)

"Elemental Hero Stratos, attack that Troop Dragon with Tornado Hold!" The propellers on Stratos' wings began to spin faster and they generated two cyclones that spiraled towards the Troop Dragon, surrounded it, and then closed in on it until it had been torn apart.

"When Troop Dragon is destroyed, I can summon another Troop Dragon in face-up attack or defense mode," said Saito, "and I choose defense mode." Another Troop Dragon took the place of the old one, causing Cassie to grumble.

"Goddammit. Elemental Hero Inferno, attack that Troop Dragon!" Another fireball later, Saito brought out his third Troop Dragon.

"I set one card and end my turn," announced Cassie.

"Then I draw my card." Saito took his card and looked at it. It wasn't the one he needed, but at least now he had enough dragons in his grave to summon his strongest monster. Now he just needed to stall for time. With his final Troop Dragon out, he was now out of monsters that could Special Summon other monsters from his deck. However, he could still stall.

"I summon Decoy Dragon in attack mode and end my turn."

"My turn now." Alexis drew her card and proceeded through her Standby Phase to her first Main Phase, which she passed, going on to her Battle Phase, "Cyber Prima, attack Troop Dragon with Laser Dance!" Cyber Prima began to dance again and another barrage of lasers shot out and rained down on the small dragon foot soldier.

"I end my turn."

"And now it's mine." Sammie drew her card and smiled at what she saw, "I play Monster Reborn and I'll use it to bring back my Dark Magician of Chaos!" A purple pentagram appeared on the ground and from it rose up a slender leather-clad spellcaster with long black hair and a long staff. (ATK/2800 DEF/2600)

"And when Dark Magician of Chaos is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, I can take one spell card from my graveyard and add it to my hand and I choose End of the World. Now I play End of the World. I discard Ruin, Queen of Oblivion to summon another Ruin, Queen of Oblivion!" A burst of light shot up from the ground beside Dark Magician of Chaos and Sammie's white-haired queen appeared (ATK/2300 DEF/2000), "Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Elemental Hero Stratos! Remove that motherfucker from play with Spell of Destruction – Death Ultima!" Dark Magician of Chaos' staff crackled with black magic as he spun it over his head and then slammed the head into the ground, causing a crackling black ball of energy to shoot towards Stratos. A portal was summoned on contact and the flying hero was swiftly pulled in.

-----------------------------------

**Saito and Sammie:** 3200

**Alexis and Cassie:** 2800

-----------------------------------

"Ruin, attack Elemental Hero Ocean now!" ordered Sammie.

"I activate Hero Barrier!" shouted Cassie, "If I have an Elemental Hero on the field, I can activate this card to negate the attack of one monster." A solid beam of light shot out of Ruin's staff and a sparking force field appeared in front of Elemental Hero Ocean, protecting him from the blast.

"Fine. I set one card and end my turn," Sammie declared.

"My move now." Cassie drew her card and smiled, "I play Polymerization! Now I fuse Elemental Hero Woodsman from my hand with Elemental Hero Ocean on my field." A brief image of a green giant with trees for its right arm and leg appeared beside Elemental Hero Ocean before the two of them were pulled into a vortex and out came a white creature with blue crystal shoulders and cranium as well as a red jewel embedded into his chest. (ATK/2500 DEF/2000)

"Elemental Hero Terra Firma, attack Dark Magician of Chaos!" ordered Cassie, "And because I have Skyscraper, he gets that thousand point boost!"

"That's why I activate Dust Tornado to destroy it!" replied Sammie. A brown dust-filled tornado descended from above and obliterated the buildings surrounding the field, returning the arena to its original state.

"But here's a bonus!" Cassie said with a big smug smile, "I can tribute an Elemental Hero to boost Terra Firma's attack points by that of the sacrificed hero until my End Phase. And since I only have one other hero on my field..."

"Shit..." muttered Sammie.

"Elemental Hero Inferno, lend your power to Terra Firma. Hero's Union!" Elemental Hero Inferno burst into flames and shot forward into the gem on Elemental Hero Terra Firma's chest. The blue crystals began to glow fiery orange with the power of Inferno's power.

"Elemental Hero Terra Firma, continue your attack on Dark Magician of Chaos. Cosmic Impact!" The flames shot out from Elemental Hero Terra Firma's crystals, turning them blue again, and rained down on Dark Magician of Chaos like meteors. The spellcaster was swiftly destroyed and removed from play by its own effect.

-----------------------------------

**Saito and Sammie:** 1200

**Alexis and Cassie:** 2800

-----------------------------------

"Stay the hell out of my way, woman!" barked Saito, "I've got this!"

"Like hell!" Sammie snapped, "I haven't seen you do one thing to contribute to this team!"

"What was that!? I have been carrying this team; you, on the other hand, have hindered it! You have destroyed every advantage we had!"

"Fuck you, you spoiled brat! Like I would let you gloat about being the one who won this game for us! I am just as good…no I am better than you and you know it!"

"Better? You are nothing but a poor and vile creature who could only dream of being comparable to me. It is only by god's good graces that you are here by my side!" The pair continued to banter back and forth, their tongues tipped with venom in every word they spoke as fire breathed from the backs of their throats and daggers shot out like lightning from their eyes. Hate based out of frustration grabbed them and grasped their hearts.

Did they really feel this rage and spite that struck out like a whip upon a bare back? No, but they did feel their prides vying for dominance in this game where they were confronted with an all too knew and alien concept that struck them with a chill of fear; they could lose, and they were scared. Scared of their image. Scared of humiliation. Scared for the sake of being scared.

"This is really bad," Mikey said worriedly

"Alright, fuck this." Coltyn got up from his seat and slammed his hands against the railing, "Listen up, you two! I don't know what kind of shit you've got going on between you, but it's got to stop. You're killing yourselves at this rate! Come on! You guys are rivals right? I am sure you have watched more of each other's games here than anyone else in this school. You should know every card of not only your own deck, but also each other's! That is part of being the best right? Well if you guys are the best then prove it and beat them together and then you can play each other for all I care, to show us who really is number one! Right now you have to win this duel."

With those words finally said, Coltyn sat back down and took a deep breath.

"That was unexpected," said Mikey.

"Even I have a breaking point, Mikey," replied Coltyn, "This kind of bickering just annoys me to no end."

"We'll save this for later," Saito muttered to Sammie.

"You know it," was the answer.

"My draw!" Saito drew his card and a confident smirk finally appeared on his face, "I begin by playing Heavy Storm!" A powerful hurricane swept across the field and every single spell and trap card that was on the field was blown away and destroyed.

"Now that you have nothing to defend yourselves with, I play Dragon's Mirror." With that, the heir to Kaiba Corp. played the card he had just drawn, "I remove from play two Masked Dragons and three Troop Dragons and fuse them together to summon Five God Dragon!" A golden dragon frame mirror appeared behind Saito and the five dragons he mentioned appeared and were pulled in before his massive five-headed dragon flew out from it and roared. (ATK/5000 DEF/5000)

"Five God Dragon, kill Elemental Hero Terra Firma with Penta-Dragon Blaze!" All five heads each launched their respective elemental blasts from their mouths and they spiraled together into a massive helix that slammed into Elemental Hero Terra Firma and destroyed him, leaving nothing but a shower of stardust.

-----------------------------------

**Saito and Sammie:** 1200

**Alexis and Cassie:** 300

-----------------------------------

"I set two cards facedown and end my turn."

"My turn." Alexis drew her card, "I equip Cyber Prima with Megamorph! Since we have less Life Points, it doubles her attack power. Now Cyber Prima, attack Ruin, Queen of Oblivion with Laser Dance!"

"I activate Mirror Force!" Saito revealed one of his facedowns and a shimmering barrier appeared in front of all the monsters on his and Sammie's side of the field. Cyber Prima's laser barrage shot up into the air and then came raining down only to strike the magical shield, which absorbed all the blasts. As soon as the Laser Dance was complete, the Mirror Force kicked in and unleashed it back at all the monsters on Alexis' and Cassie's side of the field, wiping out every single monster.

"You have nothing now," Saito said with a confident smirk.

"I set a monster facedown and end my turn," Alexis finished.

"It won't do you any good." Sammie placed her hand on top of her deck and drew the final card of the entire duel, "Ruin, attack that monster with Dies Irae!" A solid beam of energy shot out of Ruin's staff and struck Alexis' facedown monster, which turned out to be Cyber Gymnast, and completely obliterated it from the field.

"And now I activate her effect!" Sammie continued, "If Ruin destroys a monster by battle, she can attack one more time during the same Battle Phase! Attack their Life Points directly, Ruin! Dies Irae again!" Ruin, Queen of Oblivion held her staff in both hands and two beams of energy shot from the horns on the top and passed right through both Cassie and Alexis.

-----------------------------------

**Saito and Sammie:** 1200

**Alexis and Cassie:** 0

-----------------------------------

"And that concludes the duel," the announcer shouted, "The winning team is Saito Kaiba and Sammie Korangar! And the winner of the Teacher Tournament, for dealing the final blow, is Sammie!" The crowd roared in delight at the end of the game. Elsewhere, in a long bright room, in a large bright house, an odd bright man giggled gleefully as he finished his wine. Meanwhile, in a tall cold building, in a cold sterile room, a cold and rich man sat and nodded contently with pride welling behind his fierce eyes.

"ABSOLUTELY **FABULOUS**!" exclaimed Max.

"I knew they could do it!" Coltyn said happily with a smile on his face.

"You won, Sammie!" Mikey called excitedly.

As the cheering died down, Saito and Sammie stood across from Alexis and Cassie as the headmistress of Duel Academy presented them with medals to commemorate their victory in the Teacher Tournament. They both hung from red, yellow, and blue lanyards and were gold with the Duel Academy logo emblazoned on it.

"And for you Sammie, here are four tickets for the plane to Industrial Illusions." Alexis handed Sammie a sealed envelope and the blonde took it graciously.

"Thank you, Chancellor Rhodes." And with that, Sammie turned to her friends, "C'mon, bitches! Let's get packing!"

"Hey, why'd she call me a..." Mikey was about to complete his sentences, but was cut off by Coltyn.

"She doesn't mean it like that," he muttered.

And so the Duel Academy Teacher Tournament had finally come to a close. What awaited Mikey, Sammie, Max, and Coltyn now was the trip to Industrial Illusions.

ooo

"Fifty million to duel someone? You serious?" A blond haired man said as he lowered his sunglasses in surprise. His mouth hung agape slightly as he rubbed his scraggly beard in surprise and in thought.

"What's the catch?" he asked curiously, knowing how these things went all too well from so many years ago.

A shadowy man stood across with a smile as he fidgeted in his suit pocket for a small, black orb that had the Roman numeral for one engraved in it. The shadowy man handed it to the blond-haired man, as they stood in the putrid alley that smelled of sex, urine, and bourbon. The blond-haired man looked at the orb oddly as he palmed it. It was no bigger than a gum ball and was made of presumably marble. Looking up questioningly the shadowy man answered without a word being asked, "Have that on your person when duel the person whom you hate the most. You will get the first half of the money now and when you win, which I promise you I will know when you win, you will get the second half of the money deposited directly into your bank account through six separate, untraceable accounts. So are you in or are you out?"

"In?" said the blond man, pulling out an old and wrinkled American flag bandanna from his back pocket. He wrapped it over his head and began to tie it with a wide grin on his face. "Of course Bandit Keith is in! And Pegasus better watch his ass because I am coming for him!"

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**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

While packing for their trip, Mikey and Max find a little boy living in cave right under their dorm. Who is this mysterious child? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	16. Rock Your World

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

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**EPISODE 1-16**

**Rock Your World**

Mikey sat at his desk with his backpack on the floor beside him as he recounted his underwear for the twenty-eighth time. Max was already halfway finished packing while his roommate had barely even begun. All he had done was lay out his things on his desk.

"Come on, Mikey," the redhead urged, "Our flight leaves tomorrow morning."

"I just need to see if I have enough underwear to last all three days," said Mikey as he turned his boxers over in his hand and started counting them again.

"Mikey, it's only three days. That means three sets of underwear and three sets of socks. It does not get any more complicated than that." Mikey sighed and just stuffed his boxers into his bag before going into his half of the closet to dig out some more clothes.

Meanwhile at the Ra Yellow dorm, Coltyn was busy packing his duffel bag. He had almost finished. All he needed now was to grab his toiletries. He stopped for a moment to get a few items from his toolbox. He selected a few tools he thought he would need for maintenance of his arm. He grabbed a mini-kit from his top dresser drawer and stuck the tools inside the pockets.

In the Obelisk Blue dorm, Sammie had finished packing her suitcase and was now deciding on what to bring for her carry-on luggage. Unlike Mikey and Coltyn, she wasn't particularly a fan of traveling light. But in this case, she also needed to make sure that she had enough extra space for both her and Mikey's new cards. She knew he would never take a lot of anything so she was determined to force him to grab as many new cards from the sneak preview as possible.

Back at the Osiris Red dorm, Mikey was folding up the shirts he was planning to take when the entire building suddenly shook, causing several of the students to scream in terror as they scampered about for cover and safety. The brunet quickly dropped onto Max's bunk for support and laid still.

"Earthquake!" a student screamed as he ran past the room. After a few seconds, the tremors stopped.

"What was that?" asked Max.

"I don't know," replied Mikey, "Is this school built on a fault line or something?" Another tremor caused the dorm to shake again and everybody ran outside, despite Ms. Frost's warnings.

"I think it's coming from the cliffs," one female Red said. Everyone ran towards that direction. When they arrived, the shaking had stopped and everybody peered over the ledge to see what was going on. However, they couldn't find anything.

"Alright everyone, back to your dorms," Miss Frost ordered.

"Guess it wasn't anything," Mikey sighed, "But I'm still really uncomfortable about it."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, Mikey," said Max as he placed his arm around his roommate's shoulder.

"I guess." Mikey put his hands in his pockets and started to head back to the dorm. No sooner had he begun to walk, though, he suddenly felt an absence of solid ground beneath his feet. The next thing Max knew, his roommate had vanished.

"Mikey? Where did you go?" The redhead looked around but couldn't find him anywhere. Then he finally spotted a large hole in the ground. However, he saw it a little too late and he fell in and right on top of Mikey.

"OUCH!"

"Oh, Mikey! I'm so glad I found you! I hope I didn't hurt you when I fell." Max lay down on top of Mikey and began hugging him, much to the discomfort of the other boy.

"Ow! Max, please! Not here and not now." After some struggling, the two teens finally got back on their feet and gazed up the hole they had fallen through.

"How are we going to get back up?" Mikey inquired to which Max just shrugged.

"Hey, who are you guys?" a voice called out. The two teens jumped at the unexpected sound and turned to see a young boy. Judging from his skin color, Mikey guessed that he was of mixed ethnicity. His hair was black and his eyes were brown. A light was strapped to his head. He didn't wear a shirt, but instead had on a dark yellow vest along with brown shorts and hiking boots. His face was also smeared with dirt and around his neck he wore what appeared to be a fossil of a velociraptor claw hanging from a string.

"Who are you guys?" the boy asked again before he finally noticed their jackets, "Hey, you're Duel Academy students, aren't you?"

"Yeah, that's right," answered Mikey, "Who are you?"

"Name's Gio."

"I'm Mikey. This is Max."

"What are you guys doing down here?"

"We fell in through that hole." Mikey pointed up and Gio turned his head upward to see.

"Oh that thing. Sorry, my bad. I dug that."

"Um, why?" the Reds inquired.

"'Cause I was... Ummmmm.... Okay, I forgot what I was digging for, but I was digging."

"Isn't that dangerous?" asked Max.

"I don't know the meaning of the word 'dangerous'," replied Gio.

"That's kind of cliché," was Mikey's response.

"No, I mean I don't know what the word 'dangerous' means. Do you have a dictionary or something? Use smaller words." This statement caused both Max and Mikey to sweat drop.

"Um.... Okay...." the latter said slowly, "Um, Gio? How old are you?"

"I'm seven years old," answered Gio.

"I see.... So, uh... Gio. What are you doing down here anyway?" the brunet inquired.

"Oh, I found some interesting sediment samples the other day so I've been digging for any rocks that match its sedimentary make-up," answered Gio.

"How long have you been down here?"

"What day is today?"

"Today is Thursday."

"I've been down here for a week."

"A week?!" Mikey wasn't sure how to react to the fact that this seven-year-old boy could have lived in the cave for an entire week.

"Don't worry. I have a small camp down here. Come on, I'll show you." And with that, Gio turned around and started to walk off down one of the tunnels.

"We should follow him so we don't get lost," suggested Max as he started walking after Gio.

"Oh, right!" Mikey ran to catch up and the three of them trekked through the cavern. After a few minutes, they finally arrived at their destination. Overall, it wasn't much to look at. There was just a sleeping bag, a large box, a kerosene lamp as well as a battery-powered one, a backpack, a storage bin with food, and several digging and spelunking tools. Gio unrolled the sleeping bag and sat down on it and motioned for the two teens to do the same. They managed to find themselves a seat on a rock against one of the cave walls.

"Want some food?" offered Gio. He opened up his bin and took out some cans. After he had handed out the food, he lit his kerosene lamp to give the cave some more light before turning off his headlamp.

"So why exactly are you spelunking down here anyway, Gio?" asked Mikey as he peeled off the top of his can only to have his eyes greeted by some unknown lumpy grey stuff. When he looked at the label he stuck out his tongue in disgust when he noticed it read, 'Anchovy Paste.' What a 'delicious treat' he was 'privileged' to consume and later regurgitate, especially when he noticed that it was past is expiration date by about six months. Yummy.

"It's a hobby of mine," answered the young boy, "Both of my parents' jobs involve lots of digging. When I was little, they brought me along on a lot of their digs. Mom's an archaeologist, so I would always sit and watch while she dug up ancient artifacts. And dad is a paleontologist. In fact, this raptor claw you see around my neck is a gift he sent me from one of his digs. I've had it since I was four. But anyways, those digs took them deep into the earth. It got boring a lot, so I used to play with anything I could find. But all I could find were rocks. I also always brought my Duel Monsters cards, but there was never anybody to play with."

"With everyone working so hard, I can imagine," was Mikey's response.

"Anyways," continued Gio, "dad saw me playing with rocks and my cards at the same time and he introduced me to a bunch of monsters. I really loved playing with my rocks, so he got me into Rock monsters."

"So you're a duelist, Gio?" asked Max.

"Yes, I am."

"You should duel him, Mikey," the redhead urged, "You haven't dueled once since you lost in the Teacher Tournament."

"I guess I could use the practice," Mikey said reluctantly as he set aside the unappetizing food, "But we should really be getting back to the dorm so we can finish packing."

"If you duel me, I'll lead you guys outside when we finish," said Gio.

"Well then, I guess I might as well." Mikey, who conveniently had his Duel Disk with him, strapped the device to his arm and turned it on. Gio brought out a child-sized Duel Disk that looked like the standard academy-issued one, except that it was brown. He strapped it onto his left arm and switched it on before inserting his shuffled deck into the deck slot.

Mikey looked over to his effeminate friend with a sigh as a thought came to his head, "Are you noticing a pattern here?" He asked with exasperation in his voice.

"What kind of pattern?" Max said with curiosity lacing his words.

Mikey shrugged and shook his head, "It just seems like whenever we meet a new person we have to duel them by the end of the…"

"Let's just play already!" cried Gio in youthful exuberance and impatience.

"Fine fine. Let's just do this." Mikey said as he put on a more dueling serious face.

"Game on!" they said simultaneously.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Gio:** 8000

-------------------------------

"I'll start, I guess," declared Mikey as he drew his first card, "I'll begin by summoning Shining Angel in attack mode." He placed his card on the field and summoned a four-winged angel. (ATK/1400 DEF/800)

"After that, I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."

"My move now." Gio drew his card and proceeded with his turn, "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"You're not going to attack?" Mikey found it a little odd that his opponent did not attack, but he shrugged it off and drew his next card, "I summon Kaiser Sea Horse in attack mode." An armored warrior of the sea wielding a shield and a spear appeared beside Shining Angel. (ATK/1700 DEF/1650)

"Kaiser Sea Horse, attack his facedown," ordered Mikey. The deep-sea creature ran ahead and thrust its spear at the card. As the weapon closed in, the card flipped over and revealed itself to be Stone Statue of the Aztecs, a massive green monolith of stone that sat with an unchanging and stoic expression. (ATK/300 DEF/2000)

"When a monster takes damage from attacking Stone Statue of the Aztecs," Gio explained, "the damage is doubled." Kaiser Sea Horse's spear struck Stone Statue of the Aztecs and bounced right off. The creature was thrown back from the recoil and slammed right into Mikey, knocking him to the ground.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 7400

**Gio:** 8000

-------------------------------

"I'll end my turn there, then," said Mikey. With that said, Gio drew his card. He set a single monster facedown and then he set another card before concluding his turn. Then it was back to the brown-haired Osiris Red student. Once Mikey drew, he ordered his Kaiser Sea Horse to attack the facedown monster. The spear struck its mark and the card turned out to be Morphing Jar.

"When Morphing Jar is flipped, we discard our entire hands and then draw five cards from our decks," explained Gio right before he sent the four cards he was holding to his graveyard and then taking the top five cards from his deck. Mikey did the same thing and their hands were quickly fully replenished.

"I guess I'll end my turn there, then," he said.

"Then it's my move." Gio drew his card and proceeded, "I remove a Rock monster in my graveyard from play and Special Summon The Rock Spirit in attack mode." He removed Morphing Jar from his graveyard and placed it in his pocket before bringing out a stone-skinned man in Roman armor. (ATK/1700 DEF/1000)

"Rock Spirit, attack Shining Angel," ordered Gio. The Rock Spirit charged in as commanded and slammed its fist into Shining Angel. All could hear the sickening sound of bones breaking against stone as the four-winged angel was brought down into the ground headfirst before its body disintegrated into a shower of pixels.

"I activate Shining Angel's effect to summon a Light monster with fifteen hundred or less attack points in attack mode and I choose a second Shining Angel." Mikey brought out another angel and shuffled his deck.

"Your move, then," announced Gio. His opponent drew his card and examined the field for a moment before continuing.

"I summon Majestic Mech – Ohka in attack mode." He slapped a card onto his Duel Disk and summoned his winged four-legged creature (ATK/2400 DEF/1400), "Majestic Mech – Ohka, attack The Rock Spirit!"

"I activate The Rock Spirit's effect," announced Gio, "He gains three hundred attack points during my opponent's Battle Phase. This way I can reduce the damage I take."

"I'm sorry Gio, but I'm not letting you do that," replied Mikey, "Reveal trap card, Skill Drain. By paying one thousand Life Points, I can negate all monster effects on the field, including the one that destroys my monster at the end of my turn."

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 6400

**Gio:** 8000

-------------------------------

"Majestic Mech – Ohka, go! Majestic Ray!" A shining white beam of light shot out of Majestic Mech – Ohka's mouth and struck down The Rock Spirit, decimating it into a pile of rubble and broken armor.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 6400

**Gio:** 7300

-------------------------------

"Your turn, Gio."

"I gotcha." Gio drew his next card, "I sacrifice Stone Statue of the Aztecs and set a monster facedown. Your move."

"Again with the facedown monsters?" Mikey asked as he drew, "Majestic Mech – Ohka, attack his facedown with Majestic Ray!" Another white beam shot out of Ohka's mouth and struck the card, revealing itself to be Guardian Sphinx. (ATK/1700 DEF/2400) The Sphinx sat still with an ominous gaze as it peered into the ancient past with its all-knowing emerald eyes, seeing the insignificance of the events at present and showing little interest yet no disdain.

"Equal defense! No damage is dealt to you but The Sphinx is A-okay," Gio chimed.

"I end my turn."

"And now it's mine." The shirtless boy drew his card; "I remove from play my Stone Statue of the Aztecs and Special Summon Gigantes in attack mode." He set his card on the field and called forth a big red orc with a tree in its hand. (ATK/1900 DEF/1300)

"Gigantes, attack Majestic Mech – Ohka!"

"But that's a suicide run!" exclaimed Mikey.

"I know, but I plan to use Gigantes' effect, which activates in the graveyard." As Gigantes swung its tree at the Majestic Mech, Ohka opened its mouth and fired a solid beam of light that struck it down and vanquished it.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 6400

**Gio:** 6800

-------------------------------

"When Gigantes is destroyed in battle, his effect destroys all spell and trap cards on the field." As if by some force, Gigantes suddenly burst out of the ground like it was desperately trying to hold on for its life. It clawed and slammed the surface so hard that it caused the earth to split and swallow up all spells and traps on the field, including Mikey's Skill Drain.

"Now I activate Guardian Sphinx's effect and flip him facedown again," Gio announced before ending his turn.

_Why did he flip his monster facedown again?_ Mikey wondered as he drew his card, "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"First I draw and then I Flip Summon Guardian Sphinx," said Gio, "When Guardian Sphinx is Flip Summoned, I can return all monsters on your side of the field back to your hand!" Guardian Sphinx lashed out with its stone tail and whipped all of Mikey's monsters into his hand.

"Guardian Sphinx, attack Mikey directly!" ordered the boy, "Ancient Egyptian Laser Beams!" The eyes on Guardian Sphinx flashed before shooting lasers out at Mikey.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 4700

**Gio:** 6800

-------------------------------

"Now I flip Guardian Sphinx facedown again. After that, I set a monster and another facedown. Your move." Mikey nodded and drew his card. He resummoned his Shining Angel and set a card facedown before discarding Kaiser Sea Horse and one other card from his hand at the end of his turn. Then Gio began his turn. After he drew his card, he proceeded with his turn.

"It ends here, Mikey," he said bluntly, "I Flip Summon Guardian Sphinx and return all your monsters to your hand." Once again, Guardian Sphinx appeared on the field and swept it with its tail.

"Now I sacrifice Guardian Sphinx in order to summon Exxod, Master of the Guard in attack mode!" As Guardian Sphinx vanished from sight, dark clouds gathered near the ceiling of the cave and lightning flashed. A giant golden ring of light appeared and a cross-formed in its center. Slowly, a massive stone form emerged. Mikey gasped when his eyes fell upon the massive form of Exodia. But then the image began to materialize and solidify and the young teen could see that he was facing a look-alike of Exodia. The ring then also became solid matter and attached itself to the creature's back. (ATK/0 DEF/4000)

"And now I activate Exxod's effect. I Flip Summon Great Spirit." Gio's facedown card flipped over and a Native American rhinoceros-like spirit appeared (ATK/500 DEF/1500), "When I Flip Summon a monster, Exxod deals one thousand damage to your Life Points. Exxod, go! Guardian Flash!" Exxod, Master of the Guard slammed its palms together and created a massive shockwave that shook the entire field. A flash of light erupted from the point of impact and struck Mikey hard.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 3700

**Gio:** 6800

-------------------------------

"Now for Great Spirit's effect. When he's Flip Summoned, I can switch the attack and defense points of one Earth monster on my field and I choose Exxod. Exxod, Decimate!" Exxod's halo began to shine and it thrust out its arms before unleashing a mighty blast of energy.

"I activate my trap card Negate Attack!" Exxod's attack was absorbed into a vortex and Gio's Battle Phase ended. The boy flipped his Great Spirit facedown and ended his turn. Mikey then drew his card.

_Exxod now has zero attack points, so I can destroy him right now_, thought the teen.

"I summon Voltech Kong in attack mode!" Mikey set his card on his Duel Disk and called forth an electric gorilla (ATK/1800 DEF/1000), "Voltech Kong, attack Exxod, Master of the Guard! Shock Slam!" Voltech Kong's arms sparked wildly and it leapt to attack Exxod.

"Trap card activate!" announced Gio, "Shift! When you designate one monster on my field as the target of a spell, trap, or attack, I can switch it to target one of my other monsters." Without warning, Exxod and the facedown Great Spirit exchanged places and the attack hit the weaker defender, destroying it.

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn," concluded Mikey.

"And now it's mine again." Gio drew his card and proceeded, "First I switch Exxod, Master of the Guard into defense mode." Exxod knelt down and placed its fists together in a defense position.

"Next I play the field spell Canyon. This doubles the damage you take if you attack a defense position Rock monster." Gio placed the card inside his field tray and the cave suddenly vanished, being replaced with a wide and deep canyon.

"Now I set a monster and two cards facedown and end my turn."

"My turn now." Mikey drew his next card, "I play Monster Reborn and I'll use it to bring back a card I was forced to discard earlier. Come out, Majestic Mech – Goryu!" A ray of light shot up from the ground and from below arose Mikey's shining white mechanical dragon. (ATK/2900 DEF/1800)

"Majestic Mech – Goryu, attack that facedown card. Majestic Blaze!" Goryu's mouth opened wide and a shower of golden flames spewed out and engulfed the facedown card, which turned out to be Medusa Worm (ATK/500 DEF/600). The spiked worm writhed in agony in the moments as it let out a loud screech from its horrendous mouth that was lined with rows of rock burrowing teeth. "And Goryu has piercing when he attacks."

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 3700

**Gio:** 4500

-------------------------------

"I'll end my turn with two facedowns," said Mikey before turning the duel to Gio.

"I draw." The young boy looked at his card and smiled, "I remove two Rock monsters from my graveyard to summon Earth Giant Gaia Plate in attack mode!" Gio's Duel Disk ejected two cards and he placed them in his pocket before a giant stone golem broke up through the ground. (ATK/2800 DEF/1000)

"Next I activate both of my facedown cards: Release from Stone. Each of these lets me bring back one Rock monster that's been removed from play. So now I release from stone Criosphinx in defense mode and Hieracosphinx in attack mode!" Two large rocks appeared and they both shattered as two monsters took the field. The first was a centaur-like sphinx with a blue upper body with horns and wings with the head of a ram and a brown a brown lower body of a lion (ATK/1200 DEF/2400). The second looked more like a traditional Egyptian sphinx with wings, except instead of a human's head it had the head of a bird (ATK/2400 DEF/1200).

"Now it's time to attack," said Gio, "First, Gaia Plate. When he does battle with any monster, the attack and defense points of the other monster are halved. Go, Earth Giant Gaia Plate! Magma Mist!" Earth Giant Gaia Plate raised its hand and a searing blast of steam erupted from below the ground and engulfed Majestic Mech – Goryu, reducing its attack and defense points by half.

"Now attack, Earth Giant Gaia Plate! Tectonic Tremor!" Earth Giant Gaia Plate raised its arm and launched a stone fist straight at Goryu.

"I activate my Waboku!" declared Mikey. Three women in blue robes appeared and formed a sacred barrier that blocked the stone giant's attack.

"Fine then. I set a monster facedown and end my turn," declared Gio, "And just so you know, Hieracosphinx prevents you from attacking any facedown monsters on my field."

"I see." Mikey drew his next card, "I activate its effect and summon Majestic Mech – Ohka in attack mode!" For the second time, Mikey's second-strongest Majestic Mech appeared on the field.

"Majestic Mech – Ohka, attack Hieracosphinx with Majestic Ray!" Majestic Mech – Ohka opened its mouth and unleashed a solid beam of energy at Hieracosphinx.

"Hieracosphinx, counterattack with Storm of the Ancients!" Hieracosphinx opened its mouth and fired a twister of sand. The two attacks collided and shot through each other. They hit the opposing monsters at the same time and both Hieracosphinx and Majestic Mech – Ohka were destroyed at the same time.

"Majestic Mech – Goryu, it's your turn," continued Mikey, "Now that Hieracosphinx is gone, attack the facedown card with Majestic Blaze!" Majestic Mech – Goryu roared as it charged up and unleashed a blast of golden fire at the facedown monster, which turned out to be Golem Sentry (ATK/800 DEF/1800), a stony anthropomorphic doorway that groaned as it crumbled in submission to the power that swept over it.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 3700

**Gio:** 3400

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"Why did you attack my facedown instead of one of my other monsters, like say Criosphinx?" asked Gio.

"Gio, if there's one thing I've learned from Duel Monsters it's never trust a facedown," answered Mikey, "Especially yours."

"Heh. Well said. And nice move suiciding that Ohka on my Hieracosphinx to gain access to my facedown."

"Thanks. I'll set two facedowns and end my turn."

"Do you really have enough cards to defend yourself with?" asked Gio as he drew, "Okay, let's try this again. But first I've gotta deal with Gaia Plate's effect. On my Standby Phase, I have to remove from play one Rock monster from my graveyard. So I'll remove that Golem Sentry you just killed. Now I remove from play another monster to summon a second Gigantes!" A second red orc appeared and roared.

"Now Gigantes, attack Goryu and wipe out all of Mikey's facedowns."

"I activate Mirror Force!" Gigantes' tree trunk struck a magical barrier, which absorbed the impact and then reflected the power back at Gigantes and Earth Giant Gaia Plate, destroying them both.

"Not bad, Mikey," commented Gio, "I'll end my turn now."

"And it's mine." Mikey drew his next card and sent Goryu to attack Criosphinx.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 3700

**Gio:** 2900

-------------------------------

Then it was back to Gio. He drew his card and ended his turn as well. Mikey drew his on his turn and set another facedown. Gio's turn was up again and when he saw the card he drew, he smiled.

"I win, Mikey," the boy announced. He slipped his arms out of his vest and shrugged it off, letting it fall to the floor of the cave.

"First I play Heavy Storm to clear the field of all spells and traps." A powerful windstorm blew across the field and destroyed all of Mikey's facedowns, "Now I play Smashing Ground!" The ground beneath Majestic Mech – Goryu erupted in an explosion as the earth reached up and swallowed it. As the fault line created vanished so did any sign of the creature's existence.

"Now I switch Exxod into attack mode and play Shield and Sword. This spell card switches the attack and defense points of every single monster on the field." As Exxod stood up, its halo began to glow as its attack and defense points switched places with each other.

"Exxod, Master of the Guard, Decimate!" Exxod built up energy between its palms and thrust them forward to unleash it. The energy blast shot across the field and hit Mikey with maximum power, causing him to fall backwards.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 0

**Gio:** 2900

-------------------------------

"Ouch!" Mikey slowly got up and rubbed his bottom.

"You okay, Mikey?" asked Gio.

"Yeah, I'm okay," was the reply.

"That was an awesome duel, Mikey." Gio helped Mikey up to his feet and brushed him off, "However, I think your deck could use some work."

"What do you mean?"

"Well I can see your deck is a Light attribute deck. That's good and all, but your Majestic Mechs seem to be your favorite monsters and those don't usually work well with other Light monsters. They work better in a Skill Drain deck."

"What's a Skill Drain deck?"

"I know this one!" Max suddenly spoke up, startling Mikey and Gio, "You see, Mikey, decks come with all sorts of themes. There are Attribute-based decks like Coltyn's Fire deck. There are Type-based decks like Gio's Rock deck here. And you also got archetype decks like my clowns. However, there's a fourth kind of deck. They are strategy-based decks. The name says it all. Now a Skill Drain deck is a deck that revolves around a strategy that uses the card Skill Drain to not only negate your opponent's monsters' effects, but also the negative effects of your own monsters."

"Sounds simple enough," replied Mikey.

"Anyway, I'll show you guys out of the cave now," said Gio as he deactivated his Duel Disk. After grabbing his vest and throwing it on, he led the two teens through the underground tunnels until they reached a cave mouth overlooking the sea about fifteen minutes later.

"Thanks, Gio."

"No problem. Now I'm going back. I've gotta finish up in there."

"Well we'll see you later then. Come on, Max. We gotta finish packing."

"Fabulous!" exclaimed Max.

ooo

That night at dinner, the Osiris Red dorm was serving spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread. To Mikey and Max, this would be their last meal at school for the next few days. They weren't sure how the food would be when they left, so they decided to enjoy their dinner as much as they can.

"Eat up, soldiers! 'specially you, Mikey 'n Max! Yer gonna need yer strength fer when you leave!" said Hassleberry. A loud knocking noise suddenly sounded through the entire dining room and the head of the boys' dorm walked over to a corner and opened a trapdoor in the floor.

"Hey champ! Yer just in time fer dinner! We're havin' yer favorite." Mikey and Max were surprised when Gio's dirt-covered face suddenly popped up from the trap door.

"Garlic bread!" Gio climbed out of the trap door and ran to a nearby empty seat and began eating.

"Hey Gio, why didn't you tell us about the trap door?" asked Mikey.

"Oh, hi guys!" greeted Gio, "You wouldn't have been able to fit through the trapdoor. It's only big enough for me." He tossed off his vest, tore off a piece of his garlic bread, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"I see you boys just met Gio," said Hassleberry.

"How do you know Gio, Mr. Hassleberry?" asked Mikey.

"Easy," answered Gio, "He's my dad." Mikey's jaw fell.

ooo

Early the next morning, the four friends met on the docks to catch their ship, which would take them to the airport to catch their plane to America. Mikey was wearing a white polo shirt with a blue collar and a Polo logo on his shirt pocket, blue jeans, and white shoes. Sammie had a white and black blouse and blue jeans along with a pair of black shoes. Max wore a pink short-sleeve button-front shirt, khaki cargo pants, and bright green shoes. Lastly, Coltyn had his usual combination of blue jeans, black shoes, and black muscle shirt. When the boat arrived, their captain grabbed Mikey's blue duffel bag, Max's pink backpack, Sammie's roller board, and Coltyn's black duffel and toolkit and stuffed them into the back before they headed off.

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**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Our heroes have a day to themselves and decide to spend it enjoying it. But what would happen if things took a sudden twist when glimpses of their future are revealed to them? Find out what happens next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	17. Free Day

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

This chapter was written by him.

Merry Christmas, everyone! For your reading pleasure, our Christmas gift to you is an early release of our newest chapter.

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**EPISODE 1-17**

**Free Day**

Blood trickled down his face as he held his blade in hand. His armor lay on the ground in shattered bits as he heaved a heavy breath, the wind whipping against his flesh and stinging his wounds. His foe stood as a pristine opposite with armor that shone with wicked luster like a shined black marble. Gilford had fought long and hard against the machine armies of his foe. Oh how Gilford had wanted to face off the Machine Ming himself, not knowing that that victory had been claimed by his current foe.

Jinzo stood with a smirk behind his mask as he awaited the infamous warrior of Lightning, Gilford, to strike. Hours passed between them. Days passed between them. Week passed between them. Years. Ages. Millennia. Between them an eternity had passed between each slow and methodical breath, a motion not being made by either when onlookers would count the ticking of the clock going by for mere moments.

The moment came and the lightning struck, his blade held high and his roar bellowing out like a crack of thunder, though he knew not that he was crying out in his strike. The blade came down and an electronic cackle buzzed through his ears as he fell to the ground, his stomach pierced and Jinzo's hand bloodied. A reckless rush by the new machine king had been Gilford's undoing. Blackness fell around him and Pandemonium would be his eternal home.

ooo

"And this is the first volume?" asked Mikey as he finished the chapter of the book, a little saddened by the results as Gilford passed in combat with Jinzo.

"Volume one of _The Legends of the Falsebound Kingdom_ series. The author is a man named Chance Thulin," Sammie said with a gleeful smile as she took the book from Mikey and gripped it tightly in her hands as the line they stood in moved slowly up.

"Who we are going to see?" Mikey asked in confirmation, scratching at his day bag's strap as it ground into his shoulder reddening the skin under his shirt.

Max, who was behind Mikey, smiled and stuck his head forward and smiled gleefully. "Well Mr. Pegasus set this little trip up with a free day for us just before our meeting."

"But did we have to waste it in this line just to get a book signed?" Mikey replied, confused and not understanding the purpose of being there. The sun was shining gloriously. The sky was cloudless and clear. The weather was warm and the humidity was low. This perfect day to play, shop, and mess around blown on a book signing. These thoughts of futility ended quickly with a rap to the back of his head. Sammie growled at Mikey and he looked down at the ground, knowing why she was mad. This is how she wanted to spend the day and she was the reason they were there. "Sorry," was what he muttered, at a lack of words as they moved to the front of the line, Mikey's eyes drawing to Coltyn.

Coltyn's head bobbed, eyes closed and foot tapping to the sweet rhapsody of music that entered his ears from his headphones. His eyes opened slightly as he gave a nod to Mikey and going back to his original activity, enjoying his own universe of music. Mikey sighed in jealous substance at the contentment of his friend and in exasperated boredom of the situation, not noticing that they had moved up once more, now at the front of the line.

"Omigosh!" Sammie said in a bubbly giggle as she handed the book to the young man. He had a stylized and purposely messy brown hair with blond highlights. He wore an unbuttoned black suit and blue tie that brought out the clarity and depth of his sapphire blue eyes that stuck out even more on this beautiful day. His face was clear and innocently pale showing the youthful and handsome features of the young author.

"I am such a big fan," she continued as he signed her book with a smile on her face. "I have read all of your books since you started writing them. You are such a wonderful author. You make Harry Potter look like crap! I even started a fan club for you back at Duel Academy!" Chance smiled and nodded contently, used to all of these statements, having heard them before. Once. Twice. A million times he heard these things at all of his signings. It wasn't until she mentioned Duel Academy that his ears perked and he placed his pen down. He looked up to her with a brighter smile than he showed any other girl that day. He entwined his fingers in a weave as he rested his chin on them. He noticed her black t-shirt said, 'eyes up here' with an arrow pointing to her face, placed right on her chest.

"Duel Academy?" He asked enthusiastically, "What a coincidence. I just signed up for a student teaching job down there. As you can tell from my writing I am an enthusiast of the Duel Monster theology and story and I was ecstatic to get myself a position there next semester. What is your name there sweetie? It would be nice to know who one of my future students is before I get down there."

"Well I am Sammie Korangar and these are my friends Mikey Angel, Max Harley, and Coltyn Reproba. We are all students at Duel Academy and are here because of a tournament I won!" Her voice reached an octave higher as her face slightly flushed in embarrassment.

"Well I hope to see all of you next semester. In fact, I want to give you guys something special before you leave." Reaching into his pocket Chance grabbed a card that he handed to Sammie and gave a bright grin. "That is my personal e-mail address and phone number. If you guys need anything just call or e-mail me and I will answer. I only give that out to my friends, so don't be strangers, 'kay hun?" He said, the slight southern drawl in his voice that he had become famous for emanating from the last words as Sammie flushed brightly and nodded before grabbing her book and scampering off. Mikey and the others followed as she stopped a block away, her hand on her heart and smiling brightly.

"Oooooh Sammie has a star crush. That's FABULOUS!" Max said with a bright and overly cheery grin, only to be met with a punch in the stomach.

"SHUT UP! NO I DON'T!" She cried out as Max fell to his knees and Coltyn laughed, taking out his headphones.

"Finally, I am not the one to do something stupid," Mikey laughed a little, helping Max up to his feet.

Coltyn stretched a little in boredom and exhaustion, "Well if you guys are done with this episode I thought we were going to go see that new pop idol, Umi, today. You know, the duel singer. She has been really big right now cause her music is pretty good and her concerts are all choreographed as she sings and duels with an audience member for each song."

"Yeah…" Sammie said as she began to try and calm down although her face was still red like a tomato, "I got tickets for that but that won't be till tomorrow, not tonight; you must have gotten your dates confused. But, can we just…go back to the hotel and grab something to eat before I have a heart attack?"

Mikey nodded in agreement to her suggestion, his hand resting on his stomach as it twisted and turned in constricting pain to call up to him to feed. "That is a great idea. I am starving and I could use some fo..." Before he could finish his sentence Mikey heard the inviting whispers of a man in the alley next to them. He raised an eye suspiciously as he looked around the corner and saw a man in tattered flowing robes that looked to be made of an amalgamation of filthy rags stood behind a table with a torn table cloth over it and a sign that said, 'palm readings' in a filthy and worn ink on a filthy and worn piece of cardboard. The man's head was covered by a hood as dark as the night sky and long strands of obsidian-colored hair could be seen sticking out haphazardly. His most noticeable feature was the fact that, adorning his eyes was a tightly bound blindfold made from a tattered and stretched piece of black leather that looked homemade. He bowed to the group modestly as they looked at him with pity.

"Hello, kind souls. Would you and your friends like to come here and get a reading?" He said with and ominous and hushed voice that rasped at the end of each word. They looked uneasily at him and his sighed as he raised his hands above the table and placed them on the deck of cards. "Please. I am very hungry and I need the money to buy bread. I am but a poor blind man. Would you be so kind as to help me?"

The teens hesitated once more before Coltyn stepped up first and placed a five-dollar bill on the table. "Five dollars for the four of us, Mr….what is your name?"

"Omen. My name is Omen." The man said with a humble bow of his head as his bony and greasy hand groped the table and clutched at the bill with a fierce need and depositing it in his cloak. He began to wave the teens closer to him as they hesitantly made their way. "Please come. I do not bite. I just wish to do as I have been paid." As they moved forward with heavy and cautious steps into the alley he placed his hands on the table cloth and wiped away all the wrinkles with one swift and arcing motion of his hands. He then began to tap the table with his brittle and bony finger, thin and frail like the rest of his hungered and skeletal frame. "Place your primary hands here and I shall give you each a reading."

Coltyn placed his real hand on the bale, followed by Sammie, then Max, then Mikey. The shaking hand of the homeless fortune teller wavered in the air as it rested on Coltyn's hand first, his other hand grasping roughly at his wrist as he traced the lines of the boy's palm, the unkempt nail scraping and digging as it went along in its rough shapes. Omen's face grew stony and cold as he entered a trance behind his blindfold and his raspy voice grew raspier and dark. His breath smelled of pickles and mold as he hissed a firy hiss at them

"I see for you, young man…" As Omen began to speak Coltyn's vision began to blur and his hearing began to fade. The words entered his mind without him knowing and in his eyes flashed before him an image. He saw in front of him a raging inferno that sparked to life from the tiniest spark, illuminating the pitch-blackness that preceded it. In front of the flames stood a silhouetted figure, piercing eyes that drilled a hole into his soul. Behind the figure stood three demonic Goliaths: one serpentine and stretching out for eternity, one snarling as his head reached above the clouds and looked down in rage, and the final and most horrific one holding infinite shapes and names yet only capable of being seen through one. The figure in front of these demons spread his lips and spoke in the voice of Omen, "… a meeting with three devils."

Coltyn's vision barely began to come back when Omen clutched at Sammie's hand in much the same manner. His voice bellowed as the gurgling of phlegm could be heard in the back of his throat and spitting out liberally, much to her disgust. She had little time to think on this as her vision blurred as he said, "For you, young lady…" The world grew dim as she found herself in a windowless room with no doors. In the corner of this room she heard the sobbing of a small boy who shivered in the darkness, taking comfort against the breast of a mighty dragon, half angelic and half demonic. Her heart sang out in hurt as she reached out for him, only to have him turn to her with a face that was non-existent. Words began to emanate from him despite his lack of mouth in the voice of Omen, "…the crowning of a new Chaos Master."

And so the pattern continued as the blind man reached from her still overwhelmed form to Max. His grasping hand holding Max's smoothed wrist that smelt of lotion and lavender. "For you…" he said as Max began his own vision, still unaware of what was going on with his friends who seemed blank after their readings but without having time to react. Max was now, not in an alley surrounded by friends and a homeless fortuneteller with the smell of the piss stained walls assaulting his nostrils, but in a circus tent surrounded by Kuribohs and Watapons with the smell of peanuts and flowers caressing his nostrils. Across from him was a woman who wore a half mask like his own with the face of tragedy. He reached his hand to her before she spoke in Omen's voice, "…will find what you have been searching for."

Mikey watched in bewilderment as all his friends stood frozen in their places with a distance gaze but having no time to react as he felt the greasy hand of Omen clutch at his wrist and trace along his palm. "Finally, young man…" The universe erupted before Mikey as he lost account of his senses and found himself on a rocky cliff. In front of him stood two men locked in a duel with spiked collars upon their necks. A man shrouded in darkness against a man basking in light as they clashed in explosions that sounded like the bellowing of giants that erupted with fires that made dragons frightened. As the duel ended the spiked collar pierced through the neck of the man of the light, signifying his defeat. Blood flowed in scarlet rivers down his body but he refused to fall. He stood there defiant of the reaper as his eyes dulled. The man in dark stood there and nodded in respect as he moved to his opponent and placed his corrupted lips upon the fallen one's brow in a kiss. Mikey didn't know these people but he cried. He cried harder than he ever had before and he didn't know why. When the man in dark spoke all he heard was Omen's voice saying, "…you will become a man the day a good one dies."

Moments passed and silence was only periodically broken by the whipping winds that sliced through their ears in this grimy alley. A rat brushed against Sammie's leg as it scurried by. She shrieked at the motion and snapped out of her trance along with the rest. They looked dumbfounded for a moment and then they were gone, fear over taking them as they ran from the blind man. Who was he, really? They didn't care. They just wanted to get away and pray to god that they could out run what they knew they could not: their future.

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**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Our heroes arrive at Industrial Illusions or a day of cards and fun. But what will happen when an intruder suddenly intervenes? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	18. Mechanical Mayhem at Industrial Illusion

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

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**EPISODE 1-18**

**Mechanical Mayhem at Industrial Illusions**

"I can't believe we're finally on our way to Industrial Illusions!" Max exclaimed excitedly, doing his best to try and forget the day before, much like everyone else had; despite the demonic images of their futures that haunted the hollows of their minds.

"I'm surprised that Pegasus actually sent his own private limousine to pick us up," replied Coltyn as he sat beside the redhead opposite Mikey and Sammie who were sitting facing forward.

"Hey Mikey, shouldn't you be a little more excited about this?" asked Sammie as she turned to Mikey, who kept staring out the window.

"C'mon, Mikey. It was just a harmless prank," said Coltyn. His thoughts went back to that morning and he couldn't help but snicker.

"What did you guys do?" asked Sammie curiously as she brushed her hair behind her ear.

"Please don't guys," Mikey pleaded.

"Well..." Coltyn began.

_**FLASHBACK**_

Mikey was still fast asleep with the covers pulled halfway up his chest. Coltyn had a water pistol in his hand and gave Max a nod. Smiling, the redhead reached under the covers and after two minutes he extracted Mikey's boxers. The two of them took a few steps back as the brunet turned onto his left side and resumed his slumber. With silent snickers, Max watched as Coltyn slid the water pistol under the covers and squeezed off a few shots of its contents. Afterwards, they returned to their posts and waited. When Mikey finally woke up, the black-haired Ra Yellow stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his neck and turned to the brunet.

"Had some fun last night, I take it?"

"Huh?" Mikey scratched his head in wonder and proceeded get out of bed when he felt a sticky liquid touch his skin. As he was still groggy having just woken up, it took him a few minutes before it finally registered what happened and that snapped him wide awake.

"W-w-wait a minute guys!" Max and Coltyn burst out laughing.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"Sh-shut up!" Mikey stammered as he virtually planted his beet-red face against the window.

"Well you make it so easy, Mikey!" Coltyn said as he tried to suppress his laughter and failed miserably.

"Your face was just priceless!" Max added. Even Sammie was now laughing hard at the humiliated teenage boy.

"Stop it!"

"Alright, let's stop guys," Sammie finally said after she managed to suppress her laughter, "We're here." The limousine stopped at the security gates and they were quickly granted access onto the Industrial Illusions grounds. The glass skyscraper loomed just up ahead and all eyes turned to look. Mikey even stood up so he could stick his head out through the sunroof for a better view.

"This is awesome!" The limousine pulled up to the front entrance and the chauffeur got out and opened the door. One by one, the teens got out and were met by an elderly man who was waiting for them at the door.

"Welcome to Industrial Illusions," he greeted, "My name is Croquet. Mr. Pegasus shall be meeting with you shortly. He's just finishing up a meeting. In the meantime, come on in." He led them inside and across the massive lobby.

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

"I have one," Coltyn spoke up.

"Yes?"

"Do you sandpaper your throat?" the black-haired teen snickered.

"I will answer that question with another," said Croquet, "Do you know what it is like to get your ass kicked by an eighty-three-year-old man?"

"Touché."

The five of them boarded an elevator and road it to the top floor. As they headed up, the teens got an incredible view of the Industrial Illusions lobby. It was a single enormous room fancily decorated with statues and carvings of all sorts of Duel Monsters lining the walls. There were also some fancy plants. Below them was the reception desk. Emblazoned in the middle of the lobby floor was the Industrial Illusions logo.

A minute passed before the elevator finally came to a stop on the top floor. Everybody got out and walked down a hallway to a set of large double doors with a security system right beside it. Croquet walked up to it and placed his hand on the glowing panel. A bar of light passed under his palm and then he removed his sunglasses. He leaned close to a sensor on the wall and let it scan his retina as he spoke his name into the speaker right underneath it. When the scan was complete, he put his sunglasses back on and a green light came on followed by a loud click. Croquet opened the door and led everyone inside into Pegasus' extremely elaborately decorated office. And sitting behind a large mahogany desk was the man himself facing the window.

"Mr. Pegasus, the winner of the Duel Academy Teacher Tournament and her party of four are here," Croquet announced.

"Excellent, Croquet. You may leave now," replied Pegasus.

"Yes, sir." Croquet bowed to the president of Industrial Illusions and left. As soon as the door had closed, Pegasus turned around and looked at the teens.

"Welcome to my fabulous company!" he greeted them enthusiastically as he stood up.

"Mr. Maximillion Pegasus, it's an honor to finally meet you," Coltyn greeted back, being the only one not to be stunned speechless at the first sight of the great man. One by one, the others returned the greeting.

"Well now, shall we get started?" Pegasus asked before leading the group out of his office. He took them downstairs and proceeded down the hallways until they arrived at what could be presumed as some kind of mail room.

"As you know, we are always looking for brand new ideas for cards; and who do we turn to the most for new ideas? Why children, of course! We receive submissions from children all over the world for new cards. Some of our most memorable submissions are even on display in our museum such as those submitted by the famous duelist Jaden Yuki." After giving his little speech, Pegasus led the students into another room where countless people were sitting at drawing tables or easels drawing and painting.

"This here is our card design department. Here, our finest artists spend their time designing the artwork for the cards. For the designs we picked from our fans, we bring them here for our designers to touch up and refine."

"Mr. Pegasus! We have the latest batch of designs ready for your evaluation," a chubby man with hair and a nose that made him look like a koala said as he approached.

"Excellent! Thank you." Pegasus turned to the students, "Class, I'd like you to meet the head of my design department, Mr. Chumley Huffington!"

"THE Chumley Huffington?" asked Mikey, "As in the Duel Academy graduate Chumley Huffington?"

"That's me," replied Chumley as he turned to the brunet, "Are you an artist, by chance?" He pointed to a corner of a sketchbook that was sticking out of Mikey's bag. The young teen nodded and took his coil-bound collection of artwork out and handed them over.

"These are just a few sketches I drew while watching some duels at school."

"Well then, Mikey-boy, let's have a look," said Pegasus. Chumley opened to the first page and a magnificent sketch of Infernal Dragon going head-to-head with Gene-Warped Warwolf in brutal combat greeted both him and his employer.

"My my. THIS is certainly a magnificent piece of art!" exclaimed Pegasus, "You've got a future here, Mikey-boy!"

"Aww, geez. It was nothing," Mikey said as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Chumley handed back the sketchbook and he placed it back in his bag.

"Well then, let us continue our tour," said Pegasus.

The silver-haired man brought them to the next area, where they saw people writing out cards and their text. Afterwards, they were taken into the printing room where all the cards were printed on massive printing presses. After that, the sheets of cards were taken into the next room where they were cut into their appropriate sizes. Following that process, the cards proceeded to receive the official Industrial Illusions seal of authentication. Lastly, they were taken to the room where they were packaged and sealed inside their packs and boxed up for shipping.

"So that's how they seal those packs," Mikey thought out loud, "I never knew how they did it before."

"Well come then, everyone. It's time for your new cards!" announced Pegasus. He led everyone into the boardroom where four boxes of the new set of cards sat on the table. He handed one out to each of the teens and invited them to open them. Sammie was the first to open her first pack and inside she found a secret rare card.

"Hey, I got a ghost rare!" Coltyn exclaimed as he opened his third pack.

After everyone had finished opening their packs, they proceeded to Pegasus' private executive dining room for a five-star gourmet lunch.

"Is it really okay for us to eat such fancy food?" Mikey asked as a whole lobster was placed in front of him.

"Oh come now, Mikey! When are you ever going to get a chance to eat like this?" Max replied as he enjoyed his meal.

"I guess you're right," said Mikey and he ripped the tail off his lobster.

After lunch, the group returned to Pegasus' office where they spent the rest of the day enjoying their new cards. Pegasus himself sat behind his desk with a glass of red wine and a small cheese platter in front of him as he read a children's comic.

"I discard one card from my hand and Special Summon The Tricky in attack mode," Max announced as he played a game on the coffee table with Sammie, "Now I sacrifice The Tricky and Dream Clown to summon Puppet King in attack mode!" From his hand, the redhead brought out one of the new cards he had received that day. Over at a recliner in another part of the room, Coltyn was slotting his new cards into his binder. In one corner, Mikey was busy restructuring his deck.

_This is simply FABULOUS!_ Pegasus thought to himself. Suddenly, a loud warning siren went off and all heads turned up from what they were doing.

"What's going on?" asked Sammie.

"Croquet, what's going on?" Pegasus demanded as he paged his head security man.

"Mr. Pegasus, someone has forced their way into the building," Croquet reported, "I'll send you a live feed from one of our security cameras." Pegasus turned to his computer with the teen crowding around him and it wasn't long before an image of a blond man in a black leather vest and a bandanna of the American flag appeared on the screen.

"Hey, I know him!" exclaimed Mikey.

"It's Bandit Keith," said Coltyn.

"Exactly," Pegasus responded, "Bandit Keith Steve Howard."

"What's he doing here?" wondered Max.

"No doubt out for revenge against me again," replied Pegasus.

"I read about that. Is he STILL doing that?" asked Sammie.

"So are you going to duel him?" Mikey inquired.

"That's exactly what he wants," was Pegasus' answer as he sat back in his chair, "But I'm not going to give it to him. I've got a better idea." He turned to Max.

"Why don't you go, Maxie-boy?"

"M-m-m-me?" Max stammered.

"Why Max?" Coltyn asked, "Bandit Keith runs a Machine beatdown deck. I don't think Max's deck will stand a chance. My deck would be a better choice."

"So would mine," added Sammie.

"I chose Maxie-boy because I believe he has what it takes," explained Pegasus, "No offense to you Coltyn-boy and Sammie-girl, but I think Maxie-boy has what it takes."

"Do you really think so?" asked Max.

"I _know_ so," was the answer he received.

"Alright then. I'll go."

"Before you do, Maxie-boy, I want you to add this to your deck." Pegasus opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a card, which he promptly handed to Max. The redheaded teen took it and looked at it and then turned back to Pegasus.

"I believe in you, Max," said the silver-haired man. Max nodded and shuffled the card into his deck.

"I'm ready."

"One more thing, Maxie-boy. I have something for you." Pegasus walked to his closet and pulled out a green bundle, which he handed over to Max.

ooo

"PEGASUS!" shouted Bandit Keith, "Come out here and show me your face you son of a bitch!" The light suddenly shut off completely and a single spotlight shone down on a lone figure standing opposite Bandit Keith across the Industrial Illusions logo on the floor. He wore a long green cape with white furry trims and a green wide-brimmed hat with a large purple feather.

"Madames et monsieurs, welcome!" he greeted. The figure threw back his cloak and tossed his hat into the air, revealing himself to be Max wearing his ceramic half-mask. He caught the hat as it came back down and took a very dramatic bow.

"I am le clown des rêves heureux!" he introduced himself, "Or Clown Reves, if you prefer."

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?" demanded Bandit Keith, "If it ain't American, don't say it. We're in America! Talk like an American!"

"Ah Keith, a pleasure as always," Pegasus greeted as he stepped forward with Mikey, Sammie, and Coltyn in tow.

"Pegasus! It's time we settled this once and for all!" barked Bandit Keith.

"I came as you requested. However, I shall not be dueling you. I leave that to le clown des rêves heureux."

"You mean that gay clown?" Bandit Keith scoffed.

"I assure you, sir, that I am not, in any way, gay," was Max's reply as he placed his hat back on his head, "If your aim is Mr. Pegasus, then you must duel me!"

"A'right, fine! This'll be a cinch." Bandit Keith grinned as he activated his Duel Disk and shoved his cards into the deck slot. Max tossed back his cape with his left arm and switched on his own Duel Disk. He shuffled his deck and then locked it in place. The two selected their hand choice and Max's paper beat Keith's rock.

"I shall start off this FABULOUS show!" announced Max.

"Whatev, punk!" shouted Bandit Keith, "Let's just duel!"

----------------------------------

**Max:** 8000

**Bandit Keith:** 8000

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"And I'll begin!" Max drew his first card, "And I'll summon Crass Clown in attack mode." He played his card and called forth his ball-balancing clown. (ATK/1350 DEF/1400)

"I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn."

"My turn then, you little punk!" Bandit Keith drew his first card and played it, "I summon Ground Attacker Bugroth in attack mode!" This called forth a green jet with legs and two missile pods mounted on its back. (ATK/1500 DEF/1000)

"Ground Attacker Bugroth, attack that monster!" The robot fired two missiles at Max's monster, but the redhead was prepared.

"I activate Zero Gravity, switching all our monsters' Battle Positions!" Ground Attacker Bugroth folded up into a defensive position as Crass Clown got off his ball and hid behind it. The missiles that were fired earlier shot towards the ground and hit it harmlessly.

"Alright, fine! I'll set a card facedown and end my turn."

"My turn then!" Max drew his second card, "And now I play Stumbling. This spell card forces all monsters to switch to defense mode on the turn they are summoned. And next I activate my facedown card, Labyrinth of Nightmare. As long as this card is face up, all of our monsters are forced to change their Battle Positions at the end of each of our respective turns. So now I'll summon Dream Clown in attack mode." in the spot beside Crass Clown, the blue-caped clown popped up and somersaulted in the air before landed. (ATK/1200 DEF/900) As soon as it appeared, Stumbling took effect and the clown tripped over its own cape, forcing it into a defensive pose.

"Now I use Dream Clown's effect to target your monster." Taking out a spritzer bottle, Dream Clown walked over to Ground Attacker Bugroth and sprayed it before skipping back to its place. A few second passed and nothing happened.

"And what was that supposed to do?" Bandit Keith scoffed before his Ground Attacker Bugroth suddenly exploded.

"Did I mention that his spritzer bottle is filled with nitroglycerin?"

"You little son of a bitch!"

"I switch Crass Clown to attack mode and attack you directly!" Crass Clown got up and kicked his ball into Bandit Keith.

----------------------------------

**Max:** 8000

**Bandit Keith:** 6650

----------------------------------

"I end my turn and that changes my monsters' Battle Positions," concluded Max as his Labyrinth of Nightmare switched his clowns into prone position.

"Alright, first I'm gonna bust down that Stumbling!" declared Bandit Keith as he drew, "I play Mystical Space Typhoon to blow that thing to Hell!" A strong wind blew in and destroyed Max's Stumbling.

"Now that I've got that bitch out of the way, I'm summoning Mechanicalchaser in attack mode!" He played his card and summoned a spherical winged robot with several limbs armed with sharp weapons. (ATK/1850 DEF/800)

"Mechanicalchaser, attack Dream Clown!" On command, Mechanicalchaser flew across the field and stabbed Dream Clown with all of its weapons. The circus performer coughed before it died.

----------------------------------

**Max:** 7350

**Bandit Keith:** 6650

----------------------------------

"I'll set another card facedown and end my turn." At that moment, Mechanicalchaser changed its battle position.

"My turn." Max drew, "And now I switch Crass Clown into attack mode and use his effect to bounce Mechanicalchaser to your hand." With its pole, Crass Clown vaulted Mechanicalchaser into the air and back into Keith's hand.

"Now I sacrifice Crass Clown and let The Tricky take the stage!" Crass Clown vanished and in its place appeared Max's question marked harlequin (ATK/2000 DEF/1200), "Attack directly, Tricky!

"I activate Sakuretsu Armor!" A blast erupted from the floor in front of Bandit Keith and destroyed The Tricky.

"Well if you're done, it's my turn again." The American man drew his next card and grinned darkly, "I summon Card Trooper." He placed the card on his Duel Disk and summoned a rather cartoony version of the robot from _Lost in Space_. (ATK/400 DEF/400)

"Now by using its effect, I can send up to three cards from the top of my deck to my graveyard to boost him up by five hundred attack points for each card." And so Bandit Keith sent his top three cards and his Card Trooper gained an additional fifteen hundred attack points.

"Next I play Monster Reborn and resurrect Perfect Machine King!" From the depths of the underworld, a massive white and red robot rose up from the pits and slammed its fists together (ATK/2700 DEF/1500), "And he gains five hundred attack points for every Machine I have except for himself. And with Card Trooper on the field, that brings him up to thirty-two hundred attack points. Now Card Trooper, Reckless March!" Card Trooper rushed forward and extended its arms before firing a pair of cannon shots at Max.

----------------------------------

**Max:** 5450

**Bandit Keith:** 6650

----------------------------------

"Now Perfect Machine King, go! Armaments of the Nuclear King!" Perfect Machine King slammed its fists together and numerous missiles ports opened up. Then it opened its hands and its fingertips also opened up. The massive machine turned its arms forward and then unleashed an enormous barrage of missiles from its body. The warheads shot through the air and came down on Max with deadly force.

----------------------------------

**Max:** 2250

**Bandit Keith:** 6650

----------------------------------

"Seriously, ow," cringed Mikey.

"And then I'll end my turn there," announced Bandit Keith followed by his monsters changing Battle Positions.

Max drew his card and set it in facedown defense mode. After that, it was Bandit Keith's turn. He drew his card and proceeded with his turn.

_This punk doesn't stand a chance_, he thought with a grin. He took a quick a glance around to make sure nobody was looking and secretly pulled a card out from one of his wristbands.

"I activate Alchemy Cycle!" announced Bandit Keith, "This card brings my monsters' attack points down to zero until the end of my turn and when they're destroyed in battle, I get to draw one card for each of them! And now I play the spell Machine Duplication! I pick a Machine monster with five hundred or less attack points and I can summon two more from my deck. And since Alchemy Cycle brought Perfect Machine King down to zero, I pick him!" Suddenly, two more Perfect Machine Kings appeared.

"Now attack my Perfect Machine Kings!" The first one that was summoned this turn attacked and the card that was hit turned out to be Marshmallon. As soon as it was revealed, the small pink creature leapt up and bit Bandit Keith upon its effect's activation.

----------------------------------

**Max:** 2250

**Bandit Keith:** 5650

----------------------------------

"What?" Bandit Keith growled and sent his other monsters with attack power to attack Marshmallon.

"Marshmallon can't be destroyed in battle," said Max.

"Damn you." Keith ended his turn and his monsters changed their battle positions.

"My turn!" Max drew another card and set it facedown. Then he set a monster and ended his turn.

_If he does what I think he'll do, I can win this_, thought Max.

"I draw!" Bandit Keith ripped his card from his Duel Disk and switched all of his defending monsters into attack mode, "Attack that facedown with Armaments of the Nuclear King!" Max's facedown was bombardment and revealed to be Peten the Dark Clown.

"I remove Peten the Dark Clown to summon another Peten in defense mode!" announced Max.

"No prob! Attack it again!" ordered Bandit Keith. His second Perfect Machine King attacked and destroyed Peten.

"And I bring out another one!"

"Fuck you, kid!" Bandit Keith ordered the third's destruction and with nothing else left to destroy, he ended his turn. At that moment, all four of his cards switched into defense mode.

"Gotcha!" Max revealed his facedown card, "I activate Tragedy! I can activate this when a monster on your field changes to defense mode. It destroys every single face-up defense monster on your field."

"WHAT?" To Bandit Keith's horror all four of his machines were obliterated at once.

"Sorry Bandit Keith, but this isn't your day." Max drew his next card and his eyes widened, "I summon Dream Clown and switch Marshmallon into attack mode. Now attack Bandit Keith both of you!"

----------------------------------

**Max:** 2250

**Bandit Keith:** 4150

----------------------------------

After that, Max ended his turn and his monsters switched to defense mode. Then Bandit Keith drew his card, but all he had in his hand were Barrel Dragon, Machine King, Slot Machine, and Metalzoa, none of which could be summoned. Then it was back to Max. He drew and his turn proceeded.

"Watch this. I sacrifice Marshmallon and Dream Clown and summon Garnecia Elefantis in attack mode!" His two creatures vanished and in their place appeared a giant purple elephant man with a sword. (ATK/2400 DEF/2000)

"Wait a second! Isn't that..." Keith began.

"It's the last card you played when you and I dueled last," Pegasus confirmed, "I gave it to Max to defeat you with it."

Coltyn looked up to Pegasus in surprise and smirked, "So you chose Max not just cause you believed in him but because Bandit Kieth is a power player and to make sure he stays gone you have to embarrass him, not just beat him."

"Exactly. Max has the biggest mental advantage. I gave him that card for the same reason as well." Pegasus said smugly as he watched Max grin in glee as he prepared for the assault.

"Garnecia Elefantis attack!" ordered Max. Garnecia Elefantis charged in and rammed into Bandit Keith tusks first.

----------------------------------

**Max:** 2250

**Bandit Keith:** 1750

----------------------------------

Bandit Keith then drew his card on his turn and set a monster facedown. Then Max drew and he discarded one card from his hand to Special Summon his second The Tricky.

"Garnecia Elefantis, attack that card!" The giant purple elephant attacked and destroyed the monster, "End this, Tricky! Clown Trick!" The Tricky spun into the air and threw a dagger that buried itself into Bandit Keith's heart.

----------------------------------

**Max:** 2250

**Bandit Keith:** 0

----------------------------------

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! How could I lose to... to.... CLOWNS?"

"That's just the sort of man you are, Bandit Keith," said Pegasus, "The way you duel and what you duel for will never make you a true duelist. Now then, if you'll excuse me I'll have to ask you to leave."

"I ain't goin' nowhere, Pegasus!" Bandit Keith shouted, "Not until I..." But he didn't finish his sentence as the floor gave way under him and he fell screaming until there was a loud splash.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

"What's down there?" Mikey asked curiously.

"The sewer."

"EWWWWWW!"

Pegasus turned to Max and smiled.

"You did very well out there, Max," he said.

"Thanks, Mr. Pegasus," replied Max.

"Now then, let's head back!" announced Pegasus. Just then, one of his employees came running up.

"Mr. Pegasus! We have a security breech! Someone broke into one of the vaults and stole a card from it!"

"Was it Keith?" asked Pegasus.

"No, it was someone else."

"Well what vault was it?"

"Vault eighty-six. Codename: Golden Empire."

ooo

Bandit Keith growled, twisting his face into a scowl as he waded through the brown and thick water that smelled of rot and plague. He hissed as he looked around and let out a bellow of rage at the ceiling he fell from only to be interrupted by the sound of a wheezy breathing. His head snapped to see a pair of blank eyes staring at him in the darkness of the tunnels.

"You failed in your job, Keith," said the owner of the eyes in a raspy voice that sounded familiar to the American duelist.

"I didn't fail nothing!" he yelled out as he pointed at the shadowed figure angrily. "I was beat by a kid who got in the way! I will still get Pegasus, one way or another!"

"I am sorry Keith," The shadowed figure stepped out of the shadows and what Keith saw horrified him as he screamed in sheer terror that burned his eyes at the mere sight of this figure with his dark purple hair that was in a spiky fashion. Keith attempted to call out to the person but soon felt the small marble in his pocket that he was told to hold onto for the duel glow hot. It burned his leg and he hissed in pain before every orifice of his head blazed with the light of a million stars and was shunted into the darkness of the orb. Keith fell to the ground in a slump, feces floating by his face that had no expression beyond the blank void in his eyes that stared off into nothingness.

The purple haired figure of horrific visage stood and waited for a moment before Keith stood up. His eyes were piercing and different then before. They were methodical and looked through the workings of the universe around him as he smirked to the figure of horrific nature. In a voice that was not his own Keith spoke, "But you have been replaced."

The purple haired one nodded and bowed to the newly risen Keith and with a high pitched yet raspy spoke in greeting, "Let us go, Mr. Nesbitt." And he began to lead out of the sewer, a laugh of menace in the back of both their throats.

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**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

A card has been stolen and Mikey has been selected to win it back. But will his skills to be enough to fight this new enemy and his powerful deck? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	19. Tyrant

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

New rules in effect as of August 9, 2008.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**EPISODE 1-19**

**Tyrant**

Mikey, Sammie, Max, and Coltyn were sitting outside with their only company being each other and Pegasus' secretary. Meanwhile, Pegasus himself was inside his office discussing the issue at hand with all of his top executives.

"What are they doing in there?" asked Max.

"What?" Coltyn, who was kneeling by the door trying to listen in on the meeting, turned to Max.

"I asked what they're doing in there," Max repeated.

"God, I am getting so sick of that question," muttered the Ra Yellow student.

"Well you're the one who found the stethoscope under the couch in the lobby."

"I still have no idea what that thing was doing there," Mikey put in as he continued working on his deck.

"Okay, look. They're just talking," answered Coltyn with a hint of annoyance in his voice, "That's all they've been doing: talking. That's what they were doing for the past hour. That's what they were doing when you asked me five minutes ago. So five minutes from now, when you ask me 'What are they doing,' my answer is going to be 'They're still just fucking talking'!"

"Wow Coltyn, I've never seen you lose your cool before," Sammie commented, poking his cheek lightly much to his chagrin.

"Even I have a breaking point." Coltyn heard some movement and he quickly backed away as the doors opened. Pegasus stepped out followed by his executives.

"So what's going on?" asked Mikey curiously as he leaned his head in a futile attempt to listen.

"Well we had our engineers have a look at the vault and they said that the steel, which had been designed to withstand severe temperatures and ballistic force, was now as brittle as glass. The only way to do that would be an alternating combination of extreme heat and cold till something was able to smash through," Pegasus replied, "Security was bypassed by overloading the system with electricity. And then as a safety precaution, the thief caved in the ceiling so it took us an hour and a half just to get to the vault."

"What are the chances that the thief is still around?" Coltyn inquired.

"Well we've issued a complete lockdown of the building, so there is a good possibility that the culprit is trapped inside," Pegasus' head of security responded.

"We're also fortunate enough that a good friend of mine just happened to be in the building when the incident happened," Pegasus continued with a light tone to his voice despite the seriousness of the situation, "He's one of the top-ranked duelists in the world."

"How is that going to capture a thief?" wondered Max, "Unless the thief is a duelist."

"There is a very good chance that is the case."

"So who is this duelist?" Sammie inquired.

"I think young Mikey-boy would know him very well. His name is Jonathan Angel."

"My dad!?" Mikey exclaimed, "He's here?"

"Mikey, your father is Jonathan Angel the Light Lord?" asked Coltyn, astonishment in his voice as his eyes grew to the size of saucers. Who hadn't known of Jonathan Angel? Six years ago he had been one of the competitors in one of the most intense tournaments in the pro league history. Seto Kaiba, Yugi Motou, Jaden Yuki, Joey Wheeler, and many more had signed up where, in one of the most memorable duels, Jonathan dueled Yugi to a near standstill and lost only by a small margin to the king of games. It is still replayed as one of the best duels in pro league history."

"Well I knew he played Duel Monsters, I just didn't know what kind of deck he ran or what his professional name was. But why was Dad here today?"

Pegasus gave a light giggle to the question and placed a hand on his chin in amusement. "Why, Mikey-boy, he was here to get the card that the thief stole. It was made for him as a prize for his last tourney. Sadly, he didn't have his deck on hand so he is using one of my old decks in storage. He is good enough to win against the average player but right now he won't stand much of a chance if the guy he is dueling is any good."

"Well where is Dad now?"

"If I had to wager a guess," said Pegasus, "I'd say he's dueling the thief right now." A bolt of lightning clearly visible from the window suddenly streaked across the sky followed by the loud roar of a thunderclap. The windows shook from the fierce and rippling force of the thunder as it reached down from the heavens and alerted the gods to the presence of the king of the skies.

"That's odd. There wasn't any mention of rain today." Max scratched his head as he said this.

"The sky's not even cloudy," Sammie responded. "I think that came to the roof."

"Quickly everyone! We can take my personal elevator!" Pegasus offered. He pushed a button on the wall and a door slid open to reveal a very lavishly decorated elevator with a mural of Pegasus' late wife painted on the ceiling. The silver-haired man and the four teenagers got in and the door closed. "This elevator was designed to get me from one floor to the next very quickly, so I suggest some of you hold onto something."

"Why? How fast does this thing go?" was Mikey's reply. As if on cue, Pegasus hit the button for the roof access and the young brunet was knocked off his feet as the elevator rocketed upward. When they finally arrived, their eyes were met with a giant winged dragon covered in white feathers facing a giant green-armored warrior as it appeared on the field. A massive gust of wind blew the dragon away and returned it to the deck of a tall blond man in a long white overcoat.

Jonathan was fairly handsome and his look was clean cut. His outfit was an inversed preacher wardrobe in color scheme under his coat. His hair was slicked back neatly and gave off an conservative air to his steely yet kind face, giving contradiction that made absolute sense to those who knew him but confounded those who didn't. He was a pillar of a man if there ever was one.

"Finish him!" a voice called out. The big green creature held out its arms and its hands suddenly turned into fans. With one swing, it sent a powerful wind that sliced through the white-clad man's Life Points.

"DAD!" Mikey ran over to the duelist who had just lost.

"Mikey?" Jonathan Angel turned around and saw his son running towards him, "Mikey, what are you doing here?"

"Not important, Dad. What happened?" was all Mikey said.

"He's powerful," answered Mr. Angel, "I've never seen anything like it. I thought this was just a duel but it was more. If only I had my real deck on hand…"

"And you're supposed to be one of the top-ranked duelists in the world?" The voice belonged to the one who had been dueling Mr. Angel. Mikey got up and turned to him. It was a tall man with fair long hair and menacing eyes. He wore a long red and gold robe with blood-red gloves and boots. Overtop he wore a scarlet mantle with a gold trim. A magnificent shoulder piece adorned his upper body and also supported a long and wide cape.

"Who are you?" the young teen demanded of the man who had defeated his father.

"I am Prince Kel'aral. I have lost my homeland and most of my people. We seek to create a new home. But in order to do that, we need power. And the power we seek is that which can be found in the cards."

"Is that why you broke into the vault downstairs?" asked Sammie.

"Yes," answered Kel'aral with a snide smile and an air of condescension, "And now I have it. Pegasus, I should thank you for infusing this card with the magical energies I need."

"I will not let you!" Pegasus stepped forward and one of his employees handed him his Duel Disk, "Prince Kel'aral, I will not allow you to leave with that card!"

"Let me take a shot at that bastard!" Sammie activated her own Duel Disk and stood ready, "No one beats Mr. Angel and gets away with it!"

"You can't forget out us," said Coltyn as he transformed his arm and Max equipped his Duel Disk.

"Stay back, guys." Mikey got up to his feet, "I'll handle him myself." He took out his Duel Disk and slid it onto his left arm.

"Mikey, you're still working on your deck," Sammie began, but she was cut off.

"It's finished." Mikey snapped the binding shut and locked the Duel Disk to his arm, "And I think it's time I got to test it out."

"Mikey, are you sure about this?" asked Mr. Angel. Mikey looked up at his father and gave him a firm nod.

"Very well then, son. But be careful." And with that, the boy's father walked off to the side.

"How touching." Kel'aral tossed his cape back to expose his left arm and revealed his Duel Disk. It looked like a red circular shield with two curved wings coming out of opposite sides with golden edges. But when he activated it, the wings slid outward while sides of the shield they were attached to slid out with them, extending their lengths. When both ends had grown to their maximum length, they moved down and connected together on the side below their previous positions, forming a five-slot field. Two new slots then opened up on what remained of the shield portion. One was a tray that led into the mechanism's interior, which served as the graveyard. The other was the middle of the shield elevated to create a slot for the deck.

"That's an impressive Duel Disk," Mikey commented, "And I've seen Coltyn's on a daily basis at school." He then switched on his own Duel Disk.

"You sure you don't wanna back out of this, Mikey?" asked Sammie.

"Positive." Mikey shuffled his deck and rammed it into his deck slot, "It's time I tested my new deck. You're going down, Prince Kel'aral!"

"Bold words," Kel'aral slotted his shuffled deck into his Duel Disk, "but can you back them up?"

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Kel'aral:** 8000

-------------------------------

"I'll go first," announced Mikey as he drew his first card.

_Excellent! This is exactly what I need_, he thought as he rearranged the cards in his hand.

"I summon Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast in attack mode!" The ground rumbled beneath the treads of a massive tank as it rolled onto the field. As it came to a stop, a mechanical tail and a robotic dragon head unfolded from the body (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). "I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn."

"You do realize that Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast only has half of its attack and defense points if you summon it without a tribute, correct, " asked Prince Kel'aral.

_That's what I'm counting on_, thought Mikey.

"It's my move now." The red-clad prince drew his card and proceeded with his turn, "Since you have a monster on the field and I don't, I begin by Special Summoning Cyber Dragon in attack mode." He placed a card on his Duel Disk and summoned a serpentine dragon with a hide of steel (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "Now I sacrifice Cyber Dragon and summon Mobius the Frost Monarch." A sudden chill forced Mikey to hug himself for warmth.

"What's going on?" he wondered aloud. As he looked up, he noticed a blizzard had started up and it was not long before it escalated into a severe ice storm. Amidst the freezing particles, a tall figure clad in silver armor appeared. A blue cloak lined with red silk hung from its shoulders and draped over its back. (ATK/2400 DEF/1000)

"And when Mobius is summoned, I can eliminate two spell or trap cards from the field," continued Kel'aral, "Mobius, destroy his facedown cards with Arctic Frostwind!" Mobius grabbed his cloak in one hand and swung it out in front of him. Its movements generated a powerful wind that quickly turned in a freezing gale that blew across the field. Mikey gasped as deadly icicle spears formed and impaled his two facedown cards, which obliterated them completely.

"Now whatever it was you were planning to do with your cards, you cannot do it now." Kel'aral raised an arm and pointed at Mikey's monster, "Mobius, attack Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast with Ice Lance!" Mobius raised his hand and formed a long javelin out of ice. He gripped the shaft tightly as he cocked his arm back, positioning himself to throw the frigid polearm. Then with one swift motion, he launched the Ice Lance forward and it pierced through Fusilier Dragon's armor and destroyed it.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 7000

**Kel'aral:** 8000

-------------------------------

"I'll set one card facedown and conclude my turn," Kel'aral finished as he slid a card into one of his spell and trap slots, causing a hologram of the card to appear at his feet. With his turn over, Mikey proceeded and drew his next card.

"I summon Mist Archfiend in attack mode." A cold mist slowly crept across the roof. It continued to increase in density and without warning, it rose up and took on the form of a black and red demon (ATK/2400 DEF/0), "Mist Archfiend is a level five monster, but I can summon it without a tribute. If I do though, it's destroyed on my End Phase and I take a thousand points of damage. But it's not staying that long. Mist Archfiend, attack Mobius the Frost Monarch with Hell's Cold Grip!" Mist Archfiend dissipated into mist and the cold vapor made its way across the roof until it had reached Mobius. Slowly, it crept up his body until it had passed his chest. Without warning, Mist Archfiend's hand materialized and grabbed onto the Frost Monarch's neck. The mighty king of the cold grabbed onto the demonic appendage and struggled against the Fiend's grip, attempting to free himself. However, Mist Archfiend's grasp was far too tight. Before long, Mobius the Frost Monarch collapsed, his last breath squeezed violently from his body. Its task complete, Mist Archfiend returned to its place by Mikey. However, its assault had not been completely successful. Mobius' hold on its arm had frozen the particles and the cold was spreading. Mere seconds later, Mist Archfiend's body was completely frozen solid and crumbled.

"Not bad," Coltyn commented from the sidelines, "He suicided Mist Archfiend on Mobius to avoid taking the burn damage he would get at the End Phase."

"I'm gonna set one card facedown and end my turn," Mikey announced as he finished his turn.

"My move then." Kel'aral drew his card, "I shall set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Mikey drew his card and examined what he had just received from his deck. "Time for a taste of your own strategy. Since you have a monster and I don't, I Special Summon Cyber Dragon." He slapped his card onto his Duel Disk and summoned his own silver mechanical dragon. "Unlike you, though, I'm not going to sacrifice it. First I Normal Summon Majestic Mech – Senku." The small white angelic machine appeared two slots to Cyber Dragon's left and spread out its wings. (ATK/1000 DEF/500)

"Now since I have two Light monsters on the field, I can now Special Summon this card. Say hello to my Guardian of Order!" A blinding ray of light shone down from the sky and bathed in it, a shimmering angel in white with six spikes sticking out of its armor descended from the heavens. (ATK/2500 DEF/1200)

"Impressive," commented Kel'aral.

"Now let's see what you've got hiding there. Cyber Dragon, attack that facedown monster with Strident Blast!" On Mikey's orders, Cyber Dragon opened its mouth and launched a solid beam of energy at Kel'aral's facedown, which turned out to be Giant Germ.

"When Giant Germ dies in battle, it deals five hundred points of damage to the attacker and I can summon two more Giant Germs in attack mode." Mikey cringed a little as more of his Life Points were taken out.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 6500

**Kel'aral:** 8000

-------------------------------

At that moment, two more giant purple single-celled organisms appeared on the field before Kel'aral.

"Majestic Mech – Senku, attack one of those Giant Germs with Majestic Spear!" Majestic Mech – Senku morphed its hand into a spear and charged. The mechanical angel cocked back its arm and thrust its weapon straight into one of the Giant Germs. It passed through its exterior and pierced its nucleus. At the same time, Senku was pulled in and digested and Mikey took five hundred more points of damage.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 6000

**Kel'aral:** 8000

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"Guardian of Order, it's your turn! Ray of Justice!" Guardian of Order crossed its arms and a golden beam of energy shot from the gem on its forehead, piercing the other Giant Germ and destroying it.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 5500

**Kel'aral:** 6500

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"I end my turn."

"Mine now." Kel'aral drew his card and examined the field, "First I activate my facedown card: Metal Reflect Slime. This trap card becomes a monster with three thousand defense points and zero attack points and I can only summon him in defense mode." As soon as the trap card was flipped over, a large mass of mercury appeared and took on the shape of a spiked ball.

"Now I sacrifice my Metal Reflect Slime and summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!" Lightning flashed across the sky and a stray bolt shot down and hit Metal Reflect Slime, annihilating it. A second bolt struck the spot beside it and up raised a giant being in heavy silver armor with a green afro-like dome on its head (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "When Zaborg is Tribute Summoned, his effect lets me destroy one monster on the field and I choose Guardian of Order! Zaborg, go! Lightning Crash!" Electricity crackled between Zaborg's hands and he shot it into the sky. A few moments later, lightning shot down from above and struck down Mikey's Guardian of Order.

"Now for the attack. Zaborg, attack Cyber Dragon!" ordered Kel'aral, "Thunder Blast!" Zaborg the Thunder Monarch drew back his arms, trailing bolts of lightning behind them before thrusting his hands forward and expelling four-hundred million volts' worth of lightning bolts at Cyber Dragon. The immense surge of electricity overloaded the mechanical dragon and it exploded.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 5200

**Kel'aral:** 6500

-------------------------------

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn," concluded the prince.

_Looks like I'm top-decking_, thought Mikey as he drew his card, "I summon Malevolent Mech – Goku En in attack mode. This is basically a zombie version of Majestic Mech – Ohka that will deal damage to me equal to its attack and destroy itself if I have no zombies on the field. Luckily for me, I won't be needing him anywhere near that long." Right on cue, a creature similar to Majestic Mech – Ohka made from obsidian with blue flames coming out of its paws, chest, and wings burst out of the ground and roared (ATK/2400 DEF/1400), "Malevolent Mech – Goku En, attack Zaborg the Thunder Monarch with Malevolent Ray!" Malevolent Mech – Goku En opened its mouth and charged up dark energy in the back of its throat. Then with one breath it launched a beam of black energy straight at Zaborg.

"Zaborg, counterattack with Thunder Blast!" ordered Kel'aral. Zaborg the Thunder Monarch drew back his arms, trailing lightning behind his hands, and then thrust them forward to fire off several bolts. The two attacks clashed in the middle of the battlefield, both entities struggling to dominate power over the other. But with both monsters standing at twenty-four hundred attack points, their attacks were evenly matched.

"I can't watch," said Max as he turned his head away. With both monsters struggling for power, the two of them overstrained themselves after a short while and their attacks exploded and wiped them both out.

"I end my turn," concluded Mikey. Kel'aral proceeded and drew his next card. He set it in one of his monster zone slots and ended his turn. After that, Mikey drew his. The card that he drew was indeed a monster, but its level was far too high for him to summon. After that, Kel'aral drew and he proceeded.

"I sacrifice my facedown Spirit Reaper and summon Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch!" The prince removed his zombie from his field and brought out Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch. It looked very similar to Coltyn's monster, but its facemask bore more fearsome features and his gauntlets glowed with the aura of fire. (ATK/2400 DEF/1000)

"Coltyn, isn't that the same card you have?" asked Max with furrowed brows at the recognition of the monarch, only to be greeted with Coltyn's solemn nod in affirmation.

"Thestalos, burn that card in his hand!" ordered Kel'aral. Thestalos' clenched his fists and took up a battle stance. He then leapt forward and swung his leg out in a sweeping kick, which launched a wave of flames straight at Mikey. The fire struck him hard and burned the card in his hand, sending it to the graveyard. The card turned out to be Majestic Mech – Goryu, a level eight monster. As a result, Thestalos completed his spin and shot a fireball from the sole of his other foot into Mikey, dealing eight hundred points of direct damage.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 4400

**Kel'aral:** 6500

-------------------------------

"Thestalos, direct attack!" commanded Kel'aral. Thestalos clenched his fists and started punching the air, sending fireballs at Mikey and hitting him squarely on the chest.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 2000

**Kel'aral:** 6500

-------------------------------

"If he takes one more direct attack, Mikey's done for," said Sammie. Everyone watched as Mikey slowly drew his card and he smiled.

"This is what I need. I play Premature Burial and I'll use it to bring back Majestic Mech – Goryu!"

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 1200

**Kel'aral:** 6500

-------------------------------

A shimmering light shot up from the ground and out rose Mikey's giant white dragon (ATK/2900 DEF/1800), "Goryu, attack Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch with Majestic Blaze!" Majestic Mech – Goryu opened its mouth and fired a blaze of golden flames at Thestalos, washing over him and igniting him in holy fire that cast the beast of flames and wickedness to the depths of hell.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 1200

**Kel'aral:** 6000

-------------------------------

"I end my turn."

"And so I begin mine." Kel'aral drew his card and looked at the field. He needed to stall for time until he could summon a Monarch with an effect that could take it off the field. He examined his hand and the card he drew, but nothing he held could do that. He set a monster facedown and ended his turn. After that, it was back to Mikey. The teenage boy drew his card and pointed at the one his opponent had set.

"Goryu, attack that monster with Majestic Blaze!" Majestic Mech – Goryu opened its mouth and unleashed another blast of golden fire. It shot across the field and struck the facedown card, which turned out to be Nimble Momonga.

"When Nimble Momonga is destroyed, I gain one thousand Life Points and I can summon two more to the field in facedown defense position," explained Kel'aral.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 1200

**Kel'aral:** 7000

-------------------------------

"But Majestic Mech – Goryu has the piercing effect," Mikey added, "Therefore, you still take damage. And since Nimble Momonga has only one hundred defense points, that's twenty-eight hundred points of damage."

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 1200

**Kel'aral:** 4200

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After the damage had been dealt, two cards appeared facedown in Kel'aral's monster zones and Mikey concluded his turn. The prince drew his next card and frowned. The card he had drawn was Granmarg the Rock Monarch. It was not the card he needed. Thusly he concluded his turn there. Mikey drew his card and played it immediately.

"I play Pot of Avarice!" The young teen dug through his graveyard and retrieved Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast, Cyber Dragon, Guardian of Order, Malevolent Mech– Goku En, and Majestic Mech – Senku. He randomly placed them into his deck and shuffled before placing his cards back into his deck slot and drawing two cards. "Majestic Mech – Goryu, attack the left Momonga with Majestic Blaze!" Another golden blaze blasted across the field and destroyed one of Kel'aral's facedown monsters. Fortunately for Mikey's opponent, Nimble Momonga's effect lessened the impact of the attack to eighteen hundred attack points.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 1200

**Kel'aral:** 2400

-------------------------------

After that, the teen set a card facedown and ended his turn. Kel'aral drew and the card he received brought a smile to his face.

"I sacrifice my Nimble Momonga so I can summon this card! Come forth, Kuraz the Light Monarch!" A single ray of light shone down from the sky and from it descended a Monarch in majestic golden armor and a flowing golden cape appeared. (ATK/2400 DEF/1000) The monarch was glorious in its glow yet its luster seemed weak for such a magnificent creature that although it brought wondrous amazement to Mikey's soul he felt the magnificence was cheapened within the golden Goliath.

"That's it!" exclaimed Pegasus, pointing at Kuraz with clenched teeth in disgust at the thief.

"That's the card he stole," said Jonathan with a stoic voice.

"You're kidding!" was Mikey's reaction as he looked up at the shining Monarch.

"When Kuraz the Light Monarch is Tribute Summoned or Special Summoned," explained Kel'aral, "he can destroy any two cards on the field. So first I'll destroy that Premature Burial. And then your facedown card. Kuraz, Destructive Radiance!" Kuraz the Light Monarch's gauntlets began to shine and then he thrust his palms forward and fired two beams of light as bright as a million exploding suns that destroyed Premature Burial and the facedown by Mikey's left foot. Majestic Mech – Goryu roared as the flames that held its body together died and the remains collapsed to the ground before vanishing. "And by Kuraz's effect, you can draw one card for each of your cards that was destroyed. Unfortunately, he can't attack this turn so consider yourself lucky." After Mikey drew his cards, Kel'aral ended his turn. Kuraz looking off to the ground and groaning a low and grumbling groan of forlorn disdain.

"Hey guys, did that monster seem a little... reluctant to destroy those cards?" asked Coltyn, almost puzzled by the motions of depression that the golden monarch exhibited. Its body moved as if it were bound in shackles to a master that he did not want. Kuraz acted as a slave in the fields that followed through the motions yet torn in its own morality as it was instructed to act against his own nature.

"Y…yeah," said Sammie biting her lip lightly as she saw an eerie familiarity within the card.

"What are you guys talking about?" Mikey asked as he turned to his friends.

"Mikey, this may sound crazy but I think that Kuraz is being forced against his will to fight you," explained Jonathan.

"Wha?" Mikey turned back to Kuraz and looked straight up at his faceplate.

_Save... Me...._

_Am I hearing things or is it just my imagination?_ Mikey wondered. Nonetheless, he knew what he had to do. He drew his card and looked at it. What he saw brightened his eyes.

"I play Fissure!" The ground opened up and swallowed Kuraz the Light Monarch. As the golden warrior fell, Mikey swore to himself that he heard the words "I'm free!" echoing from the pit. "Next I summon Majestic Mech – Senku in attack mode!" Once again, the small mechanical angel appeared and stood in front of Mikey. "Attack Kel'aral directly! Majestic Spear!" Flying forward, Majestic Mech – Senku transformed its arm into a spear and thrust it into Kel'aral.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 1200

**Kel'aral:** 1400

-------------------------------

"If Senku attacks directly, I get to draw one card." Mikey took the top card off his deck and placed it facedown on the field before ending his turn. At that moment, Majestic Mech – Senku shattered into pieces, destroyed by its own effect.

"No matter," said Kel'aral as he drew his card when his turn came up, "I have plenty more Monarchs in my deck. First I play Double Summon. This lets me Normal Summon twice this turn. So now I summon Samsara Kaiser in attack mode." He brought out a small silver soldier with a cape that looked like a one-foot-tall monarch (ATK/200 DEF/100). "If I sacrifice him to summon a monster, he returns to my hand. Now watch as I tribute my Samsara Kaiser to summon Raiza the Storm Monarch in attack mode!" Samsara Kaiser bounced back into Kel'aral's hand before a powerful hurricane blew in and from the winds rose a giant Monarch in green armor with an emerald green cape draped around his shoulders. (ATK/2400 DEF/1000)

"Oh this isn't good," muttered Max.

"Raiza's effect lets me return one card on the field to the top of the owner's deck and I pick your facedown."

"I activate my facedown!" announced Mikey, "Waboku!" Three women in blue robes appeared before Mikey and stood in front of him, ready to protect him against the might of Raiza.

"You're lucky this time," muttered Kel'aral as he set a card facedown, "I end me turn."

_Please deck, don't let me down_, thought Mikey as he drew. The card he received caused his eyes to widen. "This is it! I play Monster Reborn! Now I use it to bring back a monster from your graveyard!"

"My graveyard?" repeated Kel'aral, "What good will that do you? Nothing I have can save you."

"Nothing but one." Mikey turned to the sky and suddenly the clouds all cleared away, bathing the entire building in brilliant sunlight, "I summon Kuraz the Light Monarch!" In a brilliant flash of light, Kuraz the Light Monarch appeared on the field once again, this time on Mikey's side. "Now to destroy YOUR cards! Go Kuraz! Divine Justice!"

"It would be my pleasure!" Kuraz bellowed as he fired two beams of light and destroyed Kel'aral's facedown and Raiza the Storm Monarch.

"Did that monster just talk?" asked Sammie.

"This is why that card is so special," explained Pegasus, "Kuraz the Light Monarch is a duel spirit. And as you know, all duel spirits share a connection with somebody in this world. The fact that he spoke when Mikey ordered him to use his effect is proof that Kuraz's duelist is Mikey."

"I had a feeling one of my boys would have what it takes to wield the Monarch of light," Jonathan said with pride as he watched Kel'aral draw his two cards thanks to Kuraz's effect. Mikey smiling confidently as a bead of sweat rolled down his face in the excitement.

"I set two cards facedown and end my turn," the young brunet concluded.

"My move." Kel'aral drew his card and smiled darkly, "I play another Double Summon. Now I summon Samsara Kaiser and sacrifice him to summon Caius the Shadow Monarch!" The sky, once bright and sunny, suddenly darkened and from the darkness stepped forth a Monarch in black armor with a tattered black cape over his shoulders and a facemask with a fearsome expression etched into it along with two horns on his helmet (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "When I summon Caius the Shadow Monarch, his effect lets me remove one card on the field from play. And if that card is a Dark monster, you take one thousand points of damage to your Life Points. I won't need to remove any dark monster from play to win this, only Kuraz. Use Dark Void Caius!" Caius began to form a black and all-consuming orb of incredible gravity drawing in Kuraz.

"Not so fast!" Mikey revealed his facedown, "I activate Skill Drain!" Caius was stopped from completing his spell and froze in place.

"Fine then. I don't need to use his effect to win. Caius, attack Kuraz!" Caius the Shadow Monarch tossed back his cape and pulled out a long wicked sword. Its blade was as black as obsidian with runes covering the flat sides and edges jagged which gave the weapon an even more fearsome appearance. The cross guard bore the skull of a horned demon. Caius gripped his sword in both hands and ran towards Mikey's monster.

"Kuraz, defend!" ordered Mikey. Kuraz threw back his cape and unsheathed his own sword, a majestic weapon with a hilt of pure gold and a blade made of steel so fine adorned with magical runes and polished that it radiated with sunlight. The two swords clashed and the Monarchs of light and darkness struggled to overpower one another.

"Hey Mikey! See if your Duel Disk has a really cool animation setting!" Max called.

"What?"

"Actually, there is," Pegasus piped up. Kuraz suddenly pushed Caius back and the two Monarchs engaged one another in a mighty clash of swords.

"Okay, this is weird," commented Coltyn, "But I like it."

"I activate my other facedown now," Mikey announced. "Compulsory Evacuation Device! This card lets me return one monster on the field to the owner's hand. And I choose Caius the Shadow Monarch!" The Monarchs' swords clashed again and their blades locked together.

"Be gone from here, Caius!" bellowed Kuraz as he pushed Caius the Shadow Monarch back. He slid his sword free and swung it with enough power to blow the Dark-element Monarch back into Kel'aral's hand.

_Damn! I don't have anything left in my hand!_ Kel'aral exclaimed mentally.

"My move." Mikey drew his card, "Kuraz the Light Monarch, finish it! Excalibur's Light!"

"It shall be done!" Kuraz grasped the hilt in both hands and held his sword up to the sky. The darkness that Caius brought with him vanished and sunlight bathed the tower once again. He brought his sword around and swung. A brilliant wave of light shot out and struck Kel'aral with such power that it forced him over the edge of the building.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 1200

**Kel'aral:** 0

-------------------------------

"Oh crap!" Mikey ran towards the ledge where his opponent fell and looked around. He stumbled back with a yelp and fell on his ass when Kel'aral suddenly rose up riding in jet shaped like a winged Duel Monster. In the pilot's seat was a figure cloaked in black that nobody could recognize.

"You may have won this time, but rest assured I SHALL have Kuraz the Light Monarch!" yelled Kel'aral. He sat down inside the aircraft and it flew off. Mikey looked down at his Duel Disk and picked up the Kuraz the Light Monarch card off its surface.

"All this for one card? What's so special about it, anyway?"

"Mikey, when you were dueling did that card ever speak to you?" asked Jonathan as he approached his son along with the others.

"Well I DID hear a voice," Mikey admitted, "But what's that got to do with it?"

"Mikey-boy, that card contains a duel spirit," explained Pegasus, "It was stolen from our vault by that fiend and it was calling out to you to save it."

"Calling out to me?" Mikey asked. He thought back to the duel and recalled that moment when he thought he heard someone utter the words "Save... Me...". He looked at the card in his hand and then held out towards Pegasus. "Well anyway, I got the card back so here it is." Mikey tried to ignore the term 'duel spirit.' He had heard of such preposterous mumbo-jumbo before but that was just superstition, he thought. There was no such thing as living cards, right?

"Actually Mikey, Pegasus and I were talking and we decided you should have it," said Jonathan.

"M-m-me? But I could never take a card like this! Besides, this was supposed to be for you!"

"Mikey, we truly believe that you have what it takes to wield Kuraz the Light Monarch. You both have a strong sense of justice. And on top of that, you heard Kuraz speak to you. That is a sign that you are destined to be partners."

"Mikey." Jonathan placed his hands on Mikey's shoulders and looked at him straight in the eyes with a gentle smile that radiated warmly, "In all honesty, I could never think of anyone better to have that card than you. Kuraz the Light Monarch is yours." Mikey took one last look at the card in his hand and then shuffled it into his deck, putting the talk of spirits out of his mind without correcting Pegasus or his father. Why argue with them further, after all.

Sammie gave a warm smile that was slightly unnerved yet content at the same time as Mikey shuffled the card into his deck. She placed her hand on her deck case and looked to the sky. What was going on here? She did not know but something felt off to her.

"Thanks dad." He hugged his father tightly and then turned to Pegasus, "You too, Mr. Pegasus. I promise I won't disappoint you guys."

After the duel with Kel'aral, it was time for everyone to leave. Mikey, Max, Sammie, and Coltyn bid farewell to Pegasus and Jonathan Angel as they got into the Industrial Illusions limousine and headed off. Their trip was over now and it was time for them to return to Duel Academy.

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**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

A stranger comes to Duel Academy. His motives are unclear, but his goal is obvious. Find out more next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	20. A Wizards' Duel

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

New ban rules implemented as of September 1, 2008.

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**EPISODE 1-20**

**A Wizards' Duel**

"Back to the daily grind," Mikey commented as he dressed. After spending a weekend at Industrial Illusions, it was now back to their everyday life at school. The young brunet grabbed his bright red school jacket off its hook by the door and threw it on. Once he zipped up the garment, he picked up his school bag and headed downstairs for breakfast. Sammie waved to him as she took a bite from her English muffin with strawberry jam speckling her lips a little. Max nodded up with a cheery grin in between bites of Captain Crunch. Coltyn only gave a stoic nod of greeting, barely taking his attention from his morning coffee or the morning paper.

"Sleep well?" Sammie said before sipping a glass of milk.

"I tried to. After that crazy concert last night I was a little restless." Sammie laughed a little in memory of the night before when they went to the Umi concert. The pop idol sang a string of melodies as she dueled one fan after another, her mermaid themed deck expertly flowing with her dance and song. Umi showed exuberance as her curly blue hair, sea green eyes, and mermaid themed clothes personified her unique beauty. The night had reached its climax as she started her hit song, "Snowing in the Ocean Mist." The spotlight had done its traditional selection process and randomly selected the next contestant. Mikey was flushed red when it landed on him. With a heavy sigh he had made his way to the stage and was greeted warmly by the idol as they dueled. To the surprise of Umi and her audience Mikey won the duel, something that rarely ever happened. Mikey simply bowed to her in embarrassment and rushed to his seat, Sammie laughing at him as they left the arena, Umi left speechless on the stage.

"Well, you did ruin the end of a concert and pissed off a bunch of fan boys. All in day's work for you Mikey," Coltyn chimed in, finishing his coffee and paper. "Well can we go? The limo is waiting."

Mikey nodded excitedly, "Please, I want to get back to studying."

"GOD DAMMIT MIKEY!" Sammie yelled in exasperation as they left for the limo to the airport.

ooo

Meanwhile at the Obelisk Blue dorm, a commotion had started in the foyer. Saito stood on the stairs looking down at his lackeys with a look of stone on his face.

"B-b-but why, Master Kaiba?" pleaded one of them.

"For starters, you've all gotten soft," said Saito.

"But we duel you with everything we've got!" another spoke up.

"And that's just the problem," Saito explained, "While I keep dueling you idiots over and over again for practice, Sammie's been gaining experience with different duelists. I'm not going to learn anything if I just keep playing against you. That's why I've made a decision. You're all fired!"

"But... You never even hired us in the first place," said a third.

"Get out of my sight right now!" Saito turned and headed back upstairs, leaving his lackeys alone in the foyer. After grabbing his briefcase, he returned to find the group still there. He walked past them without a word and headed off to class.

ooo

Somehow, it felt good to have regular old lunchtime in the school cafeteria again. The four friends sat at their usual table beside the vending machines. Mikey had a sandwich he made using ingredients from breakfast back at the Red dorm, Sammie was having a delicious minestrone soup, Max had a garden tossed salad, and Coltyn was enjoying a BLT.

"Okay, if you could conjure any candy just by snapping your fingers, what would it be?" asked Max, "I say cotton candy!"

"Caramels for sure," Mikey answered.

"Chocolate for me," said Sammie.

"Hot Tamales," was Coltyn's response.

"Ew! How can you eat those?" asked Mikey.

"Have you ever had one before?"

"Once and that was it. I don't wanna talk any more about it."

"Alright, that's cool."

"I'm just glad our trip was on a weekend, so we didn't miss too much in class," sighed Mikey.

"There you go again," Sammie said to the brunet, "You really are lost without homework."

"How DO you get through the summer, Mikey?" asked Max.

"My family has a cabin up at the lake," answered Mikey.

"I don't think that was meant to be answered, Mikey," said Sammie as she lightly slapped him upside the head.

"Ow."

Coltyn swallowed the mouthful of his sandwich he had before he spoke, "Seriously dude, you're so uptight that if we stuck a piece of coal up your ass we'd have a diamond in two weeks."

"Ooooooh! There's an image!" exclaimed Max.

ooo

The day passed without much more occurring. Saito arrived back at the Blue dorm and found his former lackeys still in the foyer. They all looked up at him as he entered. Some looked saddened while others bore expressions of anger. The rich son of Kaiba ignored them and proceeded up to his room. After setting his bag down, he went to the second floor and entered a room at the back. The walls were bare except for a small screen with a slot underneath it beside the door. Saito swiped his student card and keyed in something onto the screen. Once he was done, he turned around and the room came to life. Hidden projectors activated and illuminated the room with life-size holograms. Saito watched as the three-dimensional images took form and showed the final duel of the Teacher Tournament. With his back against the wall, he watched the replay of the game, calling out commands to the system to pause, slow down, and rewind at any points that interested him.

_She only won because of a technicality_, thought Saito as he crossed his arms over his chest, _If I had just one more powerful dragon, I could have easily dealt the finishing move. But that's not important right now. There's something else I need to figure out._ He issued another command and the computer brought up a complete record of all the opponents he and Sammie had dueled. Saito's overall number of duels was greater, but that was not what concerned him. It was the issue that he had told his former lackeys that morning. Aside from the five of them, Saito had only dueled a few other duelists whereas Sammie had dueled many others even if it was just one game against each of them.

"I need new opponents and I need them fast," Saito muttered to himself. An hour later, he finally switched off the system and returned to his room. He looked to his desk, cards scattered about in a clutter on top of his textbooks. He looked at the cards with an almost alien gaze that showed an odd form of cold affection; an attribute his father had passed down to him.

"Power through conquest, conquest through determination, determination through strength, strength through family." Saito said to no one as he recited the motto his father taught him. Saito knew of the bonds of family taught to him. He knew of the harshness and warmth of love that his father tried so hard to teach. Saito knew his father loved him and was proud but he was always so busy. The busy father and loving son was such a cliché to him but he knew it was true in a different sense.

The Kaibas never hugged. The Kaibas never spoke of love. The Kaibas were the coldest men on the planet but they were never ones for vocalizing affection or showing it through warm expression but through passionate action.

Saito returned to the foyer and found that his former lackeys had finally all left. He mentally wished them all good riddance and proceeded down the stairs. As he walked past the obscenely large statue of God of the Obelisk in the center of the room, he saw a cloud of smoke explode and within it stood a man in a red suit and top hat wearing a large striped blue and black bow tie with a mask to match. Strapped to his arm was a Duel Disk. When the newcomer saw Saito, he smiled and bowed.

"You..." Saito raised his arm and prepared to activate his Duel Disk, but he was stopped when Dr. Snappe came in. He had come unheard and unseen, almost as if he had morphed in from the background itself. Saito was startled but kept his face stony and cold to hide the fact his heart was now located in his throat.

"You are not a student nor are you faculty," the head of the Obelisk Blue boys dorm stated, "You must leave immediately." The stranger stood up and smiled with a light shrug as he moved with flamboyant and exaggerated motions that seemed natural from his crane like figure.

"Maybe I should introduce myself first. My name is Arkana and I'm here for... business reasons." The man who identified himself as Arkana raised his arm while activated his Duel Disk.

"I have heard of you, Mr. Arkana," Dr. Snappe said emotionlessly, "You are a Spellcaster duelist who specializes in Dark Magicians."

"And formerly the world's greatest magician, thank you very much. I have had a streak of bad luck for the past few decades but right now I a here to take the first step back to the top," Arkana stated with a grin that was as threatening and chilling as it was gleeful. "And the first step is to take out the guy who replaced me. The second step is to get paid by some little freak in a cloak."

Saito turned his attention to his instructor with a raised eyebrow. "You were a stage magician?" he asked, taking note of the second part of what Arkana said for a later time.

"Yes I was, and I was considered the biggest magician in the world for a short time after years of being just behind Arkana. He was my rival but he was always better. I gave up on being a stage magician less than a year after Arkana had his career ending accident at the height of my career. But I'm really not really concerned about that. I would just like him out of here."

Arkana laughed insidiously as he twisted his wrist in a display of showmanship before snapping his fingers. At the moment the click of his joints was heard several storm shutters came down and the doors slammed shut. The dorm was now locked down and Arkana was the key. "I am not leaving till I get a duel to prove that I am the best of not only magic but of Dark Magicians. I would go after Yugi Motou but he only beat me in self-defense. You made me forgettable and that is unforgivable!"

Snappe sighed and pulled out his Duel Disk, pressing the on switch and activating it. "If I must participate in this needless prattling then so be it. But you will leave and release my students."

"You know, there's a saying among high rollers and card sharks," Arkana mentioned mockingly with his insidious grin plastered on his face.

"We don't want to here it," Saito interrupted.

"Shall we begin then?" asked Dr. Snappe. Arkana nodded and they began.

------------------------------

**Dr. Snappe:** 8000

**Arkana:** 8000

------------------------------

"And I'll go first." Arkana drew his first card and began, "I play Spell Economics. Now every time I activate a spell card that requires me to pay Life Points, I don't need to. So now I can play Dark Magic Curtain. Normally, I have to pay half of my Life Points to use this card, but Spell Economics lets me get past that. Now for this turn, I lose the ability to Normal Summon, Flip Summon, or Special Summon. But in exchange, I can Special Summon a particular monster from my deck. Specifically, the Dark Magician!" As he made his move, a skeleton wrapped in a dark cape appeared and opened up its garment to reveal an endless shifting void. From the portal, a dark-skinned wizard with white hair appeared wearing crimson robes. (ATK/2500 DEF/2100)

Your move." Arkana smiled behind his mask as he ended his turn and watched as his opponent began his.

"I summon Skilled Dark Magician in attack mode." Dr. Snappe summoned a black-clad wizard with two golden orbs on his shoulders wielding a short staff tipped with a third golden orb (ATK/1900 DEF/1700), "And now I play Toon Table of Contents. With this card, I can search my deck for any card with 'Toon' in its name or is named Manga Ryu-Ran. And I shall search my deck for a second Toon Table of Contents. In addition, for each spell card that is played, my monster gains one spell counter." As the chemistry teacher searched his deck, the orb on Skilled Dark Magician's left shoulder lit up. "Next I play Toon Table of Contents again and search for a third one." The orb on the wizard's right shoulder lit up and Dr. Snappe finally played his third Toon Table of Contents, which lit up the orb on the staff and brought Toon Masked Sorcerer to the teacher's hand.

"What ARE you planning?" inquired Arkana. Dr. Snappe ignored him and continued his turn.

"Now I tribute my Skilled Dark Magician with three spell counters and summon Dark Magician from my deck." Skilled Dark Magician vanished from the field and in his place a green-skinned Dark Magician with blond hair and wrapped in dark blue robes appeared.

"So now we both have Dark Magicians on the field," Arkana observed, "What do you hope to do now?"

"I shall set two cards facedown and conclude my turn."

"And so it is mine." Arkana drew his next card, "I play Dark Magic Attack."

"I activate Dark Bribe," replied Dr. Snappe, "With this card, I negate your card's activation and you can draw one card." Arkana grumbled as he slipped his Dark Magic Attack into the graveyard, but then he smiled when he saw the one he drew.

"I summon The Dark – Hex Sealed Fusion!" A black rock made of flesh with wriggling tentacles appeared beside Arkana's Dark Magician (ATK/1000 DEF/1600), "This card is a fusion material substitute, but with an additional effect. By tributing all fusion material monsters on the field including The Dark – Hex Sealed Fusion, I can fusion summon one Dark attribute monster! So now I summon Dark Paladin in attack mode!" A column of black light swallowed up the two monsters on Arkana's side of the field and their place rose a new creature. It was just like the Dark Magician, but his skin was blue and hair grey. His robes replaced by dark blue plate armor and his staff by a long jagged blade glaive (ATK/2900 DEF/2400). "Dark Paladin, strike him down!" Dark Paladin leapt into the air and sliced down on Dr. Snappe's Dark Magician.

------------------------------

**Dr. Snappe:** 7600

**Arkana:** 8000

------------------------------

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn," concluded Arkana. Now it was Dr. Snappe's turn.

"I begin by activating Birthright to bring back one Normal Monster from my graveyard in attack mode and my choice is Dark Magician." In a burst of dark light, the blue-clad Dark Magician reappeared on the field. "Next I play Knight's Title. Now by offering my Dark Magician as a sacrifice, I can Special Summon Dark Magician Knight." The chemistry teacher's Dark Magician knelt down as a king wielding a sword appeared. The great monarch touched both of the wizard's shoulders with the blade and in a flash the sorcerer transformed, his robes turned into plate armor with a long cape and his staff replaced by a sword. (ATK/2500 DEF/2100)

"You waste your time!" laughed Arkana, "That card still has the same attack points as Dark Magician! Plus what can a mere warrior do against a powerful wizard?"

"If Dark Magician Knight is summoned successfully, his effect lets me destroy one card on the field," Dr. Snappe explained without listening to Arkana, "Dark Magician Knight, destroy Dark Paladin with Sword of Dark Magic." Dark Magician Knight's sword began to glow with purple magical energies and he took up his blade and swung. The colors on the field suddenly inverted, giving it an image similar to a photographic negative. When the color finally came back, Dark Paladin's body slowly split in half down the middle. With his death, Arkana was wide open. "Rune Blade." On Dr. Snappe's order, Dark Magician Knight rushed in and slashed the masked duelist with his sword.

------------------------------

**Dr. Snappe:** 7600

**Arkana:** 5500

------------------------------

"This is ridiculous! How could I be losing to such a hack. You never had any real showmanship in your tricks or passion for magic," screamed Arkana in a rage.

"The past is past, my passion has moved to teaching. It is better then losing my love because I couldn't quit while I was ahead," replied Snappe with little consideration to Arkana who growled throatily in offense.

"Then you are no real magician."

"No I am not. I am a teacher and you will do well to remember that when I beat you."

"We'll see about that!" Arkana drew his card and proceeded with his turn. With no monsters on his field and one with twenty-five hundred attack points on his opponent's side, he needed to find a way to summon something powerful that turn or at the very least something with an effect. He took a look at his hand and examined the cards he held. An idea slowly formed in his hand and he proceeded with his turn. "I'll begin by playing Tribute to the Doomed. Now by discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy one monster on your field. So I'll be sending this card away." He discarded an Effect Monster and a mummified hand reached up and grabbed Dark Magician Knight's ankle before dragging him into an early grave. "And now I shall play Monster Reborn and bring back that card I just discarded. The Dark Magician can't make it, but he sends his apprentice in his stead. Behold, the Dark Magician Girl!" A dark purple fire lit up and as they died down, a beautiful teenage girl wearing light blue and pink robes wielding a short staff appeared (ATK/2000 DEF/1700). "And what's more is she gets three hundred attack points for each Dark Magician and Magician of Black Chaos that is dead, so she gets six hundred more. But that's not all, for now I play Sage's Stone. This card lets me Special Summon one Dark Magician from my hand or deck as long as I have Dark Magician Girl on the field." A column of black light appeared beside Dark Magician Girl and a second red-clad Dark Magician appeared. Now Dark Magician Girl, attack him directly with Dark Burning Attack!" Dark Magician Girl twirled around and spun her staff like a baton before pointing it at Dr. Snappe and firing a blast of pink fire at him.

------------------------------

**Dr. Snappe:** 5000

**Arkana:** 5500

------------------------------

"Now Dark Magician, follow up with Dark Magic Attack!" The crimson-clad Dark Magician thrust out his palm and the colors on the field inverted as his spell shot out and struck Dr. Snappe directly.

------------------------------

**Dr. Snappe:** 2500

**Arkana:** 5500

------------------------------

"On my next turn, I'll attack you with both my creatures and end the duel," Arkana said with a smirk. Dr. Snappe drew his card without so much as a word and examined the field. He set a single card facedown and ended his turn. Then it was back to Arkana. He drew his card and laughed.

"Oh how perfect this is!" he exclaimed with glee, "I tribute my Dark Magician and my Dark Magician Girl and summon the Sorcerer of Dark Magic in attack mode!" Both Spellcasters vanished and in their place rose yet another purple-clad pointy-hatted wizard wearing a long flowing cape and wielding a staff with a blue crystal held in place by three decorative appendages (ATK/3200 DEF/2800), "And his ability lets me negate and destroy any trap cards. So that means your facedown is useless! Sorcerer of Dark Magic, attack with Celestial Black Burning!"

"I activate my facedown card," said Snappe.

"And I use my monster to negate it!" cackled Arkana.

"Shrink."

"WHAT?" The Quick-Play spell card was flipped face-up and the Sorcerer of Dark Magic suddenly shrank down to half its original size, "You set a spell card instead of a trap?"

------------------------------

**Dr. Snappe:** 900

**Arkana:** 5500

------------------------------

"Well no matter," Arkana said with a chuckle, "On my next turn, I'll definitely win with an attack.

"We shall see." Snappe drew a card and looked at his opponent, I play Monster Reborn and resurrect my Dark Magician." A burst of black light shot up and the chemistry teacher's wizard was resurrected. "Now since I have a Dark Magician on the field, I play the spell card Thousand Knives to destroy one of your monsters." Right on cue, a thousand sharp knives appeared around the Dark Magician with their blades trained on Sorcerer of Dark Magic. Snappe's Spellcaster tapped his staff against the floor and the daggers all shot forward at once, impaling the Sorcerer in every part of his body.

"You killed my Sorcerer of Dark Magic!" exclaimed a horrified Arkana.

"And now I shall tribute my Dark Magician in order to summon Dark Eradicator Warlock." Dark Magician discarded his staff as he opened a spell book and began to study an entirely new art. As he absorbed the new spells and incantations, his robes transformed, taking on a more reddish tone. His mantle grew larger and he donned a violet cape and a purple tabard appeared on him as his hat bent forward while an additional adornment was added to his mantle behind his head. When he finished, he closed the book and his new staff appear appeared; a long purple rod topped with three horns with glowing purple sphere floating between them (ATK/2500 DEF/2100), "Now I activate Magical Blast. This spell card can only be activated while I control a Spellcaster and it deals two hundred points of damage for each Spellcaster I control." All eyes watched as Dark Eradicator Warlock held out his staff and planted it firmly on the floor before sending a swirling blast of magical energy at Arkana.

------------------------------

**Dr. Snappe:** 900

**Arkana:** 5300

------------------------------

"In addition, Dark Eradicator Warlock inflicts one thousand points of damage for every normal spell card played." Right on cue, Dark Eradicator Warlock gripped his staff in both hands and thrust it toward Arkana, sending another blast of magic right into the masked man.

------------------------------

**Dr. Snappe:** 900

**Arkana:** 4300

------------------------------

"Dark Eradicator Warlock, attack him directly," ordered Dr. Snappe. His monster swung his staff around and launched a third magical blast at his opponent.

------------------------------

**Dr. Snappe:** 900

**Arkana:** 1700

------------------------------

"I shall end my turn there."

"You'll be sorry." Arkana drew his card and gasped. It was his third Dark Magician, but because he had no monsters on the field he was unable to summon it.

"Your expression indicates that you cannot do anything," Snappe observed as he drew his final card.

"This...can't...be happening!" gasped Arkana in protest. "I refuse to lose to you! You are a pretender! A hack! This was my way back to the big time and to my love!"

"No one cares and no one will. Dark Eradicator Warlock, finish him," ordered Dr. Snappe. Dark Eradicator Warlock charged up another spell with his staff and launched it directly into Arkana.

------------------------------

**Dr. Snappe:** 900

**Arkana:** 0

------------------------------

Arkana bit his lip and with an erratic twist of his wrist produced a knife from the ether that is stage magic. He looked fightened and enraged at the same time. He began to charge at Snappe. He didn't care why he felt the need to; he just knew he needed to. As Arkana ran he was stopped. A boy in a cloak appeared in front of him, the blade sliding into his chest with no effect. No one knew where he came from or how he suddenly appeared within the time of blinks.

"You failed. Game over. You come with me." The cloaked figure said in a hissing voice that sounded as hideous as nails against a chalkboard in your soul. Without another word they disappeared. No smoke. No tricks of light. They were just gone. The only thing left was a scrap of paper that said Big Five in a chicken scratch like writing on the floor.

Saito stood confused, much like everyone else who witnessed the display but unlike everyone else he maintained his composure. The iron face of the Kaibas was a sign of strength that he could not let go. He picked up the paper without thought and looked over to Snappe. The best cure for confusion was knowledge and he would have it.

"Dr. Snappe, take care of things here," Saito said, "I'm going to check on something." He went straight upstairs and headed directly to his room. Once there, he accessed his computer and made his way into the Kaiba Corp. database. He searched around until he found what he was looking for. It was all the information the company had on the Big Five. As it turned out, the group was composed of five members of the old Kaiba Corp. board. The man he had supposedly just witnessed, Johnson was the group's legal advisor. The others included the former vice president Gansley, the accountant Crump, the technical expert Nesbitt, and Seto Kaiba's former personal assistant Lector. The report went on to explain how they had attempted to take over Kaiba Corp. and later used its technology for the transfer of their minds into the bodies of others.

Saito sat back in his chair and thought about this for a moment. While mind transfer did seem extremely improbable, Kaiba Corp. developed the most advanced technology in the world so the slim possibility was definitely there. He needed to investigate further. He needed details. And in order to do that, he needed to speak to someone who knew exactly what happened. A beep alerted him to the lower right corner of his computer screen and he saw that someone on his friends list had signed onto MSN.

"Perfect timing." Immediately, Saito started a video call. A few moments later, he was face-to-face with a young man with long black hair which had been tied back and wore a black pinstripe suit with a blue striped tie.

"Hello, Saito."

"Hi, Uncle Mokuba." While not his father, Saito thought that this would be the best person to start with as he stared straight into the clear blue eyes of his uncle. Mokuba Kaiba, the younger brother of Seto Kaiba, had grown into a fine young man and now worked as Kaiba Corp.'s vice president. But he didn't get that position just because his brother was the president. At a young age, Mokuba was inspired by Seto's diligence and perseverance. So when the time came for a new vice president to be appointed, several board members nominated him. But when he came into the board room, he announced that he didn't want to be handed the position. He wanted to work for it. And Mokuba stayed true to his word. He worked hard for his brother and in no time he achieved the position that he deserved.

"So what can I do for you?" the black-haired man asked his nephew.

"I need to ask you a few things," Saito answered, "What can you tell me about the Big Five?" There was a long pause before Mokuba began to speak.

"Many years ago, a group of our company's board members known as the Big Five tried to take over Kaiba Corp. After signing an agreement with Maximillion Pegasus, they kidnapped me to bait my brother into their trap. They succeeded in doing so. What happened next is a little blurry. But from what I understand, in order to complete the takeover Pegasus had to duel and win against Yugi Moto. He lost, though, and as a result that plan was stopped.

"But the Big Five didn't stop there. Afterwards, they took matters into their own hands and trapped my brother inside a virtual reality game that was being tested. I went to find Yugi to see if he could help and together he and my brother were able to defeat them. We never found out what exactly happened to the Big Five after that, but we did a few months later.

"It happened on our way to the location of the Battle City finals. A large mobile fortress caught our blimp and we were taken into another virtual world. There, we met the Big Five once again. As it turned out, when they were defeated in the beta version of the game their minds somehow got trapped inside it. I'm not really sure how it worked. But anyway, the Big Five then began to challenge everybody to gain control of their bodies."

"Mind transfer," Saito thought out loud.

"Exactly."

"Uncle Mokuba, tell me something. Did the Big Five organize this second attack by themselves?" asked Saito.

"No," was Mokuba's answer, "Saito, there's something we haven't told you yet, but you had another uncle."

"Another...uncle?" Saito was surprised.

"His name was Noah and he was the true born son of our adoptive father, Gozaburo Kaiba." Mokuba then resumed his retelling of the past, "Anyway, while the Big Five were dueling everybody else, I was captured by Noah and brainwashed against Seto. But during a duel between the two of them, I broke free. I can't remember what happened next, but from what my brother told me Noah took over my body and tried to destroy the computer. But he had a change of heart and returned to the virtual world to try to stop it. As it turned out, Noah wasn't the one who actually organized the whole return of the Big Five thing. It was actually Gozaburo Kaiba who worked from the shadows."

"Can we wrap this up quickly, Uncle Mokuba?" Saito interrupted.

"Noah released me and held back Gozaburo so we could all escape," Mokuba quickly finished.

"Uncle Mokuba, let's say hypothetically that one of the Big Five was able to escape that virtual world and possess another person's body. Is it possible that the other four may have been able to do the same?" asked Saito

"That's pretty far-fetched seeing as every single one of them was trapped inside the computer when it was destroyed," answered Mokuba, "But I suppose if one of them found a way to get out, then there would be a good chance that the rest of them would have as well. The Big Five don't keep many secrets from each other. If it benefits them all, they'll always share that information."

"Thanks, Uncle Mokuba."

"No problem, Saito."

Saito ended the video call and leaned back in his chair. If the man possessing Arkana was, indeed, a member of the Big Five, then his claim about others wanting to come after him would mean the other four had also gotten free and somehow obtained bodies of their own. Saito got up from his chair and and left the dorm. As he exited the building, he noticed he was being followed. He continued walking and then whipped around to see his lackeys.

"What the hell do you guys want?" he demanded.

"We decided to take matters into our own hands," they said, "If we can't follow you, then we'll just have to take your place instead!" The five of them simultaneously activated their Duel Disks.

"You must be joking." Saito activated his own Duel Disk and drew. In minutes, he completely demolished all of his opponents. After giving them each a hard kick while they were down, he turned and left.

_After hearing what Uncle Mokuba said, those five sound just like the Big Five_, he thought.

ooo

Arkana sat upon the ground; his eyes a blank behind his mask as he was filled with a brilliant light that dwarfed the sun in its wicked radiance. From him pocket fell an orb marked with the Roman numeral two, rolling across the ground and bumping into his hat. The cloaked intruder glared at Arkana as he stood up, his cold gaze not seen but felt.

Arkana's fingers moved through his hair as he looked to his compatriot in the cloak and smiled a cold smile that was unlike that of which he used before. "May we go?" he asked with a tone to his voice unknown to the man at any time before. It was the sterile and objective tone of a lawyer.

"At once Mr. Johnson." The figure state with a hiss as they moved. The sky clapped and the rain fell, crying in terror as nature shuddered at what it knew was coming.

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**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Following his defeat, an enemy of the Kaibas reveals his past. How will this affect Saito? It probably won't, but you're going to have to sit through a backstory anyway even though he doesn't. Do so next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	21. Prisoner of War

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha, and this chapter was written by him.

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**EPISODE 1-21**

**Prisoner of War**

"Five-Headed Dragon! Penta-Dragon Blaze!" was the cry let out as the air crackled with raw power and a torrent of destruction released itself upon a flying ship with the face of a mecha, daring to call itself Ziggurat, as in a fortress. Perhaps it was a fortress against normal foes but the duelist who summoned it didn't realize that the foe he tried using it on was no normal opponent. He was facing a Kaiba.

Their duel disks went silent and collapsed in on themselves; the familiar hum of the machinery on their arms ceasing their familiar rumble as the two opponents entered the realm of silence that all duelists enter and reflect upon the completion of the duel. The challenger, dressed in biker garb with a belly shirt with red hair, growled as he dropped to his knees and slammed his right hand into the ground, resounding in a thud against the linoleum of the Obelisk dorm. The challenger looked up with his gritted teeth, glaring with rage at Saito.

"God damn you Kaibas! I thought I would have a chance of beating the brat since I couldn't beat your old man!' The man said in a grumble. His body trembling as warm tears welled at the base of his tear ducts, obscuring the red orbs with rainbowed droplets of salty water.

"Alister," Saito began as he turned his back to the former slave of the Orichalcos, a cool chill in his voice, "Why did you come here? Uncle Mokuba said you stopped coming after us after the fiasco with Dartz. Do you like humiliation?"

A tear rolled down Alister's cheek. He bit his lip and looked up to the young Kaiba. His face was flushed red with emotion as the signs of age began to show on his face, although he was only in his forties. His lips quivered and shook as he retold the details of what had transpired.

ooo

"Alister, Alister!" a little boy cried out. He wore a collection of poor rags as he ran down the dirt road toward the village hero, kicking up dust and trash with each step of his bare and dirtied feet. Alister turned, his maroon hair whipping a little in the dusty wind with a toothy grin plastered on his face. It was a smile that belonged to men who had everything they wanted in life, and for Alister he was able to rebuild his life so long ago and find peace at last.

The day Yugi defeated the Leviathan and he gave up his quest for revenge to rebuild his country was one of the best days of his life. When a man sees his world turned to ash and slip between his fingertips they grasp onto grief and try to strike down those they blindly view as the enemy. He had lived his life under that mindset when Dartz called the shots, but things were different now. Now he was a man that had reclaimed his life and people, becoming a hero to all.

The bullets casings were swept away and buried in the dust. The tanks were dismantled and sold for scrap to give new life to what they destroyed. The mines were unearthed and shown light that they were never meant to see again lest the foot of an enemy in a war long since past stepped on it. No longer the self exile but a man who was the heart of the people.

The child leapt at him and embraced Alister in a hug with a wide grin. "Guess what? Guess what?" he said in a panting and excited voice, trying to regain his breath from the running. Alister rustled his hair and smiled.

"What is it, Elmo?" he said with a loving voice like a father to his son, for the children of the village were all his, in spirit.

"There is a man outside the village. He brought us food and water. He is just handing it out! You have to come and grab some. He says he is here to help!"

"Oh? Is he from the mission shipment? That isn't till next week, I thought."

"No! He isn't from the mission. He just came in a pick up truck with all this food and water. He has bread, and rice, and cheese, and flour, and CHOCOLATE! It's AWESOME! Come on Alister! I told everyone to save you some candy and food. Hurry hurry!" The child began to tug on Alister's sleeve urgently as he led the way to the truck where the provisions were being provided.

"Okay, okay!" Alister laughed at Elmo jovially. They soon came upon the black pick up truck, the dust covering it like a second skin, disguising the dents and rust to those who did not care to inspect. A man in a cloak stood, his face covered in bandages as were his hands He was short in stature and had purple spiky hair sticking out from the bandages. His eyes were covered by dark shades. Alister looked upon him with pity. He understood why he was handing this out. He had to have been a war victim with terrible burns and injuries wanting to spread the wealth to a war torn people. It made so much sense with just a glimpse of the disfigured man.

Alister took a small share of food for himself and grabbed extra supplies for the people. He thanked the man graciously, shaking his hand firmly and feeling the disfigurement with a masked horror as he felt every bumpy blister and imperfection that textured the hand. He wasn't surprised by the textures he felt, already assuming the burns. What surprised Alister was the movement, or what he thought was movement, under the bandages. It felt like the crawling of a worm, or maggot or something, moving. It was probably his imagination though.

The days went by after the strange visitor came and over time the people seemed less energetic. Some seemed pale and others seemed feverish. Was it a type of cold perhaps? Alister didn't know but he knew it had something to do with the food given, as he felt a little ill himself. It wasn't until the second week after the visit of the stranger had he realized the direness of the situation. He sat at the bedside of Elmo, the boy whom he watched grow up; the boy he whose scraped knees he dressed; the boy he fed an extra ration too every now and then when the lean times came. He was dying of this mystery disease and none of the doctors in the area could help.

Sure, he was only bed ridden with a cough but Alister knew. He knew that they would all die soon because of that demon. The cloaked man that came to them that day with his cursed truck giving out goods that would slay his people.

"DAMN YOU!" he cried out futilely as he slammed his fist into the wall of his living room that night, his knuckles flaking skin off and rolling back with each hammer like blow against the wall. His doorbell rang but he refused to answer. It rang again and he cursed, "Leave! Get the fuck out of here!" It rang thrice and he threw it open in a rage.

"I said leave!" He roared with a face that went from red in rage to white as a ghost at the sight of the man who had returned. The man no longer wore the bandages but Alister knew it was him. This figure whose complexion showed nothing but horror. There was no anger to Alister as the short and cloaked wraith stood before him, hissing in a voice that felt as if a thousand rusty nails were scraping against his soul. In a decrepit and diseased hand the terror held a vial and began to hiss again, this time to speak in a phlegmy and raking voice that tore at the hearts of even the bravest men till they were nothing but peeled apart shells hollowed out by fear while still holding the familiar sound of a child.

"The antidote will be placed into the water supply here. In exchange you must duel a Mr. Saito Kaiba." In his other hand, diseased and deathly as the first, he held an orb that had the Roman numeral three etched into it roughly. It was no bigger than a marble but smooth as glass. "You will have this with you when you duel. You don't and they die, as will you. You do, your people and you live. Simple."

The orb was forced into Alister's hand and the man, without a motion or noise, was gone. Alister had not looked away. The man did not hide. One moment the man was there and the next he was gone leaving Alister alone with the fate of his people left in a duel against those who brought it full circle. Those god damned Kaibas were responsible for this again. He knew it. He would not lose again, for Elmo.

ooo

Alister had lost again. The blood of an old enemy coursed through his new foe and it was a power that was stronger than him. A lineage that made the young man in front of him a king of the modern world. He wept and Saito stared at him with a face as unchanging as stone.

"That is why I had to duel you! Elmo and everyone else in the village were going to die! They were going to die! And I am not even sure if by losing this duel it will save them or not, but…. but…"

"Shut the hell up and get the fuck out of here. You told your story. I don't care about it. You had a resolution. There is nothing more you have here besides tears. Be a man and go back home and fix that mess again." Saito's words cut deep but they were truth. A knife that cut through emotion and lie in the form of cold fact that penetrated as light. Alister smiled lightly but only lightly. His smile brightened up his face only for a moment before he clutched at his sides in pain.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" he cried out as a burning blaze of light burst from his orifices, illuminating everything in the room and mesmerizing Saito like it had once before. The same phenomenon he saw with Arkana was happening again.

Soon, the ear splitting screams of agony from the maroon haired duelist ceased and he lay on the ground, motionless and without sound. At that moment, as with before, the short, cloaked man appeared from the air with not a notice. Saito knew he would be there as soon as the light erupted from Alister in a cosmic display of power.

"Who are you?" Saito asked with his face unfazed.

"Irrelevant." The man hissed in his chilling voice that Saito withstood unflinchingly despite his gripping and screaming fear within.

"Why are you here?"

"To claim what belongs to others"

"Are they the Big Five?"

"Why ask when you seem to know?"

"Because I like to hear my bullshit from the horse's mouth rather than find it out for myself. I have too much to do than to do research."

"Tough." The man disappeared once more, Alister in tow but Saito got the info he needed, or at least he thought he did. Information from a wraithlike entity was not something he got every day so Saito couldn't read him like he could a normal person.

Saito grumbled as he turned and exited the Blue Dorm, pulling out his iPhone from his pocket and selecting one of his contacts. Within moments he heard a voice.

"Hello, Roman? I need you to send a plane to school and have a meeting set up with dad. We have a lot to talk about."

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

It's a high school reunion as former students return to Duel Academy! See Chazz, Syrus, Zane, and Jaden! Watch as they compete in a special exhibition match. Who will reign supreme? Find out next Friday on the next exciting installment of _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	22. High School Reunion

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-22**

**High School Reunion**

If there was one thing that students loved about Duel Academy that they didn't have back home, it was satellite television. Mikey, Sammie, Max, and Coltyn were sitting in the Ra Yellow common room surrounded by snacks and other students as they watched that night's American football game between the Patriots and the Chiefs.

"I never took you as a football fan, Coltyn," Mikey commented as he reached for another handful of popcorn.

"Well the sport is about more than just strength and speed. It's also all about strategy," Coltyn explained. They continued to watch as the clock counted down to the last ten seconds. In that time, the Chiefs succeeded in scoring a field goal, which brought them two points ahead of the Patriots. And with less than ten seconds remaining, there was no way the latter team could win.

"Close game," commented Mikey as everyone got up and left.

"It happens quite a bit," replied Coltyn, "Anyway, you guys know what's happening tomorrow, right?"

"No, what's happening tomorrow?" Max inquired curiously.

"Duel Academy is holding a reunion for past students," answered Sammie, "They'll all be here tomorrow."

"Any particular reason why they're holding a high school reunion in the middle of the school year?" Mike asked.

"Actually, yes. You see, most of the people who graduate from this school become pro Duelists. Part of the reason for this reunion is to hold an exhibition match so the students can learn from them," explained Coltyn.

"Does this mean we might see Jaden Yuki?" a curious Max asked excitedly.

"I would assume so. I hear there is also going be some old teachers coming. Including the last headmaster."

"They canceled all classes for that day so we can all attend the exhibition duels," Sammie added.

"Sweet. What time does it start?" asked Mikey.

"Nine in the morning," was Sammie's answer, "Everyone's going to be arriving by boat."

"Then in that case, I'm going to go to bed early." As soon as the group reached the Red dorm, Mikey ran upstairs to his room and disappeared inside.

"I'll go and sleep too," said Max before heading up, as well. With the two Reds off to bed, Coltyn and Sammie departed for their respective dorms. With professional Duelists coming to the school, tomorrow was going to be an extremely busy day.

ooo

The next morning, the entire school was crowding at the harbor. The ship had already docked and now everybody was waiting to see the pros come off and onto the island.

"I can't see anything," said Mikey as he jumped up and down trying to look over the heads of other students. He got even more desperate when he started hearing everybody around him cheering and screaming and realized that the pros were now disembarking. The first was Bastion Misawa. As he stepped off the ship, Alexis greeted him.

"It's really good to see you again, Bastion," said the headmistress of Duel Academy.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Alexis," answered Bastion. He had grown a lot in the past fifteen years. His face was still pretty much the same, but his hair was better groomed and he wore simple clothing consisting of a shirt, grey slacks, black shoes, and a tie underneath a crispy white lab coat. Bastion slowly pulled back the outer garment and revealed several decks stored in boxes which were attached to belts criss-crossing across his torso as well as lining the inside of his lab coat.

"That's a lot of decks," Max commented with a whistle.

"Bastion Misawa," Coltyn read from his student pocket computer, "Otherwise known as the Duelist Calculator. He had a deck for almost any type of situation. However, pro dueling isn't his main profession. He spent years working under Dr. Albert Eisenstein and now currently works as lead professor in the science of theoretical physics of inter-dimensional travel."

"Where do you get this information?" asked Mikey.

"Internet."

The next to disembark from the ship was Blair Flannigan, the youngest Duelist to have ever enrolled and graduated from Duel Academy. Her dark hair had grown down to her waist and she wore some form-fitting pants along with a white top and a blue jacket. Mikey was sure he had seen her on television once while watching a Turbo Duel with the famous Turbo Duelist Jack Atlas.

Mikey's ears were then met with an ear-piercing scream for nearly all the girls present as the Duel Idol Atticus Rhodes stepped off the ship. The elder brother of Alexis Rhodes had barely changed since his graduation. He still maintained his good looks and hair style and he wore a fancy blue coat overtop a white silk shirt with frills on the sleeves, a white cravat, and blue pants along with shining black dress shoes. He winked at all the girls and they immediately swooned over him.

"It's good to see you again, Atticus," Alexis greeted as he came up to her.

"Good to see ya too, sis," Atticus greeted back.

"I think I'm gonna need my ears checked after this," Mikey muttered.

Silence finally fell on the docks again as the next Duelist stepped off the ship. Wrapped in a black overcoat with a head full of spiky black hair was Chazz Princeton. His attire of black jeans, a black button-front shirt, and black shoes matched well with the dark garment he wore over them. He stopped upon stepping off the gangplank and held his finger up the sky.

"The Chazz is in the house!" he shouted, which prompted everyone to start cheering.

"_**CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP!"**_

"So that's Chazz Princeton," Max thought out loud. He had only heard his name, but he had never even seen a picture of him before until now. "He could use a wardrobe change."

The next two to disembark were a little bit of a surprise to everybody. The first was a muscular dark-skinned soldier who had a Duel Disk shaped like a gun strapped to his leg. The other was a blue-haired man in a blue vest and a fancy white shirt who had a gentle yet determined aura surrounding him. They were Axel Brodie and Jesse Anderson respectively.

"I thought those two attended West and North Academy," said Sammie.

"Yes, but they were special transfer students to Duel Academy for a year," Coltyn answered, "There was also Jim 'Crocodile' Cook and Adrian Gecko. However, after graduating Jim dedicated his life to preserving the Australian outback. And as for Adrian, no one knows where he is."

The next to step onto the island was a short man with blue hair and glasses. He wore a pair of grey slacks and a black turtleneck sweater underneath a white jacket. "It's Cyberoid Syrus!" Max exclaimed excitedly. Syrus Truesdale looked around with a calm and collect demeanor and nonchalantly pushed up his glasses before walking over to the other pros and standing beside Chazz.

Fans began cheering and fangirls began screaming as a man in pitch-black clothes with dark blue hair stepped down on the gangplank. Kaiser Zane Truesdale looked up with an expression of stone and joined his brother with the others. Following him was the retired Chancellor Sheppard. He looked almost the way he did fifteen years ago, but now his hair had completely whitened. Coming off the ship after the former headmaster was the old school nurse formerly known was Miss Fontaine. She was now a doctor at a women's clinic in Domino City and she retained her beauty from all those years ago. Following her was Professor Bonaparte. Much like Sheppard, he had also aged quite a bit. His hair was grey and wrinkles covered his forehead. As he made his way onto the dock, Mr. Bonaparte stepped forward.

"Papa, it is good to see you again!" the French teacher greeted.

"Marcel, it's good to see you again too," Bonaparte Sr. greeted back, "Look at you. A teacher. What subject have they got you teaching these kids?"

"Français."

"Ha ha. That's my boy."

Following Bonaparte's arrival, an elderly man with long hair slowly stepped down from the ship with the help of the cane. At first, nobody could recognize him, but then Alexis stepped forward. "It's good to see you again. Welcome back, Dr. Crowler." Dr. Vellian Crowler had aged changed a great deal since he retired. His body was frailer and his hair had lost its luster. At the very least, people could say that his gender was significantly less ambiguous than it had been. Dr. Crowler no longer wore makeup, jewelry, or frilly pink clothing. Now he was a man of simpler tastes as he walked across the dock in a long blue overcoat, a simple white shirt, and black pants with matching shoes.

"So good to see you again, Alexis," he greeted the headmistress, "I should have known that my most prized pupil would be worthy enough to take charge of this school. I'm very proud of you."

After Dr. Crowler joined the others, cheers began to erupt from the entire student body as the final professional Duelist appeared at the top of the gangplank. A black T-shirt hugged his torso tightly, showing off his muscles and stylish grey pants covered his legs accompanied by blood-red shoes and a bright red jacket. His mess of dual-shaded brown hair complimented his eyes and a goatee completed the look.

"Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Jaden Yuki!" The cheers grew louder as Jaden stepped off the ship and met Alexis and Cassie on the dock.

"Dad!" Cassie left her mother's side and ran towards her father.

"Hey there, Supergirl! How's my little sidekick today? You staying out of trouble?" Jaden picked up his daughter and spun her around before pulling her close for a hug. After the family had their time together, Alexis then addressed the students to proceed to the Dragon Arena. Once there, everyone grabbed a seat and waited for the matches to begin. Mikey, Sammie, Max, and Coltyn were able to grab a set in the front row from an angle that allowed them an unobstructed view of the entire field.

"Welcome Duel Academy students to the Pro Exhibition Tournament!" announced Alexis once everyone had settled down, "Here's how it works. Our pros will take part in a bracket style elimination tournament. They'll draw lots to see who they'll be facing and then we'll proceed." She then turned to the eight pros that had been selected – Jaden, Syrus, Zane, Bastion, Chazz, Jesse, Axel, and Atticus – and held out a box for them to draw numbers from. When the brackets were finally made, the first set of matches were as followed:

Bastion versus Jesse.

Chazz versus Jaden.

Syrus versus Axel.

Atticus versus Zane.

"Now then, let's get this tournament underway!" Alexis stepped aside and Bastion and Jesse stepped forward.

"We've never dueled before Jesse, but I look forward to facing you in this first round," said Bastion as he selected a deck.

"Same here, buddy," replied Jesse.

After a few minutes of dueling between Bastion's Water deck and Jesse's Crystal Beasts, it was Jesse who came out victorious. After that, Jaden and Chazz stepped forward. A few minutes into the duel, the former was facing against the latter's strongest monsters. Jaden was looking up at Armed Dragon LV10, VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon, and the three Ojamas.

"Let's see you get out of this one!" declared Chazz.

"And I will." Jaden drew his card and smiled when he saw it, "I play Miracle Fusion. Now I remove Elemental Hero Flame Wingman and Elemental Hero Sparkman from my graveyard in order to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman. And since I have Clayman, Bubbleman, Burtinatrix, and Avian in my graveyard, that's twelve hundred extra attack points. Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman, attack VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon. Damn, that monster's name is a mouthful to say." All eyes watched as Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman flew up into the air and launched a shimmering blast of energy from its fist straight into the massive amalgamation of machines and destroyed it. After the Battle Damage had been calculated, the burn damage kicked in and Chazz was defeated.

After that duel, Syrus stepped forward and faced off against Axel. The latter was able to deal out some heavy field control with his Volcanic deck, but Syrus' combination of Cyber monsters, Vehicroids, and Cyberdark creatures proved to be quite a formidable match. In the end, it was the blue-haired Duelist who emerged victorious. In the next duel, Zane showed off his new deck against his old friend Atticus and his Red-Eyes Black Dragon deck and won the duel. Following that, it was Jaden against Jesse with the former claiming victory. After that, the two Truesdale brothers faced off against one another. Syrus dueled valiantly but in the end his elder sibling proved to be the better of the pair. Finally, Jaden found himself dueling against Zane.

"I Special Summon Cyber Dragon!" declared the black-shrouded man; "Next I activate Monster Reborn in order to resurrect my Proto-Cyber Dragon. Now I Normal Summon The Light – Hex-Sealed Fusion. Now finally, I use the effect of The Light – Hex-Sealed Fusion and tribute all three monsters and Fusion Summon my Cyber End Dragon!" All three creatures vanished from the field and in their place rose up a massive silver three-headed mechanical dragon.

"Even with all the ban rules, you still managed to find a way to summon that Cyber End Dragon," Jaden commented with a smirk.

"Well you know me, Jaden. And you also know what I plan to do with him. Cyber End Dragon, attack with Super Strident Blaze!" Three mechanical roars filled the arena as Cyber End Dragon's heads each opened its mouth and unleashed a blazing burst of energy that combined with the others to form one great mass of destructive power. "This is the end, Jaden!"

"It's also been a long time since we've dueled last, Zane," Jaden reminded his opponent, "You're not the only one who's made changes to their deck. I activate Mirror Force." A reflective barrier appeared in front of Jaden's monsters, which absorbed the full attack before reflecting back at the mechanical monster. Cyber End Dragon was immediately converted into a massive hailstorm of shrapnel.

"And we have our winner!" announced Alexis, "Everyone, Jaden Yuki!"

"Seeing Jaden duel in person is so more awesome than watching it on TV!" Mikey exclaimed excitedly.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, we are going to hold a very special exhibition duel," the headmistress continued, "As the winner of the tournament, Jaden shall now duel one of the school's greatest teachers ever. Everybody, please welcome Dr. Vellian Crowler!" The old man slowly made his way into the arena and stood across the field facing his soon-to-be opponent.

"To think that when I first saw you Jaden, I thought you were nothing more than trash. And now look at you."

"It's good to see you too, Dr. Crowler," Jaden replied as he returned the greeting. He watched as Dr. Crowler put on his Duel Coat with the aid of one of the current staff members. When he was all set, he set his cane down and stood up as straight as he could.

"Let us make this a duel to be remembered."

"I agree." Jaden activated his Duel Disk and the two opponents drew their cards, "Let's duel, Dr. Crowler. For old time's sake."

----------------------------------

**Jaden:** 8000

**Crowler:** 8000

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"You may go first, Dr. Crowler," Jaden offered out of courtesy for the old man.

"It would be my pleasure, Jaden." Dr. Crowler placed his hand next to his chest and his Duel Coat ejected his first card. He looked at his hand and selected one card before sliding it into one of his spell and trap card zones. "I begin by playing Ancient Gear Castle." A hologram of his card appeared at his side and from the ground behind him rose up a gargantuan stone castle with countless weapons adorning its walls.

"Ancient Gear Castle is a card that gives all Ancient Gear monsters three hundred attack points and gains a counter each time a monster is Normal Summoned or set," Coltyn read out loud to the others from his pocket computer, "In addition, you can tribute that card to summon an Ancient Gear monster so long as the number of counters on it is equal to or greater than the tributes required to summon that monster."

"Next I summon Ancient Gear Soldier." Dr. Crowler placed a card in one of his monster zones and a robot with gears at every joint with a gun attached to its right arm appeared in front of him (ATK/1300 DEF/1300). With the increase from Ancient Gear Castle, his monster was boosted to a decent level of strength. In addition, the gears within the stone structure began to turn and a large cannon appeared along the ramparts. "And that will conclude my turn."

"And I'll begin mine." Jaden drew his card and shuffled his hand around. He took two cards and placed on his Duel Disk. "I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman in attack mode." A surge of electricity crackled up from the floor in front of him as his blue and gold armored warrior appeared in a shower of sparks (ATK/1600 DEF/1400). This caused a second cannon to appear on Ancient Gear Castle's ramparts. With his monster summoned, Jaden nodded and then placed the second card face-up in one of his spell and trap card zones, causing a laser gun to appear in Elemental Hero Sparkman's hand. "Next I equip him with Spark Blaster and I'll use it to switch your monster into defense mode." The electric hero pointed his weapon at Ancient Gear Soldier and fired a burst of electricity that shorted out the robot's systems and forced it into a defensive position.

"Elemental Hero Sparkman, destroy Ancient Gear Soldier with Static Shockwave!" ordered Jaden. Immediately upon his command, Elemental Hero Sparkman leapt into the air with a fist glowing with electricity and unleashed a wave of lightning onto Ancient Gear Soldier. The force of his attack overloaded its systems and caused the mechanical soldier to explode, sending pieces of scrap metal flying in all directions. Jaden used his Spark Blaster to switch Elemental Hero Sparkman into defense mode and then concluded his turn with a facedown.

Dr. Crowler placed his hand next to his deck and the motion sensor ejected his next card into his waiting fingertips. He looked at the one he had just drawn and proceeded to remove his Ancient Gear Castle from his Duel Disk. "I tribute my Ancient Gear Castle with its two counters in order to summon my Ancient Gear Golem!" The castle behind him crumbled and from its interior rose up the enormous ancient robot that was the professor's signature card. (ATK/3000 DEF/3000)

"I activate my facedown card, Shrink, to halve your Golem's attack points." Jaden's facedown revealed itself and Ancient Gear Golem suddenly shrank down to half its size while having its attack points cut in just the same way.

"Well it's still enough to destroy your creature," Dr. Crowler said, "Ancient Gear Golem, attack Elemental Hero Sparkman with Mechanized Melee!" All eyes watched as Ancient Gear Golem held out its arm and launched its fist into Elemental Hero Sparkman. The hero was swiftly eliminated and because of Ancient Gear Golem's piercing effect, the fist continued forward and punched Jaden in the stomach.

----------------------------------

**Jaden:** 7900

**Crowler:** 8000

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"I knew you'd summon your Golem the first chance you got, Dr. Crowler," Jaden addressed his opponent, "You always tried to get him out ASAP."

"If Jaden knew that Crowler would summon Ancient Gear Golem, why didn't he just leave his Sparkman in attack mode?" wondered Mikey.

"Well for one thing, all Ancient Gear monsters have an effect that prevents the opponent from activating any spells or traps until the end of the Damage Step," explained Sammie, "By activating that Shrink as soon as Golem was summoned, he was able to spare himself from taking a total of sixteen hundred points of damage."

"That still doesn't explain why he switched his monster into defense mode," Mikey repeated.

"Mikey," Max placed a hand on his roommate's shoulder, "you have a lot to learn about showbiz."

"I'll leave it at that, Jaden." Dr. Crowler ended his turn and his Ancient Gear Golem returned to full power and its body returned to its original size.

"My turn." Jaden drew his next card. "I play Polymerization and I shall fuse Elemental Hero Clayman and Elemental Hero Bubbleman to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Mudballman in defense mode." The images of a large clay golem and a scuba-diving hero appeared and they both merged together to form a larger clay golem, which immediately took up a crouched defensive stance. (ATK/1900 DEF/3000)

"I'll end my turn there."

"Clever move summoning a monster with defense equal to the attack of my Golem." Dr. Crowler drew his next card. It wasn't the one he wanted, but he knew as long as he had Ancient Gear Golem out, his opponent would be stuck defending until such a time that he could summon an even stronger monster or at the very least find some way to destroy the towering mechanical monstrosity with an effect. For the time being, he summoned Ancient Gear Knight, which brought out a humanoid robot armed with a lance in one hand and a large shield shaped like a gear in the other. (ATK/1800 DEF/500)

Jaden proceeded then with his move. After drawing his card, he quickly did a mental checklist of all the monsters he had in his graveyard. So far his Sparkman, Clayman, and Bubbleman were the only ones who were dead and judging from his current hand he had no way of getting anything out of them at this point in time. So he passed his turn. When Dr. Crowler's turn came up, he Second Summoned his Ancient Gear Knight, thus activating its Second Summoning effect which happened to be the same effect that most of the other Ancient Gear monsters shared. After that, he ended his turn. Jaden drew his next card. He was still short a card to make his move, but since his defense was still strong he decided to wait one more turn. Dr. Crowler drew his card and chuckled.

"I equip my Ancient Gear Golem with Ancient Gear Fist." A giant mechanical gauntlet appeared on the right arm of Ancient Gear Golem and the technological behemoth brought it up and clenched its fist tightly, "When my monster equipped with that card attacks, the attacked monster will be destroyed at the end of the Damage Step. Ancient Gear Golem, strike down Elemental Hero Mudballman! Mechanized Melee!" The mighty metal giant held out its gloved arm and fired its fist into the massive defender. Its attack was absorbed into Elemental Hero Mudballman, but then the steadfast hero exploded and the arm reattached itself to its owner.

"Ancient Gear Knight, attack directly," ordered Dr. Crowler. His smaller monster charged ahead and sank its lance deep into Jaden's chest.

----------------------------------

**Jaden:** 6100

**Crowler:** 8000

----------------------------------

"I'll set a card facedown and end my turn," the retired professor declared.

"My move. Draw!" Jaden ripped his next card off the top of his deck. He looked at the cards he held and smiled. This was exactly what he was looking for. First he played Monster Reincarnation and used its effect to bring back Elemental Hero Bubbleman and discard Elemental Hero Necroshade. After that, he rearranged the cards in his hand and brought one out to the field.

"With Necroshade's effect, I summon Elemental Hero Bladedge without a tribute." In a burst of light, there appeared a massive warrior clad in gold armed with blades sharper than the deadliest knives in the world (ATK/2600 DEF/1800), "Next I play H – Heated Heart to boost my monster by five hundred attack points and give him piercing for this turn. Elemental Hero Bladedge, attack Ancient Gear Golem with Power Edge Attack!" With its power boosted up to thirty-one hundred attack points, Elemental Hero Bladedge flew straight at Ancient Gear Golem and brandished its blades. As soon as the target came within range, he swung his arms and his weapons cut right through the mechanical monstrosity.

----------------------------------

**Jaden:** 6100

**Crowler:** 7900

----------------------------------

"Turn end."

"The pro circuit has definitely done wonders for your skills, Jaden," Crowler complimented as he drew, "I play the field spell Geartown. Now both players can summon Ancient Gear monsters with one less tribute. So now I tribute my Ancient Gear Knight and summon Ancient Gear Golem!" Following the sudden appearance of a great city made up of machines functioning through he use of gears, the human-sized robot vanished and in its place rose a second Ancient Gear Golem.

"I activate Edge Hammer!" Jaden revealed his facedown card, "Now I tribute my Bladedge to destroy your Ancient Gear Golem and deal damage equal to its attack points." A golden hammer appeared in the hand of Elemental Hero Bladedge and the golden warrior swung it into Ancient Gear Golem's face. The impact created a massive explosion that destroyed both creatures and dealt three thousand points of damage to Dr. Crowler's Life Points.

----------------------------------

**Jaden:** 6100

**Crowler:** 4900

----------------------------------

"Nice move," commented Mikey.

"It's your move, Jaden," declared Dr. Crowler. Jaden nodded and drew his next card.

"I play E – Emergency Call and with its effect, I bring Elemental Hero Wildheart to my hand. So now I'll summon Elemental Hero Wildheart." The pro duelist played his card and summoned a muscular African-American man with tattoos, long hair, and a large sword (ATK/1500 DEF/1600), "His effect protects him from trap cards, so if your facedown happens to be one it won't affect him. Go Wildheart, attack Dr. Crowler directly!" All eyes watched as Elemental Hero Wildheart unsheathed the enormous blade from his back and chopped down on Dr. Crowler.

----------------------------------

**Jaden:** 6100

**Crowler:** 3400

----------------------------------

"Things are going really well for Jaden," noted Sammie as she continued to watch the duel without once moving her eyes away from the action, "But Ancient Gears can have some nasty surprises. And that Geartown will just make them easier to summon."

"I draw," announced Dr. Crowler following Jaden's End Phase. He drew his card and added it to his hand before playing another one. "I summon Ancient Gear Beast without a tribute thanks to my Geartown." As the retired professor stood there, a mechanical wolf appeared before him and roared (ATK/2000 DEF/2000). "Next I'll equip it with my Ancient Gear Tank to boost it by six hundred attack points. Also, should Ancient Gear Tank be destroyed, you will take six hundred points of damage." No sooner had the card appeared on the field, a cannon turret with three wheels appeared. Somehow, it had been modified to fit Ancient Gear Beast, allowing the robotic beast to sit comfortably on it. With that done, Dr. Crowler ordered his creature to attack and all audience members watched as it bit down on the trigger and fired a shell into Elemental Hero Wildheart.

----------------------------------

**Jaden:** 5000

**Crowler:** 3400

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"I'll set one more card facedown and then play Future Fusion." The continuous spell card appeared on the field and Dr. Crowler removed his deck from his Duel Coat and searched for fusion material monsters that he intended to use. He took out three cards and shuffled his deck before returning it to its slot. "I send to my graveyard two Ancient Gears and Ancient Gear Golem. In two turns, I'll summon my most powerful monster ever."

"Not if I can destroy that Future Fusion," Jaden replied as he drew, "And it looks like I can thanks to Mystical Space Typhoon."

"And that is what I was waiting for. I activate Magic Jammer." Dr. Crowler discarded the only card in his hand and Jaden's spell was negated.

"Well then, it's a good thing this is the only card left in my hand. I Special Summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman!" In a shower of bubbles, Jaden's caped diver armed with an arm-mounted water cannon appeared (ATK/800 DEF/1200). In addition, since it was the only card Jaden had on the field and he had an empty hand, its other effect kicked in and let him draw two more cards. "Damn. Well I guess this is the best I can do for now. I summon Neo-Spacian Grand Mole." The monster zone beside Elemental Hero Bubbleman shone brightly and there appeared a mole with half-drill shoulder guards (ATK/900 DEF/300). "Neo-Spacian Grand Mole, attack Ancient Gear Beast and send it back to Crowler's hand." Neo-Spacian Grand Mole's shoulder guards turned around and combined into a drill head around its own before he flew forward. The two monsters collided and both were sent back to their respective owner's hands. But since Ancient Gear Tank was destroyed, six hundred points were dealt as damage to Jaden's Life Points when the tank misfired while being blown to pieces.

----------------------------------

**Jaden:** 4400

**Crowler:** 3400

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After that, Jaden sent Bubbleman in to attack and eight hundred more points were dealt to Dr. Crowler's Life Points.

----------------------------------

**Jaden:** 4400

**Crowler:** 2600

----------------------------------

"Sweet."

"If you're quite finished, it's my turn now." Dr. Crowler drew and looked at the two cards he had in his hand. He could summon his Ancient Gear Beast again, but then Jaden would likely just bounce it back into his hand. However, the main problem was that Neo-Spacian Grand Mole could bounce ANY monster and that would be a problem in a few short turns from now since his Future Fusion already had one turn on it. So instead, he played his other card and set it on the field in facedown defense mode. After that, he declared the end of his turn. Jaden drew and was happy to see his signature card Elemental Hero Neos. He seemed more worried about Crowler's Future Fusion rather than his facedown card, so he sent Bubbleman to attack anyway. It turned out to be Morphing Jar and as soon as it was flipped both duelists abandoned their hands to their graveyards and drew new hands of five cards.

"I end my turn," he declared.

"And it is mine." Dr. Crowler smiled as he drew his card and his Future Fusion reached two turns. At that moment, his third Ancient Gear Golem and the two Ancient Gears he sent to the graveyard appeared over the field and began to merge. Their bodies were swallowed up by a bright light and from it emerged a new creature. It was a significantly larger Ancient Gear Golem and even appeared so from the waist up save for its left arm, which now looked like a giant chrome metal claw. Below the waist was where the similarities ended. Ancient Gear Golem's legs had now been replaced with the body of a large robot horse, turning the creature into a gargantuan mechanical centaur. (ATK/4400 DEF/3400)

"This is my Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem!" declared Dr. Crowler; "It has all the effects of Ancient Gear Golem, plus one to recover Ancient Gear Golem in the unlikely event that it be destroyed. Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem, attack Elemental Hero Bubbleman!" Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem thrust its punch forward and slammed it into Elemental Hero Bubbleman, killing him instantly.

----------------------------------

**Jaden:** 800

**Crowler:** 2600

----------------------------------

"Damn, that's one impressive monster," Coltyn thought out loud.

"I'll place three cards facedown and end my turn," concluded Dr. Crowler.

Jaden then drew his card and his entire hand made him smile. "First I'll Summon Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird to regain some Life Points." His red white-winged avian creature appeared (ATK/800 DEF/600) and three giant flowers sprouted from Dr. Crowler's hand. Air Hummingbird went to each one and drank the nectar, which was transferred to Jaden's Life Points.

----------------------------------

**Jaden:** 2300

**Crowler:** 2600

----------------------------------

"Next I play O – Oversoul and I'll use it to bring back Elemental Hero Neos!" Jaden's signature monster made an impressive comeback as the white hero from space appeared and joined Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird on the field (ATK/2500 DEF/2000), "And that's not all. I now play Monster Reborn and from my Graveyard, I bring back an old friend of mine. Come on out, Yubel!" Right on command, a winged hermaphroditic demon with three eyes and dual-colored hair appeared (ATK/0 DEF/0). "Now I equip Yubel with my Ring of Magnetism. Now she's the only one you can target with your attacks. I'll end my turn right there. And in order to keep Yubel on the field, I'll tribute Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird." Several thorned vines rose up around Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird and bound him tightly as he was sacrificed for Yubel.

"Thank you for that, Jaden," Yubel whispered.

"Not a problem, Yubel," Jaden answered.

_As long as his Yubel has Ring of Magnetism equipped, any attempt to attack will result in my defeat_, thought Dr. Crowler. He drew his next card and proceeded. First he played Foolish Burial and sent one card to his graveyard. After that, he resurrected it with Monster Reborn and summoned Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon, bringing out a large mechanical winged dragon (ATK/3000 DEF/2000).

"And now I shall play Ancient Gear Explosive. I sacrifice my Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon to inflict half of its attack points as damage to your Life Points." A large bomb adorned with gears appeared and attached itself to Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon's chest. The beast roared and flew over to Jaden. Just as it reached its destination, the bomb detonated and destroyed the massive dragon, catching the pro duelist in its blast.

----------------------------------

**Jaden:** 800

**Crowler:** 2600

----------------------------------

"I'll end my turn right there."

"Sweet move, Dr. Crowler." Jaden drew his next card; "I summon Dandylion in attack mode!" He played his card and summoned a lion cub with a mane of dandelion petals and leaves for forelegs (ATK/300 DEF/300). "Next I'll set a card facedown and end my turn. Now to keep Yubel on the field, I'll send Dandylion to the graveyard and that in turn lets me summon two Fluff Tokens in defense mode." As the small beast vanished from sight, two white dandelion fluffs appeared in its place.

"It's my turn." Dr. Crowler drew his card and proceeded to his Standby Phase.

"I activate my trap card," announced Jaden, "Battle Mania! Now your attack position monsters will be forced to fight. And since Yubel has Ring of Magnetism equipped, there's only one option you have!"

"Not if I activate Dark Bribe." Dr. Crowler revealed one of his facedown cards and Battle Mania was immediately negated and destroyed. And due to Dark Bribe's effect, Jaden drew one card.

"Nice save, Dr. Crowler."

"And now I'll resume my turn. And to do so, I shall summon Ancient Gear Cannon." A cannon turret with several large gears and a glowing orange core (ATK/500 DEF/500) appeared beside Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem. "Now I shall use its effect. By tributing my Ancient Gear Cannon, I can inflict five hundred points of damage to your Life Points and render all trap cards useless during this turn's Battle Phase." Ancient Gear Cannon loaded its core into one of its cannons and fired. The resulting loss of its main source of power caused it to collapse into a smoking heap of scrap as the core shot forward and blasted Jaden in the face.

----------------------------------

**Jaden:** 300

**Crowler:** 2600

----------------------------------

"Dr. Crowler won't even need that Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem to win this. All he needs is one more Ancient Gear Cannon and that's it," Mikey thought out loud, which caused the others to turn to him in surprise at the fact that he actually thought out a potential strategy for this duel out loud for the others to hear him. He looked at them with a confused look on his face. "What?"

"I'll end my turn," announced Dr. Crowler.

"My move then." Jaden drew and looked at his monsters on the field, "Neos, you're up. Sorry Yubel, but you'll be sitting this one out. I activate R – Righteous Justice! For every Elemental Hero I control, I can destroy one spell or trap card on the field. And since I have Neos, I'll destroy the one on the far right, Dr. Crowler." Elemental Hero Neos flexed his muscles and shot a beam of energy from his chest that destroyed Crowler's facedown, which turned out to be Magic Cylinder.

"Sweet! Now that I've played R – Righteous Justice, I can now play my HERO Flash!! card. By removing from play H – Heated Heart, E – Emergency Call, R – Righteous Justice, and O – Oversoul from my graveyard, I can Special Summon a Normal Elemental Hero from my deck and all my heroes can attack you directly! So come on out Elemental Hero Avian!" A green-clad man with white wings burst onto the field in a gust of wind and flexed his arms (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "Elemental Hero Neos, attack Dr. Crowler directly!"

"You triggered my other trap card!" declared Dr. Crowler, "Mirror Force!" As Elemental Hero Neos leapt into the air with a glowing fist, a large reflective barrier appeared in front of Dr. Crowler's front line. As Jaden's cosmic warrior attacked, his punch struck the shield and the power it absorbed was blasted back into every creature on the pro's field. Loud high-pitched screams came from Yubel as she was destroyed along with Elemental Heroes Avian and Neos.

"Neos! Yubel!"

"You almost had me, Jaden. But just not enough."

"Damn. Well, maybe soon." Jaden looked through his hand for something he could use and played it. "My Swords of Revealing Light should hold things off for a while." Three shining swords of light appeared overhead and dropped down in front of Dr. Crowler, preventing him from attacking for three turns.

"Clever, but it will not save you for long." Dr. Crowler drew his card and ended his turn, causing one sword to vanish. Then it was back to Jaden. He drew, but it wasn't a card he needed right now so he also ended his turn. Then Dr. Crowler drew and passed his turn again, bringing the sword count to one. Jaden drew once more and it still wasn't what he was looking for. He hoped he would get what he needed on his next turn. Dr. Crowler drew again and ended his turn. The last sword vanished and his Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem began to move, eager to finish the job.

"Here goes something!" Jaden drew his final card. "Gotcha! I play Pot of Avarice! I return Elemental Hero Avian, Elemental Hero Neos, Yubel, Elemental Hero Bladedge, and Elemental Hero Wildheart to my deck!" He selected his five monsters and slotted them all into his deck and shuffled thoroughly before drawing two cards. "Sweet! Now I play Polymerization! And from my hand, I'll fuse Elemental Hero Avian with Elemental Hero Burstinatrix to create Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" Images of his two heroes appeared and they vanished before emerging as Jaden's favorite fusion monster (ATK/2100 DEF/1200).

"Ah, I remember him very well," Dr. Crowler, mused.

"Next I play the field spell Skyscraper!" Geartown was destroyed and in its place rose up a metropolis of skyscrapers.

"Skyscraper only boosts your hero by one thousand attack points against a stronger monster, Jaden," Dr. Crowler reminded his opponent.

"That's why I have this last card. Megamorph!" An ancient stone seal appeared below Elemental Hero Flame Wingman and his original attack was doubled from twenty-one hundred to forty-two hundred. With the inclusion of Skyscraper, his total attack came out to fifty-two hundred, plenty with which to destroy Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem.

"Gotcha, Crowler! Elemental Hero Flame Wingman, attack Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem!" Now fully powered up, Elemental Hero Flame Wingman took to the skies. He held out his dragon arm and unleashed a mighty inferno from its maw that pierced through the chest of Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem and engulfed it in flame. The massive mechanical behemoth collapsed and exploded.

----------------------------------

**Jaden:** 300

**Crowler:** 1800

----------------------------------

"And now for Flame Wingman's burn effect!" Elemental Hero Flame Wingman turned its arm on Dr. Crowler next and fired the same attack at him, which burned away the remainder of his Life Points.

----------------------------------

**Jaden:** 300

**Crowler:** 0

----------------------------------

"Game set," said Jaden using his trademark point and wink.

"And Jaden Yuki is the winner!" the announcer cried, causing everyone to cheer.

"That was one mother fucking intense duel," Coltyn commented as he and the other stood up and joined in.

"It was totally beyond _**FABULOUS**_!" Max exclaimed excitedly.

"That! Was! Incredible!" Mikey was practically jumping up and down in excitement. "I know watching a pro duel live is different from watching on TV, but still. THIS is something else!" Sammie looked around the arena as if she was looking for something or someone.

"Something wrong, Sammie?" Mikey inquired curiously.

"No. It's nothing." He just shrugged at her response and joined everyone as they all left the Dragon Arena for refreshments.

A few minutes later, everybody was gathered in the school atrium where food and beverages were being served. Some pros were mingling while others were signing autographs, taking pictures, and giving dueling advice to the students. Jaden had the largest group surrounding him and Mikey was among them.

"Hey there," Jaden greeted as he took the piece of cardstock the young brunet held out to him, "Who am I making this out to?"

"M-Mikey Angel," Mikey stammered.

"Angel.... Are you related to Johnathan Angel by any chance?"

"Yeah, he's my dad."

"Really? Sweet! He and I duel together a lot in tag team matches."

"No way! You and my dad know each other?"

"Yep! In fact, he was my mentor when I first entered the pro circuit."

"Whoa!"

Jaden chuckled as he finished signing his autograph and handed Mikey back the piece of cardstock, "Say hi to your dad for me."

"I will, Mr. Yuki!"

"You can just call me Jaden, Mikey." These words made Mikey's eyes brighten.

"Where is he?" someone whispered as he searched through the crowds through some kind of scope. But what made this one different from even a telescope was the set of crosshairs that intersected at the center.

"So your dad really knows Jaden Yuki?" Max asked bewildered as he, Mikey, Sammie, and Coltyn gathered around the punch bowl.

"Apparently he does," Mikey answered.

"Well I guess it's no surprise," Sammie said, "After all, they're both pros. What's to say they never went out for a drink after a match?"

"Actually, lots of people know each other out in the pro circuit," Coltyn added, "In fact..." His sentence was interrupted when the glass in his hand suddenly shattered. "What the hell was that?"

"Coltyn, are you sure you didn't just accidentally crush it with your hand?" asked Max.

"My prosthetic is my left arm and even that doesn't have enough strength to shatter a glass."

A few seconds later, a yellow banner depicting Sun Dragon, God of Ra fell from its hanging on the ceiling following a loud bang. This time, it grabbed everyone's attention.

"Was that a gunshot?" Mikey inquired nervously. Another gunshot rang out and this time it broke off a ceiling lighting fixture and sent it crashing into the center of the floor.

"Fuck! Sniper!" shouted Coltyn "Get down!" He got down and Sammie quickly grabbed Mikey's head and shoved him face-first against the floor as she ducked under the table followed closely by Max. Coltyn's warning caused the whole room to erupt in a massive panic. Anyone who managed to remain calm enough grabbed as many people as they could and pulled them against the floor.

"Attention all present," a low and gravely voice crackled over the school's PA system, "That was your last warning shot. I have no intention of killing any of you. I highly suggest you do not make any actions to convince me otherwise." The voice spoke calmly and and slowly, annunciating every single word.

_He must have hacked the PA system_, Alexis thought to herself.

"Who are you?" demanded Jaden.

"You can call me the Duel Sniper."

"The Duel Sniper?" Chazz gasped.

"Who's the Duel Sniper?" Mikey wondered.

"You don't ever read the news, do you?" replied Coltyn.

"The Duel Sniper is an infamous assassin," Sammie explained, "He hires himself out to anyone who's willing to pay him the right sum of money. And as you can guess from what he calls himself, he's a master sniper, or that is the story anyways."

"Think Deadshot from the comics," Cassie chimed in.

"What are you after, Duel Sniper?" Jaden called out.

"Only one person." The Duel Sniper looked around from his hiding place through his sniper scope and finally stopped over his target.

"I want Axel Brodie."

* * *

**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The challenge has been issued. Will Axel Brodie accept? Find out what happens and what the Duel Sniper has planned next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	23. The Duel Sniper

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

Also, if you have any questions feel free to ask and we will both answer them to the best of our abilities.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-23**

**The Duel Sniper**

"Only one person." The Duel Sniper looked around from his hiding place through his sniper scope and finally stopped over his target.

"I want Axel Brodie."

A long silence filled the room. Nobody moved a muscle. Nobody spoke a word. Nobody even breathed a single breath. Everyone was paralyzed in fear.

"I would also like a chardonnay and a pack of Marlboros, but I digress," the Duel Sniper said nonchalantly, "Bring me Axel Brodie."

"And if we refuse?" Chazz demanded.

"Then I put a bullet through each student's head once every hour. And these are fifty-caliber armor-piercing rounds. It won't matter if you hide them. These things can take out an armored personnel carrier. Trust me, you do not want to be in one of those when one of these is flying around." In an almost immediate reaction, as if to prove his point, a shot rang out which caused everybody to duck back down once again. A second shot rang out and then all was silent. Everyone looked around and to their relief nobody was dead. Gio, however, did notice something amiss. A hole had suddenly appeared on the wall. Zane walked up to it and examined it carefully. It went right through the wall. The dark-haired duelist went outside into the hall and found another hole in the wall across from the previous one. Upon examining that one, he found a fifty-caliber bullet lodged inside. He snapped his fingers at a passing janitor, who came up with a pair of pliers and pulled it out. On closer inspection, there was another object in the hole. The janitor pulled this out as well.

"What is it, Zane?" Jaden inquired as he stepped forward.

"It's another bullet," the dark man answered, "and it's been split down the middle."

"That's not just a show of the power of these bullets, but my accuracy as well," the Duel Sniper explained, "Now imagine the same thing happening to these students."

Unable to take it anymore, Axel suddenly stepped forward. "Alright Duel Sniper, what is it you want?"

"That's better. It's nothing much, Mr. Brodie. Let's just say we're going to play a little game."

"A game? You're putting innocent lives at stake and you expect me to play a fucking game?"

"Yes. That's exactly what I want you to do. We're going to play a game. What are you going to do about it? Given your current situation, I'd say there's nothing you can do so sit your ass down and listen up. Find me on the island. You have ninety minutes. Fail and, well let's just hope you don't fail for the sake of everyone here." And with that, the PA system went silent. Axel began to walk toward the door, but Jaden stopped him.

"Axel, are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely. This is something I have to do. Make sure no one follows. I don't want no one getting hurt."

"Understood. Go Axel."

"Roger that." Axel turned and ran out the door.

"Any idea what's going on?" Mikey asked his friends.

"We know about as much as you do," was Sammie's answer, "But I know what we are going to do."

ooo

Dry leaves and twigs crunched under the weight of Axel's boots as he ran through the forest behind the school. Wind lashed at his face as he sped through, moving amongst the trees in serpentine and bestial paths. He would not make the folly of running in a straight line and getting picked off easily. With the accuracy the Duel Sniper displayed back at the atrium, it would be suicide to move in predictable patterns.

_Okay, think Brodie. You're up against a sniper who's threatening to kill everyone if you don't find him in time. Question is where could a sniper hide?_ thought Axel, _Let's see. First he was able to hack the PA system so it must be someplace with the equipment necessary to pull it off. But he was also present in the room at the time of his speech. Then again, he could have just rigged a recording or even used a radio. Still, the first thing I need to do is find out where he's hiding and I think know where to start._ It had been several years since Axel had been on the island so it took him a little longer than he had hoped to find his destination. When he arrived, he looked up at the old abandoned facility before him. It was small on the outside, but he knew that it housed a massive complex beneath his very feet.

"Viper's hideout," he muttered to himself as he carefully approached the door. He reached for his side and pulled out his gun as he pressed his back against the wall and slowly inched the door open with his foot. He carefully peered inside for any signs of life and silently slipped into the building. Time had certainly done its worst over the past fifteen years. The corridors were overrun with overgrowth and small forest rodents had made their homes within the walls. At the very least in these close quarters, the only direction a sniper could shoot him from would be from the end of the hall. He took in a deep breath and proceeded cautiously.

ooo

Meanwhile, a Kaiba Corp. jet was flying across the ocean heading straight for Japan. Countless documents lay strewn across a large mahogany desk as Saito sifted through the papers deep in thought. Across from him was a businessman in a brown suit and a black tie with neatly combed brown hair wearing black horn-rimmed glasses.

"Roman, where is that file on Gansley?" the young duelist demanded.

"It's right here, young Mr. Kaiba," The man whom Saito had addressed as Roman pulled out a large folder and held it out to the young duelist. The heir to Kaiba Corp. grabbed it immediately and began flipping through its contents.

"This is just a repeat of everything else we've come across," he growled as he threw the folder into the growing pile of papers on the floor beside him, "Tell me why we can't find any files on Gozaburo Kaiba. As the founder of Kaiba Corp., you'd think there'd be a significant abundance of information on him." Saito swept all the documents off the desk and slammed his fist against the smooth wooden surface in frustration. "Roman, I want everything you can find about my grandfather."

"Any reason?"

"Something suspicious is going on. Only a man who has something to hide would go so far as to erase any information about himself. I want you to find out why while you're also searching for that information."

"Understood, young Mr. Kaiba."

Saito sat back in his chair and sighed. He was going to get the answers he wanted one way or another.

ooo

"Sammie, are you sure this is a good idea?" Mikey asked as he and Sammie wandered aimlessly through the woods trying to locate Axel, "I mean we could get in trouble if..."

"You'll be in trouble if you don't shut your goddamn mouth," Sammie threatened, which quickly caused Mikey to shut up, "God dammit, we're never gonna find them at this rate."

"Sammie, didn't we pass this spot already?" Mikey inquired.

"Didn't I tell you to shut your goddamn mouth?"

"Sammie, look at this tree." Mikey pointed at a tree with two thumbtacks – one red and one yellow – impaled in its bark, "I put those there six minutes ago."

"Damnit! We've gone in a circle!" Sammie kicked a rock into the bush before smacking Mikey on the back of his head.

"Ow! What the heck was that for?" he asked in a rather whiny voice.

"'Cause I felt like it!" was the response he received. As Sammie tried to sort things out and deal with her frustration, Mikey pulled out his deck and took out Kuraz the Light Monarch, remember what his father and Pegasus had said.

"I don't suppose you could shed some light on this situation, can you?" he asked the card, feeling silly as he did so, like a card would be able to do anything.

"Actually, I might." The shimmering image of the golden monarch appeared kneeling in front of Mikey, "I shall seek out this 'Duel Sniper' and find to where he has lured Mr. Brodie."

"Actually, we just need some help finding our way around since we're hopelessly lost," corrected Mikey a bit shakily before realizing the absurdity of him talking to a children's playing card.

"Same thing in this case." Kuraz then took off and Mikey took heed and pointed Sammie in the direction he thought they would be, figuring she did not see the golden emperor like he had, although he still wasn't sure that Kuraz was even really there. Sammie, however, looked paler than she did a few minutes ago, biting her lip and following along reluctantly.

Meanwhile, Axel had made his way through the upper levels of Professor Viper's old hideout and made his way down into the underground habitat below it. He cautiously stepped off the elevator and kept his gun ready for any signs of the Duel Sniper.

_Nothing so far_, he thought to himself as he continued deeper into the man-planted forest. Maintaining a low stance, he crept along silent trying to stay off the main path as much as possible. His soldier's senses were on high alert. His hearing had never been sharper; his sight had never been more powerful.

The sound of a metal clip being loaded into a gun suddenly caught his attention and Axel dove into the nearest bush. After ten minutes of waiting in silent, he slowly crawled out and found no signs of the presence of another.

_Maybe he's not here after all_, he thought as he got up. Axel brushed himself off quickly and turned around only to find a rifle barrel being pointed right in the middle of his face. He quickly jumped back and found himself face-to-face with a man with short black hair and grey eyes holding a rifle.

"Oh hey, you found me. Good job." The stranger took a pack of Marlboro brand cigarettes from the inside of his jacket and pulled out a smoke with his teeth, "Now I can finally light one up since I don't have to worry about you seeing it." Taking a lighter out from the same pocket, he struck the flint a few times before a flame appeared and he gently lit the tip of his cigarette before putting the small device away and slowly letting out a long breath of smoke.

"You're the Duel Sniper, I presume," Axel said.

"Yup. In the flesh." The Duel Sniper stood up from his apparent crouched position and stepped out from the shadows. He looked like a man somewhere in his late twenties or early thirties with a face covered with stubble and eyes as grey as stone. He wore green fatigues and a wrinkled white muscle shirt and a set of soldier's dog tags around his neck. His black boots were scuffed and dulled from years of wear. Around his head was wrapped a camouflage bandanna and on his left forearm he had a tattoo of a Dragonov sniper rifle. As Axel studied the older man, his eyes went wide when they fell on his gun. In the Duel Sniper's hands was a fifty-caliber M107 Barrett, one of the most powerful sniper rifles in the world, which hung from his body by a shoulder strap as he held onto it.

"Axel Brodie. We've never formally met before, so the introductions may be a little shaky."

"Cut the chatter, Duel Sniper. You wanted me and here I am. Now tell me why you called me here?" Axel demanded.

"Impatient, aren't we?" The Duel Sniper let out a small chuckle as he took another drag from his cigarette. "Well I suppose I could at least owe you an explanation. You see there's just something about you that I'm not particularly fond of. But that's not the main point. I've been hired to take you out."

"Let me guess. By any means necessary."

"Those weren't the terms in this case. If they had been, I would have already shot you. No, that wasn't it. My client whose name I shall not reveal demanded that I challenge you to a duel."

"Wouldn't it make more sense just to kill me?"

"That's what I said, but they insisted." The Duel Sniper reached into his pocket and produced a small crystalline orb; "They gave me this and said I should keep it with me when we duel. It doesn't make much sense to me either, but a job's a job and I gotta follow orders. I hope you're ready, Axel Brodie."

"I'm a soldier. I'm always ready." Axel put his gun away and drew his Duel Disk. He strapped it quickly to his left arm and activated it.

"Interesting Duel Disk." The Duel Sniper grasped his Barrett tightly and several card slots lit up on its surface. Taking his deck from yet another pocket, he shuffled his cards thoroughly and stuck them into a deck slot right inside the butt of his rifle.

"Your sniper rifle is your Duel Disk?"

"This coming from a man whose Duel Disk transforms from a gun that shoots children's trading cards. But like you said, enough chatter. Let's duel."

---------------------------------

**Axel:** 8000

**Duel Sniper:** 8000

---------------------------------

"I'll go first." Axel placed his hand on top of his deck and drew his first card. He looked at the cards that were already in his hand and the one he just received and thought for a moment. "I set one monster facedown and end my turn."

_Brodie uses a Volcanic deck_, thought the Duel Sniper as he drew his card, _and that deck revolves around field control through monster destruction. However, this can only be accomplished through Blaze Accelerator. If he had one, I'm certain he would have played it already. And if he didn't, he's surely set up a means for him to obtain one with that facedown monster. That shouldn't be too much of a problem so long as it has an effect that activates when it's destroyed in battle._

"Hey! Are you making a move or what?" Axel demanded.

"A sniper always patiently waits for his target," the Duel Sniper replied, "He doesn't waste his time just doing nothing. I summon Twin-Barrel Dragon in attack mode." He placed his card on one of the slots on the side of his sniper rifle and called forth a human-sized robot dinosaur with a two-shot Derringer for a head (ATK/1700 DEF/200). "When Twin-Barrel Dragon is summoned, his effect activates. First I select one of my opponent's cards. Next, I toss a coin twice and if I get Heads both times, then that card is destroyed." The Duel Sniper inhaled deeply through his cigarette and exhaled slowly as he took two coins from his pocket and tossed them into the air. They landed by Twin-Barrel Dragon's feet and both of them landed on Heads. At that moment, something clicked inside the mechanical beast before it pulled its own trigger and fired a bullet from its lower barrel into the facedown monster, which turned out to be Volcanic Blaster.

"Twin-Barrel Dragon, attack Brodie directly," ordered the Duel Sniper. Twin-Barrel Dragon roared before firing a second bullet from its other barrel and penetrated Axel's chest.

---------------------------------

**Axel:** 6300

**Duel Sniper:** 8000

---------------------------------

"I'll end with a facedown." The Duel Sniper slotted a card into the bottom of his Barrett and concluded his turn.

"Then it's my move." Axel drew his next card. As long as he didn't have his Blaze Accelerator, he couldn't use his main strategy so he needed a means to hold off his opponent for the time being. "I summon Volcanic Slicer in attack mode!" A green eyeless reptile appeared in front of Axel and hissed as it scratched the ground with its claws (ATK/1800 DEF/1200). "Now I activate its effect and deal five hundred points of damage to your Life Points. In exchange, Volcanic Slicer can't attack this turn." Volcanic Slicer hissed again as it reared up on its legs and spat a fireball at the Duel Sniper.

---------------------------------

**Axel:** 6300

**Duel Sniper:** 7500

---------------------------------

"I'm gonna set a card facedown and end my turn."

"Feeling helpless without your Blaze Accelerator?" asked the Duel Sniper as he drew, "A true soldier can make do without any sort of weapon."

"And what do you know about being a soldier?" demanded Axel.

"Everything. I didn't get these tags from my father," answered the Duel Sniper as he pulled on the chain around his neck, "I earned these. I'm more than just an assassin for hire, Brodie. I'm a full-fledged soldier and a master marksman. I was the best sniper in my platoon back in the day."

"If you were such a great sniper, what are you doing taking up assassination jobs?"

"Nowadays, there isn't much work for a soldier and I need to make ends meet. I need to save for my son's schooling. But I digress it is time to move on. I sacrifice my Twin-Barrel Dragon and summon Blowback Dragon in attack mode!" Twin-Barrel Dragon vanished and in its place a mighty machine that looked like a red glock pistol with two legs and a tail (ATK/2300 DEF/1200), "This time my monster's effect is optional and it requires me to flip three coins and get a Heads majority." Once again, the Duel Sniper took some coins out from his pocket and flipped them. The result was two Heads and one Tails. With those favorable results, Blowback Dragon cocked back its head and fired a round into Volcanic Slicer, destroying it instantly. After that, the mechanical menace took aim at Axel and fired off another shot as it attacked.

"Not this time. I activate my Firewall to negate your direct attack by removing one Pyro monster from my graveyard." Axel's Duel Disk ejected Volcanic Slicer and he placed it inside his pocket.

"It's your move then," said the Duel Sniper, "Let's see if you can survive."

_I hope so_, thought Axel as he drew. He looked at the card he received and smiled.

"First I let my Firewall vanish by not paying the five hundred Life Points required to keep it on the field." His continuous trap card vanished and he continued with his move. "Now I summon Volcanic Rocket in attack mode." He played his card and a missile seemingly made from pterodactyl bones shot down from the sky (ATK/1900 DEF/1400). In its arms it was carrying a cannon attached to a tripod. "When Volcanic Rocket is summoned, I can bring one Blaze Accelerator from my deck or graveyard to my hand." After Axel removed a card from his deck, his Duel Disk automatically re-shuffled the stack of cards. As soon as that was finished, he played that card and Volcanic Rocket dropped off the weapon it was carrying in front of its master before taking its place on the field.

"Now I can finally take charge of this duel." Axel took a card from his hand and revealed it to the Duel Sniper, "With my Blaze Accelerator, I can destroy one monster on your field by sending a Pyro monster with five hundred or less attack from my hand to the graveyard and this Volcanic Rat is going to do just that." The small rodent appeared behind Blaze Accelerator and crawled inside the chamber. Once it was in, the bolt was snapped into place and the cannon took aim. Axel gave the order to fire and the Volcanic Rat shot out of the Blaze Accelerator and struck Blowback Dragon. The impact resulted in an explosion and when the smoke cleared a headless machine could be seen falling toward the ground and struck against the dirt with a thunderous crash.

"That's it for me this turn."

"So you finally got your main gun out. But how long can you keep feeding it ammo?" The Duel Sniper quickly activated his facedown while it was still Axel's End Phase, "I activate my Fires of Doomsday which lets me summon two Doomsday Tokens." A beam of black light shot out of the card's picture and deposited onto the field two one-eyed creatures whose bodies were made up of black flames. When his Draw Phase came up, he took the next card from the top of his deck and made his move. "I can't attack you while you have that nineteen-hundred attack monster on the field, but I can do some damage. I summon Cannon Soldier in attack mode." Between the two Doomsday Tokens, a purple robot with a cannon mounted on its back appeared (ATK/1400 DEF/1300).

"Cannon Soldier, it's time to load up!" Cannon Soldier grabbed one Doomsday Token and loaded it into its bay. Then it lowered its cannon and took aim at Axel before firing a shot that flew past his front lines and struck him in the chest.

---------------------------------

**Axel:** 5800

**Duel Sniper:** 7500

---------------------------------

After the first shot, Cannon Soldier did the same thing with the other Doomsday Token and fired another blast that dealt another five hundred points of damage to Axel.

---------------------------------

**Axel:** 5300

**Duel Sniper:** 7500

---------------------------------

"Cannon Soldier, time to sacrifice yourself." Cannon Soldier ran forward past Volcanic Rocket and Blaze Accelerator and stopped short in front of Axel before blowing itself up and dealing five hundred more points of damage.

---------------------------------

**Axel:** 4800

**Duel Sniper:** 7500

---------------------------------

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn. Your move."

_That was some firepower_, thought Axel,_ I can't help but think that I've seen this style of dueling somewhere before._ Regardless of these thoughts, he drew his next card.

"I sacrifice Volcanic Rocket and summon Volcanic Hammerer in attack mode!" Volcanic Rocket was consumed by flames and in its place appeared a half-rock, half-lizard creature burning with fiery shoulders and a tail flame (ATK/2400 DEF/1500). "Now instead of attacking, I can use my Hammerer's effect to cause some burn damage. Y'see, he does two hundred points of damage for each Volcanic monster in my graveyard and I got me Volcanic Blaster, Volcanic Rat, and Volcanic Rocket. So that's six hundred points." Volcanic Hammerer opened its mouth and a burst of fire erupted from its maw and slammed into the Duel Sniper.

---------------------------------

**Axel:** 4800

**Duel Sniper:** 6900

---------------------------------

"I'm ending this turn right there."

"So I see." The Duel Sniper drew, "I summon another Twin-Barrel Dragon!" He slapped his card against his sniper rifle and another small robotic dragon appeared. Just like the last time, the moment it was summoned he activated its effect and flipped two coins. Unfortunately for him, this time the results were one Heads and one Tails. He then ended his turn and watched as Axel drew.

"I tribute my Blaze Accelerator in order to summon a stronger weapon. My Tri-Blaze Accelerator!" The cannon on the field vanished and was quickly replaced with a larger and far more advanced weapon with three large barrels, "Now I load it up with Volcanic Shell." A small larva-like creature was loaded into the chamber and fired from the center cannon at Twin-Barrel Dragon, swiftly reducing it to a smoldering pile of scrap. "And when I fire a shot with my Tri-Blaze Accelerator, you take five hundred points of damage." A second shot was fired from the cannon and hit the Duel Sniper.

---------------------------------

**Axel:** 4800

**Duel Sniper:** 6400

---------------------------------

"And with one more Volcanic in my graveyard, my Hammerer's effect gains more firepower!" Volcanic Hammerer roared and spat another fireball at the Duel Sniper, this time dealing eight hundred points of damage.

---------------------------------

**Axel:** 4800

**Duel Sniper:** 5600

---------------------------------

"Now since I have a Volcanic Shell in my graveyard," Axel continued, "I can use its effect to bring another one from my deck to my hand by paying five hundred Life Points."

---------------------------------

**Axel:** 4300

**Duel Sniper:** 5600

---------------------------------

"And that ends my turn."

"I'll say this again, you're nothing without some form of your Blaze Accelerator." The Duel Sniper drew and set a monster facedown before concluding his turn. Then it was back to Axel. Immediately after drawing, he summoned a second Volcanic Slicer and then discarded the Volcanic Shell in his hand to destroy the facedown monster, which turned out to be Y-Dragon Head, and inflict five hundred points of damage.

---------------------------------

**Axel:** 4300

**Duel Sniper:** 5100

---------------------------------

Following that, he ordered his Volcanic Slicer to deal an additional five hundred points.

---------------------------------

**Axel:** 4300

**Duel Sniper:** 4600

---------------------------------

Now with five Volcanic monsters in his graveyard, Axel ordered his Volcanic Hammerer to fire and one thousand points of damage were dealt.

---------------------------------

**Axel:** 4300

**Duel Sniper:** 3600

---------------------------------

"That's it for me," concluded Axel.

"Hmph." The Duel Sniper drew his card and smirked, "I set one card facedown and then I'll summon X-Head Cannon in attack mode." A blue and yellow robot with two large cannons on its shoulders appeared (ATK/1800 DEF/1500) and he ordered it to attack Volcanic Slicer. The two monsters' attacks collided and the blast destroyed them both.

"Are you _trying_ to lose?" asked Axel, "By destroying my Volcanic Slicer, you're just powering up my Volcanic Hammerer's effect."

"Sometimes you have to sacrifice a little to gain a lot," was the Duel Sniper's response, "I end my turn."

"Your funeral," said Axel as he drew, "Volcanic Hammerer, attack him!" Volcanic Hammerer roared and made its way over to the Duel Sniper. It stopped just a foot in front of him and raised its arm ready to strike. After it engulfed its fist in fire, it attacked.

"I activate Widespread Ruin." The Duel Sniper revealed one of his facedown cards and a strange device that appeared to be a screw surrounded by a ring of rune stones appeared. The moment Volcanic Hammerer's fist connected with it, the device detonated and the resulting explosion killed the creature.

"So much for your Hammerer," muttered the Duel Sniper.

"He'll be back. I play Monster Reborn." Axel's spell card took effect and Volcanic Hammerer returned to the field.

"I activate my facedown in response. A second Fires of Doomsday." On the Duel Sniper's field, two more Doomsday Tokens appeared.

"I'll burn up the rest of your Life Points on my next turn," Axel swore.

"Bold words, but you're not the only one with a deck full of powerful monsters," the Duel Sniper stated as he reached for his deck.

ooo

Mikey and Sammie finally succeeded in tracking down Axel to Professor Viper's old hideout. The two of them now stood outside the entrance with the image of Kuraz the Light Monarch trying to peer inside.

"I can definitely sense duel energy coming from underground," the warrior of light confirmed.

"Thanks, Kuraz?" Mikey put his card away, still unsure of how to respond to something that was invisible, and his Duel Spirit vanished before he turned to Sammie, "Let's get down there, Sammie."

"Who are you and what have you done with Mikey?" asked the blonde Obelisk Blue, trying to get back to her old self and put what was bothering her out of her mind.

"Huh?"

"You're saying we should go down into the unknown abandoned building. You can't be Mikey. The real Mikey's a huge wuss."

"Gee, thanks," grumbled Mikey, "But seriously, it's me and we need to go down in there if we're going to help Mr. Brodie. Besides, you were the one who said we should follow."

"Nobody's going anywhere!" a female voice said sternly. Both students turned around and found Alexis standing behind them.

Mikey screamed. "GAH! Chancellor Rhodes!"

"Didn't we tell you students not to follow?"

"Chancellor Rhodes, we know as well as you do that this isn't just some kind of challenge made out to Axel Brodie," Sammie explained, "This Duel Sniper must have some kind of vendetta against him and we're just here to see what we can do to help."

"Even so, this is not a job for students and should be dealt with by someone with more experience."

"Someone like you?"

"Well I came to take you back to the school, but since I'm already here I should see how Axel is doing. Believe it or not, he's an old friend of mine. I'm concerned about him, too. We'll go in there together. I've actually been inside this building before." Alexis took the lead and Mikey and Sammie followed closely. The group passed through empty corridors overrun with overgrowth and descended down the elevator at the very end into the habitat below. As they descended the shaft and the man-made forest came into view, all three of the could see the holographic images of Duel Monsters somewhere in the middle of the area. The moment the elevator stopped, they ran out and headed straight for the spot where they had spotted the images. Upon their arrival, they saw Axel and the Duel Sniper engaged in a duel.

"It's my move now." The latter drew his card and looked at it, "I sacrifice my two Doomsday Tokens and summon Barrel Dragon in attack mode!" The two black flames died out and in their place rose a massive mechanical monster with a giant revolver for a head and two more for its arms (ATK/2600 DEF/2200), "Next I activate the continuous spell card Second Coin Toss. Now for Barrel Dragon's effect. By tossing a coin three times, if two of them are Heads I can destroy one of your monsters." Taking his coins out once again, the Duel Sniper flipped three of them into the air and they landed on one Heads and two Tails.

"Looks like my Volcanic Hammerer is safe," said Axel.

"Not quite. With my Second Coin Toss, I can negate that coin flip and try one more time." The Duel Sniper tossed his coins into the air again and this time they landed with two Heads and one Tails. With those results, Barrel Dragon cocked its guns and fired three shots into Volcanic Hammerer and killed it before turning its weapons on Axel. "Attack with Gun Cannon Shot!" Three triggers were pulled. Three chambers were emptied. And three bullets flew across the field and struck Axel with enough force to pierce through a tank.

---------------------------------

**Axel:** 1700

**Duel Sniper:** 3600

---------------------------------

"Mr. Brodie!" Mikey tried to rush out, but Alexis grabbed onto him firmly.

"No, Mikey," she said sternly.

"What are you all doing here?" Axel demanded as he recovered from that last attack, "I told you not to come!"

"It was her idea!" Mikey said pointing to Sammie.

"I'll deal with you after I'm done with Axel," said the Duel Sniper as he took two cards from his hand and set them facedown on the field, "That concludes my turn. Let's see what you can do."

"Alright!" Axel drew his next card and his eyes widened when he saw it, "First I'm gonna use my Tri-Blaze Accelerator to destroy your Barrel Dragon by discarding Volcanic Scattershot! This card inflicts its own bit of five hundred points of damage so combined with my Accelerator's effect, that doubles the damage. In addition, I can send two more Volcanic Scattershots, each able to do five hundred points of damage, to destroy every monster on your field." Three creatures, each looking like a Volcanic Shell with three heads, were loaded into Tri-Blaze Accelerator and fired simultaneously into the air. Barrel Dragon's head tilted upward to see what was going on when the three Volcanic Scattershot creatures exploded and they rained down a massive hailstorm of fire that destroyed the mechanical beast.

---------------------------------

**Axel:** 1700

**Duel Sniper:** 1600

---------------------------------

"Now to end this!" Axel took another card from his hand, "I send my Tri-Blaze Accelerator to the graveyard to Special Summon Volcanic Doomfire!" As the three-barrel cannon vanished from sight, the ground suddenly exploded in a fiery volcanic eruption and from the subterranean inferno a mighty beast was born. A creature with arms of molten rock, a tail of hardened lava, and legs and of obsidian with enormous flames stood tall and let out a roar so great that the heavens themselves trembled under its power (ATK/3000 DEF/1800). "Volcanic Doomfire, attack him directly! Incineration of the Infernal King!" Volcanic Doomfire charged up a great ball of fire in its throat before unleashing a massive blaze toward the Duel Sniper.

"It's over Duel Sniper!"

"Not quite! I activate my Nutrient Z! If I'm about to take damage that's equal to two thousand or more, I gain four thousand Life Points before the damage is dealt."

---------------------------------

**Axel:** 1700

**Duel Sniper:** 5600

---------------------------------

The flames continued and completely engulfed the Duel Sniper. He bore the pain and waited it out until the flames finally died down.

---------------------------------

**Axel:** 1700

**Duel Sniper:** 2600

---------------------------------

"Next time then," Axel promised as he ended his turn and the Duel Sniper began his.

"Looks like there won't be a next time for you, Mr. Brodie. Thanks to you, I have Barrel Dragon and Blowback Dragon in my graveyard. So now I can summon the most powerful creature in my deck. I play Overload Fusion! Now by removing Fusion Material monsters from my graveyard, I can Fusion Summon a Dark-attribute Machine monster." The images of Barrel Dragon and Blowback Dragon appeared on the field for a few seconds before they were pulled together into a vortex.

"Say hello to Gatling Dragon!" An explosion erupted from the vortex and from it emerged a massive mechanical monster. The lower half of its body drove on four spiked wheels supporting a gargantuan body and a long metal tail. At the top of the construct were three dragon heads each resembling a Gatling gun turret (ATK/2600 DEF/1200).

"That thing has less attack points than Volcanic Doomfire!" exclaimed Axel.

"But it still has the coin flip effect. And this time, by flipping a coin three times I can destroy as many monsters equal to the number of Heads I flip. And all I need is one." The Duel Sniper took one of his coins and flipped it into the air. It landed on his palm with Tails. A second flip gave him Tails once more. He then flipped it one more time. All eyes watched as the coin seemingly hung in the air like an invisible string suspended it. But the laws of physics soon took control and the coin finally came down, landing on the scope of the Duel Sniper's rifle with Heads.

"Gatling Dragon, destroy Volcanic Doomfire." Gatling Dragon roared and unleashed a volley of bullets that pierced through Volcanic Doomfire's fiery shell and destroyed it with a single barrage. "Now finish this." Aiming its guns now at Axel, the mighty monster unloaded its arsenal into Axel.

---------------------------------

**Axel:** 0

**Duel Sniper:** 2600

---------------------------------

"Axel!" Alexis, Sammie, and Mikey ran over to Axel as the holograms vanished. Meanwhile, the Duel Sniper took another drag from his cigarette and pulled out a radio from his fatigues.

"This is Remington. I'm all done here. I expect my payment within the hour." After reporting in to his employer, the Duel Sniper put his radio away and sat down to finish off his smoke.

"What was that all about?" inquired Mikey, "I thought you were hired to kill Mr. Brodie."

"No I wasn't. I was only hired to duel him. I don't know why, though, but a good mercenary never questions his employer. You just do your job and collect your pay. That's how the world of freelancers works, kid."

"Just who are you?" demanded Axel.

"I don't give my name out to anyone," was the answer. Suddenly, there was a crash from above. "Looks like they're here. That was fast." The Duel Sniper hoisted his Barrett onto his shoulder and proceeded out. The other four followed suit. Once they were outside, they made their way out of the forest to the nearest cliff where a helicopter was waiting.

"You did well, Mr. Remington!" a figure at the chopper's door called out. Mikey strained to see who the person was beyond the aircraft's bright lights but all he could make out was a bald man with tattoos and more piercings than he could count.

"I've done what you've asked, Mr. Lector. Now about my pay."

"Of course, Mr. Remington." The man in the helicopter wrote a check, attached it to a brick, and then threw it at the Duel Sniper's feet. The mercenary picked it up and examined it carefully.

"This seems to be in order."

"And if you don't mind, we'll take that orb back," the bald man added.

"Sure. I don't see why I needed it, anyway." The Duel Sniper reached into his pocket and pulled out the orb, but was surprised when he saw that it was now glowing.

"And we'll also take him!" A mechanical claw shot out, grabbed Axel, and pulled him off the cliff.

"Axel!" Alexis, Sammie, and Mikey cried as they tried to grab him, but failed to do so in time.

"Hey! What are you doing?" the Duel Sniper demanded, "This was not a part of the deal."

"Why do you care?" Lector asked, "Like you said, all mercenaries care about is getting paid."

"Sure we may only care about getting paid, but some of us are after more than just money. Mr. Brodie has proven himself to be a very worthy opponent and I desire to duel him again. But next time, it would be for a soldier's honor."

"Honor? BAH! There's no such thing as honor in the business world!" As Lector hauled Axel into the helicopter, a short, cloaked figure with a face masked by a hood appeared beside him. The newcomer held out his hand and the orb suddenly flew out of the Duel Sniper's hand and into his own.

"Let's get out of here now." Lector disappeared into the helicopter with Axel and the cloaked figure slammed the door shut. The Duel Sniper quickly unslung his sniper rifle and took aim at the aircraft. He caught a glimpse of the cloaked figure in the pilot's seat and zeroed in on his head. With his target locked, he pulled the trigger and fired. A fifty-caliber bullet shot through the air, shattered all the glass on the helicopter on contact with the window, and struck the pilot's head. The hood flew off and the Duel Sniper watched on through his scope.

But the helicopter did not fall. It continued to fly. Perplexed, he turned his attention back to the pilot and watched in horror, as he seemingly appeared to put his head back on his shoulders and pulled his hood back up. The Duel Sniper took aim again, this time aiming for the helicopter's blades, but he was stopped when Mikey jerked on his arm.

"If you shoot down the chopper, you might kill Mr. Brodie," said the brunet.

"I mustn't let them get away," the Duel Sniper replied as he tried to regain his target. However, with Mikey constantly tugging on his arm he found it a little difficult. Finally, unable to take it anymore, he turned to the Osiris Red student to shut him up but stopped when he saw his eyes. He couldn't be sure what it was, but there was a look of innocence that he could see deep in Mikey's eyes. The Duel Sniper slowly lowered his rifle and the helicopter escaped.

"It looks like he's in their hands now," the freelancer muttered as he sat down on a rock and rested his weapon against his shoulder.

"Mister, what was that all about?" Mikey inquired as he sat on the grass at the Duel Sniper's feet.

"I was a soldier in the armed forces once," answered the mercenary, "I was one of the best snipers to serve. But after the war ended, there was nothing left for us soldiers to do. I needed money to support my son and myself but there wasn't anything in the military nor could I find a decent job. So I became an assassin for hire. But I still remember what it's like to be a soldier and there's one thing I'll always believe in and that's fighting with honor. I saw Mr. Brodie on the news several times and the way he ran his deck: a deck that expressed the spirit of firearms. Somehow, there was something about that I resented. But it all added up to me wanting to duel him. Then I got this job to do so. But when it finally came down to it, he turned out to be a more worthy opponent than I had imagined. That's why I want to duel him again. Not for money, but for honor. And when that man took him, I had to stop him for the same reason."

"You seemed so desperate to stop them. Why did you stop, though?" Mikey asked curiously.

"It's because when I saw you, I saw something I haven't seen in a while," answered the Duel Sniper, "Your eyes."

"Wha?"

"You have the same eyes as my son."

Mikey was stunned. This was certainly not a response he was expecting.

"That still doesn't change anything about the current situation," Alexis intervened as she stepped forward, "Axel has been captured."

"And I'm going to do what I can to get him back," the Duel Sniper said rather quickly as he stood up, "It's the least I can do." He slung his sniper rifle over his shoulder and started to walk away.

Mikey got up and ran after him. "Hey, um, Mr. Remington was it?"

"'Mr. Remington'? Heh. No, no, kid. Mr. Remington was my father." The Duel Sniper stopped and turned to Mikey, "My name is Sako. Sako Remington. Known to many as 'The Dragonov'."

"Sako..." Mikey stood silent for a few minutes before words finally came to his mind. "Take care, Sako. And please help Mr. Brodie if you can." Sako let a puff of smoke escape his mouth.

"Heh. You got it kid." The Duel Sniper, Sako 'The Dragonov' Remington, placed a hand on Mikey's head for a few seconds and left. A few minutes later, a boat could be seen sailing away from the island.

"Do you think we'll ever see him again?" Mikey asked to no one in particular.

"I can almost guarantee it," answered Sammie. A loud horn sounded and they watched as the pro duelists left on their ship to head back to the mainland. The day had been a hectic one with a pro exhibition tournament, an assassin, and a kidnapping all in one day. After all that, the only thing Mikey wanted to do was sleep.

ooo

Thousands of miles away, the helicopter landed on the roof of a building and the door slid open. Lector got out along with the cloaked figure and they turned to a group of individuals standing on the landing pad. They were Bandit Keith, Arkana, and Alister.

"Lector, did you find out last man?" Arkana inquired in an unusually deep voice.

"Yes I did, Johnson. And we've already finished the implantation." Slowly, Axel emerged from the helicopter, but his overall presence had changed, like he was now a completely different person now. "Crump is back with us."

"Excellent," Alister came forward with the other two and the five men stood together in a circle.

"At long last, the Big Five are reunited."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Mikey is less than thrilled to find out that his brother is coming to visit Duel Academy on a school trip. But what happens when pop star duel idol Umi appears on the exact same day? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	24. Can You Play the Cards Tonight?

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-24**

**Can You Play the Cards Tonight?**

It was after dinner and all the students were enjoying their few hours of free time. Mikey was on the phone with his parents while the others were either watching television or waiting for their turn to use the phone.

"It's wonderful to know you're doing well in your classes, Mikey," Mrs. Angel said on the other end.

"Yeah and my dueling's been improving," Mikey answered as he sat down on a nearby chair.

"And how are your classmates treating you?" Mrs. Angel inquired with a tone of concern in her voice, which her son picked up on immediately.

"Mom, I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me. Besides, I've got friends here." As he said this, Mikey looked over to the couch where Max was sitting listening to the new Dunnery Bond CD while saving his roommate a seat. On his other side sat Coltyn who was fiddling with a puzzle. "Anyway, mom, I need to wrap this up real soon."

"Oh Mikey, there's one more thing you need to know." Mrs. Angel paused for a moment before speaking, "Gabe's going to be coming to your school tomorrow."

"Say wha?"

"His class is going as a part of a high school visit. They'll be staying overnight, so make sure you make some room for him."

"Uhh, I'll do what I can. Bye mom." Mikey hung up and got off the chair to sit down beside Max.

"You seem a little distraught," Max commented as he paused his CD player.

"I just found out my brother's coming to Duel Academy tomorrow," answered Mikey.

"Mikey, that's just _fabulous_!" the redhead squealed.

"Not really," the brunet replied, "Gabe's kinda what you'd call a typical annoying little brother. Trust me, the stuff you guys do to me is probably nothing compared to what he's done."

"Ooh." Max sucked in a sharp breath, "That bad, huh?"

"He just really annoys me. And if he comes here, I'll bet he's going to do whatever he can to embarrass me in some way." Mikey sighed and rested his chin on his hands.

"Well you shouldn't begrudge him for that," Coltyn said in a mild parental manner, "He's your little brother. That's just what he does."

"So do you know what you're going to do with him?" Max inquired as he reached for a pop from a nearby cooler.

"Well mom said I should let him stay with us, but the school's already made arrangements," answered Mikey as he picked up the remote and changed the channel so he could watch_ Smallville_, "What time are they coming?"

"I went on the same trip last year," Coltyn replied, "They'll get here right around when classes are done for the day." He took a sip of his root beer and resumed his game of magnetic chess against himself.

"Well that'll give me some time to get ready for him, at least." Mikey scratched the back of his head and tried to enjoy his show.

ooo

The next day was just like any ordinary day. Classes went on as usual despite the events that would be occurring that afternoon. Mikey wasn't entirely clear on how things were going to work, but that became clear when all lessons were done for the day and he decided to head to the docks. In his mind, he felt he should at least be courteous enough to be there when his brother arrived regardless of how little it would matter to the younger Angel boy.

The ship had already arrived and ninth graders were already piling out. Mikey scanned the line and finally spotted him. Gabe Angel was about an inch taller than his older brother with shorter hair that was a lighter shade of brown, but spikier due to the two handfuls of hair glue he put in it every morning. A pair of baggy blue jeans hung two inches below his waist just barely held in place by a belt he hadn't bothered to do up. Mikey never liked it when his brother showed off his boxers like that. Fortunately for him, a somewhat oversize blue sleeveless turtleneck covered them up with a wide black band running down the middle. Long black fingerless gloves that went past his elbows with small white crosses on his hands covered his arms. A pair of dirty white sneakers with black stripes running down the sides covered his feet. As he stood on the dock waiting, he was listening to his iPod strapped to his left arm through a large pair of blue Skull candy headphones.

The two brothers stood in place for a few minutes before the younger opened his eyes and saw Mikey. He quickly took off his headphones, resting them around his neck, and waved, showing his shaved underarms.

"Hey bro! Sup?"

"Hey Gabe," Mikey returned the greeting. Gabe left his spot in the line, walked over to his brother, and gave him a firm hug.

"It's great to see ya again, bro!" he said excitedly before releasing.

"Same here, Gabe," replied Mikey, "Now please give me back my wallet."

"Damn. I really gotta work on that," Gabe muttered as he returned his brother's wallet which he had grabbed from his pocket during the hug, "So, I hear mom said you and I are gonna be rooming together."

"Well my dorm's only got enough room for two people," Mikey started before Max suddenly appeared beside him.

"Hello! You must be Mikey's brother, Gabe," he said very flamboyantly, "It's SO nice to finally meet you. I'm Max, Mikey's roommate. Hey Mikey, you never told me you had such a CUTE brother! Well I'd love to stay and chat, but I really must be going. The drama club is having a rehearsal and I simply cannot be late. Perhaps we can get together later for tea. I would love to get to know more about you, Gabe. Ta-ta!" And with a wave from his hand, Max was off.

"Is he always like this?" Gabe inquired.

"Always. But he's not gay."

"Ah. Metro?"

"Yeah."

"Cool. Anyways bro, why doncha take me back to your room?" Gabe walked over to where his classmates' bags were and kicked a few over until his blue duffel bag was exposed. He stuck his foot through the straps and kicked it up before grabbing it in his hand. Mikey sighed and reluctantly led his brother back to his room. When they arrived, Gabe carelessly dumped his bag on the floor, kicked of his shoes, climbed the ladder up to Mikey's bunk, and flopped down on it.

"Hey, that's my bed!"

"I know. It's comfy." Gabe put his headphones on, rested his hands behind his head, and closed his eyes. Mikey sighed again. He knew his brother was completely out of reach when he listens to his music. He sat down at his desk and started on his homework, knowing there was nothing he could do right now. He only managed to complete an hour's worth of work before Gabe work up and pulled his headphones off before asking what was for dinner to which Mikey explained that they would get served when it was time.

"I still don't see why you can't stay with your classmates," the older of the two boys said as they headed downstairs, "They get better food and usually more of it."

"True, but I figure since I'm not too big on schoolwork they're probably gonna stick me in Red anyway," was the response. They arrived in the dining room and Gabe sat down beside Mikey, which was where Max usually sat. However, the redhead didn't seem to mind and he sat directly across from his roommate.

"I think it's absolutely FABULOUS that Gabe's staying with us instead of his classmates!" Max exclaimed gaily as he dug into his dinner. Mikey ate in silence. It was odd to have dinner with his brother when neither of his parents were around. It just felt awkward. He could hear in the background as other students chatted with each other. Some were wondering why there was a guy not wearing a school jacket among them. Gio was complaining about a lack of garlic bread. Biff was busy trying to steal said garlic bread from another student.

"Y'know, this place ain't too bad," Gabe commented.

"The other dorms are better," Mikey said in response.

"Yeah, but I'm not really into the uppity class snob thing."

"Hey, Sammie's in the Blue dorm."

"Oh yeah, I remember Sammie." Gabe tore off a piece of bread and popped into his mouth, "I always loved how she would smack you every time you said something stupid."

"She still does," answered Mikey as he rubbed the back of his head.

"That's 'cause you only speak in idiot."

"I hate you."

That night, there were arguments over sleeping arrangements. "No, you are sleeping on the floor!"

"Tell you what. Let's call it," Gabe suggested as he started climbing up the ladder, "Dibs. It's mine!" He quickly climbed up and tossed all of his clothes onto the floor before pulling the covers over himself.

"Well, this is awkward," Mikey thought aloud.

"What's so awkward about it?" Max inquired.

"My brother didn't pack anything in his bag except magazines and music. Not even a toothbrush or extra clothes." Mikey kicked aside his brother's boxers and sat down on his chair, "Speaking of toothbrushes, why is mine on my desk instead of in my toiletries bag?"

"My teeth were feeling kinda gunky, so I brushed them after dinner," Gabe responded. Mikey gritted his teeth and growled. He grabbed a spare pillow and blanket from the closet and bunked down on the floor.

"At least it's only for one night," he muttered before going to sleep.

The next morning, Mikey woke up and noticed that his brother's clothes were gone. He looked up at his bed and saw that Gabe was gone. "At least he's out of my bed," he muttered as he got up. The fifteen-year-old brunet stretched and cracked his back. Sleeping on the floor had been incredibly uncomfortable for him. He pulled a shirt on and climbed his ladder in order to make his bed, knowing full well that his younger sibling never made his own.

"Ugh. I wish he could've at least left the sheets untangled." As he tried to straighten out his bed, his hand brushed against something sticky. His hand recoiled and he winced at the unpleasant image of his brother leaving it there the night before entered his mind. "GABE!"

ooo

Meanwhile, somewhere over the ocean, a helicopter was making its way toward Duel Academy. The pilot checked the time and flipped a switch over his head before turning to his passenger.

"We should be arriving at Duel Academy soon, ma'am."

"Good," a female voice replied, "I don't want to disappoint my fans."

ooo

Mikey sat under a tree on a grassy cliff overlooking the ocean wearing blue jeans and an orange hoodie, but no shoes or socks. His brother had put ground beef into his sneakers and so he had to get them cleaned. Needless to say, he was miffed. Gabe had brought him nothing but trouble since he got there. He was glad to get away from him for a while, but it would be even better once he was gone. Taking in a deep breath, he pulled his arms out from under him and let himself fall back onto the grass. As he stared at the sky, Gabe walked up to him and stopped just two feet from his head. "I'm surprised you're cutting class bro 'cause you're always so worked up about school."

"Classes were cancelled today for you guys," Mikey replied as he sat back up.

"Dude. Can't wait 'til next year then I get the day off school."

"You're a lazy idiot."

"Hey, better than a..."

"Don't finish that sentence!"

"Chill, bro."

As Mikey continued to stare out at the ocean, his ears picked up the sound of some kind of buzz. He brushed it off and just continued what he was doing. After a few minutes, the sound hadn't disappeared. In fact, it seemed to be getting louder. "What is that?"

"Over there, bro," Gabe said, pointing out toward the horizon. Mikey looked and could just barely make out the shape of some kind of craft approaching them.

"Is that a... helicopter?"

They waited for a few more minutes and it became clear that it was, indeed, a helicopter that was approaching. Mikey scrambled back as quickly as he could as the aircraft approached the cliff and landed on it gently. Its arrival had attracted other nearby students and they all gathered to see who would come out of it. As the door slid open, jets of water shot into the air and a gentle spray sprinkled the heavens as a rainbow reflected off the cool clear droplets. A beautiful girl with equally beautiful blue hair stepped out from the helicopter and stepped onto the grass. Three necklaces hung from her throat as she walked gracefully in a pair of blue shoes. The girl spun around letting her elegant aquamarine coat with fin-like coat tails swing around her while showing off her top, which looked like two pink clam shells covering her breasts. Her sea-green bell-bottom pants shimmered in the sunlight like fish scales as she made her way over to the brothers.

"Hey bro. Is that who I think it is?" Gabe asked, his mouth hanging open. His answer came when the others in the area began screaming her name.

"_Umi! Umi! Umi! Umi! Umi! Umi! Umi!"_

"Hi there, everyone!" Umi greeted with a wink as she placed her right hand on her hip and her left over her head.

"HI UMI!" the students' voices chorused. Mikey knew it was one thing when teenage girls began screaming for their celebrity idols. But when teenage BOYS began to do the same thing, he knew that he was going to have no way of living after this was over.

"Okay, okay. Settle down, everyone. You don't need to get all excited about little ol' me," Umi said sweetly as she put on an innocent face, which got the crowd screaming even louder. She walked over to Mikey and pointed to him. "You." This got many boos from the crowd. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they were booing at Mikey.

"They hate you, dude," said Gabe.

"Yeah, I know," Mikey replied as one of the boys threw a rubber ball at his head.

"You won against me last time at the concert, but that was just a fluke," Umi said to the elder brother in her usual cheeriness but still with a serious tone, "You and I are going to duel to prove it! Isn't that right, everyone?"

"_YEAH!"_

"What can I say, dude?" Gabe said nonchalantly as he walked up to his brother, "You pissed off a bunch of fan boys and they won't stop screaming for your blood until she beats you."

"This isn't funny, Gabe," Mikey muttered.

"You wanna know what is?"

"If you say anything about my..."

"Your dick's smaller than mine and I'm the younger brother." This sent everyone into fits of laughter.

"I _really_ hate you, Gabe." Mikey turned to Umi, "Fine, I'll do it. Let me get my Duel Disk."

"Oh, not just yet!" Umi wagged her finger as she winked again, "You can't duel me dressed like that."

_Why do I have a bad feeling about this?_ Mikey thought. An hour later, he found himself waist-deep in water wearing only his swimming trunks and Duel Disk facing Umi who was standing on a rock while everyone was watching from the sidelines.

"Why do I have to stand in the water?" Mikey called from his spot ten meters away from his opponent.

"Don't be such a pooper!" Umi called back as she activated her sea-themed Duel Disk, "This is for the show!"

-----------------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Umi:** 8000

-----------------------------

"And I'll make the first move!" Umi giggled as she drew her card with flair, "I'll summon Enchanting Mermaid in attack mode." She placed her card on a fish-like monster zone and brought out a green-skinned mermaid with a shimmering pink tail and beautiful red hair (ATK/1200 DEF/900). The moment the monster appeared, cheers came from the bystanders. "Thanks everyone!" Umi called to her fans as she waved at them, "And now I'm going to play the card named after me! Umi!" Her field card tray slid open and she placed it inside. An image of the card appeared at her side, but nothing else happened. Mikey wondered why for a moment but then remembered that he was standing in the ocean. The real waves would have hidden the holographic ones. When he looked back to the idol, however, it looked as though she was standing on top of the ocean, as if she were an angel sent from the heavens After that, she set one card facedown and then ended her turn.

Then it was Mikey's turn. With each of his cards sealed inside a waterproof sleeve, he made his first draw. "I Special Summon Cyber Dragon in attack mode." He set his card onto his Duel Disk and a serpentine robotic dragon appeared (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "Next I Normal Summon Majestic Mech – Senku in attack mode." He played another card and the smallest of the Majestic Mechs appeared (ATK/1000 DEF/500). "Now with two Light monsters on my field, I Special Summon Guardian of Order in attack mode." Placing a third monster card onto his Duel Disk, Mikey brought out an angelic knight in magnificent white armor (ATK/2500 DEF/1200).

"Cyber Dragon, attack first with Strident Blaze!" Cyber Dragon opened its mouth and fired a laser at Enchanting Mermaid. Even with the effect of the Umi field spell weakening the former and strengthening the latter, it was still enough to destroy it.

-----------------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Umi:** 7500

-----------------------------

"Majestic Mech – Senku, your turn. Majestic Spear!" After transforming its hand into a javelin, Majestic Mech – Senku flew forward and stabbed it into Umi.

-----------------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Umi:** 6500

-----------------------------

Once the attack was finished, Mikey drew a card to resolve his monster's effect before moving onto his third creature. "Guardian of Order, attack." Guardian of Order flew up over the battlefield and shot rays of golden light down onto Umi, damaging her Life Points even further.

-----------------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Umi:** 4000

-----------------------------

After Mikey's Guardian of Order attacked, the boy took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He knew was coming. He mentally counted down from three and then it came. The fans started yelling.

"It's okay boys!" Umi called to them with love and a smile, "He's just playing around!"

"I end my turn," declared Mikey and at that moment Majestic Mech – Senku shattered into countless pieces.

"My move now!" Umi drew her card with gusto, "I summon Mermaid Knight in attack mode!" From the water that splashed before her, a green-tailed mermaid warrior sprung up and brandished her sword and shield (ATK/1500 DEF/700). "And now I'm going to use Riryoku on her and take half of Guardian of Order's attack points!" Guardian of Order cried out as its power was sucked out of its body and absorbed into Mermaid Knight.

"Mermaid Knight, be a dear and destroy that Cyber Dragon please?" With her newfound power, Mermaid Knight swam over to Cyber Dragon and cleaved it in half.

-----------------------------

**Mikey:** 6950

**Umi:** 4000

-----------------------------

"And thanks to my Mermaid Knight's power she can attack a second time in the same turn. Now get that pesky Guardian my darling mermaid!" Umi commanded and the Mermaid Knight attacked the weakened Guardian of Order and destroyed it with one stroke of her sword.

-----------------------------

**Mikey:** 5250

**Umi:** 4000

-----------------------------

I'm all done!" Umi concluded.

"My move." Mikey drew his card. "I play Monster Reborn and I'll use it to resurrect Majestic Mech – Senku in defense mode." His smallest mech appeared before him. "Next I sacrifice him and summon Majestic Mech – Goryu in attack mode." Senku vanished and in its place arose Mikey's magnificent dragon (ATK/2900 DEF/1800). "Majestic Mech – Goryu, attack Mermaid Knight with Majestic Blaze!" Majestic Mech – Goryu's mouth began spilling golden flames before it even opened its jaws and unleashed a torrent of shimmering fire that turned Umi's Mermaid Knight into a roasted fish.

-----------------------------

**Mikey:** 5250

**Umi:** 2800

-----------------------------

"On my second Main Phase, I'm going to activate Dimensionhole and remove my Goryu from play until my next Standby Phase." Mikey played his card and a large hole appeared above Majestic Mech – Goryu that swallowed it up. "I end my turn."

"Alrighty then! Here goes!" Umi drew her next card and winked. She set a monster facedown and concluded her turn. Then it was back to Mikey. He drew and on his Standby Phase, a hole appeared in the sky and his Majestic Mech – Goryu reappeared on the field. After that, he played Heavy Storm and removed Umi and the facedown from Umi's field.

"Majestic Mech – Goryu, attack that facedown monster with Majestic Blaze!" For the second time that day, Goryu unleashed a blast of golden fire and incinerated the facedown monster, which turned out to be Red Archery Girl. "And also, Goryu has piercing."

-----------------------------

**Mikey:** 5250

**Umi:** 1300

-----------------------------

"Huh. He might actually win this," Gabe said to himself, "But I've watched Umi on TV. I know she has something planned."

"I'm finished," Mikey called out.

"Alright! Here we go!" Umi drew her card and smiled, "I'm going to set a card facedown and summon Maiden of the Aqua in attack mode." She played her card and a beautiful young girl in armor wielding a trident appeared (ATK/700 DEF/2000). "And when she's out, the field is treated like Umi!" And then with a wink and a kiss blown into the air, she equipped Mist Body to her creature and ended her turn.

"I can win this," Mikey said to himself, "She's got a monster with low attack power in attack mode. I can do this. Goryu, attack Maiden of the Aqua!"

"Not today, little Mikey!" Umi giggled as she revealed her facedown, "Tornado Wall! As long as this card and Umi are on the field, I can't take Life Point damage from monster attacks!" Right on cue, three tornadoes rose up from the water and formed a barrier in front of the pop star.

"But Tornado Wall goes when the Umi effect is removed from the field," Mikey reminded her as he continued his attack. Goryu's flames engulfed Maiden of the Aqua. He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly before he looked back onto the field. Nothing was left of Maiden of the Aqua except a cloud of mist. But his reaction quickly changed when he noticed the mist was condensing and before long had solidified into Maiden of the Aqua.

"Mist Body prevents the equipped monster from being destroyed in battle!" Umi called out cheerily, which got many cheers from her fans. Mikey groaned and ended his turn. Umi drew her card and ended her turn. Then it was back to Mikey. He couldn't do much, so he also passed his turn. When it was back to Umi, she summoned Cure Mermaid and brought out a red-tailed mermaid with blonde hair (ATK/1500 DEF/800). After that, she equipped it with another Mist Body.

"Cure Mermaid gives me eight hundred Life Points on each of my Standby Phases!" she said happily. When news of her monster's effect reached the ears of her fans, they screamed out once again. With no other cards in her hand to play, she ended her turn. Then Mikey drew. As thing stood, there was nothing he could do. Umi's Life Points were untouchable, her two monsters indestructible, and she would only continue to gain more Life Points as the game progressed. He could only hope that a card he needed would come to him before too long. After he ended his turn, Umi drew and her Cure Mermaid showered her with a gentle rain that restored her Life Points.

-----------------------------

**Mikey:** 5250

**Umi:** 2100

-----------------------------

Mikey made his move and decided to summon Mist Archfiend (ATK/2400 DEF/0) and then used another Dimensionhole to remove it from play. Umi's Life Points increased again with her next turn.

-----------------------------

**Mikey:** 5250

**Umi:** 2900

-----------------------------

She continued to giggle, which pleased her fans even more. The duel returned to Mikey who, after his Mist Archfiend returned to the field, set two facedown cards and ended his turn. Umi began hers and her Life Points were boosted again.

-----------------------------

**Mikey:** 5250

**Umi:** 3700

-----------------------------

"Oh come on, Mikey!" she called to her opponent, "Can't you at least give the crowd a show?"

_Not really my thing_, Mikey thought when his turn came up. After he drew, he summoned Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast (ATK/2800 DEF/2000) without a tribute, thus cutting its power in half. Then Umi's turn was up again and she gained yet another eight hundred Life Points.

-----------------------------

**Mikey:** 5250

**Umi:** 4500

-----------------------------

As she giggled while ending her turn, Mikey prayed and drew. It was not the card he was hoping for. But he added it to his hand and concluded his turn. Once again, Umi passed her turn as she gained more Life Points.

-----------------------------

**Mikey:** 5250

**Umi:** 6300

-----------------------------

Mikey's disappointment continued as he drew yet another card he didn't need. Umi's turn came up and she did the exact same thing as she had been for the past several turns.

-----------------------------

**Mikey:** 5250

**Umi:** 7100

-----------------------------

Her Life Points were almost back up to their starting count. Mikey needed to draw what he needed fast.

"Please, just give me what I need," he pleaded. He closed his eyes and drew. When he opened them again, his expression changed. It was exactly the card he needed. "From my hand, I sacrifice Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast in order to summon Kuraz the Light Monarch!" Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast vanished and a column of light shot down from the sky and landed on the spot where it had once been. As it disappeared, the shining form of Kuraz the Light Monarch emerged (ATK/2400 DEF/1000).

"I am ready to fight, Mikey!" the golden emperor declared. Mikey scratched his head a little wondering if the voice really was real or not, but decided to brush it off for the time being.

"Kuraz, destroy Cure Mermaid and Maiden of the Aqua," ordered the brunet. Kuraz complied to the command and rays of light shot out from his armor, penetrating the two monsters' bodies and destroying them. "And without Maiden of the Aqua's effect, Tornado Wall has nothing to sustain it." Right on cue, the tornadoes in front of Umi dissipated as she drew her two cards, leaving her wide open.

"Mist Archfiend, attack with Hell's Cold Grip!" Mist Archfiend vanished into a cloud of cold mist that crept across the water. As soon as it reached Umi, a demonic arm shot out and grabbed her throat.

-----------------------------

**Mikey:** 5250

**Umi:** 4700

-----------------------------

"Majestic Mech – Goryu, Majestic Blaze!" Majestic Mech – Goryu threw its head forward and unleashed a blast of golden flames at Umi.

-----------------------------

**Mikey:** 5250

**Umi:** 1800

-----------------------------

"Oh don't worry, everyone!" Umi said to her fans as she waved a hand at them, "I'll be fine. His last monster can't attack me on the turn it's summoned."

"It can when I activate this." Mikey revealed one of his facedowns, "Skill Drain."

-----------------------------

**Mikey:** 4250

**Umi:** 1800

-----------------------------

"Kuraz, attack! Excalibur's Light!" Kuraz tossed his cape back and drew his sword. He held it out and the runes on the blade began to glow and the edges started to shine. He brought the weapon down and then slashed upward, sending a blade of pure golden light at Umi. The attack passed through her and depleted the remainder of her Life Points.

-----------------------------

**Mikey:** 4250

**Umi:** 0

-----------------------------

With the duel finished, the holograms vanished. Gabe looked around and saw the fans getting incredibly riled up. They were out for blood now and he had to stop them. He was about to step forward when Umi raised her hand, silencing the fans. She stepped off her rock into the water, not caring about her outfit getting wet, and walked straight toward Mikey.

"No one ever beats me," she said as she approached him, "No one treats me like an equal. Everyone who goes to my shows, they let me win. They put on a show but they let me win. I beat some on my own merit but a lot of them let me win. You...." She stopped in front of the young teen, "You are the first in a long time to play fair. I really really like you. You know what? Screw it! I love you!" And with that, she grabbed Mikey's shoulders and kissed him firmly on the lips, slipping her tongue into his mouth for a deep and loving kiss. Everybody's jaws dropped at the sight. When Umi finally pulled away, she smacked him lightly on the cheek after placing a piece of paper with her private cell number in his hand, turned, and left mouthing "call me" back at him. All eyes watched as she got into her helicopter and flew off before turning to Mikey as he climbed out of the water and onto dry land.

"Well Mikey, you made out with a hot chick and now her fans are gonna kill ya for it," Gabe said nonchalantly as he brought over his brother's towel.

"Yeah, I noticed," Mikey replied as he set down his Duel Disk and looked up, "Murdered by fanboys. The final indignity."

"Oh I beg to differ, bro," said Gabe as he walked up to his brother, "_This_ is the final indignity!" He grabbed Mikey's trunks and pulled them down his ankles.

"HEY!" Mikey's hand shot down to cover himself.

"Hey guys!" Gabe called up to the fanboys, "He's so small he only needs one hand to cover himself!" This sent the crowd into a roar of hysterical laughter.

"Gabe, haven't you tormented me enough today?"

"Dude, I'm saving your life."

"How? You're killing me with embarrassment!" As Mikey hastily tried to pulls his shorts back up, the fans dispersed.

"Look, bro. If I hadn't done that, they would've killed you," Gabe explained, "You pissed them all off by beating their idol. And you did it again when she kissed you. There's no way they were gonna forgive you. So did what I had to do."

"By humiliating me?"

"Yeah, actually. Stripping you naked was enough humiliation to seem fair to them."

Mikey thought for a moment and then hugged his brother. "Thanks, Gabe."

"Hey, easy on the hugging, bro."

After a minute, the Angel boys pulled apart. "Anyway, I gotta get going. We're leaving soon," Gabe informed his older brother.

"See you when I get off school for the summer," Mikey replied. Gabe nodded and ran off. Mikey quickly put his clothes on and followed. He stood on the dock and waved as the boat left carrying the ninth graders back to the mainland.

ooo

Alexis stood at the window watching the boat leave. As soon as it had disappeared beyond the horizon, she turned to the Duel Academy faculty and took her place at the head of the meeting table.

"Everyone, we're in serious trouble here," she said to them sternly, "Lately, we've had to make a lot of cutbacks but now we're really backed up into a corner. The problem is that our funding has been cut."

"But why would Mr. Kaiba do that?" asked Miss Frost, "His son is a student here."

"And that's what makes it suspicious," Alexis replied, "I don't think the school's funding was cut by Mr. Kaiba."

ooo

"Roman, explain to me how this happened!" Saito demanded as he sat at his desk on his Kaiba Corp. company jet.

"We're not sure, young Mr. Kaiba," Roman replied, "It just happened unexpectedly. If I had to wager a guess, it was an inside job. But the good news is your father and uncle made it out safely."

"That doesn't change the fact that THIS happened!" Saito got up from his chair and shoved the documents into Roman's face, "Tell me. How did Schroeder Corp. take over Kaiba Corp.?"

* * *

**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Duel Academy is being shut down because of its cut funding. With no place left to go, the students are being sent home. But what will happen when a messenger arrives for Sammie? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	25. When the World Comes Crashing Down

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-25**

**When the World Comes Crashing Down**

"Well it was kinda weird that PE was cancelled for no apparent reason," Mikey said to his roommate over dinner that night, "Not that I'm complaining. It's just weird."

"I went to take look, but the gym seems fine," Max replied as he cut into his meatloaf, "The cart of soccer balls was missing from the storage room, though."

"The soccer team probably just took them out for practice," was Mikey's response before sticking a bite into his mouth.

"But I didn't see them on the field when I left." The boys just shrugged and returned to their meal.

"Have you anything news, Mr. Hassleberry?" the Red dorm's cook asked the boys' gym teacher as he walked in.

"Well we had to make some sacrifices, but I think we got a little extra dough for the Reds."

"Great! That means I can finally put real meat in the meatloaf." Everybody suddenly stopped eating, quickly put down their forks, and pushed their plates away.

ooo

Dr. Snappe was sitting in the chemistry lab going over his plans for the next lesson. He was planning on a demonstration followed by actual lab work by his students. However, he had hit a rather large snag. All the chemistry equipment was gone. And for that matter, so were a lot of the chemicals. As a result, he had to go with the new plan the financial administrator gave him. He was to teach nothing but theory for the rest of the year. He understood the importance of saving money, but frankly this was going way too far in his opinion.

ooo

The following day, classes were progressing at an unusual pace. It wasn't to say that they were going fast or slow, just unusually. Math class had been halted to a standstill following a series of unfortunate events.

"Alright everyone," Mr. Higsby said to his class, "We can't afford books, so you won't be able to follow along. And we can't afford whiteboard markers either, so you're just going to have to imagine this in your heads."

ooo

Sammie arrived at music class only to be met with a sign taped to the door. It said that the class had been cancelled. No explanation was given. She wasn't one who was willing to just accept something like this without someone telling her what was going on, so she kicked the door open and walked inside. The music room looked normal, yet something seemed amiss. She walked over to one of the storage cabinets where the instruments were kept and opened it. The shelves were completely bare.

_What the hell is going on?_ she thought to herself.

ooo

Coltyn's chess club was meeting outdoors this week. For some reason they couldn't access their usual club room. Fortunately, at least half of the members had their own chess boards including Coltyn's magnetic set.

"So what's the deal with this school?" one of the club members inquired, "I mean, I get the cutbacks but how does that affect us? We're a pretty small club."

"They sold all our boards," was Coltyn's answer, "Judging from the immense number of cutbacks the school's been making, I'd wager a guess that we just got a serious cut in funding."

"Is there anything you don't have an answer for?"

"Not usually." Coltyn picked up a rook and moved it six squares forward, "Checkmate."

ooo

Max went to the school card shop with Sammie after classes were over, assuming one could call them classes. So far, the whole day had been one hour after the next with either cancelled classes or lessons without any supplies or materials.

"Maybe some shopping will do us some good," Max thought aloud as he skipped gaily up to the doors of the card shop. When he got their, his heart sank. The store was closed and all its shelves and cases were empty. Sammie arrived beside him and looked inside. There were a few cards scattered on the floor, but otherwise the store was completely bare.

"What's going on?" she asked no one in particular, "This whole place is going downhill."

ooo

"Everyone, we have a problem," Alexis addressed her staff, "I'm afraid without our funding, we'll have no choice but to shut down the school."

"But how is this possible?" asked Mr. Bibby, "We should be able to last another month or two if we start selling the students as slaves..."

"First of all, that's illegal," Mr. Higsby interrupted as he worked on some calculations, "And secondly, at this current rate it won't be long before we barely have any money for the boat to send the kids home on. I think we should act on it now, Chancellor Rhodes. There's nothing else we can do."

ooo

The announcement was a shock to everyone. Some were thrilled. Some were saddened. And some were devastated.

"I still can't believe it," Mikey said in disbelief as he packed his bags while wearing a pair of blue jeans, a loose-fitting white tank top, and a blue denim jacket, "They shut down the school."

"I'm sad too, Mikey," Max replied as he carefully placed his precious mask inside a padded suitcase while wearing khaki shorts and a pink golf shirt.

After the two boys finished, they took their suitcases, left the dorm, and walked to the docks where all the students were gathering. They quickly found their friends and joined them. Sammie was wearing blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and a black vest while Coltyn, who was seated on the ground beside her, wore carpenter jeans, a black muscle shirt, and his black leather jacket.

"I always knew we'd be leaving Duel Academy for good one day," the black-haired teen mused, "I just never imagined it'd be like this."

"I'm sure Saito's trying to figure this thing out right now," Sammie assured her friends hoping that it would in some way lift their spirits. Sadly, this effect was not reached. The ship arrived and everybody boarded it without a word.

"Just when I thought I was finally fitting in." Mikey sighed as he leaned on the railing while they sailed away.

"What's wrong, Mikey?" Max queried.

"Mikey got picked on a lot in school when were kids," Sammie explained, "The other kids used to harass him and I had to come and kick the shit out of them. He liked Duel Academy because it gave him a fresh start. If he hadn't come, he'd be stuck going to school with the same assholes who used to beat him up for his lunch box."

"So the school shut down, eh? I knew this would happen sooner or later," a smug voice said to them. The four teens turned and they came to face with a man in a grey hoodie with the hood up and a ball cap that obscured his face. "The bosses got what they wanted. Now Duel Academy's gone for good."

"You work for the assholes who shut down our school?" Sammie demanded, a flash of anger shown on her face.

"Yup," the man answered, "Name's Gene Eric. I ain't here to pick a fight. I'm just here 'cause they told me to give one of youse a message." He raised a finger and pointed toward Sammie. "You, the hot dame."

"Okay first of all, no one calls me 'dame' and gets away with it. I mean this isn't the fuckin' 1930's asshole!" Sammie roared in annoyance.

_But it IS true_, Mikey thought. His cheeks suddenly flushed red when he realized the words that had just passed through his mind and he quickly looked away.

"And secondly," Sammie continued, "I am in too much of a bad mood with you assholes for closing our school! Maybe kicking your ass in a duel will make me feel better. Besides, don't you know that the messenger always gets shot!" She took out her Duel Disk and strapped it to her arm.

"Hey, I didn't want any trouble but you're not giving me a choice here." Gene unzipped his hoodie and revealed some kind of vest. Two metal panels covered his hips. He pressed a button on his vest and those panels rose up and came together in front of his stomach to form a table-like Duel Disk. He took his deck out, shuffled it, and placed it into the deck slot provided to him.

"I'll admit, you've got spunk, kid."

-----------------------------

**Sammie:** 8000

**Gene Eric:** 8000

-----------------------------

"I'm going first." Sammie drew her first card, "I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands in attack mode." She summoned forth her green thousand-armed creature (ATK/1400 DEF/1000), "And with its effect, I'm bringing End of the World to my hand." She searched her deck for the card she wanted and added it to her hand. "I play End of the World and I'll discard Ruin, Queen of Oblivion from my hand to Ritual Summon another Ruin in attack mode!" The moment she placed the blue card onto her Duel Disk, the familiar form of Ruin, Queen of Oblivion appeared on the field (ATK/2300 DEF/2000). After that, she set one card facedown and ended her turn.

"My turn." Gene drew his first card and proceeded to make his move, "I play the spell card Heart of the Underdog. Now every time I draw a normal monster on my Draw Phase, I can show it to you in order to draw again. Next I play my own Ritual card, Emblem of the Awakening. I'll discard Amphibian Beast and summon Cú Chulainn the Awakened in attack mode." A medal appeared on the floor and as the monster was sacrificed, a young man in armor appeared wielding a spear. He picked up the medal and placed it around his neck (ATK/500 DEF/1000).

"What's he thinking, summoning a monster with low attack power?" Mikey asked.

"When Cú Chulainn the Awakened is on the field, you can remove from play one normal monster from your graveyard to boost his attack points by that of the removed monster until that duelist's next Standby Phase," explained Coltyn.

"Is there anything you don't know?" Max asked.

"I remove from play my Amphibian Beast to boost my Cú Chulainn by its attack points," declared Gene. He reached for his graveyard and opened the cover to retrieve his monster, which he then placed inside his pocket. At that moment, Cú Chulainn began to cry out as his body started to glow with the power of Amphibian Beast as his attack points were boosted to twenty-nine hundred. "Go Cú Chulainn! Attack Ruin, Queen of Oblivion!" Cú Chulainn the Awakened ran toward Ruin and thrust his spear into her. There was a loud cry as she was vanquished.

-----------------------------

**Sammie:** 7400

**Gene Eric:** 8000

-----------------------------

"And I'll end my turn there."

"My move." Sammie drew and summoned Sonic Bird, which brought out a bald eagle with goggles and a jet pack (ATK/1400 DEF/1000). She used its effect to bring another End of the World to her hand before. Then she switched Manju into defense mode and ending her turn.

Gene began his second turn. He drew and then summoned Gene-Warped Warwolf, bringing out a four-armed wolf-based Beast-Warrior with black tattoos visible on his white fur (ATK/2000 DEF/100).

"A four-star normal monster with two thousand attack points?" gasped Mikey.

"Gene-Warped Warwolf, attack that Sonic Bird with Quad-Claw Kill!" Gene-Warped Warwolf let out a howl and dashed across the field. He grabbed Sonic Bird by the throat with one hand, its wings in two others, and its legs in the fourth. Then he pulled and literally tore the avian creature to shreds.

-----------------------------

**Sammie:** 6800

**Gene Eric:** 8000

-----------------------------

"I end my turn."

Sammie then drew. She knew she couldn't take down that Gene-Warped Warwolf, but since Gene had no normal monsters in his graveyard that left his Cú Chulainn the Awakened vulnerable. She decided the best thing to do would be to get rid of it before he got another high-powered normal monster in there.

"I summon Senju of the Thousand Hands!" She placed her card onto her Duel Disk and an orange god with a thousand arms appeared (ATK/1400 DEF/1000), "And with his effect, I'm bringing Demise, King of Armageddon to my hand. Now Senju, attack Cú Chulainn the Awakened with A Thousand Spirits!" Senju of the Thousand Hands raised all of its arms toward the air and a multitude of ghosts flew out and descended upon Cú Chulainn. The young warrior tried to fight them off, but his physical weapons proved useless against the incorporeal foes. One-by-one they entered his body and all eyes watched as Cú Chulainn the Awakened withered away into a brittle corpse.

-----------------------------

**Sammie:** 6800

**Gene Eric:** 7100

-----------------------------

"I'm ending my turn there."

"Leaving yourself open, I see." Gene drew his card and looked at his hand, "Prepare yourself. I play Advanced Ritual Art. Now by sending normal monsters from my deck to my graveyard, I can summon a Ritual Monster from my hand as long as the sum of those discarded monsters' levels equals that of the card in my hand." Picking up his deck, Gene searched through it and took out three Charcoal Inpachi cards, one Oppressed People, Gigobyte, and Kozaky.

"Six level one monsters," Coltyn thought out loud, "I know what he's summoning."

"What?" inquired Mikey.

"I Ritual Summon Lycanthrope in attack mode!" A howl echoed across the field as a werewolf with cybernetic enhancements appeared (ATK/2400 DEF/1800), "Gene-Warped Warwolf, attack Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands with Quad-Claw Kill!" Gene-Warped Warwolf ran in and sank his claws into Manju's body before ripping him to pieces.

"Lycanthrope, it's your turn. Serrated Shadow Slash!" Lycanthrope howled and leapt up into the air. As he came down, he swung his arms and slashed Senju with his claws.

-----------------------------

**Sammie:** 5800

**Gene Eric:** 7100

-----------------------------

"In addition, Lycanthrope's effect deals two hundred damage for every normal monster in my graveyard," Gene added, "I sent six to my graveyard to summon him, so that's twelve hundred points of Shadow Dance!" As Lycanthrope howled again, he unleashed a wave of darkness that consumed Sammie and dealt additional damage to her Life Points.

-----------------------------

**Sammie:** 4600

**Gene Eric:** 7100

-----------------------------

"Oh this is bad," Max said quietly as they continued to watch the duel.

"I end my turn," declared Gene, "On my next one, you lose."

"We'll see." Sammie drew her card. One attack was all that needed to get through in order for her to lose. She had to stop her opponent somehow. Fortunately, she had just drawn a card that could help her stall for time. "I play Nightmare's Steelcage!" A spiked cage appeared and completely surrounded Gene and his monsters, thus preventing any combat between the two duelists for two turns."

"You're just delaying the inevitable," Gene said as he watched his opponent end her turn. He then drew his card, "I play Foolish Burial and I'll send Gogiga Gagagigo to my graveyard, boosting my Lycanthrope's power again. But I'm not done. I sacrifice Gene-Warped Warwolf to bring out Summoned Skull in attack mode." As Gene-Warped Warwolf vanished from the field, in his place arose a winged demon with features that resembled bones (ATK/2500 DEF/1200).

"He's powering up his Lycanthrope's effect!" exclaimed Mikey.

"My turn is done," Gene announced. Sammie then drew and was surprised by what she had received. If her luck held out, she might able to turn the duel around. She declared her turn over and Gene drew his card. He was acting overconfident and his actions displayed that clearly. He summoned another normal monster, this time being an empty black suit of armor named Dark Blade (ATK/1800 DEF/1500).

"On my next turn, you're done for."

"We'll see," Sammie replied as Gene's turn ended and Nightmare's Steelcage vanished from the field. She took in a deep breath and drew her next card. Sadly, her luck hadn't held out. She set a card facedown and ended her turn. She prepared for the worst.

"I draw!" Gene drew his card, "Lycanthrope, attack!" Lycanthrope jumped and slashed Sammie's facedown, which turned out to be Sonic Bird. After that, he ordered Summoned Skull to attack and watched as the demon unleashed a blast of lightning that struck down Sammie.

-----------------------------

**Sammie:** 2100

**Gene Eric:** 7100

-----------------------------

"You know what? I'm feeling generous so I won't attack. But I'll tribute my Dark Blade to summon a second Summoned Skull." Dark Blade vanished and in its place appeared a second demon.

"Better make this count." Sammie drew her card and was relieved finally get what she wanted. "I activate my facedown Contract with the Abyss, which lets me Ritual Summon any Dark attribute Ritual Monster. So I'll discard Ritual Raven to summon Demise, King of Armageddon!" A black pentagram appeared and Ritual Raven's body appeared only be to be absorbed. From the depths of Hell arose Sammie's strongest monster (ATK/2400 DEF/2000).

"Now I'll pay two thousand Life Points to activate his effect and destroy everything on the field except himself!"

-----------------------------

**Sammie:** 100

**Gene Eric:** 7100

-----------------------------

Demise, King of Armageddon raised his axe and slammed it against the ground, causing it to split and swallow up every single card on Gene's side of the field, "Now I play another Contract of the Abyss from my hand and sacrifice Ruin, Queen of Oblivion to summon another Demise! Finally, I play Monster Reborn and I'm bringing back the very first Ritual Monster I summoned. Ruin, Queen of Oblivion!" Between the two Demises, Ruin arose and spun her staff around.

"Ruin, attack with Dies Irae!" Ruin thrust her staff out at Gene and fired a blast of energy at him.

-----------------------------

**Sammie:** 100

**Gene Eric:** 4800

-----------------------------

"Demise, attack!" The first Demise swung his axe and chopped down on the generic villain.

-----------------------------

**Sammie:** 100

**Gene Eric:** 2400

-----------------------------

"End this, Demise!" Sammie ordered her second Demise, "World Ender!" The second Demise, King of Armageddon swung his axe and the blade passed right through Gene's neck.

-----------------------------

**Sammie:** 100

**Gene Eric:** 0

-----------------------------

With the duel over, Sammie grabbed Gene by his coat and pulled him close to her face.

"Alright, punk! Why did you attack us?" she snarled.

"Hey, I'm just a messenger. And of course, a messenger has a message," answered Gene. He freed himself from her grip and grinned as he looked at her. "This is from my employers. 'We have your parents.'" There was a pause before Sammie suddenly went on a rampage again.

"You fucking..."

"See ya later." Gene Eric tipped his hat and jumped overboard. Sammie ran to the railing and watched as he hit the water and sank beneath the waves.

"What did he mean by that?" Max asked as he, Mikey, and Coltyn joined her.

I'm not concerned about the what," the black-haired teen said, "I'm concerned about the why."

"Do you think it has something to do with those guys that have been popping up lately?" Mikey wondered.

"Possibly."

"Saito did say something before he left the school to tend to some business," Sammie brought up, "He mentioned something about a group called the Big Five. I Googled them but I didn't find much except that they were former board members at Kaiba Corp."

"That must be it." Coltyn stiffened. "It all adds up. If they really did kidnap your parents, it was to get to you. They must know that you have a connection to the Kaibas. They get you then they get the heir to Kaiba Corp. And that will bring Seto Kaiba to them."

"Is there anything you can't figure out?" asked Mikey.

"You just gotta take a moment to think things through," was Coltyn's answer.

Three hours later, the ship arrived on the mainland and everyone departed.

"Well I had a fabulous time, but this looks like where we part ways," Max said sadly, "I hope we'll still get together."

"We're not going home," Sammie murmured.

"Say wha?" Mikey just stared at her with an odd look on his face.

"We're not going home," she repeated, "We're going to save my parents."

"Sammie, you know I'm not one who's quick to argue with you, but if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, then you're out of your mind," was Coltyn's response.

"You guys don't have a say in this," she said angrily, "They kidnapped my parents and we're going to save them!" She took out her phone and called the Greyhound station. While she was doing that, the boys huddled together to talk.

"Mikey, you've known Sammie the longest," said Coltyn, "What do you say we do?"

"Once she sets her mind on something, there's no stopping her," Mikey answered, "We don't have a say in this."

"Mikey, even the most psychotic women in the world will listen to reason. Just try."

"Alright boys, we're heading on the next bus to Domino City!" Sammie called out.

"Sammie, are you sure this is a good idea?" Mikey asked as he walked up to her, "I understand you're worried about your parents, but think about this for a sec..." He was cut off when Sammie elbowed him hard in the stomach, causing him to collapse.

"We're going to find my parents and bring them back. If the Big Five really are behind this and they're trying to get to Kaiba, there's only one place they'd take them." There was a pause in Sammie's speech as Max helped Mikey up to his feet.

"We're going to Kaiba Corp."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The challenge of the Big Five begins. Five opponents. Five death traps. Only one outcome. Find out how it all starts next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	26. Death T1 Part 1

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-26**

**Death T1**

**Part 1  
**

After a five-hour bus ride, Mikey, Sammie, Max, and Coltyn finally arrived at the Domino City Greyhound station. From there, they took a taxi to Kaiba Corp. headquarters. As they approached, the four of them watched in awe as the massive tower loomed ahead. Their cab stopped right outside the front entrance and the four teens piled out after splitting the cost of the ride among themselves.

The exterior of the building was an icy white that one could say seemed a faint blue when the sun hit it at just the right angle. The daunting image of this industrial capital of the gaming world glimmered with the sheen of technological advancement, lights blinking and mechanical devices moving in a clockwork pattern that would make an engineer drop to their knees in amazement at the complexity of every thing in sight. While still a wonder of the technological world there stood atop every corner stone a white dragon that loomed over protectively like a gargoyle of old, bringing the past into collision with the future in one building. This was Kaiba Corp., the juggernaut of the business world.

"Okay, I'm impressed. Industrial Illusions didn't come close to this place," Mikey said as he stared up the building in awe until Sammie snapped him out of it by smacking him upside the head.

"Less talky, more walky," she demanded as she made her way to the entrance, each footstep grinding into the pavement with authority.

"Sammie, I understand you want to rush in and save your parents but let's think for a second," Coltyn brought up, "Do you really think it'd be wise to just run through the front door? You're obviously a connection to the Kaibas, so they're going to have people waiting for you inside the lobby."

"Sammie, Coltyn's right," Mikey agreed, "We should try to find a back entrance and sneak in."

"Capital idea, Mikey!" exclaimed Max, "The more enemies we can avoid, the better off we'll be. Don't you think so, Sammie? Sammie?" The redhead looked around, but the blonde was nowhere in sight. "She went inside already, didn't she?"

"Yep," answered Mikey, "Once her mind's made up, there's no stopping her. But if it's something dangerous, she'll punch you in the face later if you don't at least try to talk her out of it." The boy sighed and ran in after his best friend with Max and Coltyn in tow. As they opened the door, a security guard flew over their heads with blood raining down from his nose.

"Has Sammie always been this…violent?" Max asked in fear.

"Not always. Often she's really sweet," was Mikey's response.

"Let's go, bitches!" Sammie yelled at the boys.

"Yes ma'am!" they chorused at once.

As the teens made their way across the lobby, they finally came face-to-face with some security guards armed with Duel Disks. Naturally, the four of them activated their own and summoned their monsters, not questioning why the guards were using duel disks rather than more conventional weapons like a taser or a gun.

"Majestic Mech – Ohka!"

"Ruin, Queen of Oblivion!"

"The Tricky!"

"Solar Flare Dragons!"

As each guard lost they let out a yelp of pain and collapsed on the ground, convulsing violently. Soon the path was cleared quickly and the elevators were now in sight. Mikey got there first and slammed his finger on the button. He continued to tap it furiously as Coltyn fended off more dueling guards with his Solar Flare Dragon wall. "That's not going to make it come faster, Mikey," Max pointed out.

"Well it makes me feel better." A minute later, the doors slid open and everybody ran in. Once all four of them were inside, Mikey hit the close door button. At first it seemed like the security guards would make it until Sammie threw a nail file that stabbed one of them in the hand.

"Where did that come from? You don't file your nails, Sammie," said Mikey, which earned him another smack upside the head. "OW! Okay, fine. Never mind." He leaned against the back wall and waited as the four of them road the elevator up with nothing but the sound of the incredibly tasteless music coming out of the speaker over the heads and flowing into their ears.

"Are we there yet?"

"Don't start."

ooo

In the Kaiba Corp. boardroom, the possessed forms of five great duelists sat watching the group of teens on a television screen as they infiltrated the building. They sat around an oak table with firm sturdy legs, shining brightly and gloriously with the light bouncing off the lacquer, though the table would say the light came from it if tables could talk. Each member sat as a pillar around the table, each wearing a suit that was a show of status and power, giving worth to their reasons for being around this powerful table.

"They've made it this far," Axel Brodie noted in a voice that was gruff and loud.

"Then we shall meet them," commented Arkana with a slithery voice that hid its nature with the guise of refinement.

Alister's pale lips curled at the corners, flaking lightly from dryness but not caring for it demonstrated and exuded confidence. "Though it is not one of the Kaibas we did expect this. Let's just use them as a test run. I'll be first and I'll be last," he said, his maroon hair done back into a tight ponytail that was not so much stylish as it was professional. He stood up and took his leave for the challenges needed testing and he would be more than happy to do that.

ooo

The elevator finally stopped and everybody got out. "What floor are we on?" Mikey inquired.

"Fifty," answered Coltyn, "There are fewer guards up here, but I'm sure security is even tighter." Everyone looked around. There was nothing else in the room except a large reinforced door on the other side. What made them even leerier was when it suddenly slid open as if to invite them in.

"Trap," the boys said simultaneously.

"I don't care," Sammie said in return as she moved forward with the other three hesitantly in tow. The moment they stepped through the door, it slammed shut behind them and locked. "No other way to go now but forward."

"Great," muttered Coltyn, "Trapped in a metal hallway painted gunmetal grey illuminated an endless chain of flickering fluorescent lights." The group proceeded forward. As they made their way down the corridor, their eyes adjusted to the darkness and they were finally able to make out the details of their surroundings. The hallway looked like a space station from a bad sci-fi film with the corridor in complete disarray but still looking preposterously sci-fi. Upon reaching the end of the hall, they were greeted by racks of laser tag vests and a large door, several toy guns scattered along the ground.

"One of you. Put on a vest." The voice had unexpectedly come over a speaker, which startled everyone.

"Sammie, you better hang back," Max insisted, "They're after you, so it's best if you stay out of as much danger as possible. But the question now is which of us is going to do it?"

"I will." Mikey grabbed a vest and slipped it over his head. He snapped the buckle in place and the door opened. Everybody else hung back in the hallway as he proceeded into a maze-like room. The brunet made his way through and soon came to a clearing in the center. Lots of deep gashes and scuff marks as well as pieces of various building materials covered the floor. It was clear that this area used to be filled with more walls but had long since been removed.

"Welcome." Mikey turned toward the sound of the voice and saw a young man with red hair approaching. It was Alister. He strode in casually wearing a green business suit and carrying a nine-iron golf club in his hand. Like Mikey, he too wore a vest.

"Welcome," he repeated, "to the first challenge of Death T. Originally a series of death challenges set up by Seto Kaiba for Yugi Mutou to get revenge for his first defeat at the hands of Yugi's Blue Eyes White Dragon, they have long since been forgotten. But we, the Big Five, have not. We have reactivated all five death traps and if you wish to see the captives again, you must face them all. Starting with me: Gansley of the Big Five!"

"Wait!" Coltyn interjected quickly in confusion, "I thought Yugi and Kaiba didn't duel until just before Duelist Kingdom and that Yugi never had a Blue Eyes. What the hell are you talking about?"

"All those reports are lies that Yugi agreed to so that Kaiba would not have his career sullied beyond what it was. All reports of the event were destroyed quickly after it happened and edited to a somewhat less shameful version. The truth is that Seto faced Yugi twice before Duelist Kingdom. The first time was a secret duel that Yugi won with his grandfather's Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Kaiba was scarred for some reason after that duel, claiming to be suffering through an experience of death. He spent months making this addition to the building as one of the deadly game attractions of Kaiba land. Yugi and his friends won all the games and defeated both Mokuba and Seto. The duel that has always been recorded was the one that took place in this very building. We were planning on having young Saito or his father go through this hellish labyrinth. You kids will be a good test run though."

"Bring it on then!" shouted Mikey only to realize a few minutes later that doing so just didn't suit him like it did Sammie.

"Here's how it works," Gansley explained, "this was once Death T-1, the laser tag of death. The original idea of the game was that the vests would be signaled to shock the wearer to death when the lasers struck them. Yugi was given useless guns and set up to face three trained killers in this arena and only won through good luck. We have redesigned this for dueling so our vests are equipped with a series of electrodes that are synced with our duel disks. Every time you lose Life Points, you will be shocked. Is that clear?" Mikey gulped. He wasn't prepared for this, but he knew he couldn't back down now.

"I accept your challenge!" He activated his Duel Disk, the vest humming to life at the same time as if the remind Mikey that death was gripping at his heart.

"Excellent." Gansley activated his own Duel Disk with his own vest activating and the duel commenced.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Gansley:** 8000

-------------------------------

"I'll start," Gansley declared as he drew his first card, "I summon Abyss Soldier in attack mode." A humpback whale with arms and legs wielding a golden trident appeared on the field (ATK/1800 DEF/1300), "Next I equip it with Steel Shell to boost its attack by four hundred and lower its defense by two hundred." He played another card and a spiked turtle shell appeared on Abyss Soldier's arm like a shield. "That ends my turn."

"I draw!" Mikey removed the top card of his deck and added it to his hand, "I summon Malevolent Mech – Goku En without a tribute in attack mode." Blue flames sprung him in front of him and a black zombified version of Majestic Mech – Ohka rose up and roared (ATK/2400 DEF/1400). "Malevolent Mech – Goku En, attack Abyss Soldier with Malevolent Ray!" Malevolent Mech – Goku En opened its mouth and fired a beam of black energy at Abyss Soldier, destroying it with one blast.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Gansley:** 7800

-------------------------------

A small shock escaped from Gansley's vest and gave him a good jolt. "Now I play the spell card Dimensionhole and remove from play my Goku En until my next Standby Phase." A hole in space opened up and swallowed up Mikey's monster. After that, he concluded his turn and it was back to Gansley.

"You've left yourself wide open." The businessman grinned through his hostage body's mouth as he drew, "I summon Granadora in attack mode." He put his card down and summoned a mutant hybrid of a crocodile, a dinosaur, and an alien with blade-like spikes and teeth (ATK/1900 DEF/700). "When Granadora is summoned, I gain a thousand Life Points."

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Gansley:** 8800

-------------------------------

"Granadora, attack with Slash Bite!" Granadora roared as it dashed over to Mikey and bit down on him.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 6100

**Gansley:** 8800

-------------------------------

Mikey screamed as his vest sent several bolts of electricity coursing through his body to which Gansley watched on in amusement. "I'll set one card facedown and end my turn," the businessman declared.

"My turn." Mikey staggered his he drew his card, but he managed to maintain his balance. At that moment, Dimensionhole opened up again and deposited Malevolent Mech – Goku En back onto the field. "I summon another Malevolent Mech – Goku En!" A second black monster appeared beside the first and roared.

"Goku En number one, attack!" ordered Mikey.

"I activate Threatening Roar!" declared Gansley. He revealed his facedown and Granadora let out a ground-rumbling roar that caused Mikey's monster to back down.

"Fine. I'll set one facedown and end my turn."

"My move." Gansley grinned diabolically as he drew, "Now Granadora has a second effect that deals two thousands points of damage to my Life Points when it's destroyed. So to prevent that, I'm going to sacrifice it." Sparkles sprang up around Granadora as it left the field. "I summon Amphibian Beast in attack mode!" A column of water sprang up and from it emerged a green amphibious monster with webbed hands and feet (ATK/2400 DEF/2000). "I also play A Legendary Ocean." As the card was played, the remains of the laser tag maze vanished to make way for the ancient Atlantean ruins at the bottom of the sea.

"Just for once I'd like to see a Water duelist who didn't run this card," muttered Mikey.

"Amphibian Beast, attack!" ordered Gansley. Amphibian Beast swam across the field with frightening speed and slammed its fist into one of the Malovolent Mechs. It was destroyed and a small shock was sent to Mikey.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 5900

**Gansley:** 8800

-------------------------------

"I end my turn." With Gansley's turn now over, Mikey proceeded with his. He drew his card and summoned another monster.

"Without a tribute, I summon Mist Archfiend in attack mode!" A cold mist rose up beside Malevolent Mech – Goku En and the top half solidified into a black and red demon (ATK/2400 DEF/0). "Next I activate my facedown card, Ultimate Offering. By paying five hundred Life Points, I can Normal Summon an extra monster. So I sacrifice Mist Archfiend and summon Kuraz the Light Monarch!"

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 5400

**Gansley:** 8800

-------------------------------

Mist Archfiend vanished from the field and in its place rose Mikey's golden monarch as the boy took some shocks (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "Kuraz, use your effect to destroy Amphibian Beast and A Legendary Ocean!"

"Consider it done!" Radiant beams of light shined down on the field and pierced the green-skinned monster and the ancient ruins. When both cards had been destroyed, Gansley drew two cards.

"Malevolent Mech – Goku En, attack with Malevolent Ray!" On Mikey's orders, Malevolent Mech – Goku En opened its mouth and fired another black beam at Gansley, who received a large shock as his Life Points were reduced by twenty-four hundred.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 5400

**Gansley:** 6400

-------------------------------

"I'm done for now," Mikey concluded.

"Then I draw." Gansley looked at his hand and made his move, "I set a monster and a facedown and end my turn."

"My turn." Mikey drew again, "I tribute Darkness Gear – Goku En and summon Majestic Mech – Goryu in attack mode." The dark mech vanished and in its place appeared Mikey's majestic angelic dragon (ATK/2900 DEF/1800). "Goryu, attack with Majestic Blaze!" Golden flames poured out of Goryu's mouth and engulfed the facedown monster, which turned out to be Revival Jam.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 5400

**Gansley:** 4000

-------------------------------

As Gansley suffered consequential electric shock, he bore down as he gave up a thousand more Life Points for Revival Jam's effect.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 5400

**Gansley:** 3000

-------------------------------

Mikey ordered Kuraz the Light Monarch to attack. The golden emperor pulled back his cloak and drew his sword before rushing to slice through Gansley with the blade.

"I activate my facedown," the former vice-president of Kaiba Corp. declared, "Sakuretsu Armor!" A suit of spiked armor appeared and impaled Kuraz with its protective yet deadly extensions.

"I end my turn," Mikey said with a grimace as Majestic Mech – Goryu was destroyed at the end of his turn.

"And now it's mine." Gansley drew and his Revival Jam reappeared on the field in defense mode. "I begin with Double Summon and I'll follow up by summoning another Granadora." A second Granadora appeared on the field and boosted his Life Points by one thousand.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 5400

**Gansley:** 4000

-------------------------------

"Now watch as I sacrifice them both. I summon Suijin in attack mode!" A massive torrent of water rose up and swallowed the two monsters before a great blue creature arose. Its body was made completely of water. It's only distinctive features were a pair of hands with sharp claws and a demonic-looking face with a seal bearing the kanji for "water" emblazoned on its forehead (ATK/2500 DEF/2400). "Suijin, show him your might." A hollow moan echoed throughout the room and Suijin unleashed a massive blast of water that hit Mikey with enough force to break a boulder.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 2900

**Gansley:** 4000

-------------------------------

Mikey screamed as he took twenty-five hundred Life Point's worth of voltage from his vest and collapsed onto the floor. Gansley cackled evilly and stood proud with his monster hovering before him.

"What chance does a mere boy have against a seasoned businessman like me?" he gloated, "Behold my strongest monster, Suijin! Take a good look at him, boy. It'll be the last thing you ever see!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Mikey's duel with Gansley draws to its conclusion. How will Mikey defeat the terrifying Suijin? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	27. Death T1 Part 2

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-27**

**Death T1**

**Part 2**

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 2900

**Gansley:** 4000

-------------------------------

"What will you do now?" asked Gansley as he stood over Mikey with his Suijin condescendingly bearing down on the boy. Mikey slowly got up and staggered a little bit as he tried to stand.

"I'm going…to keep…fighting!" He steadied himself and placed his hand on his deck.

"That's it, Mikey. Keep going," whispered Max.

"It's my move!" Mikey drew his card.

"Be careful," Gansley warned with a grin on his face, "If you attack Suijin, I can reduce your monster's attack to zero."

_He's bluffing_, thought Coltyn, _Sure he described Suijin's effect, but he didn't say that it only works once per duel. And Mikey's never faced a Suijin long enough to know this._

"I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn," declared Mikey.

"Is that all?" Gansley drew another card and proceeded, "Suijin, destroy it!" Suijin summoned another flood and Mikey's facedown Majestic Mech – Senku was destroyed. "Your move!"

Mikey drew and examined his hand. Finally, he had a means of protecting himself for a while. "I Special Summon Cyber Dragon!" He set the card on his Duel Disk and summoned a silver mechanical dragon (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "Now I summon Majestic Mech – Ohka in attack mode!" He placed another card onto his machine and a second Majestic Mech – Ohka appeared. "Now with two Light monsters on my field, I Special Summon Guardian of Order in attack mode!" With the summoning of Guardian of Order (ATK/2500 DEF/1200), Mikey now had a creature that was on par with Suijin, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief. As soon as he declared his turn finished, Majestic Mech – Ohka shattered and its card was sent to the graveyard.

My move." Gansley drew and cackled when he saw the card he had just received, "I play A Legendary Ocean!" For the second time, the field was turned into the ruins of Atlantis and Mikey panicked since Suijin was now once again the strongest creature on the field. "Now I summon The Legendary Fisherman, since A Legendary Ocean downgrades it to a four-star monster. And since my field card is treated like Umi, my Fisherman cannot be attacked. However, it won't gain the boost from the card." As he said this, a blue-haired man carrying a harpoon while riding on a blue shark (ATK/1850 DEF/1600) appeared on the field.

"Suijin, attack Cyber Dragon!" Suijin summoned another flood and completely wiped out Cyber Dragon. With its two hundred point attack boost, a small amount of additional damage was added.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 2300

**Gansley:** 4000

-------------------------------

Mikey screamed as more electricity surged through his body.

"And that ends my turn."

"And that begins mine." Mikey drew. He hoped to at least use his Guardian of Order before he lost it. Fortunately, the card he received provided him with that opportunity and something better. "I activate Heavy Storm!" A harsh wind blew across the field. All life forms buckled down and held themselves steady as Mikey's Ultimate Offering and Gansley's A Legendary Ocean were blown away, leaving a dry field, an exposed Fisherman, and a Suijin that was on par with Guardian of Order.

"Guardian of Order, attack!" Rays of light emanated from Guardian of Order and pierced The Legendary Fisherman. Its destruction was followed by a shock to Gansley as his Life Points were decreased.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 2300

**Gansley:** 3350

-------------------------------

"You are just delaying the inevitable." Gansley drew his card and concluded his turn. Mikey gulped as he slowly drew his own card when he realized something. _Gansley took damage! _The thought struck him and immediately a plan formed in his mind.

"I play Golden Sarcophagus!" His deck slot unlocked and he removed his cards from it while, on the field, a large sarcophagus with an eye emblazoned on the front appeared. He searched through the finely cut pieces of cardboard and found the card he was searching for. He placed it in his pocket and then put his deck back into his Duel Disk, which shuffled it automatically and relocked the deck slot. The card removed was reflected on the field as the sarcophagus sealed it within its confines to be used in the future.

"My turn." Gansley drew a card and set a facedown before concluding his turn. Mikey drew a card afterwards and passed as well. Gansley drew again. He also passed, the glowing knight of light and the water elemental in a standoff. When Mikey's turn came up the sarcophagus opened up with a musty cloud of ancient dust the card he removed from play with Golden Sarcophagus came into his hand. Things were almost set. All he needed was one more card. But this would have to wait until he got it. For the time being, set one card and ended his turn.

"My turn." Gansley drew and his laughed at the card he drew, "I play Offerings to the Doomed and I'll destroy that Guardian of Order!" Mikey was taken aback. He wasn't expecting a move like this so soon. He quickly turned to his facedown and activated it.

"I activate Solemn Judgment! By paying half my Life Points, I can negate your card and destroy it."

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 1150

**Gansley:** 3350

-------------------------------

Mikey screamed as his sacrifice took its toll on him, but he was glad that, at least for the time being, he was safe from immediate destruction.

"You were lucky." Gansley ended his turn and Mikey began his. He drew his card and proceeded through his Standby Phase to his first Main Phase.

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn." He gulped. The card he had just set was the one he had brought to his hand with the aid of Golden Sarcophagus. He knew he couldn't activate it now. In fact, he was planning on doing so later when the odds were more in his favor.

"I draw." Gansley drew and played a spell card, "I equip my Suijin with Ring of Magnetism. Now at the cost of lowering his attack and defense points by five hundred points, he becomes the only monster on my field you can attack while it remains equipped with that card." Four magnets appeared around Suijin and lowered its power as they joined together with electric bindings.

"Even if Mikey knew that Suijin's effect was a one-time-use, it won't help him since got fewer Life Points than Suijin's attack points," Sammie thought aloud as she continued to watch with Max and Coltyn.

"So then," Max began, "that facedown he placed down is…"

"Yeah," Coltyn interrupted, "Skill Drain."

"Just try and break through now!" Gansley challenged. Mikey took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly before he placed his fingers on his deck and took the top card off. He ended his turn there and Gansley drew again. After another taunting comment, he passed his turn again.

"I draw!" Mikey drew his next card and gasped. Things were finally in his favor. "Time to end this duel."

"Indeed," agreed Gansley, "So you're finally giving up?"

"Not at all. In fact, quite the opposite," answered Mikey as he began playing his cards, "I summon Beast King Barbaros in attack mode!" In a flash of light, his lance-wielding liontaur appeared on the field (ATK/3000 DEF/1200).

"Ah, so you're summoning a weaker monster then," Gansley noted, "Since Barbaros has nineteen hundred attack points if it's summoned without any tributes."

"That's what I intend to change," Mikey responded, "I reveal my trap card. Go Skill Drain!" He gritted his teeth as he tried to bear the electrical shock from his vest as one thousand of his Life Points were taken away.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 150

**Gansley:** 3350

-------------------------------

"With this card face-up on the field, the effects of all monsters are negated! Including my Barbaros' attack downgrade AND Suijin's effect! Though, I don't think it really matters since you have been bluffing this whole time. Suijin's effect is a one hit wonder, isn't it? You have been using the distraction of the electricity to take advantage of my inexperience but you couldn't hide that fact forever."

"It can't be!" gasped Gansley as Suijin roared in pain while its powers were drained away. At the same time, Beast King Barbaros was freed of its inhibitors and it let out an earth-rumbling roar as its attack power went back to three thousand.

"Your ruse is over Gansley! Guardian of Order, attack Suijin! Pierce through his lies with the light of truth!" Guardian of Order radiated with beams of light that penetrated Suijin's body and destroyed the mighty god of water.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 150

**Gansley:** 2850

-------------------------------

"Beast King Barbaros, finish him off with Death Sentence!" ordered Mikey. Beast King Barbaros ran up to Gansley and thrust its lance out at him. The pole arm pierced his chest and the man cried out in agony as the last of his Life Points were decimated, his vest crackling and tearing through him with lightning as the smell of sizzling flesh started to fill the room.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 150

**Gansley:** 0

-------------------------------

Countless shocks from Gansley's vest coursed through his host's body. "This...can't...be...happening!"

"What is the matter Gansley? Did you think I was too weak? Well remember what they say: 'The meek shall inherit the Earth!'" His eyes were fierce and looked down at his defeated foe with determination and strength that he had never shown before.

Several minutes passed with nothing but the sound of bloodcurdling screams filling the air, but it seemed more like hours. At long last, Alister, the man whose body was being occupied by Gansley, crumpled to the floor.

"Did.... Did...." Mikey stammered, but no words came from his mouth when the reality of the situation came to him. Coltyn ran forward and examined the body, the same realization coming to him as it had everyone else.

"He's still alive," he reported, much to the relief of Mikey.

"Judging from the scars on his body, I'd say he's a war survivor," Coltyn noted as he continued examining him, "His body is tough enough to withstand a shock like that. He's going to need medical attention, though."

"No time," Sammie barked, "My parents are in danger and he tried to stop us. Why should we help him?"

"Because he's still a human being," answered Max, in a puffy and agitated voice. Everyone paused for a moment. After a few minutes, they lifted Alister's body and leaned it against one of the walls.

"And I'll take this," Coltyn reached into the Duel Disk and pulled out Gansley's deck, "so when he wakes up he can't use it against us. Besides, that Suijin will sell for a bit back at school."

"Mikey, will you be fine?" Max asked.

"I think I'll okay," Mikey sighed after taking a few deep breaths. He unbuckled his vest and threw it onto the ground, "Let's keep moving."

"Nice work calling his bluff, dude," Coltyn complimented.

"By the way," Sammie interjected as they began their way down the hallway, "what the fuck was that? You quoting the bible there?"

Mikey blushed lightly and rubbed the back of his head embarrassed, his brown hair ruffling and flaking off the now burnt strands from his duel, when he realized his biblical reference and nodded.

"It was good. That should be your catchphrase man. You can market that shit." She said giddily, a small break in her strong countenance in the situation before she steeled herself again. Death-T 2 awaited them and it was no time for laughs. It was time for action.

ooo

Meanwhile, in the CEO office of Seto Kaiba, a lone figure sat behind the desk watching the four teens on his television screen via the security cameras.

"Come if you dare, but there's only one I'm truly interested in," he cackled before a knock on the door came, "Come in!" A cloaked figure entered the room and made his way across the office like a phantom gently hovering over the ground. The cloaked figure's presence sent a chill up the spine of the CEO, though he didn't show it. It was as if this ghost of a man did not exist at all within this room.

"Is everything in place?"

"All is going according to plan," the cloaked figure spoke in his usual tone.

"Then you know what to do."

"Of course." The cloaked said as he whisked away like he had at duel academy before. The eerie atmosphere he left behind as he disappeared like a shadow on the sun.

"Soon, Kaiba," the man behind the desk muttered, "Soon."

* * *

**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The terrifying horrors of Death T2 await the group as the legend of the Chopman comes back to haunt the world. Find out what happens next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	28. Death T2 Part 1

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-28**

**Death T2**

**Part 1**

"Coltyn, I understand we're in hostile territory right now, but did you really need to take that guy's golf club?" asked Mikey as the group proceeded down the hallway.

"Hey, I wasn't going to wait and see what he would do with it after he woke up," Coltyn replied as he swung Gansley's nine iron around.

"So where are we now?" Max inquired as they ascended a flight of stairs.

"Heading toward another death trap" was what Mikey wanted to say, but after receiving so many electrical shocks from his duel against Gansley, he was incredibly worn out and decided just to keep his mouth shut. Everyone was just as surprised as he was at the duel's end. They thought for sure that the electrified vest had done him in for good, but Mikey turned out to be more resilient than anybody had given him credit for. Despite this, however, it was a unanimous decision that he was to refrain from any more of these insane duels for the time being.

"Honestly Mikey, I didn't think you'd last," Sammie commented.

"I know," the brunet grumbled in response, "You can stop beating me over the head with it now."

As the teens reached the next floor, they were met with a nearly pitch-black room. The only source of light was aimed at some kind of rollercoaster, except it was completely flat and all the seats appeared to be electric chairs bolted to a platform on wheels.

"I'm not even going to ask," was all Sammie said. Coltyn walked over to it and examined it carefully.

"It still works," he reported, "and the chairs have all been disconnected."

"I'm still not getting into one of those things," Mikey said.

"Ditto," agreed Max.

"Well there's no other way to proceed and I know that nothing's going to stop Sammie," was Coltyn's response.

"Damn straight!" Sammie yelled.

"Look Mikey, I'm not keen on it either but we've got no other choice." Coltyn set down his golf club and undid his belt. Once he freed it from his jeans, he looped it through the armrest of one of the chair, did up the buckle, and grabbed onto it tightly after looping it around his wrist. Sammie grabbed Mikey and tossed him onto the floor of the coaster platform. The brunet knew he could never escape her, so he just decided to go along and get it over with. He shed his jacket, wrapped it around one of the chair legs, and held on tightly with both hands. He wasn't particularly enthralled when Max suddenly latched his arms around him. Once all four of them had secured themselves, Coltyn pushed the car forward and they were off.

_I hope this thing isn't going to be as life-threatening as that last one_, Mikey thought before he suddenly started screaming when the car made a sudden drop.

ooo

In the Kaiba Corp. boardroom, the four remaining figures sat around the table watching the security footage on the television screen in front of them.

"Typical Gansley," the one in the middle thought aloud, "He thought he could crush the weakest one and now look at where he is."

"It wasn't that way when he challenged Yugi all those years ago. You know it was just fear of defeat. Any of us would have done the same thing had we the chance. That data world was hell and you know it," the one on the far right reminded him.

"Regardless, I think it's time for someone better than Gansley to make a stand," the one sitting beside an empty chair stated as he got up.

"Last I checked, you weren't that much stronger than Gansley," the figure sitting second from the left spoke up.

"Gansley lacked something that I have." The standing figure turned to the other three. "Numbers. And numbers never lie."

ooo

It had seemed like hours when the ride only lasted a few minutes. First there was that fierce duel with the electrified vests and now a nightmarish rollercoaster ride. So far, it just was not Mikey's day.

"Max, stay with him," Sammie ordered, "Coltyn and I are going to look ahead."

"I'm coming with you," Mikey rebutted.

"No you're not."

"I'm not just going to sit here while you guys go up against dangerous things."

"Sammie, let him come," said Coltyn, "We just make sure he doesn't duel."

"Fine," Sammie muttered, "Max, come with me. Coltyn, take Mikey."

"Be careful!" Max wished them well before the two of them went ahead. After a few minutes of travelling down the hallway, Mikey and Coltyn came upon the remains of a doorway leading into a dimly-lit chamber illuminated by two torches. The room was small and circular with walls made of stone. The floor was covered knee-deep in oil with a single cylindrical pedestal in the center. Attached to that pedestal was a ring through which a chain had been threaded. Coltyn peered inside and looked up to see a number of sharp tools and weapons suspended from the ceiling. The remains of a heavy door lay in the oil. Coltyn turned to look at the other side and saw a large corpse. The body of the corpse was nothing more than charred bones with dried and jerky like flesh dangling off in strips, a chainsaw lying next to the ranking body as a rat scurried from the eye socket nest it had made. Had Mikey known better it looked like the Chopman from those old Funland Chainsaw Massacre movies that everyone always said was based on a real serial killer; but that was impossible, right? Why would a serial killer even be in a park but to scare? Mikey had propped himself against a wall and slumped down on the floor watching his friend.

"Coltyn, I have a bad feeling about this."

"I know what you mean." Coltyn took off his jacket and threw it over to Mikey along with his arm's artificial skin. "Y'know, just in case." With one hand gripping onto the broken door frame, he carefully stepped into the oil-filled chamber and sloshed his way to one of the torches.

Outside the chamber, Mikey continued to sit out in the hallway. He started to feel a little cold, so he covered himself with the leather jacket he had been given. As he sat there, a figure approached the room. Immediately, he sensed something was wrong and called out to Coltyn. "Coltyn! Watch out!" Unfortunately, his cry was too late as the figure stepped into the oil-filled chamber. Coltyn turned around and gasp.

"Axel Brodie?" The man standing before the teen was indeed Axel Brodie, but he seemed different. He was wearing a green business suit and spoke with a voice that sounded stout and boisterous, as if he were a large but short man trying to act as if he were more important than he was. His lips curled at the corners in a sly smile that seemed to make everyone who looked at it feel like a film of slim was on their flesh.

"Axel Brodie is only the name of this body," Axel said in a voice that wasn't his own, "I am Adrian Rudolf Crump III."

"Crump…" Mikey thought for a moment before the memories of the night of the Duel Sniper returned.

"So you're one of them, then," Coltyn presumed.

"Yes, I am a member of the Big Five. And by my calculations, I am the one who shall win this duel.

"'By my calculations'? Who says that anymore?"

"Mock me all you want. It's just going to get you killed." Crump snapped his fingers and a pair of shackles suddenly shot forward under the oil and clamped onto Coltyn's legs. At the same time, the torches unhinged themselves from the walls and revealed a short mechanical arm holding each one. "Welcome to Death-T2, where Joey Wheeler defeated the legendary serial killer Chopman in this very room by burning him to death to conclude a series of horror themed games. This was the longest Death-T game and almost cut of the hand of Yugi and his friends and electrocuted them."

"I don't need the history lesson. Just tell me the rules for this game."

"Fine. This is how it works," Crump explained, "Both of us are now chained to this room. As you lose Life Points, your torch grows closer to the oil. Once you hit zero, your opponent's shackles will be released and he will have sixty seconds to get out before your torch sets the oil on fire."

"You're planning to incinerate Coltyn?!" Mikey shouted from outside.

"You just picked the wrong guy with whom to play with fire!" Coltyn transformed his arm into his Duel Disk and slotted his shuffled deck into place.

------------------------

**Coltyn:** 8000

**Crump:** 8000

------------------------

"I'll be going first." Crump drew his first card. "I'll set one monster facedown and end my turn!"

"I see." Coltyn drew his card, "I'll start by summoning Flame Ruler in attack mode." He set his card onto his Duel Disk and a dark-skinned man with blue hair wearing a flaming red robe appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/1600), "Flame Ruler, attack that facedown with Fire Spell." Flame Ruler began casting and launched a fireball at the facedown.

"It's no good against the defensive power of my Nightmare Penguin!" Crump's facedown was flipped up and revealed it to be a blue emperor penguin in a black tuxedo (ATK/900 DEF/1800), "As long as he's on the field, all my Water monsters will gain two hundred attack points. But that's not all! When he's flipped face-up, I can return one card you control to your hand and of course I pick Flame Ruler." As Flame Ruler was bounced back to his hand, the difference between his attack and Nightmare Penguin's defense was subtracted from Coltyn's Life Points.

------------------------

**Coltyn:** 7700

**Crump:** 8000

------------------------

"Can you feel the burn yet?" Crump taunted as Coltyn's torch lowered.

"Not as much as you will." Coltyn took a spell card from his hand and played it, "My Meteor of Destruction is gonna make sure of that when it deals a thousand points of damage!" A meteor shot down from above and slammed into Crump, who gasped as his torch went down.

------------------------

**Coltyn:** 7700

**Crump:** 7000

------------------------

"I'll end with a facedown." A facedown card appeared by Coltyn's left knee and he concluded his turn.

"You've left yourself open." Crump drew his next card, "And my Giant Red Seasnake will exploit that!" A large crimson serpent appeared and beside Nightmare Penguin hissed (ATK/1800 DEF/800), "Now I switch Nightmare Penguin into attack mode. And since both monsters get boosted by my penguin's effect, it's time to lay on the hurt! Giant Red Seasnake, go!" Giant Red Seasnake hissed and dove under the oil. It resurfaced coiling itself around Coltyn and bit him in the shoulder.

------------------------

**Coltyn:** 5700

**Crump:** 7000

------------------------

After its attack, it swam back under the oil and rejoined its owner's side of the field. "And now it's Nightmare Penguin's turn!" Crump pointed at Coltyn, "Attack him!" Nightmare Penguin took out an umbrella and waddled over to the black-haired teen. It stopped in front of him and cackled before pressing a button on the umbrella handle, prompting a knife blade to slide out the other end. It squawked as it plunged the weapon into Coltyn's chest and quickly returned to its spot.

------------------------

**Coltyn:** 4600

**Crump:** 7000

------------------------

"I hope you've got something to recover from that," Crump cackled as he ended his turn.

"Actually, I do." Coltyn drew his next card. "I'll start off by setting a monster facedown and activating my trap card Backfire, so now you'll take five hundred points of damage every time one of my monsters dies and goes to the graveyard. Next I'll set a facedown and Soul of Fire from my hand. This lets you draw one card and lets me remove a Pyro monster from my deck and deal half of its attack power to you Life Points as burn damage at the cost of being unable to attack this turn." As Crump drew his card, Coltyn searched his deck and pulled out Infernal Flame Emperor. He pocketed his card and a live flame shaped like the fiery liontaur appeared over the field, roared, and descended upon Crump, inflicting some decent damage.

------------------------

**Coltyn:** 4600

**Crump:** 5650

------------------------

Coltyn ended his turn and Crump drew. He cackled once again as now he had a tremendous hand advantage over his opponent. "I calculate that this duel shall be over soon. I'll explain it in easy words for that undeveloped teenage mind of yours."

_I find that highly insulting_, thought Coltyn. Meanwhile, out in the hallway, Mikey was watching from where he sat. He wished he was in better condition so he could help, but sadly this was not the case.

"First I'll play Card Destruction." Crump discarded his six cards and Coltyn his two and they both drew new hands, "Excellent! I summon Flying Penguin in attack mode." He played his card and brought out a blue penguin with ears so big they almost looked like wings (ATK/1200 DEF/1000). "Next I play Symbols of Duty. I'll sacrifice my Flying Penguin and bring back Frostosaurus in attack mode!" As the penguin vanished, in its place arose a massive brontosaurus made entirely of ice (ATK/2600 DEF/1700). "Now I play Monster Reborn and I'll use it to resurrect Spiral Serpent in attack mode!" Crump played another card and from his graveyard he Special Summoned a massive sea monster (ATK/2900 DEF/2900).

"Oh, that's not good," Mikey muttered from the side.

"The numbers are against you, boy!" Crump cackled, "I'll finish off with Double Summon and bring out a 7 Colored Fish in attack mode." He played his spell card and then summoned a multicolored fish which, according to Max if he were there, redefined the term "rainbow trout" (ATK/1800 DEF/800). Crump now had the smaller hand advantage, but now he had a significantly greater field advantage. With five monsters with high attack power and his opponent protected by a single facedown monster, he knew he had already won.

"This ends here!" Crump declared, "Attack my creatures!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

* * *

**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Coltyn's fire deck. Crump's ice deck. Which one will reign supreme? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	29. Death T2 Part 2

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-29**

**Death T2**

**Part 2**

------------------------

**Coltyn:** 4600

**Crump:** 5650

------------------------

Both duelists' torches were at around the halfway point between life and death by immolation, but Coltyn remained calm. Crump, however, was overly excited as he stood with his Nightmare Penguin (ATK/900 DEF/1800), 7 Colored Fish (ATK/1800 DEF/800), Giant Red Seasnake (ATK/1800 DEF/800), Frostosaurus (ATK/2600 DEF/1700), and Spiral Serpent (ATK/2900 DEF/2900) all looked down on Coltyn's single facedown monster.

"Time to end it now!" Crump laughed, "Frostosaurus, attack!" Frostosaurus launched its icy attack and destroyed Coltyn's facedown, which was a UFO Turtle (ATK/1400 DEF/1200). The impact of the attack created a fiery explosion that took away five hundred of Crump's Life Points thanks to Backfire.

------------------------

**Coltyn:** 4600

**Crump:** 5150

------------------------

"I Special Summon another UFO Turtle!" declared Coltyn as he brought out another of the same creature.

"You're just futilely delaying the inevitable." Crump then ordered his Spiral Serpent to attack and watched as it destroyed the card with a torrent of water sprayed from its maw at the turtle of flames while taking another five hundred points of damage.

------------------------

**Coltyn:** 2900

**Crump:** 4650

------------------------

A third UFO Turtle took its place and Crump ordered his 7 Colored Fish to attack it, water blasting a hole through it.

------------------------

**Coltyn:** 2300

**Crump:** 4150

------------------------

"I now bring out The Thing in the Crater." Coltyn brought out his new card and a pool of lava appeared in front of him. Through the smoke, the vague silhouette of a figure could be seen (ATK/1000 DEF/1200).

"Ha. Giant Red Seasnake, destroy it!" ordered Crump. His seasnake dove under the oil and coiled itself around Coltyn's monster as it surfaced. It bit down and destroyed it, bringing its master another five hundred points of damage.

------------------------

**Coltyn:** 1300

**Crump:** 3650

------------------------

"Thanks to my monster's effect, I can Special Summon this creature from my hand." Coltyn took one of the cards in his hand and placed it into the field, "Solar Flare Dragon!" A serpentine dragon with its entire body ablaze with bright flames appeared and snarled (ATK/1500 DEF/1000).

"It won't last," said Crump, "You'll see."

"No. I'm afraid you'll be the one who sees." Coltyn drew and played the other card in his hand, "I summon Solar Flare Dragon in attack mode!" A second Solar Flare Dragon appeared beside the first and snarled. Their flames combined and formed a blazing barrier on the field. "As long as I control another Pyro monster, Solar Flare Dragon can't be attacked. Both of my Solar Flare Dragons are Pyro-type monsters, so that means you can't attack either. Also, as long as they remain on the field, you'll take five hundred points of damage from each dragon."

"You're lying!" Crump bellowed, his teeth gritting roughly together.

"Try me, old man!" Coltyn challenged, "I end my turn!" At that moment, the flames intensified and burned Crump.

------------------------

**Coltyn:** 1300

**Crump:** 2650

------------------------

Crump growled as he drew his next card. Things weren't adding up here. He should have been winning, but his opponent had somehow managed to pull off a miracle that saved him from immediate destruction. He growled again as he looked at his hand. He had cards that could bypass the Solar Flare Dragon wall, but he had already filled up all five of his monster card zones with some of his strongest creatures. In addition, if he didn't find a way to get past those monsters, he was going to lose in three turns and that was something he could not afford.

As Crump contemplated what to do next, Mikey managed to haul himself to the doorway and turned to Coltyn. "Coltyn, did you figure out what we're going to do if you win?" he inquired, "I mean, despite who's in that body, it's still Axel Brodie. We can't let him die."

"I know, Mikey. I've been trying to think of something but nothing's come up." As Coltyn waited for Crump to make his move, his eyes scanned the dark room for anything that could help. There wasn't much on the ground and the arsenal of brutal weapons and torture devices were suspended just out of his reach. The pedestal in the middle might be enough to boost him up, but once he got up there he'd need to grab exactly what he'd need on the first go and then jump back down without slipping; a task which would prove to be exceedingly difficult since standing knee-deep in oil had undoubtedly slickened his shoes. He proceeded to scan the rest of the room hoping for something closer to the floor. Taking the torch away before it touched the oil was not an option as it was firmly attached to the scone that held it.

"I pass!" Crump yelled in anger. Coltyn snapped back into the duel and nodded.

"I draw." He took the top card from his deck and looked at it. It was his Raging Flame Sprite, but to play it would be suicide since he still was down to his last thirteen hundred Life Points. Plus he needed more time to find something he could use to free Axel's legs from their shackles. However, he needed to do so without his opponent knowing this.

"I end my turn," he announced. At that moment, his two Solar Flare Dragons flared up and burned Crump again.

------------------------

**Coltyn:** 1300

**Crump:** 1650

------------------------

"I draw!" Crump almost tore the card off the top of his deck and Coltyn immediately went back to searching the room. The weapons overhead were out of reach and getting to them would be excessively tricky as he had already established so he focused on looking around any areas that came close to his own height. There was not much to work with, though. The massive chain would do nothing and the door was too heavy. He also seriously doubted if the corpse would be able to provide any help. Right at that moment, though, as his eyes passed the corpse again, he noticed that its hand was clenched around something. He quickly checked to see if Crump was still distracted before inching closer to the dead body. As he neared the arm that appeared to be holding something, his foot brushed against an object under the oil.

"I set a facedown and end my turn!" declared Crump.

Coltyn drew his card and pretended to think of a move. In reality, he was trying to feel more of the object under the oil. It seemed rather long. Part of it felt rather boxy. As he moved further from the body, the side suddenly went smooth. He moved his foot to the top and found that it had suddenly become thin. Continuing along, he discovered the end rounded off, but the edge was not smooth; it seemed rather jagged. He still could not figure out what it was. If he could just touch it with his hand or even a bare foot he would be able to find out right away.

"I set a card facedown and end my turn." Stalling could only get him so far and Coltyn watched on as his monsters dealt more burn damage for Crump.

------------------------

**Coltyn:** 1300

**Crump:** 650

------------------------

As Crump made his move, the teen resumed feeling the object with his foot. Judging from the way the hand was gripped around the end and from the overall feel of the shape, he had a vague idea and a small hunch of what the thing actually was. He decided he would just have to trust his instincts and hope for the best.

"Aha!" Crump cried out suddenly, "It ends now! Your wall only works if there's more than one dragon on the field. But I can destroy that with one spell card. But first I'm going to destroy that asinine Backfire with Mystical Space Typhoon!" A blast of wind shot out and destroyed Coltyn's trap card. "Now I play Tribute to the Doomed!" Discarding the last card in his hand, Crump then watched as a mummified hand reached up, grabbed one of the Solar Flare Dragons by the tail, and dragged it underground, leaving the other one fully exposed to any attack.

"Now attack, Spiral Serpent!" ordered Crump. Spiral Serpent snarled and began charging up before unleashing a helix of water. "It is over!"

"For you, Crump!" Coltyn activated his facedown card. "I activate Spiritual Fire Art – Kurenai. I sacrifice my Solar Flare Dragon to inflict its original attack points to your Life Points!" Hiita the Fire Charmer suddenly appeared on the field and set up a seal around her before casting a spell that sacrificed Solar Flare Dragon. She then swung her staff and fired a concentrated beam of heat at Crump. It passed through Spiral Serpent's attack and completely evaporated it before striking its target in the chest. Crump screamed as his remaining Life Points were depleted.

------------------------

**Coltyn:** 1300

**Crump:** 0

------------------------

Coltyn felt the shackles release their hold on his legs and he reacted immediately. As soon as his arm changed back, he stuck it under the oil, broke the corpse's arm at the wrist, and pulled out a chainsaw. Praying that it still worked, he pulled the cord and the device roared to life.

"What are you doing?" Crump demanded as the teen ran over to him. Coltyn didn't respond as he swung his mechanical arm and knocked him down and onto the pedestal in the middle, elevating his legs out of the oil and exposing the chains. He immediately slammed the chainsaw onto those chains. Sparks flew as he cut into them and Coltyn continually prayed that none of them would strike the oil.

"Coltyn!" Mikey pushed himself to his feet and ran as quickly as he could, but was stopped when he got to the door.

"Don't come in!" Coltyn shouted, "And be ready!" He finally sawed through the chains with not a moment to spare. Grabbing Axel's body by the shoulders, he made his way to the door. Once he got there, Mikey helped him get him out before Coltyn himself climbed out of the oil. The boys quickly rolled to the sides before the torch dropped and covered their heads as a massive burst of fire exploded out of the room.

"You okay, Coltyn?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah," was the reply, "but walking is going to be really weird for the rest of the day."

"HEY!" The two boys looked up and saw Max and Sammie running toward them. The one who had called out was none other than the redhead. "We heard an explosion. You two okay?"

"Yeah," answered Coltyn as he looked back into the burning room, "We ran into another of the Big Five and just barely saved Axel Brodie."

"Axel Brodie?" Crump laughed, "You fools. Axel Brodie is no more. I am Adrian Rudolf Crump III! His body belongs to me now! His soul no longer even resides in this vessel! Mine does! I…"

"Oh shut up!" Sammie stepped up and drop-kicked Crump on the head, silencing him, "So what exactly happened?"

"We'll explain on the road," Mikey replied.

ooo

The cloaked figure stepped into the office once again and saw the man no longer sitting at his desk but standing by the window looking outside.

"It seems they have defeated Crump."

"Yes, I know."

"And it seems he let slip that Brodie's soul no longer occupies that body."

"Well that's not a major concern of ours. The Big Five are expendable. Those children are not, however. Especially that girl."

"Understood." The hooded figure nodded and silently slipped back out of the office.

* * *

**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Electrified vests. An immolation pit. Falling blocks. The next challenge of Death-T awaits. Find out who will duel and who will triumph next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	30. Death T3 Part 1

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-30**

**Death T3**

**Part 1**

"…and whoever lost would get incinerated," Coltyn concluded as he finished explaining his duel with Crump.

"Oh that sounds so unpleasant!" Max commented.

"Even in the face of danger, you're as flamboyant as ever," Mikey said for no particular reason.

"Why thank you, Mikey," Max responded with a bow.

"Well I have to say that when the Kaibas make a Death Trap they make them right. I suppose we should feel honored that they are using something that almost killed the King of Games, " Sammie commented.

_And I get the feeling that what did not kill him will be the death of us,_ thought Mikey knowing full well not to voice his opinions on this particular matter out loud lest he receive another dose of pain from Sammie who was still intent on finding her parents somewhere in the building.

"Hey, I've got a question," Mikey suddenly spoke up, "We studied Kaiba Corp. in junior high as part of our social studies class. But our textbooks never mentioned anything about this place."

"It's definitely not something Kaiba Corp. wanted to make public," Coltyn began to explain, "To be honest, I had to do a lot of reading up on my own on sites that wouldn't come up on Google, but apparently Gansley was right. This part of the building was used for Seto Kaiba's Death T challenge. It was back when he and Yugi Mutou were still extremely bitter rivals. He planned to kill Yugi and his friends with a series of death traps.

"The first one took place in that room you dueled in, Mikey. Yugi and his friends were challenged to a laser tag game of death against three professional hitmen hired by Kaiba himself. As you already know, they wore electrified vests but during that game they were set so that you had to get hit on one of your sensors with a laser. However, it was rigged so that the guns of Yugi's group did absolutely Jack Schitt against their opponents. Somehow one of Yugi's friends figured it out and beat them.

"The second death trap was a multi-part challenge. The first was that rollercoaster we found. Everyone was hooked up to those chairs and the coaster took them on a wild ride and showed them horrific images. The point of that one was to keep quiet. In the second part, they were given a puzzle to free their hands from a trap before a guillotine dropped down. They never went into detail about that one."

"Wait, time out," Mikey interrupted, "Kaiba was going to chop off their hands and make them bleed to death?"

"Hey, he was even more ruthless back then than he is now." After that little interlude, Coltyn resumed. "Anyway, once they got through that, one of Yugi's friends faced off against a serial killer named the Chopman inside that oil-filled room back there."

"I remember reading a news article about him!" Sammie exclaimed, "He was called the Chopman because he always chopped his victims' bodies up into small unrecognizable pieces and he wore a mask made from human flesh."

"Ewwwwwww!" Max suddenly started shaking his hands in front of him as if a spider had suddenly landed on him.

"So what happened in that one?" Mikey asked Coltyn.

"Yugi's friend outsmarted the Chopman by turning his strength against him. He attached a chain to the door and placed a candle on it. So when the Chopman pulled the door off, the candle set the oil on fire. Come to think of it, that corpse I saw back there must have been his."

"Apparently Kaiba Corp.'s janitorial staff doesn't cover dead bodies," Max joked.

"The third challenge," Coltyn resumed, "trapped them all in an empty room with giant blocks falling down at regular intervals. They had to climb up on top of each block as they fell and attempt to reach a small exit above their heads. Apparently there was a trick to it but I forgot what it was. The fourth challenge was a game of Capsule Monster Chess against Mokuba Kaiba. The fifth and final match was a duel against Seto Kaiba."

"That's it?" asked Mikey.

"That's it, Mikey."

"You know Coltyn, sometimes your information network scares me. By the way, when did you find the time to look this stuff up?"

"I used my PDA during your duel with Gansley."

"So you weren't really paying attention to me while I was getting electrocuted."

"Not a bit."

"Douche."

"Guys stop fighting for a moment and look at this," Max called. Everyone ran up to where the redhead was and they saw, just beyond a doorway, an empty white room. The walls and floors were smooth, covered lightly with dust from age. A grid-work of grooves criss-crossed in a seamless pattern along the room's sides. The ceiling was nonexistent as a void loomed over them and stared down with the uncaring eyes of god, or the all too attentive eyes of a specter. It was a room of sterile and cold death.

"The third challenge of Death T," Coltyn reiterated. As everybody entered the chamber, none of them were surprised to find the door suddenly lock behind them.

"Welcome," a deep voice greeted them. The four teens turned around and saw a man they had never seen before. He had long blue hair that had been tied back into a thin ponytail and wore a mask and a dark blue suit. The man was none other than the magician Arkana. However, the man inside him was a completely different individual.

"My name is Johnson and I was once Kaiba Corp.'s legal advisor," he introduced, "If you wish to proceed, you must duel me."

"I'll do it!" Max announced, his voice peaking at an octave that surprised everyone with his cheeriness. Before the others could say anything else, Johnson agreed. Max stepped forward with a smile on his face and laughter in his heart.

"So be it. Now here's how the duel works. There is an exit hole about ten meters above us. If there is no winner by the time we get to that hole, it will seal and everybody shall be trapped."

"What about the falling blocks?" Max questioned as he put his Duel Disk on and grabbed something from his pocket.

"Oh so you do know about those." Johnson was surprised, but it was almost hard to tell with his deep monotone. "Well as we duel, the blocks will fall. But we've added a new feature." Suddenly, the tiles he and Max stood on rose above the floor and stopped ten meters up. They were now at the same height as the exit. "Blocks WILL fall, but that will happen whenever a card on the field is sent to the graveyard. And that applies to any card whether it be a monster, a spell, or a trap." Max sucked in a sharp breath. It was definitely going to be tricky and he hoped his friends would be okay, but he agreed nonetheless. He took the item he had removed from his pocket and removed the cloth wrapping, revealing his signature ceramic half-mask. He smiled as he put it on and activated his Duel Disk.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen!" he greeted with enthusiasm and showmanship, "I am le clown des rêves heureux and I shall be your entertainment on this fine glorious day! You may call me Clown Reves!" He bowed deeply. Mikey, Sammie, and Coltyn clapped their hands, already being used to their friend's style of dueling, while Johnson just stared.

"Oh, so you think this is all just a game?" he asked, "Just a show? Well, I'll show you that dueling is serious business. Just like a court of law!"

----------------------------

**Max:** 8000

**Johnson:** 8000

----------------------------

"And I'll make the first move." Johnson drew his first card and placed it on his Duel Disk, "I summon Berserk Gorilla in attack mode." A large fire-breathing gorilla appeared on his far right and roared (ATK/2000 DEF/1000). "After that, I'll set three cards facedown and end my turn." Three cards appeared in spell and trap card zones three, four, and five of the possessed man and the duel turned to Max. He drew his card with flair and gazed it for a second before playing it.

"Our first performer today is Ryu-Kishin Clown in attack mode!" His overweight demon clown materialized onto the field and laughed (ATK/800 DEF/500), "When Ryu-Kishin Clown is summoned, I may select one monster on the field and change its battle position. And I'd just LOVE to do that to your Berserk Gorilla!" Ryu-Kishin Clown cackled as it bounced over to Berserk Gorilla and knocked it down on its hands and knees into defense position. The crazy demon continued cackling as it thrust its hips back and forth before the giant ape tore itself apart by its own effect, disappearing in a cloud of pixels. At that moment, a single white block one cubic meter in size dropped from the ceiling and landed on a tile directly beneath where Berserk Gorilla used to be. "Now while you're over there, Ryu-Kishin Clown, please attack him." Another cackle escaped the creature's mouth as it turned onto Johnson and slammed its large belly into him.

----------------------------

**Max:** 8000

**Johnson:** 7200

----------------------------

"Two facedowns for me!" Max smiled and ended his turn.

"My turn now." Johnson drew and examined the field and his hand, "I'll set a monster and end my turn." A facedown card appeared on his far right.

"My turn!" Max declared in a singsong voice as he drew, "Take the stage, Crass Clown!" Right beside Ryu-Kishin Clown, Max's other ugly clown appeared and laughed (ATK/1350 DEF/1400). "Crass Clown, please be so kind." Crass Clown kicked its ball into Johnson's facedown, which turned out to be Skelengel. Johnson drew a card as a result of its resolved effect and another block dropped from above, landing right on top of the first one.

"I activate Jar of Greed." Johnson revealed his rightmost facedown and drew another card as a third block fell into place behind the small stack that had been started.

"Ryu-Kishin Clown, would you kindly attack Mr. Johnson please?" Max asked politely with a graceful bow. Ryu-Kishin Clown let out its cackle and took out a long streamer which it used like a whip to lash Johnson.

----------------------------

**Max:** 8000

**Johnson:** 6400

----------------------------

"I'll finish right there," Max concluded.

"My turn." Johnson drew his card, "I'll set one monster and end my turn." Another facedown monster appeared on his far right for the third time.

"Why's he only using that one monster zone?" Mikey asked.

"You know what? That's a very good question," Coltyn replied as he placed his hand under his chin, "I just wish I had an answer." Max drew his next card.

"I sacrifice my Ryu-Kishin Clown so The Tricky can take the stage!" Max removed his Ryu-Kishin Clown from the field and brought out his question mark bearing harlequin (ATK/2000 DEF/1200). As a result of his sacrifice, a block fell from the ceiling and landed two meters in front of his friends.

"Tricky, attack his facedown!" The Tricky pulled a dagger from its sleeve and threw it at Johnson's card, which turned out to be Penguin Soldier, a monster with a flip effect that could return two monsters back to the owner's hand. As a result, Crass Clown and the Tricky were returned to Max's hand while a block fell on top of the stack of two, making it a stack of three.

"That's going to be a problem," Mikey thought aloud.

"Taking five," Max announced as he placed his hand on his head and raised it as if he were tipping a hat.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I'll take it," Johnson replied before he drew his card, "I summon Sangan and I'll use it to attack you directly." He summoned a three-eyed hairy monster (ATK/1000 DEF/600) and watched as it rammed into Max.

----------------------------

**Max:** 7000

**Johnson:** 6400

----------------------------

"I'll end my turn," the lawyer announced. Max then drew his card.

"Crass Clown, baby, time to take the stage again!" The redhead placed his card on his Duel Disk and summoned his ball-balancing clown again.

"And I activate a trap." Johnson revealed the card right in front of him. "Horn of Heaven. By tributing one monster, I can negate your monster's summon and destroy it." Sangan vanished from the field and a resounding blast of Johnson's Horn of Heaven shook the field and destroyed Crass Clown. At that moment, three blocks fell from the ceiling; one landed on top of the growing stack, one in front of Max, and one just in front of Johnson.

"I swear I'm seeing a pattern in the blocks," Coltyn thought out loud.

"My turn is over." Max bowed again and Johnson drew.

"I'll set a monster facedown." Once again, a facedown monster appeared in the exact same spot as all of his previous monsters. "And that ends my turn."

"My move!" Max drew his card, "I summon Dream Clown in attack mode." He played his card and his favorite monster stumbled onto the field (ATK/1200 DEF/900). "Dream Clown, attack that facedown." Dream Clown rode on a little red tricycle across the field and took out a cream pie. He laughed as he threw it onto the facedown card and exposed it as a Bubonic Vermin.

"When Bubonic Vermin is flipped, I can summon another one to the field in facedown defense mode," explained Johnson as another block dropped on top of the stack. He placed his new card facedown in the monster zone beside the one still occupied by his dying creature and shuffled his deck.

"And I'll end my turn there."

"My move." The third member of the Big Five drew, "I summon Giant Rat in attack mode." He called out a giant rodent carrying a skull in its paws (ATK/1400 DEF/1450) and ordered it to attack Max's Dream Clown.

"I activate the FABULOUS Shrink!" announced Max as he revealed his facedown. Giant Rat shrank down in size and Dream Clown dropped a water balloon on top of it, killing the rat.

----------------------------

**Max:** 7000

**Johnson:** 5900

----------------------------

Another block fell somewhere to Max's far right and another dropped on top of the stack. At that moment, Johnson summoned another Giant Rat to replace the last one. He ended his turn and his opponent began his.

"Oh this is FABULOUS! I discard one card and Special Summon The Tricky in attack mode." For the second time that day, The Tricky appeared on Max's field. "Tricky, attack Giant Rat." The Tricky leapt up into the air and launched a dagger from his sleeve and buried it deep into Giant Rat's chest.

----------------------------

**Max:** 7000

**Johnson:** 5300

----------------------------

Another block landed on top of the stack, forming a tower of seven in total and Johnson summoned another Giant Rat in its place. Max ended his Battle Phase and switched his Dream Clown into defense mode, triggering its effect. Targetting the new Giant Rat, the small caped clown pulled out a spring-loaded boxing glove and squeezed the handles together, causing the device to extend and smash the fist into the large rodent, swiftly reducing it into a pile of bloody entrails and hair. This dropped another block onto the ever-growing tower.

"Le clown des rêves heureux, exiting stage left!" Max bowed as he concluded his turn.

"You continue to insist that this is a game," Johnson said emotionlessly as he drew, "This is not a game; this is business. Now I Flip Summon Bubonic Vermin to summon another in facedown defense mode." His small rodent appeared on the field and another card appeared over the block tower. "Now I activate my trap card, Two-Pronged Attack. By destroying two of my monsters, I can destroy one of yours." Two arms rose of the field and grabbed Johnson's two monsters. They tightened their grips and they finally exploded. They disappeared back underground and reappeared under The Tricky. The arms grabbed it by the ankles and dragged it underground. Four blocks then fell from the ceiling. One on top of the stack, one just to its right, one behind that second one, and one on the right of Max's field.

"Coltyn, what's on your mind?" Sammie asked, "I know that look on your face."

"Well Johnson's strategy is just kinda weird," he answered, "Have you noticed all he's been doing is setting things up so that his cards end up getting destroyed? And he's only using one monster zone over and over again."

"Well lots of people use one monster zone a lot," Mikey pointed out, "Lots of guys at school use the far right one because that's the easiest one on the Duel Disk to reach."

"Have you also noticed that all the monsters in that one zone get destroyed and each time one dies a block gets added to that stack?" Coltyn crossed his arms in front of his chest and placed his artificial thumb under his chin.

"Hmm?" Mikey looked over at the field tower and then up at the field and wondered what his friend was talking about. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. "Hang on a second. I'm going to check something." Making sure no one was playing any cards, he quickly ran across the room and over to the stack. He looked up and saw that he was right under the monster zone Johnson had been using. He immediately ran back and told Coltyn what he had found.

"I thought it was weird and I was right," the black-haired teen said, "The room is aligned to the dueling field!"

"And the blocks?"

"They fall onto the square that's aligned with that card zone. What I'm still trying to figure out is _why_ he's doing it." Coltyn looked around the room for answers, but nothing particularly stood out. There was still the hole that served as an exit near the stack.

Wait, what was that last thought? Coltyn quickly ran across to the right side of the room and looked at the exit. Johnson's stack was directly beneath it! _So that's his plan!_ he exclaimed mentally. Johnson looked down at Coltyn and noticed the look at his face and the direction he was looking in.

"So you finally figured it out," he said smugly, "Yes, I've been stacking my blocks to form an escape route; something that your red-haired friend has neglected to do! There's one thing I didn't mention before we began. This duel isn't just about eliminating your opponent's Life Points. It's also all about escaping this room. You see, once one of us is out of Life Points we both have thirty seconds to escape the room before it is sealed and blocks continue to fall until the loser is crushed. And how do we escape? By building a path with these blocks. But from the looks of things, it seems that all of you will never be getting out! NEVER!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Trapped in a room with falling blocks. Will Max be able to create a path to allow him and his friends to escape? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	31. Death T3 Part 2

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-31**

**Death T3**

**Part 2**

----------------------------

**Max:** 7000

**Johnson:** 5300

----------------------------

"Anyway, it is still my turn," said Johnson as he took some cards from his hand and set them on the field, "I set three facedown cards and end my turn."

After having listened to Johnson's revelation of his strategy, Max began to think very hard about how he was going to set things up for his friends and himself to escape. Had he known about the conditions of the duel beforehand, he would have done what his opponent did. However it was too late to turn back now so he just had to make do with what was available to him right now. He drew his card and proceeded with his turn. The puzzle was something he would have to figure out on the fly.

"Peten the Dark Clown, enter stage left!" He played a card and summoned the most flamboyantly-dressed clown in his deck (ATK/500 DEF/1200), who tipped his hat large plumed as he gave a bow, into Monster Zone One. "Now I'll set one card and end my turn." Max set the card in Spell/Trap Zone One and concluded his turn.

"How amusing." Johnson drew his card, "Well I supposed it can't be helped since you're in no position of escaping. However, I suppose I can humor you. I summon Zombrya the Dark in attack mode." He placed his card in Monster Zone Four and called out a man in dark blue armor wearing a long red cape (ATK/2100 DEF/500). "Attack Peten the Dark Clown." Zombrya the Dark leapt up and lashed out with a chain, which wrapped around Peten. The clown struggled to free himself but to no avail. Sharp blades suddenly protruded from the chain and Zombrya pulled it back, causing them to slice Peten to pieces.

----------------------------

**Max:** 5400

**Johnson:** 5300

----------------------------

A block appeared on the square aligned with the monster zone as Max activated Peten's effect. "I remove from play Peten the Dark Clown to Special Summon another one from my deck in defense mode." A new Peten appeared in Monster Zone One and bowed at Johnson. Shortly after that, Zombrya was gripped by a black aura and his attack points dropped to nineteen hundred as a result of its effect to lose two hundred attack points each time it destroyed a monster in combat.

"Very well then. I end my turn." Max then proceeded with his turn. As he drew, he began to think of ways to get his friends up to the exit and himself as well. He had ten squares to work with and three friends. If he did this right, he could get them out as he dueled whereas Johnson only had to stack enough blocks to form a path only for him to use. This was the first time the field and the monsters that went to the graveyard had such an impact on a duel and he had to do his best to build a path and win.

"Everyone!" he called to his friends, "Follow my instructions carefully. Mikey, get onto the block in Monster Zone Four. Sammie, to Spell Zone Four. Coltyn, stay where you are for now. I play Giant Trunade and return all spells and traps to our hands!" A powerful torrent of wind hit the field and Max regained his one card while all three of Johnson's left the field. "Now I play Stumbling." He placed the card in Spell Zone Three and the card appeared right in front of him. After that, he summoned a second Dream Clown in Monster Zone Five, which switched into defense mode immediately and used its effect to destroy Zombrya the Dark by taking out a pistol and firing it only to have a "BANG!" flag pop out. This turned out to be a ruse because Dream Clown pulled the trigger again and a stick to which the flag was attached shot out like a spear and impaled Zombrya the Dark in the heart. This dropped a tenth block onto Johnson's stack, now making it the same height as the exit hole. Once that was done, he switched his other Dream Clown and his Peten the Dark Clown into attack mode.

"Peten, would you kindly attack with Bloodlust Slash?" Peten the Dark Clown vanished and reappeared behind Johnson with a dagger in his hands. He snuck up quietly behind the business and swiftly plunged the knife into his back.

----------------------------

**Max:** 5400

**Johnson:** 4800

----------------------------

"Your turn, Dream Clown." Dream Clown pulled out his spring-loaded punching glove again and squeezed the handles together to send the fist smashing into Johnson.

----------------------------

**Max:** 5400

**Johnson:** 3600

----------------------------

After that, he set the last card in his hand into Spell Zone One and ended his turn. Then it was back to Johnson. He drew his card and set the three cards that had been bounced into his hand back onto the field. After that, he summoned Goblin Attack Force (ATK/2300 DEF/0) and attacked Peten the Dark Clown.

----------------------------

**Max:** 3600

**Johnson:** 3600

----------------------------

As Max used Peten's effect to summon a third one, a block dropped onto Monster Zone One.

"That ends my turn," said Johnson. He was disappointed that none of his cards got sent to the graveyard, but it was incredibly hard to tell with his emotionless monotone.

Max then drew and the card he received brightened his face. "I sacrifice Peten the Dark Clown and Dream Clown," Peten the Dark Clown and the leftmost Dream Clown disappeared, causing blocks to fall on Monster Zones One and Two, "to summon Puppet King in attack mode!" A black and white monster resembling a chess king wearing a red cape appeared on the field (ATK/2800 DEF/2600) and immediately switched into defense mode due to Stumbling's effect. After that, Max activated his facedown trap card, Labyrinth of Nightmare. He concluded his turn and his Puppet King and Dream Clown switched into attack mode.

Johnson drew and smiled a little bit. "I play Heavy Storm." A typhoon blew across the field and destroyed his three facedowns and Max's Stumbling and Labyrinth of Nightmare, causing more blocks to fall.

"Mikey move to Monster Zone One, Sammie to Monster Zone Four, and Coltyn to Spell Zone Five," Max called out.

"Next I summon Slate Warrior in attack mode." Johnson played another monster and called out a creature whose arms, head, and legs were completely unconnected to its torso with a staff hovering at its side (ATK/1900 DEF/400), "Slate Warrior, attack Dream Clown." Slate Warrior grabbed its staff with one hand, sent both of his disembodied arms at Dream Clown, and proceeded to beat it to death.

----------------------------

**Max:** 2900

**Johnson:** 3600

----------------------------

The moment a block dropped onto Monster Zone Five, Max had Coltyn relocate to that spot and then told Sammie to move to Spell Zone Five. This seemed oddly peculiar but she went along with it anyway. As soon as Johnson ended his turn, his redheaded teenage opponent drew his card.

"I play Scapegoat!" Immediately as soon as the card was played, a block dropped onto Spell Zone Three and four sheep tokens of varying colors appeared the other four monster zones. After that, he concluded his turn. Johnson drew again and activated his facedown Book of Moon in his Spell Zone Five to flip Slate Warrior facedown and then he Flip Summoned him, activating the monster's flip effect to give it five hundred extra attack points. He then summoned another Slate Warrior into his Monster Zone Three and ordered them both to attack a token each. The ones occupying Monster Zones Four and Five were destroyed and a block dropped onto each of them.

"Not that I'm complaining, but I thought blocks only dropped when cards were sent to the graveyard," said Sammie.

"Apparently this room reads tokens like that," was Coltyn's answer as he and Sammie followed Max's directions for him to move to Monster Zone Four and her to Monster Zone Five. Johnson ended his turn and it was Max's turn again. The card he drew was an interesting one to say the least. He had never used it before, but for some reason he had felt that it would be useful, and he was right.

"I play Senet Switch." He played the card on Spell Zone One and ended his turn. Johnson drew again and summoned a third Slate Warrior. He ordered two of them to attack the remaining tokens and blocks fell into Monster Zones Two and Three on Max's side. Immediately, the redhead instructed Coltyn and Sammie to move over to those squares. When his turn came up and after he drew, he set a monster in Monster Zone Four and proceeded to his End Phase. Johnson immediately ordered a Slate Warrior to attack the facedown, which turned out to be Ryu-Kishin Clown and added another block onto Monster Zone Four. Max's turn came up again and he drew Mystical Space Typhoon, which he used to destroy Johnson's facedown in Spell Zone Three. This added a block to each of their respective Spell Zone Threes. When Johnson drew again, he smiled.

"I sacrifice one Slate Warrior for my signature card," he announced, placing a block into his Monster Zone Three, "Judge Man!" Slate Warrior vanished and in its place rose a large man with a long grey beard wearing a cape and carrying two large clubs (ATK/2200 DEF/1500).

"Why a Judge Man?" wondered Mikey.

"Next I equip him with Invigoration to boost his attack by four hundred but decrease his defense by two hundred." Judge Man let out a battle cry as he grew bigger. "That ends my turn."

"Mine now." Max drew his card, "I play Pot of Avarice!" He selected his two Dream Clowns, The Tricky, Crass Clown, and Ryu-Kishin Clown and shuffled them into his deck while a block dropped into Spell Zone Three before drawing two new cards. "Puppet King, it's your turn now. Let us show these fellows how actors do it! Strike the Judge Man!"

"And I activate Negate Attack." As Puppet King drew his sword and charged, he hit a vortex that absorbed his attack. This caused a block to drop into Johnson's Spell Zone Four. After Max ended his turn, Johnson drew again. He set a monster facedown and ended his turn. When Max's turn came up again, he ordered his Puppet King to attack that card and it turned out to be Morphing Jar. Immediately, both duelists discarded whatever cards they happened to be holding and drew fresh hands of five cards. Johnson was thrilled by what he received. Fortunately for his opponent, it was still Max's turn.

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn." A facedown card appeared in Max's Spell Zone Three and his turn ended.

"And so it's my turn." Johnson drew and his face brightened even further, "I start by placing two facedowns onto my field." Two facedown cards appeared in his fourth and fifth Spell Zones. "Next I play Toon Table of Contents." He played his card in his third Spell Zone and a block fell on top of it. He searched his deck and pulled out a second Toon Table of Contents. He played that as well and dropped yet another block onto his third Spell Zone. That card brought him a third Toon Table of Contents and with the last he brought Toon Cannon Soldier to his hand. After that, he played Gather Your Mind and added another Gather Your Mind to his hand. All these cards added four blocks to his Spell Zone Three, totaling seven.

"Now I tribute one Slate Warrior for a second Judge Man!" The Slate Warrior in Johnson's Monster Zone Four vanished and was replaced by a second Judge Man, "Now then, Slate Warrior, attack Puppet King!" The last Slate Warrior rushed in and attacked Puppet King, who retaliated with a powerful slash from his sword.

----------------------------

**Max:** 2900

**Johnson:** 2700

----------------------------

"When Slate Warrior is destroyed in battle, the monster that destroyed it loses five hundred attack points." As this was said, slime from Slate Warrior's remains wrapped around Puppet King and its attack points dropped. "Now Judge Man, attack!" The Judge Man equipped with Invigoration stepped forward and smashed his weapons into Puppet King.

----------------------------

**Max:** 2600

**Johnson:** 2700

----------------------------

"MOVE!" shouted Max as a block fell toward his Monster Zone One. Mikey scrambled onto Coltyn's tower just in time to avoid getting crushed.

"Other Judge Man, attack," commanded Johnson. His second Judge Man rushed in and slammed one of his clubs into Max.

----------------------------

**Max:** 400

**Johnson:** 2700

----------------------------

"Looks like your time is almost up," Johnson cackled as he ended his turn, "By my next turn, I'll have my escape route finished."

"Don't count me out just yet. The play isn't over until the curtain closes." Max drew his card. He needed to fend off his opponent's monsters until he could get enough blocks stacked to escape. He looked at his hand and saw that the opportunity had arisen. "Time for this performance to reach its FABULOUS climax! I summon the always performing Crass Clown in attack mode!" He slapped his card onto his Duel Disk and summoned his ball-balancing clown. "Next I play the fantastic Double Summon! And with that, I summon a new monster! Say hello to the newest cast member, Jutte Fighter!" He placed his card on his Duel Disk and a short Japanese man with glasses wielding a jutte materialized onto the field (ATK/700 DEF/900).

"I've never seen Max use that before," Mikey thought out loud.

"Hey Mikey, I think that's a Tuner," replied Coltyn.

"Now I attune my Jutte Fighter to my Crass Clown." Jutte Fighter vanished and was replaced by two shining stars. The stars formed rings which surrounded Crass Clown and passed over him. "Say hello the other newest cast member of my deck! I Synchro Summon Goyo Guardian in attack mode!" After the two monsters had attuned to one another, they vanished. In their place, there appeared a kabuki actor wielding a jutte tied to a long rope (ATK/2800 DEF/2000) who landed on Monster Zone Four.

"Max, when did you get a Synchro Monster?" asked Sammie.

"Ever since we saw Coltyn duel Mr. Higsby, I've always wanted to try it out for myself. I got this one when we visited Industrial Illusions," answered Max, "Goyo Guardian, attack the invigorated Judge Man!" Goyo Guardian spun his jutte over his head before launching it at the powered-up Judge Man. The weapon struck its target and destroyed it.

----------------------------

**Max:** 400

**Johnson:** 2500

----------------------------

"When Goyo Guardian destroys a monster in battle, I can summon that monster on my field in defense mode!" Goyo Guardian reeled in his weapon and launched it into the floor where it pulled up Judge Man and placed him beside him in a defensive stance in Monster Zone Three. "Sammie Dear, could you please move to Monster Zone Four?" Sammie complied and shifted one square to the right. "I'll one last card and then turn the duel to you." A card appeared in Spell Zone Two.

"I draw." Johnson was panicking now as he drew. He needed a way to stall for time and build up his field so he could get out of there, but with Goyo Guardian on the field his chances began to slip away. He set a monster facedown in Monster Zone Four and switched his Judge Man into defense mode before ending his turn.

"I activate Zero Gravity!" Max declared on his opponent's End Phase. Immediately, the battle positions of all face-up monsters were changed. Goyo Guardian and switched into defense mode while both Judge Men rose up into attack mode. At that moment, the duel switched back over to Max, who drew his next card with gusto. "I switch Goyo Guardian into attack mode. Now Judge Man, attack Judge Man!" Max's Judge Man let out a battle cry and charged forward. At the same time, Johnson's Judge Man did the same. The two monsters met in the middle of the battlefield and swung their clubs. The simultaneous attacks hit the other's head and both monsters died, causing blocks to fall into Max's Monster Zone Three and Johnson' s Monster Zone Four. "Goyo Guardian, attack the facedown!" Goyo Guardian's jutte pierced Johnson's facedown and revealed a female angel with glasses and a book wearing a business suit named Hysteric Fairy (ATK/1800 DEF/500).

"Oho! I see what you were planning! Very clever." Per Goyo Guardian's effect, Hysteric Fairy was brought out onto the redhead's side of the field in Monster Zone Five. "I use Senet Switch to move Goyo Guardian to Monster Zone Four." The large kabuki actor picked up the lower half of his costume and walked over to the right. Once he was in place, Max ended his turn.

"I draw." Johnson drew and set another monster in Monster Zone Four before ending his turn. Max drew his next card and smiled.

"I move Goyo Guardian to Monster Zone Three with Senet Switch and set a monster." As Goyo Guardian moved over, a new card took his place in the zone he once occupied. "And now I play Stray Lambs." Two lamb tokens appeared on the field and occupied the last two monster zones as a block dropped into Spell Zone Three. "Mikey, Coltyn, please move to zone three." The two boys nodded and moved to the safety under Goyo Guardian.

"Now I use Hysteric Fairy's effect by tributing two monsters to gain a thousand attack points." Max pointed at his facedown, "First him." The card vanished and a block dropped down onto Monster Zone Two. Coltyn moved over to the new block and Sammie joined Mikey on his on orders from Max. "And now that token in zone four." With the disappearance of the token, another block fell to which Sammie moved back to with Mikey following. With the sacrifice resolved, Hysteric Fairy opened her book and wrote down some numbers which caused Max to regain Life Points.

----------------------------

**Max:** 1400

**Johnson:** 2500

----------------------------

After that, Max ordered Goyo Guardian to attack and destroyed Johnson's facedown Royal Magical Library (ATK/0 DEF/2000) only to summon it into Monster Zone Four. With his Battle Phase over, he then tributed his last token and the new monster to cause two more blocks to appear and his Life Points to go back up.

----------------------------

**Max:** 2400

**Johnson:** 2500

----------------------------

Johnson set another monster when his turn came up and ended it just as quickly. After Max drew and moved his Synchro Monster over to Monster Zone Four using Senet Switch, he attacked it with Goyo Guardian and revealed it to be a Banisher of the Light, which was quickly summoned to his side of the field in Monster Zone Three. He then summoned a Blade Rabbit on his second Main Phase into Monster Zone Two and sacrificed the two creatures for Hysteric Fairy's effect. First he got rid of Banisher of the Light and waited for Sammie, Mikey, and Coltyn to squeeze themselves onto a single block before sacrificing his rabbit.

----------------------------

**Max:** 3400

**Johnson:** 2500

----------------------------

Once the sixth block in Monster Zone Two was in place, Coltyn and Sammie broke off and moved onto it.

_I can't let him win!_ Johnson screamed mentally as he drew. He finally got a card he could use and played it.

"I play Ancient Rules and use it to summon Judge Man!" A third Judge Man appeared and he ordered it to destroy Hysteric Fairy. The young woman was destroyed and the difference was dealt to Max as damage.

----------------------------

**Max:** 3000

**Johnson:** 2500

----------------------------

"Now you can't destroy monsters to stack up your blocks," he said.

"Oh I wouldn't count myself out yet!" Max replied as he drew, "Goyo Guardian, be a dear and move over to Monster Zone Five please. And when you get there, please attack Judge Man." Goyo Guardian grunted in response and moved over to the right by one zone before flinging his jutte at Judge Man, destroying him.

----------------------------

**Max:** 3000

**Johnson:** 2100

----------------------------

With that attack, Goyo Guardian reeled in Judge Man onto his side and placed him in Monster Zone Three. After that, Max set a monster in Monster Zone One. Then he took the last card in his hand and played it in Spell Zone Three. "This is my Monster Reborn and I'm bringing back Hysteric Fairy in attack mode." Hysteric Fairy reappeared on the field in Monster Zone Four and the redhead began the sacrifices. First he tributed Judge Man, causing a block to fall into Monster Zone Three. Once it was in place, he ordered Coltyn to transfer over to it and for Mikey to move over to zone two. After the switches were made, Max sacrificed his facedown monster and dropped another block onto his leftmost monster zone.

----------------------------

**Max:** 4000

**Johnson:** 2100

----------------------------

"It can't be!" shouted Johnson. When his turn came up, he set another monster. On Max's turn, the redhead repeated the cycle all over again and dropped blocks onto Monster Zones Two and Three, while avoiding crushing his friends.

----------------------------

**Max:** 5000

**Johnson:** 2100

----------------------------

_I can't let him get out!_ Johnson thought as he bit his lower lip, _But how can I stop him from adding more blocks? Unless…_

"I summon Sangan in attack mode!" announced the lawyer, summoning a three-eyed hairball to the field (ATK/1000 DEF/600), "That ends my turn."

"I draw." Max drew his card, "Goyo Guardian, destroy Sangan!" Like the many monsters before it, Sangan was destroyed and summoned to Max's field in defense position and Johnson used its effect to bring a monster with fifteen hundred or less attack power from his deck to his hand.

----------------------------

**Max:** 5000

**Johnson:** 300

----------------------------

"I summon Dream Clown and sacrifice him and Sangan," announced Max.

----------------------------

**Max:** 6000

**Johnson:** 300

----------------------------

Max's Life Points went up, Sangan's effect caused Johnson to retrieve another card, and two more blocks fell onto the field.

"You think you've won? Well let's see how you get out of this." Johnson summoned another monster, "I bring out Royal Magical Library in attack mode!" His monster appeared and he laughed, "If you use Goyo Guardian to attack, I lose but you can't get out."

_And what those fools don't realize is that I've got a secret escape already waiting for me just in case_, he added mentally.

"Oh we'll see," Max answered as he drew. This was exactly what he needed. "Ryu-Kishin Clown, you're in the final act. Let's end this show with some flair!" He brought out his little demon jester and it cackled upon its summon into Monster Zone Two. "And if you'll remember from the beginning, he switches the battle position of one face-up monster on the field!" Right then and there, Ryu-Kishin Clown took out a long stream and lashed out at Royal Magical Library. It wrapped around the zero-attack monster and pulled it into defense mode.

"Goyo Guardian, attack Royal Magical Library with Goyo Lariat!" Once again, Goyo Guardian launched its jutte out and impaled the opposing monster before bringing it back in Monster Zone One on Max's side of the field. "And now it's time for Hysteric Angel to do her thing. I tribute Ryu-Kishin Clown first!" The little demon clown vanished and a block dropped down in its place. Immediately, Mikey, who was standing on Monster Zone One, moved over to the right knowing full well what was going to happen next. The moment he was gone, Max sacrificed Royal Magical Library and brought down one more block onto Monster Zone One.

----------------------------

**Max:** 7000

**Johnson:** 300

----------------------------

"We got a way out!" exclaimed Coltyn, "Let's move!" Mikey, who was the closest one to the exit, grabbed onto the ledge of the hole leading out and pulled himself in. Sammie climbed onto the highest stack and the brunet helped her in. As Coltyn climbed up to Monster Zone Two, he turned around and watched as Max made his final move.

"And now it's Hysteric Fairy's turn to attack and she's going to end this!" the redhead called out.

"You can't attack on your Main Phase," Johnson reminded him.

"Ah, but that's where Hysteric Fairy's effect is beautiful. It doesn't say when it can be activated!" With those words, Max jumped forward and landed on Monster Zone Three. Because of the distance he had to jump and the size of his target, he lost his balance as he landed and almost fell off. Fortunately, Coltyn was able to grab him in time and help him back up.

"Hysteric Fairy, go! Show him your absolutely FABULOUSNESS!" Hysteric Fairy pushed her glasses up and lasers shot from the lenses and hit Johnson.

----------------------------

**Max:** 7000

**Johnson:** 0

----------------------------

As Max and Coltyn made their getaway, the former's Duel Disk began to beep. He looked at the Life Point screen and saw the words "New Record" flashing. He wasn't sure if the machine was complimenting him or insulting him. Regardless, he and Coltyn climbed the makeshift stairs made of blocks and made their escape.

"As I said, I have my own escape route," Johnson said to himself with a smirk as he pressed against the wall behind him and the tiles along the wall slid out into a path. He ran along it and crawled into the escape hole just in time to avoid the crushing rain of blocks from above.

"I have made it."

"So you were planning to cheat all along." The lawyer looked forward and saw that the teens were still in the cramped tunnel.

"So what if I was?" Johnson scoffed, "You can't lay a finger on me. I once convinced a jury that a hydrophobic man stole a boat."

"That's why we're not going to lay a finger on you," answered Coltyn before he whacked the lawyer on the head with Gansley's nine iron. The impact bent the club, but it knocked Johnson out cold. "What? You guys forgot I had it?"

"Actually, we kinda did," Mikey admitted. A short silence filled the air.

"Let's go," said Sammie before they continued on.

ooo

The hooded figure entered the office again and approached the man, whose crimson business suit could now be seen in the light.

"Johnson is done."

"I suspected as much. No matter. Those children won't last against the two strongest members of the Big Five."

"Of course."

The suited man laughed as he walked over to a mini-bar and poured himself some wine. As he stared out the window, he noticed something approaching the building. It moved past his vision and vanished from sight.

"So they've come by the roof, have they?" The man took a sip of wine, "Let them come."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Three Death-T challenges have been completed. Only two more remain. But they might just prove to be the most difficult of them all. Find out what happens next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	32. Death T4 Part 1

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-32**

**Death T4**

**Part 1**

"Things seem to be getting a little less chaotic now," Max noted as they continued to ascend the Kaiba Corp. building.

"Maybe we've just gotten so used to it that nothing really seems to stand out or surprise us anymore," suggested Mikey.

"Maybe. So Coltyn," the redhead turned to the group's human encyclopedia, "what did you say the next challenge was?"

"In the fourth round, Yugi faced off against Mokuba in a game of Capsule Monster Chess," answered Coltyn.

"What's Capsule Monsters?" asked Mikey, to whom Coltyn also replied.

"Capsule Monsters was a board game released by Mattel that was based extremely loosely on Duel Monsters. However, the game's popularity was short-lived really and the whole thing was discontinued shortly after the release of the starter set and one booster series."

"So in other words, we're about to play a game that we've never even heard of," Mikey summed up.

"If their plan is to completely fuck us over, then yes."

"But knowing them, they're going to try to integrate actual Duel Monsters into the game," Sammie pointed out.

"Well the only way to find out is to go and see it for ourselves," said Mikey.

After climbing the stairs for several more minutes, the group finally made it to the next area. What they saw was a large open arena overlooking a pit with a floor that looked like a giant seven-by-seven chess board. Catwalks from either side of the ring led to a glass box suspended over the center of the pit. Inside it was a table and two chairs.

"Glad to see you made it." All eyes turned to the other side of the arena, where they saw Bandit Keith approaching them wearing a black business suit. "My name is Nesbitt. I am the fourth member of the Big Five." He stepped inside the box and the door closed behind him. "Now who's going to face my challenge?" The teens all huddled together to discuss this.

"Mikey, can you duel yet?" asked Coltyn.

"No, not yet," was the answer, "Max just finished his, so he's out."

"Sammie should go since she hasn't gone yet," Max chimed up.

After a few more minutes, Sammie broke away from the group and walked across the catwalk and into the glass box. The door closed behind her and Nesbitt grinned.

"Excellent." He sat down on one of the chairs and invited her to do the same. "Now listen carefully. This is how the duel is going to work. We are going to be playing by the Perfect Rule. This was a form of gameplay that, according to legend, was used in England prior to the ascension of Henry VII to the throne. It was called the War of the Roses where the Lancastrians and the Yorkists did battle against one another."

"Cut the bullshit and play!" Sammie demanded impatiently as the others walked over to the stands and sat down.

"Very well, then. First we each pick a Deck Leader. Then the game works just like any ordinary duel. But as you can see, there are differences." Nesbitt pointed to the table, which had a seven-by-seven chess board built into it. "We'll be playing on a chessboard-like field. When you place a card onto the field, it must be placed anywhere within the area immediately surrounding your Deck Leader. Then once per turn, you can move your cards one square left, right, forward, or back. If you have a monster face-up on terrain that boosts its power, it can move two squares. While on the subject of movement, only cards in attack position can move. If a defense position monster needs to move, it must switch into attack mode. This includes facedowns. You can also feel free to move your Deck Leader one space each turn. But an attack on the Deck Leader counts as a Direct Attack."

"And what are the stakes?" asked Sammie, "You guys always have some life-threatening stakes."

"Sit down and I shall tell you." She did as he said and the moment she sat down, shackles bound her legs to the chair and a seatbelt buckled her in. "Don't struggle, girl. I'm bound to my chair as well. Now for the main part." Without warning, two ropes dropped down in front of them, each tied into a noose.

"I don't like where this is going," mumbled Mikey.

"We wear these during the duel," Nesbitt continued as he put his noose around his neck, "When your Life Points drop to zero, your chair will drop into the pit below and the rope… Well, that part is self-explanatory."

"What the hell?" Coltyn interjected in confused anger and surprise, "The original challenge had the experience of death as the punishment for defeat! Wasn't driving someone insane enough?"

"When it involves Seto and his ilk? Not by a long shot," replied Nesbitt, his steely eyes penetrating like a blade into Coltyn's chest. One couldn't tell if that was because he was in Keith's body or if it was because it was his true nature, but he felt a chill down his spine that made his skin bubble and his vocal cords stiffen, confining all his words into his mind. The duel was to begin.

ooo

In the Kaiba Corp. boardroom, a lone figure sitting at the table slammed his fists against the wooden surface. His pale skin glimmered in the luminescent glow of the monitor. His body trembled in anger, the baubles and ornaments that decorated his face jingling in a chaotic fairy symphony.

"Damn it, Nesbitt! We need the girl alive!" he bellowed, outraged at the foolish board member as he rubbed and nursed his pained knuckles.

ooo

"I'll do it." Sammie grabbed the noose and put it over her head. She felt death's cold fingers tickling her throat in a massage of dire nature. A death's head kissed upon her lips and she nodded. She was ready for combat as an image of her etching a skull onto her favorite guitar with a Phillip's head screwdriver.

"Excellent." Nesbitt grinned, "Oh and one more thing. Your Deck Leader can't attack or defend. Now let's pick our Deck Leaders.

"I choose Ruin, Queen of Oblivion," Sammie declared as she held her card up. The white haired queen of the end times stood, red robes flowing in the wind with carefree abandon. Her staff glimmered darkly in the light of the florescent sun in the concrete sky.

"And for mine, I choose Robotic Knight." Nesbitt placed his card onto the center square of the row closest to him and a holographic image of a robotic Naval General armed with a rapier in one hand and a Gatling gun in the other appeared on the field below them. Sammie placed her card on the same spot on her side of the board and Ruin appeared on the field opposite Robotic Knight.

"Let the Duel of the Roses begin!" declared Nesbitt.

-------------------------

**Sammie:** 8000

**Nesbitt:** 8000

-------------------------

"I'll go first so you know how it works." Nesbitt drew his first card and proceeded with his first turn, "I summon Mechanicalchaser in attack mode." He placed the card down and a spherical winged robot armed with multiple sharp weapons (ATK/1850 DEF/800) appeared in front of his Deck Leader, "Now I move Mechanicalchaser forward one square." Mechanicalchaser advanced forward and stopped just in front of where it once hovered. Afterwards, he ended his turn.

"My move." Sammie drew her card.

"You think you can handle this all by yourself?" taunted Nesbitt. Sammie ignored him and made her move.

"I summon Senju of the Thousand Hands in attack mode." She placed her card on the field right in front of her Deck Leader and brought out her thousand-armed creature (ATK/1400 DEF/1000) which she then used to move a Demise, King of Armageddon to her hand. "Now I move my Senju forward one square and end my turn."

"My turn." Nesbitt drew his card and cackled silently to himself.

_Little does she know that I've withheld valuable information from her_, he thought, _In this gameplay format, even spell and trap cards can be moved and set in defense mode._

"I advance Mechanicalchaser forward and set two cards." After Mechanicalchaser was moved ahead, Nesbitt set two facedown cards, one just to his Deck Leader's left and another to the right and forward from it. The latter card he then advanced forward. "That ends my turn."

Now it was back to Sammie. She drew and switched her Senju into defense mode. "I summon Sonic Bird in attack mode." She placed her Sonic Bird (ATK/1400 DEF/1000) onto the field in the forward left position from her Deck Leader, bringing Contract with the Abyss to her hand, and moved it forward one square.

"I play Contract with the Abyss," she announced as she played a spell from her hand, "Now by sacrificing monsters until their levels sum up to eight, I can summon Demise, King of Armageddon!" She tributed her Sonic Bird and Senju of the Thousand Hands and placed Demise, King of Armageddon (ATK/2400 DEF/2000) in front of her Deck Leader before moving it forward one square, placing it in the same spot where Senju had been. "That ends my turn."

Nesbitt drew his card. He quickly switched Mechanicalchaser into defense mode and his other two cards forward by one. After that, he ended his turn.

_When she attacks, I'll activate my facedown_, he thought. Sammie drew her card and looked at the field.

"I activate Demise's effect!" she announced, "By paying two thousand Life Points, all cards on the field except for Demise are destroyed!"

-------------------------

**Sammie:** 6000

**Nesbitt:** 8000

-------------------------

Demise, King of Armageddon swung his axe and split the ground wide, causing everything on the field to get swallowed up by the earth itself. However, the monarch of the Apocalypse maintained a safe positioned atop a solid piece of land.

"That wasn't supposed to happen!" Nesbitt roared.

"You were going to use that facedown and that other card near your Deck Leader was a just a decoy."

"That still doesn't explain…"

"Here's something I've learned in my experience," Sammie interrupted, "Never trust a facedown!" Demise stepped forward into the next square. After that, Sammie set two facedowns on either side of her Deck Leader prior to ending her turn.

_Fine then. There's still something else I never told her_, thought Nesbitt as he drew.

"I activate my Deck Leader's special ability," he announced.

"HEY! That's cheating!" Mikey yelled from the stands.

"There's a difference between cheating and not telling your opponent all the rules of the game," Nesbitt argued with a smug grin that made stomachs turn.

"But it sure as heck isn't fair!" he barked out in annoyance.

"Mikey, just let me handle this. I don't care if he didn't tell me the whole rule book, I am going to win," retorted Sammie, here eyes cold as an untouched stone at the bottom of a virgin riverbed. Nesbitt didn't know why but he felt a strike to his insides when she gazed at him like such. He tried to ignore her and this feeling, to no avail. It was like she was emanating an aura or an energy that pressed down on him with an ocean of pressure.

"I discard a Machine monster from my hand in order to inflict five hundred points of damage." He took the card Overdrive from his hand and placed it in his graveyard, which caused Robotic Knight to open fire on Ruin, Queen of Oblivion.

-------------------------

**Sammie:** 5500

**Nesbitt:** 8000

-------------------------

"Now I summon Reflect Bounder in attack mode." He summoned a robot with multiple circular mirrors on its body (ATK/1700 DEF/1000) in front of his Deck Leader and moved it forward one square, placing it directly in front of Demise, King of Armageddon. "Try to get past that."

"I plan to." Sammie drew her card, "Just not right now." She ended her turn and Nesbitt drew again. He smirked and placed a card facedown right behind Reflect Bounder. Before summoning a monster.

"I summon Gradius." He played his card and brought out a spaceship from Konami's video game, _Gradius_ (ATK/1200 DEF/800), "Then I equip it with Cylon Laser to boost its attack power by three hundred and grant it piercing." A pair of laser cannons appeared on top of Gradius. "And now I summon Gradius' Option." A smaller craft appeared accompanying Gradius (ATK/? DEF/?). "This card can only be Special Summoned and can only be done if I have a Gradius on the field. Then Gradius' Option takes the attack and defense power of the Gradius I select, so now it has the same power as Gradius." With two spaceships and a facedown between his Deck Leader and Reflect Bounder, he ended his turn.

Sammie drew her card and summoned another Sonic Bird in front of the facedown on her Deck Leader's right. She searched out an End of the World and shuffled her deck before resuming. Her Sonic Bird moved up by one and she ended her turn. When Nesbitt's turn came up, he moved Gradius and Gradius' Option forward and set a facedown in Gradius' place. Then he ended his turn and it was back to Sammie. She drew her card and Nesbitt immediately activated one of his facedowns on her Standby Phase.

"I activate Battle Mania!"

"Fuck!" Sammie swore knowing that she now had no choice but to attack the monster in front of her. Against his will, Demise, King of Armageddon raised his axe and brought it down on Reflect Bounder, who blasted rays of light from its mirrors before the impact hit.

-------------------------

**Sammie:** 3100

**Nesbitt:** 8000

-------------------------

After Reflect Bounder's effect had resolved, the axe slammed down and chopped the robot in half.

-------------------------

**Sammie:** 3100

**Nesbitt:** 7300

-------------------------

Having been left with no choice, Sammie watched as her creature stepped forward into the square that had been once occupied by Reflect Bounder. She grumbled and ended her turn. Nesbit grinned as he drew his card. He moved Gradius and Gradius' Option one square right and left respectively, moving them further away from Demise. He also moved his facedown forward and then set another card down in front of his Deck Leader in defense mode, putting it right in front of Demise. As soon as that was done, he ended his turn.

"I draw!" Sammie took the top card from her deck. "Demise, attack that facedown!"

"Sammie, wait!" Mikey yelled, "That's a bad idea!" He didn't know why he suddenly shouted those words, but a sudden bad feeling in his gut made him realize that attacking that card would only spell disaster. Unfortunately, he was too late. The axe destroyed the card and from it sprang a red ball with claws.

"Shit!" Sammie cursed, "A Blast Sphere!"

"Yes!" Nesbitt cackled as Blast Sphere latched onto Demise's face, "Now on your next Standby Phase, Blast Sphere will explode and destroy your monster, dealing damage equal to your creature's attack points. After with a few more blasts from my Deck Leader's ability, you'll be hanging by your neck in just a few turns."

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Sammie's been placed in a tight spot. With a heavy-hitting bomb attached to her strongest monster, death is mere minutes away. Can she save her Demise and escape her demise? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	33. Death T4 Part 2

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-33**

**Death T4**

**Part 2**

-------------------------

**Sammie:** 3100

**Nesbitt:** 7300

-------------------------

"What will you do?" questioned Nesbitt, "On your next Standby Phase, Blast Sphere is going to explode and deal twenty-four hundred points of damage to you. Something you can't afford right now."

"This is what I'm going to do!" Sammie played a card, "I play End of the World and I'll tribute Demise, King of Armageddon." Demise, King of Armageddon vanished from the field and Blast Sphere fell to the ground and exploded harmlessly. "And I'll summon Ruin, Queen of Oblivion in attack mode." Sammie placed the new card on the field and summoned Ruin, Queen of Oblivion (ATK/2300 DEF/2000). Once she was out, she moved her forward by one space.

"That ends my turn."

"Disappointing. And here I thought we could end this quickly." Nesbitt drew his card and advanced his Gradius and Gradius' Option by one. But then he did something unexpected. "I move my Deck Leader forward one square." Robotic Knight advanced and stopped just one square ahead of its original position. "Next I use Final Artillery." He discarded Perfect Machine King and his Deck Leader shot Sammie.

-------------------------

**Sammie:** 2600

**Nesbitt:** 7300

-------------------------

"Now I play Monster Reborn and bring back Perfect Machine King in attack mode!" Without warning, a giant white and red robot rose up in front of Robotic Knight (ATK/2700 DEF/1500). "Perfect Machine King gets five hundred additional attack points for any other Machine monsters I have on the field. And since I have Gradius and Gradius' Option, that's one thousand attack points. I also move my facedown forward and set another facedown and then end my turn."

Sammie kept an eye on Perfect Machine King as she drew. She had to be careful of it. The first thing she needed to do was destroy those Gradius monsters. She had an idea, but it would require the two cards to be closer together. In the meantime, she summoned Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands (ATK/1400 DEF/1000) and brought another Demise, King of Armageddon to her hand. After that, she moved Ruin, Queen of Oblivion over to the right and ended her turn. Nesbitt then grinned as he drew.

"I move my facedown to the left, placing it in the center of the field, and activate it. It's the field card Wasteland!" On the board below, a circular area in the middle of the field suddenly withered away into a barren wasteland. It covered everything in a six-by-six area, except it was shaped more like a diamond. "Wasteland gives my Machines a movement boost. Perfect Machine King, attack Ruin, Queen of Oblivion!" Perfect Machine King fired up its jets and charged forward ready to strike.

"I activate Enemy Controller!" Sammie revealed one of her facedown, summoning forth a video game controller that forced its plug into the Perfect Machine King's chest. "Down, up, left, right, A!" Sammie commanded as the controller emulated each motion with precision. Perfect Machine King's jets grew cold and it dropped to a knee, switching into defense mode.

"You're lucky," grumbled Nesbitt as he ended his turn after setting a facedown behind his Deck Leader.

Sammie drew her next card and looked at the field. Somehow, the Wasteland gave Nesbitt's machines a movement boost, which was going to be incredibly problematic. If he could get two more machines onto the field, his Perfect Machine King would be unstoppable. However, she had a card that would change that and it was in her hand.

"I play Contract with the Abyss!" she announced, "Now I sacrifice Ritual Raven from my hand to Ritual Summon Demise, King of Armageddon!"

"God says, 'NO!'" Nesbitt shouted as he revealed his facedown, "Solemn Judgment will take care of that when I pay have my Life Points! A little heavy of a price, but at this point it doesn't matter since I'm winning!"

-------------------------

**Sammie:** 2600

**Nesbitt:** 3650

-------------------------

There was a loud roar as Demise, who had just begun to rise from the ground, was suddenly pulled back into the abyss from whence he came, his hand reaching futilely up to the heavens as each digit slowly vanished into nothingness. Sammie cursed loudly and switched all of her monsters into defense mode before setting a facedown monster right in front of her Deck Leader to keep Perfect Machine King from reaching her Life Points. After that, she ended her turn.

"My move." Nesbitt drew his card and smirked. "I advance my Gradius and Gradius' Option forward two squares!" The two spaceships rocketed forward and stopped on the same row as Perfect Machine King. "Perfect Machine King, destroy that middle monster! Arms of the Nuclear King!" Numerous missile ports opened up on Perfect Machine King's body as it unleashed a massive rain of explosive projectiles, which utterly obliterated Sammie's facedown Senju of the Thousand Hands. After that, he ended his turn. Sammie drew her card and examined it. It was something she could definitely use, but now was not the time. She shifted her Deck Leader to the right and moved her facedown along with it before ending her turn.

Nesbitt's turn came up and he started by moving his Deck Leader forward by one square again. After that, he set a card and ordered Perfect Machine King to destroy Sammie's Sonic Bird. The massive robot fired another barrage of missiles and annihilated the avian creature.

"I'm done."

Sammie drew again and moved her Deck Leader over yet again. Another monster would only get destroyed if she set it. But then she realized something. Nesbitt could have gone through her facedown, but he didn't. He had destroyed her monster instead. She realized then that even though the field was different, the basic rules about monsters versus spells and traps were exactly the same. She quickly took an End of the World from her hand and set it facedown in front of her Deck Leader in a defensive position.

"This is where it ends," Nesbitt laughed as he drew, "First I move Gradius in to destroy your Manju of the Ten Thousands Hands." Gradius flew toward Manju and fired a blast from its Cyclon Laser. The green creature was destroyed and the piercing power of Gradius' weapon inflicted the difference to Sammie's Life Points.

-------------------------

**Sammie:** 2100

**Nesbitt:** 3650

-------------------------

"Now I activate my facedown," Nesbitt announced, "Alchemy Cycle." Immediately, all of his machines dropped to zero attack points. But then he played another card from his hand. "And now I play Machine Duplication on Perfect Machine King to summon two more!" Two more Perfect Machine Kings appeared in front of Robotic Knight and in front and to the right of the Deck Leader and unlike their brother, these two were fully-powered. With a total of five machines on the field, the two new Perfect Machine Kings were powered up to forty-seven hundred attack points.

"Now I play Upstart Goblin. I draw one card at the cost of giving you a thousand Life Points." Nesbitt drew his card and one thousand of Sammie's Life Points were restored.

-------------------------

**Sammie:** 3100

**Nesbitt:** 3650

-------------------------

"Excellent. I play Stop Defense on Ruin, Queen of Oblivion." Ruin suddenly stood up and wielded her staff at the mechanical behemoths before her. "Perfect Machine King, destroy her! Arms of the Nuclear King!" The Perfect Machine King closest to Ruin, Queen of Oblivion unleashed a barrage of nuclear missiles so large it could shame the world's strongest military power. The queen of the Apocalypse looked up and watched as the weapons of mass destruction fell down upon her and obliterated her from existence.

-------------------------

**Sammie:** 700

**Nesbitt:** 3650

-------------------------

"Perfect Machine King, advance!" ordered Nesbitt. After the second one had destroyed Ruin, Queen of Oblivion, the third Perfect Machine King moved forward and positioned itself in between the first one and Gradius. "And now I discard card as ammo for Final Artillery." He discarded a Spell Canceller and Robotic Knight shot Sammie's Deck Leader for an additional five hundred points of damage.

-------------------------

**Sammie:** 200

**Nesbitt:** 3650

-------------------------

"On my next turn, I'll attack with all my monsters and win the duel," Nesbitt declared.

"Oh, I don't think so." Sammie drew her card and then played the one she had been saving, "I activate Flash of the Forbidden Spell!" The field darkened as holographic clouds appeared overhead and a great torrent of lightning rained down on the field.

"What are you doing?" demanded Nesbitt.

"What's it look like?" Sammie replied, "I'm winning." The bolts of electricity ripped the ground apart and struck the hulking machines with such power that the electrical surges they experienced overloaded their system destroyed them.

"My machines! My beautiful machines!"

"Now let's really play! I move one facedown to the side and move my Deck Leader to its place." Sammie moved her card to the right and her Deck Leader forward. "Now I set a Normal spell card facedown and move it forward." She placed another facedown to the left and in front of her Deck Leader before moving it forward. "Now I activate it: Monster Reborn! And I'm bringing back Demise, King of Armageddon!" Sammie flipped the card face-up and brought back the Demise that had been properly summoned before back onto the field. After that, she moved him one square to the left, positioning him right in front of Robotic Knight.

"Direct attack!" Demise swung his axe and chopped down on the mechanical man.

-------------------------

**Sammie:** 200

**Nesbitt:** 1250

-------------------------

"It won't matter. All I need is one Machine monster and your Life Points are done for," Nesbitt growled.

"That's why I have facedowns," Sammie replied. Her opponent growled again and drew.

"Sammie really doesn't have any cards in her deck that can do that sort of thing, does she?" Max asked.

"She doesn't," answered Mikey, "But he doesn't know that."

Nesbitt grinned as he brought his card up to see. His face paled. It was Machine Conversion Factory. He checked his hand. The card he already had was 7 Completed.

"Judging from that look on your face, it's my turn." Sammie smiled confidently as she drew. "Demise, end this now." Demise, King of Armageddon slammed his axe down on top of Robotic Knight and obliterated the remainder of Nesbitt's Life Points.

-------------------------

**Sammie:** 200

**Nesbitt:** 0

-------------------------

"NOOOOO!" Nesbitt screamed in frustration at his loss, but then his tone suddenly changed when he heard the sound of locks being removed. Without warning, the floor under his chair gave out and he fell toward the holographic field below.

"The noose!" exclaimed Coltyn. Everyone expected to hear a crack as the rope snapped the neck. But no crack could be heard. Or a snap. Just a thud followed by a loud howl of pain.

"What the heck?" Mikey stood up and looked and sweatdropped at what he saw. Nesbitt was lying down, still strapped to his chair, with his face planted against the floor, but there was no rope around his neck.

"Bad knot?" asked Max.

"Bad knot," confirmed Mikey.

"He was lucky, though," Coltyn added. The door on the other side slid open and the glass box unlocked. Sammie got up from her seat the moment she was free and hurried everyone over. The group proceeded through the door into the next area.

ooo

"Looks like it's going to be me to finish them off." The last member of the Big Five stood up from his chair in the boardroom and walked over to a table on the side. He strapped a Duel Disk onto his arm and slotted a pre-shuffled deck into the deck slot.

"Mr. Lector, what makes you think you can defeat them?" the hooded figure asked as he stepped into the room, his voice rumbling in a low hiss that carved at Lector's soul.

"Because, I just want to live again." And with those words, Lector walked off his eyes steely and determined, holding a fire within.

The cloaked man bit his putrid lip, a flake of pale skin floating lightly to the ground like a cherry blossom plucked before its time. He looked at the floor as he grasped onto his chest and sighed the best way his wicked lungs could, though it sounded like a lion growl. "Don't we all…" he whispered a phantom whisper and looked up with his deathly face almost visible behind the ghoulish cloak.

"Leave him," the crimson-suited man said, as he appeared behind the shadowy figure, "Let him find out for himself."

"You are not concerned for him?"

"Why should I? He's just like any other employee. Completely expendable."

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The final match of Death-T has arrived! The assault almost over, the team must now prepare to face the final boss. Find out how this all works out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	34. Death T5 Part 1

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-34**

**Death T5**

**Part 1**

When the whole thing started, no one thought they would actually get so far. In Death T1, Mikey suffered from severe electrical shocks from the vest he wore as part of the challenge against Gansley, who occupied Alister's body. The conditions of the duel were to simulate the laser tag match of death which Yugi and his friends had to endure when they were put through the challenge. Surprisingly, Mikey endured and he succeeded in defeating his opponent. However, the duel had left him in a weakened state and so he spent most of the remainder of their time at Kaiba Corp. headquarters being dragged around.

In Death T2, the group of teens had to endure the horrors of a malfunctioned rollercoaster, which was followed by a duel against Crump who occupied Axel Brodie's body. Coltyn had risen to the challenge and faced him in a small room filled with oil. It was in that very room that Joey Wheeler had a fight to the death with a serial murderer known as the Chopman and won by turning his strength against him, which resulted in the death of that monstrosity of a man via immolation. The duel had been made to simulate that scenario. As each duelist lost Life Points, a torch would lower bringing it closer to the oil. In the end, it was Coltyn's burn strategy that saved him and his resourcefulness that saved Axel Brodie.

In Death T3, everybody was trapped inside a plain white room where Max dueled Johnson who was occupying Arkana's body. In Yugi's challenge, he and his friends had to make their way to the exit while avoiding falling blocks. The duel worked in a similar fashion, but had been modified to work with the cards. Each time a card was removed from the field and sent to the graveyard, a block would drop in its place. For some reason, this also applied to tokens. With this in mind, both players were required to form a path with the blocks for everyone in their respective parties. This turned out to be a lot harder than it seemed since Max needed to make a path for four people in total whereas Johnson only had himself to worry about. In the end, however, the flamboyant redhead succeeded and he and his friends escaped. Johnson, however, had already planned an escape route even if he lost and got out as well only to be knocked unconscious by Coltyn.

Their most recent challenge was Death T4, where Sammie faced off against Nesbitt in Bandit Keith's body. In the original Death T4, Yugi faced Mokuba Kaiba in a game of Capsule Monster Chess. Since the game itself had been discontinued years ago, the two of them played a game of Duel Monsters using what the Big Five member referred to as the Perfect Rule. It was played just like Duel Monsters, but it was done on a seven-by-seven grid where the cards were moved around like board game pieces with a single card serving as a Deck Leader, which would cause the duelist to receive Direct Damage if it was attacked. Sammie and Nesbitt played while shackled to their chairs with nooses around their necks. The conditions of the duel were that whoever lost would be hung. In the end, Sammie won and Nesbitt was sent to his doom. Or so it would have been had the knot on his noose not come undone.

Despite all the challenges of Death T being death matches, however, not a single person had actually died as of yet. As the team made their way to what one would assume to be the area for the Death T5 challenge, this point was brought up but was quickly dismissed as the Big Five trying to weasel their way out of every punishment. Partway toward the final challenge, the teens decided to stop for a break. After convincing themselves that they were safe for the time being, the lot of them stopped and sat down on the floor with their backs against the walls. Mikey and Sammie sat together on one side of the hallway while Max and Coltyn sat on the other.

"I'm glad to see you actually understand the importance of a good rest," Coltyn said to Sammie as he took a small water bottle from the inside of his jacket.

"I know that we have to rescue my parents, but I also know we can't do that if we're tired," the blonde replied.

"You know what?" asked Max, "We haven't had a chance to sit down together like this in a while! I think we should take this opportunity to…" He never finished his suggestion. Beams of light began shining from the end of the corridor followed by the sound of heavy footsteps running toward them.

"_They're this way!"_

"Security guards." Coltyn put his water away and stood up, "Sammie, you go on ahead. Everyone else, go with Sammie."

"I'll stay with you, Coltyn," Max volunteered, "You'll need someone playful and distracting."

"Doesn't sound like these guys are coming to duel," the black-haired teen replied.

"And your point? Having a distraction makes it all SO much easier!"

"I don't think we have time to argue," Mikey pointed out as he and Sammie stood up, "Just go with it!"

"Keep them busy," said Sammie before she grabbed Mikey by the wrist and pulled him ahead.

"Do you have a plan?" asked Max.

"Not really, which is scary because I usually do," was Coltyn's answer. He pulled off the artificial skin from his left arm and clenched his mechanical fist. When the security guards arrived, the teen's guess was confirmed to be correct. Not a single guard had a Duel Disk. Fortunately for the boys, none of them had guns either. Their only weapons were police batons, or tonfas for a more appropriate name. "Well Max, you said you wanted to stay behind. So start acting playful and distracting."

ooo

Sammie and Mikey continued running down the hallway, unsure of how long Max and Coltyn could hold off the security detail.

"You know," Mikey said quizzically as he continued his sprint, "seeing those guards just now just made me think of something. What was with those guards downstairs? Why did they duel us instead of using tazers, pepper spray, guns; or us and why did they seize up whenever they lost? It doesn't make sense."

"Who cares?" Sammie replied coldly and to the point, her eyes trained forward toward the almost endless expanse of hallway. She really didn't care as she ran with singular thoughts of her parentage running through their head.

"But…"

"I SAID I DON'T CARE MIKEY! They seized up downstairs? Fine! They came back and are attacking Coltyn and Max? Fine! They can handle themselves. I just want my mom and dad back!" She cried, her face flushed red and teary yet masked with anger at the same time. Mikey fell silent. He knew she cared about Coltyn, but he couldn't blame her for the outburst. Not now.

Soon they emerged into another arena. There was nothing particularly special about this one, though. It was a mere box that seemed the cage them in and entrap them. Suddenly, the door closed behind them and a man stepped out from the other side.

"Glad y'all could make it," he greeted. It was the same bald man as on the helicopter, but his piercings and make-up had been removed and his clothes had been swapped for a purple business suit. "I am the last member of the Big Five. My name is Lector. I was the personal assistant of Mr. Kaiba."

"So then you must be the leader," Sammie presumed.

"No, Gansley was our leader, I was simply the strongest. Truthfully, I was also the smartest, I just let them make Gansley in the leader since I was closest to Master Kaiba himself. Regardless, you are now here in Death T-5, where Yugi Mutou and Seto Kaiba had the legendary duel that we all know of. It didn't happen in an arena, it happened in this room with the experience of death as the punishment. So now let's get this duel underway."

"Fine then!" Sammie activated her Duel Disk, but her opponent held up a hand in a stop gesture.

"Not yet. You see, we're going to duel using the Deck Master rule." Lector began to explain the Deck Master rules. "It's simple. We each pick one monster from our decks to be our Deck Master. Then that Deck Master stays in a special place called the Deck Master Zone. The Deck Master is not technically on the field, but it will stay face-up during the duel. You are free to Special Summon your Deck Master to the field at any time. But if your Deck Master is destroyed, you automatically lose the duel. If your Deck Master is tributed or used in a Fusion Summon, the new monster that is brought out becomes your new Deck Master. And also, your Deck Master will have a special Deck Master ability that you may use at any time in the duel. Is that understood?"

"Yeah, it is," Sammie answered, "Mikey, what are you doing?" Mikey, who had been standing with his back against the wall, had his hands out in front of him with his fingers sticking up.

"Counting how many times he said 'Deck Master' in that one paragraph," was his answer. Sammie ignored him and searched her deck.

"Fine then. My Deck Master will be Demise, King of Armageddon!" She brought out her card and the massive form of her axe-wielding demon appeared behind her (ATK/2400 DEF/2000).

"And this'll be mine!" Lector grinned as a mechanical monster in a green robe and a mask with several veins protruding from its head. "My Deck Master is…Jinzo!" The world's most famous trap-negating creature (ATK/2400 DEF/1500) let out its trademarked monster cry and crossed its arms in front of its chest. "And his Deck Master ability negates only your traps!"

"Oh, that's bullshit!" yelled Sammie. She balled up her fist in protest and prepared to lash out in rage when her Deck Master spoke.

"Samantha," Demise said in a deep threatening voice, "Since I am your Deck Master, you can activate my trigger effect whenever you wish." This seemed to calm her down enough for her to stay put and draw her starting hand. Both Lector and Mikey looked at the apocalyptic giant with surprise. What was this? A glitch in the program? No matter, the game had begun.

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 8000

**Lector:** 8000

--------------------------

"I'm going first!" Lector drew his first card, "I set one card and summon Injection Fairy Lily in attack mode!" Two facedowns appeared at his feet and in front of them appeared a small pink-haired fairy wearing a nurse's uniform and riding on a syringe about twice the size of her body (ATK/400 DEF/1500). "That ends my turn."

_Injection Fairy Lily, eh?_ thought Sammie, _Tricky to get past, but easy enough for me to get through."_ She drew her card and immediately turned to her Deck Master.

"I activate Demise's effect. By paying two thousand Life Points, I can destroy every single card on the field."

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 6000

**Lector:** 8000

--------------------------

From his position behind his master, Demise, King of Armageddon brought up his arms and threw his axe across the field. It slammed into the ground and the resulting explosion destroyed Injection Fairy Lily and Lector's facedown. "I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands in attack mode." Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands appeared on the field and Sammie used its effect to bring End of the World to her hand. "Manju, attack him directly with Ten Thousand Punches!" Manju of the Ten Thousand hands shifted over to Lector and began smacking him with each fist once.

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 6000

**Lector:** 6600

--------------------------

After Manju had attacked, Sammie ended her turn.

"My turn!" Lector drew his card and set a monster facedown and two others before ending his turn.

Sammie drew next and saw that she had four trap cards in her hand, which were useless because of Lector's Deck Master. However, she had one card that could change that. "I play Magical Mallet." She took her four trap cards and slotted them into her deck before her Duel Disk automatically shuffled her cards. Once it was done, she drew four new cards and was satisfied.

"I play Heavy Storm!" she announced.

"I beg to differ, girl!" Lector revealed one of his facedowns, "I activate my Dark Bribe!" Sammie growled as her spell card was negated, but it was made up for with the card she drew. "I play End of the World and discard Ruin, Queen of Oblivion to summon another Ruin, Queen of Oblivion in attack mode!" Beside Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands, her all-so familiar Queen of Oblivion appeared (ATK/2300 DEF/2000). "Now I summon a second Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and use him to bring Demise, King of Armageddon to my hand. With that, I play Contract with the Abyss and discard Ritual Raven to summon Demise!" Another copy of her Deck Master appeared in front of her and gazed down at Lector.

"This ends now!" declared Sammie, "Ruin, attack that facedown card!" Ruin thrust her staff at Lector's monster and fired a magical burst of power. But when the attack struck the card, it was revealed to be The Unhappy Maiden. This annoyed Sammie a little since its effect ended her Battle Phase right then and there, but she decided to just go along with it for now. She had four monsters on the field right now, two of which were her strongest cards. "I end my turn."

"And on your End Phase, I activate my facedown, Solemn Wishes. And now it's my draw." Lector drew his card and Solemn Wishes kicked in to boost his Life Points.

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 6000

**Lector:** 7100

--------------------------

"I can see you rely on Ritual Summoning," Lector thought out loud.

"Yeah. So what?" Sammie asked in return.

"So I wonder what you'll do if you can't use your Ritual spells," answered Lector, "I play Monster Reborn to bring back my Injection Fairy Lily! And now I'll sacrifice her so I can summon Spell Canceller in attack mode!" The syringe-wielding fairy vanished and in her place there appeared a machine with spider legs and a cannon that resembled a satellite disk (ATK/1800 DEF/1600). "My Spell Canceller does exactly what its name suggests. It negates ALL spell cards!" Sammie swore loudly in response.

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn. Attack me if you dare!"

"Is that a challenge?" Sammie demanded as she drew her card.

"If you're too afraid," Lector began tauntingly.

"Oh it's on, bitch!" she roared.

"Sammie, wait!" yelled Mikey, "He's baiting you!" But it was too late.

"Ruin, attack Spell Canceller!" Ruin, Queen of Oblivion thrust her staff out and fired a spell toward Spell Canceller.

"Reveal trap card, Mirror Force!" A reflective barrier appeared in front of Spell Canceller and absorbed the blast. It shone brightly before expelling the energy back at Sammie's entire frontline, wiping out every single monster she had on the field.

"Sammie!" Mikey called out.

"You are mine, girl!" Lector cackled. Sammie looked at her hand. She had absolutely no monsters in it. She growled and ended her turn.

"My turn now." Lector drew his card with a satisfied grin on his face as his Solemn Wishes raised his Life Points again.

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 6000

**Lector:** 7600

--------------------------

"Spell Canceller, attack!" Spell Canceller's cannon began to shine and it fired a laser straight at Sammie.

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 4200

**Lector:** 7600

--------------------------

"I'll set one card facedown. That ends my turn."

"And here goes mine." Sammie drew her card. She carefully debated about her options. Even though she had Demise, King of Armageddon as her Deck Master, she wanted to be careful about using his effect.

"I activate Blast with Chain!" Lector declared as he flipped his facedown up, bringing out a bundle of dynamite attached to a long chain, "This trap card is treated like an equip card and I equip it to Spell Canceller, boosting its power by five hundred attack points. And should Blast with Chain be destroyed by another card's effect while it's an equip card, I can select one card on the field and destroy it!" The end of the chain latched onto the side of Spell Canceller and the dynamite bundle was reeled in.

"What will you do, girl?" asked Lector, "What will you do?"

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The final match of Death-T draws to a close. Who shall reign as victor? Will it be Sammie or Lector? Find out how Death-T ends next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	35. Death T5 Part 2

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-35**

**Death T5**

**Part 2**

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 4200

**Lector:** 7100

--------------------------

Sammie's Life Points were sitting at nearly half while her opponent's had barely been touched. And now she was facing his Spell Canceller (ATK/1800 DEF/1600), a Machine monster with the power to negate spell cards, and her opponent's Deck Master Jinzo, a creature that could negate trap cards.

"What will you do, girl?" asked Lector, "What will you do?"

"What will I do? _What will I do?_ I'll show you what I'll fucking do!" Sammie's mind was made up now and she wasn't going to stop. "I activate my Deck Master's special ability to wipe out every fucking thing on the field!"

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 2200

**Lector:** 7600

--------------------------

Demise, King of Armageddon threw his axe out again and destroyed every card on the field. "Now I summon Senju of the Thousand Hands in attack mode and bring Demise, King of Armageddon to my hand!" Sammie summoned Senju (ATK/1400 DEF/1000) to the field and after she found the card she wanted, she ordered her monster to attack Lector directly.

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 2200

**Lector:** 6200

--------------------------

"I end my turn."

"So you got free of Spell Canceller's effect. But sacrificing those Life Points just cost you the duel." Lector drew and set a monster facedown before ending his turn. Sammie then drew and ordered her Senju to attack. The monster turned out to be Shining Angel.

"Bring out your monster!" Sammie called out.

"Gladly," replied Lector as he pulled a card out from his deck, "With Shining Angel's effect, I Special Summon Satellite Cannon!" Somewhere high above their heads, a satellite laser cannon appeared (ATK/0 DEF/0). Since the arena was such a large room, the Duel Disks' built in holographic projectors were able display the Satellite Cannon by reducing the size of all the monsters on the field like a camera zooming out.

"I've never seen that card before," Mikey said.

"It's simple," Lector explained with a grin that crept along the corners of his mouth, "Satellite Cannon can't be destroyed by any monsters level seven or lower. During the End Phase of my turn, it gains a thousand attack points. And then after it attacks, its power goes back down to zero and the charge cycle starts all over again.

"But that shouldn't be a problem, should it?" asked the brunet, "Demise and Ruin are both level eight monsters."

"That's assuming your friend can get one out before my Satellite Cannon's attack points exceed two thousand."

"I still have Demise's effect." Sammie interjected, glaring at Lector unwavering drive to win.

"At twenty-two hundred Life Points remaining, do you really think it is worth the risk?" Lector grinned lightly; turning Mikey's stomach as he saw the sickly face of the mime that Lector inhabited smiling in such a slimy fashion. Sammie's eyes wandered to the ground, but snapped back to her opponent. "You won't win this battle. I have too much riding on this to let you."

With no other monsters on the field to attack with, there was no possible way for Sammie to deal any damage to Lector's Life Points. She sighed and ended her turn.

"Today just isn't your day, girl." Lector drew his card. "And it looks like it's only going to get worse. I play Wave-Motion Cannon." A large green steam-powered cannon materialized somewhere under Satellite Cannon; it was a little hard to tell with the size of the holograms to accommodate the floating machine. "When I send this card to the graveyard, you'll take a thousand points of damage for every Standby Phase my continuous spell card has been active." Sammie said nothing as she waited for her opponent to finish up. When he realized he wasn't going to get any sort of reaction from her, Lector concluded his turn. At that moment, his Satellite Cannon powered up by a thousand attack points.

Sammie drew when her turn came up and immediately used the card she had just received, "You forget, Lector, that you aren't the only one with something riding on this, though I really don't give two shits what you have riding on this. I destroy your Wave-Motion Cannon with Mystical Space Typhoon!" A powerful blast of wind hit the steam-powered cannon and blew it away. "Senju, attack that Satellite Cannon!" The Duel Disk holographic projectors zoomed in on Senju of the Thousand Hands as he launched a thousand spirits from his hands which flew up to Satellite Cannon and hit it with some minor damage, but nowhere near enough to destroy it.

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 2200

**Lector:** 5800

--------------------------

"I end my turn."

"Excellent. I'll begin mine." Lector drew his card. "You're a lucky girl this turn. I play Upstart Goblin to draw one card but give you one thousand Life Points." Some coins fell from above and showered Sammie, boosting her Life Points.

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 3200

**Lector:** 5800

--------------------------

Lector drew his card and examined it. He decided to save it for later and ended his turn. Right then and there, his Satellite Cannon went up to two thousand attack points.

Sammie drew again and knew right away she couldn't beat the orbital weapon. She couldn't stop him through physical means or mental means, not now. That was when she placed her hand in her pocket and produced a set of headphones.

Lector raised an eyebrow to her and asked, "What are you doing?" curiously. She didn't answer as she placed each earpiece over her left and right ear, hooking around comfortably. Mikey didn't know what she was doing either as she inserted the cable into a jack on her Duel Disk. There never was one there before; there never was supposed to be one, until she made it. It was then that he noticed Sammie slide her iPod into a small access port on the disk and close her eyes.

"What are you doing!" Lector commanded now, losing patience with her.

"I can't beat the Sattelite Cannon." Her eyes remain closed as she spoke and began to search through her catalogue, knowing where each song was by heart now.

"Then are you giving up?"

"No."

"Then what the hell are you doing girl!"

"How about, instead of telling you, I sing." The music began and her head began to bob to the music roughly.

"_Tell me exactly_

_what am I supposed to do?_

_Now that I have_

_allowed you to beat me!"_

Sammie's eyes snapped open as the song began, singing with words that sounded like velvet with the bitter edge of steel, her eyes piercing into his heart. His hand clutched at his chest though he didn't know why. What was with this girl? Why was he feeling terrified all of a sudden? Why was he feeling like an ocean of pressure was pounding down on him and she was the source?

"_Do you think that_

_we could play another game?_

_Maybe I can win this time?"_

She switched Senju into defends mode and ended her turn, the staunch and stoic fairy with the one thousand hands masking his identity behind a forest of hands that seemed frail when up against the might of the man made gods.

_I kind of like_

_the misery you put me through._

_Darling, you can trust me_

_completely._

_If you even try_

_to look the other way,_

_I think that I could kill this time."_

It was then that Lector's already pale complexion in the body of the gothic mime turned from white to a transparent color. Why was he terrified of this girl? She was sincere.

When Lector drew, he simply passed his turn and his Satellite Cannon charged up to three-thousand attack points. Then it was back to Sammie again. She drew her card and set it facedown on the field in defense position. Lector drew on his next turn and passed again, boosting his Satellite Cannon to four thousand attack points.

When Sammie's next turn came up, she received a card that would help her immensely. At first, she felt that she should wait to use it, but when she considered her Life Point count she decided it was best to use it now and lower Satellite Cannon's attack strength. "I activate Brain Control! By paying eight hundred Life Points, I can take control of one of your face-up monsters."

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 2400

**Lector:** 5800

--------------------------

As Sammie's Life Points were lowered, a brain appeared in front of her and two hands reached out and grabbed Satellite Cannon. The large weapon was moved to the other side of the field and she smirked as she now aimed the cannon at her opponent. "Satellite Cannon, attack!" Satellite Cannon opened fire and unleashed all its power in the form of one giant laser beam, which came crashing down on top of Lector.

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 2400

**Lector:** 1800

--------------------------

Having spent all its energy in that one attack, Satellite Cannon's attack power diminished back down to zero. Sammie concluded her turn then and there and the machine she had stolen returned to its owner.

"So you attacked me with my own Satellite Cannon and reduced its attack points back to zero," said Lector as he drew, "Well it ain't gonna last long!" He placed his new card into his hand and took out the one he had obtained with Upstart Goblin. "I activate my Machine Duplication! This lets me Special Summon up to two more Machine monsters as the one on the field I've selected as long it as five hundred or less attack points. And guess what I've got." He cackled loudly as two more Satellite Cannons appeared over the field, much to the horror of everyone present.

"I end my turn." Lector grinned as his three Satellite Cannons powered up to one thousand attack points each.

"_It doesn't really seem_

_I'm getting through to you._

_Though I see you weeping so sweetly._

_I think that you might_

_have to take another taste,_

_a little bit of hell this time"_

The song had begun again and the words seemed to pierce into the moment more and more as she got further in. What was this song that she was singing? Mikey trembled at it, feeling a burning coming from his deck though he didn't really pay mind to it, having it overwhelmed by the ocean of power that emanated from Sammie.

"_Is she not right?_

_Is she insane?_

_Will she now run for her life_

_in the battle that ends this day?_

_Is she not right?!_

_Is she insane?!_

_Will she now run for her life_

_now that she LIED TO ME!"_

Sweat beaded down Lector's brow as Jinzo quaked in fear with the headsman. She drew her card and scowled. It wasn't one she needed, but it would have to do for the time being. She summoned a second Senju of the Thousand Hands and Flip Summoned her facedown, which was another Senju of the Thousand Hands. However, she did not use any of their effects. With all three sitting at fourteen-hundred attack points and Lector's Satellite Cannons at one thousand each, she thought she could at least try to do some damage. One-by-one, each Senju attacked. The first attacked the Satellite Cannon on the far right.

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 2400

**Lector:** 1400

--------------------------

The second attacked the one on the middle.

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 2400

**Lector:** 1000

--------------------------

The last one attacked the Satellite Cannon on the far left.

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 2400

**Lector:** 600

--------------------------

_This is getting too close!_ Lector thought to himself, _I can't let her get through._

"I end my turn," she announced.

"And I draw." Lector drew his card and smiled.

_Perfect!_ he exclaimed mentally, _Shooting Star Bow – Ceal will let me attack her Life Points directly. And if I combine it with my Limiter Removal, I can win in one shot! All I need now is to wait until my Satellite Cannons have charged up enough power. But just to be safe…_

"I set one facedown and end my turn!" announced Lector, causing his Satellite Cannons to go up to two thousand attack points.

"My move." Sammie drew her card and finally smiled. "This is where it ends, you bastard. I play Contract with the Abyss. Now I'll sacrifice two of my Senjus to summon Demise, King of Armageddon!" Two of the Senju of the Thousand Hands cards were removed from the field and in their place arose Demise, King of Armageddon.

"I had a feeling you would do something like that," said Lector, "That's why I'm activating my facedown Bottomless Trap Hole! If you summon any monsters with fifteen hundred or more attack points, this card will destroy them and remove them from play!" A hole opened up beneath Demise, King of Armageddon and he cried out as he was pulled down into an empty never-ending void while the lost souls of the forgotten watched and cackled.

"Damn it," Sammie growled. Knowing there was now nothing she could, do she set her remaining monster into defense mode and set another monster facedown, as well. After that, she ended her turn.

After Sammie was done, Lector's turn came up and he drew. _Just one more turn_, he thought. He grinned and set a facedown card. He knew this would protect him for one more turn in order for him to power up his Satellite Cannons. He looked her in the eyes with confidence, but immediately turned away as he felt that same sickening and dark pressure again. Then, the words that tore into his soul cried out again in a beautiful death song that he could not help but to listen to.

"_You always wanted_

_people to remember you._

_You leave your little mark on_

_society!_

_Don't you know your wish_

_is coming true today?_

_Another victim dies tonight."_

Was that why he was there? To be remembered as more as Kaiba's damned servant, the reluctant assistant of a toddler? He refused that destiny. Not for him. Not this time. He shook his head and reinforced his Life Points with Dian Keto the Cure Master, gritting his teeth as he attempted to resist her penetrating gaze.

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 2400

**Lector:** 1600

--------------------------

"That ends my turn," Lector announced. At that moment, his Satellite Cannons charged up to three thousand attack points.

Sammie drew her card and looked at her hand. Her eyes never left her cards as she scanned them. Finally, she turned her gaze up and looked straight at Lector. "I'm through fucking around. I activate my Deck Master's special ability!" Two thousand of her Life Points were sacrificed.

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 400

**Lector:** 1600

--------------------------

From his position behind Sammie, Demise threw his axe out and destroyed every single card on the field.

"My Satellite Cannons!" shouted Lector as the field camera zoomed back down so that everything was back to normal size.

"Now I summon my Deck Master to the field in attack mode." Demise, King of Armageddon stepped forward from behind Sammie and retrieved his axe.

"You're taking a big risk, girl," Lector warned.

"Listen, old man! No one, and I mean NO ONE, fucks with my family and lives! Demise, end his world!" Demise, King of Armageddon swung his axe and the blade came crashing down on top of Lector. As the axe brought an end to the world Sammie's voice sang out like a siren once more. Lector's swan song to drag him into hell.

"_Is she not right?_

_Is she insane?_

_Will she now run for her life_

_in the battle that ends this day?_

_Is she not right?!_

_Is she insane?!_

_Will she now run for her life_

_now that she LIED TO ME!_

_The little bitch,_

_she went and she told A LIE!_

_Now she will never tell another._

_A LIE!_

_The little bitch,_

_she went and she told A LIE!_

_NEVER FUCKING LIE TO ME!"_

The world seemed to set itself ablaze with an invisible aura that whipped around Sammie. Mikey yelped as a monarch of glorious light stood tall next to him and witnessed a giant of dark death reap the world of a dead man clawing at his final chance at life. Game over.

--------------------------

**Sammie:** 400

**Lector:** 0

--------------------------

The moment Lector's Life Points dropped to zero, he was immediately surrounded by a glass box. He pounded on the sides trying to get out, but it was useless. As he tried to escape, a hologram of Hannibal Necromancer appeared behind him and sank its teeth and claws into him. He screamed in pain as the images of Nuvia the Wicked, Shining Abyss, Mechanicalchaser, Megasonic Eye, Humanoid Worm Drake appeared and attacked.

"Help me!" he cried as he clawed at the glass, "I don't want the Experience of Death! I want to live! I don't want to die again! PLEASE! GOZABURO SIR!" His screamed echoed long and loud as the image of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared and consumed him.

"You won, Sammie!" Mikey cheered as he ran over to her.

"Now for my parents!" Sammie said as she proceeded forward, her brow furrowing with a few beads of sweat, her right knee clenching up as she walked but showing no strain on her face. Mikey yelled out to her to wait, thinking over what had happened.

"Something about what Lector said bugs me," he informed her. "His last words were 'Gozaburo sir'."

"Yeah, so?" asked Sammie in annoyance.

"Think for a minute. The Big Five were former members of Kaiba Corp.'s board and one of them just said the name Gozaburo." Mikey looked up to his friend. "Who's the first person you can think of when you hear the words Kaiba Corp. and Gozaburo?"

"That's easy. Gozaburo Kaiba," She answered, "He was the former president of Kaiba Corp. before Seto Kaiba took over. But what's he got to do with this? He's been dead for years."

"Everyone thought the Big Five were dead, too," replied Mikey.

"You saying that Gozaburo Kaiba is the one behind all this," Sammie said disbelievingly, "If that's true, then why did… did….wait what corporation took over Kaiba Corp?"

"Didn't you read the sign on the outside Sammie? It was Schroeder Corp. Owned by Siegfried Von Schroeder."

"Saito told me about them! They used to be the Kaiba family's rivals and competed against Yugi in the Kaiba Grand Prix years ago. So…that means…."

"Yeah, Siegfried Von Schroeder is possessed, like all these other duelists we have faced, by Gozaburo Kaiba."

ooo

"Lector has been defeated," the short figure reported to the crimson-suited man.

"So I see. Then you shall take care of them."

"And what of our unexpected guest?"

"Leave him to me. He wants me. He can have me. And with the body of Siegfried von Schroeder as my host, I now have the means to face him."

"Of course, Mr. Gozaburo."

As the hooded figure left, Gozaburo Kaiba, inhabiting the body of Siegfried von Schroeder, looked out the window and turned his gaze skyward.

"This is for taking what is mine, Seto."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The Big Five have been defeated. Now our heroes face their final challenge. They must win in order to reclaim Kaiba Corp. and save their school. Find out how the final battle begins next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	36. Scourge of the Undead

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-36**

**Scourge of the Undead**

The helicopter landed right on the pad on the roof of Kaiba Corp. headquarters as the sun began to set in a rainbow of autumn hues on the horizon. The pilot got out and ran around to the back. He pulled open the door and Saito Kaiba stepped out. The wind generated by the blades over his head caused his coattails to whip around him violently as he stood staring at the door through which he would soon be entering.

_If my grandfather is truly behind this, I'll defeat him_, he thought as the pilot brought out a silver briefcase, _Regardless of who's responsible, I'm taking them out._

"Young Master Kaiba," the pilot said, "Your Duel Disk." He opened the briefcase and revealed Saito's Blue-Eyes White Dragon Duel Disk.

"I won't be needing it." The rich teenager reached into a pocket inside his coat and produced his deck. "This is all I'll need. And thanks to some new cards, I'll be certain to win." He tucked the cards away safely and walked through the roof access door. He was going to settle things then and there and reclaim his birthright.

ooo

It felt like the few moments right before a big exam, except significantly more threatening. The Big Five – Gansley, Crump, Johnson, Nesbitt, and Lector – had all been defeated. Following Sammie's triumph over the final member of the group, everybody reconvened, Coltyn and Max having evaded their pursuers and rejoined Sammie and Mikey with a gleeful hug and a solemn nod performed by a red head and a cyborg. As they moved forward, retelling the details of what they had figured out and the duel with Lector they swiftly managed to determine that their next objective would be to locate Gozaburo Kaiba and defeat him.

"So this is it, huh?" Mikey thought out loud, "The final boss."

"Unnerving, no?" asked Max.

"We can't let that distract us now," Coltyn replied, "It's because we're about to face the final boss that we have to be even more careful."

"Here's a more pressing question. Who's going to duel him?" Mikey inquired.

"I'll do it," said Sammie, "That bastard kidnapped my parents, so I'm gonna be the one who fucks him up good."

"I don't think so!" a new voice called out. All eyes turned to see a man in a black suit appear with a Duel Disk on his arm.

"I've got this one," Coltyn assured his friends as he transformed his arm into his Duel Disk.

"So you're accepting my challenge?"

"Deal with it." Coltyn drew his starting hand and after winning a quick round of Rock-Paper-Scissors, drew his first card. "I summon Solar Flare Dragon. Next I Special Summon Goka, the Pyre of Malice and destroy Solar Flare Dragon as the cost. Now I play Monster Reborn to bring back Solar Flare Dragon and then activate Inferno Reckless Summon to bring out two more Solar Flare Dragons. Next I play Dark Room of Nightmare and set a card facedown. I end my turn there." With his hand depleted, Coltyn watched as his Solar Flare Dragons' effects kicked in and burned the suited man, followed by three hundred extra points of damage for each burn thanks to Dark Room of Nightmare.

"My turn." The suited man drew. "And I'll summon Marauding Captain and use his effect to summon another Marauding Captain! Try getting through that!"

"I will!" Coltyn drew his card and revealed his facedown, "I activate Ceasefire and with six Effect Monsters on the field, that's three thousand points of damage. Now I play Ookazi from my hand for eight hundred points of burn damage. Now I end my turn." Three more Solar Flare Dragons' worth of burn damage was applied and with the added damage from Dark Room of Nightmare, the suited man was defeated.

As Coltyn deactivated his Duel Disk and the man fell to the floor, Sammie stormed over to him, grabbed him by the lapels, and pulled him up. "Where are my parents?" she demanded with venom dripping from her words.

"And what makes you think I'll tell you?" the suited man asked, "I'm the toughest security guard here. You'll never break me!" Sammie responded to that by lowering the man and then stamping her foot down hard against his groin. The boys instantly winced and Mikey even turned away.

"Where are my parents?" she repeated.

"You'll never get anything out of me!" Sammie responded to his resilience by grinding his testicles under her foot. She repeated her question again as she continually added pressure. When he refused to answer again, she raised her foot and slammed her heel down on his scrotum.

"ALRIGHT, YOU GOT ME!" he screamed, "Head up one floor and follow the signs to the research and development lab!" Sammie's expression of pure ferociousness suddenly turned into a bright smiling face.

"Thank you!" she said oh so cheerily before letting him go and skipping down the hall with the boys running after her.

"I think one of them popped," the guard whimpered as he laid on the floor a broken shell of a man.

ooo

The four teens ran up the flight of stairs and then proceeded through the hallways following the signs. Upon their arrival at the research and development laboratory, however, they discovered that nobody was present. There were neither guards nor hostages; not a single human being. The room's only occupants were several pieces of machinery and equipment.

"That bastard!" Sammie roared, "He lied! There's no one here!"

"Not true," a hollow voice answered," Someone IS here…" A small figure cloaked in a dark hooded robe stepped out from around a corner. Mikey recognized him as the figure he saw with Lector when he appeared at Duel Academy to take Axel Brodie.

"It's you."

ooo

Saito burst into his father's office and saw a man standing by the window looking outside. He recognized him immediately thanks to all the research he had done on the Kaiba lineage. Gozaburo stood tall in the body of Siegfried Von Schroeder. He stood tall like a man reborn, cutting down the identity of a man he had crushed in the past. The flowing pink locks that the German born businessman took great pride in were short and slicked back, a pair of scissors lying on the desk as the floor was littered with beautiful pink hair. A respectable look for the man who called himself Kaiba.

"Grandfather."

"Ah, you must be my grandson. So we finally meet." Gozaburo Kaiba turned around and looked at Saito. "You bear the striking resemblance of your father."

"I'm not here for chatter, grandfather. I'm here to reclaim Kaiba Corp."

"And from whom, may I ask, are you 'reclaiming' this company? Last time I checked, I was a Kaiba, as well. In fact, this company wouldn't exist were it not for me."

"Kaiba Corp. wouldn't have lasted this long if you were still around, grandfather. If it hadn't been for my father, this company would still be manufacturing weapons for warfare."

"Sometimes, my naïve little grandson, you need to create a market for your product."

Saito went silent for a moment before speaking again. "What are you talking about?"

"My plan is well-thought out," Gozaburo explained, "Kaiba Corp. will once again create weapons for others to create a new world. But in order for that to happen, there needs to be a demand. I'll keep this in words simple enough for you to understand. I plan to start a war that will engulf the entire world! And Kaiba Corp. shall supply the weapons to the highest bidders!"

"You're mad, grandfather!" Saito shot back.

"Not mad, a realist. I am a man that understands how the world works and has always worked. I don't pretend to believe the world bends to games and holograms. If anything, I am too much of a gambler to be a good businessman, but I suppose that is why I am good. It is puzzling though how you figured out who I was, but I bet your father had a hand in that" answered Gozaburo.

"I'm going to take back this company, grandfather," Saito repeated.

"And how do you propose to do that?" Gozaburo demanded. Saito reached into his coat pocket and produced his deck. His grandfather laughed out loud. "You truly are your father's son. Alright then, we'll duel for the fate of Kaiba Corp."

ooo

The cloaked figure moved into the center of the room and faced the teens. "If you want the hostages released, then duel me."

"I'll do it," Sammie said as she stepped forward. But as she made her way toward the figure, she suddenly collapsed. The boys quickly ran over and caught her.

"Sammie, you've dueled two Big Five members in a row," Coltyn reminded her, "You can't face him in your condition."

"Fuck…off…" she gasped between breaths.

"He's right, Sammie," Max added, "You can't duel him like this."

"They're my parents. I'm dueling."

"Let me do it, Sammie," said Mikey. Everyone looked at the brunet. There was something in his eyes that hadn't been there before, something that no one saw often. Determination. After a few minutes, Sammie nodded and acknowledged Mikey's offer.

"Bitch smack his ass." Mikey nodded and stood up.

"Mikey, are you sure you can duel?" asked Max, "You took quite a shock in a first one."

"I've had time to recover, Max," Mikey replied as he strapped his Duel Disk to his left arm, "I can do this."

"Your challenge has been accepted," the figure said as he reached into his robes and took out a Duel Disk. Everyone just stared. The thing was ancient! It was the very first model Kaiba Corp. had released to the public. Not only that, but the machine was covered with dirt and rust and the Life Point screen was cracked. One had to wonder if the thing still worked. To their surprise, the cloaked man effortless turned on the power like it was brand new. "Let's do this." He pulled back his sleeve and strapped the Duel Disk to an arm covered with rotting flesh and maggots. Bare bone lay exposed from the elbow up to the shoulder.

Mikey could feel his lunch coming up, but he clamped his hand over his mouth and somehow forced it back down, leaving a very uncomfortable feeling in his throat. The figure took note of this and cackled quietly.

"You seem surprised. Perhaps the least I owe you is an introduction so you know who you are dueling." He reached up and took the robe he wore in his hand and tore it off. The sight before the teens scared them beyond imagination.

It was a short boy with purple spiked hair that looked greased and matted. He was a normal boy once upon a time, but now he looked like something taken from the crypt. His flesh was pale and lifeless as bones, bleached from the sun and exposure tore out from dry leather skin, the scent of rot and decay emanating from him as cuts and scrapes grew from the gnarling and feasting maggots that ate away at him, growing fat like kings. His right eye was glassed over, a film that gleaned with a marble shine. His left eye was burst oozing jelly that lingered by a fleshy string of retina as the movement of a centipede made the light shine off its opaque mirroring shell. Around the standing deadman's neck was a musty and frayed noose that rubbed roughly against his throat, old blood was caked, black as the sun is bright. He smiled a deathly grin, yellowed and fragmented teeth peeking out like rat teeth. The living dead man.

"My name is Bonz, the Hell walker! Feel the fires of undeath that I have become!" he announced in a voice that sounded like a million nails scratching against one's soul, a sound that they didn't know could exist until they heard his voice. Mikey screamed and fell backward as he stepped away.

"Mikey, you better not be chickening out!" Sammie shouted. Mikey sat up and shook his head as he remembered what he had told Sammie.

_That's right. I can't back down now_, he thought. He stood back up and readied his Duel Disk. Mikey and Bonz drew their starting hands and stared each other down.

"Let's duel!" called Mikey.

"Scream 'til your dying breath!" cried Bonz.

-----------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Bonz:** 8000

-----------------------

"The first turn is mine," announced Mikey after winning a round of rock-paper-scissors. He placed his fingers on his deck and removed the top card. "I summon Beast King Barbaros in attack mode without any tributes." He placed his card onto the field and his lance-wielding liontaur appeared and roared (ATK/3000 DEF/1200). "When he's summoned without any tributes, Barbaros only has nineteen hundred attack points. I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."

"My draw." Bonz ripped the top card off his deck and placed it in his hand. He flicked off a maggot that was crawling across his cards and played a spell. "I play the continuous spell Call of the Mummy. Now if I have no monsters on the field, I can Special Summon one Zombie monster from my hand. So I'll Special Summon Mezuki in attack mode." He played his monster card and a horse-headed man wielding a large axe (ATK/1700 DEF/800). "Next I'll tribute him to summon a new monster. The Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon!" A grave was suddenly opened up beneath Mezuki and the creature fell in before it was buried. Then in its place arose a monolithic tombstone engraved with the image of a large dragon. The ground in front of the stone burst open and from it arose the reanimated decaying remained Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon (ATK/2400 DEF/2000).

"How did you summon that with just one tribute?" asked Mikey as he stared up in awe at his first Red-Eyes monster.

"I can if that tribute was a Zombie monster," answered Bonz as he took another card from his hand and opened his field tray, "And soon all our monsters will be Zombies, both on the field and in the graveyard, thanks to my field spell Zombie World." He placed the card in and shut the tray. As soon as his Duel Disk registered his card, the room darkened and entire field transformed into one enormous open mass grave. Mikey looked down and paled as he found himself knee-deep in corpses. The moment the field spell was in place, Beast King Barbaros roared as his body slowly decayed until he too became one of the undead. "Next I play Mystical Space Typhoon to send that facedown of yours to an early grave." Bonz played his card and a blast of wind shot out and destroyed Mikey's facedown trap card.

"No, not Skill Drain!"

"Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon, attack!" ordered Bonz, "Undead Fire Blast!" Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon turned to Mikey's Beast King Barbaros and opened its mouth. Spirit flames gathered up inside its maw before it unleashed a blazing sphere of ghost fire that obliterated Beast King Barbaros.

-----------------------

**Mikey:** 7500

**Bonz:** 8000

-----------------------

"If Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon destroyed a Zombie monster in battle, I can summon it to my side of the field," said Bonz.

"But Beast King Barbaros isn't a Zombie," Mikey pointed out.

"Have you already forgotten the effects of my Zombie World?" asked Bonz as he kicked a skull over to his opponent. "All monsters on the field and in both graveyards are Zombies. Now time to work some necromantic magic. Beast King Barbaros, arise!" Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon flapped its wings and spirit flames poured out onto the ground beside it from which Beast King Barbaros emerged. Since it had been Special Summoned, it had its original three thousand attack points. In addition, to the misfortune of Mikey, it was still Bonz's Battle Phase and the young brunet was wide open. "Beast King Barbaros, Death Sentence!" Taking up his gnarled lance, the undead form of Beast King Barbaros charged and thrust his weapon deep into Mikey's chest.

-----------------------

**Mikey:** 4500

**Bonz:** 8000

-----------------------

"I'll end with one facedown. It's your move."

"Finally," sighed Mikey as he placed his fingers on his deck. He looked at the field and gulped. Both of his opponent's monsters were incredibly strong. Nothing he had could stop their attacks. Not only that, but the combined effects of Zombie World and Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon would also place his monsters under Bonz's control. He drew his card and his face brightened when he saw that he had drawn Kuraz the Light Monarch. Now he only had to summon it. Examining his hand, he was relieved to find that he also had Cyber Dragon.

"Oh, there's one more thing," Bonz suddenly spoke up, "As long as Zombie World is in play, you can only Tribute Summon Zombie monsters."

"Oh come on!" Mikey quickly tried to calm himself down and focus.

_Okay, think Mikey. Kuraz's effect will also work if you Special Summon him_, he thought to himself, _I just need to bring him out in some other way._ He scanned the other cards in his hand and an idea formed.

"I play Tribute to the Doomed," he declared, "By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy one monster on your side of the field." He took Kuraz the Light Monarch from his hand and placed it into his graveyard slot. "And I'm destroying Barbaros!"

"Not if my Tutan Mask has anything to say about it," Bonz retaliated as he revealed his facedown, "If a spell or trap targets one of my Zombies with the intent to destroy it, this card negates and destroys that card." As a mummified hand reached up from the ground, a golden Egyptian mask appeared on Beast King Barbaros and surrounded him with a shining aura. The hand was repelled and thrown back into the underworld. "You failed."

"Not quite." Mikey took another card from his hand. "Next I Special Summon Cyber Dragon in attack mode." Amidst the bones that littered the ground, Mikey's cybernetic dragon (ATK/2100 DEF/1600) appeared and roared. Almost immediately, Zombie World aged and eroded its body until it was a rusted and dented piece of ancient machinery. "And now I play Monster Reborn to bring back the monster I discarded for Tribute to the Doomed. Come on out, Kuraz the Light Monarch, and destroy Beast King Barbaros and Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon!" A beam of light shot out of the ground and the golden emperor (ATK/2400 DEF/1000) emerged from the ground with a tattered cape and scarred and worn armor that had long ago lost its luster. However, his undead appearance had no effect on his power and as he stood up, he unleashed several rays of light that pierced the two opposing undead creatures and destroyed them. If Bonz still had eyelids that worked, he would have blinked. However, he had long since lost the need to blink and he simply drew his two cards.

"Because of his own effect, Kuraz can't attack. Cyber Dragon, on the other hand, can." Mikey pointed at Bonz. "Cyber Dragon, direct attack! Evolution Burst!" Cyber Dragon opened its mouth and fired off its laser-like attack and struck Bonz with full force.

-----------------------

**Mikey:** 4500

**Bonz:** 5900

-----------------------

"I set one card. That ends my turn." Now that Mikey's turn was over, it was back to Bonz as he drew his card.

"It was a good attempt, but futile." The undead duelist placed a spell card on the field. "I play Card of Safe Return. Now every time I Special Summon a monster from the graveyard, I get to draw one card. Now I use Call of the Mummy's effect to summon a Zombie from my hand. I bring out Il Blud in attack mode." He summoned out a zombie wearing a striped prison suit with its face obscured by shadow, however another and significantly more gruesome face was seen peering out from under its suit through the undone zipper (ATK/2100 DEF/800). However, its entire body was dull blue for some reason. "Il Blud is a Gemini monster and after he's Second Summoned, his effect lets me Special Summon one Zombie monster from my hand or either graveyard once per turn. Now I Second Summon Il Blud!" A light indicating the summoning of a monster shined up from under Il Blud and the creature finally gained color.

"Now since I have Mezuki in my graveyard, I can activate his effect. I remove Mezuki from play to summon a monster from my graveyard." Bonz's Duel Disk ejected his Mezuki and he placed the card into his pocket before taking another card out from the slot and bringing it onto the field. "Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon, arise!" The bones erupted and from them the Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon emerged and roared. At that moment, the hologram of Card of Safe Return flashed and Bonz drew a card. "And now with Il Blud's effect, I resurrect Beast King Barbaros!" For the second time, Mikey watched as his deck's ultimate powerhouse was raised onto his opponent's side of the field. Card of Safe Return's effect was activated and Bonz drew again.

ooo

Elsewhere in the building, Saito stepped onto a platform and it extended outward onto a large playing field. This was Seto Kaiba's private dueling arena. This was where the fate of Kaiba Corp. would be decided. This was where Saito Kaiba would duel Gozaburo Kaiba.

The two platforms positioned themselves over the dueling arena, giving both players a clear view of the entire field. In front of each of them was the duel terminal where they would play their cards and also be able to see what their opponent had on the field. In the middle of the ceiling was an enormous scoreboard displaying both duelists' names and their Life Points.

"You shouldn't challenge your elders," Gozaburo chided mockingly.

"Shut up and duel," was Saito's only response.

---------------------------

**Saito:** 8000

**Gozaburo:** 8000

---------------------------

"I'll make the first move." Gozaburo drew his card. "I'll set one monster facedown and a facedown card as well. That ends my turn."

""Your first mistake was even accepting this duel." Saito drew his first card. "I start by playing Trade-In. I discard one level eight monster to draw two cards." He sent Tyrant Dragon to his graveyard and drew two new cards. "I send Darkblaze Dragon, Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, and Tyrant Dragon from my hand to the graveyard so I can Special Summon Montage Dragon in attack mode!" He slapped his card down onto the duel terminal and summoned out a giant blue three-headed dragon (ATK/? DEF/0). "Montage Dragon's attack points are equal to the combined levels of the monsters I discarded multiplied by three hundred." Tyrant Dragon was a level eight monster, Darkblaze Dragon was level seven, and Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon was level ten, so the sum of their levels was twenty-five. That meant Montage Dragon's total attack power was seventy-five hundred. However, Saito was far from finished.

"Now I activate Monster Reborn from my hand to resurrect my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" In a flash of light, Saito's black metallic dragon appeared on the field and roared (ATK/2800 DEF/2400). "And with its effect, I can Special Summon one Dragon from my hand or graveyard once per turn. I use that effect to resurrect Darkblaze Dragon!" Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon spread out its wings and fired several beams of red light into the ground, causing a four-winged black and orange dragon to rise up from below (ATK/1200 DEF/1000). Since Darkblaze Dragon had been summoned from the graveyard, its attack and defense points were doubled, so now it had twenty-four hundred attack points and two thousand defense points.

"Impressive, grandson," Gozaburo commented, "You get down to business like your father."

"Shut your trap, old man!" Saito barked as he pointed at his opponent's monster, "Darkblaze Dragon, incinerate that monster with Black Searer!" Darkblaze Dragon took in a deep breath and exhaled an orange and black inferno that completely annihilated the card, which turned out to be The Unhappy Maiden.

"When The Unhappy Maiden is destroyed in battle, the Battle Phase for that turn ends," Gozaburo explained.

"I know what the card does," replied Saito.

"Then you must also know that your Darkblaze Dragon's effect is useless if it destroys a card with no attack points."

"I end my turn there."

"My move then." Gozaburo drew. "And I'll begin by activating my facedown. It's my own Trade-In. I'll discard Gogiga Gagagigo as the cost." He sent his level eight monster to the graveyard and drew two cards. He grinned when he saw what he held before continuing his turn. "I'll set another monster facedown and two new facedown cards and end my turn."

"At least try to put up some resistance." Saito drew his next card. "I play Mausoleum of the Emperor. He placed the card in his field spell zone and an ancient imperial tomb surrounded the field with a pit filled with terracotta statues. "Now I sacrifice two thousand Life Points to summon Felgrand Dragon in attack mode!" Two statues were levitated out of the pit and sacrificed along with Saito's Life Points.

---------------------------

**Saito:** 6000

**Gozaburo:** 8000

---------------------------

Shortly after the sacrifice had been made, a shimmering gold and black dragon flew down from the heavens and roared upon landing (ATK/2800 DEF/2800). "Next I play Heavy Storm to wipe out all spells and traps on the field." A heavy wind began to blow and Saito's Mausoleum of the Emperor crumbled.

"I chain my two facedowns to your card." Gozaburo revealed his cards. "Two Jar of Greed cards!" He drew two cards.

"Darkblaze Dragon, attack!" ordered Saito, "Black Searer!" Darkblaze Dragon fired another blaze and the facedown was revealed to be Masked Dragon (ATK/1400 DEF/1000). The flames continued onward toward Gozaburo as Darkblaze Dragon's effect was resolved.

---------------------------

**Saito:** 6000

**Gozaburo:** 6600

---------------------------

"I summon another Masked Dragon in defense mode." Gozaburo searched his deck for the monster and placed on the field in a sideways position.

"Felgrand Dragon, it's your turn! Shining Annihilator!" Felgrand Dragon reared its head and then fired a shining golden laser from its mouth into Masked Dragon.

"I summon a third Masked Dragon in defense mode." Gozaburo declared as he brought out another dragon.

"Tyrant Dragon, destroy it Dragon Gunfire!" Tyrant Dragon roared and spat a fireball at Masked Dragon, blowing it up. In response, Gozaburo used its effect to summon a small green winged dragon dressed like a foot soldier (ATK/700 DEF/800).

"I summon Troop Dragon in defense mode."

"Montage Dragon, obliterate that monster with Power Collage!" Montage Dragon's three heads charged up energy of varying colors – one red, one blue, and one green – and then fired them at once. The three beams spirals into a helix and destroyed Troop Dragon.

"I summon another Troop Dragon in defense mode."

_He's planning to summon Five-God Dragon using Dragon's Mirror_, thought Saito, _Why else would he have me destroy so many dragons?_

"It's my turn now." Gozaburo drew his next card, "I'll set a monster and end my turn."

When Saito's turn came up, he ordered Darkblaze Dragon to destroy Troop Dragon, inflicting seven hundred points of damage to Gozaburo's Life Points.

---------------------------

**Saito:** 6000

**Gozaburo:** 5900

---------------------------

After that, he ordered Felgrand Dragon to destroy the last Troop Dragon. With those gone, he focused now on the facedown monster and ordered Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon to attack. It turned out the facedown was Peten the Dark Clown. Gozaburo removed it from play to summon another one from his deck. With frustration and annoying building, Saito ordered Montage Dragon to destroy it only to have it replaced by a third clown. At last the final one was destroyed by Tyrant Dragon.

_Alright, calm down Saito. Destroying nine summoning defenders in a row like that could frustrate _anyone, the teenage thought to himself. He took in a deep breath and then stood proud as he declared the end of his turn. Gozaburo then drew his next card and set it in defense mode before playing a spell card.

"I play Dragon's Mirror." A large golden mirror appeared on the mans' field and three Troop Dragons and two Masked Dragons were pulled into it as they were removed from play from the graveyard and a few seconds passed before Five God Dragon (ATK/5000 DEF/5000) emerged and roared. "Five God Dragon, attack Darkblaze Dragon!" The five heads turned to the four-winged dragon and fired their respective attacks, blasting their target into countless unidentifiable pieces.

---------------------------

**Saito:** 3400

**Gozaburo:** 5900

---------------------------

"I end my turn."

"My move." Saito drew his card and immediately pointed at Five God Dragon. "Montage Dragon, attack! Power Collage!" Montage Dragon fired its attack and struck the five-headed monstrosity.

---------------------------

**Saito:** 3400

**Gozaburo:** 3400

---------------------------

"Because of its effect, Five God Dragon cannot be destroyed in battle by any monster of the Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Dark attributes," Gozaburo proclaimed.

"I don't care. Tyrant Dragon, attack that facedown with Dragon's Gunfire!" With a loud bang, Tyrant Dragon spat out a fireball at the facedown, revealing it to be Sangan.

"And with Sangan's effect, I'll bring one monster with fifteen hundred or less attack power to my hand." Gozaburo began searching his deck and pulled out a card, which he showed to Saito.

"Is that what I think it is?" the teenager asked.

"The Left Arm of the Forbidden One." Gozaburo added it to his hand. When his turn came up, he drew his card and played it immediately. "Now I play Monster Reborn to bring back Sangan and I'll send it to the graveyard to set a card." As Sangan left the field and was replaced by a glowing square, Gozaburo searched his deck for another card and pulled out Right Arm of the Forbidden One.

"Listen carefully, grandson!" Gozaburo called out, "I have four pieces of Exodia in my hand. On my next turn, I'll have all five!"

"You're bluffing!" called Saito.

"Try me!"

_This isn't good!_ Saito thought to himself.

ooo

Mikey looked up at the massive zombies as they stared down at him ready to devour his Life Points.

"It's over for you!" Bonz cackled, "Your soul belongs to me now!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The battle for Kaiba Corp. is underway! Bonz is turning Mikey's own monsters against him. Will the boy survive the undead army? And will Saito be able to stop Gozaburo from collecting all five pieces of Exodia? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	37. Soldiers of the Grave

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-37**

**Soldiers of the Grave**

---------------------------

**Saito:** 3400

**Gozaburo:** 3400

---------------------------

Saito grimaced when he realized that he potentially only had one turn left to win the duel. Even with his Montage Dragon (ATK/? DEF/0) standing at seventy-five hundred attack points along with Felgrand Dragon (ATK/2800 DEF/2800), Tyrant Dragon (ATK/2900 DEF/2500), and Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (ATK/2800 DEF/2400), he still wouldn't be able to do enough damage by attacking Gozaburo's Five God Dragon (ATK/5000 DEF/5000) in his next turn. The teen only had two cards in his hand while Gozaburo had five, four of which were pieces of Exodia.

This was going to be tricky.

ooo

-----------------------

**Mikey:** 4500

**Bonz:** 5900

-----------------------

Mikey stood with his Cyber Dragon (ATK/2100 DEF/1600), Kuraz the Light Monarch (ATK/2400 DEF/1000), one facedown card and no cards in his hand as he faced Bonz with his Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon (ATK/2400 DEF/2000), Il Blud (ATK/2100 DEF/800), and Mikey's resurrected Beast King Barbaros (ATK/3000 DEF/1200) along with his Zombie World, Card of Safe Return, and Call of the Mummy on the field and four cards in his hand.

"Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon, go! Attack Cyber Dragon with Undead Fire Blast!" On the undead duelist's command, Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon gathered up spirit flames and fired them in a concentrated blast at Cyber Dragon. A mechanical screech pierced the air as the rusted mechanical beast was reduced to scrap metal.

-----------------------

**Mikey:** 4200

**Bonz:** 5900

-----------------------

After the attack went through, Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon expelled ghost fire from its wings and summoned Cyber Dragon to its side. "Beast King Barbaros, attack Kuraz the Light Monarch!" On Bonz's command, Beast King Barbaros took up his lance and charged.

"I activate Compulsory Evacuation Device!" The moment Mikey's trap card was flipped face-up, a large cannon similar to the one found in _The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess_ at Lake Hylia only more futuristic in appearance materialized onto the field. "And I'll use it to eject Barbaros from the field!" A door opened and Beast King Barbaros ran in headfirst. The hatch slammed shut and locked before taking aim and firing. Barbaros was launched into the air and reverted back into card form as he returned to Mikey's hand.

"Feh. Nothing I can't fix later." Bonz concluded his turn and now it was his opponent's turn.

"I draw." Mikey took the top card off his deck and then summoned Beast King Barbaros at nineteen-hundred attack points. "I set a card and end my turn."

"Once again, I'll be bringing your Barbaros to serve me." Bonz drew his card and pointed at his intended target, "Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon, attack Beast King Barbaros with Undead Fire Blast!" As Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon gathered up spirit flames, Mikey flipped his facedown up.

"I activate Interdimensional Matter Transporter. This card lets me remove one monster on my field from play until the End Phase of this turn." A strange device appeared and it flashed a bright light that made Beast King Barbaros disappear, leaving Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon without a target.

"Fine. I'll end my turn," Bonz muttered with a scowl. At that moment, Beast King Barbaros returned to Mikey's side of the field. However, since it hadn't been summoned from his hand without any tributes, it was back to its original three thousand attack points.

The brunet happily drew his card now that things were looking in his favor and pointed at Il Blud. "First I'm taking him out so you can't resurrect any monsters. Kuraz the Light Monarch, attack Il Blud with Excalibur's Light!"

"It shall be done, Mikey!" Kuraz replied. He threw back his cape and tore his sword from its scabbard with one swift stroke and fired a golden wave of light that penetrated Il Blud's body and cleaved it in two.

-----------------------

**Mikey:** 4200

**Bonz:** 5600

-----------------------

"Now for him." Mikey pointed up at Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon, "Beast King Barbaros, attack Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon with Death Sentence!" The massive liontaur roared and charged. The undead dragon let out a terrifying cry and expelled ghost fire at the oncoming monster. Barbaros blocked the pale blue inferno with his shield before lunging forward with his lance, penetrating the dragon's chest and impaling its non-beating heart. Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon let out a roar of pain as it was slain and its body fell to the ground before its flesh burned away in seconds by ghost fire, leaving behind a heavy stench of burnt organs and decay.

-----------------------

**Mikey:** 4200

**Bonz:** 5000

-----------------------

"I end my turn."

"So you managed to recover. But it won't last long, I guarantee it!" Bonz drew his next card and promptly added it to his hand. Currently, all he had was Mikey's Cyber Dragon and as long as his opponent had Beast King Barbaros out, the most he would be able to do would be to defend. "I set a monster facedown and switch Cyber Dragon into defense mode. That ends my turn."

"My move!" Mikey drew his card and pointed across the field. "Kuraz, destroy Cyber Dragon! Excalibur's Light!" With his sword still in hand, Kuraz the Light Monarch swung his blade and cleaved through Cyber Dragon with a beam of light. "Beast King Barbaros, your turn. Attack that facedown! Death Sentence!" Barbaros ran toward the facedown card and thrust his lance into it only to have it deflected by a scythe as it was revealed to be Spirit Reaper (ATK/300 DEF/200), a monster that could not be destroyed in battle. Bonz's Life Points were safe for now. With this in mind, Mikey ended his turn. Bonz proceeded with his move and drew his card. He smirked when he saw it.

"I set one card facedown and switch Spirit Reaper into attack mode before end my turn," he declared.

"He's baiting Mikey," Coltyn thought aloud, "Switching a low-level monster into attack mode and setting a facedown are an obvious ploy to destroy his monsters. I'm sure Mikey knows this too."

"I draw!" Mikey took his card and placed it in his hand. "I end my turn."

"In the end, you're going to wish you had attacked and done some damage," Bonz cackled as he drew his next card, "First I activate my facedown, Raigeki Break. Now by discarding one card, I can destroy one card on the field." He discarded Plaguespreader Zombie and a bolt of lightning shot down and destroyed Beast King Barbaros. "Next I summon Zombie Master and use his effect to bring one Zombie back from the grave!" Bonz laughed as he summoned a pale white-haired necromancer (ATK/1800 DEF/0) to the field and discarded one of his Zombie monsters to bring out a grotesque abomination made up of body parts from multiple creatures – Plaguespreader Zombie (ATK/400 DEF/200).

"That's a Tuner!" Max exclaimed as Bonz drew a card thanks to Card of Safe Return.

"Now I tune my Plaguespreader Zombie to my Zombie Master!" The undead duelist snapped his rotting fingers and Plaguespreader Zombie's chest split wide open as it released two shimmering stars. Its body vanished as those stars formed into rings which surrounded Zombie Master and a beam of light shot out. "Come out, Revived King Ha Des!" As the light subsided, tattered robes flapped in an graphically generated wind as the king of the demons Dark Ruler Ha Des emerged, but his skin was now a dull grey riddled with maggot holes (ATK/2450 DEF/0). "The effect of Dark Ruler Ha Des made it so that effects of monsters destroyed by Fiends in battle would be negated. But as the Revived King, Ha Des now supports his new Zombie brethren! Ironic that the demon king is now a servant to the undead. Go, Revived King Ha Des! Destroy Kuraz the Light Monarch! Plague of Untimely Death!" Revived King Ha Des spread out his arms and opened his mouth to a physically impossible width before exhaling an enormous swarm of locusts. The insects completely surrounded Kuraz the Light Monarch, whose screams of agony echoed throughout the field sending chills down the spines of the living.

-----------------------

**Mikey:** 4150

**Bonz:** 5000

-----------------------

"I switch my Spirit Reaper into defense mode and end my turn."

Mikey nodded and drew his card. Revived King Ha Des was going to be a problem; its power was just fifty points stronger than most of his stronger easily-summoned creatures. For the time being, he set a monster and one facedown and concluded his turn.

It was back to Bonz now and as he drew his card, a wicked grin spread across his decaying face. "I summon Pyramid Turtle in attack mode." He placed his card onto a dirt-encrusted slot on his Duel Disk and a turtle with a pyramid for a shell appeared (ATK/1200 DEF/1400). "Next I return one card from my hand to the top of my deck to use Plaguespreader Zombie's effect and Special Summon it onto the field." He placed a card back into his deck slot and his Plaguespreader Zombie reappeared, prompting him to draw another card thanks to Card of Safe Return. "Now I attune Pyramid Turtle using Plaguespreader Zombie." Once again, Plaguespreader Zombie's chest burst open and it vanished as two starts emerged and formed into rings that surrounded Pyramid Turtle. The creature was then engulfed in a beam of light as the two monsters synchronized.

"Your time has come. Arise, Doomkaiser Dragon!" From the light, two bony wings spread out and the reanimated corpse of Chthonian Emperor Dragon appeared, except its hide had been reduced to a shriveled black and its wings were now ragged and torn (ATK/2400 DEF/1500). At the same time, Plaguespreader Zombie was removed from play due to its own effect. "When Doomkaiser Dragon is Special Summon, his effect lets me Special Summon one Zombie monster from your graveyard in attack mode. And since Zombie World is in play, all your monsters are Zombies." As Doomkaiser Dragon stood there, clouds of an unknown compound seeped from its body into the ground and before long, Beast King Barbaros erupted from the bones littering the field and roared.

"You have got to be shitting me," Sammie muttered in disbelief.

"I'll play Upstart Goblin so I can draw one card." Bonz played card to draw one from his deck while at the same time boosting Mikey's Life Points.

-----------------------

**Mikey:** 5150

**Bonz:** 5000

-----------------------

"Beast King Barbaros, attack first with Death Sentence!" Beast King Barbaros roared and thrust his lance into the card, which turned out to be Majestic Mech – Senku. With no monsters on the field, Mikey had absolutely no defense. "Revived King Ha Des, attack him directly with Plague of Untimely Death!" Revived King Ha Des opened his mouth and a swarm of locusts flew forth and overwhelmed Mikey.

-----------------------

**Mikey:** 2700

**Bonz:** 5000

-----------------------

"Doomkaiser Dragon, it's your turn now. Attack him with Undead Blight!" Doomkaiser Dragon snarled as it opened its mouth and unleashed a burst of green gas. In reality, it was a cloud of deadly micro-organisms and as the attack struck Mikey, a total of twenty-four hundred Life Points was deducted from his score.

-----------------------

**Mikey:** 300

**Bonz:** 5000

-----------------------

"I end my turn!" Bonz cackled as he took a step back and stared at Mikey with his hideous gaze. "You've only got three hundred Life Points and I have the most powerful monsters on my side."

"I can still come back," Mikey said.

"Face it," Bonz laughed, "You don't stand…"

"NO!" Sammie interrupted, "We're not doing that!"

"…fine." Bonz pointed at Mikey and his insane expression appeared once again, "Make your final move!"

"I draw." The brunet drew his card. "I activate my facedown card, Compulsory Evacuation Device. Barbaros, return to my hand!" Once again, a large machine appeared and Beast King Barbaros was returned to Mikey's hand.

"Next I summon Beast King Barbaros without any tributes." Mikey placed the card onto the field and brought out his behemoth liontaur again.

"Again?" Bonz laughed. "You're trying that trick again?"

"Not quite." Mikey played a card from his hand. " I play the Quick-Play spell Prohibited Chalice. This gives Barbaros four hundred extra attack points until the End Phase."

"That won't do you any good. He's still too weak."

"Prohibited Chalice has a second effect," Mikey continued, "It negates my Barbaros' effect!" All eyes watched as Beast King Barbaros' attack power rose to thirty-four hundred. "Beast King Barbaros, destroy Revived King Ha Des! Death Sentence!" The giant monster thrust his lance into Ha Des, whose screams echoed loudly as he was swiftly returned to the grave from which he was raised.

-----------------------

**Mikey:** 300

**Bonz:** 4050

-----------------------

"I end my turn," he declared.

"Take that, motherfucker!" Sammie yelled, "This is payback for kidnapping my family, you coward!" Bonz glared at her as he placed his fingers on his deck.

"You speak of justice? Of Cowardice? What it justice that sent me to hell!? Was it justice that killed me and my friends!? There is no justice, only death!" He drew his card and Mikey looked on at him curiously. "I will show you the justice of the grave, and the true meaning of fear! I play Book of Life. With this card, I can resurrect one Zombie from my graveyard and remove from play one card in your graveyard. So say goodbye to Kuraz the Light Monarch." Mikey's Duel Disk ejected his prized card and he placed it carefully in his pocket as Bonz pulled out a card from his own graveyard. "Welcome back, Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon!" Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon rose up from the bones and roared once again. Card of Safe Return flashed and Bonz drew a card.

"I'll end my turn with two facedowns."

"Before I begin my turn," Mikey started, his curiosity now piquing as his hand hovered at the ready above his deck, "answer me this, what are you? Why are you here? Why are you doing this? And what did you do to those guards?"

Bonz lips curled as the necromantic flesh fell to the ground in flakes of undeath. "I am Bonz the hell walker; didn't you hear? I used to be a pro level duelist that competed in both the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City tournaments. I was going to be a fucking star! I had so much potential and guys like Bandit Keith, Joey Wheeler, and that friggin' freak with the white hair ruined my life!" Bonz seethed in rage as a wheezing sound tore through the holes in his throat, skin flapping with each breath. "I was killed and sent to hell by that freak... I stayed there and died a thousand times…I lost all hope, but he saved me. He is why I am doing this."

"Who? Who helped you? Who are you working for? Is it Gozaburo?" Mickey questioned, trying to understand the upset dead boy. He would have been skeptical of the whole situation had the dead man not been standing there the whole time. It was too surreal.

"Gozaburo? Please, the person I work for is a lot more powerful than Gozaburo. Now, enough of this questioning! Draw your final card!"

"I draw." Mikey drew his card, sighing as he did so. "I'll play Enemy Controller and with it I'll target Spirit Reaper, which will be destroyed by its own effect." A giant game controller appeared on the field and tried to plug into Spirit Reaper, but the small undead being swiftly rotted away until it was nothing more than a broken scythe and a tattered robe covered in dust. "I'll end there."

"My turn." Bonz drew his card and looked at his facedowns. To his left he had laid down Torrential Tribute so when Mikey summoned a monster, all the monsters on the field would be destroyed and then he would summon a Zombie from his graveyard. Beside that was Mirror Force should Mikey choose to attack without summoning. The undead duelist cackled silently to himself. This would end in his favor. He quickly passed his turn and then it was back to Mikey. The young teen drew his card and passed. He had some good cards now, but there was just one more that he needed. He hoped he would get it next turn.

As Bonz drew, he felt compelled to trigger his Torrential Tribute on his own. However, he managed to refrain himself from doing so. To him it was a greater victory to have his opponent destroy himself. That was not to be the case when Mikey drew on his next turn and he smiled.

"I play Heavy Storm!" A powerful wind blew across the field and destroyed Bonz's two facedown cards, his Card of Safe Return, his Call of the Mummy, and to his horror Zombie World. With the field card gone, all monsters regained their original type. "Now I summon Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast in attack mode and use a second Prohibited Chalice on him!" A mechanical dragon armed to the teeth with cannons (ATK/2800 DEF/2000) appeared on the field and with its effect removed and its power boosted by four hundred, Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast's attack power rose to thirty-two hundred.

"Fusilier Dragon, attack Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon with Heavy Artillery!" Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast turned its weapons onto Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon and locked on target. The sound of cannons as they unleashed their loads filled with air with such intensity that the walls themselves shook under the mighty of the creature's power. The first shell struck Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon's left wing, causing the mighty undead creature to roar in pain as the appendage was torn from its socket. The second struck its other wing, bringing upon it another wave of insufferable pain and agony. Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon fell to the ground growling as the third shell shot across the field and struck its chest with such force that the beast buckled down. It raised its head up to watch as the final missile came directly to its face and exploded upon contact, wiping out the monster for good.

-----------------------

**Mikey:** 300

**Bonz:** 3250

-----------------------

"Beast King Barbaros, your turn!" commanded Mikey, "Death Sentence!" Beast King Barbaros, now no longer a reanimated corpse, roared as he charged and thrust his lance into Bonz's heart as if to take revenge on him for turning him into an undead monster.

-----------------------

**Mikey:** 300

**Bonz:** 250

-----------------------

"How can this be happening?" Bonz gasped. "My strategy was perfect. I had your monsters serving me! The power was mine!"

"Power isn't everything, "Mikey replied, "You know what they say." He punched his arm out toward Bonz. "The meek shall inherit the Earth."

"The meek shall be buried within the Earth!" Bonz roared as he tore the top card off his deck. "I play Lightning Vortex!" He discarded a card to his graveyard and a rain of lightning shot down and destroyed both of Mikey's monsters. The undead duelist cackled manically as he stood with an empty field before him. "Now what was that you were saying about the meek inheriting the Earth?"

"Never underestimate even the smallest of flowers," Mikey replied. He drew his final card. "This duel ends now. I summon Malevolent Mech – Goku En in attack mode without a tribute!" He placed his card on the field and his undead version of Majestic Mech – Ohka appeared and roared (ATK/2400 DEF/1400).

"Impossible!" cried Bonz.

"What an ironic end," said Mikey, "that you're about to be finished by a Zombie. Malevolent Mech – Goku En, finish this duel! Malevolent Ray!" Malevolent Mech – Goku En opened its mouth as it gathered energy and then fired a solid black beam that penetrated Bonz's body.

-----------------------

**Mikey:** 300

**Bonz:** 0

-----------------------

"Damn it," the undead snarled.

"It's over," Mikey declared as he deactivated his Duel Disk.

"Now give me my parents!" Sammie roared.

"Ha ha ha ha…. And what makes you think we have them here?" Bonz chortled. He was suddenly grabbed and pulled up by Sammie.

"Tell me where they are, you little motherfucker, or I swear I'll…"

"You'll do what?" Bonz laughed again, "I'm already dead. What else can you do to me?" A cockroach crawled out of a gap in his shoulder and into a hole in his cheek, which he promptly killed between his rotten molars. He had her. "Now how about I send you ahead of them?" He opened his mouth and prepared to do something, but it never happened as a loud gunshot rang out and a bullet struck his forehead. Startled by the sound, Sammie dropped Bonz, who managed to stay on his feet as he leaned against a storage cupboard. Mikey turned around and saw a man with familiar grey eyes enter the room.

"Mr. Remington!"

"I told you, kid, Mr. Remington is my father. I'm Sako." Clenching a cigarette in his lips, Sako took aim at Bonz and fired again, this time piercing his chest. The undead duelist let out an inhuman noise and five marbles spilled out from his heart. They rolled along the floor and stopped just sort from Mikey's shoes. The five small spheres cracked open and a rush of wind burst out from within as voices of five different individuals filled the room. When the wind had died down, the young brunet had a confused look on his face.

"What just happened?"

"Those weren't just marbles," Sako explained, "They were Soul Prisons. I don't know all the details since I've just been a hired gun in all this, but I'll tell you as much as I can. Before all this began, zombie boy over there hatched a plan with some unknown guy to bring back the Big Five. The plan was to capture five people to use as hosts, the souls of the Big Five extracted from the net through some kind of hocus pocus. After that was done, the minds of the Big Five were to be implanted and the original souls of the bodies removed in order to prevent the two minds from conflicting with one another. I honestly thought that soul removal was impossible until I saw zombie boy's power. After that, I began spying on the higher ups to see what they were up to, doing my own research along the way. Apparently those little soul prisons engaged in a thing called a 'Shadow Game', which, from what I understand, usually requires both parties to agree to it. These things had some kind of loophole that automatically made any duel a shadow game as long as the marbles were in existence. It seems that all the guards in this building were then branded with some kind of ancient markings that sapped them of their, and I can't believe I am saying this, duel energy to the point of them being comatose if they lost. It is all some crazy complex bullshit for a fucking card game."

"And you still worked for these guys?" asked Mikey.

"Freelancers have a code and our most important rule is to never betray your employer, no matter how batshit crazy they are. I remember this guy I did a job for that paid me half a mil to go back in time and shoot Hitler. He was wearing a tin foil hat at the time and I figured it was too easy so I walked behind a corner and came back 5-minutes later claiming I got the kill. Crazy shit that was, but this is far crazier and a lot more real."

"Hey, aren't you forgetting something?" Sammie interjected, "What about my parents? Where are they?"

"Not here."

"WHAT?! But they said they kidnapped my parents!"

"Exactly," Sako replied, "But they never said where they were keeping them."

There was a moment of silence and a few minutes later, a desk flew out the window and landed on a parked car.

"Don't worry. I found them. They're safe now," Sako assured Sammie.

"So if Bonz here is the one with the power, then we still need to find his boss," Coltyn said.

"And that means Gozaburo Kaiba," Mikey finished, "But where are we going to find him?"

"I think Bonz will know," Max suggested as he turned to look at the undead duelist, "Hey, where'd he go?" Everyone looked around. Bonz was nowhere to be found.

"He escaped!" Sammie shouted.

"Go," Sako told the teens, "I'm going to check on the hosts to see if the Big Five truly have left their bodies. After that, I'll find that zombie motherfucker. "

"Okay. Thanks Sako." Mikey nodded at the Duel Sniper before he and his friends took off. As they were running Coltyn began to mumble something that made Mikey turn to him, "What was that Coltyn?"

"He had grey eyes," Coltyn said with a smile as he cleared his throat to quote, "'He observed that it was a gray eye and remembered having read that gray eyes were keenest, and that all famous marksmen had them.' That is from _An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge_ by Ambrose Bierce."

Mikey smiled at the quote too. Mr. Remington would find Bonz. He knew it now.

ooo

"Tell me grandson, what do you plan to do?" Gozaburo challenged.

"I'll show you exactly what I plan to do!" Saito drew his card, "Card Destruction will obliterate those Exodia cards very nicely." He played the card and Dark Ruler Ha Des suddenly appeared in the center of the field. He cackled and thrust his hands at both duelists, sending a powerful wind in their directions followed by a flurry of cards coming out of his sleeves. Saito and Gozaburo discarded their hands and drew the same number of cards they lost.

"Now you can't bring out Exodia." Saito pointed forward, "Montage Dragon, attack Five God Dragon. Power Collage!" Montage Dragon opened its mouths and each fired a different-colored beam. The three blasts fused together into one helix and collided with Five God Dragon, dealing damage to Gozaburo without destroying the target.

---------------------------

**Saito:** 3400

**Gozaburo:** 900

---------------------------

"I end my turn. Looks like your plan has backfired, grandfather."

"Not quite, grandson." Gozaburo drew his next card, "I switch Five God Dragon into defense mode and end my turn."

"Now you're just trying to hide behind an impenetrable wall." Saito drew and proceeded with his turn. With no way to get through a monster with five thousand defense points that could not be destroyed in battle by anything other than a Light monster, he ended his turn. Gozaburo's turn came next and after he drew, he placed his new card into his hand and set another one. Saito's turn came and went as he drew and passed. Gozaburo drew and discarded a card to his graveyard after passing his turn. Saito drew again and scowled. He needed his Dragon's Rage trap card so he could deal piercing damage and win.

Gozaburo drew and he laughed when he found what he received. "This is exactly what I need! Watch closely, grandson. I return all the monsters in my graveyard to my deck…" Every single monster card was removed from his graveyard and slotted in randomly into his deck before it was shuffled. "…so I can summon Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord!" Gozaburo placed a card into the center of his duel terminal and a hologram of a giant bearing a strong resemblance to Exodia appeared. It was almost identical to the original except its body was a darker shade of brown (ATK/? DEF/0).

"And what's the point of this monster?" Saito asked, clearly not impressed.

"Ah, allow me to explain my dear grandson." The last three words were spoken in an increasingly mocking tone. "Exodius gains one thousand attack points for each Normal Monster in my graveyard and each time he attacks I have to send one monster card from my hand or deck to my graveyard. Now, if I send all five pieces of Exodia to the graveyard this way, Exodius' final effect activates, allowing me to win the duel."

"Good luck," Saito scoffed, "It doesn't have any attack power."

"It will once I activate this." Gozaburo revealed his facedown card. "Advanced Ritual Art. I send Oppressed People, Charcoal Inpachi, Skull Servant, Thousand Eyes Idol, Kozaky, Gigobyte, Mokey Mokey, and Water Spirit from my deck to the graveyard so I can summon Shinato, King of a Higher Plane!" After the monsters had been sacrificed, a large blue-skinned god with six golden wings appeared (ATK/3300 DEF/3000). "And with eight Normal Monsters in the graveyard, that bring Exodius to eight thousand attack points!"

"Oh," Saito looked up at the powered-up Exodius, "son of a…"

"Exodius, attack Montage Dragon! Lightning Fire Flash!" Gozaburo discarded Right Leg of the Forbidden One from his deck to his graveyard, boosting Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord to nine thousand attack points, and watched as it unleashed a massive blast of fire upon Montage Dragon and destroyed it without an ounce of effort.

---------------------------

**Saito:** 1900

**Gozaburo:** 900

---------------------------

"You can't win, grandson!" Gozaburo bellowed, "Nothing you have can match power of this magnitude!"

Saito smirk that signature Kaiba smirk, his eyes gleaming in florescent light. "Nothing, but one card, and that is all I will need. That is all any Kaiba needs."

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The battle for Kaiba Corp. draws to a close. Saito's true ultimate test is at hand. Find out if the boy can reclaim his father's company next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	38. Roar! The Legendary Dragon's Wrath!

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-38**

**Roar! The Legendary Dragon's Wrath!**

---------------------------

**Saito:** 1900

**Gozaburo:** 900

---------------------------

Saito stood with five cards in his hand and his Felgrand Dragon (ATK/2800 DEF/2800), Tyrant Dragon (ATK/2900 DEF/2500), and Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (ATK/2800 DEF/2400) on the field. His opponent, Gozaburo Kaiba, had six cards in his hand as well as Five God Dragon (ATK/5000 DEF/5000), Shinato, King of a Higher Plane (ATK/3300 DEF/3000), and Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord (ATK/? DEF/0) who now stood at nine thousand attack points thanks to the eight Normal Monsters that lay in the graveyard as well as Right Leg of the Forbidden One, which was sent there by Exodius' effect.

"Let's see you try to get out of this one," Gozaburo challenged, "I end my turn."

"I draw!" Saito drew his card and looked at the field. There was currently no way he could take down Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord with his current hand. The best he could do was to prolong the duel and the best way to do that at the moment was to reduce the number of powerful monsters his opponent had out. He nodded with affirmation and played two cards from his hand. "I play Fissure and Smashing Ground. The former destroys the monster with the lowest attack points on your field while the latter destroys the highest defense." A large crack appeared in the ground under the feet of Shinato, King of a Higher Plane and swallowed him up. Shortly after that, a giant fist came down from the heavens and smashed into Five God Dragon. "I now use Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon's effect to resurrect one my Darkblaze Dragon in defense mode. Next I'll switch all my dragons into defense mode. That ends my turn."

"It doesn't matter what you do, grandson!" Gozaburo sneered as he drew, "Once all five pieces of Exodia are in my graveyard, I will win! Exodius, attack Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon! Lightning Fire Flash!" He took out Left Leg of the Forbidden One from his deck and placed it in his graveyard, boosting Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord up to ten thousand attack points. The massive behemoth clenched its fists and launched another blast of fire that destroyed Saito's black metallic dragon, reducing it to ash. With that done, he ended his turn, causing him to discard one card since he had seven upon drawing, and Saito drew his card. With two pieces of Exodia now in Gozaburo's graveyard, he only had three more turns to destroy the monstrosity that imposingly bore down on him like Darth Vader bearing down on a rebel prisoner being interrogated only more so due to Exodius' ridiculously large size.

Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon was dead and without it he could not resurrect dragons. For the time being, he decided to just end his turn and see where things took him. At that moment, Gozaburo drew his card. He commanded Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord to attack Tyrant Dragon next. After sending Right Arm of the Forbidden One to the graveyard and boosting up his monster to eleven hundred attack points, Exodius attacked and destroyed Tyrant Dragon. He discarded another card at the end of his turn and the duel returned to Saito. The teenager drew and scowled. After this, he only had one more turn to save himself. He ended it and waited. As predicted, Gozaburo ordered Exodius to attack and boosted it to twelve hundred attack points by sending Left Arm of the Forbidden One to the graveyard from his deck. Felgrand Dragon was completely obliterated soon afterwards.

"On my next turn, this duel is mine!" Gozaburo declared.

"Only if you can attack!" Saito took in a deep breath and drew his card. He looked at it and a glimmer flash across his eyes. "I play Enemy Controller and input the command Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, select, start!" A giant game controller appeared and after the command had been entered, the cord plugged into Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord and brought it down to his knees.

"What have you done?" demanded Gozaburo.

"I switched his battle position," answered Saito as he switched his Darkblaze Dragon into attack mode, "Darkblaze Dragon, destroy Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord with Black Searer!" Darkblaze Dragon roared and unleashed a torrent of orange and black flames on the target. Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord let out a loud moan before it was destroyed and removed from play by its own effect.

"Your strategy is done for," Saito said.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, boy!" Gozaburo drew his card, "I still have Exodia's power on my side."

"And how do you plan to do that? You have four Exodia pieces in the graveyard."

"And that is where I plan to summon Exodia from. The grave!" Gozaburo played a card. "I'll start with Tribute to the Doomed. And to use its effect, I'll be discarding Exodia's head to the graveyard." He discarded Exodia the Forbidden One from his hand and a mummy's hand reached up, grabbed Darkblaze Dragon by the ankle, and dragged it underground.

"And now I activate the spell card Contract with Exodia! This card can only be activated when all five pieces of Exodia are in my graveyard. With this spell, I summon Exodia Necross in attack mode!" Gozaburo held a hand out toward the field and a black seal appeared on the ground out of which arose a black Exodia emanating with an aura of pure darkness (ATK/1800 DEF/0). "Exodia Necross, attack directly! Exodia Necross Extinction Fist!" Exodia Necross moaned as it threw its fist forward and slammed it into Saito.

---------------------------

**Saito:** 100

**Gozaburo:** 900

---------------------------

"THIS is the true power of Exodia!" Gozaburo gloated, "As long as I have him on the field, he cannot be destroyed in battle or by the effects of spell or trap cards. In addition, he gains five hundred attack points during each of my Standby Phases."

"Exodia Necross only stays as long as all five pieces of Exodia are in the graveyard," Saito reminded his opponent, "If even one is removed in any way, Necross dies."

"That's why I'm also playing a field spell. Necrovalley!" The entire field suddenly transformed and turned into the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. "Now all cards that affect the graveyard will be negated." Saito swore under his breath. He only realized now that Gozaburo had planned on using Exodia Necross from the very beginning. The use of Exodia's traditional strategy and Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord were just distractions from his real objective and a means for Gozaburo to attain his goal.

Saito growled. This was not going well. Here he was facing an indestructible monster that would only grow stronger as time went on with its only weakness well protected while he was down to his final one hundred Life Points. He drew his card. For now, he could only stall until something came up. He set a monster facedown and concluded his turn.

"You seem desperate," Gozaburo said mockingly as he drew and Exodia Necross gained five hundred attack points, now having a twenty-three hundred attack power, "Maybe this will ease your pain. I play Upstart Goblin to draw one card while giving you a thousand Life Points."

---------------------------

**Saito:** 1100

**Gozaburo:** 900

---------------------------

Gozaburo grinned when he drew his card and set it down before ordering Exodia Necross to attack. The undead Forbidden One punched the facedown and revealed it to be Masked Dragon (ATK/1400 DEF/1100).

"I use Masked Dragon to summon a second Masked Dragon in defense mode!" Saito searched his deck and brought out a second dragon which he placed on his duel terminal sideways.

"Defend all you like, grandson! You're only delaying the inevitable!" When his turn came up, Saito drew his card. When he laid his eyes on it, they widened. This was just the thing he needed. However, now was not the time so he decided to hang onto it. He ended his turn and discarded a card. Gozaburo drew and as soon as he entered his Standby Phase, Exodia Necross rose up by another five hundred points to twenty-eight hundred attack points. With its power increased once more, it drew back its fist and slammed it into Masked Dragon, prompting Saito to summon a third Masked Dragon in defense mode.

"Just give up already, grandson!" Gozaburo called out, "This duel is almost as good as over."

"The duel isn't over until the final card has been drawn." Saito shouted across the arena.

ooo

Sammie, Mikey, Coltyn, and Max continued down the hall but then stopped. Their path split into multiple corridors. There was one hallway heading to the left, one to the right, one straight ahead, and a staircase that lead upstairs.

"Which way now?" asked Max.

"We split up," answered Coltyn. "I'm taking the right one."

"I'm going straight!" Max said cheerily.

"Like that'll ever happen," Sammie replied jokingly, "I'm going left."

"Guess that leaves me with up." Mikey looked at the stairs.

"If anyone finds anything, text the rest of us," Sammie instructed, "Now go! Move!"

As Mikey ascended the stairs, he couldn't help but wonder whether or not he had just made a big mistake. But there was no turning back now and Sammie certainly was not going to let him turn back either.

ooo

Saito drew the top card from his deck and looked at it. "I set one monster facedown and end my turn!"

"It doesn't matter what you do, boy! Nothing can destroy Exodia Necross and at this point he's far too powerful for you to apply damage calculation anyway." Gozaburo drew and Exodia Necross rose to thirty-three hundred attack points. "Exodia Necross, attack now! Exodia Necross Extinction Fist!" Exodia Necross launched its attack and destroyed Masked Dragon.

"With Masked Dragon's effect, I summon Troop Dragon in defense mode!" Saito searched his deck and pulled out a card. He played it immediately and called out a small green dragon dressed like a foot soldier (ATK/700 DEF/800). He shuffled his deck afterwards and placed it back on his deck zone.

"I'll end my turn," declared Gozaburo.

"My move." Saito drew his card and growled. Still nothing. He set a card facedown and concluded his turn.

"I draw!" Gozaburo drew and Exodia Necross rose up to thirty-eight hundred attack points. "Attack Troop Dragon!" Exodia Necross punched Troop Dragon and effortlessly destroyed it. With its effect, Saito summoned another Troop Dragon in defense mode.

"I end my turn."

"My draw." The son of Seto Kaiba drew another card. Still nothing. For the time being, he decided to set a card just in case things suddenly took a different turn. "My turn ends."

"And mine begins." Gozaburo drew and Exodia Necross' attack points rose to forty-three hundred. "Attack Troop Dragon with Exodia Necross Extinction Fist!" The undead Forbidden One threw its fist forward and destroyed Troop Dragon.

"I activate Troop Dragon's effect to summon my third Troop Dragon!" Saito declared as he brought out his final Troop Dragon.

"This concludes my turn," announced Gozaburo.

"And now begins mine." Saito drew his card and looked.

_This is the one!_ he exclaimed mentally.

"I set two facedowns and end my turn." Two more facedown cards appeared on Saito's field, totaling three.

"Spells and traps won't help you, boy!" said Gozaburo as he drew and Exodia Necross grew to forty-eight hundred attack points, "I'm growing tired of these games. I play Stop Defense on Troop Dragon!" Troop Dragon was suddenly forced to stand upright and lower its shield as it was changed into attack mode. "Exodia Necross, attack Troop Dragon!"

"Reveal trap card!" Saito flipped one of his facedowns over, "Shift. When you choose one of my monsters as a target, this card lets me change the target and I'm changing it to my facedown monster." An invisible force suddenly jerked Exodia Necross sideways and his fist collided with the facedown card, which turned out to be Twin-Headed Behemoth (ATK/1500 DEF/1200).

"When Twin-Headed Behemoth is destroyed in battle, it returns to the field at the End Phase with one thousand attack and defense points," Saito explained.

"I'll get you next time, grandson," Gozaburo declared as he ended his turn and Twin-Headed Behemoth returned to the field in defense mode.

"Oh, I'm afraid there won't be a next time for you, grandfather."

ooo

Mikey ran down the hall toward the sounds he had heard. "Why do narrow blank hallways always have to be so long?" he asked himself.

"Do not get distracted, Mikey," Kuraz the Light Monarch cautioned, "Keep alert." As per usual, Mikey just thought he was hearing voices again but he couldn't let that stop him as he continued running. Finally, he emerged into an open area to see a massive black Exodia. He looked around and realized he was in a dueling arena. His eyes turned to the man behind the black Exodia and stared before he recognized him.

"That must be Gozaburo Kaiba. I've seen his picture on Wikipedia." He took out his cell phone and began typing out a text message.

_I found Gozaburo Kaiba. Come up quickly. I think I'm on the sixty-fifth floor._

He selected Sammie, Max, and Coltyn from his contacts list and then sent it off before turning back to the arena and looked at the other end. "Is that…Saito Kaiba?"

Saito drew his card and glared at Gozaburo with a gaze of pure ice. "Grandfather, it's time to show you that I'm more than just some kid. I'm a true Kaiba! I sacrifice Troop Dragon and Twin-Headed Behemoth." The two dragons vanished from the field and Saito selected a single card from his hand and placed it onto his duel terminal.

"I summon…the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" A column of light shot up from Saito's field and the form of an enormous dragon appeared. Its scales were as white as snow and its eyes like sapphires as the creature of majesty and magnificence spread out its wings and let out a bloodcurdling roar that shook the heavens (ATK/3000 DEF/2500).

"Kaiba has a Blue-Eyes White Dragon?!" Mikey gasped. He had never seen one before in his entire life and now he could only stare up on awe with his jaw hanging open as the sight before him.

"Is this some kind of joke?" laughed Gozaburo, "Your dragon is no match for my Exodia Necross!"

"My dragon is more than a match," replied Saito, "And you're about to find out why. I now activate a trap card. Behold the power of Skill Drain!"

"Skill Drain?" Gozaburo gasped.

"Hey, that's my card!" Mikey realized.

"I give up one thousand Life Points to negate the effects of all monsters on the field!" Saito announced.

---------------------------

**Saito:** 100

**Gozaburo:** 900

---------------------------

Exodia Necross moaned loudly as its body began to smoke. The dark aura that surrounded it faded and it collapsed onto one knee. Slowly, the black color of its body faded away until it had turned a dull blue.

"NO! This can't be happening!" Gozaburo shouted.

"You know, 'grandfather'," Saito said, "you think you know me. You think I am a punk like my father used to be. You think that because I grew up in the lap of luxury I never had to work for anything. But you are wrong. I had to work for one thing. I worked to break free of the shackles of my father! He is the only man I will ever admire and I shall surpass him to honor his legacy!"

"Legacy?" Gozaburo scoffed, "Don't make me laugh! That fool took over my empire. The empire that _I_ created!"

"You are the fool! You never worked for anything like my father did! Like I did! I will show you the strength of the blood that runs in my veins! THE BLOOD OF SETO KAIBA! Blue-Eyes White Dragon, show this fool the true power of my father's legacy! _My_ legacy! _**BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!**_"

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon stepped forward and snarled as it looked down on the crippled Exodia Necross. It was almost as if the prey that had been laid out before it was not even worth the effort to kill it. It sneered in a Kaiba-esque fashion and spread its wings. A loud roar ripped from its throat as energy gathered up in its mouth in the form of a sphere. It shone brightly and crackled with life as it built up. The majestic beast flapped its wings and took flight. It flew high into the air and then, with another roar, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon fired a massive energy beam straight down. Exodia Necross was engulfed by the attack and its body crumbled into a pile of rubble under its power.

---------------------------

**Saito:** 100

**Gozaburo:** 0

---------------------------

But it did not stop there. The Burst Stream of Destruction continued on and engulfed Gozaburo, as well. The man let out a scream as the overwhelming power of the dragon consumed him.

"NO! ….MY…COMPANY…MY…LEGACY…" His face suddenly changed to a much younger look and his short grey hair and moustache disappeared only to be replaced by long silky purple hair as the soul and mind of Gozaburo Kaiba were purged from the body of Siegfried von Schroeder.

The Burst Stream of Destruction subsided and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon landed back on the ground with a thunderous crash and let out a deafening prolonged roar.

"I AM SAITO KAIBA! HEAR MY DRAGON ROAR!"

Mikey could only stare up at the dragon in awe as its cry reached every corner of the Kaiba Corp. headquarters. About that time, his friends arrived.

"Mikey, what's going on?" Sammie demanded.

"Kaiba's got a…Blue-Eyes White Dragon…" Everyone else turned to look and they all gaped at the majestic creature that stood over them. Its roar slowly died down and as its mouth closed, its eyes seemed to connect with Mikey's as if the hologram was acknowledging his presence.

The dragon faded away soon after as the holographic projectors in the arena deactivated and the duel terminals pulled back to their respective ramps. Saito gathered up his cards and as he picked up the last of them, his eyes fell on the Blue-Eyes White Dragon he had played. He picked it up and looked at it.

"The torch has been passed. I shall carry on the Kaiba family legacy." He placed the card into his deck and his deck into his pocket before descending down the ramp. He didn't care about the fact that there was an unconscious man at the other terminal. So while Coltyn and Max went to deal with Siegfried, he went upstairs to his father's office. Sammie and Mikey followed suit. They watched as he rummaged through the drawers and cabinets until he found what he was looking for: the documents certifying Schroeder Corp.'s takeover of Kaiba Corp. Once he found the, he sat down behind the desk and flipped through them before picking up the phone. He turned to a screen on the wall and it flickered to life, revealing the face of Seto Kaiba.

"I'm in the office, father," he said emotionlessly.

"And the papers?" asked Kaiba.

"Right here." Saito held up the folder containing the documents.

"Good. You know what to do."

"Yes I do." Saito turned to the paper shredder and took the documents from the folder. "As of this moment, Kaiba Corp. once again belongs to you." He dropped the papers and watched as they were reduced to little more than confetti.

"Well done, Saito."

"It's just business, father."

"I've raised you well. You are now free to do what you wish."

"Already taking care of it." Holding the phone up to his ear with his shoulder, Saito typed away on the computer. "Funding has been fully restored to Duel Academy." Seto Kaiba nodded and signed off. Saito got up from the chair and proceeded to the door.

"If you want a ride back to school, meet me on the roof." That was all he said and then he left.

"So that was Seto Kaiba," Mikey thought out loud as he and Sammie followed after him, "Not much of a father figure, is it?" Saito overheard this and closed his eyes.

"Power through conquest, conquest through determination, determination through strength, strength through family," he recited to himself. That was the way of the Kaiba family.

That was the way of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The legacy of the Kaiba family. See the passing of the torch from father to son next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	39. The Legend of the Blue Eyes White Dragon

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-39**

**The Kaiba Legacy – the Legend of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon**

_**ONE WEEK AGO**_

Saito Kaiba had learned about the takeover long before the school's staff had found out. He spent the next two days researching until his company jet arrived. He boarded the craft the moment it arrived and it took off just as quickly.

"Roman, explain to me how this happened!" Saito demanded his right-hand advisor as he sat at his desk aboard his Kaiba Corp. company jet.

"We're not sure, young Mr. Kaiba," Roman replied, "It just happened unexpectedly. If I had to wager a guess, it was an inside job. But the good news is your father and uncle made it out safely."

"That doesn't change the fact that THIS happened!" Saito got up from his chair and shoved the documents into Roman's face, "Tell me. How did Schroeder Corp. take over Kaiba Corp.?"

"Young Mr. Kaiba, sir, you have a call," Saito's secretary called from the other room.

"I'm busy!"

"It's your father." Saito stopped. Seto Kaiba was the only man in the world he truly respected and to refuse a phone call from him would be an insult to his father. He immediately picked up the phone on his desk and pressed the line that the call was holding on.

"Saito Kaiba here."

"I assume you've already heard," Seto Kaiba's voice came through, cold and unfeeling.

"Yes, I have."

"Then come home. There's something we need to discuss." Saito was silent for a couple of minutes.

"I understand." He heard the other end hang up and he did the same. He pressed a button on his private call machine.

"Pilot. Change of plans," he said to the cockpit, "We're going to Kaiba Manor."

"At once, sir." The pilot changed course, moving the plane approximately one degree to the left, and continued onward.

Two hours later, the Kaiba estate could be seen in the distance. The property resided miles outside Domino City so there was lots of room for a runway; an addition Seto Kaiba decided to make to his estate when he deemed it significantly more efficient than taking a car to the airport and storing the plane there. Saito leaned back in his seat and waited as the aircraft landed and slowed to a halt. A ramp was quickly driven up to the door and the young teen stepped out and made his way to a waiting car. He stepped into the backseat and then rode to the mansion itself.

"Welcome home, young Master Kaiba," the servants greeted as he stepped into the foyer of the enormous residence. Saito was greeted by the Kaiba family crest looming over with a foreboding weight that was held by the economic juggernauts of the world. It was something his uncle had designed and then his father later made it official. A blue shield emblazoned with a silver Old English capital K flanked by three Blue-Eyes White Dragons. Below it was a ribbon that said the words "Power through conquest, conquest through determination, determination through strength, strength through family." It was overall a simple design, but a powerful one.

"Good to see you home again, Master Saito," a short, round, old man greeted as the Kaiba heir entered.

"My father is expecting me," Saito said flatly.

"Ah yes. He is in the office." The butler led Saito away from the foyer and upstairs. They passed a few servants, who bowed respectfully to the heir of the Kaiba fortune. Before long, they arrived at the massive double doors with majestic dragon carvings etched into the wood. Hobson bowed and walked away. Saito raised his hand and knocked loudly.

"Enter." The doors opened and Saito stepped inside. He stood at attention as the man sitting behind the desk turned around to face him. Time had been kind to Seto Kaiba. He had aged, but in such a way that he now sported a more mature look. "Saito."

"Father." The two gentlemen acknowledged one another without so much as a smile. "You summoned me."

"You already know what's going on, Saito," Seto said to his son.

"I do, father," Saito replied, "I've been going over it with Roman to find out how it happened."

"The how is easy to figure out," Seto responded, "The difficult and more important thing is the why."

"True." Saito crossed his arms over his chest, "Schroeder Corp. has no reason to take over our company, so why do it?"

"I have serious doubts that Siegfried von Schroeder is even behind this."

"What makes you say that, father?"

"It's not his style to take over another company like this." Seto walked over to a mini-bar in the corner of the room and poured himself a glass of wine. "I recognize this method of takeover anywhere. It's how my predecessor ran things."

"You mean Gozaburo Kaiba?" asked Saito.

"Exactly."

"I thought he was dead."

"So he had us all believe." Seto Kaiba returned to his desk and sat down. "But he's died before, yet it turned out that he had copied his mind into data form and stored it in a hidden facility until he chose to reveal himself."

"What happened to the facility?"

"It was destroyed. But looking back, Gozaburo still could have escaped. Even though he was trapped inside the system, there's a chance that he sent a backup to another location via wireless telecommunications."

"That sounds incredibly far-fetched, father," Saito replied skeptically.

"Far-fetched, but entirely possible, since he showed wi-fi capabilities from that facility when Noah, your uncle, hi-jacked the Battle City Finals airship. I was naïve to believe that the Big Five and he wouldn't make backups somewhere." Seto stood up. "Son, I'm sending you to take care of this. You may be the heir to the family fortune, but you must prove yourself worthy enough to have it. Just as your uncle Mokuba and I worked to achieve what we have accomplished, you must earn your right to Kaiba Corp. But before you go, there's something you'll need."

"I assume I'll need to earn this one, too."

"Smart man." Come with me. Seto left the office with Saito right behind him. They went downstairs where Mokuba was waiting in the foyer with a briefcase in one hand.

"Mokuba, did you get them?" Seto inquired.

"Right here." Mokuba patted the case.

"Good. Then come with us." The three Kaibas walked toward the back of the mansion and entered the library. Seto walked to the shelf in the furthest corner and rearranged the books, prompting it to slide back and reveal a secret elevator. The three men stepped inside and rode it down far below the Kaiba Manor foundation. After several minutes, the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Seto stepped forward and clapped his hands. Immediately, lights flooded the room and revealed a duel arena.

"Whom must I defeat, father?" Saito inquired, already knowing full well what he had to do.

"You must duel me," answered Seto. This answer took Saito by mild surprise. Somehow, he had a small feeling in the back of his head that he would be dueling his father, but at the same time he did not. "If you can't defeat me, Saito, then you won't have what it takes to defeat Gozaburo." Saito just nodded and took his deck from his coat as he walked over to one of the duel terminals. Seto made his way to the other while Mokuba sat down in the judge's box.

"This is an official match between Seto Kaiba and his son Saito Kaiba!" the young man announced, "Conquering the father is considered a rite of passage for the Kaiba family. Should Saito win, he shall be bestowed with the Kaiba legacy. But should he lose, he shall be stripped of the Kaiba name and forcefully removed from the family." Saito almost felt his heart skip a beat. Was this really what was at stake? Somehow, his father felt his thoughts and turned toward his son.

"This is the way of the Kaiba family!"

"Then I'll prove my worth and then some!" The two Kaibas drew their starting hands and pushed a button each of their terminals to see who would go first. Seto had selected rock while Saito had picked paper.

-----------------------------

**Saito Kaiba:** 8000

**Seto Kaiba:** 8000

-----------------------------

"The first turn belongs to me. I draw!" Saito drew his first card, "And I start by summoning Twin-Headed Behemoth in attack mode." He placed his card onto the duel terminal and one of the squares in front of him began to shine as his two-headed dragon appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/1200). "That's it for me."

"You're leaving yourself wide open, Saito." Seto drew his card. "You've got something planned. You're going to sacrifice Twin-Headed Behemoth when it returns to the field with its own effect. Admittedly it was a small sacrifice. But to obtain a greater goal, that is what really matters. I summon Vorse Raider in attack mode!" He slapped his card down and summoned a diabolical warrior wielding a double-bladed glaive (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). "Vorse Raider, destroy Twin-Headed Behemoth!" Vorse Raider charged at Twin-Headed Behemoth and swung his blade down between its two necks, cleaving the dragon in half down the middle.

-----------------------------

**Saito Kaiba:** 7600

**Seto Kaiba:** 8000

-----------------------------

"I'll end my turn after setting a facedown." A giant facedown card appeared on Seto's field and he looked at his son. "It's your move."

"And on the End Phase, Twin-Headed Behemoth comes back with one thousand attack and defense points," announced Saito as his creature returned to the field in defense mode. He then drew his card when his Draw Phase came up and proceeded with his turn. "I remove from play my Twin-Headed Behemoth in order to Special Summon my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" A portal to the Different Dimension opened up and swallowed Twin-Headed Behemoth before an enormous metallic black dragon appeared in its place and roared (ATK/2800 DEF/2400). "Next I'll use my Red-Eyes' effect to Special Summon one Dragon from my hand. So come on out, Tyrant Dragon!" Beside his black dragon, Saito summoned out an enormous brown dragon with a gem embedded into its forehead (ATK/2900 DEF/2500).

"Tyrant Dragon, attack Vorse Raider! Dragon's Gunfire!" A loud bang rang out like a gunshot at Tyrant Dragon launched a large fireball from its mouth and struck down Vorse Raider.

-----------------------------

**Saito Kaiba:** 7600

**Seto Kaiba:** 7000

-----------------------------

"Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, attack with Darkness Metal Flare!" Energy gathered up inside Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon's throat and it unleashed a mighty blast straight toward Seto Kaiba.

-----------------------------

**Saito Kaiba:** 7600

**Seto Kaiba:** 4200

-----------------------------

"Glad to see you're not holding back," the older Kaiba noted as he drew upon his turn's Draw Phase, "But don't think I'm going easy on you just because you're my son. In fact, I intend to push you even harder. I play Ancient Rules, which lets me Special Summon one normal monster from my hand." Saito's eyes widened.

"You couldn't possibly have it in your hand, could you?"

"I summon the almighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Seto Kaiba played his card and a mighty and majestic dragon with scales as white as snow and eyes like sapphires appeared. It spread out its wings and roared (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon! Burst Stream of Destruction!" Blue-Eyes White Dragon opened its mouth and formed a sparking ball of blue and white energy before launching a beam that engulfed the black dragon.

-----------------------------

**Saito Kaiba:** 7400

**Seto Kaiba:** 4200

-----------------------------

Seto then set a card facedown. "It's your move, Saito."

"I draw!" Saito drew his card. "And I'll be destroying that Blue-Eyes with this card. Exploder Dragon, arise!" His duel terminal registered his card and a blue dragon with clawed wings appeared with a bomb in its hands (ATK/1000 DEF/0). "When Exploder Dragon is destroyed in battle, it destroys the monster that killed it and when it attacks the battle damage inflicted on either duelist is reduced to zero. Exploder Dragon, attack! Dynamite Crush!"

"You just triggered my trap card!" Seto flipped one of his facedowns over, "Mirror Force!" A reflective pane of glass appeared in front of Blue-Eyes White Dragon as Exploder Dragon flew into it. It collided with the barrier and detonated its bomb. The power of the explosive was reflected back and destroyed Saito's Tyrant Dragon.

"Try again next time, son." Saito's father drew his card. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack! Burst Stream of Destruction!" Blue-Eyes White Dragon roared and unleashed its powerful attack directly into Saito with enough force to knock him off his feet.

-----------------------------

**Saito Kaiba:** 4400

**Seto Kaiba:** 4200

-----------------------------

"Let's see what you've got, son."

_So that was the power of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon_, thought Saito as he got up, _It's incredible!_ He drew his next card, his resolve shaken like his hand, the card flittering like a leaf in the breeze.

"I play Future Fusion and I'll be sending two Darkblaze Dragons, one Tyrant Dragon, one Decoy Dragon, and one Exploder Dragon from my deck to my graveyard." The youngest member of the Kaiba family pulled the five cards from his deck and placed them in his graveyard before shuffling the rest of the cards and placing them back on his deck zone. "After that, I summon Decoy Dragon in attack mode." A small blue baby dragon appeared on the field and smiled (ATK/300 DEF/200). "That ends my turn."

"Once again, Saito, you're demonstrating your reliance on your dragons' combined powers," said Set as he drew, "If you want to become the next in line for the Kaiba throne, so to speak, then you must be able to rely on your dragons' individual powers and abilities. We stand alone against the storm, for we are Kaibas. If you can't see what I mean, then I'll show you. I reveal my facedown card, Mystical Space Typhoon!" A torrent of wind blew across the field and destroyed Future Fusion. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Decoy Dragon!"

"I use Decoy Dragon to resurrect and redirect your attack to Darkblaze Dragon in defense mode!" Saito announced. Decoy Dragon's real eyes flashed and the Burst Stream changed its course toward a defending Darkblaze Dragon. The orange and black dragon was killed instantly.

"I set one monster and one facedown and then end my turn," declared Seto.

"My move." Saito drew his card, "I play Monster Reborn and I'll use it to bring back Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" In the Monster Zone to Decoy Dragon's right, Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon rose up from its grave and roared. "With my dragon's effect, I resurrect one Tyrant Dragon and destroy Decoy Dragon in exchange." Tyrant Dragon appeared at Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon's side and slammed its jaws shut around Decoy Dragon. "Next I play Dragon's Mirror and remove from play my two Exploder Dragons, one Decoy Dragon, one Darkblaze Dragon, and one Tyrant Dragon from my graveyard to Fusion Summon Five God Dragon!" The dragons vanished with the command into a nexus of nothing as the multi-headed god of all dragons appeared with a deafening roar from all its heads in a chorus of terror.

"You still continue to cling to the Five God Dragon," Seto said with a slight tone of disappointment in his voice.

"I do whatever it takes to win, father!" replied Saito, "Five God Dragon, destroy Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Penta-Dragon Blaze!"

"You leave me no choice." Seto Kaiba reached out and flipped over his facedown, "I activate my Crush Card Virus! I tribute my facedown monster as the cost for this card's effect." He flipped his card over and revealed it to be none other than Saggi the Dark Clown (ATK/600 DEF/1500). Its body exploded and a large cloud burst forward and hit Saito's field. The purple haze the fell over his side soon began showing its effects. Saito's three dragons began to moan and then roar in pain as their flesh was eaten away by an unseen force. At the same time, one of the cards in his hand began smoking and upon realizing this, the teen quickly dropped it into his graveyard as the dragons on his field died.

"Damn," Saito hissed.

"A true Kaiba can rely on more than just raw power. Prove to me if you have the skills to match my own!"

"You want to see skills, father?" Saito took the last card in his hand and placed it on the field, "An eye for an eye and for destroying my dragons, I'm destroying your Blue-Eyes with my Fissure card." Through the purple haze that hovered over his field, he watched as a large crack appeared under the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and swallowed it up.

"How long will it last, I wonder." Seto drew his card, "I summon Y-Dragon Head in attack mode." He placed his card on his duel terminal and summoned a red metal dragon (ATK/1500 DEF/1600), "Attack Saito's Life Points directly! Y-Laser Stream!" Y-Dragon Head opened its mouth and a beam of energy shot forward and struck Saito's chest, kicking up digital dust when it collided.

-----------------------------

**Saito Kaiba:** 2900

**Seto Kaiba:** 4200

-----------------------------

"Let's see what you've got, son."

"So be it." Saito drew his card. With the haze left behind from the activation of Crush Card Virus, Saito was forced to reveal his card, which was Masked Dragon. He then set it down and ended his turn.

"Let's see what else we've got." Seto Kaiba drew his next card. "I summon X-Head Cannon in attack mode." Beside Y-Dragon Head, a blue robot with two cannons on its shoulders appeared (ATK/1800 DEF/1500). "X-Head Cannon, attack Masked Dragon with X-Cannon Burst!" X-Head Cannon targeted the facedown monster with its cannons and fired a shot from each, destroying the monster and activating its effect with which Saito summoned a second Masked Dragon in defense mode. "Y-Dragon Head, it's your turn. Y-Laser Stream!" Another laser beam shot out and destroyed the second Masked Dragon, which prompted the summoning of a third one. Seto ended his turn there.

_I better get something I can use this turn_, thought Saito as he slowly lifted the top card from his deck. _Knowing my father, he's planning to summon XYZ-Dragon Cannon soon_. He looked at the card and a glimmer flashed across his eye. This was just what he needed. Unfortunately, the lingering effects of Crush Card Virus forced him to reveal it and he regretfully showed his Sakuretsu Armor.

"So that's what you're planning," Seto smirked. Saito said nothing as he set the card facedown and ended his turn. The older Kaiba then drew. "I summon Z-Metal Tank in attack mode." Just as Saito had predicted, his father summoned Z-Metal Tank and brought out a short yellow tank (ATK/1500 DEF/1300). "I now fuse them together to form XYZ-Dragon Cannon!" X-Head Cannon's base began to spin rapidly as the spikes retracted inside. Meanwhile, Y-Dragon Head's wings disconnected from its body while its feet folded into its body while Z-Metal Tank opened a hatch on its top as two more hatches opened on its tread guards and two cannons come out. Slowly, Y-Dragon Head lowered itself onto the bright yellow machine and docked into place. Then X-Head-Cannon came down as Y-Dragon Head opened a docking station on its back. The normal monster slid into place and shot its spikes back out to lock itself into place. Their connection now complete, the trio now stood as one as XYZ-Dragon Cannon (ATK/2800 DEF/2600).

"I end my turn right there!" declared Seto Kaiba.

"My move!" Saito drew his card and showed it to his father as a result of Crush Card Virus. It was Trade-In. He then concluded his turn. At long last, the purple haze of the Crush Card Virus vanished.

"It's my turn now. I draw!" Seto drew his card and added it to his hand. He knew he could attack right now by using his XYZ-Dragon Cannon's effect to destroy Sakuretsu Armor, but he wanted to wait until he had more cards in his hand first. He ended his turn and it was back to Saito, who drew. His hopes went up when he saw his card.

"I play Trade-In and I'll be discarding my Berserk Dragon for it." Saito placed his level eight monster into his graveyard and drew two new cards. "I set one card facedown and end my turn."

"My draw." Seto drew his card. "I discard one card to activate XYZ-Dragon Cannon's effect. Destroy the first facedown!" X-Head Cannon's weapons pointed upward and two shells were fired. They shot into the air and came crashing down on top of Saito's Sakuretsu Armor. "Now I summon Kaiser Sea Horse in attack mode." Taking one more card from his hand, he placed on the field and summoned an aquatic warrior wielding a double pike (ATK/1700 DEF/1650). "XYZ-Dragon Cannon, destroy Masked Dragon with Full Frontal Arsenal Assault!" X-Head Cannon aimed its cannons at the target, Y-Dragon Head opened its mouth, and Z-Metal Tank positioned its weapons. On their master's command, all five weapons were fired and a quintet of laser fire shot across the field and destroyed Masked Dragon.

"I summon Troop Dragon in defense mode with Masked Dragon's effect!" announced Saito as he summoned a collective of armed humanoid dragons in a defensive stance (ATK/700 DEF/800).

"Kaiser Sea Horse, dispatch of that Troop Dragon immediately!" On Seto's orders, Kaiser Sea Horse ran in and stabbed Troop Dragon, killing it and prompting a second one to take its place. "My turn is over."

"I draw." Saito drew his card. "First I activate my facedown Double Summon. Next I summon Luster Dragon." A human-sized blue dragon appeared and roared (ATK/1900 DEF/1600). "Now I sacrifice Luster Dragon and Troop Dragon to summon Felgrand Dragon in attack mode!" The two monsters vanished and in their place, a bright light shone down. The sounds of wind and beating wings could be heard and within mere moments, the majestic gold and silver form of the mighty Felgrand Dragon descended upon the field and roared (ATK/2800 DEF/2800). "Felgrand Dragon, attack Kaiser Sea Horse with Shining Annihilator!" Felgrand Dragon reared its head and fired a shining golden beam into Kaiser Sea Horse, destroying it quickly.

-----------------------------

**Saito Kaiba:** 2900

**Seto Kaiba:** 3100

-----------------------------

_Given a choice between the two, I'd rather eliminate the card that can bring out a Blue-Eyes White Dragon_, thought Saito as he ended his turn.

"It's my move!" Seto drew his card and looked at it. "I play Soul Exchange, allowing me to use your dragon as tribute fodder. Now I sacrifice XYZ-Dragon Cannon and Felgrand Dragon in order to summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Both monsters vanished from the field and on Seto Kaiba's side, the enormous form of his second Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared and the entire arena echoed with its roar. "Since I used Soul Exchange, I cannot conduct my Battle Phase this turn. It's your move, son."

"Then I draw!" Saito drew his card and a wide grin appeared on his face, "I play Monster Reborn and I'll resurrect my Felgrand Dragon!" His golden dragon appeared on the field once again and roared. "Since he was Special Summoned from the graveyard, I can choose one monster from my graveyard and boost my dragon's attack points by that monster's level multiplied by two hundred. And I've got the perfect dead monster in mind. Felgrand Dragon, take Five God Dragon's power!" Felgrand Dragon spread out its arms and wings and roared as Five God Dragon appeared before it and exploded, allowing the golden beast to absorb its energy and boost itself up to fifty-two hundred attack points.

"Shining Annihilator!" Felgrand Dragon fired its attack and struck down Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

-----------------------------

**Saito Kaiba:** 2900

**Seto Kaiba:** 900

-----------------------------

"Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!" cried Seto.

"You can dish it out, father, but can you take it?" Saito taunted.

"I have taken worse than you could possibly dish out." Seto drew his card and looked at his hand, "I set one monster facedown and end my turn."

"My turn." Saito drew, "I play another Dragon's Mirror and remove three Masked Dragons and two Troop Dragons from my graveyard to Fusion Summon Five God Dragon!" Beside his Felgrand Dragon, a second Five God Dragon rose up and roared. "Five God Dragon, attack the facedown!"

"You disappoint me again, Saito. I told you not to rely on that fusion monster and now you're going to pay for it." Seto flipped his monster over, revealing an oil lamp made of brass (ATK/900 DEF/1400), "When Ancient Lamp is attacked while facedown, I can redirect your attack to one of your other monsters and I choose Felgrand Dragon!"

"But Felgrand Dragon is stronger and is a Light attribute monster!" Saito exclaimed, "That'll kill Five God Dragon."

"That's the idea."

As Five God Dragon unleashed its five-element helix, a thick smoke spewed from Ancient Lamp's spout and covered it. The attack went in and came back out of the same cloud, only aimed at Felgrand Dragon. The blast struck hard and the golden dragon was pushed back, but did not falter. Felgrand Dragon roared and turned its head toward Five God Dragon. It opened its mouth and blasted fellow comrade dragon.

-----------------------------

**Saito Kaiba:** 2700

**Seto Kaiba:** 900

-----------------------------

"Next turn, father," Saito assured.

"Don't be so confident, son." Seto drew his next card, "I play Foolish Burial and use it to send Spear Dragon to my graveyard. Next I activate Pot of Avarice, which I'll use to return Spear Dragon, Vorse Raider, Saggi the Dark Clown, XYZ-Dragon Cannon, and one of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons to their respective decks." After placing the cards back, he shuffled his deck and drew two cards. What he received was exactly what he needed. "I set one facedown and set a monster in defense mode. Your move, Saito."

"I draw!" Saito drew his card.

_Damn it! Not the card I needed_, he thought. For the time being, he decided to set his card and see where it would lead him.

"I end my turn," the young teen declared.

"Not attacking?" questioned Seto.

"If there's one thing I've learned in my years of dueling, father, it's this: never trust a facedown."

"A wise lesson." Seto drew his card, "I begin by Flip Summoning Morphing Jar." Both duelists discarded whatever cards they held in their hands and drew five fresh new cards. For Seto Kaiba, that was all he needed. "Alright, first I activate my facedown card, Monster Reborn! Come back, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" From the grave, the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon rose up and returned to the field with a powerful roar.

"Next I play White Dragon Ritual and sacrifice Morphing Jar and Ancient Lamp to summon Paladin of White Dragon." The two smaller creatures vanished and in their place appeared a knight wearing Raregold Armor riding on the back of what looked like a Blue-Eyes White Dragon infant (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). "Now I tribute it in order to summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck." The ritual monster vanished and in its place arose a second dragon, which also roared upon its arrival onto the field.

"Now I summon Kaibaman in attack mode." Seto Kaiba played another card and summoned what could be best described as an avatar of himself with long hair wearing a Blue-Eyes White Dragon mask (ATK/200 DEF/700). "And with Kaibaman's effect, I tribute him to summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Kaibaman held up the card he was holding and threw it onto the ground in front of him before vanishing, letting the mighty dragon take his place. Saito stared up in awe at the sight before him before he came to a realization.

"Wait a minute. Did you just summon all three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in one turn?"

"What's your point?" asked Seto.

"Nothing. But since you summoned one of them with Paladin of White Dragon, it kind of renders them mildly useless since none of them can attack. Plus my Felgrand Dragon is still stronger."

"It's true I can't attack, but that doesn't mean your Felgrand Dragon will live." Seto played the last card in his hand. "Burst Stream of Destruction!" All three Blue-Eyes White Dragons charged up and unleashed an incredible burst of raw power onto the field that destroyed Saito's Felgrand Dragon. "If I use Burst Stream of Destruction, my Blue-Eyes wouldn't have been able to attack. But since I use Paladin of White Dragon's effect, they couldn't attack anyway. It's your move, Saito."

Saito looked at the sight before him. There stood his father, proud and tall, with his three mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragons in front of him. That was another thing he admired about Seto Kaiba: his skills. No matter what, he always managed to summon a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. His admiration was only further deeply seated that very moment as he had watched him summon all three dragons in a single turn. Truly only a master duelist could accomplish such a feat.

And Seto Kaiba _was_ a master duelist.

"I draw." Saito knew he had to win, but given his situation he was not sure if he would be able to do so. His strongest monsters were in his graveyard and he had already used his Monster Reborn. He considered summoning Five God Dragon again, but he knew that his father would highly disapprove of that. He quickly checked his hand. He had his Mirror Force, but knew that it would be useless against his father. Beside it were his third Decoy Dragon and his third Troop Dragon. His only hope was to somehow bring out his Montage Dragon. Until he drew it and enough monsters to give it the power he needed, he had to play defensively.

"I set one card facedown and I'll summon Decoy Dragon in attack mode." Two cards appeared on the field followed by Saito's third small, blue, and deceptively innocent dragon. "I end my turn."

"Decoy Dragon again?" Seto drew his card, "I play Heavy Storm!" A powerful hurricane swept the field and Saito's facedown Mirror Force was destroyed, but it was still too soon to attack. Felgrand Dragon and Five God Dragon were still inside Saito's graveyard. If he attacked Decoy Dragon, his opponent would only use its effect to summon it back. He ended his turn and Saito drew again. It still wasn't enough so he passed. Then it was back to Seto. He drew and ended his turn. Saito passed his following turn and so did his father. Saito felt the duel was not going anywhere as he drew his next card and simply switched his Decoy Dragon into defense mode before discarding A Deal with Dark Ruler.

When Seto drew, a smile appeared on his face. "I play Polymerization! Now watch as I fuse my three dragons together!" Saito watched as his father slapped the card down on his duel terminal and the Blue-Eyes White Dragons merged. A bright column of light engulfed them and before long a pair of wings spread out from the radiance. When the light died down, an enormous three-headed Blue-Eyes White Dragon occupied the field (ATK/4500 DEF/3800).

"The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" The son of Seto Kaiba was struck with awe once again. Never in his life had he ever seen his father summon his greatest monster to the field and now here he was facing the gargantuan beast.

"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack Decoy Dragon!" ordered Seto. Saito quickly snapped back into reality and pulled his Felgrand Dragon from his graveyard.

"Sorry father, but Felgrand Dragon will stop that thanks to the power of Five God Dragon backing it up." The golden dragon appeared on the field once again and absorbed the powers of the five-headed level twelve dragon.

"That's why I'm also activating a quick-play spell," Seto added as he played a card from his hand, "Shrink!" Saito watched as his Felgrand Dragon's original attack was halved, bringing it down to thirty-eight hundred attack points. "Attack, my mighty beast! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Burst!" Three Burst Streams of Destruction were charged up. Three Burst Streams of Destruction were launched. And three Burst Streams of Destruction merged into one, creating a blast so powerful that Saito was nearly knocked clean from his duel terminal upon the attack's impact with Felgrand Dragon.

-----------------------------

**Saito Kaiba:** 2000

**Seto Kaiba:** 900

-----------------------------

"I lay one card facedown and end my turn." There was now a new look in Seto Kaiba's eyes. One that Saito had never seen before and for once in his life, he felt something he had never known before. Fear. He quickly drew his card and set a facedown. When his father's turn came up, he immediately played a spell card.

"I play Soul Release and with it I'll remove Felgrand Dragon and your two Five God Dragons in your graveyard from play." With Felgrand Dragon and his two level twelve monsters removed from the game, Saito now had nothing that was stronger than the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. "Next I activate my facedown card: the continuous trap Final Attack Orders. With this card on the field, all face-up monsters are forced into attack mode and their battle positions can't be changed.

_Shit!_ thought Saito was his Decoy Dragon was switched into attack mode.

"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Burst!" Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon opened its mouths and fired three Burst Streams that merged into a single blast.

"Decoy Dragon summons Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" Saito's black metallic dragon appeared and took the impact, but against an attack with such magnitude it failed to protect its master and the young teen took on some heavy damage.

-----------------------------

**Saito Kaiba:** 300

**Seto Kaiba:** 900

-----------------------------

"I said that I wouldn't go easy on you, Saito, and I haven't," Seto called from his side of the arena, "I'm not going to spare you my next attack. If you have nothing that can defeat my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon on your next turn, then victory belongs to me. So draw your last card!"

Saito gulped and looked at his deck nervously. This draw would be his last. A single card would determine the difference between victory and failure. He took in several deep breaths and closed his eyes. Very slowly, he placed his fingers on his deck.

_I've never been one to believe such a thing as faith in my deck_, he thought, _But everything rides on this one card. So please, my dragons, give me what I need._ He picked up the card and slowly brought it up to his face. He opened his eyes and looked at it.

"This is it!" He turned to face Seto, "This is it, father. Victory is mine! I discard three monster cards from my hand: Troop Dragon, level two; Tyrant Dragon, level eight; and Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, level ten. Two plus eight plus ten makes twenty. Twenty times three hundred equals six thousand. I summon Montage Dragon in attack mode!" Saito slammed his card on his duel terminal and summoned his massive three-headed blue and white dragon (ATK/? DEF/0) with a grand total of six thousand attack points.

_That's my son_, Seto thought as he let a small smile escape his lips.

"Appropriate that my three-headed dragon will be the end of yours," Saito continued, "Montage Dragon, let's end this! Attack Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! POWER COLLAGE!" Montage Dragon's left head charged up a green energy ball, its right head a red one, and its middle head a green one. Then all three unleashed their energy beams and they spiraled into a powerful helix that struck the chest of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. The massive white beast roared as its armor-like hide was penetrated and its heart was pierced. When Power Collage subsided, a large hole had been left in Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's chest. The most powerful monster of the Kaiba legacy fell and its body burst into countless holographically generated pixels.

-----------------------------

**Saito Kaiba:** 300

**Seto Kaiba:** 0

-----------------------------

"This match is over!" announced Mokuba, "Victory goes to Saito Kaiba!" The father and the son gathered up their decks and dismounted from their duel terminals before meeting outside the judge's box where they shook hands.

"Well done, Saito. You have proven yourself worthy to inherit the Kaiba legacy," Seto congratulated, "Mokuba."

"Right, big brother." Mokuba lifted the briefcase in his hand and unlocked it. As he opened it, Seto continued addressing his son.

"Saito, from this point on you shall be trusted with the very symbol of our family. You shall use them responsibly and with pride." Mokuba turned the briefcase around and Saito gasped.

"Are those what I think they are?"

"Yes. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Saito just stared at the cards. They were just like his father's cards, but featured a different artwork. Instead of the art depicted on Seto's cards, these showed the image of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon perched up on a tower against the night sky with its wings spread out as it roared.

"But…how? I thought you had the only ones in existence?" the teen gasped as he slowly ran his fingers across their surfaces.

"I commissioned Pegasus to make these cards especially for you," Seto explained, "He seemed very enthralled when I first came to him with the idea. The artwork was painted by Pegasus himself."

"They're beautiful, father."

"Take them." Saito slowly reached in and carefully took the cards from the briefcase. All his life he had dreamed of one day inheriting his father's Blue-Eyes White Dragons. And now here he stood not with the cards of Seto Kaiba, but his own. Three custom-printed cards made just for him.

"Power through conquest, conquest through determination, determination through strength, strength through family." Seto looked at his son, "The motto of our family is the very same creed by which the way of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon lives. Their power comes from dominating their foe, but to conquer them one must have the will and heart to do so. Our determination is drawn from a bond that runs so deep that it gives us strength. A strength that can only be attained with the help of one's own blood."

"I understand now," Saito said thoughtfully as he gazed at his new cards, "The Kaiba family isn't just like the Blue-Eyes White Dragons; we ARE the Blue-Eyes White Dragons. Individually we are strong, but together we are truly unstoppable."

"I'm glad you fully understand, son. You deserve these cards." Seto then reached into his coat and pulled out a small box. "You'll also deserve these." Saito took the box and opened it. Inside were three Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon cards. He looked at his father and gave him a nod before pocketing the box himself.

"Now Saito, I have a mission for you." While Seto spoke, Mokuba brought out a laptop, "You're going to reclaim Kaiba Corp. Gozaburo Kaiba is the man behind this takeover and you're going to end it. You'll take the helicopter to the office and land on the roof upon arrival. Once you get there, you will head to my office. This company used to be his, so that's the most likely place you'll find him. Once you find him, challenge him to a duel. If you rely on your Five God Dragons, you WILL lose. You're a true Kaiba now, Saito. Your weapons are the Blue-Eyes White Dragons. Use them and use them well."

Saito looked at his new Blue-Eyes White Dragons one more time and then shuffled them into his deck. "I'll take back Kaiba Corp., father. I swear it on my Kaiba lineage." Seto nodded and then called his assistant Roland over. His most trusted right-hand man ran over and escorted Saito to the waiting helicopter outside. He crossed his arms as he sat in the back and the pilot took off.

"My name is Saito Kaiba. I am the son of Seto Kaiba. The family legacy, his legacy, has been passed onto me. This is my legacy now; the legend of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

School's back in. And just in time for final exams. With life finally returning to normal, everyone is studying hard hoping to make that passing grade. All the exciting test writing! All the exhilarating cramming! Oh yes, and the card games. Find all this out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	40. Red No More

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-40**

**Red No More**

Mikey let out a sigh of happiness as he stood in the familiar surroundings of his Osiris Red dorm room while he zipped up his bright red jacket. A week had passed since the assault on Kaiba Corp. headquarters and things were finally back to normal. Sammie seemed especially happy. At first, Mikey thought she was just thrilled to be back at Duel Academy. But then the real reason for her bliss was made apparent to him when he saw the newly released ban list and noticed that Chaos Sorcerer had been moved from Forbidden to Limited. Mikey was genuinely happy for her. He hadn't seen Sammie smile like that in years.

_Kono mama mou sukoshi_

_Arukou kata wo taki_

Mikey checked his bag and made sure he had all his books before leaving. He stopped by the common room where Max was watching TV and waved him over. The flamboyant redhead smiled and picked up his own bag before joining his roommate as they left the Osiris Red dorm.

_Kieyuku yume wo kazoe_

_Kareteku nakama wo mita_

In the Ra Yellow dorm, Coltyn just finished tightening a screw on his arm when he heard voices coming from outside his window. He looked out and saw his two red-clad friends waving at him. He waved back and ducked back into his room. He pulled his artificial skin over his arm and slid his brilliant yellow jacket on before grabbing his school bag and putting on his shoes.

_Kayoi nareta michi ni_

_Mayoi komu kono goro_

Coltyn ran quickly down the hallway and the stairs and joined Mikey and Max outside. After an exchange of a few friendly greetings, the three of them walked off together.

_Yami ga mou hitori no_

In the Obelisk Blue dorm, Sammie was already fully dressed in her school uniform. She was humming happily as she took out her special box and opened it. Her gaze fell upon her three most beloved cards: Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning, Chaos Sorcerer, and Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End. She smiled as she took out the second card. "Welcome back, old friend," she whispered before placing it in her deck. She then turned to the two cards remaining in the box. "Sorry, boys. The world's just not ready to accept you guys again." Her voice had a saddened tone as she closed the container and placed it back from where she had taken it.

_Jibun wo tsukuru_

Sammie then heard voices calling her name and she knew her friends had arrived. She grabbed her bag and ran outside to join Mikey, Max, and Coltyn before they all headed off to class together.

_Kawaita sakebi ga_

_Kujike souna mune wo tsukisasu_

_Kimi wo sasotte sekai wo mitai na_

_(Come Along With Me)_

It was already near the end of the school year and everybody was busy. Exam schedules had been posted on the main bulletin board in the foyer and everybody was crowding around it try to find out where and when their respective exams would take place. As the four friends fought past the other students to get access to the announcements, Mikey thought back at all that had happened.

_Darenimo dasenai_

_Kotae ga boku no naka ni aru_

"Hey Mikey!" Max called, "Snap out of it." Mikey was quickly snapped back into reality.

"Oh, sorry," he replied apologetically.

"We're all writing the same written exams," Sammie informed the brunet as she handed him her notes for him to copy down. Mikey nodded and took out his day planner. He removed the pen he kept slotted into the coils, clicked it open, and wrote down his best friend's notes.

"I also got our duel exam schedules," Coltyn added.

_Yep, everything's back to normal_, thought Mikey.

_kake hiki ga kagi_

_todoke Fly At Higher Game_

ooo

Alexis sat comfortably in her office chair once again as she met with the men who made Duel Academy's reopening possible. Seto Kaiba sat in the chair in front of her with his brother Mokuba and his son Saito standing on either side of him from behind.

"We are deeply appreciative of what you have done for us, Mr. Kaiba," she thanked.

"Well the reason your funding was cut was because Kaiba Corp. had been taken over by another group. Fortunately, we were able to recover it before any irreversible damage could be dealt," replied the eldest Kaiba.

"If there's anything we can do to thank you…" Alexis began.

"Actually, there is one thing, Chancellor Rhodes," Saito said as he stepped forward, "I'd like my duel exam to be moved to some place more public."

"Our duel exams are always held in the privacy of a classroom," answered Alexis, "Why would you wish to have yours in a public location." Saito replied by pulling out his deck, which he had completely revamped to accommodate his new cards.

ooo

Final exams flew past pretty quickly. The week right before exam week had been cleared of all classes to allow everybody time to prepare. Mikey's duel exam was his very last test and he spent his time playing against Sammie, Coltyn, and Max whenever he wasn't preparing for one of his written exams.

When exam week finally came, the usual final exam jitters hit Mikey hard as they always had in the past. Following his first exam, he retired to his room and let out a long withdrawn sigh. "One down, many more to go."

"Come on, Mikey. You need something to relax," said Max as he dug through his drawers, "I've got just the thing." He pulled out a wax object. "A therapeutic scented candle."

"Do those things really work?" Mikey inquired.

"They sure work for me!"

"Alright, I'll give it a shot. Got any matches or a lighter?"

"I always just borrow one from the kitchen. I've already read a book about therapeutic massage."

"That sounds nice," Mikey commented.

"If course, you _will_ need to be naked."

"…I think I'll pass." Mikey grabbed his phone and texted Coltyn. He quickly received a response that the Ra Yellow was willing to teach him some breathing exercises.

ooo

The teachers were all seated at their desks in the staff office working out their schedules, preparing exams, or preparing to mark said exams. Hassleberry, Miss Frost, Mr. Higsby, and Miss Marina were sitting around the coffee table in the corner discussing their schedules with one another.

"I have duel exams in the afternoon on Friday," Miss Marina said, "In the morning, I'm free, though."

"In that case, would you mind supervising one of my math exams?" asked Mr. Higsby, "I've got two happening at the same time and I need someone to be there to help."

"Sure, I can do that. Tyranno, do you need a hand with anything?"

"Actually, I'm pretty good," answered Hassleberry.

"Me too," added Miss Frost. Miss Marina looked at her list of students and one name seemed to stand out more than the rest.

ooo

After five grueling days of exams, Friday afternoon came and Mikey walked toward his exam room with his Duel Disk strapped to his arm. This was his last exam and he had prepared for it by dueling his friends and spending time with Coltyn going over the teachers' decks. All of his friends were currently writing other exams, so he was alone this time. The young brunet made his way through the school and stopped at a classroom just before the doors to the school swimming pool. He checked his deck one more time to make sure everything was there. The card Sammie had lent him was tucked in neatly among his cards. Once he was done, he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Good to see you, Mikey," greeted a woman's voice.

"Miss Marina?"

The girls' physical education teacher stood up from her chair with her Duel Disk strapped to her arm. "I'll be testing you for your dueling final." Mikey was surprised, yet at the same time there was something about dueling Miss Marina that got him excited. He thought back to the entrance exam and remembered that she was the one who had tested him then. Now, she would test him again. This was the perfect opportunity for him to find out just how much he had improved since then.

"Are you ready, Mikey?" asked Miss Marina as she activated her Duel Disk.

"Yes, I am." Mikey activated his Duel Disk and pressed the scissors button. When the results were revealed, Miss Marina's choice was shown to be paper.

"I'll go first," announced Mikey as he drew his starting hand.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Miss Marina:** 8000

-------------------------------

"Here it goes." Mikey drew his card. "I'll set one card facedown. Next, I'm going to summon Majestic Mech – Ohka in attack mode without a tribute." The built-in holographic projectors in Mikey's Duel Disk hummed to life and they projected his magnificent winged four-legged beast (ATK/2400 DEF/1400). "Next I play Dimensionhole and remove it from play." A large hole appeared in space and Majestic Mech – Ohka was swallowed up into the Different Dimension.

"I end my turn."

"I begin mine." Miss Marina drew her card. "I summon Unshaven Angler in attack mode." She placed her card onto the field and called out a grotesque fish with long pointed teeth and a long beard (ATK/1500 DEF/1600), "Unshaven Angler, attack directly with Razor-toothed Gnash!" Unshaven Angler swam across the field over to Mikey and bit him hard.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 6500

**Miss Marina:** 8000

-------------------------------

"I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn."

"And it's my move now." Mikey drew his card. "By Dimensionhole's effect, Majestic Mech – Ohka returns to the field on my Standby Phase." A hole appeared over his head and Majestic Mech – Ohka came flying out and landed gracefully on the field in front of him. "Majestic Mech – Ohka, attack Unshaven Angler! Majestic Ray!" Mikey pointed at the target and his monster fired a beam of white light from its mouth at it. The attack hit its mark and Unshaven Angler was destroyed.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 6500

**Miss Marina:** 7100

-------------------------------

"I end my turn."

"It's my turn to draw." Miss Marina took the top card from her deck and added it to her hand. "I'll set a monster facedown and end my turn."

"Back to me now." Mikey extracted a card from the top of his deck, "I summon Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast in attack mode." He slapped the card down beside Majestic Mech – Ohka and summoned his dragon-like artillery tank (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). "When he's summoned without a tribute, his attack and defense points are halved so now he's only got fourteen hundred attack points. Fusilier Dragon, attack that facedown!" Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast aimed its cannons at the facedown card and fired. It was revealed to be Mother Grizzly (ATK/1400 DEF/1000).

"With Mother Grizzly's effect, I can Special Summon one Water monster from my deck with fifteen hundred or fewer attack points," Miss Marina explained, "and I'll use her effect to summon a second Mother Grizzly." She took a card from her deck and placed it onto her field, bringing out another navy-blue bear. Afterwards, she shuffled her deck.

"Majestic Mech – Ohka, attack!" ordered Mikey, "Majestic Ray!" Majestic Mech – Ohka fired another beam and destroyed Mother Grizzly.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 6500

**Miss Marina:** 6100

-------------------------------

With Mother Grizzly's effect, Miss Marina summoned a third Mother Grizzly to the field.

"That ends my turn," Mikey declared.

"My turn now." Miss Marina drew her card. "I play A Legendary Ocean." She placed her card inside her field tray and the entire classroom was flooded and everyone was replaced with ancient Atlantean ruins. "Now since this card downgrades all Water monsters in my hand by one level, that means I can summon a level seven monster with just one tribute. So I tribute Mother Grizzly to summon Levia-Dragon – Daedalus in attack mode." Her large bear vanished and in its place arose an enormous blue sea dragon (ATK/2600 DEF/1500).

"Now I activate Levia-Dragon – Daedalus' effect. By sending Umi from my field to the graveyard, I can destroy every single card on the field except Daedalus. And since A Legendary Ocean is treated as Umi, I'll destroy that instead."

"I chain my trap card to your monster's effect!" Mikey flipped his facedown over, "Interdimensional Matter Transporter. I'll use it to remove Fusilier Dragon from play until the End Phase of this turn." A strange device appeared and it flashed a bright light that caused Fusilier Dragon to vanish. Shortly after that, Levia-Dragon – Daedalus drank up the entire ocean and then expelled a massive torrent of water that literally blasted every other card on the field into pieces. When all was said and done, it was the only card remaining.

"Levia-Dragon – Daedalus, attack Mikey," ordered Miss Marina, "Leviathan's Rage!" Levia-Dragon – Daedalus turned to Mikey and fired a solid stream of water that blasted him with such force it knocked him into the wall behind him.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 3900

**Miss Marina:** 6100

-------------------------------

"That ends my turn." At that moment, Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast returned to the field with its original attack and defense points at full power.

"My move." Mikey drew his card and examined his hand for a moment before proceeding with his turn. "I summon Malevolent Mech – Goku En in attack mode." He played his card and summoned his undead version of Majestic Mech – Ohka (ATK/2400 DEF/1400). "With A Legendary Ocean gone, Levia-Dragon – Daedalus isn't as strong as he used to be. Fusilier Dragon, attack!" Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast pointed its cannons at Levia-Dragon – Daedalus and fired, bombarding the massive serpent with incredible power.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 3900

**Miss Marina:** 5900

-------------------------------

"Goku En, it's your turn! Malevolent Ray!" Malevolent Mech – Goku En leapt forward and fired a black beam of energy at Miss Marina.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 3900

**Miss Marina:** 3500

-------------------------------

"On my second Main Phase, I play Mystic Wok. This card lets me tribute one of my monsters so I can regain Life Points equal to its attack or defense points and I choose my Malevolent Mech – Goku En." Mikey played his card and a giant wok appeared on the field. Malevolent Mech – Goku En was swept into it and stir-fried into a shower of shining sparkles that rained down on Mikey.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 6300

**Miss Marina:** 3500

-------------------------------

"My turn ends there."

"Well played, Mikey," Miss Marina complimented as she drew her next card, "I play Salvage. This lets me bring take Water monsters with fifteen hundred or less attack points from my graveyard and add them to my hand." She selected two of her Mother Grizzlies and placed them into her hand. After that, she set a monster in defense mode. "Next I remove from play Mother Grizzly in my graveyard to Special Summon Aqua Spirit in attack mode." Her Duel Disk ejected Mother Grizzly from its graveyard and she placed it into her pocket before summoning a young green-skinned girl in a blue dress with a veil made of water (ATK/1600 DEF/1200).

"That ends my turn."

"My move." Mikey placed his fingers on top of his deck and slid the top card out of his deck slot.

"On your Standby Phase, I activate Aqua Spirit's effect," declared Miss Marina, "She lets me change the Battle Position of one of your monsters and it must remain in that position for the rest of the turn. So now Aqua Spirit will switch Fusilier Dragon into defense mode." Aqua Spirit placed her hands together and a wave of water washed over Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast and knocked it down into a defensive position.

"Darn it," Mikey muttered in his usual curse-avoiding manner, "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"My turn." Miss Marina looked at the card she had draw and smiled. "I summon Ameba in attack mode." She placed her card onto the field and summoned a giant blue ameba (ATK/300 DEF/350). "Next I play the card Creature Swap. We each select one monster on our respective fields and we switch control of them. After that, neither creature can switch its Battle Position for the rest of the turn. I select my Ameba."

"I choose my facedown monster," responded Mikey. The two duelists walked to the center of the room and exchanged their monsters. As they did so, an invisible force pulled the two cards across the field onto the opposite sides. After that, the teacher and the student returned to their spots.

"Oh, one more thing," Miss Marina added, "When a face-up Ameba switches control over to my opponent, it deals two thousand points of damage."

"Wait, WHAT?" Ameba suddenly reached out several tendrils toward Mikey, which wrapped around him before pulling him deep inside its body.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 4300

**Miss Marina:** 3500

-------------------------------

Ameba released the teen shortly afterwards and then Miss Marina continued her turn. "Next I play Double Summon. With that card's effect resolved, I now summon the Tuner monster Deep-Sea Diva in attack mode." She placed her card down and summoned a beautiful singing mermaid with a long pink tail and pink fins covering her head (ATK/200 DEF/400). "When she's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a level three or lower Sea Serpent monster from my deck. So I'll bring out Sea Archer in attack mode." After searching and shuffling her deck, the girls' PE teacher summoned a turtle to the field. At first Mikey thought that was it until its shell opened to reveal a blue-haired mermaid wielding a crossbow (ATK/1200 DEF/200).

"Now I tune Deep-Sea Diva to my Sea Archer." As Deep-Sea Diva continued to sing, her haunting song caused her body to slowly turn into bubbles until the only thing that remained of her were two shining stars. The stars turned into large green rings and they surrounded Sea Archer. A bright beam of light shot through the rings and engulfed the monster inside them. "I Synchro Summon Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon!" A shape burst out of the light and out came a dragon made entirely out of ice (ATK/2300 DEF/1800). "Aqua Spirit, attack Ameba with Bubble Parade." Aqua Spirit held out her hands and a multitude of bubbles flew out and bombarded Ameba until its body exploded and its nucleus burst.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 3000

**Miss Marina:** 3500

-------------------------------

"Now to destroy your Fusilier Dragon while it's still in defense mode. Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon, it's your turn to attack," ordered Miss Marina, "Destroy Fusilier Dragon, the Dual Mode Beast. Diamond Dust Deepfreeze!" Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon opened its mouth and unleashed a chilling blast of snow that literally froze Fusilier Dragon, The Dual-Mode Beast. As soon as the target was encased in ice, the ice dragon flew over and smashed down on top of it with all its weight, shattering the mechanical monster into pieces.

"That ends my turn," she announced.

"Is everybody starting to run Synchro monsters now?" asked Mikey as he drew, "Maybe I should give it a whirl."

"If you can find one that works with your deck, Mikey," replied Miss Marina.

"In the meantime, I'm going to Special Summon Cyber Dragon." Mikey placed his card onto his Duel Disk and summoned his mechanical serpentine dragon (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "Next I'm going to tribute it to summon Kuraz the Light Monarch in attack mode." He sent his Cyber Dragon to the graveyard and called forth the shining golden monarch (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "And upon summoning, his effect lets me destroy any two cards on the field and whoever controls those cards gets to draw two from their deck. Unfortunately he can't attack yet. So for now, I'll destroy Aqua Spirit and facedown card." The sun reflected off Kuraz's armor and transformed into piercing beams of light as they destroyed the two cards, causing Miss Marina to draw two more from her deck.

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."

"It's my turn then." Miss Marina drew her card. "I summon Mad Lobster in attack mode." She summoned out a creature that could be best described as a mutated lobster with a skull-like face and two spiked crab legs sticking out of its head (ATK/1700 DEF/1000). "Mad Lobster, attack Kuraz the Light Monarch!"

"Huh? Why?" asked Mikey. Mad Lobster crawled quickly over to Kuraz, who drew his sword and sliced the crustacean in half before it could even reach him.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 3000

**Miss Marina:** 2800

-------------------------------

"Whenever a level three or lower Water monster is sent to the graveyard, Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon's attack points become three thousand until the End Phase of the turn it happens, "Miss Marina explained. She looked up at her creature as its frigid body shined bright white. "Attack Kuraz the Light Monarch with Diamond Dust Deepfreeze!" Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon reared back its head and unleashed another blast of ice that froze Kuraz before it flew over and smashed him into pieces.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 2400

**Miss Marina:** 2800

-------------------------------

"It's your turn, Mikey."

"And I'll take it." Mikey drew his card and looked at it. It was the card his best friend had lent him. "First I set one monster facedown. After that, I remove from play Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast and Kuraz the Light Monarch from play." His Duel Disk ejected the two cards and he placed them in his pocket before taking the last card in his hand and placing it onto the field. "With this, I Special Summon Chaos Sorcerer in attack mode." Mikey watched as he summoned out a blue shirtless man wearing a black Dark Magician's hat, a short black mantle with matching pants and gloves, and a leather harness (ATK/2300 DEF/2000).

"Chaos Sorcerer?" Miss Marina seemed a little surprised. "You must have seen the new ban list."

"Yes I did, Miss Marina. And I'm going to activate his effect. By giving up his chance to attack this turn, Chaos Sorcerer can remove from face-up monster card from play. And for that, I pick Sea Dragon Lord Gi… Gi… Gish… Gishi… How do you pronounce your monster's name? Oh, whatever. Chaos Sorcerer, remove that big ice dragon from play with Chaos Rift!" Chaos Sorcerer began making circles with his hands in front of him. His right hand became engulfed in light while his left became engulfed in darkness. He continued making circles until the two elements began to trace out a ring. He stopped when he had finally created a vortex to the Different Dimension. He held out the portal and Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon was quickly pulled in.

"That ends my turn."

"Well played, Mikey." Miss Marina placed her card into her pocket and then drew. "I play A Legendary Ocean." For the second time, the classroom was turned into the ruins of Atlantis at the bottom of the sea. "Now I play Monster Reborn and summon Levia-Dragon – Daedalus back from the graveyard." Her massive sea serpent appeared on the field once again and roared.

"Next I summon Space Mambo in attack mode." She placed another card onto the field and brought out a giant glowing blue fish (ATK/1700 DEF/1000). "Levia-Dragon – Daedalus, attack Chaos Sorcerer!" Levia-Dragon – Daedalus launched a powerful blast of water and destroyed Chaos Sorcerer effortlessly.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 2100

**Miss Marina:** 2800

-------------------------------

"Space Mambo, attack the facedown." Space Mambo then torpedoed itself into Mikey's facedown monster, revealing it to be Morphing Jar. Immediately, both duelists discarded any cards they had in their hands and drew five from their decks. Miss Marina saw a card in her hand and immediately played it on her second Main Phase."

"I tribute Levia-Dragon – Daedalus and summon Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus in attack mode!" Levia-Dragon – Daedalus vanished from the field and in its place rose an enormous two-headed sea dragon with arms and significantly more spines (ATK/2900 DEF/1600). "Unfortunately, I don't have my third A Legendary Ocean in my hand, so I can't activate his effect. For now, I'll set three facedown cards." Three cards appeared in front of Miss Marina's feet as she concluded her turn.

"My draw." Mikey drew his card and saw that it was Majestic Mech – Goryu.

"I activate a facedown," declared Miss Marina, "Drop Off." Mikey's expression changed and he reluctantly discarded his card.

"Okay, then it looks like I'll play Pot of Avarice."

"I activate Dark Bribe."

"Darn it!" Mikey placed his spell card into his graveyard and drew a new card. "In that case, I'll play Golden Sarcophagus."

"I activate my other Dark Bribe."

"Darn it!" Mikey repeated as he discarded his card and drew again. He looked at his hand and examined the cards he held. "Fine. I'll set four cards facedown and end my turn." He grimaced as he made this move. Setting so many cards facedown was a risky move. To top it off, he also didn't have any monsters on the field."

"I draw." Miss Marina drew her card. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon and I'll target the one on your far left." A tornado shot out from the card and it destroyed Mikey's facedown Compulsory Evacuation Device. "Now for a little reassurance, I'll play Poison of the Old Man to boost my Life Points by twelve hundred."

"Not if I activate Mystical Refpanel." Mikey revealed one of his remaining facedowns. "With this card, I can change the target of a spell card my opponent plays. And I choose myself." An old man appeared with two vials – one filled with a purple liquid and the other with a green liquid – and he poured the contents of the green vial onto Mikey.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 3300

**Miss Marina:** 2800

-------------------------------

"Ocean Dragon Lord – , attack!" ordered Miss Marina. Her creature unleashed a torrent of water from each mouth and struck Mikey hard.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 400

**Miss Marina:** 2800

-------------------------------

"My turn is over."

"My move." Mikey slowly drew his card. "I activate Soul of the Pure to increase my Life Points by eight hundred."

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 1200

**Miss Marina:** 2800

-------------------------------

"Now I play Monster Reborn to resurrect Majestic Mech – Goryu." Mikey played his spell card and summoned his shining white dragon (ATK/2900 DEF/1800). "That ends my turn." He knew that suiciding his monster on Ocean Dragon Lord – would be a risky move, so he didn't execute an attack.

The duel turned to Miss Marina, who passed. Then Mikey did the same when his turn came up. This continued until Mikey passed his turn while holding four cards in his hand with a new facedown in addition to the ones he already had as well as a facedown monster.

"My turn." Miss Marina drew and finally received a card to break the stalemate. "I play Soul Exchange and I'll use it to sacrifice your Majestic Mech – Goryu in order to summon Amphibian Beast in attack mode." She played her card and Mikey's monster vanished before a large green aquatic monster materialized on her side of the field (ATK/2400 DEF/2000). And just to make sure you can't revive any of those powerful monsters in your graveyard, I play Soul Release and remove Majestic Mech – Goryu, both Majestic Mech – Ohka cards, Kuraz the Light Monarch, and Majestic Mech – Senku." Mikey grimaced yet again as he removed some of his best cards from his graveyard and placed them into his pocket.

"Next I summon Night Lizard in attack mode." Miss Marina brought out a green humanoid reptilian creature with a merman tail and a trident (ATK/1150 DEF/1300). "Next I equip him with Shooting Star Bow – Ceal. At the cost of one thousand attack points, he can attack you directly. Attack him!" Night Lizard took aim with the bow he had been given and fired a shot straight at Mikey.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 1050

**Miss Marina:** 2800

-------------------------------

When Miss Marina saw that her opponent hadn't done anything to protect himself, she knew he didn't have any defensive facedowns. Immediately, she knew what to do. "I now play A Legendary Ocean and I'll use Neo-Daedalus'effect right away."

"Oh no you don't!" Mikey revealed one of his facedown as the classroom turned into the Atlantean ruins again. "I had a feeling it was only a matter of time until you pulled that out, so I set this a while ago. Go, Skill Drain!"

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 50

**Miss Marina:** 2800

-------------------------------

"You're taking an enormous risk, Mikey," Miss Marina noted, "You're down to only fifty Life Points."

"A risk that I've also planned for," Mikey added.

"Well then, let's see what you've got."

"Will do." Mikey drew his final card. "First I'm going to play Mystical Space Typhoon."

"I see." Miss Marina noted. "You're going to destroy A Legendary Ocean to lower my monsters' attack points."

"No, actually. I'm destroying Skill Drain."

"Excuse me?"

"I said I'm going to destroy Skill Drain!" A tornado shot out of Mikey's card and destroyed his own trap card.

"Why are you destroying the card your deck revolves around?" asked Miss Marina.

"For this card." Mikey revealed another facedown. "Return from the Different Dimension. By paying half of my remaining Life Points, I can summon as many of my removed from play monsters as possible."

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 25

**Miss Marina:** 2800

-------------------------------

As soon as Mikey's cost was paid, a portal to the Different Dimension appeared and five beams of light shot down and deposited the young teenager's monsters. "Welcome back, guys! Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast, Majestic Mech – Senku, Majestic Mech – Ohka, Majestic Mech – Goryu, and Kuraz the Light Monarch!" In a massive explosion of radiance, all five majestic monsters had returned to the field in all their glory.

"And by Kuraz's effect, I can destroy two cards on the field. So I pick Night Lizard and…" Mikey pointed his finger at the largest monster on the field. "Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus!" Light shone off the golden armor of Kuraz the Light Monarch and the rays turned into beams that pierced the two monsters and destroyed them.

_Excellently played, Mikey_, thought Miss Marina, _And you did it all on your own._

"By the way," Mikey looked at the teacher directly into her eyes, "I know what you did last time. Thank you for everything."

Miss Marina smiled. "Don't mention it, Mikey."

Mikey nodded and pointed forward. "Time to end this. Majestic Mech – Goryu, attack! Majestic Blaze!" Majestic Mech – Goryu opened its mouth and dispensed an inferno of golden flames at Miss Marina.

-------------------------------

**Mikey:** 25

**Miss Marina:** 0

-------------------------------

The young duelist heaved a massive sigh of relief as the holograms disappeared and he collapsed onto his knees.

"Well done, Mikey," Miss Marina congratulated, "You've come a long way since we first dueled in the entrance exams."

"So…" Mikey said between breaths, "…did…I…?"

"Yes, you did, Mikey. You passed."

Mikey smiled and gathered up his cards. He thanked Miss Marina and politely said his goodbyes before leaving. He quickly ran to tell his friends. Surely the three of them would be finished with their exams by now. He found them on the school's roof arena among many other students watching some kind of spectacle.

"Hey guys! Guess what? I passed my dueling exam!"

"WOW! That's so abso-tively posi-lutely fantabulous!" Max squealed.

"Yeah, great," Coltyn replied without looking away, "Now keep it down."

"Why? What's going on?" asked Mikey as he turned to look. He quickly discovered everybody was watching Saito Kaiba duel against Dr. Snappe. The latter had Dark Magician on the field while the former had two Masked Dragons, a Troop Dragon, and one white egg.

"I now tune The White Stone of Legend to the two monsters on my field to Synchro Summon Exploder Dragonwing in attack mode." The egg burst open and a single star flew out. That star turned into a ring and encircled the two Masked Dragons before a beam of light engulfed them all to bring out a dragon with a body made out of obsidian (ATK/2400 DEF/1600).

"That monster isn't strong enough to destroy my Dark Magician," Dr. Snappe pointed out.

"I didn't bring out Exploder Dragonwing for him. I brought him out so I could get The White Stone of Legend in my graveyard so I could bring this to my hand." Saito took a card from his deck and showed it to his opponent. Mikey tried to get a look at it, but he was so far away it was impossible to tell what it was.

"Now I sacrifice Troop Dragon and Exploder Dragonwing so I can summon the card I just received!" Saito took his two dragons off his Duel Disk and placed them into his graveyard before bringing out his new card. "May the heavens shudder and the Earth shatter! Tremble before its awesome might! Come forth, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The son of Kaiba slapped the card down and pointed his finger toward the sky while his coattails violently whipped around him as the massive white dragon appeared and let out and earth-shattering roar (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). Mixed expressions soon filled the air, but the overall mood was the same.

"When did he get one of those?" Mikey asked, remembering his surprise back at Death-T when he saw the mighty beast.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, show them all what real power is! Attack Dark Magician and end this duel! Burst Stream of Destruction!" Blue-Eyes White Dragon spread out its wings and took flight. It flew high over the school and charged up its attack before unleashing a beam of pure energy down on top of Dark Magician and inevitably on top of Dr. Snappe as well.

"Well done, Mr. Kaiba. You've exceeded my expectations. But next time, less showmanship." Saito responded to the chemistry teacher by having his Blue-Eyes White Dragon land and let out a roar in his direction.

"When did he get a Blue-Eyes White Dragon?" Mikey repeated.

"He said he inherited it from his dad," answered Sammie, "and that they're alternate art versions commissioned from Pegasus."

"I guess when you have lots of money, you really can get whatever you want," Mikey commented, "So when do we find out our marks?"

"Those get mailed out," Coltyn answered, "And since classes are now officially over, that means no more schoolwork."

"YIPEE!" Max jumped three feet into the air and squealed excitedly.

"Awesome!" replied Sammie, "Maybe now we can finally loosen up Mikey's ass a bit."

"Hey!" the poor teen exclaimed.

"Mikey, it's true. You desperately need to loosen up," Sammie said as she slapped him rather hard on the butt.

"Ow!" Mikey rubbed the spot where he had been hit with a tinge of red spreading across his face.

"You like that, didn't you?" Coltyn joked.

"Huh?"

"Oh your face SO says everything!" Max exclaimed as he playfully pinched his roommate's increasingly reddening cheek.

"Guys, please stop," Mikey pleaded. Everybody laughed and the brunet received three playful punches on the arm.

"C'mon, dude. You're in boarding school. Take advantage of it," Coltyn urged, "This is the furthest you're going to be away from home."

"Alright, alright." Mikey brushed everyone off. "So what's happening over the next week?"

"Pretty much parties every night," answered Coltyn.

"The drama club is putting on a performance some time," Max brought up.

"And there's a talent show tonight," Sammie added, "And on the last day of school, there's going to be the year end ceremony where third years graduate and promotions are announced."

"Oooohoohoohoohoo! That sounds so very fantastically fabulous!" Max replied a little more flamboyantly than usual, "I simply cannot wait!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Coltyn tried to bring the redhead back down to Earth. "Okay. Down boy. Heel."

"So what about this talent show Sammie brought up?" Mikey inquired seemingly intrigued.

"It's pretty much your standard high school talent contest," Sammie explained, "Sign-ups are open until six tonight. I already put my name down with a few other friends."

"Maybe you should sign up too, Mikey!" Max urged, "You have SUCH a lovely singing voice!"

"Wait, you were listening?" Mikey asked.

"I hear you singing to yourself sometimes when you're sitting in that tree by the cliff side."

"Ha. So Mikey has a secret talent?" Coltyn questioned teasingly.

"Yup," Max answered with a smile, "He's got the voice to be in his own boy band."

"I don't know if that qualifies as a compliment or an insult, Max."

"Well _I_ meant for it to be a compliment."

"I don't think I'll be in the show," Mikey said, "Sure, I can sing. But not in front of a crowd like that."

"Classic stage fright, huh? It happens." Coltyn patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it."

"Well, guess I'll see you guys tonight from the stage. I gotta go meet up with my friends." Sammie said her goodbyes and left the group.

"Hey Mikey, you've known Sammie since you were little. Have you ever heard her sing?" Max inquired.

"Once when we were six," Mikey answered, "We were sitting on the swings on the park and she suddenly started singing. She seemed sad when it happened, though."

"Do you know why she was sad?"

"No. She never told me and I didn't think it was the right time to ask."

ooo

That night, the school auditorium was packed. It seemed that everybody had come to either watch the talent show or be in it. Mikey saw some impressive displays that night and even some familiar faces. Mags the magnet duelist tried to rap and failed miserably. Biff attempted to impress people by eating one hundred burgers in one minute which immediately failed. Melanie Dickson put on an erotic dance for which Mikey wondered why she wasn't immediately removed from the stage. Spike was trying to show off his Transformers toys collection. Various members of the drama club were trying to put on a show about Jinzo attempting to overthrow Machine King and become the new ruler of the Machine monsters. The musical performances were enjoyable for the most part, though. Some were fairly bad, but a number of them were quite decent and even good. Mikey leaned back in his seat as the current performer, who happened to be Gio despite not being an official student sang the song _One Card Short_, which he thought was an incredibly catchy song and despite the fact that the boy spent all his time living among rocks he actually had a good singing voice.

_I'm always one card short, always one day late!_

_For once I'd like an ending I can celebrate._

_Stacked the deck myself, so there's no one else to blame._

_I need just one more move, one final chance to prove_

_I can win this game._

_One card short, one day late!_

_Give me somethin', somethin' to celebrate!_

_Stacked the deck myself so there's no one else to blame._

_One more move I'm gonna win this game,_

_I'm gonna win this game._

_I'm gonna win this game!_

_One more move, I'll win this game._

_Then I'm gonna celebrate!_

_Then I'm gonna celebrate!_

The song ended and applause filled the auditorium for the umpteenth time.

"Ladies and gentlemen, that was Gio Hassleberry singing _One Card Short_!" announced Cassie, who was MCing the event, "I coulda done better. If I wanted to sing, that is. Anyway, coming up next is Sammie Korangar and some people whose names I won't even bother trying to pronounce. So, sit back, enjoy, and whatever. I'm outta here." She turned off her microphone and walked off the stage as Sammie came out with some other Obelisk Blues. Beside him, Coltyn explained the various instruments since Mikey was near-oblivious to the entire rock genre. There was the lead guitar, which Sammie would be playing, along with the rhythm guitar, the bass guitar, and the drums.

"So basically there's a lot of guitars," Mikey summarized.

"Dude, what music DO you listen to?" asked Coltyn as the song began. Mikey just sat there quietly and watched.

_Turn me up in the headphones_

_Been alotta cheap talk but I rock still_

_From the streets of Shanghai back to Knoxville_

_Sittin' high on a mountain top holdin' shop spreadin' the good news_

_Been alotta false prophets and quick hits_

_And a lot of unAmerican bullshit_

_But the time has come to settle and the devil's gonna make u choose_

_And just like a cold wind blowin' can u feel me comin' for u_

_Just like a freight train rollin' packed tight full of rhythm and blues_

_Testify_

_It's a Rock revival_

_Don't need a suit_

_Ya don't need a bible_

_Get up and dance_

_I'm gonna set you free yeah_

_Testify_

_It's all sex, drugs, rock n roll_

_A soul sensation that you can't control_

_And you can see I practice what I preach_

_I'm your rock n roll Jesus_

_Yes I am_

_Been alotta bling bling but it ain't real_

_And alotta new kings but I won't kneel_

_Sittin' high on a mountain top, holdin' shop singin' the raw dog blues_

_Like in old Mississippi's dirty cotton fields_

_Or in Detroit City's unforgotten wheels_

_It's the same song spinning but the same song's always been true_

_And I'm gonna take my roll cuz I ain't got nothin' to lose_

_And I'm gonna save your soul if it's really what you want me to do_

_Testify_

_It's a Rock revival_

_Don't need a suit_

_Ya don't need a bible_

_Get up and dance_

_I'm gonna set you free yeah_

_Testify_

_It's all sex, drugs, rock n roll_

_A soul sensation that you can't control_

_And you can see I practice what I preach_

_I'm your rock n roll Jesus_

_Yes I am_

Mikey leaned forward in his seat and rested his chin on his hand with his elbow against his knee. He sighed as he watched Sammie sing and play the guitar, a bit of red creeping up on his face. Max, who was sitting on Mikey's other side noticed it and he immediately figured it out.

"You like Sammie, don't you, Mikey?"

"Of course I do. She's my best friend, after all."

"I mean as more than just friends." There was an awkward silence between the two friends before Mikey was able to utter a noise.

"Huh?"

"Mikey, I know you can feel it but you can't see it. You're in love with Sammie."

"She's just my best friend," Mikey argued, "That's all we are: just friends."

"Okay, even I have to agree with Max here," Coltyn interjected, "Mikey, you can't keep denying it. Face it, dude. You love Sammie." Mikey looked back at the stage where Sammie was playing with her band and let out a long withdrawn sigh.

"Maybe I really do."

_But she'd never go out with a guy like me_, the young Osiris Red thought as he continued to watch the show.

_Testify_

_It's a Rock revival_

_Don't need a suit_

_Ya don't need a bible_

_Get up and dance_

_I'm gonna set you free yeah_

_Testify_

_It's all sex, drugs, rock n roll_

_A soul sensation that you can't control_

_And you can see I practice what I preach_

_I'm your rock n roll Jesus_

_Yes I am_

_Testify_

_It's a Rock revival_

_Don't need a suit_

_Ya don't need a bible_

_Get up and dance_

_I'm gonna set you free yeah_

_Testify_

_It's all sex, drugs, rock n roll_

_A soul sensation that you can't control_

_And you can see I practice what I preach_

_I'm your rock n roll Jesus_

As the song came to its end, the auditorium was filled with cheers and applause as the entire audience stood up. "I think we may have a winner here, everyone!" Cassie announced excitedly, "And we're not even finished yet!" The cheers got even louder. As Sammie walked off stage, Mikey's eyes followed her as the facts ran through his head.

_They're right. I really do like Sammie_, he thought.

ooo

One week later, the students all gathered together once again in the auditorium as Alexis stood onstage with the entire Duel Academy faculty seated behind her.

"Welcome, students. Today marks that time of year where everyone must move on. Some of you will advance. A selection of you will move onto greater things, but I want you all the lessons learned here at duel academy. Remember the friendships you made and the thrill of the duel. We are all drawn here not just for education, but because we all have the heart and drive of the greatest duelists on the planet.

"These cards brought us together as friends and comrades from many homes. That is why this game is not just for children, because each of us puts our hearts, minds, and souls into our cards. We build and fight with our blood, sweat, and tears as we strive to be better and prove our worth in the realm of mental combat. We fight in the fields of Academia and on the duel field, feeling the heart beat of each card we draw, reflecting the love we placed in each action we perform.

"Our cards have a heart that beats with our own and drives us to be better people. They drive us to be the champions of not only the game, but at life. Our decks are only are as strong as our hearts and spirits. If your hearts are strong enough you can accomplish anything, and knowing the strength of each of your decks that have been crafted with love I am glad to say that you all have wills stronger than steel. With the strength that you have shown me over this year I know you can reach for the stars and blaze a path towards the future. So I can't wait for you all to show me the strength in you once more next year when you get your games on. Just remember to believe in yourself and your cards, for they have our hearts with them. Congratulations Duel Academy!

"Now, let us get to the moment we have waited for, the promotions of our most successful students to their upper class rank."

After Alexis finished her speech, she began to read names off a list beginning with first years.

"Zoe Abba." A girl in a Ra Yellow jacket got up and walked up to the stage where she was given a wrapped Obelisk Blue uniform.

"Brendan Andrews." A Ra Yellow boy stood up and went to receive his Blue coat.

"Michael Angel." Mikey gasped. Did he hear right. Was his name actually called?

"Mikey, get down there!" Max whispered nudging his friend. Mikey quickly got up and walked over to the stage. As he got up there, he could see Chancellor Rhodes holding a clear plastic bag wrapped around a bright yellow jacket.

"Congratulations," she said as they shook hands before presenting Mikey his new uniform. The boy took it and thanked her profusely before returning to his seat.

"I got promoted!" he whispered excitedly. "I'm gonna be a Ra Yellow!"

"I'm happy for you, Mikey," Max replied. A few minutes later, his own name was called and he went to receive his own Yellow jacket. "Looks like we're advancing together."

"You know what, Max? I had a great time and I just wanted to say that I couldn't have had a better roommate."

"Aww, you mean it?"

"Absoltivley posilutley, Max."

"Aww, thanks Mikey!" Max threw his arms around Mikey and hugged him.

Two hours later, the ceremony finally came to an end and the students left the auditorium, most of them happy.

ooo

The following day, everybody had packed their bags and waited in line to board the ship that would take them away from Duel Academy. Mikey stood on the stern deck with his friends, all four of them dressed in casual clothes, as he looked back at the school.

"Something tells me that I'm really going to miss this place," he said to no one in particular, "But at the same time, I'm happy I'm going home for the summer."

"I'm sure your mom and dad will love to hear about everything you've done at school," said Sammie, "But you might wanna leave out the Kaiba Corp. part." A horn sounded and the ship began to move.

"Bye, Duel Academy. See you again in September." Mikey waved at the island as it moved further away.

"So Mikey, where do you and Sammie live?" asked Coltyn.

"We live over in..." Mikey's voice was cut off by another horn, however it seemed that his friends were able to hear him over it.

"Oooh! I live in that city too!" exclaimed Max.

"Hey, I'm just one city over," Coltyn noted, "About three hours away."

"Sweet! Hey you guys got AIM or MSN?" asked Mikey. He and Sammie quickly received two slips of paper from the other two boys.

"We should get together sometime this summer," suggested Sammie.

"Yeah, we should," Mikey agreed.

"That would be totally FABULOUS!" exclaimed Max.

"I'm cool with that, but it'd have to be an overnight thing," said Coltyn.

"Then we'll plan for it!"

As the others chatted excitedly, Mikey looked out at the sea. His first year at Duel Academy had been the best time he had ever had in his school life. Even though he was looking forward to a fun-filled summer, he couldn't help but miss the island.

And so, Mikey's first year at Duel Academy had come to an end.

* * *

**Next week on the season finale of **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Things wrap up with one final scene. See how it all ends on the season finale of _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	41. The Chances We Take are Memories We Make

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha. He also wrote this final chapter for season 1.

* * *

**EPISODE 1-41**

**The Chances We Take are the Memories We Make**

The full moon loomed over the horizon with silver light cascading down to Earth from on high like fine silk dropped down from a spool and reflecting off the alabaster white paint of Duel Academy as a single figure leaned along a guardrail on the roof. Another year had come to pass and another set of students had left for a better life ahead, leaving a smile on this woman's face that crept along the corners of her mouth. She was alone in the dark, star lit night watching the moon glisten off the sloshing waves, a half moon wavering on the black waves as wind whipped by her face gently and whistling with the crashing waves in an endless symphony. The woman stood there in admiration, lost in thought and her memories. Memories of sandy shores that scorch the feet with the bleached and hot sand as it wiggles beneath one's toes. Memories of a little girl, a stick of cotton candy placed delicately in her hand, licking it lightly as the sugar melted, plastering a smile on her face and making her forget about why she had a black eye. Memories of sea salt in the air that you could taste in the air at the same time your nose bristled at its intense smell. These were good memories.

"Mr. Marina," a voice rang out and broke the silence, causing Marina to bite her lip in a light curse. She hated the sniveling and weasely voice that made her feel dirty with every word he said, like his voice had hands that moved up and down her body. It was violatingly uncomfortable; though she knew he was a good man she despised him.

"What is it, Dr. Snappe?" she said to her boy's dorm counterpart, annoyance lacing her words. She did not want him there. This was her time and she wanted to enjoy the ocean. Her fingers gripped the cold metal railing on the roof and she tried not to break her intimate gaze with the water.

"I was going over the final results of the Duel Examinations and something caught my interest," Snappe said with a smug voice that seemed to ooze from his mouth and caused a shiver to roll down Marina's spine.

"And that would be?" Her voice was cold as she replied to him. She was already tired of him and his uppity ways.

"Well, one of the students you tested, Michael Angel," She stiffened at the name and knew exactly where Snappe was going with this and sighed, "he said something peculiar about you doing something 'last time.' Now forgive me if I am wrong, but didn't you test him in his entrance exam? Of course you did, and I think it would be safe to assume you did something for him in that exam. Would I be correct in that assumption?"

Miss Marina sighed and looked down at the ocean, biting her lip and saw a little girl from memories long past. A little girl with a little white sundress and a little stuffed clownfish with a right eye that dangled from a string clutched in her hand as she skipped home along the sun bleached beach, a tote bag dangling with aluminum on her back. The little girl sucked on a cherry jolly-rancher that she found still wrapped on the boardwalk, hot from the sun. She stopped under the pier next to a woman in a blue dress, now worn and frayed lightly, hanging salty and sandy blankets and tattered clothes on a line of string. The woman smiled at the little girl and hugger her tightly and lovingly. The girl hugged back and kissed the woman's sweaty and dirtied cheek, leaving a syrupy imprint of cherry.

"Hi Mommy, I'm home," the girl said with a toothy grin prompting her mother to muss her hair tenderly with her right hand. "I found lots a cans, mommy. What can we buy with these?" She said sweetly, dumping the contents of her bag onto the ground. Her mother began to count each of them, sand, seawater and soda pouring out of a few that she lifted up.

"Well, Ariel, once we turn these in with the others I would say we could buy some bread, and a few other groceries, but not much. Hopefully your father's pay check can help us a little more." The mother spoke in a soft comforting tone, her auburn hair blowing in the breeze and her sea foam green eyes almost glowing. She was a stunning spectacle for a woman in her late thirties, looking more like a woman in her mid twenties.

The young girl leapt into her mother's arms and kissed her once more before padding over to her little area, padded in the sand with torn newspaper. Under a molding pillow that had seen better days and had a stench that made most people's noses cringe, though she had long since gotten used to it, she pulled out an assortment of cards, each one with rough, chipped up edges. She nuzzled them to her face and flipped through each, wishing each day to use them to become great.

"Well Ariel?" A slimy voice said once more, impatiently and with a gruff irritation that snapped her reluctantly back to reality. Ms. Marina gritted her teeth and spun around, looking Snappe in the eye as she balled her fists.

"You seem to have it pretty much figured out, Trevor, why don't you tell me what you think happened? Why don't you tell me what I did that was so wrong for that boy? Tell me that I did wrong and that you are disappointed in me. Come on, Trevor, tell me what you think."

"Fine. I reviewed the records and you would have beaten him had you attacked him directly at one point after using Daedalus' ability. He wouldn't be here if you had just attacked when you had that opening. Why didn't you?"

Marina bit her lip once more, unsure of how to defend herself, even though she called him out on his accusations. Why did she do that? Why did papa start crying when he got back from work with that pink paper in hand? Oh yeah, he lost his job that day. They had no money. They were homeless. Mommy cried that day too. The factory had closed and they had no money.

She was sad that day, her little white dress scrapping against the cold wet sand as she looked harder for recyclables. She needed money and fast. The family depended on it. Right? That is what she thought at the time at least, though she didn't understand that whatever she did wouldn't help. She combed the beach over and over, the summer heat bearing down on her. It was never enough.

"Mommy!" She cried at night as her mother stroked her hair tenderly in their little cove under the pier, water splashing up on them when the moon was full and the tide was high. The sea salt stained their clothes and they loved it, miserable as they were.

"Shhh. It's okay Ariel baby. It is okay, just calm down. Your father will find a new job soon. We will be fine. It will all be fine." Her mother's hands were calloused from hard work at the textile shop. She worked hard and made hard worked money, but it wasn't enough to buy a new place. It wasn't enough at all. They just needed a chance. They just needed something to come along to give it to them.

Ariel sighed as she combed the beach day in and day out, her face stained with trails of salt. Her bare feet felt hot on the dry sand, standing next to garbage can, her little fingers grasping any discarded recyclables she could fit in her bag. Her foot fell upon a crumpled piece of paper, colored in autumn colors of brown, gold, and red and flickering in the wind. The only words that caught her eye was, "$50,000 Grand Prize!" which she screamed, not even knowing what the competition was for, but immediately having interest in joining. Upon further reading her hope grew excitedly dim. Duel Monsters.

The game her precious deck came from, a gift from her late grammy that she shuffled time and again. She loved those cards, her fingers lavishing the faded ink tenderly on a nightly basis since she got them, with only a rudimentary knowledge of how to use the cards in a game. That was okay though, she would find out. She would win. She would do it all, for mommy, who had loved her tenderly and kept her courage up when they lost the house to the bank. For daddy who took on extra shifts at the Kaiba Corp. game factory to at least make sure they could survive, though on the streets. Mommy had also taken a job, despite her health. Things had not been good, but she would make them better. This was her chance, and she would take it.

"No." Her father told her that night when he was addressed about the issue. He was a broad shouldered man with a rough face that had faded in its enthusiasm in recent times. He wasn't a bad man, just worn out from life.

"But why papa!?"

"Because of the entry fee! We don't have money! Now eat your dinner and go to bed! That is final." He was short with her. There was no need for an argument and she knew it, even at her age. The next morning though, the sun cracking over the horizon and glinting on the icy blue water, she found a few bills next to her with a note that was meant for her.

"Take a chance." It said to her, a light kiss on there and taped to it was a new card. It was Neo-Daedalus, a holographic monstrosity that glowed beautifully in the morning sun with the day's first dew glinting off of it. The game was on.

Ms. Marina's bite weakened on her lip and she knew her answer to Snappe, no fear in her voice as she looked him in the eyes and nodded, "I gave him a chance." And with that she walked away, not giving him time to be smug. Not giving him time to be anything. She just walked away, the moon to her back and the ocean crashing like an orchestra in her ears that gave her great pleasure. Elsewhere on Campus, in the girls dormitory common room, there was a cork board tacked with countless pictures, each one burying another. Under all the years of pictures and memories there was a little girl in a white sundress, dirty from sand and a trail of salt on her cheeks, holding a trophy that read: "sometimes when you take a chance, your dreams come true. –Ariel Marina."

* * *

Thanks goes out to all our wonderful readers for reading _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_. We hope that you have enjoyed the first season of this story and we look forward to seeing you all again when we return in September with season two. That's right, ladies and gentlemen. This story is far from over.

Please do not forget to leave us a review

Have a great summer! See you all again when school starts.


	42. The Story of Gagagigo

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

And so we begin the second season of _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_! New characters, new decks, and more card games! Please enjoy.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-01**

**The Story of Gagagigo**

The small loving reptilian creature Gigobyte gurgled happily amongst the flowers as it frolicked playfully with Fox Fire, Archfiend Marmot of Nefariousness, Petit Dragon, and Meda Bat. Not far away, five young spellcasters watched them play; a girl with brown hair and glasses, a girl with fiery red hair, a girl with a gentle expression and green hair, a young blue-haired girl, and a moody black-haired boy. Their names were Aussa, Hiita, Wynn, Eria, and Dharc respectively. The five Charmers had all been trained under the same master, so they had all learned the same art. The only difference between them was their choices in elements. While their familiars played, the Charmers were engaged in a rousing conversation to catch up. Well, most of them anyway. Dharc had separated himself from the girls and was trying to focus on studying his Spiritual Art even thought he wasn't sure if it was the one his master wanted to learn in the first place (1).

"Why don't you sit with us, Dharc?" Eria asked.

"Aww, don't bother with him!" Hiita laughed, "He's got four beautiful girls and he doesn't even TRY to enjoy it!" Dharc's face turned red and he buried it in his spell book, causing the other Charmers to giggle. Gigobyte looked over at where they sat and tilted his head in curiosity. Fox Fire nudged him slightly with his paw while Archfiend Marmot of Nefariousness, Meda Bat, and Petit Dragon just watched. Gigobyte ignored them and just walked up to his Charmer and tugged on her robes. The others just stood there before running to join theirs.

"I'm leaving," said Dharc as he stood up and brushed the grass of his shorts.

"Aww, going so soon?" Eria asked teasingly. Dharc said nothing as he held out his arm and Meda Bat landed on it. He just gave his fellow Charmers a nod and then walked off. The blue-haired spellcaster then got up as well. "Gigobyte and I should be going too. We were going to the desert today."

"The desert? Isn't that out of your element?" asked Aussa. Eria nodded.

"It is, but we're going to investigate a strange disturbance in magical power," the Water Charmer explained as she scooped up her familiar into her arm.

"I'll come with you," Wynn offered as Petit Dragon hovered by her shoulder. Eria smiled and nodded and the two girls headed off.

ooo

Eria and Wynn arrived several hours later in a large desert valley (2) overlooking the pyramids that lay scattered within it. While Wynn used her magic to blow away any sand that came their way, Eria conjured up water to keep themselves and their familiars hydrated.

"It's coming from over there." Eria pointed to a very large pyramid and they walked toward it. As they approached, they noticed that Mokey Mokey, Haniwa, and Mushroom Man were huddled together. The two Charmers quickly ran over and knelt down.

"Is everything okay?" Wynn asked. Her answer came when a Sand Moth rose up from the sand behind them and roared down on the trio of small creatures, causing them to shriek in fear. Immediately, Gigobyte and Petit Dragon leapt forward and began to urge the small creatures to stand together and fight. Their incomprehensible words to the human ear proved to be effective as the group of them suddenly stood tall and faced their foe (3). Sand Moth laughed and simply swatted them away.

"Petit Dragon!" Wynn cried her familiar's name. Immediately, she held her staff over her head and a torrent of wind surrounded her. Petit Dragon's eyes began to glow and he flew closer to his master before the two became one in spirit (4). "Wind Storm!" (5) She raised her wand and blasted a powerful gust of wind at Sand Moth. Eria began to bind with Gigobyte as well, but the giant creature of sand knocked the poor lizard away and he hit the side of the pyramid.

"Gigobyte!" She tried to run toward her familiar, but a wall of sand cut her off. She looked at Wynn, who was fighting Sand Moth alone. She wished she could help her in some way, but no such luck was going to occur while she couldn't reach her familiar. She heard a gurgle and watched as Gigobyte slowly rose up to his feet and let out a loud growl.

"Gigobyte…" Suddenly, an aura resonated from the pyramid. Wynn ceased fighting and turned.

"What was that?" This proved to be a costly mistake. With her attention turned elsewhere, Sand Moth moved in and struck, knocking her down.

"Wynn!" cried Eria. She cast a water spell at the monster, but it was no good. She suddenly felt the aura again and a loud cry. She looked and watched, as Gigobyte seemed to be absorbing the energy from the pyramid (6). His body started to glow and he slowly grew. Within a matter of seconds, he had become a taller sleeker version of himself with short spikes jutting out of his elbows, knees, shoulders, and back.

"Gigobyte?" Eria just stared. "No, you're not Gigobyte anymore. You're something else…" The new creature suddenly leapt over the sand wall and landed in front of the young spellcaster. He looked into her eyes and she nodded. Their spirits fused together and their bond was strengthened (7). "You…are Gagagigo." Gagagigo let out a roar and leapt up. Sand Moth reached out to grab him. A ring of arcane runes suddenly surrounded Eria (8) and a torrent of water blasted the arm away. With no obstacles in his way, Gagagigo cocked back his arm and slammed his fist into the side of Sand Moth's head. He quickly somersaulted in midair and kicked the beast in the chin, knocking it onto its back. Sand Moth hissed and quickly retreated back under the sand. The bond between spellcaster and familiar wore off and Gagagigo landed gracefully in front of Eria. Though she knew that this creature was still Gigobyte, she couldn't help but feel an ominous presence about him. Gagagigo looked at her with a questioning look on his face, but she simply told him it was nothing and they ran to help Wynn and Petit Dragon.

ooo

A few years had passed since the fight against Sand Moth. Eria had a small house near the ocean where she studied her craft in peace. Or so she thought. Ever since Gigobyte had grown into Gagagigo, he had become a very bothersome troublemaker. Her studies were often interrupted by people from the nearby village knocking on her door with complaints on her familiar's behavior. She looked up from one of her books and glanced out the window. She could see Gagagigo sitting by the water playing with a butterfly that had landed on his finger. She had to admit that he had gone through some changes, but nothing particularly alarming had happened yet. She quickly returned to her studies, not noticing Gagagigo as he brought the butterfly up and ate it.

A few months later, Eria was awoken from her sleep by a knock at the door. She thought it was just more angry neighbors. But when she opened the door, what she saw was an angry mob.

"That monster has got to go!" the mayor of the town shouted.

"What did Gagagigo do this time?" demanded Eria as she held her staff in her hands, ready to fend off the villagers in case they got violent.

"He slaughtered one of our children." The young spellcaster fell silent. And then she spoke.

"You must be mistaken. I know Gagagigo would never kill!" A woman came up with a small boy in her arms. Eria immediately looked him over and gasped. his neck had been snapped and his windpipe crushed.

"But… Gagagigo…"

"The creature must die!" a man's voice shouted and the others chorused after him.

"You can't kill Gagagigo! He's my partner!"

"Then you must be responsible for this!" the mayor said, "Take the girl!" The mob closed in and Eria raised her staff to defend herself. She changed a spell and the water rose up from the ocean and splashed the villagers.

"Don't be afraid of her!" the mayor shouted, "She wouldn't dare harm us!" As they moved in to grab the young mage, Gagagigo suddenly jumped out and slammed his feet down on the heads of the men trying to apprehend her, crushing their skulls. A young man ran forward with a club, but the large reptile lashed out with his tail, wrapped it around his ankle, and flipped him onto his back before picking him up and flinging him into the sea.

"Gagagigo, no!" shouted Eria, "Stop this right now!" Gagagigo raised two villagers over his head and threw them into the ocean. Then he turned on the mayor and pounced on him. He pressed his right elbow spike against the man's neck and snarled like a dog protecting its master.

"STOP IT, GAGAGIGO!" Gagagigo suddenly looked up and turned his head toward Eria, who was crying. His blank eyes met her tear-filled ones and he immediately took off, disappearing into the night. As he vanished from sight, Eria began to contemplate what she had done wrong. From an early age, her familiar had never been taught to differentiate between right and wrong and as she knelt on the grass just outside her door, she began to weep for her own mistake.

Meanwhile, Gagagigo continued to run further from the village and his life-long friend. He could not under why the villagers wanted him gone. He was in the village that night prowling for any creatures that would harm the populace when he found a boy torturing a small puppy (9). He immediately rushed to its defense and wrapped his hands around the poor creature's tormentor before squeezing. Did the world really look down on such acts of selflessness? These thoughts quickly left Gagagigo's mind as he remembered that he was being hunted and he ran faster.

ooo

Many years had passed since Gagagigo had left Eria the Water Charmer. His closest friend was now all but a forgotten memory. He wandered anywhere his feet took him. During that time, his inability to tell right from wrong only worsened and he began to enjoy committing evil deeds. In no time, he had been marked as a hostile and dangerous creature.

That day, he was wandering through a vast Wasteland when he chanced across a knight with long blond hair (10). He did not know who this man was nor did he care, yet for some reason the stranger called out to him. "You are that evildoer I have heard of. Prepare yourself, foul creature! For I shall cleanse this world of your existence!" He drew his sword and held it out in front of him. Gagagigo turned toward the man and snarled. The two of them each took a step back and then charged at one another. Sword met spike in midair as the two opposing beings fought. As the man continued to swing his sword, Gagagigo blocked with the spines on his elbows. When an opportunity came, he wrapped his tail around his opponent's ankle and pulled his leg out from under him, forcing him onto his back. With his foe down, Gagagigo immediately lashed out trying to snap his neck with his jaws but found himself with a blade in his mouth. The brave wanderer forced the reptile off himself and got to his feet. He raised his sword and blocked a punch. Gagagigo quickly grabbed onto the blade and leaned in to bite his opponent. The warrior immediately raised his free hand and he felt the jaws clamp around his forearm.

"Back, you vile beast!" He let go of his sword and punched Gagagigo's head. The reptilian beast snarled as he was forced back. The warrior knelt down holding his arm and looked at it. Despite being crafted by the finest blacksmith in his town, several fang marks had been left and even penetrated through to the flesh. He grabbed his sword and stood up in time to see Gagagigo charging toward him. "You leave me no other choice, you evil creature. This shall be your undoing." He took a small purple orb from the pouch on his belt. He stood ready and as his opponent came within range, he threw the tiny sphere at him. A purple vortex burst forward as Gagagigo threw a punch and the young evildoer was pulled through (11). The portal closed and in its place a blue haze fell upon the desert. The man looked into it and saw Gagagigo clawing and trying to break free of his prison.

"You shall not escape the Different Dimension," the man said, "This shall be your home, your prison, from now on." Gagagigo snarled and slammed his fist into the barrier that separated the two worlds but to no avail; his eyes showed his desire for revenge against the man (12).

ooo

Months passed with no hope of escape for Gagagigo. The Different Dimension was his prison and he needed to get out. A small rift he discovered gave him hope and he ripped through it. He landed on the bones of a thousand corpses as they lay in an open mass grave (13). He was free now. Free to exact his revenge on the one who had imprisoned him. As he stumbled out of the grave, a dark man in a black shroud slowly approached him from behind.

"A young one like you should not rush off in such a hurry." Gagagigo snarled in response and continued to walk away. "Is there someone whom you desire to kill?" The lizard man stopped and turned. "I can help you." Gagagigo didn't trust this man, but if he was offering him the chance to kill the man who had imprisoned him in the other dimension, he was not willing to argue. He simply gave a questioning gurgle.

"I am known as the Invader of Darkness."

For the next several years, Gagagigo served as a soldier among the demonic forces of the Invader of Darkness. As he fought alongside the Fiends, his heart continued to grow darker. The remnants of his innocence as Gigobyte were purged. As he aided the demons in their fight against an army of knights led by the heroic St. Joan, his new master watched him carefully, a dark grin slowly appearing on his face behind his shroud.

"Everything goes as planned, Master." An unseen presence behind him responded.

"Yes. Soon, I shall feed upon another corrupted soul. I trust you shall bring him to me."

"Yes, Master."

Back in the mighty obsidian fortress of the Invader of Darkness, Gagagigo and the demons were recovering from their long battle. St. Joan had proven to be a very powerful enemy; her holy aura protecting her from all the demons. Gagagigo himself had to fight her on his own and even though they won, they had suffered heavy losses. Even the Invader of Darkness' general, Summoned Skull, could not keep up. As the reptilian warrior rested, a blue-skinned demon carrying a broken doll named Dark Necrofear approached him and told him that he was needed in the master's chamber. Gagagigo immediately went. He approached the Invader of Darkness and knelt before him.

"You have served me well, Gagagigo," the dark fiend said, "But now it is time for you to fulfill your true purpose." And without another word, he shot a blast of energy that struck Gagagigo and knocked him out the room. The young lizard snarled and got up. He saw another blast coming and he quickly dodged it. He couldn't believe it. His own master had betrayed him. Without wasting another second, he made his way for the exit, but the fiends had him surrounded.

"Your soul belongs to the master," the Invader of Darkness declared as he approached, "Now be a good little minion and do as I say: die." Gagagigo grabbed a nearby Sangan used it to block the blast before making another escape attempt. Several demons tried to grab him, but he kicked them out of the way and jumped out the nearest window.

"Find him!" ordered the Invader of Darkness, "He must not escape!" As the demons swarmed out of the fortress, Gagagigo pulled himself onto a rocky beach a good distance away and looked back. He sat there in the water for a few minutes watching the fiends before he got up to his feet and ran.

An entire week passed as Gagagigo made his way alone through the wilds. He was tired. He was hungry. But he knew he was still being hunted, so he kept going. His journey took him into the remains of a forest. This area had once been set ablaze when a family of Solar Flare Dragons passed and had since then just been nothing but burn stumps and charred dirt. He stopped to rest next to one seemingly still-sturdy tree. However, he wouldn't be able to stay long. As he sat there, he leaned his back against the tree and gazed up. No sooner had he done so, one of the branches came crashing down. Gagagigo quickly rolled to the side and just narrowly avoided getting flattened. He sprang to his feet and watched as the tree suddenly uprooted itself and stood facing him. Gagagigo had heard of creatures like this before back when he was still with Eria the Water Charmer. She had told him they were called Inpachi, trees that had been cut down and possessed by evil spirits so they could take revenge on those that had cut them down. And now Gagagigo had the misfortune to encounter one. He raised his arms up as the Inpachi brought its arm down again and he caught it, but the sheer force combined with the addition of gravity caused him to fall to one knee as a result. He cringed as a wave of pain suddenly coursed through his body from the ankle of the leg whose knee went down. He immediately pushed the Inpachi's arm to the side and tried to get out of the way to escape but the creature's other arm struck him hard on the side and sent him into several burnt trees. He looked up and watched as it stood over him. With his injured ankle, there was no hope for Gagagigo to escape. He closed his eyes and leaned against the tree as the Inpachi swung the finishing blow.

"Away from that creature, you beast!" a man's voice yelled. There was a loud thunk as a man in armor sank an axe (14) into the side of the evil tree, causing it to roar in pain. The man who had shouted soon came into view. With short blond hair, green armor, and a long cape, he wielded two swords and led an entire army of warriors. One of his swords was a single-handed and other was a large weapon big enough for a normal man to require two hands to swing. And yet somehow he possessed the strength to wield this sword in one hand.

"Hear me, evil spirit!" he called out again, "I am Sir Siegfried, the Marauding Captain and leader of the Allied Forces (15)! Stand down immediately or we shall be forced to take action!" The Inpachi responded by knocking away the Axe Raider. "So be it! Allied Forces, attack!" Immediately, the warriors charged led by the Marauding Captain himself. Gagagigo watched as they fought bravely and even though he himself had fought before, there was something different about the way Sir Siegfried and his forces battled. They weren't fighting to destroy nor were they fighting to conquer.

"I have this fiend!" a man wielding a fiery orange sword (16) shouted as he leapt into the air and swung his weapon down on top of the Inpachi. Immediately, the giant creature caught fire and it roared even louder before knocking away the one who had set it ablaze (17). All the warriors looked up in horror as the Blazing Inpachi stood up tall and raised its burning arms to the sky.

"Fight on, brothers!" cried Sir Siegfried. The warriors charged in, but their enemy blasted them all away with a burst of fire. It then turned on the Marauding Captain and closed in on him. The brave warrior tried to get up, but his foe pinned him down with one hand. The flames on that arm began to glow brighter as it prepared to unleash a blast of fire.

Suddenly, Gagagigo slammed into Blazing Inpachi and knocked it off Sir Siegfried. The knight looked up and watched as the lizard man struck the burning tree with his good foot and knocked him away. He landed next to the brave warrior and looked at him. The two stared into one another's eyes for a while before the reptilian creature extended his arm and offered his hand. The Marauding Captain took one look at him and immediately grabbed it. Gagagigo hauled him to his feet and the two of them stood side-by-side as they prepared to fight Blazing Inpachi (18).

"For the kingdom!" Sir Siegfried charged with Gagagigo right beside him. Their burning foe raised its arm and launched another burst of fire at the duo only to have it blocked by the brave warrior's large blade. As soon as he was clear he gave Gagagigo a nod, who grabbed him in both hands and threw him. Sir Siegfried flew through the air and thrust his blades into the monster. Blazing Inpachi's cry shook the burnt forest as it tried to shake off the Marauding Captain. While it struggled to remove the man, Gagagigo grabbed a large rock and threw it against the burning tree spirit's head. A loud groan escaped the behemoth's mouth as it swung its arm and knocked Sir Siegfried away before turning toward the lizard man. Its flames began to glow brighter and soon turned into a bright blue.

"Sir Siegfried, watch out!" shouted the Flame Swordsman. Sir Siegfried looked up and saw Blazing Inpachi as it prepared to unleash a massive attack. He turned his head and watched as Gagagigo tried to run. However, the pain in his ankle suddenly shot through his body and he collapsed. "Sir Siegfried, we can't stay here anymore!" the Flame Swordsman called again.

"I will not abandon a comrade!" Sir Siegfried got to his feet and ran toward Gagagigo. Blazing Inpachi let out a roar and unleashed a blast far stronger and far hotter than any of its previous attacks. The reptilian warrior crouched down and braced itself for the worst. It never came. No fire. No heat. All that came was the sound of a man screaming. Gagagigo looked up and his eyes widened as he saw Sir Siegfried standing over him shielding him from the attack with his back (19). He looked up and made a noise, but the Marauding Captain looked at him and smiled. "I'll never abandon...a friend..." He cried out as the flames quickly burned away his cloak and began to burn his armor. Gagagigo looked at Sir Siegfried and the memories of Eria suddenly filled his head. Tears rolled down his green skin and a look of determination suddenly filled his pale yellow eyes. Gritting his teeth, he stood up, despite the pain in his leg, and picked up a fallen tree. He raised it over his head and threw it into Blazing Inpachi. The burning monstrosity ceased its attack and roared. Gagagigo grabbed a large rock and leapt forward. He smashed his feet against Blazing Inpachi and knocked it over before raising the stone over his head and slamming it against that of its enemy. He continued to hammer away showing no visible signs of fatigue or pain from the flames. His opponent reached up with an arm and brought it down fast, but Gagagigo leapt away and safely on the ground to watch the giant hurt itself. He looked for something else to fight with, but there were no more rocks or trees in the immediate area. His gaze turned to Sir Siegfried's two-handed sword and he immediately grabbed it. With weapon in hand, he made one more leap and plunged the blade deep into Blazing Inpachi's head. The burning giant tree spirit let out one final moan before it collapsed and its flames died out, leaving behind a black burnt-out husk of a tree (20).

As soon as Blazing Inpachi was dead, the troops immediately ran over to the two individuals who had vanquished the beast. "Sir Siegfried, are you alright?" many of them asked as they approached the Marauding Captain.

"I am fine," he assured his comrades, "How is...?"

"We're examining him right now, sir."

"Bring him back to camp with us," ordered Sir Siegfried.

That night, Gagagigo sat by the campfire with a bandage around his ankle. Around him, the members of the Allied Forces were eating, drinking, talking, and healing. The team's cook ladled some stew into a bowl and handed it to him. The large lizard took it and stared at its contents. A few moments later and Sir Siegfried emerged from his tent with his torso bandaged. The smith was repairing his armor. He took a seat beside Gagagigo and took the bowl of stew he had been offered. Gagagigo looked at the blond man and growled something.

"I am alright, my friend," the Marauding Captain assured him, "If anyone should be concerned about another's injuries, it should be me." He placed a spoonful of food into his mouth. Gagagigo returned to staring at the fire. "I know you do not speak, but I can still understand what you are trying to say. You had to leave someone dear to you and the choices you made after that only made things worse. Many of our comrades come from similar backgrounds as yours. But we were able to bring them together and successfully united them under a single banner. Now, they fight alongside me in the name of justice."

"Sir Siegfried," a new voice spoke. The man and the creature turned and saw a grey-skinned man with long black hair, glasses, and a white laboratory coat approach the camp fire. "I came to tell you that Kotetsu (21) has just finished repairing your armor."

"Ah, thank you Kozaky," said Sir Siegfried. He noticed Gagagigo looking at the newcomer. "This is Kozaky. He may not be a warrior like the rest of us, but his intellectual prowess as a scientist has been incredibly helpful to our cause." Kozaky turned and looked at Gagagigo.

"And does this creature have a name?" The large green beast just sat there, but then remembered something Eria had given him long ago. Reaching into a stocking on his unbound ankle, he pulled out a small medal. It was the last gift he had received before he had abandoned his former life. Sir Siegfried looked at it and the message that had been engraved on it.

"'Gagagigo, stay true to yourself. Love, Eria.'" The Marauding Captain looked up. "Gagagigo. Is that your name?" His response was a nod. "Well Gagagigo, we would be honored to have you join our fight for justice. It will be a long difficult road with many obstacles. But together we can overcome them all, my friend." Gagagigo's eyes suddenly softened. Friend. A word he hadn't heard in years. Not since he left that loving blue-haired Spellcaster. His eyes began to water and he nodded.

"In that case, I'll speak with Kotetsu," offered Kozaky, "Many of our fights cannot be won with bare fists and kicks. You will need a weapon. I'll see what Kotetsu has on hand."

"That would be much appreciated, Kozaky," said Sir Siegfried before he turned to Gagagigo, "Well Gagagigo, I think you better eat your stew before it gets cold." The large green reptile looked at his new friend one more time before turning to his bowl and devouring the contents.

ooo

Many years passed and Gagagigo grew into a powerful warrior. Armed with an axe bearing a shrunken head (22), he fought bravely alongside Sir Siegfried the Marauding Captain and his comrades. He became friends quickly with Gilford the Lightning, the Flame Swordsman, the Axe Raider, and Dai Grepher. There were others too such as Garoozis and the two M-Warriors, inhuman creatures such as himself who had also been found and joined in the fight for justice.

When they fought, Gagagigo and Sir Siegfried were always the ones to lead the charge and the two fought side-by-side, back-to-back against the foes they encountered. When they rested, they would spend much time by the campfire before retiring for the evening. Even though Gagagigo had been offered a tent, the large lizard declined, preferring to sleep by the fire instead.

ooo

"I've found him!" The Invader of Darkness stared into the mirror and watched as Gagagigo fought with Sir Siegfried and the Allied Forces. "We shall soon have him, my lord."

"Fail me again, and it will be the last mistake you shall make!" a loud booming voice announced.

"Of course, Lord Raviel." (23)

ooo

The Fiends' attack had struck without warning. All over the world, the demons had sprung out unexpectedly and began attacking innocents. The Invader of Darkness watched and cackled, knowing full well that the attacks would provoke the Allied Forces to come out and fight. And when they did, that would be when he would capture Gagagigo.

ooo

"Gentlemen, it appears that demons have unleashed a massive attack on our world," Sir Siegfried said as he briefed his troops, "As the Allied Forces, warriors of justice, it is our sworn duty to protect the innocent and fight these monsters back to their wretched domain. We will have to spread out forces out all across the land. Wherever you are assigned, gather as many of the local warriors you can find. We will need all the help we can get. Gagagigo, you shall be fighting beside me, my friend. If we have no questions, then let us be off!"

A few moments later, Sir Siegfried was outside his tent mounting his horse. Beside him, Gagagigo had already mounted on his. The large lizard was grateful when he first received his steed. Though he was fast on foot, having his own horse allowed him to enter battle without expending energy to get there. "I hope you are ready, my friend," said Sir Siegfried. Gagagigo nodded and the Marauding Captain galloped away, leading his men into battle.

"I'll send you that new weapon once it's finished!" Kozaky called as they rode away. Gagagigo turned to his friend and gave him a questioning snarl.

"Kozaky has been developing a new weapon to aid us in battle," Sir Siegfried explained. After several hours of riding, the group finally came to a large valley overrun by Fiends. Above it hovered a mighty castle of darkness (24).

"Men!" The Marauding Captain turned to Gagagigo and his troops. "Today we face a horror the likes of which we have never fought before! But remember that our resolve shall never be broken! On this day, we shall not fight only for justice! We shall fight to save our world! Come brothers! Onward into battle and victory!" He drew his swords and with a mighty war cry he led the charge. The Fiends looked up as they heard the sounds of war reach their ears and their eyes met with the sight of thousands of men raining down on them. Those closest to the valley's wall were slain first as the first wave swept in and swung their weapons. Sir Siegfried's own assault allowed him to cleave his way through many demons before one finally killed his horse. As he got to his feet, he turned in time to see Gagagigo swing his axe and decapitate a monster just before it could land a hit on the brave warrior. He smiled as his friend dismounted and joined him before the two rushed into the fray.

"Back, you mindless wretches!" The Marauding Captain thrust his arm forward and stuck his large blade into the chest of one of the demons before he lopped off its head with his smaller sword. Another Fiend leapt up and prepared to strike its claws into his back, but Gagagigo, whose agility had proven time and time again to be a valuable asset to the Allied Forces, severed his arms.

"Thank you, my friend. I can only hope that our allies in the other parts of the world have found others to fight alongside them." A loud roar suddenly turned their attention away from each other and towards the heart of the battle as the Invader of Darkness rose up above the Fiends. Beneath him, several powerful demons rose out of the ground below his feet. Gorz the Emissary of Darkness, the Emissary from Pandemonium, Darkness Destroyer, Lava Golem, and Belial – Marquis of Darkness, the vile beasts of the pit that had brought down the strongest of foes with hellish might that peered down at the resistance with piercing gazes.

"Go forth, my elite warriors!" Invader of Darkness shouted, "Destroy all in your path!"

Sir Siegfried noticed his men cower and even begin to step away as the five powerful demons rose up and advanced. He raised his blades into the air and cried out, "Fight on, brothers!" He then charged. His words and actions brought courage back to the hearts of his soldiers and they followed suit. Many fell to the blades of Gorz while the Emissary from Pandemonium smashed into them. Belial's sword cut down many soldiers as Darkness Destroyer broke through their defenses while Lava Golem rose up from behind their ranks and consumed them. Despite the Allied Forces' best efforts, it was clear that the tide of the battle had turned; the warriors were losing.

Gagagigo swung his axe and chopped off the head of another Fiend as he made his way toward the elite demons. A scream alerted him to Gearfried the Iron Knight, who was being attacked by a large beast. He quickly threw his axe at it and embedded it in the demon's skull. With no weapon in his hands, Gagagigo cracked his knuckles and leapt into the air. He slammed his feet down hard on top of a Fiend's head and crushed it into the ground as he used his agility to leap across to help Sir Siegfried.

"Thank you for joining me, my friend," he said as he pulled his sword out from the midsection of a monster. "Alas, I am afraid that we cannot win. There are far too many demons and with those elite soldiers, I doubt we can win." Gagagigo looked down sadly and then gazed toward the horizon. No sooner had he done so, he saw shapes moving toward the battlefield. He quickly informed the Marauding Captain, who turned and looked. "Thank the gods! Reinforcements have arrived!" All heads turned as an armada of enormous mechanical tanks rolled in with the entire top portion appearing to be the remains of burnt-out Inpachis.

"Behold the might of the Woodborg Inpachis!" Kozaky cried as he rode in on a giant machine of his own outfitted with many weapons and a cockpit that resembled his own head (25).

"We have a fighting chance, men!" shouted Sir Siegfried, "Press on!" With Kozaky's new weapons arrived, the Allied Forces began to push the Fiends back. The scientist cackled loudly as his mighty machine tore through their front lines. Belial – Marquis of Darkness swung his sword, but it was caught in the mechanical monstrosity's arms and broken before a giant hammer smashed his skull in. The Woodborg Inpachis closed in on Darkness Destroyer and eliminated him quickly.

"Sometimes, you have to do it yourself." The Invader of Darkness strode into battle, the sun reflecting off his golden armor as his black cape fluttered around him. He held out his hands and fired beams into the warriors, killing many at once. Gagagigo somehow sensed his entry into the fight and ran toward him. The malicious demon closed in on one of Sir Siegfried's men and prepared to strike. Suddenly, the green reptile landed in front of him and stood before the mighty Fiend. (26)

"Ah, you've returned." The Invader of Darkness cackled, "It is still not too late. Come back with us and you shall receive unlimited power!" But Gagagigo stood his ground. He looked up at the demon and snarled, protecting the man cowering behind him. "So be it. You had your chance. Now it is time for you to die. Penalty Game!" (27) A beam of energy shot out of his hand and struck down Gagagigo with tremendous power (28).

"NO!" Sir Siegfried had witnessed Gagagigo and he immediately ran toward the Invader of Darkness, but the armored Fiend had plans.

"Fall back!" he ordered. Immediately, the remaining demons retreated back into the earth and vanished. Sir Siegfried quickly ran over to Gagagigo, who now had the man he had protected kneeling over him. He was horrified by what he saw. Severe burns and cuts covered his face and chest, but those were nothing compared to what truly terrified the men. Gagagigo's arms and legs had been completely blasted off at the elbows and knees. The medical team's analysis showed that his lungs had been crushed, his shoulders shattered, and his heart failing.

"It doesn't look good, sir," they said, "I think he's just about had it."

"No..." Sir Siegfried dropped his swords and then dropped to his knees.

"Bring him to me!" Kozaky yelled from his machine, "I'll take him to my lab and repair his body." The Marauding Captain looked up at the scientist and nodded. He signaled his medical officers to help carry Gagagigo's broken body over and placed him under special care before Kozaky took off.

"Don't worry, my green friend. You'll have your body up and running again soon," Kozaky cackled. He pushed up his glasses and the sun reflected off the lenses as he flew off. Once he was sure that no one would see him, he pressed a button on his control panel and a black portal opened before him (29). He immediately flew through and into the realm of the Dark World.

ooo

Within a hidden laboratory far from the eyes of the general public, Kozaky worked tirelessly as he observed Gagagigo suspended in a tube of liquid (30). "Soon, young Gagagigo. Soon you shall rise up and fight again. And you shall fight for the forces of Dark World." He pushed up his glasses and then left his laboratory. He walked through the blackened corridors of the dark palace as he made his way toward a set of impressive double doors guarded a fiend he knew as Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World. The guard permitted him entry and Kozaky stepped through the doors into an enormous darkened throne room. At the end, he could see two larger fiends standing on either side of the throne. To the left was Sillva, Warlord of Dark World. To the right was Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World. Seated on the throne in between them was none other than the Mad King of Dark World himself, Brron.

"Kozaky!" The king of the world of darkness cackled. "What news do you have of our new guest?"

"Everything is going according to plan, your Madness," answered Kozaky as he clasped his hands behind his back, "Soon, we shall have a brand new soldier to fight for us."

"Excellent!" Brron cackled loudly once again, "Overlord Reign-Beaux will be most pleased!"

"Yes, I believe he will." Kozaky pushed up his glasses. "I believe he will."

"How long until it is complete?" barked Brron.

"One week should be plenty."

"Excellent!" The Mad King of Dark World cackled loudly one more time as Kozaky turned and left.

Days passed as Kozaky worked nonstop in the darkness of his laboratory. The only light that illuminated his workspace was that from the monitors and equipment he used. He checked the readings to see how Gagagigo was holding up and nodded with satisfaction at the results. He pushed his glasses up and keyed in another command. His eyes turned toward the tube as mechanical arms fused armor to his specimen's body. The cybernetic enhancements he was installing would increase Gagagigo's power tenfold. Not only that, but it was also guaranteed to make him one hundred percent obedient to the forces of Dark World. He stood up from his seat and walked down to the tube. He examined his specimen and grinned. The reconstruction was progressing extremely well. He had replaced the missing limbs with mechanical ones and reinforced the shattered shoulders with spiked shoulder guards that doubled as prosthetics. The armor that covered his torso doubled as his life support. The missing flesh on his tail was grafted over with steel. Lastly, a mechanical jaw had been implemented to replace the broken one, which also covered a good portion of his face. Kozaky cackled quietly to himself as he placed a hand on the tube.

"Soon you shall belong to the Dark World, Gagagigo. Or perhaps I should call you Giga Gagagigo." He turned and exited the lab. He took one last look behind him and closed the door. No sooner had he left, Giga Gagagigo's eyes snapped open.

ooo

The following dark morning, Kozaky entered his lab ready to work when his foot stumbled upon pieces of broken equipment. He looked around and gasped. His laboratory had been completely destroyed. He quickly ran down to the far wall, avoiding debris along the way, and made his way to the shattered remains of a large glass tube.

"By Overlord Reign-Beaux's crown!" The mad scientist ran up to the wall and smashed through a glass case to push a large red button. Immediately, red-warning lights started flashing as alarms began blaring.

"What's going on, Kozaky?" demanded Gren, Tactician of Dark World, "I'm busy trying to develop new battle strategies and your alarm begins to sound."

"The specimen has escaped!"

Everyone in the castle was placed on high alert. Kozaky explained everything to Brron, who ordered all forces of Dark World be on a lookout for the escaped Giga Gagagigo. "I don't understand," the mad scientist muttered, "My technology should have made him one hundred percent obedient. What could have possibly gone wrong? My calculations are flawless!"

"If we survive, Kozaky, you're gonna be in deep hell for this," swore the Mad King. A loud crash coming from the other side of the door alerted all the throne room's occupants of a hostile presence. Sillva and Goldd stepped forward with their weapons ready as the sound of bodies hitting the walls could be heard. Moments later, large the doors began to shudder from the impact of two powerful fists making contact with its surface. Several tense moments passed before those doors burst open and Brron's general Zure, Knight of Dark World was thrown across the room and landed before the king's feet. Giga Gagagigo slowly stepped into the throne room and roared. Goldd and Sillva immediately attacked, but their opponent's new mechanical arms deflected their weapons. He grabbed them both by their throats and smashed their heads together before tossing them aside like rag dolls. Brron raised an eyebrow as the green monstrosity approached. He felt that he was safe. Giga Gagagigo's eyes were not fixed on him. Rather, they were fixed on Kozaky. The cybernetically enhanced reptile grabbed the scientist by the throat and slammed him against the wall. He brought his face close and snarled, his grip tightening with every second.

"W-what...do...you...want?" Kozaky gasped. Giga Gagagigo's muscles tensed up as he proceeded to squeeze the life out of his captive. Suddenly, a burst of magic shot him in the back and he slumped to the floor. Kozaky fell from where had been pinned and gasped for air. He looked up at Brron, who had his smoking hands held up.

"Now then Kozaky, you have some explaining to do."

"Well..." Kozaky took in a few more breaths. "It seems that the my Dark World technology has somehow changed him. I've spent a lot of time studying him while I was spying among the Allied Forces and I can assure you that he's much different now. Now it seems all he desires is power."

"Interesting. And what about our control over him?"

"I'm afraid the corruption to his mind has turned him into a berserker. It would be dangerous to keep him."

"Then perhaps it is time to send him back to his own world." Brron walked back to his throne and sat down. "Kozaky, see to it that he returns."

"At once, your Majesty."

The following day, a struggling restrained Giga Gagagigo was placed inside a large machine (31). Kozaky watched as the hatch was closed and sealed. He then input the coordinates and fired. Giga Gagagigo was shot high into the air and a portal opened that swallowed him.

ooo

In the lands of the Falsebound Kingdom, a gateway opened up in the sky and the massive form of Giga Gagagigo flew out and crashed into the ground (32). His cybernetic enhancements whirred as he stood up and looked around. His eyes blazed with rage as he raised his head to the sky and roared. His cry caused the heavens to rumble as he walked off seeking to satisfy his new thirst for power.

ooo

The Brave Wanderer known as Freed had stopped for the evening at an inn in a small town. The blond man was at a table with his sword and shield leaning against the edge. He had traveled a long hard road today and was now enjoying a hot meal and a cold brew before having a good night's sleep. The innkeeper, a young beautiful woman named Monique, walked up to his table and set down another plate of food. "Thank you kindly, miss," he said gratefully. As he ate, he could not shake an ominous feeling that something dreadful was about to happen.

Later that night, the brave wanderer was sitting in his room staring out the window. He could see the villagers closing up shops, walking through the streets, and going home for the evening. That feeling still had not passed. He knew he should try to get some sleep, but he doubted he would be able to rest peacefully. _Perhaps I am just worrying too much_, he thought as he proceeded to remove his armor. No sooner had he placed his hand on the clasp, a cry came out from the streets. He looked out the window and saw a column of smoke rising up in the distance. Squinting his eyes, he could see the orange glow of fire. Immediately, he grabbed his sword and shield and ran out to the street. The sounds of destruction continued to grow closer until a large green lizard with mechanical limbs suddenly jumped over a row of houses and landed before him.

_It's that vile creature again!_ Freed exclaimed mentally. He drew his sword and readied his shield. Giga Gagagigo heard the sound of sliding steel and turned to face the warrior. The two old rivals faced each other for a moment before running towards one another. Freed swung his sword and it was bounced off Giga Gagagigo's mechanical arm. As he felt the reverberation off his blade, his opponent grabbed him by the throat and threw him down the street. Freed bounced off the ground and crashed into a water trough, scaring away the horses that were drinking from it. He got up and looked in time to see Giga Gagagigo running toward him. The reptilian beast cocked back his arm and swung. Freed quickly raised his shield and a magical barrier burst from its edge and surrounded him with a protective dome of energy as the metal fist made contact (33), which instantly healed his wounds.

Meanwhile, from a laboratory in the Dark World, Kozaky cackled as he and his colleague, the Magical Scientist, watched on the computer screen as Giga Gagagigo continued his fight with Freed. "It seems your experiment has failed," the humanoid scientist said.

"My calculations were perfect!" Kozaky snarled, "Giga Gagagigo was supposed to fight for the Dark World. How then could he turn against us?"

"Who knows" The Magical Scientist shrugged and went back to watching the fight.

Back in the village, the fight had driven most of the residents out of town. Freed was clearly no match for the upgraded Gagagigo. He found himself frequently using his shield's healing magic, but he could still feel its effects weakening. There was no way he would be able to keep fighting. Giga Gagagigo's attacks were doing more damage than the shield could heal. With no other options left, Freed performed one final desperation move. With Giga Gagagigo pushing hard against his shield, he slipped the protective guard off his arm and brushed his hand against a glyph on the backside, activating it. He immediately kicked it away and watched as the shield exploded and blasted his opponent away (34). He slowly got up and looked at the burning mess he had made. He let out a sigh as he stuck his sword into the ground and leaned against it. "Alas, the beast is slain."

A roar proved the brave man otherwise. Amidst the flames, Giga Gagagigo slowly stepped forward. He had been damaged in the explosion but otherwise seemed perfectly fine. Freed gasped. There was no hope left now. With great regret, the Brave Wanderer did the one thing he thought he would never do: he fled. He ran from the village, not looking back at the destruction that had been caused by his failure. Behind him, the roars of Giga Gagagigo echoed through the night. Freed would later enlist in the Imperial Army and rise up as a matchless general.

Months passed and Giga Gagagigo's thirst for power had not been sated. In his quest to find more, he found himself trudging through the toxic waters of a thick swamp (35). Kozaky's cybernetic implants had granted him sensors that could detect any forms of power. Currently, they were directing him through this swamp. He had no idea what lay ahead, but he was determined to find it. The damage he had received from his battle against Freed those many months ago had not been repaired and he could feel his body beginning to falter. Any amount of strain could very well send him into an irreparable state. The last thing he needed now was a direct confrontation.

The wildlife in the swamp was all the same. Everywhere he looked there were snakes. Limbless reptiles that watched his every move with their slatted eyes. As Giga Gagagigo progressed through the thick toxic environment, a large cobra (36) suddenly burst out of the water and sank its fangs into him. The great beast roared and grabbed onto the snake's head before pulling. After several minutes, he finally wrenched its fangs from his body, but then it wrapped itself around his arm. It raised its head up and hissed before lashing out for another bite, but had its attack stopped when its prey grabbed its neck (37). As Giga Gagagigo fought for his life, he could feel his body begin to fail him. He needed to end this fast. Venom Cobra's coils were tightening very quickly and it would not be long before it crushed his arm. Giga Gagagigo roared and ran towards a tree. He swung out his arm and slammed the snake into it as hard as he can. Venom Cobra's grip immediately loosened as it was stunned by the impact. Giga Gagagigo quickly ripped the limbless reptile from his arm in its dazed state and grabbed with jaws. With a mighty roar, he pulled and tore Venom Cobra in two. He threw the pieces behind him and stumbled forward. His cybernetic implants were failing and it would not be long before the rest of his body collapsed.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally arrived at a large temple. The architecture was none like he had ever seen before. It was demonic for sure, but nothing like he had seen in the Dark World or in the palace of the Invader of Darkness. Slowly, he crawled inside, ignoring the ominous presence of the structure. He found his way into a large empty room devoid of all objects save for a single black altar in the center with horns jutting up from its edge (38). He slowly climbed up onto it and lied down on his back. He was not sure what would happen next, but he felt that it would benefit him. Voices suddenly filled Giga Gagagigo's head and his eyes darted back and forth trying to make sense of where they were coming from.

"_I sense a new presence."_

"_Perhaps this creature seeks our power."_

"_Such a pathetic monster? It's not worth our time."_

"_Wait, I sense this one has a great darkness within its heart."_

"_It is not worth it."_

"_Maybe not. But perhaps it could be of some use."_

Giga Gagagigo clutched his head and roared as he tried to drown out the voices. Very slowly, he could feel his body rising up from the altar and the power of Hell suddenly coursed through his body.

Hours passed and before long a massive beast broke out from the roof of the temple. Muscles budged from every organic part of its body. Its mechanical implants fully repaired and upgraded significantly. It landed on the edge of the roof's temple as it stood up and raised its head toward the sky. Raising its arms up, the evil beast, Gogiga Gagagigo, let out a deafening roar.

In a distant land miles away, a blue-haired woman shed a tear.

ooo

The resounding applause filled the school auditorium as the Duel Academy Drama Club came out onto the stage with their Drama Disks and bowed. Max, Damien, Romano, Julia, Lucas, Hector, and Will looked out into the audience with smiles on their faces as the students stood up one-by-one.

ooo

"That was an awesome play," said Mikey as he, Sammie, Coltyn, and their newest addition Gabe left the auditorium.

"Meh, it was okay," the younger Angel brother replied. He ended up getting a good smack upside the head from Sammie.

"You fell asleep!" she scolded.

"Hey guys, Mikey and I are gonna head back now," Coltyn brought up.

"Yeah, I'm kinda tired," Mikey admitted, "Gabe, you better get back too."

"I guess." Gabe let out a yawn. "Y'know, I think I'm gonna like it here." And with that, he ran off to the Red dorm. Sammie then bade farewell and headed off toward the Blue dorm while Mikey and Coltyn met up with Max before returning to the Yellow dorm.

Their second year at Duel Academy had begun.

* * *

**Footnotes:**

1. Dark Spirit Art – Greed

2. Necrovalley

3. The Law of the Normal

4. Familiar-Possessed – Wynn

5. Storming Wynn

6. Triangle Power

7. Familiar-Possessed – Eria

8. Spiritual Water Art – Aoi

9. Outstanding Dog Marron

10. Freed the Brave Wanderer

11. Dimensional Prison

12. D.D. Borderline

13. Stumbling

14. Axe Raider

15. The A. Forces

16. Flame Swordsman

17. Blazing Inpachi

18. Two-Man Cell Battle

19. My Body as a Shield

20. Charcoal Inpachi

21. Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu

22. Axe of Despair

23. Raviel, Lord of Phantasms

24. Castle of Dark Illusions

25. Giant Kozaky

26. Absolute End

27. Penalty Game!

28. Spirit Barrier

29. Gateway to Dark World

30. Level Conversion Lab

31. Compulsory Evacuation Device

32. Monster Gate

33. Draining Shield

34. Des Counterblow

35. Venom Swamp

36. Venom Cobra

37. Ambush Fangs

38. Altar for Tribute

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

School has started and Mikey's brother Gabe has begun his first year at Duel Academy. Things get a little tense when he meets his new roommate. How will things fare for Mikey's younger brother? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	43. Thunder from on High

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-02**

**Thunder from on High**

Mikey's alarm clock beeped loudly and he immediately shut it off. He stretched a bit underneath the yellow covers and sat up, looking around the room. He was a Ra Yellow now and the rooms were very different from the one he had back in the Osiris Red dorm. One of the greatest changes was that he no longer had a roommate. Mikey had his room all to himself. It was actually not much bigger than his own bedroom back home. He had a nice twin bed with white sheets and a yellow blanket, a dresser, a closet, a good-sized desk with a computer and lamp, and a window with a nice view. He got out of bed clad in only a pair of boxers and looked outside. It appeared to be a rather cloudy day. Most likely, it was going to rain. Putting on a shirt, Mikey grabbed his towel, soap, shampoo, toothbrush, and toothpaste and walked down the hall to the boys' shower room. After a warm shower and his morning routine, he returned his room and pulled on some pants over his boxers and found a clean shirt and socks. Before heading downstairs for breakfast, he grabbed his bright yellow school jacket and went to the dining room.

The Ra Yellow dining room was also very different from the Osiris Red dining room. The food was set out cafeteria style and students could sit anywhere they could find a seat. He grabbed a tray from the end and walked down the line. The kitchen staff was serving just about every kind of breakfast food imaginable. Mikey grabbed some French toast, a bowl of cereal, and some scrambled eggs and then walked around trying to find a place to sit. He found a spot across a table from Coltyn, who was having toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon with a cup of black coffee. "Morning, Coltyn."

"Hey." The black-haired teen took a sip of his coffee and went back to his paper. "So, how are you liking the Ra Yellow dorm so far?"

"It's definitely a lot better than the Red dorm." Mikey poured some syrup onto his French toast and cut himself a bite. He was about to put it in his mouth when a pair of hugging arms suddenly attacked him from behind.

"MIKEY!" Max's ever-flamboyant voice filled the dining room.

"Gah! Max, don't do that!"

"Sorry, but I'm just SO excited!" Max got off Mikey and spun around, "I can't wait to show off my new wardrobe!" Mikey and Coltyn looked the redhead over. He had indeed gotten some new clothes for the new school year. Aside from his traditional pink shirt underneath his school jacket, he also wore a pair of creme-colored neatly pressed slacks held up by a smooth brown belt, and a pair of black and white checkered shoes that were tied in place with bright pink laces.

"Get those shoes for the Gay Pride Parade?" Coltyn asked before taking a bite of his toast.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Max replied as he plopped down beside Mikey with his breakfast. He very casually slapped a hand on his former roommate's thigh, which caused the brunet to uneasily shuffle a bit. He quickly finished up his breakfast and got up to return to his room for his bag.

"Hey Mikey," Coltyn called after him, "Don't forget about the School Start Card Sale at the card shop."

"Isn't that tomorrow?" Mikey inquired.

"No, tomorrow is the start of classes. We still have one more day."

"How come?"

"Last batch of first years coming in today. They couldn't fit them all on the boat, so they're shipping them out in groups on different days."

"Come to think of it, Gabe doesn't even have his roommate yet." Mikey shrugged. "Okay. Thanks, Coltyn." He returned to his room and looked around. His schoolbag was sitting next to his desk all ready to go. However, since there would be no classes today, he simple grabbed his deck and Duel Disk before heading back out into the world.

ooo

The envelope sat on Alexis' desk as the headmistress of Duel Academy read through its contents. She didn't like what she saw. She took another look at the return address on the envelope and wondered just how somebody there could be such an enormous influence. It just seemed impossible and yet there it was in her hands. This was no proposal; it was a demand. Whether she liked it or not, whoever had sent these papers to her had already gone over her head and implemented it into the curriculum.

Even as the Duel Academy headmistress, Alexis Rhodes felt powerless.

ooo

The dark clouds thankfully passed without a storm. Many of the students found it odd, but they just brushed it off as bright sunlight returned to the island. Among them was first year Osiris Red student Gabriel Angel, or Gabe for short. He had only been at Duel Academy for a night and already room B-203 was a complete mess. However, that was the least of his concerns at the moment. Today was the day when his roommate would supposedly be arriving. Gabe had never shared a room with anyone ever since the day he, Mikey, and the rest of their family moved into their current home when the elder brother was ten and he was nine, which was big enough to allow both boys their own separate rooms. This turned out to be a good thing since Gabe discovered activities two years later that his brother hadn't even bothered attempting to do.

As the young teen looked out at the sea, he noticed a ship approaching the island. He recognized the colors immediately as belonging to Duel Academy. He stood up immediately and shaded his eyes from the sun for a better look. It was indeed the ship carrying the next batch of students. "Hey, new kid!" one of the second year Osiris Red students called out, "Get over here. They're bringing in the new students."

Gabe soon found himself lined up with the rest of the Reds as the new students approached. Hassleberry and Miss Frost were ready with their lists and keys. Gabe was really only half paying attention as they called out names until he heard "B-203" called out. He looked over and saw a boy his own age with fair hair approach. He was wearing his red school jacket along with a pair of blue jeans and blue shoes with yellow electric bolts emblazoning them. He had a grey bag slung over his right shoulder and hanging by his left side as well as a large backpack. He was about the same build as Gabe and nearly the same height. He watched him take his key.

"Son, your roommate'll be Gabriel Angel." Gabe stepped forward like his fellow students before him and greeted his new roommate.

"Nice to meet you, Gabriel."

"Just call me Gabe," the brunet replied as they walked up the stairs, "And I didn't catch your name."

"It's Spencer. Spencer Foudre." Gabe's first response would have been "weird name", but he knew that if he was going to spend a whole year sleeping with this person he should at least be on good terms with him. The two of them reached their room and walked inside.

"Sorry about the mess," Gabe apologized, "Top bunk's already mine."

"That's fine. I prefer to be closer to the floor anyway." Spencer put his shoes by the door and sat down at the desk that Gabe had not claimed. He set his bag down and opened the zipper. His new roommate watched as he slid his hands in and pulled out a Macbook Pro. He set it down on his desktop and opened it. While he was waiting for it to boot up, Spencer took out several adapters and plugged them into the wall outlet. Gabe just watched from his bunk as he continued to take out countless electronics one after another. Nintendo DS, iPhone 3GS, Sony PSP, digital camera, iPod Touch, plug-in adapter for his Macbook, chargers for all of his handheld devices, webcam, et cetera. Gabe's eyes widened when Spencer's luggage finally came and he saw that he had even brought his own PC with him.

"Dude, how much stuff did you bring?"

"All the essentials," was Spencer's answer.

"Dude, you brought your whole room with you," replied Gabe.

"Again, I brought all the essentials." Once Spencer had gotten his PC all set up, he opened up his suitcase and began unpacking his clothes. Gabe couldn't help but snicker when he saw all of his roommate's boxers had little yellow lightning bolts all over them.

An hour later, the two boys left their room and walked around. Gabe showed Spencer where the boys bathroom was as well as the dining hall and lounge. Spencer surfed through all the channels on the television and frowned. "Don't you guys have cable?"

"We're on an island in the middle of nowhere. Where the hell are we gonna get cable from?" asked Gabe.

"Satellite?"

"Not in this dorm."

"Well, I think I can fix that." Spencer unzipped his jacket and revealed a belt of tools. He took some out and began to work on the TV.

"What the hell are you doing?" Gabe inquired.

"Just setting us up with satellite," was Spencer's response.

"Where are you gonna get a satellite signal?"

"I"m gonna jack the Blue dorm's. I just gotta..." Spencer never finished his sentence as the television suddenly exploded in his face. Gabe couldn't help but laugh as he grabbed his sides and fell onto the couch.

"Nice going, Sparky!"

"Don't call me Sparky!" Spencer grabbed some napkins from the juice and coffee counter and wiped his face off.

"Well, now we don't even have a TV anymore," Gabe said after he finally stopped laughing, "Way to go, Sparky."

"I told you not to call me Sparky!"

"Sure thing, _Sparky_!"

"Gabe, seriously. Don't call me that."

"Wanna solve this the old fashioned way?" Gabe asked, the challenge clear in his tone of voice. Spencer immediately took out his deck.

"Let's do this, then."

The boys returned to their dorm and retrieved their Duel Disks. Before long, they stood out on the cliff overlooking the sea.

"Let's duel!"

-------------------------

**Gabe:** 8000

**Spencer:** 8000

-------------------------

"I've got the first turn." Gabe drew his first card and examined it, "I discard Zeridias, Herald of Heaven from my hand to my Graveyard so I can bring The Sanctuary in the Sky from my deck to my hand." He placed one card inside his Graveyard and his deck ejected a single card. He took it and his Duel Disk automatically reshuffled his deck. "Next I play The Sanctuary in the Sky." His Field tray opened and he slid the card inside. After a holographic image of the card appeared before him, the entire duel field transformed into an ancient temple afloat among the clouds.

"Next I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"My move." Spencer drew his card, "I summon Batteryman AA." He played card and summoned a AA battery with limbs and a head wearing a scarf made of pure electricity (ATK/0 DEF/0). "When all Batteryman AA monsters on my field are in attack mode, they all gain a thousand attack points. If they're all in defense mode, they all gain a thousand defense points. And since mine is in attack mode, he gains one thousand attack points. Batteryman AA, attack that facedown. Power Surge!" Batteryman AA spun around as his hands began to spark and he shot a burst of electricity at the facedown monster, which turned out to be Nova Summoner (ATK/1400 DEF/800).

"When Nova Summoner is destroyed, I can Special Summon one Light Fairy with fifteen hundred or fewer attack points from my deck," Gabe explained, "And I summon Freya, Spirit of Victory in attack mode." He brought out his card and summoned out a blue-haired cheerleader with red pompoms (ATK/100 DEF/100). "As long as she's face-up on the field, all Fairies I control gain four hundred attack and defense points, including herself. Plus, she can't be attacked as long as I have another Fairy on the field that isn't her."

"I set one card and end my turn," declared Spencer.

"My move." Gabe drew his card, "I summon Gellenduo in attack mode." He placed his card on his Duel Disk and summoned a pair of pixies, one pink with two blue tassels on its head and one green with a single blue tassel on its head, both with halos around their waists like inner tubes (ATK/1700 DEF/0). "As long as I don't take any damage, Gellenduo can't be destroyed in battle. And since Freya, Spirit of Victory is on the field, they get an extra four hundred attack points. Gellenduo, attack Batteryman AA." The pair of pixies held hands and fired shockwaves from their halos that struck Batteryman AA and destroyed him.

-------------------------

**Gabe:** 8000

**Spencer:** 6900

-------------------------

"Freya, direct attack!" ordered Gabe, "Cheering Kick!"

"We've got spirit! Yes we do! We've got spirit! How about you?" Freya suddenly launched herself at Spencer and kicked him in the face.

-------------------------

**Gabe:** 8000

**Spencer:** 6400

-------------------------

"I'm setting one card facedown and ending my turn," declared Gabe.

"My move." Spencer drew his card, "I summon Thunder King Rai-Oh in attack mode." He played his card and summoned a blue humanoid machine with electrodes in place of its limbs suspending two golden rings by its sides with electricity (ATK/1900 DEF/800). "Now I activate my facedown card, Judgment of Thunder. This card can only be activated when I summon a Thunder-type monster and when I do, I can destroy one card you control and I'm targetting your Gellenduo." A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and struck the pair of pixies, completely obliterating them from the field. "Now that you've only got Freya on the field, I can attack her. Thunder King Rai-Oh, attack Freya, Spirit of Victory with your Royal Thunder!" Thunder King Rai-Oh's body began to spark before it launched a powerful bolt of lightning into the sky and rained it back down on Freya, Spirit of Victory. She screamed as she was destroyed.

"That's fourteen hundred points of damage right there," Spencer said with a smirk.

"No it isn't," Gabe quickly answered, "As long as The Sanctuary in the Sky is in play, I receive no Battle Damage from battles involving a Fairy monster."

"Dang it!"

"Too bad for you." Gabe grinned as he drew his card. "I set one monster facedown and end my turn. Your move, Sparky."

"Don't call me Sparky!" Spencer drew, "I set one monster and send Thunder King Rai-Oh to attack!" Another bolt of lightning shot out and struck Gabe's facedown, which turned out to be Marshmallon (ATK/300 DEF/500).

"When Marshmallon is attacked when facedown, the one who attacked it takes a thousand points of damage," Gabe explained as his Marshmallon bounced up and bit Spencer's shoulder.

-------------------------

**Gabe:** 8000

**Spencer:** 5400

-------------------------

"Fine, I set another card facedown and end my turn."

"My move." Gabe drew his card. "I summon The Agent of Force – Mars in attack mode." He summoned a red-clad angel wielding a large hammer (ATK/0 DEF/0).

"That thing doesn't have any stats, though," Spencer pointed out.

"True, but while The Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field and my Life Points are higher than yours, his attack and defense points are equal to that difference. So that's twenty-six hundred attack and defense points. Mars, attack Thunder King Rai-Oh!" The Agent of Force – Mars flew across the field and swung his hammer at Thunder King Rai-Oh. His weapon made contact with the Thunder creature and destroyed him.

-------------------------

**Gabe:** 8000

**Spencer:** 4700

-------------------------

"And that boosts The Agent of Force – Mars to thirty-three hundred attack and defense points." Gabe smiled. "Your turn."

"About time." Spencer took the top card off his deck and examined it. "I Flip Summon my Batteryman Micro-Cell." A small micro-cell battery appeared (ATK/100 DEF/100). "When he's flipped up, I can Special Summon one Level four or lower Batteryman from my deck except another Batteryman Micro-Cell. So I summon Batteryman AA." A second Batteryman AA appeared beside Micro-Cell. "Next I activate my facedown Inferno Reckless Summon and I'll use it to summon out all Batteryman AA monsters from my deck and Graveyard in attack position." Two more Batterymen AA suddenly appeared on the field and their scarves all joined into one as they boosted each other up to three thousand attack points in total.

"Not happening!" Gabe declared as he revealed his facedown card, "I negate the Special Summon of one of your monsters with the Horn of Heaven and I tribute my Marshmallon." Marshmallon vanished from the field and a giant winged horn appeared and trumpeted loudly, destroying the third Batteryman AA, reducing the other two down to two thousand attack points. After that, Gabe used the other effect of Inferno Reckless Summon to bring out his other The Agent of Force – Mars to the field. "I've got two monsters with twenty-six hundred attack points and you've got two with only two thousand."

"That won't change a thing. Especially with this card." Spencer played a Spell Card. "Since I have three Batterymen on the field, I play Short Circuit and this destroys all cards on your field."

"Damn it..." Gabe shielded himself with his arms as Spencer's creatures unleashed an incredible wave of electricity that destroyed both of his Agents of Force – Mars and The Sanctuary in the Sky.

"Batteryman AA, attack directly!" ordered Spencer. The first Batteryman AA fired off a blast of electricity at Gabe.

-------------------------

**Gabe:** 6000

**Spencer:** 4700

-------------------------

"Batteryman AA number two, your turn!"

-------------------------

**Gabe:** 4000

**Spencer:** 4700

-------------------------

"Batteryman Micro-Cell, attack!" The last Batteryman attacked and struck Gabe with a very small shock.

-------------------------

**Gabe:** 3900

**Spencer:** 4700

-------------------------

"I'm done for now," Spencer said with a smirk as he set a facedown, "Your move."

"I draw!" Gabe drew his card. "I play Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen. Once per turn, if I control no monster, I can Special Summon one Fairy from my hand. So I Special Summon Athena in attack mode." A beautiful goddess in white wielding a round shield and a large pike appeared on the field and let out a mighty battle cry (ATK/2600 DEF/800). "Next, I Normal Summon another Gellenduo in attack mode." A second Gellenduo appeared beside Athena. "Whenever a Fairy is summoned, Athena's effect deals six hundred points of damage." A beam of light shot out of Athena's shield and hit Spencer.

-------------------------

**Gabe:** 3900

**Spencer:** 4100

-------------------------

"Gellenduo, attack Batteryman Micro-Cell!" The pixie pair fired off their halo shockwaves and blasted the small battery.

-------------------------

**Gabe:** 3900

**Spencer:** 2500

------------------------

"Athena, attack Batteryman AA!" On Gabe's command, Athena flew forward and thrust her pike into the left Batteryman AA. It exploded and she quickly returned to her Duelist's side of the field.

-------------------------

**Gabe:** 3900

**Spencer:** 1900

------------------------

"Your move, Sparky!"

"I told you, DON'T CALL ME SPARKY!" Spencer practically ripped the card off his deck and looked at it. He slowly began to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"This. I sacrifice Batteryman AA to summon Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon in attack mode!" A giant tyrannosaurus rex robot appeared on the field behind Spencer and roared (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). His last remaining Batteryman AA leapt into the air and folded its limbs and head into his main body. Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon then stepped forward and grabbed him, placing him inside its chest. Sparks flew from his body as it roared again. "If I tribute a Batteryman AA to summon Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon, my powerhouse gains an extra one thousand attack points. And if that weren't enough, I remove from play one Batteryman AA and Batteryman Micro-Cell from my Graveyard to Special Summon Batteryman Industrial Strength in attack mode!" Right beside Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon, a massive car battery appeared. A pair of arms folded out from its sides as a single wheel popped out from under it. A head rose up from the top and its hands grabbed a pair of jumper cables off its back (ATK/2600 DEF/0).

"A monster with thirty-four hundred attack points and another with twenty-six hundred?!" gasped Gabe.

"This is for calling me Sparky. Batteryman Industrial Strength, attack Gellenduo!" Batteryman Industrial Strength charged forward and clamped its jumper cables onto Gellenduo. The pixies squealed a bit as they closed down on their heads, but they were soon screaming as the enormous Batteryman started pouring electricity through the cables into their bodies.

-------------------------

**Gabe:** 3000

**Spencer:** 1900

------------------------

With Gabe taking damage, Gellenduo exploded into a shower of pixie dust. "Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon, attack Athena!" ordered Spencer. The enormous mechanical dinosaur attacked and blasted the goddess into oblivion.

-------------------------

**Gabe:** 2200

**Spencer:** 1900

------------------------

"All this just because I called you a nickname?" Gabe asked.

"A nickname that I don't like," replied Spencer.

"Dude, seriously." Gabe looked at the field. There was no way he would survive a direct attack from either creature. He needed to end this fast.

"Your turn." Spencer said with a growl.

"I draw." Gabe drew his card. He looked at his hand and smiled. "Spence, you gotta learn to chill and I'm gonna help. First, I remove from play my two Gellenduo from my Graveyard to Special Summon Soul of Purity and Light in attack mode." A transparent angelic image appeared on the field and hovered in the air (ATK/2000 DEF/1800). "Next I Normal Summon the Herald of Orange Light in attack mode." He played his card and brought out a small white winged creature with a large orange crystal in its center that shined brightly (ATK/300 DEF/500).

"What are you going to do with those two?" asked Spencer, "Neither of them can stand up to my monsters."

"Not separately," Gabe admitted, "But my Herald of Orange Light is a Level two Tuner and I'm tuning him to my Level six Soul of Purity and Light." Herald of Orange Light faded into two green rings and they surrounded Soul of Purity and Light, whose body faded away until six stars remained. The stars and rings were engulfed in a beam of light.

"I Synchro Summon Avenging Knight Parshath!" A centaur burst out from the blazing light. Its body seemed incorporeal, nothing more than a mass of energy clad in armor. A pair of shining golden wings spread out as it raised its sword over its head and cried out (ATK/2600 DEF/2100).

"He's on par with Batteryman Industrial Strength," Spencer pointed out, "He won't last against Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon."

"My Avenging Knight Parshath will win this duel for me," said Gabe, "Once per turn, he can change the battle position of one monster you control and I pick Batteryman Industrial Strength!" Avenging Knight Parshath's wings shined brightly and beams of light hit Batteryman Industrial Strength, bringing it down into a defensive position.

"Oh right. He's a Parshath. That means he has a piercing effect, doesn't he?" asked Spencer.

"Yup. And he's gonna pierce through your Batteryman. Avenging Knight Parshath, attack Batteryman Industrial Strength! Excalibur's Grace!" Avenging Knight Parshath charged as his sword began to glow with holy light. With a swing of his arm, his blade passed through Batteryman Industrial Strength like a hot knife through butter. He came to a stop behind the mechanical behemoth and turned around to watch. The Batteryman's top half slowly slid off its bottom half and collapsed against the ground with a thunderous crash followed by an enormous explosion that caught Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon.

-------------------------

**Gabe:** 2200

**Spencer:** 0

------------------------

The duel ended and the holograms disappeared. Gabe ran over to his opponent. "You okay?"

"They're just holographic images. I'll be fine." Spencer slowly got up, but suddenly found himself being helped to his feet. "Thanks."

"You're my roommate," Gabe said, "If I'm gonna be stuck with you for a whole year, I should at least try to get along with you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Spencer asked with a bit of an offended tone in his voice.

"Let's just try not to kill each other."

"I can deal with that."

"Hey, you want some food?"

"Sure."

"Follow me." Gabe packed up his Duel Disk and headed back upstairs.

"Um, Gabe? Isn't the dining room that way?" Spencer inquired, pointing to the common building.

"You really don't want to eat too much of that stuff." Gabe walked into his room and climbed under his desk. Spencer followed and watched curiously as his roommate pulled back the carpet and opened up a hidden compartment. Gabe pulled out a bag of chips and tossed it to Spencer.

"Did you sneak these in?"

"No, the guy who lived here last year left them," Gabe answered sarcastically as he took out a bag for himself and closed the hidden stash.

"What if you get caught?" asked Spencer.

"If it happens, we'll see." Gabe sat down on his roommate's bunk and opened his bag before grabbing a chip and stuffing it in his mouth.

A new friendship was developing and only God knew where it would lead.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Love is in the air as Max discovers his affections for a new girl in the drama club. Find out how it unfolds next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	44. Max Meets his Match

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-03**

**Max Meets His Match**

Furry creatures bounced around happily on the field gurgling with delight. The Watapon and Kuriboh creatures were frolicking happily much to the annoyance of their opponent. "I've had enough. Summoned Skull, attack!" The demonic general unleashed a blast of lightning and destroyed a Winged Kuriboh.

"It's far from over." A young woman drew her card and looked it. She immediately sacrificed two of her monsters.

"Please, there's nothing in that puny deck of yours that can save you now," the boy laughed. However, his laughter was cut short when a black-winged angel rose up before him.

"Next I'll play Soul Taker and combine its effect with Bad Reaction to Simochi." Summoned Skull grasped at its chest as its soul was ripped from its body and was destroyed. The boy took one thousand points of damage, cursing momentarily before remembering the daunting before him. The angel then held out a hand and unleashed a wave of energy. His opponent then deactivated her Duel Disk and curtsied before him.

"And that's our show for the day!"

ooo

The Ra Yellow dorm's student lounge was a lot different from the one in the Osiris Red dorm. For one, it was much bigger. Some video games and a pinball machine lined one wall while another had a mounted LCD television with satellite as well as a Wii and an XBox 360. A large yellow couch sat facing the TV and another one sat along one of the walls. A foosball table stood in one corner of the room. Mikey was there playing pool with Coltyn, who was lining up his shot.

"The Red dorm never had this much stuff to do," the brunet said.

"Welcome to Ra Yellow," Coltyn replied as he pocketed the three ball. "So how would you win this in one turn? Your opponent has Mobius the Frost Monarch and D.D. Survivor on the field. You have Return from the Different Dimension and The Shallow Grave both facedown on the field. Your hand has Creature Swap, Double Swap, Monster Reincarnation, Soul Release, Book of Taiyou, and Enraged Battle Ox. Your Life Points are one thousand; his are ninety-nine hundred. Your deck contains Mystic Tomato, Spirit Reaper, and D.D. Warrior Lady. Your Graveyard has Book of Moon, Zombrya the Dark, Berserk Gorilla, Blade Knight, Breaker the Magical Warrior, and Magician of Faith. Your opponent's graveyard contains Last Will, Skull-Mark Ladybug, Fissure, and Mystic Swordsman LV2. You start during your first Main Phase having done nothing this turn. No cards have been removed from play. If you activate Creature Swap, your opponent will select the monster with the lowest attack points regardless of position. If you activate The Shallow Grave, your opponent will select the monster with the highest defense. Your opponent has no cards in his hand."

"Is this another duel puzzle?" asked Mikey as he watched Coltyn line up his next shot.

"Just answer it," the black-haired teen said as he pocketed the five ball.

"Can you repeat the question?"

"Better yet, I wrote it down." Coltyn handed his friend a piece of paper. Mikey read over it thoroughly three times before finally coming up with his answer.

"Well, I guess I would first activate Monster Reincarnation and discard Enraged Battle Ox to bring Magician of Faith to my hand. Then I'd set Magician of Faith. After that, I'd play Soul Release to remove from play Skull-Mark Ladybug, Zombyra the Dark, Berserk Gorilla, Blade Knight, and Enraged Battle Ox. Following that, I'd play Book of Taiyou to flip up Magician of Faith and use her effect to bring back Monster Reincarnation. With that done, I'd probably activate Double Spell and discard Monster Reincarnation to use Fissure's effect and destroy D.D. Survivor. With D.D. Survivor gone, my opponent would have to choose Mobius the Frost Monarch when I activate Creature Swap while I gave him my Magician of Faith. I'd then activate Return from the Different Dimension and pay half my Life Points to Special Summon Zombrya the Dark, Berserk Gorilla, Blade Knight, and Enraged Battle Ox to the field. First, I'd attack Magician of Faith with Zombrya the Dark. Then I'd finish off with direct attacks from Berserk Gorilla, Enraged Battle Ox, Blade Knight, and Mobius the Frost Monarch."

"Nicely done," Coltyn complimented as he missed his shot, "You're getting better."

"Well, Max _has_ been helping me," Mikey admitted.

"Speaking of Max, where is he?" Coltyn inquired, "I haven't seen him all day."

"He's at a drama club meeting right now," answered Mikey as he took his shot. He missed and ended up pocketing the cueball.

ooo

The drama club had acquired a lot of new members at club day that year and it pleased Max that there were so many aspiring actors among the new students. The current members stood on the raised stage while all the new members sat on chairs on the floor.

"Thank you for coming to this first meeting of the drama club," William said, "We look forward to seeing you all again next week." As the students started to leave, one girl dropped her belongings. Max immediately ran over and started to help.

"Thank you," she said.

"My pleasure," the redhead answered. He looked at her as he gathered up her things and gave them to her. She had beautiful green eyes and brown hair with blonde streaks. "I know casting isn't until next week, but what's your name?"

"Hayley," she answered, "Hayley Maxine."

"What a coincidence!" Max laughed, "I'm Max Harley!" Hayley laughed too.

"That IS a coincidence!" The two of them left the drama room together with their belongings and exited the main building. "So how long have you been in the drama club?"

"This is my second year," Max answered.

The pair of them continued talking until they reached the door of the Blue dorm. "Well, thanks for walking with me, Max."

"The pleasure was all mine." Max bowed deeply, "I shall see you again soon then." And with that farewell, he watched as Hayley disappeared through the front door before going back to the Yellow dorm. When he arrived, he saw Mikey sitting in the foyer reading a book.

"You seem happier than usual."

"Oh, I am! Just absolutely am!" Max cried cheerfully as he went upstairs. Mikey wondered for a moment what could have gotten his friend's spirits up, but he just shrugged it off and returned to his book.

ooo

With classes done for the day, the Duel Academy faculty sat in the staff meeting room. As usual, Alexis sat in her seat. An empty folder sat on the table surface front of her; its contents being passed around to all the teachers. Like her, none of them were pleased.

"This ain't right!" shouted Hassleberry.

"Please calm down, Mr. Hassleberry," said Dr. Snappe.

"I must agree with him on this one," Miss Marina concurred, "This is not only unsafe for the students, but it was also never even approved by either of the boards."

"But still, someone has gone to great lengths to implement this program into our curriculum." Mr. Higsby held the paper close and pushed his glasses closer. "Whatever they've done, they've done it flawlessly."

"Can't we just say no?" asked Mrs. Jackson.

"Unfortunately, we can't," answered Alexis.

"But we can't expose our students to something of this nature," Miss Frost argued. Beside her Mr. Gizmo nodded in concurrence.

"None of us like it, either. I propose further debate on this matter at a later date," Mr. Bibby said.

"Very well." Alexis gathered all the papers and placed them back in the folder. "We'll continue this tomorrow after classes. Meeting adjourned."

ooo

The following day, classes continued as usual. As new Ra Yellows, Mikey and Max still found themselves trying to get used to their new surroundings. Last year, they had to sit with the Osiris Reds. Now that they were a level higher, it was as if it was a whole new experience. Not only was it their placement in the room, but now that they were Ra Yellows they were sitting with Coltyn as opposed to just themselves. As Mr. Higsby droned on, Max noticed that his studious friend seemed distracted from the lesson. His pen was moving, but it was not taking notes. One glance over his shoulder and he knew exactly what the brunet was doing. Whether he was aware of it or not, Mikey was doodling. Max leaned in for a closer look and saw exactly what he was drawing. There was a heart in the corner of his page and in it was a small drawing of himself and Sammie kissing.

"Looks like someone's still got a crush." This snapped Mikey out of his daze and he realized that he hadn't written a single page of notes. He quickly went into a panic and started scribbling down whatever he could. Coltyn sighed and put a hand on Mikey's shoulder. The brunet turned toward him and looked at what his friend had to show him. The one-armed teen had written down all the notes since the beginning of the class. Mikey thanked him and started paying attention to the class.

When the class finished, the students left. Sammie had to go somewhere, so she left the boys alone fairly quickly. Mikey had promised that he would meet up with Gabe after his gym class, so he hurried to the boys' locker room. Coltyn had a chess club meeting, so he quickly said goodbye to Max and left the redhead alone.

With all of his friends gone to do their own things, Max decided to head back to his dorm. As he made his way down the hall, he ran into Hayley just as she was coming out of class. "Hello again, Hayley," he greeted cheerfully.

"Why hello, Maxie!" she greeted back.

"Oooh, so now we're going by nicknames?" Max asked with a smile.

"Don't you like it?" asked Hayley.

"I absolutely LOVE it!"

"Isn't it wonderful?"

"It is!"

The two of them continued in the same manner for five minutes before Max offered to walk her back to the dorm. She agreed and took his hand into her own before they headed out. The pair of them walked out the door and made their way along the path toward the dorms. The Obelisk Blue dorm came into sight within a matter of minutes.

"I should introduce you to my friends sometime," Max brought up, "I'm sure they'd fall in love with you right away."

"I'd love you meet them!" Hayley answered as they passed the Blue dorm's front entrance on their way to the Yellow dorm. Their pleasant time together was cut short when a familiar voice to the redhead suddenly filled the air.

"HEY FAG!"

"Oh dear. Not again." Max turned around and saw someone he had hoped never to see again. Biff the bully he had encountered on his first day of school last year stood behind them cracking his knuckles. "Hello again."

"Shut the hell up, you little fag!" Biff roughly grabbed Max by the jacket and pinned him against the wall. "How'd you do it, huh? You let the teachers fuck your little ass, queermo?"

"What are you talking about?" asked the redhead.

"There ain't no way they'd let you move up to Ra Yellow an' keep me in Red," Biff answered, his tone becoming increasingly hostile.

"Maybe if you spent more time studying and less time showing off your social inferiority, you could have been in Ra Yellow too," said Hayley. At the sound of her voice, Biff looked her way and immediately dropped Max. He walked up to her confidently and grinned.

"Hey, babe. Why doncha ditch this queen and hang with me?"

"No thank you," Hayley said politely, "I'm happy with Maxie."

"What? This little fudge packer? He ain't into pussy."

"Well he is a dear friend to me," Hayley explained, "In addition, I don't like bullies."

"Come on, babe. It'll just be you an' me." Biff reached his arm around her, but she quickly withdrew.

"She's not interested, you big lug," Max said as he stood beside her, "So why not run along while I escort her back to her dorm?"

"Shut it, queer!"

"I will not stand for that sort of language, especially towards my friend!" Hayley reached into her bag and took out her Duel Disk.

"This little fag actually needs a GIRL to fight for him?" Biff laughed, "Aw'right, babe. I'll play along." He took out his own Duel Disk and strapped it onto his arm. Hayley finished putting on hers and then the reached into her bag for something else. She surprised everyone when she pulled out a half-mask of her own. Max immediately reached into his jacket and took out his own. While his was the Mask of Comedy, hers was the Mask of Tragedy. Max watched excitedly as she placed hers over the right half of her face.

"I am l'ange de la tragédie! You may call me L'ange Noir for short."

"I think I'm in love," Max sighed dreamily.

"If I win you leave Maxie alone. If you win then I will go on a date with you, though that won't happen. Now duel!"

------------------------

**Hayley:** 8000

**Biff:** 8000

------------------------

"My move!" Biff drew his first card and looked at it. "I summon Goblin Attack Force in attack mode!" He placed his card onto his Duel Disk and summoned a small army of green-skinned goblins in armor wielding clubs (ATK/2300 DEF/0). "I'm setting one card down and ending my turn."

"My turn." Max watched carefully as Hayley drew her card. While he drew his cards with a flamboyant flourish, she drew hers in an elegant and graceful manner. "I begin with Upstart Goblin. This card will allow me to draw one card while granting you one thousand Life Points." She drew her card and Biff's Life Point counter rose by one thousand.

------------------------

**Hayley:** 8000

**Biff:** 9000

------------------------

Hayley looked at her card and placed it onto her Duel Disk in defense mode. "Watapon, stand and deliver." A small white furry ball appeared with large adorable eyes and two antennae tipped with white pompoms (ATK/200 DEF/300). "If Watapon is brought to my hand from my deck via a Spell, Trap, or Monster effect, I can Special Summon him to my field. I'll also set one monster and end my turn."

"Ha. Is that it?" Biff drew his next card. "I summon Goblin Elite Attack Force in attack mode." Beside Goblin Attack Force, another battalion of goblins appeared, this group wearing silver knight armor armed with swords instead of clubs (ATK/2200 DEF/1500). "Goblin Elite Attack Force, attack that facedown!" Drawing their swords from the their scabbards, the elite goblins ran in and slashed the facedown card, which turned out to be Winged Kuriboh (ATK/300 DEF/200).

"If Winged Kuriboh is destroyed in battle, all Battle Damage I receive for the rest of this turn is zero," Hayley explained.

"I'm done," said Biff. As soon as his Battle Phase ended, his Goblin Elite Attack Force switched into defense mode, the goblins holding their weapons at the ready for incoming assaults.

With the bully's turn finished, Hayley drew her card. She immediately set it facedown and then set another monster facedown. Following that, her opponent drew his card and played it immediately.

"I activate Goblin Thief! With this card, I'm gonna mess you up big when it takes five hundred of your Life Points and gives 'em to me!" The Goblin of Greed appeared in front of Hayley and stuck his hand into her Duel Disk until he had pulled out five hundred Life Points.

------------------------

**Hayley:** 7500

**Biff:** 9000

------------------------

"It won't help you this time," said Hayley as she revealed her facedown card, "I reveal Bad Reaction to Simochi. With this card in play, any time you try to regain Life Points, you lose those Life Points intead."

"No fucking way!" A poisonous miasma covered the field and as Goblin of Greed brought the Life Points back to his master, they began to give off a toxic purple smoke. The green thief seemed to have no remorse as he placed the poisoned points into Biff's Duel Disk.

------------------------

**Hayley:** 7500

**Biff:** 8500

------------------------

"Well, I ain't gonna be beat by no girl!" Biff swore, "I summon Goblin Black Ops in attack mode." He played his card and several goblin ninjas appeared (ATK/1300 DEF/0). "Goblin Black Ops, attack directly!" The goblin ninjas leapt into the air and landed on the wall of the Blue dorm behind Hayley before throwing kunai into her back.

------------------------

**Hayley:** 6200

**Biff:** 8500

------------------------

The Goblin Black Ops returned to their post and switched into defense mode. "Ain't no fag hag gonna beat me!" Biff shouted as he ended his turn.

Hayley drew her next card and looked at it. With Bad Reaction to Simochi now on the field, she could deal double damage with her cards. "I play Soul Taker. This card lets me destroy one face-up monster on the field and gives my opponent one thousand Life Points. But since Bad Reaction to Simochi is on the field, that Life Point gain turns into burn damage."

"Ain't happenin'!" Biff revealed his facedown card, "Dark Bribe'll negate it and let you draw a card!"

"I chain a card in my hand to your Dark Bribe," announced Hayley, "Winged Kuriboh LV9, stand and deliver." A flurry of feathers burst up from one of Hayley's monster zones and a Kuriboh wearing crimson armor similar to that of Breaker the Magical Warrior appeared and spread its majestic angelic wings (ATK/? DEF/?). "When a chain of 2 or more links is activated I am allowed to summon my Winged Kuriboh LV9 from my hand as part of the chain. When a spell card is played it is removed from play instead of sent to the graveyard. His attack is also equal to the number of spells in your grave, which is only one spell, times five-hundred." After Winged Kuriboh LV9 had been summoned, Dark Bribe's effect was resolved. Soul Taker was negated and destroyed and Hayley drew one card. At the same time, the effect of Winged Kuriboh LV9 kicked in and Soul Taker was removed from play. The card that she drew turned out to be another Watapon and she Special Summoned it in defense mode immediately.

"Next I play The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh and I'll Special Summon a Kuriboh from my deck to my field in attack position." Hayley searched her deck and produced the card she needed. She immediately placed it on top of her Duel Disk and summoned the small brown ball of fur (ATK/300 DEF/200). Then with Winged Kuriboh LV9's effect, her Spell Card was removed from play.

"Whatcha gonna do with four weak monsters?" laughed Biff.

"I'm going let Shiba-Warrior Taro stand and deliver." A small puppy wearing a green handkerchief around its neck appeared with a small bone hilt sword hanging from its side (ATK/800 DEF/600). "Shiba-Warrior Taro, would you kindly help your smaller friends?" The small canine let out a bark and its body began to glow. It disappeared and two green rings took its place. The rings passed over Kuriboh and the two Watapons and turned each of their bodies into a single shining star.

"Ain't this a Synchro Summon?" asked Biff.

"You are correct," answered Hayley as the rings and stars were engulfed in a beam of light, "Stand and deliver, Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon." From the light, a pair of frozen wings spread out and from it rose an massive ice dragon (ATK/2300 DEF/1800). "Attack Goblin Elite Attack Force with Borean Blast Wave!" Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon reared its head and sent out a powerful blast of wind and ice at the armored goblin squad, destroying it quickly.

"I conclude my turn."

"About fucking time." Biff tore off the top card of his deck and looked at it. A dark smile appeared on his face. "I summon Goblin Decoy Squad in attack mode." He brought out a squad of goblins in modern day recon gear carrying various noisemakers (ATK/1000 DEF/0). "Goblin Decoy Squad, attack Winged Kuriboh LV9!" The noisy little green men ran up to the small armored fur ball and banged their instruments loudly. The tiny critter fell to the ground and died.

------------------------

**Hayley:** 5700

**Biff:** 8500

------------------------

After Goblin Decoy Squad inflicted Battle Damage onto Hayley, their effect allowed Biff to draw one card. He then ended his Battle Phase and watched his goblins switch into defense mode. He then set a card facedown and ended his turn. _This'll teach that chick not to hang with that fag_, he thought.

Hayley drew her next card. Currently, her opponent had no cards stronger than her Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon. Still, she had to be careful. The card in her hand would be able to do some damage. "I play Upstart Goblin." She drew her next card and with her Bad Reaction to Simochi still in play, her opponent took one thousand points of damage.

------------------------

**Hayley:** 5700

**Biff:** 7500

------------------------

She examined her new card and set it down on the field before turning to the monsters Biff had. "Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon, attack Goblin Black Ops! Borean Blast Wave!" Another blast of wind and ice blew across the field and destroyed the squad of ninja goblins. "My turn shall conclude here."

"My move!" Biff drew his card. After he thought his facedown could help him win, but with his opponent's Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon on the field, he was not entirely sure anymore. However, the one he had on the field could be sacrificed. He had two more copies in his deck and he was bound to pull it out eventually. For the time being, his largest concern was his opponent's Bad Reaction to Simochi Trap Card. He examined his hand and came up with an idea.

"I remove from play my dead Goblin Elite Attack Force and Special Summon Gigantes in attack mode!" His Duel Disk ejected one card from his graveyard and he placed it in his pocket before summoning a big red orc wielding a tree trunk in its hand as a weapon (ATK/1900 DEF/1300). "When Gigantes is destroyed in battle, he destroys all Spell and Trap Cards on the field! Gigantes, attack Sea Dragon Lord Gi... Uh, Gi.... Uhhh.... Attack that motherfucking dragon!"

"I activate my facedown," Hayley revealed her Trap Card, "Gift Card. This card gives you three thousand Life Points. But with Bad Reaction to Simochi, you lose three thousand Life Points instead."

------------------------

**Hayley:** 5700

**Biff:** 4500

------------------------

An envelope appeared in front of Biff and opened up, releasing a cloud of purple miasma that whipped around his body and rapidly dropped his life points. Biff grunted from the damage, but he still had Gigantes follow through with his attack. The orc swung his tree, but Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon blasted him with a Borean Blast Wave, destroying him instantly.

------------------------

**Hayley:** 5700

**Biff:** 4100

------------------------

In Gigantes' death, the shockwave created from the impact of his body against the ground destroyed Hayley's Bad Reaction to Simochi and Biff's facedown. The bully laughed and proceeded to end his turn.

Hayley drew her card. Top decking as she was now was difficult, but she had to do what she could. The card she held would do her no good, so she simply ordered her monster to attack Goblin Decoy Squad and destroy it. On Biff's turn, he summoned a second Goblin Black Ops and used it to attack Hayley directly for thirteen hundred points of damage.

------------------------

**Hayley:** 4400

**Biff:** 4100

------------------------

Biff ended his turn and his Goblin Black Ops switched into defense mode. Hayley drew her next card and ordered Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon to destroy the new goblins. Biff with his next turn and drew his card.

"I summon Toon Goblin Attack Force in attack mode!" He placed his card on the field and a cel-shaded childish version of his Goblin Attack Force appeared beside the original (ATK/2300 DEF/0). When Max saw the new monster, he burst out laughing. "Zip yo mouth fag or I'm gunna pummel youse into next week!" He ended his turn and Hayley drew. She passed her turn.

When Biff's turn came up again, he smiled. It was almost time to end it. "I summon another Goblin Black Ops and set a card facedown! Toon Goblin Attack Force, destroy that motherfucking dragon!" Toon Goblin Attack Force quickly leapt into action. Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon saw them coming and countered with Borean Blast Wave. The two attacks collided and both monsters were destroyed.

"Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon!" Hayley cried her monster's name and watched as it fell, the spirits of her Watapons, Kuriboh, and Shiba-Warrior Taro could be heard crying out. With nothing left to defend her, Biff laughed.

"Goblin Black Ops, attack!" The bully sent his ninja goblins in and they struck Hayley with their kunai.

------------------------

**Hayley:** 3100

**Biff:** 4100

------------------------

"Goblin Attack Force, it's your turn!" At long last, Biff's first monster to be summoned attacked and a dozen clubs rained down on poor Hayley.

------------------------

**Hayley:** 800

**Biff:** 4100

------------------------

"Hayley!" Max cried. Biff just laughed.

"That's whatcha get fer bein' a fag hag!" he said as he ended his turn and all his monsters switched into defense mode.

"Oh, this is SUCH a tragedy!" Max cried out. "Your monsters sacrificed themselves for your sake and now their sacrifice is all but a memory."

"But from tragedy, there is always hope." Hayley drew he card, "A hope...of darkness."

"What you talkin' about?" Biff demanded.

"Nurse Reficule the Fallen One, stand and deliver." The sky seemingly darkened as a fallen angel with white demonic wings and blue hair wrapped in white bandages appeared (ATK/1400 DEF/600). "She bears the same effect as Bad Reaction to Simochi. As such, I play Upstart Goblin." Hayley drew her card and Nurse Reficule the Fallen One spread her wings and exhaled a toxic miasma at Biff.

------------------------

**Hayley:** 800

**Biff:** 3100

------------------------

"Next I play Foolish Burial to send one card from my deck to my graveyard." She took one card from her deck and placed it in her graveyard. Afterwards, she shuffled the rest of her cards and placed them back into her deck slot. "Now I play Monster Reborn in order to resurrect a creature from the grave. Rise up, Fallen Angel Superbia." All eyes watched as a black cauldron with a face emblazoned onto its surface appeared. Biff just laughed.

"What good is that pot gonna do ya?" he sneered. The eyes on the face suddenly snapped open as the cauldron's legs clasped closed like claws. Its base sprouted black tail-like feathers and a pair of red wings sprouted from its back. Fallen Angel Superbia had awakened (ATK/2900 DEF/2400).

"What the fuck is that?!" shouted Biff.

"When Fallen Angel Superbia is Special Summoned from the graveyard, I can Special Summon another Fairy monster from the graveyard that isn't him." Hayley took out a card and placed it on her field in defense position. "Welcome back, Winged Kuriboh." The small winged fur ball appeared and cooed. "Now it's time for you to make one final sacrifice. By tributing one Fairy-type monster, I can summon this creature to the field." Winged Kuriboh vanished from the field as Hayley placed the last card in her hand onto the field.

"Fallen Angel Desire, stand and deliver!" A dark light shined down onto the field and an angel in dark armor armed with two blade-like claws with wings red like blood rose up (ATK/3000 DEF/2800). "Now by dropping Desire's attack points by one thousand, I can send one monster you control to the graveyard." Fallen Angel Desire grunted as a thousand of his attack points were removed, but then he spread his wings and sent out a flurry of red feathers from wings across the field. They surrounded Goblin Black Ops and slowly closed in until they had completely obscured it from sight. Fallen Angel Desire then closed his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest before the dying cries of the goblins and the sickening sound of a thousand blades penetrating flesh filled the air.

"Oh, how dreadful..." Max looked away as the blood of an entire goblin squadron gushed out from the mass of feathers.

"Nurse Reficule the Fallen One, attack Goblin Attack Force," ordered Hayley. Nurse Reficule nodded in acknowledgment and let her jaw drop. Her mouth opened wider than physical possibilities permitted and a swarm of locusts flew out and surrounded the defense position Goblin Attack Force. The cries of dying goblins filled the air once again only to be overpowered by the overbearing buzz from the locusts' wings. When the swarm finally dispersed, not one monster remained to defend Biff's Life Points.

"Fallen Angel Superbia, attack directly," ordered Hayley. Fallen Angel Superbia bared its claws and flew forward. It soared across the field and slashed Biff's chest with its deadly appendages before returning to Hayley's side.

------------------------

**Hayley:** 800

**Biff:** 200

------------------------

"Fallen Angel Desire, end this duel." Fallen Angel Desire flew forward and crossed his arms over his chest again. His scissor-like claws opened and a pair of blood-red swords slid out of his gauntlets. Spreading his wings, he hovered over the ground and stared at his prey. Fearing for his life, Biff tried to run, but found himself unable to do so. A black sphere was forming around him, sucking him in like a black hole. He cried out as he was completely engulfed, taken in by its unbreakable pull.

"Black End Galaxy." Fallen Angel Desire flew in and slashed the sphere with his swords. He came to a stop behind his target and the black orb exploded behind him.

------------------------

**Hayley:** 800

**Biff:** 0

------------------------

"What...the fuck...was that?" Biff asked.

"And that concludes this dramatic performance." Hayley deactivated her Duel Disk and curtsied.

"No...fucking...way!" Biff stood up. "Ain't no way this fag hag beat me!"

"That's enough out of you," a female voice said. All eyes turned as Miss Marina stepped out of the Obelisk Blue dorm. "I saw everything and I will not tolerate anyone hassling my students. You're coming with me." And with that, she grabbed Biff and dragged him off.

"Hayley, you were absolutely FABULOUS!" Max exclaimed as he ran up to her.

"Well I couldn't let someone like him spoil our day together," Hayley answered as she removed her mask.

"By the way, about your mask..." Max showed her his own mask and she gasped.

"Could it be?"

"Perhaps you and I..."

"Maybe we're destined to..."

"Miss Maxine." The pair's moment was interrupted when Dr. Snappe came outside. "When you are on school grounds, you are expected to wear your uniform."

"Oh, fine." Hayley put her mask away and took out a white vest from her bag. As she put it on, Max noticed that it had blue on it and his eyes widened.

"Wait. You're an...Obelisk Blue?"

"Of course. Did you think I was something else?"

"Well, I... I..." Max stammered.

"Anyway, thank you for walking me back to my dorm," Hayley said, "I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, she disappeared into the Blue dorm. Max just stood outside for a while bewildered before snapping himself back into reality and heading back to the Yellow dorm.

ooo

Hayley walked across the Obelisk Blue dorm's extravagant foyer. As she passed the enormous statue of Obelisk, a brown-haired second year student in a sleeveless Obelisk Elite coat spoke to her. "I watched your duel from my room. Impressive work."

"Um, thank you," said Hayley, "Who are you?"

"The best Duelist here at Duel Academy. I've been looking for some new Duelists to add to my inner circle, but I only permit the strongest. I've seen you duel and I can say that you show great promise. So I'll make this simple: I'd like you to join me."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"Well, I still haven't made a lot of friends. I guess this'll be a good way to meet new people," Hayley said.

"Excellent."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Saito Kaiba."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Saito meets a new student who doesn't seem to care about anything. However, something has intrigued the son of Seto Kaiba. Find out more next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	45. The Iron Core of the Matter

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-04**

**The Iron Core of the Matter**

"Five God Dragon, destroy him!" Saito ordered. His five-headed dragon drew back its heads and unleashed a torrent of five separate elements that combined into a helix and destroyed Nuvia the Wicked.

"Tyrant Dragon, finish her with Dragon's Gunfire!" The enormous brown dragon opened its mouth and fireball shot out with a loud bang and collided with a Mechanicalchaser.

"Montage Dragon, Power Collage!" The mighty three-headed dragon unleashed a powerful blast from each of its mouths and they combined to form a single powerful energy beam that completely destroyed the opposing Humanoid Worm Drake.

"Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, obliterate that monster!" The large black metal dragon opened its mouth and fired a red laser beam that reduced its prey, Shining Abyss, into pixels.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, end this duel with a display of your awesome power!" On Saito's orders, the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon unleashed a powerful Burst Stream of Destruction that shot across the field and completely destroyed its opponent's Hannibal Necromancer.

Hayley looked at the destruction Saito's dragons had left in their wake. The carcasses of the destroyed monsters lay scattered like bodies on a battlefield as the holograms slowly vanished. The students who had had the misfortune to duel the Obelisk Elite were on their knees, their Duel Disks smoking. "It must be dreadful not to have anyone strong enough to give you a challenge," she said, "Doesn't that get boring?" Saito just shrugged.

"I like the feeling of power," he said. The son of Seto Kaiba deactivated his Duel Disk just as a boy one year younger than him approached. He wore an Obelisk Blue coat and had fine grey hair. Saito watched him as he came closer. The boy noticed he was being watched and stopped.

"I suppose you want to duel me for my title, too?" asked Saito. The boy just shrugged and walked on, not bothering to really notice the one who had just spoken.

"Meh, I really don't care," was his response, "I was just looking for a place to sit down and eat my lunch." He found a nice shady just under a tree. Upon sitting down, he reached into his bag and produced a ready-to-eat meal. Saito just watched him curiously for a while and then walked up to him.

"What's your name?"

"Wes," the boy answered nonchalantly, "Wes N. Remington."

ooo

Mikey and Sammie were sitting on the dock looking out at the ocean. They hadn't spent any time alone together ever since the term started. This moment was the only time they had a free period together, so they agreed to spend it with one another. Once they had met up, though, neither of them could think of something the two of them could do. The brunet was nervous as he sat leaning his elbows on his legs twiddling his thumbs. He was thinking about how he could break the awkward silence. He had just come up with something and was about to open his mouth to say it when Sammie spoke first.

"I had a dream last night."

"Oh?" Mikey looked at his best friend curiously.

"Yeah," she said, biting her lip, her knees drawn up to her chest as she recalled what had played in her head. "I was in a world of infinite blackness, naked and exposed in a universe of infinite cold that lacked stars or light. I looked up and I saw two ravens upon the shoulder of a wizened old man with one eye and a great white beard, sitting upon a throne on a tree. On each branch and each root there was an entire world. The ravens peered at me and I could see a never-ending expanse in their eyes, almost an entire cosmos. They then began to whisper my name over and over again before fading away into nothingness as three demonic beasts came down upon me. I woke up in a cold sweat. It scared the piss outta me."

"Wow," was all Mikey could say when she had finished. As he turned his eyes back toward the water, he noticed a helicopter approaching the island. The two of them watched as it made its way to the helicopter pad beside the dock and gently landed. As they got up to investigate, a beautiful woman with long white hair stepped out.

"Can we help you?" Mikey asked slowly.

"I'm looking for Saito Kaiba," the woman answered. She looked Mikey over and then turned to Sammie when she noticed her uniform. "Young lady, do you know where I might find Saito?"

"He has a few places where he spends most of his time," the blonde answered, "Come with me." She led the white-haired woman away, leaving Mikey standing there as the wind generated by the helicopter blades blew through his hair as they slowed down.

"Hey, wait for me!"

ooo

There was something about Wes that seemed to intrigue Saito. His generally uncaring, nonchalant demeanor seemed to hide something that he had to find out. Despite the way he acted, something told him that he possessed some incredible power. The Kaiba boy watched him carefully every day. Each morning, Wes left his dorm room with his hair a mess and his coat open. By the time he reached his first class, he somehow managed to make himself presentable. During class, he spoke to no one and uttered no words as he passed his classmates in the hallways. During lunch, he always sat by himself with a ready-to-eat meal. After classes, he secluded himself in his room until dinner came. Following the evening meal, the then returned to his room and never came out again until the next morning.

Despite his observations, Saito found nothing that could confirm his suspicions. If Wes did possess some kind of power or dueling potential, he certainly hid it well. There was really only one way for him to find out for sure. He reached into his coat and produced his Dragon deck. Darkblaze Dragon. Tyrant Dragon. Felgrand Dragon. Five God Dragon. Montage Dragon. Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon. Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. The raw power of each dragon had single-handedly won Saito every duel.

As the young teen stood on his balcony musing, he heard someone call his name. He looked down and saw Sammie waving at him. Accompanying her were Mikey and a woman whose presence on the island startled him. "Mom?"

"There he is," Sammie said pointing.

"Thank you. Could you please give us a moment in private?" asked the woman.

"Of course," Sammie replied before she left.

"Hey, what am I? Chopped liver?" Mikey asked as he followed her. The white-haired woman stood in her spot and waited until Saito had come outside.

"Saito."

"Mom."

The woman moved closer and wrapped her arms around her son. The pair of them pulled away moments later and Saito straightened his coat. "What are you doing here?"

"When I heard that your father had given you your own Blue-Eyes White Dragons, I felt I had to come, though I did chew him out a little for not telling me about it until three months after he did so, but I digress. Your deck is powerful, Saito. However, you can't win every battle with raw power like that. That is why I've come to give you these." She took a box out of her purse and handed it to Saito. He took the wooden object from her and opened it up.

"Mom, these cards aren't even dragons," he pointed out, "And their attack strength is pitiful. What are they supposed to teach me and how am I supposed to win with them?"

"Up until now, you've relied entirely on power. Now I think it's time for you to learn the next important part of being a Kaiba: unity."

Saito looked at his new cards once more. He was planning on dueling Wes anyway. Perhaps a change in his deck would not be such a bad idea after all. He looked at his mother and nodded. "Then let's take these guys for a ride."

ooo

A night of deck building later, Saito emerged from his dorm room with his Duel Disk and sought out Wes. He was able to catch him after class just outside the Obelisk Blue dorm. The grey-haired teen was just walking right outside when Saito stepped out from the door.

"You need something?" Wes asked.

"I'll just keep to the point," said Saito, "How skilled a Duelist are you?"

"Pretty good, I guess," Wes answered, "I'm not really big on it that much."

"Then show me what you've got," Saito challenged as he took out his new deck and shuffled it. Once he had done so, he slammed it into his deck slot and his Duel Disk hummed to life.

"I guess." Wes took out his own Duel Disk and strapped it onto his arm before turning it on and loading his deck. "Though I really don't see the point man. I mean you should be cool with being the strongest, but whatever."

"Sometimes it isn't about strength, but also making sure that people recognize and respect me, not just dismissed." Saito said adamantly, his eyes flashing with fire.

"Whatever man, can we just begin?" Wes sighed as he shrugged and the duel began.

------------------------

**Saito:** 8000

**Wes:** 8000

------------------------

"Do you have a preference for who goes first?" Saito asked.

"Meh, not really. I'll go with whatever you want," answered Wes.

"Then I'll go first," Saito declared as he drew his first card.

"Cool, whatever."

Saito examined the cards in his hand. With a new deck and only a few hours to get to know how it would work, this would definitely provide him with a new challenge. He started with a familiar card and placed it onto his Duel Disk. "I summon Masked Dragon in attack mode." A red and white dragon wearing a Hannibal Lecter mask appeared and roared (ATK/1400 DEF/1100). "I'll set a facedown and end my turn."

"I guess it's my move now." Wes drew his first card and made his move. "I summon Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak in attack mode." The holographic projectors in his Duel Disk started to glow and a tall dark warrior in wielding two blades appeared. Emblazoned on its chest was a symbol that appeared to be three winged creatures flying toward a small circle in the center (ATK/2000 DEF/200).

"What kind of monster is that?" Saito said, his eyes looking at the dark warrior studiously.

"He is a Koa'ki Meiru monster. They are the scourges of both light and dark, as you will find out. Now, Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak, attack Masked Dragon." Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak rushed in and slashed Masked Dragon, destroying it.

------------------------

**Saito:** 7400

**Wes:** 8000

------------------------

"I use Masked Dragon's effect to summon a second Masked Dragon in defense mode," declared Saito as he brought out another dragon.

"If Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak destroys a monster by battle, he can attack again. Bergzak, do it again." Wes watched as he creature destroyed Saito's second Masked Dragon, which was then used to bring out a new creature.

"I Special Summon Dragunity – Black-Spear in attack mode." The son of Seto Kaiba placed his card on his Duel Disk and summoned out a small black dragon with a spearhead making up the majority of its head (ATK/1000 DEF/1000).

"I end my turn." Wes took a card from his hand. "To keep Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak on the field, I discard Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru." A large golden box with many large handles bearing the same symbol Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak had on his chest appeared and slowly sank under the field.

"My move." Saito drew his next card. "I summon Dragunity – Legion in attack mode." He brought forth a green birdman with large wings wearing a white tunic (ATK/1200 DEF/800). "I now tune my Dragunity – Black-Spear to my Legion to Synchro Summon a new monster." He watched as Dragunity – Black-Spear disappeared and was replaced with three green rings, which encircled Dragunity – Legion and turned his body into three shining stars. A beam of white light engulfed them and from the radiance emerged a knight in blue armor riding atop a white dragon with a spear-like head. "Dragunity Knight – Gáebolg rise!" (ATK/2000 DEF/1100).

Wes looked up at the hovering dragon knight and just shrugged.

"Dragunity Knight – Gáebolg, attack Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak!" Pointing his lance at his target, Dragunity Knight – Gáebolg flew forward and thrust his weapon forward. Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak steadied himself and blocked with both of his swords.

"They're evenly matched," Wes pointed out.

"Not when I activate my monster's effect." Saito ejected his Dragunity – Legion from his graveyard. "When my card attacks, during the Damage Step I can remove from play one Winged Beast from my graveyard to boost Gáebolg by that creature's attack points, bringing my monster's attack up to thirty-two hundred." Dragunity Knight – Gáebolg's lance broke past the swords and stabbed Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak in the head.

------------------------

**Saito:** 7400

**Wes:** 6800

------------------------

"I end my turn."

"My move." Wes drew. "I summon Koa'ki Meiru Powerhand in attack mode." The grey-haired teen summoned out a yellow robot with drills on it shoulders, elbows, hands, and head with the Mark of the Iron Core emblazoned on its chest (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "Powerhand, attack his monster." Koa'ki Meiru Powerhand's right arm drill began to spin rapidly as it moved closer and thrust the weapon into Dragunity Knight – Gáebolg.

------------------------

**Saito:** 7300

**Wes:** 6800

------------------------

"I end my turn. And by his effect, I must reveal a Normal Trap in my hand or discard the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru." Wes showed Saito a card called Reckoned Power and his Koa'ki Meiru Powerhand remained on the field.

When his turn came up, Saito drew his card. He examined his hand and the card he had just drawn and quickly formed a plan. "I play Ancient Rules, a card which allows me Special Summon one level five or higher Normal Monster from my hand. So now I summon Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry in attack mode." A powerful tornado came down on Saito's field and deposited an enormous golden bird with two gargantuan wings and a pair of smaller wings just underneath them (ATK/2900 DEF/2000).

"Isn't that card an Effect Monster?" asked Wes.

"It's treated as a Normal Monster in my hand," answered Saito, "Simorgh, attack Koa'ki Meiru Powerhand with Golden Gale!" Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry flapped his wings and a powerful tornado was launched into Koa'ki Meiru Powerhand. The drill machine was pulled in and destroyed.

------------------------

**Saito:** 7300

**Wes:** 6000

------------------------

"I'll set a monster facedown and end my turn." A facedown card appeared beside Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry as Saito concluded his turn and Wes began his.

"I play Core Denseness Compression. I reveal one Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru in my hand and discard one Koa'ki Meiru monster to draw two cards." The grey-haired Obelisk Blue showed the card in his hand and discarded Koa'ki Meiru Full-Barrier. Following that, he drew his two cards. Looking at his new hand, he saw that one of the cards he had drawn was a card he needed. He took it and played it immediately. "Next I play Urgent Synthesis. This card returns one Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru from my graveyard to my deck and then allows me to Special Summon a level four or lower Koa'ki Meiru monster from my grave. I bring back Koa'ki Meiru Full-Barrier." After returning his discarded Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru to his deck and shuffling it, Wes brought out a large glob of water, from which a blue wolf-like creature burst out wielding a trident and bearing the Mark of the Iron Core on its chest.

"Now I sacrifice Full-Barrier to summon Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord in attack mode." The Water-attribute creature vanished and in its place rose up an enormous blue chicken-legged machine with arms like hammers emblazoned with the Mark of the Iron Core with several more marks on its shoulder bolts (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). "I can summon Rooklord with one tribute if that tribute is a Koa'ki Meiru monster. Now for his second effect. On the turn my Rooklord is Normal Summoned, I can remove from play one Koa'ki Meiru monster from my graveyard to destroy up to two cards you control." Wes' Duel Disk ejected Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak from his graveyard and he placed it in his pocket before Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord fired several missiles from its back into the air. The warheads rained down on Saito's side of the field and destroyed his facedown card and Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry.

"Damn it," Saito growled.

"Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord, attack his facedown monster," Wes ordered. Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord moved in and smashed its hammer-like arm down on Saito's card, which turned out to be Totem Dragon. "I set a card facedown and end my turn. And to keep Rooklord on the field, I reveal the Warrior-type monster Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak in my hand."

"My move now." Saito drew his card. He had nothing to stand up to stand up to Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord right now. However, if he could hold out for two turns, he would be able to win. "I play Future Fusion. I send Fusion Material monsters from my deck to my graveyard and in two turns, I can summon a Fusion Monster." The rich boy took out his deck and removed three cards.

"Are those what I think they are, Kay Kay?" asked Hayley. Saito's eye twitched as he turned toward Hayley.

"It's Kaiba," he growled.

"Aww, but I like Kay Kaaaaaaaayyyy..."

"It's Kaiba!" Saito repeated. He placed his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons into his graveyard and shuffled his deck before slamming his cards back into his deck slot. "I set a card facedown and end my turn."

"My turn now." Wes drew his card, "First I activate my facedown, Reckoned Power. By revealing the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru in my hand, I can destroy all of your facedown Spell and Trap Cards." The Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru appeared in the center of the field and began to flash. Before long, cracks started to appear on its surface and streams of light spilled out before the iron box exploded, destroying Saito's facedown.

"Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord, attack him directly." Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord raised its arms as it approached Saito and slammed them down on top of him.

------------------------

**Saito:** 4500

**Wes:** 6000

------------------------

"I set a card and end my turn by revealing Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak in my hand to keep Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord on the field."

"My turn." Saito drew his card. The two cards he held wouldn't be able to help him much, but he could at least reduce his damage until his Future Fusion kicked in next turn. "I remove from play Totem Dragon, Dragunity – Black Spear, and Dragunity Knight – Gáebolg from my graveyard in order to Special Summon Desert Twister in defense mode." A powerful tornado kicked up in front of Saito and a black and tan demon reminiscent of a cobra rose out of the still swirling vortex and hissed (ATK/2300 DEF/2000). "That ends my turn."

"My turn." Wes drew his card and looked at it. "I set one monster facedown. Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord, attack Desert Twister." Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord raised its arms over its head and slammed them down on top of Desert Twister, destroying it with ease. "Your turn."

"With pleasure." Saito drew his card and grinned. "Two turns have passed since Future Fusion was activated. And now behold the monster of your demise!" The sky began to shimmer with the colors of a fusion portal. The loud roar of three dragons echoed out as an enormous three-headed dragon emerged (ATK/4500 DEF/3800). "Behold, my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

"Meh." Wes reached into his occupied Spell and Trap Zone and pulled out the card that was in it, flipped it face-up, and slid it back in. "I activate Automatic Laser." A black laser cannon with several cameras and mirror appeared bearing the Mark of the Iron Core on its front. "When my opponent Normal Summons or Special Summons one or more monsters with one thousand attack points or higher, I can activate this card with the Iron Core from my hand in order to destroy those monsters." As Wes showed the card in his hand, the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru appeared on the field. A panel opened up in the Automatic Laser's back and the core slid into it like a battery. The door closed and the machine hummed to life. The laser powered up and then fired a powerful beam that struck the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in the chest. The massive dragon's three heads cried out as the laser shot out its back and the beast fell defeated.

"My Blue-Eyes!"

"Is dead," Wes finished.

Saito growled and slammed down a facedown before he ended his turn. This was looking bad. He would need some kind of miracle draw on his next turn to win.

"My turn." Wes drew his card and smiled, "I Flip Summon Koa'ki Meiru Speed." He flipped his card over and summoned out a jet-like machine with two engines positioned rather awkwardly on its underside bearing the Mark of the Iron Core on its center (ATK/1200 DEF/2200). "Now I sacrifice Koa'ki Meiru Speed in order to summon Koa'ki Meiru Valafar, who can be summoned with one tribute if it's a Koa'ki Meiru monster." A blazing inferno rose up beside Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord. The flames turned out to be the wings of an enormous demon. Its torso and arms were grey with gauntlets and legs red like fire with veins of lava. The Mark of the Iron Core glowed brightly on hits chest, gauntlets, and knees as it roared (ATK/3000 DEF/2100).

"Koa'ki Meiru Valafar, attack directly. Blazing Fist of the Iron Core." Koa'ki Meiru Valafar vanished and reappeared before Saito in a bright flash of fire and smashed its white hot flaming fist into Saito before the young teen could even react.

------------------------

**Saito:** 1500

**Wes:** 6000

------------------------

"Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord, attack," ordered Wes.

The attack from Koa'ki Meiru Valafar had caught Saito by surprise thanks to its speed. However, he was prepared for Rooklord and activated his Trap Card. "Sakuretsu Armor." The lumbering form of Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord slowly ground to a halt and then exploded into a shower of scrap metal.

"I guess it's your turn now," Wes said as he sent Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru to his graveyard to keep Koa'ki Meiru Valafar on the field.

"It all rides on this last draw," Saito muttered to himself, "Don't fail me." He drew his card and looked at it. "I play Monster Reborn!" The field split wide open and a pair of massive white wings flapped out, bringing with them the body of an enormous three-headed dragon. "Welcome back, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Now destroy Koa'ki Meiru Valafar! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Burst!" The Blue-Eyes Utimate Dragon let out a deafening roar as each head charged up a Burst Stream of Destruction before firing it simultaneously with the others, merging into one single energy blast that struck down Koa'ki Meiru Valafar and destroyed it.

------------------------

**Saito:** 1500

**Wes:** 4500

------------------------

"I end my turn." Saito smiled confidently as his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon snarled at Wes. The grey-haired teen drew and took the Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak he had in his hand and set it facedown on the field before ending his turn. Saito drew and his smile grew larger with the new card he received.

"I play Dragon's Mirror." He removed from play his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons from his graveyard and they disappeared into an enormous golden mirror that appeared overhead. Seconds passed before a second Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon emerged from the portal and roared as it landed on the field. "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, destroy his facedown!" The first dragon opened its mouths and blasted the facedown Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak into oblivion. The second then charged up and fired its attack straight into Wes.

------------------------

**Saito:** 1500

**Wes:** 0

------------------------

"You did it, Kay Kay!" cheered Hayley.

"It's Kaiba." Saito walked toward Wes and looked it up.

"Grats on winning," the younger Duelist said, not really caring that he had lost.

"I've seen many Duelists in my life, but you're among the strongest," Saito commented, "Your Koa'ki Meiru deck interests me. What sort of strategy does it run?"

"The Koa'ki Meiru are an anti-meta deck," Wes explained, "Only a few people can use them effectively. The purpose is to negate the meta-game's strategies. It is the bane of light and dark decks, having effects mostly designed to disrupt those and special summons."

"Interesting." Saito crossed his arms over his chest. "May I see them?"

"Sure." Wes handed over his deck and Saito looked through the cards. He was clearly impressed with their effects. He could see why only a few people could play a deck like this effectively. A lot of them revolved heavily around the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru. Once he was finished, he handed the deck back.

"I better get going." Wes stuck his cards into his coat and and started to walk off.

"Hold on a moment," Saito said, "You said your name was Wes, right?"

"Wes Remington."

"Wes Remington. I believe I should I introduce myself. I am Saito Kaiba."

"''kay."

"And I have an offer for you."

* * *

**Next Week on**_** Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Duel Academy receives some student teachers and one of them seems to have an interest in young Mikey. How will this affect the young Duelist? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	46. The Student Teachers

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-05**

**The Student Teachers**

Five young men and women sat together in the comfortable seating of the helicopter. One was a man with short blond hair who clearly worked out at the gym quite frequently wearing a simple combination of slacks and a shirt. Another was a young woman with brown hair tied up in a bun and eyeglasses wearing a black woman's business suit. She was busy looking over some papers from a yellow envelope on her tray table. Sitting in front of her was another young woman with light brown hair that flowed like water and green eyes wearing a white blouse, a grey skirt, and black shoes. In the seat beside the second woman was a young man with glasses, fiery red hair, and a beard wearing a plaid-pattern dress shirt and a black suit. The fifth was a very handsome man in his early twenties with stylized and purposely messy brown hair with blond highlights and sapphire blue eyes wearing a black suit and a blue tie sitting closest to the front reading a book.

"We'll be arriving at Duel Academy shortly," the pilot announced. All five passengers looked out the window as the island appeared below them. The young man in the front closed his book and smiled.

"I'm finally here," he said to himself with a slight country drawl in his voice.

ooo

The students gathered in the main auditorium for the announcement wondering what it was about. Mikey, Sammie, Max, Coltyn, and Gabe took their seats among the countless others around them. On the far end, Saito sat with his arms crossed over his chest with Hayley and Wes on either side of him.

"What do you think this is about?" Gabe asked as he sat down beside his brother.

"I'll bet it's something exciting!" Max said cheerfully.

"Well, if you look toward the stage, a lot of the staff are already there," Coltyn pointed out, "Plus they've got five new guys there. Judging from their ages, I'd say they're student teachers."

When the students finally settled down, Alexis stepped up to the podium. "Welcome, students. I've called this assembly to announce that our student teachers have arrived and also to introduce them to you. First, I'd like you to welcome Mr. Jamie Burns." The young man with the fiery red hair stood up. "Mr. Burns will be studying under Mr. Milan the music teacher." Mr. Burns walked up to the podium and Alexis stepped to the side to let him speak.

"Thank you. Hello, everyone. My name is Mr. Burns. Ever since I was a kid, I've always loved music. I played the violin, the piano, and the trumpet. I'd like to thank Headmistress Rhodes for allowing me this opportunity and I look forward to seeing you in class." The students applauded as Mr. Burns bowed and then sat back down and Alexis took the podium again.

"Our next student teacher is Ms. Olivia Joules." The woman with the glasses stood up. "She'll be with Dr. Snappe as the student chemistry teacher." Ms. Joules stepped up to the podium and looked out to the students seated before her.

"Good morning, students. As Chancellor Rhodes has said, I am Ms. Joules. Not Miss Joules; it's Ms. Joules. As your student teacher in chemistry, I shall be assisting Dr. Snappe in his lessons and later on I shall be teaching the classes myself." Once she had finished speaking, she returned to her seat and sat down.

"Next we have Mr. Bruce James." The large man stood up and faced the students. "He shall be studying under Mr. Hassleberry as the boy's P.E. Teacher." Mr. James strode up to the podium and immediately began speaking.

"Hey, y'all. How's it going? I'm Mr. James and it's been my dream to be a coach. Today, that dream begins turning into a reality. I'll be seein' all the guys tomorrow." With his short but sweet speech over, he sat back down as in his seat.

"Studying under Mr. Higsby is Miss Franziska Calen." The woman with the light brown hair and green eyes rose to her feet and clasped her hands in front of her. "She will be studying under him in math." Miss Calen stepped forward and stood behind the podium as she began to speak.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Miss Calen. Ever since I was a little girl, my father wanted me to be an accountant. I studied hard to excel in math. When I finally got to university, I decided to make a change. Instead of taking accounting, I took education and math. While I truly do love to work with numbers, nothing could give me greater pleasure than teaching math to a class of eager young students." Miss Calen bowed as she finished and sat down as she listened to the students' applause.

"And finally, we have Mr. Chance Thulin with us today," Alexis announced. All the students immediately turned to the young man with the sapphire blue eyes as he stood up. "Mr. Thulin shall be studying under Mrs. Jackson as your student English teacher." Many of the students gasped. They had all read the books written by the famous author Chance Thulin and now here he was at their school studying to become a teacher. Mr. Thulin walked up to the podium and thanked Alexis before stepping up to the microphone and facing the students.

"Hey! How's everyone doing today?" he greeted, "Y'all doin' alright? Well if so then that is good; if you are not, sorry guys. Well, I'm Mr. Thulin, and it is good to be here. I won't take any bull from you guys, but I am nice, so no worries. Drink you milk, stay in school, eat your vitamins, etcetera etcetera. Let's just have some fun this year, okay?" And with that, he gave the students a charming smile and returned to his seat. The applause that followed was louder than any that the other student teachers had received. As Alexis stepped back up to the podium, it died down and she finally spoke.

"These five young men and woman shall begin their first classes tomorrow. I expect you all to treat them no less than you would our regular teachers. Now, that concludes this morning's assembly. Thank you all for coming. And once again, please give a warm welcome to our student teachers." Another round of applause rang out through the auditorium and then the students got up and started to leave.

"I can't believe it," Sammie said dreamily, "Chance Thulin is actually here..."

"Looks like someone's got a star crush," Gabe snickered. He ducked under a punch from Sammie and she ended up hitting Mikey instead.

"OW! Oh, come on! I didn't even do anything that time!"

ooo

The next day, classes started up as usual. As Mikey, Max, and Coltyn walked into their math class in second period, they saw Miss Calen seated beside Mr. Higsby at the desk at the front of the room. Once the students settled down, the math teacher stood up and began to speak while the student teacher observed him carefully. "Alright class. Today we're going to begin by reviewing what we've learned so far on quadratic equations. I think that will be a good start for our aspiring math teacher here." Miss Calen looked up nervously as Mr. Higsby began his lesson.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hassleberry stood in the soccer field outside the school with Mr. James and the first year boys from Class A. While both teachers were dressed in sleeveless shirts, neither seemed affected by the cold autumn morning temperatures. The same could not be said for the students, however. Gabe was shivering and rubbing his arms while wearing a plain white tank top, red shorts, and running shoes. Spencer was huddled beside him wearing a blue shirt with a bright yellow lightning bolt running diagonally across the middle with matching shorts and yellow shoes.

"Alright, boys! Today we're gonna be playing a little flag football!" Mr. James called out. "But first I wanna see you guys stretch properly and then run five laps around the field. Let's move, boys!"

"Are you sure this is the same guy we saw at the assembly yesterday?" Spencer asked as he forced himself down to stretch his legs.

"I swear this guy used to be in the army," grumbled Gabe as he put his hands behind his head and stretched out his arms. Ten minutes later, Mr. James blew his whistle and ordered the boys to start running.

ooo

The period before lunch was an electives period and Sammie made her way to the music room. Upon entry, she found Mr. Milan and Mr. Burns talking with one another. She took her seat and took out her instrument. The younger man at the front of the class sat to the side while the music teacher gave instructions to the students.

Lunchtime rolled around an hour later and the five friends sat together at their usual table. As usual, Mikey had a sandwich he made at breakfast in the Yellow dorm. Sammie was eating a chicken salad while Max had a garden salad. Coltyn was eating a double burger with extra tomatoes while Gabe was still in the cafeteria line. "What's taking him so long?" Mikey wondered.

"Coming!" Gabe's voice called out as he came to the table with his burger and fries.

"Gabe, did you ask for extra bacon?" the older brother asked.

"Hey, I love my meat," was the younger sibling's answer as he walked to the vending machines and bought himself a can of Mountain Dew.

"I think you love it enough back in the dorm," Spencer muttered as he walked past.

"So what do you guys think of the student teachers so far?" Max asked.

"I'd rather form an opinion after I've actually seen them teach," Coltyn said matter-of-factly without looking up from his food.

"Ugh! I hate that gym teacher!" Gabe groaned, "He's all over us like a fucking drill sergeant."

"Language, Gabe," Mikey reminded him.

"You aren't dad and you sure as hell aren't mom," replied Gabe.

"I'm with Coltyn on this one," said Sammie, "None of the student teachers have actually taught yet."

"Speak for yourself," muttered the younger Angel.

Immediately after lunch, Mikey, Sammie, Max, and Coltyn went into chemistry class. Ms. Joules was seated at a desk beside Dr. Snappe's with a laptop open. As the chemistry teacher began his lecture, she silently typed away at her computer. The way she acted during class, one could almost mistake her for a robot.

An hour later, chemistry was let out and the group of four headed to their final class of the day. As they entered Mrs. Jackson's English classroom, Sammie almost had another fangasm when she saw Mr. Thulin seated at his desk. "Come on, Sammie. You'll get your chance to talk to him soon," Mikey said as he dragged her to her seat.

"Okay, everyone," Mrs. Jackson said as she entered the classroom, "Before we begin, I'd like you all to welcome our student teacher, Mr. Thulin." A resounding "Hello Mr. Thulin" echoed through the room. "Mr. Thulin, would you like to say a few words before we get started?" Mr. Thulin got up from his seat and walked toward the front of the class. Mrs. Jackson took a step to the side and stood as he turned and faced the students.

"Well, I want you guys to know that I will ask each and every one of you what you learned today so don't go and drift off into lala land because you have a best selling writer here. This stuff is important. So let's enjoy our time together, okay guys?" Mixed reactions were received. Some of the students looked a little miffed. Some looked dismissive. Others looked attentive. He cast his eyes across the room and returned to seat.

"Now class, let's go back and review what we did last class," instructed Mrs. Jackson.

ooo

A week passed and the student teachers were finally starting to get settled in. Over the past seven days, each of them had begun to form opinions and make notes on their students. Mr. Thulin in particular had begun to take an interest in Mikey. He observed the sixteen-year-old carefully, making his own private notes.

One day, as the students were leaving, he asked him to stay behind. Mikey nervously looked at the handsome young author and slowly walked toward him. "Y-yes?"

"Mikey, I have noticed you in class. You are a good student, always paying attention, but I have to ask something. Why are you trying so hard?" Mikey thought about this for a moment. He never really questioned why he tried so hard, he just did.

"I...really don't know, Mr. Thulin. It's just something I've always done."

"I understand trying hard to pay attention in class, but you are really stressing yourself out here buddy. You gotta learn to relax a little. You don't have to stress on every detail in a lesson."

"But what if I miss something important?" Mikey was always worried about that.

"You are more likely to miss something important if you stress yourself out. You can't just stress over little details."

"But..." Mikey's voice trailed off. He just realized that he was arguing with a teacher.

"Look, I can tell you have little confidence in yourself." Mr. Thulin looked at the young teen with a stern yet gentle expression. "I used to be like that, you know, but sometimes you need to chill out and take some time to absorb the information. You study too hard and you just know the facts, but not comprehend them. I want you to understand the why, and not just the what. I guarantee you are stronger than you think. In fact, I bet you used to be pretty bad at dueling, right?" Mikey's eyes widened.

"How...could you tell?"

"Well, one of my talents is that I can read people like I read books. All you have to do is know how. You have a lot of strength though, as I can tell. Would you like to show me what you have bud? We can duel in the arena and have a nice extra curricular duel. You beat me and I will talk to Mrs. Jackson into giving you a break on your homework for the week. You have been working way too hard."

"I guess," Mikey replied a little hesitantly.

"Don't guess," said Mr. Thulin, "Know." Mikey was silent for a while. Then he finally looked at the student teacher and nodded. "Alright. Go onto your next class and we'll duel after school today. Remember to relax, okay bud?"

"I'll try, Mr. Thulin." Mikey took in a deep breath and left the classroom. As soon as he was out in the hallway, he slowly let it out. He wasn't sure if this was a good idea or not. However, he was now committed to this duel, so he decided to just go and get it done with.

An hour later, Mikey made his way to the arena. Sure enough, Mr. Thulin was there waiting for him with his Duel Disk ready. "Hope you took my advice and relaxed. You ready, Mikey?"

"Yes, Mr. Thulin." Mikey strapped on his Duel Disk and activated it.

------------------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Mr. Thulin:** 8000

------------------------------

"You can go first, Mikey," Mr. Thulin.

"Thank you, Mr. Thulin." Mikey drew his first card. His experience with the teachers at this school had taught him not to hold back, so he thought he should push himself a step further to try to impress the student teacher. "I summon Beast King Barbaros in attack mode." His lance-wielding armored liontaur rose up and roared (ATK/3000 DEF/1200). "When I summon him without a tribute, he only has nineteen hundred attack points." Mikey looked at the rest of his hand. No Skill Drain yet. For now, he took two cards and set them facedown before ending his turn.

"My move." Mr. Thulin drew his card, "I summon Vanguard of the Dragon in attack mode." He placed his card onto his Duel Disk and summoned a blue humanoid dragon wielding a spear and shield (ATK/1700 DEF/1300). "Now by sending one Dragon-type monster from my hand to my graveyard, I can have him gain three hundred attack points." He took a card from his hand and slid it into his graveyard slot. Immediately, a blue aura surrounded Vanguard of the Dragon as his attack points rose to two thousand.

"Vanguard of the Dragon, kick some ass," ordered Mr. Thulin. His creature cocked back its arm and then threw the spear across the field. Both Duelists watched as it impaled Mikey's creature and destroyed him.

------------------------------

**Mikey:** 7900

**Mr. Thulin:** 8000

------------------------------

"I'm setting one card facedown. Your go."

"My turn." Mikey drew his card. "I summon Mist Archfiend in attack mode." A cold mist appeared around Mikey's feet and rose up in front of him into the shape of a black and red demon (ATK/2400 DEF/0). "Mist Archfiend, attack Vanguard of the Dragon with Hell's Cold Grip!" Mist Archfiend vanishes into the mist and floated across the field. As the mist reached Vanguard of the Dragon, a demonic arm reached out and grabbed its throat. A few seconds of squeezing later, the dragon was killed.

------------------------------

**Mikey:** 7900

**Mr. Thulin:** 7600

------------------------------

"Next I play Dimensionhole to remove my Mist Archfiend from play so he doesn't die from his own effect." A hole appeared in the sky and Mist Archfiend was pulled in. "That ends my turn."

"I hope those two facedowns can help you if you're leaving yourself wide open." Mr. Thulin drew his next card and played it immediately, "I summon Red-Eyes Wyvern in attack mode." A rush of wind hit the field and a black dragon resembling a small Red-Eyes Black Dragon with no arms appeared (ATK/1800 DEF/1600). "Red-Eyes Wyvern, attack Mikey directly. Maul 'im!" Red-Eyes Wyvern flapped its wings as it began to take in a deep breath.

"I don't think so." Mikey revealed one of his facedown cards. "I activate Compulsory Evacuation Device to return your monster to your hand." A large machine appeared in front of Mikey and opened its hatch to pull in Red-Eyes Wyvern.

"Not bad, Mikey. But I've got something here too. I chain my Dark Bribe to your Trap Card." Mikey's Compulsory Evacuation Device shorted out and exploded, leaving him open to the incoming attack. As he drew his card from Dark Bribe's effect, Red-Eyes Wyvern unleashed a burst of wind that hit him hard.

------------------------------

**Mikey:** 6100

**Mr. Thulin:** 7600

------------------------------

"I'm going to set a card and then end my turn." Mr. Thulin looked toward Mikey. "Your go."

The young teen. took the top card off his deck and looked at it. As soon as his Standby Phase kicked in, a hole in space appeared overhead and Mist Archfiend returned to the field. "Mist Archfiend, attack Red-Eyes Wyvern!"

"I activate Negate Attack." Red-Eyes Wyvern roared as a vortex opened up and absorbed the impact of Mist Archfiend's attack.

"Alright, I'll end my turn." Mr. Thulin then drew his card.

"I'm switching Red-Eyes Wyvern into defense mode." Red-Eyes Wyvern landed on the floor and lowered its head as it folded its wings over itself. After that, he ended his turn.

Mikey drew his next card and summoned out Majestic Mech – Senku (ATK/1000 DEF/500). He then ordered Mist Archfiend to attack. The icy demon faded into the mist and the clouds of cold vapor slid across the field before an arm reached out and strangled Red-Eyes Wyvern. The black creature died shortly and Mist Archfiend returned to its place. Following the attack, Majestic Mech – Senku, the blue and humanoid synthetic angel, flew in and thrust its arm-like appendage into Mr. Thulin's chest.

------------------------------

**Mikey:** 6100

**Mr. Thulin:** 6600

------------------------------

With Majestic Mech – Senku's effect, Mikey drew a card and quickly concluded his turn, his Fairy creature shattered as its effect sent it to the graveyard.

Mr. Thulin then drew his card. He checked his graveyard and set a single card facedown. "I end my turn."

"That's it?" asked Mikey.

"Not quite." Mr. Thulin ejected a card from his graveyard, "I can activate the effect of my Red-Eyes Wyvern during my End Phase. If I didn't Normal Summon or Set this turn, I can remove it from play to Special Summon one Red-Eyes monster from my graveyard except for Red-Eyes Black Chick."

"But you don't have any other Red-Eyes monsters in your graveyard," Mikey pointed out.

"I do have one," Mr. Thulin reminded the young student, "Remember Vanguard of the Dragon?" Mikey took a moment to think and it came back to him. His opponent had discarded one Dragon-type monster to raise the attack power of Vanguard of the Dragon. It had to be a Red-Eyes creature and now it was coming out to the field.

"I see you finally got it, Mikey. Though, I could have done this earlier because of Vanguard of the Dragon's other effect that allows me to Special Summon a Normal Dragon monster in my grave when it is destroyed by battle, but I decided to bide my time for a better opportunity." Mr. Thulin ejected a card from his Duel Disk's graveyard and placed it on top of his Duel Disk. "I Special Summon in attack mode the Red-Eyes Black Dragon." The floor seemingly burst open and from the grave, the mighty Red-Eyes Black Dragon emerged and roared (ATK/2400 DEF/2000).

Mikey stood there in awe. This was the first time he had seen the original Red-Eyes Black Dragon. He had seen Saito's Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon several times before, but this had a completely different kind of feel to it.

"Mikey, it's your turn now," Mr. Thulin reminded him. Mikey snapped back into reality and suddenly reached for a card in his hand.

"Since you just Special Summoned a monster, I can bring out Dragon Ice from my hand or graveyard." Mikey took his Dragon Ice card and sent it to his graveyard to pay for its own cost. It was ejected a second later and he summoned to the field in defense mode. Immediately, a blue dragon made out of ice with black leathery wings wearing a white skull mask appeared crouching beside Mist Archfiend (ATK/1800 DEF/2200).

With Mr. Thulin's End Phase finally over, Mikey's Draw Phase began and he drew his card. As long as Mist Archfiend remained on the field, he was safe from attacks from Red-Eyes Black Dragon. For now, he set a cad facedown and ended his turn.

Mr. Thulin drew and added his card to his hand. Following that, he played a Spell Card. "I activate Inferno Fire Blast."

"What?!" Mikey's eyes were wide as Red-Eyes Black Dragon opened its mouth and launched a crimson fireball past his monsters and directly into him.

------------------------------

**Mikey:** 3700

**Mr. Thulin:** 6600

------------------------------

"I'll set one card and end my turn." A card appeared at Mr. Thulin's feet and he turned his attention to Mikey. The teen drew his card and his face brightened. This would definitely help him.

"I tribute my Dragon Ice and summon Kuraz the Light Monarch in attack mode!" As Dragon Ice vanished from the field, a golden ray of light shone down and from it emerged the golden emperor himself, Kuraz the Light Monarch (ATK/2400 DEF/1000).

"Another challenge, Mikey?" Kuraz asked as he looked at Mr. Thulin and his Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

"He's my teacher, Kuraz. Please try not to go too hard," Mikey said in response. He suddenly realized he had just spoken to a holographic image again and immediately smacked his palm against his forehead slightly embarrassed.

"Well...That is something new. In fact that monster is the most glorious thing I have ever seen, after Bruce Campbell's chin of course," said Mr. Thulin with a bit of humor in that last bit, "So since Kuraz is a Monarch, I assume he's got an effect, besides talking to you like something out of someone's god awful fanfiction."

"Right. Kuraz can destroy up to two cards on the field and the controller or controllers of those cards can draw a card for each card that was destroyed. However, Kuraz can't attack on the turn he was summoned. So first I'm destroying your facedown." A solid beam of golden light shot forward and destroyed Mr. Thulin's facedown card.

"And next, I'm targetting your Red-Eyes Black Dragon." A second beam of light shot out and pierced the chest of Red-Eyes Black Dragon. A loud screech filled the air as it collapsed.

"Next I play the Quick-Play Spell Card Forbidden Chalice. This gives one monster an extra four hundred attack points and negates its effect. So I'm giving it to Kuraz!" A golden chalice appeared in Kuraz's hand and he drank the sweet nectar it held. Immediately, an aura surrounded his body as his power increased to twenty-eight hundred attack points and his unseen shackles broke, permitting him to draw his sword.

"Mist Archfiend, attack Mr. Thulin directly!" ordered Mikey. Mist Archfiend swept in and wrapped its ice-cold hands around Mr. Thulin, who stood still without even blinking at the assault of the hellish beast.

------------------------------

**Mikey:** 3700

**Mr. Thulin:** 4200

------------------------------

"Kuraz, it's your turn!" ordered Mikey, "Excalibur's Light!"

"It will be an honor." Kuraz the Light Monarch swung his sword and fired a blade of golden light that cut right through Mr. Thulin.

------------------------------

**Mikey:** 3700

**Mr. Thulin:** 1400

------------------------------

"I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn. It's your move, Mr. Thulin."

"I know, Mikey. But thanks." Mr. Thulin drew his card and a look appeared in his eyes. "I set one card facedown and I'll set a monster, too. That ends my turn."

Mikey thought it was a little weird. Mr. Thulin seemed like the type to know when it was reasonable not to go on. But then a thought struck him. Perhaps he had something planned. On the other hand, it could have just been a bluff. Either way, Mikey needed to make a decision. He drew his card and proceeded with his turn. "First I activate Skill Drain by paying one thousand Life Points."

------------------------------

**Mikey:** 2700

**Mr. Thulin:** 1400

------------------------------

"I don't think so." Mr. Thulin revealed his facedown card. "I activate Solemn Judgment to negate your card and destroy it at the cost of half of my Life Points."

------------------------------

**Mikey:** 2700

**Mr. Thulin:** 700

------------------------------

Mikey's card was negated and destroyed, but Mr. Thulin was far from finished. "When I activate a Counter Trap and negate the activation of one of your card effects, I can Special Summon this monster from my hand." He placed it on his Duel Disk. "I summon Van'Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord in attack mode!" Darkness fell over the field and from it emerged an enormous humanoid black dragon with large wings and a dark foreboding presence (ATK/2800 DEF/2500).

"Whoa..." Mikey was awed. He had never seen a card like this before.

"When Van'Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord is Special Summoned this way, his effect activates depending on the type of card that was negated," explained Mr. Thulin, "If it was a Spell Card, he inflicts fifteen hundred points of damage to your Life Points. If it was a Trap Card, he selects one card you control and destroys it. And if was a Monster Effect, I can select one monster from my graveyard and Special Summon it."

"And since you negated my Skill Drain..." Mikey realized.

"I can destroy one card you control," Mr. Thulin finished. He pointed at Mist Archfiend and Van'Dalgyon flew in and smashed his fist into it, destroying it on impact.

"I switch Kuraz into defense mode and end my turn." Mikey turned his card sideways and watched as Kuraz knelt down into a defensive stance.

"Sorry Mikey, but this duel is over," Mr. Thulin said as he drew his final card. I tribute my facedown Golem Dragon to Special Summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon." The facedown card vanished and in its place arose a massive metal version of the Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon on Van'Dalgyon's right side (ATK/2800 DEF/2400). "With his effect, I'm Special Summoning my Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my graveyard." Red-Eyes Black Dragon appeared on Van'Dalgyon's left.

"Mikey, this looks bad," Kuraz said to his Duelist. Mr. Thulin then took the last card in his hand and played it.

"I activate Stamping Destruction since I have at least one Dragon on my field. I can destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field and deal five hundred points of damage to its controller." The student teacher targetted Mikey's facedown and Red-Eyes Black Dragon flew over and smashed down on its with its foot before returning to its spot.

------------------------------

**Mikey:** 2200

**Mr. Thulin:** 700

------------------------------

"Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, destroy Kuraz the Light Monarch." Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon opened its mouth a bright red light shone out. Mikey shielded his eyes to look as the beast rose above the field and then fired a blazing red laser down on Kuraz the Light Monarch, destroying him.

"Kuraz!"

"Van'Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord, end this duel." Van'Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord opened his mouth and gathered up energy before flying forward at great speed and slamming his fist, coved in a black flame, into Mikey with more than enough force to deplete his Life Points.

------------------------------

**Mikey:** 0

**Mr. Thulin:** 700

------------------------------

Mikey fell to his knees as the Duel Disks' holographic projectors shut down and the systems deactivated. Mr. Thulin removed his Duel Disk from his arm and knelt down in front of him. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah," Mikey answered disappointedly.

"You did really well, Mikey; a lot better than I expected, in fact. I'm actually proud of you."

"But I lost." Mikey took his arm out of his Duel Disk.

"It's not about winning or losing, Mikey. It's about how you play the game. Besides you learn more from a defeat than a victory anyway…unless you are the guys who made 'Meet the Spartans' in which case you never learn." When Mr. Thulin got no response he placed a hand on Mikey's shoulder and sighed, his humor often times going over people's heads. "Hey bud, I have something for you." He reached inside his jacket and pulled out two cards. He handed them over to Mikey, who looked at them. The first was a Trap Card called Light-Imprisoning Mirror. The second was a Field Spell Card called Future Visions.

"I think these cards will help your deck out a little. They won't be a big improvement but they will help. You know, I have confidence that within a short span of time you will be one of the best Duelists here." After hearing these words, Mikey looked up at Mr. Thulin and smiled.

"Thanks, Mr. Thulin."

"Anytime."

Mikey stood up and placed the cards in his deck. "I should get back to my dorm. I have a bit of homework to do.

"Take care, Mikey. And remember, try to relax."

Mikey nodded and ran out of the arena.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to like it here." And with that, Mr. Thulin walked off.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Duel idol Umi arrives at Duel Academy. How will things unfold for Mikey this time? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	47. The Mermaid's Melody

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-06**

**The Mermaid's Melody**

Mikey, Max, and Coltyn sat in front of the television in the Ra Yellow lounge along with several of their fellow Yellow schoolmates. In the Orisis Red Dorm, Gabe and Spencer managed to find seats on the floor at the foot of the couch. Sammie had found herself a comfortable place to sit in one of the many entertainment rooms in the Obelisk Blue dorm. Every television at Duel Academy was tuned to the same channel that evening. Bright colored lights flooded the screen as a beautiful female voice echoed from the speakers. Beautiful aquatic creatures appeared as the equally beautiful Duel Pop Idol, Umi, stood on the stage filling the ears of all the viewers with the sound of her voice. It was her final concert of her summer tour, so it was a very big event. A lot of money had gone into holograms, hydrotechnics, and lights in order to make this final performance perfect.

"Thanks for coming, everyone!" she called out to her audience as she waved, "This last song is dedicated to a very special someone!" She then turned and looked directly at the camera. "And if he's watching this right now, I want him to know that I have a special surprise for him." And with that, one of Umi's roadies disguised as a regular audience member stood up and came to the stage.

"I wonder what she has for you, Mikey?" asked Max.

"We're just friends Max," Mikey replied. Everyone turned their attention back to the television and watched as Umi's opponent summoned a Majesic Mech – Ohka.

"Well apparently she sees you as more than that," Coltyn thought out loud.

"That proves nothing," said Mikey. A few turns later, Umi's opponent summoned Beast King Barbaros and Guardian of Order, causing the brunet to shut his mouth for the rest of the night.

o o o

"Great job out there, Umi," a stagehand complimented as he moved a dolly of speakers.

"Great crowd tonight," one of the roadies said.

"Good work, everyone. Thank you!" Umi smiled as she waved to everyone.

"Umi." The pop idol turned as her manager approached. "Now that your tour is over, may I suggest you get to work on your next album?"

"There are more important things than my album, Gerry," Umi told him, "Do I have any new messages?"

"As a matter of fact, you do," Gerry answered.

"That _isn't_ fan mail."

"Well in that case, you have three new messages." Gerry opened his computer and began to go through his client's messages. "First, you have a letter from your family. They wish you well and they hope you will be able to go home and visit them soon."

"I'll definitely be home for Christmas," Umi told him.

"I'm afraid that's impossible. You're already booked for the entire Christmas holidays performing live," Gerry reminded her.

"Forget the concerts! I miss my family!" Umi took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, "What else is there?"

"The second is a message from the record company that's agreed to publish your new album when it's ready. They want to know when you'll have it finished. They're very eager to hear it."

"The only thing they're very eager for is to make money off my music," was Umi's reply, "What about the third message?"

"The last message is from Duel Academy," Gerry informed her, "It's a notification of confirmation for those online courses you registered for. They just need you to go to the school in person so you can finalize your registration."

"Then we're going to Duel Academy first thing tomorrow," Umi declared.

"I don't see why you should have to take classes, Miss Umi," Gerry said, "You're a pop idol. You've got fame and money. There's nothing else you need."

"I told you Gerry, there are more important things. Education is one of them."

"It just seems like a waste of your money."

"It's my money and I can choose how to use it and I'm using it to go to school. Now go get things ready for our trip to Duel Academy."

"Yes, Miss Umi." Gerry turned and left. Umi sat down and looked out the window. She thought back to the first time she had been to Duel Academy. It was earlier that year before the summer. Before that, she had met a young man who had beaten her fairly during one of her duel concerts. Since that day, she sought him out. When she finally did, she confronted him. It was not until after her second loss against him that she realized that she felt something for him. After giving him a passionate kiss and leaving her contact information, she had left almost as quickly as she had come.

Him. Umi sighed. She hoped dearly that she would meet him again. His soft hair, his gentle eyes, and his young handsome face remained etched in her mind since that day. She longed to one day be reunited with him.

Duel Academy.

Umi re-read the message. That day was close at hand.

o o o

Umi's end-of-summer concert was the center of every discussion at Duel Academy the following day. Everywhere Mikey went, he heard his schoolmates talking about the performance at every free opportunity. Lunch hour was especially full of chatter on the subject. Mikey thought he would never be able to eat his sandwich in peace with all the commotion that was going on around him.

"Just ignore it," Coltyn told him as he ate his pizza slice.

"I guess." Mikey took a bite of his bologna sandwich and tried to enjoy it. As he chewed the mix of bread and processed meat, he could overhear his brother talking to his friends.

"Yeah, it's true. My brother kissed Umi." Mikey nearly choked. After he managed to save himself from having his food go down the wrong pipe, he turned toward the direction from which he had heard Gabe's voice come. Sure enough, the younger Angel boy was there surrounded by his classmates all leaning in close with clear expressions of interest on their faces.

"Are you serious?" one of them asked.

"You've gotta be kidding," said another.

"No fucking way!" expressed a third.

"I was there," Gabe told them all, "She came here last year when I came on a class visit. She dueled my bro and then after that, they kissed."

"Was it with tongue?" asked one of the Reds.

"It was too far away to see, but I'm pretty sure it was," Gabe answered," They sucked face for a while."

"Gabe! What are you doing?" Mikey asked exasperatedly as he arrived at the table, slamming his palms against its surface out of breath.

"Hey, here's the lucky man himself," Gabe said with a grin.

"Aren't you even a little jealous that your brother made out with a pop idol?" another Red inquired.

"Mikey's a total klutz with girls. I'm not gonna mess with his only chance to score," answered Gabe. His words caused Mikey to turn bright red as the students at the table started laughing. The elder brother returned to his table and sat down with his face buried in his hands.

"Next time, save yourself the embarrassment and just take it," Coltyn advised.

"I don't even like her that way, Coltyn," Mikey argued.

"You sure?"

"Of course."

"Just ignore it, Mikey. People will get tired of it and move on with their lives."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one they're talking about."

"Whatever." Coltyn finished his pizza and wiped his hands clean before throwing his napkin and plate into the garbage before heading out.

"Where are you going?" asked Mikey.

"I've got some work to do for class," answered Coltyn before he left.

Mikey took the rest of his lunch with him and went outside to find a quieter place to eat. He was able to locate a bench just outside the front entrance and sat down. It was pretty quiet outside. Most of the students were in the cafeteria eating their lunches. There were only a few scattered here and there outside.

Finally having found peace, Mikey took out his sandwich and prepared to take a bite when something suddenly hit him from the side and screamed his name. He immediately looked toward the direction the extra weight had come from and his eyes widened. "U-Umi?"

"Hi Mikey!" Umi greeted cheerfully.

"What are you doing here?" the boy inquired.

"I just came to take care of some stuff. But after I finished, I thought I should check up on my favorite boy in the world," she answered.

"Well, Umi," Mikey gasped, "your favorite boy in the world needs air."

o o o

The staff meeting that day included the student teachers. Alexis had passed around the folder for them to read. Needless to say, none of them were particularly happy. "Shouldn't we contact the parents about this?" asked Ms. Joules.

"I'm afraid that we've tried," answered Alexis, "We've had no luck in contacting anyone off the island."

"But this isn't right," Mr. Burns pointed out.

"We know," Dr. Snappe answered, "Unfortunately, the one who implemented this new program found a way to bypass all the approvals and managed to force it into the curriculum."

"Well...hell." Mr. Thulin closed the folder and slid it across the table back to Alexis. "If this is as bad as you guys are acting like it is then maybe we should deal with it. If we can't stop it from happening then maybe we can make sure shit doesn't happen."

"What do you suggest we do then?" asked Miss Calen.

"It says student participation is mandatory. It didn't say anything about teachers."

o o o

"So what exactly are you doing here, Umi?" Mikey asked. He had managed to keep her in his room until he was done classes and now the two of them were walking together in a secluded area of the island so Umi's fans wouldn't disturb them.

"Well you know I have my whole music career, but I just can't ignore some of the more important things in life," the pop idol replied.

"Like?"

"My education." Umi stopped and looked at Mikey. "Since I can't attend full time, I signed up for some online classes. That's actually why I'm here. I came to finalize my registration for those courses."

"Duel Academy has online courses?" the brunet asked confused.

"Don't you know? You're the one who actually goes to this school."

"This is the first I've heard of it."

The two of them walked down a path that led them to a small grassy patch on the cliff side overlooking the ocean. As they stood there, Umi leaned her head against Mikey's shoulder. "I love the ocean," she thought out loud.

"Yeah, it's nice," was all Mikey could say. They stood there for a while longer before Umi finally raised her head and turned to look at him.

"Mikey?"

"Yeah, Umi?"

"Duel me?" Mikey just looked at her.

"Excuse me?"

"Duel me, Mikey? You're the only one who's ever made me feel alive through dueling."

"Well, I..."

"Pleeeeeeeeeease?" Umi looked at him with puppy eyes and Mikey couldn't help but sigh and comply.

"Alright," he said in defeat.

"Yay!" Umi hugged him. "I love you, Mikey!" She quickly pulled away and ran to the other side of the patch before putting on her Duel Disk. Mikey took out his and strapped it on. The two of them inserted their decks and their Duel Disks automatically shuffled them.

------------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Umi:** 8000

------------------------

"You can go first if you like, Umi," Mikey offered.

"Aww, you're such a sweetie." Umi winked at him and drew her first card, "I'll start with the Field Spell Card Umi." She placed her card inside her field tray and the field quickly transformed into a shallow ocean. "This raises the attack and defense power of all Sea Serpent, Aqua, and Thunder monsters by two hundred and lowers the attack and defense of Pyro and Machine monsters by two hundred. Next I summon Mermaid Knight in attack mode." A green-tailed mermaid with bright red hair wearing armor suddenly rose up from the water wielding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other (ATK/1500 DEF/700). Thanks to the power of the field card, her attack points rose up to seventeen hundred and her defense points to nine hundred. "I'll set a card facedown and end my turn."

"Wow. I don't think I've ever seen you duel without trying to be all showy and stuff," Mikey said.

"It's just you and me, Mikey. There's no one watching us. Anyway, it's your move."

"Okay then." Mikey placed his fingers on top of his deck and drew his card. He looked at it and realized it was one of the new cards Mr. Thulin had given him the other week. "I Special Summon Cyber Dragon in attack mode." He placed his card on the field and summoned out his mechanical serpentine dragon (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). As a result of Umi, its attack was reduced to nineteen hundred while its defense dropped to fourteen hundred, rust forming on its lustrous steel frame. "Cyber Dragon, attack Mermaid Knight! Evolution Burst, go!" Cyber Dragon opened its mouth and fired a stream of energy that engulfed Mermaid Knight.

------------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Umi:** 7800

------------------------

Mikey then took two cards from his hand and set them facedown on the field. "Your move, Umi."

"Thanks, hon." Umi drew her card. "I summon Spined Gillman in attack mode." She summoned a blue fish man with spines covering his back and a trident in his hand (ATK/1300 DEF/0). With Umi's effect, his attack rose up to fifteen hundred while his defense rose to two hundred. "And he gets another boost," the pop idol said, "Spined Gillman boosts all Fish, Sea Serpent, and Aqua monsters by four hundred." Spined Gillman's attack points rose again, bringing him up to nineteen hundred attack points and putting him on par with Cyber Dragon. "I'll set a card facedown and end my turn."

"My move." Mikey drew his card. "I sacrifice Cyber Dragon in order to summon Majestic Mech – Goryu in attack mode." His Cyber Dragon vanished and in its place appeared his enormous white mechanical dragon bound together by golden flames (ATK/2900 DEF/1800). "Majestic Mech – Goryu, attack Spined Gillman with Majestic Blaze!" Majestic Mech – Goryu opened its mouth and unleashed a torrent of golden fire upon Spined Gillman.

"I activate Tornado Wall!" Umi revealed one of her facedowns. "As long as I have this and Umi on the field, all Battle Damage I take becomes zero." As Spined Gillman was destroyed, a barrier of tornadoes rose up before her and blocked the flames.

"It's fine." Mikey then activated one of his facedown cards. "I activate Light-Imprisoning Mirror and end my turn." His card flipped up and a mirror resembling the Eye of Wdjat appeared.

"And Goryu goes bye-bye," Umi said with a smile.

"Not this time." Mikey pointed to the new Trap Card Mr. Thulin gave him. "When the effect of a Light monster activates on the field or in the graveyard, my Light-Imprisoning Mirror negates it." Streams of light seeped out from Majestic Mech – Goryu and were absorbed into the mirror behind it. The mighty creature seemed to struggle at first, but after a while it seemed to calm down after it found out that it was going to stay on the field.

"It's my turn now." Umi drew her next card. As long as her Tornado Wall and Umi remained on the field, she would be safe from Battle Damage. Plus, if she really needed it, she also had her facedown. For now, she ended her turn.

Mikey drew his next card and read its effect. He knew as long as his opponent had her defensive combo on the field, he would be unable to do any damage to her. He made his decision quickly and played the card he just drew. "I play Golden Sarcophagus. This card lets me remove from play one card from my deck. Then in two turns, it comes to my hand during my Standby Phase." He took out his deck and extracted a single card from among the many others. "And my card of choice is Future Visions."

"Is that a new card?" Umi asked.

"Yeah," answered Mikey as he placed his deck back and his Duel Disk shuffled his cards, "Mr. Thulin gave it to me."

"Mr. Thulin..." Umi thought for a moment. "Wait, you mean the author Chance Thulin!?"

"You know him?" Mikey inquired.

"Who doesn't?" Umi sighed dreamily. "How did you get to meet him that he'd give you a card?"

"He's one of the student teachers at Duel Academy. And he gave me two cards. This and my Light-Imprisoning Mirror."

"So what's Future Visions anyway?"

"It's a Field Spell Card. When a monster is Normal Summoned, it's removed from play until its controller's next Standby Phase." Mikey placed the card in his pocket, where it would remain for two turns. "Anyway, it's your move now." Umi nodded.

"I draw." She took the top card from her deck and looked at it. It wasn't a card she needed, but she set it down anyway. After she concluded her turn, Mikey began his.

The brunet drew his card. On his next Standby Phase, his Future Visions would come to his hand. In the meantime, he decided to make use of his turn. "I summon Majestic Mech – Ohka in attack mode." He played his card and his winged four-legged mechanical beast appeared and roared (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). He then ended his turn and Light-Imprisoning Mirror absorbed the streams of light that seeped out from Majestic Mech – Ohka, negating its effect of being sent to the graveyard.

"My turn." Umi drew her card and smiled. "First I activate my facedown Spell Card, Moray of Greed. By returning two Water monsters to my deck, I can draw three cards." She placed two cards on top of her deck and her Duel Disk shuffled her cards around before letting her draw three. She looked at her new cards and liked what she saw. "First I play the Continuous Spell Card, Water Hazard. As long as I have this on the field, if I have no monsters I can Special Summon a level four or lower Water monster from my hand. So now I'm bringing out Armed Sea Hunter in attack mode." She placed her card on her Duel Disk and brought out a naga-like creature with its upper body like a water-breathing reptile and the bottom half like a plesiosaurus armed with a bow and a quiver of arrows (ATK/1800 DEF/400). Umi's effect then boosted its power to two thousand attack and six hundred defense.

"Next I Normal Summon Deep Sea Diva in attack mode." A beautiful singing voice filled the air as a mermaid with a lovely pink tail appeared (ATK/200 DEF/400). "When she's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one level three or lower Sea Serpent monster from my deck." Her deck ejected a single card and she placed it beside her Deep Sea Diva. "I think my Mermaid Archer will work." A large turtle rose out of the ocean and its shell opened to reveal a blue-haired mermaid with a green tail wielding a laser scope crossbow (ATK/1200 DEF/200). "Now I'm going to tune Deep Sea Diva to my Mermaid Archer." Deep Sea Diva's body faded away into two stars, which then turned into green rings. They encircled Mermaid Archer and turned her body into three stars before a ray of light engulfed them both.

"I Synchro Summon Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon!" A long-necked dragon made entirely out of ice appeared and roared (ATK/2300 DEF/1800). With the boost from Umi, its attack rose to twenty-five hundred and its defense to two thousand. "Now I play Monster Reborn and I'm bringing back Spined Gillman." With Spined Gillman back on the field, Armed Sea Hunter's attack points rose to twenty-four hundred and Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon's up to twenty-nine hundred.

"Double power up," Mikey noted, "Nice. You know, despite seeing that card used pretty often lately that was the best usage of it yet."

"Thanks sweetie, but I'm just getting started." Umi pointed at Majestic Mech – Ohka. "Spined Gillman, attack!" Spined Gillman swam over to Majestic Mech – Ohka and thrust his trident at it. The pronged weapon broke against its metallic skin and Ohka retaliated with a solid beam of energy from its mouth. Even though Spined Gillman was destroyed, Umi suffered no damage thanks to her Tornado Wall.

"Why'd you do that?" asked Mikey, "Without Spined Gillman, you don't have your four hundred attack point boost."

"I don't need the four hundred boost, hon," Umi said, "I'm activating Gishilnodon's effect. When a level three or lower monster on the field is sent to the graveyard, his attack points rise to three thousand."

"But with the Umi's effect," Mikey realized, "that brings him up to..."

"Three thousand two hundred attack points," Umi confirmed as her monster's power rose tremendously. "Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon, attack Majestic Mech – Goryu!" Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon opened its mouth and fired a powerful icy blast at Majestic Mech – Goryu. It froze the mighty beast and Gishilnodon flew in and smashed it to pieces.

------------------------

**Mikey:** 7700

**Umi:** 7800

------------------------

"I set a card facedown and end my turn."

"My move." Mikey drew his card. As long as Umi and Tornado Wall were on the field, not only could he not deal Battle Damage to his opponent, he also wouldn't be able to get past Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon with the attack boost. However, that was about to change. It was now his second Standby Phase since he played Golden Sarcophagus and now his removed from play card came to his hand.

"First I summon Fusilier Dragon, The Dual-Mode Beast in attack mode." Mikey played his card and summoned his dragon-like tank (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). "If I summon him without a tribute, his original attack and defense points are cut in half." He watched as his beast powered down to its weaker mode. In addition to Umi's effect of weakening machines, it now had anattack strength of twelve hundred and a defense of eight hundred. "Now I play the Field Spell Future Visions." The Umi Field Spell vanished and the knee-deep ocean disappeared. At the same time, the Tornado Wall that had been protecting Umi vanished, leaving her open to attacks. Now the field had taken on a rather cosmic appearance. "Unfortunately, my Fusilier Dragon still isn't strong enough to beat Gishilnodon. But it will be with this card. I play Forbidden Chalice. This boosts one monster's attack points by four hundred."

"It still won't be enough, though," Umi pointed out, "Fusilier Dragon will still only have eighteen hundred attack points."

"But this is what I love about the card. Forbidden Chalice also cancels the effect of the monster it targets."

"What?!"

Mikey stood as his Fusilier Dragon switched back into its stronger mode and gained an additional four hundred points, totally thirty-two hundred attack points.

"I chain my Level Retuner to your Forbidden Chalice," declared Umi as she revealed one of her facedown cards, "I can use this to lower one of my monsters by two levels and I'm picking Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon." Five stars appeared over the head of Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon and two of them exploded, leaving only three.

_She must have a reason for doing that_, thought Mikey, _Her remaining facedown must do something to protect low-level monsters._ He didn't have much of a choice. His hand didn't have anything that could stop it. The only thing he could do now was just attack.

"Fusilier Dragon, attack Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon!" Powerful explosive blasts filled the air as Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast fired its cannons at Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon.

"I activate Aegis of the Ocean Dragon Lord!" Umi revealed her facedown. "Until the End Phase of this turn, all face-up level three or lower Water monsters cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects."

"I had a feeling you had a reason to use that Level Retuner." Mikey looked up at the monsters. "Still, it won't protect you from Battle Damage." The silhouette of Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus appeared in front of Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon and deflected the cannon blasts. Even though the ice dragon was saved, the damage still hit Umi.

------------------------

**Mikey:** 7700

**Umi:** 6900

------------------------

"Your Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon may be protected, but there's one monster on your field that isn't." Mikey pointed toward Armed Sea Hunter. "He's still level four. Majestic Mech – Ohka, attack Armed Sea Hunter! Majestic Ray!" Majestic Mech – Ohka opened its mouth and gathered up energy in the back of its throat before firing it in the form of a solid beam of light at its target, destroying it in one blast.

------------------------

**Mikey:** 7700

**Umi:** 6300

------------------------

"I'm done," Mikey announced. Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast roared as its attack points returned to normal.

"My turn." Umi drew her card. Her monster wouldn't be able to last against the next attack. "I play Salvage and I'll use it to bring back Spined Gillman and Deep Sea Diva from my graveyard to my hand." She took the two cards from her graveyard and placed them in her left hand before sending her Spell Card away in their place.

"Now I summon Deep Sea Diva. And with her Normal Summoned, I can use her effect to Special Summon a level three or lower Sea Serpent monster from my deck. And I think I'll pick a second Spined Gillman."

"My Future Visions Field Spell is still in play," Mikey reminded her, "That means any Normal Summoned monsters get removed from play until the next Standby Phase." Deep Sea Diva was quickly swallowed up into the stars as she was sent to Umi's removed from play zone.

"That still doesn't change the fact that my Spined Gillman is here to boost Gishilnodon by four hundred points." Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon roared as his attack points rose up to twenty-seven hundred attack points. "Plus I've still got his effect. Spined Gillman, attack Majestic Mech – Ohka." For the second time, Majestic Mech – Ohka blasted Spined Gillman into oblivion.

------------------------

**Mikey:** 7700

**Umi:** 5600

------------------------

Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon groaned as Spined Gillman's boost vanished, but roared once again as his own effect brought him up to three thousand attack points. "Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon, attack Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast!" The ice dragon fired a blast of ice from his mouth and struck the mechanical monstrosity dead-on, freezing it completely. It then flew in and smashed it to pieces.

------------------------

**Mikey:** 7500

**Umi:** 5600

------------------------

"I end my turn," Umi declared.

"My move." Mikey drew his next card. "I summon Beast King Barbaros in attack mode." The massive lance-wielding liontaur appeared and roared (ATK/3000 DEF/1200). "Since he was Normal Summoned without a tribute, he only has nineteen hundred attack points. But that won't matter since my Future Visions removes him from play. That way when he returns, he'll be at full strength." Beast King Barbaros vanished, leaving Mikey with only one monster to attack with.

"Majestic Mech – Ohka, attack Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon! Majestic Ray!" A beam of light shot across the field from Majestic Mech – Ohka's mouth and shot through Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon's chest. It's body crumbled into a pile of broken ice.

------------------------

**Mikey:** 7500

**Umi:** 5500

------------------------

"I'm done," declared Mikey.

"My turn." Umi drew and on her Standby Phase, Deep Sea Diva returned to the field. She looked at her hand. All she had were Spined Gillman and Divine Dragon Aquabizarre, neither of which would do her much good since Mikey's Future Visions Field Spell Card would just remove them from play. She decided to just set her Spined Gillman and switched her Deep Sea Diva into defense mode. She ended her turn.

Mikey drew his card and Beast King Barbaros returned, this time at full strength of three thousand attack points. "Time to end this. I play Monster Reborn and resurrect Majestic Mech – Goryu." In a blaze of golden fire, Majestic Mech – Goryu returned to the field and roared. "With two Light monsters on my field, I can Special Summon Guardian of Order." He played his card and his angelic white and gold warrior appeared (ATK/2500 DEF/1200).

"Majestic Mech – Ohka, attack Deep Sea Diva." A ray of light shot out of Ohka's mouth and destroyed the song-loving mermaid. "Guardian of Order, attack the facedown." Mikey knew that his Light-Imprisoning Mirror would only negate Goryu's piercing effect, so he attacked with Guardian of Order instead. When the facedown Spined Gillman was gone, that left Umi wide open.

"Beast King Barbaros, attack!" Beast King Barbaros roared and thrust his lance into Umi's chest.

------------------------

**Mikey:** 7500

**Umi:** 2500

------------------------

"Majestic Mech – Goryu, let's end this," Mikey declared, "Majestic Blaze!" Majestic Mech – Goryu turned to face Umi and showered her with a powerful torrent of golden flames.

------------------------

**Mikey:** 7500

**Umi:** 0

------------------------

Umi was silent as the holographic projectors shut down and the images they projected vanished. "Uh, Umi? Are you okay?" asked Mikey. He approached her slowly. When he was close enough to reach out and touch her, she suddenly leapt forward and kissed him on the lips. His eyes went wide as he tried to break free, but to no avail. Finally, she pulled away to look at his bright red face.

"Come on, Mikey. Loosen up a little," she said as she lightly smacked his rear, causing him to turn even redder. "No one but you has ever beaten me. And especially not by such a huge difference." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Well, I better get going. See ya later, hon." She gave him a wink and blew him a kiss as she went back up the path to a waiting helicopter. As Mikey watched her fly off, he managed to bring himself back into reality.

"She's just a friend, Mikey," he told himself and walked off.

o o o

"So how'd things go with your girlfriend yesterday?" Coltyn asked the following day.

"I don't have a girlfriend," answered Mikey, "Not yet anyway."

"She means Umi, you silly goose!" Max replied giggly.

"Umi's not my girlfriend," was Mikey's response, "She's just a friend."

"Oh, I beg to differ." Coltyn reached into his bag and pulled out a few magazines, which he placed in front of the brunet.

"The _National Enquirer_? The _Globe_? Coltyn, why are you showing me these?" Mikey asked as he looked at the first two.

"Read the headlines and look at the pictures." The young Yellow did was he was told. What he saw widened his eyes.

"'Duel Pop Idol caught with secret boyfriend?!' 'Lucky teen pop idol's boy toy?!' What the heck?" He looked at the rest of the magazines. The covers all showed him and Umi standing together. When he looked inside, he saw photos of that moment when she kissed him.

"HOW DID THEY GET THESE?!" he demanded, mortified. His answer came when Gabe walked past counting up several cheques he had received in the mail. "Gabe, where did you get all that money?"

"Funny story, bro." Gabe put the checks away. "The tabloids pay big money for stuff like this." Mikey just glared at his brother. "I'll be going now." And he ran away.

"GET BACK HERE!" shouted Mikey as he ran after him.

"Mikey, you lucky bastard!" one random student called out as he passed.

"Nice move, ya sly dog," another said.

"Never knew you had it in you!"

Mikey's face turned bright red as he heard these comments and continued chasing after his brother.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Coltyn meets a fire-haired girl with a fiery spirit who seems to rival him in every way. Is this jealousy or just a matter of pride? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	48. Phoenix Fire Burning Bright

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

New ban list implemented as of September 2009.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-07**

**Phoenix Fire Burning Bright**

The sound of wheels against tiled floors could be heard all over the school as a young Obelisk Blue girl with red hair streaked gold skateboarded down the halls. She whooped as she leapt onto the stair handrail and slid down to the next floor. As she picked up speed, her face seemed to brighten even more.

"Miss Lazarus!" The girl skidded to a stop and turned to see Dr. Snappe looking at her sternly. "There is to be no skateboarding within the school halls."

"Oh, lighten up, grandpa!" she replied back before skating away.

"How dare you defy a teacher!"

The girl skated down more stairs and then out the door. Her wheels clacked loudly against the concrete path as she glided down to the Blue dorm.

ooo

In a temple atop a tall hill, a young priestess sat inside one of the inner chambers. She was in deep meditation. Her mind was clear of all things. The only sound that filled the air was that of bamboo tapping on the washing bucket outside. "Gck!" Suddenly, she began to feel a throbbing pain in her eye as she struggled to maintain her meditative state. "Steady.... Endure the pain...." She bit her lip as the pain worsened.

Outside the temple, a man in a fine purple business suit ascended the steps onto the sacred ground. He approached the doors and calmly entered with a smooth sliding of the door. Once inside, he closed it behind him and made his way toward the priestess in a nonchalant manner as if he himself owned the temple.

"No...no...no...no..." The young priestess gasped. "I can't. I have to...get control. Must...concentrate." She felt another twinge of pain and cried out. At that moment, the businessman cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Ahem."

She looked up and saw the intruder, immediately covering up her eye as she hissed. "Get out!" she cried, "Can't you see I can't be disturbed? If you don't, then I warn you now that you will regret it!" She got up and accidentally knocked over a lantern. She stumbled around for a while, her hand clutched over her eye like it was a precious gem that she refused to let the world see.

"Oh, yes. Yes. That eye of yours is probably just all sorts of hell, isn't it?" asked the man.

The priestess' groping hands found their way to a talisman placed on the table near her. Her hands clutched around it a before she slung it over her neck. As soon as she had it on, she released her eye and growled at the man. "Wait. What did you just say?"

The man pointed to his own eye and pushed up his glasses as he smirked slyly. "Your eye. You know what I am talking about."

"What do you know about my eye?" demanded the priestess, "And who the hell are you? Your clothing and disposition makes me distrust you even more...give me one good reason I shouldn't yell for the monks and get them to throw you out."

"Because you are curious as to how I know about that eye and because I am only here to pass on an invitation. I know a good deal so I suggest you take up this offer if you want answers." The man reached into his jacket and produced an envelope, which he held tentatively in his hand. "As for who I am, let's just say I work for Kaiba Corp. and leave it at that."

"An invitation? I don't know why you want me..." She looked at him skeptically. "Why would you come all this way to invite me? Something's up and I can tell."

"Of course something is up," the man replied, a smile plastered on his face that made one feel dirty by even looking at it, "but I don't really think you have a choice in the matter. Why? Well I would really rather not get into that."

"Humor me," she said coldly to the man, her finger tips pressing hard against her palm as she balled her hands into fists. She did not like being toyed with. He just smiled silently and tossed the invitation on the ground.

"I told you. I would rather not." Before she could protest he had left, leaving an envelope on the coarse wooden floor and a confused and angered priestess in the temple.

ooo

Mikey was in the school store looking at cards. He had finished his homework early that day, so he decided to spend a little bit of time shopping. The clerk watched him as he sifted through the packs in his hands trying to decide which ones to buy. "The bending trick doesn't work anymore," he pointed out.

"The bending trick?" Mikey looked confused, "What's the bending trick?"

"The bending trick is when you take a pack and gently bend it just enough so you don't damage the cards," the clerk explained, "Foil cards were harder than other cards, so any packs containing super rare and up cards were more difficult to bend. This way, you can find out which packs have rare cards without opening the packs themselves."

"So why doesn't that work anymore?" Mikey asked, no curiously bending one of the packs in his hand.

"They came up with a new system for printing foil cards," answered the clerk, "So now they're just as thin as the other cards."

"Huh. Guess they figured out that people found a way to find rare cards easier." Mikey paid for ten booster packs and started ripping them open. Immediately, his eyes were met with a multitude of yellow, orange, green, and purple cards plus one blue card. It caught his eye and he looked at it immediately. "'Norsewemko, Beautiful Goddess of Salvation. This card can only be Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Spell Card, 'Ritual of Salvation'. When this card is Ritual Summoned, select a number of face-up cards on the field (except this card) up to the number of monsters used to Ritual Summon this card. While the selected cards are face-up on the field, this card cannot be destroyed by card effects.' I think Sammie would like this card. I wonder if I have Ritual of Salvation." He immediately began to check. It wasn't in this pack. He opened another and didn't find it in that one. He tried a third and finally found the Ritual Spell Card Ritual of Salvation. He smiled and tucked the two cards safely into his jacket's inside pocket. He would give them to Sammie the next time he saw her. Afterwards, he proceeded to look at the other cards he had gotten in his newly opened packs. There were some very nice ones. He found a card called Koa'ki Meiru Full-Barrier and Gladiator Beast Darius. He had no use for either of these common cards. After he checked those, he opened another pack and nearly choked when he found a second Ritual of Salvation right on top.

"Sammie's going to want this, too," he said sliding the card into his pocket before resuming. He tore open another pack and found a Zombie Master. He shuddered. The horrifying images of his duel last year against Bonz still haunted him. The vile stench of rotting flesh, the dead lifeless eyes, and the hollow distant voice still terrified him all these many months later. He quickly put that on the bottom of the stack he was looking at and continued. The next two packs had nothing of interest. His eighth pack provided something that made his heart skip a beat. It was a second Norsewemko, Beautiful Goddess of Salvation. He couldn't believe his luck. Without a second thought, he placed it in his pocket with the other three cards. His last two packs held nothing of particular interest or value. He crumpled up the foil packs and threw them into a nearby garbage can before putting his cards into his pocket.

_Sammie's going to like these new cards for sure!_ he thought to himself excitedly.

"_**FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!!!"**_

Mikey recognized that voice belonging to Sammie and he immediately ran in the direction from which it came. He arrived to find her staring at the announcements board just inside the school's front door. "What's wrong, Sammie?" he inquired. The blonde responded by pointing to the thing she was looking at. Mikey followed her finger and brought his gaze upon a long list. It was the new ban list. His eyes scanned through it and he saw exactly why Sammie had screamed.

"They limited Demise, King of Armageddon to one?"

"THOSE FUCKING BASTARDS!!!" Sammie exploded again, causing Mikey to fall backwards. When she was like this, it was best not to say or do anything. However, he knew that if he did nothing, she would rag on him later for not trying to help. He quickly reached into his jacket and took out the cards.

"Um, Sammie? I don't know if this is the best time, but I want you to have these." He handed her the cards and she looked at them.

" Norsewemko, Beautiful Goddess of Salvation and Ritual of Salvation?" She read the card effects and her expression and attitude quickly changed. "Aww, thanks Mikey! That's adorable!" She pulled the brunet into her arms and hugged him. "That's cute and I appreciate it!"

"Uh, thanks?" Mikey blushed. When she finally pulled away, she took out her deck box and placed the cards inside.

"Oh Mikey, check out this card I got from Saito yesterday."

"K-Kaiba? Y-yesterday?" Mikey stammered.

"Yep!" She showed him a card of a pitch-black dragon studded with red gems. "It's Gandora the Dragon of Destruction." Mikey was just speechless.

ooo

Coltyn was sitting outside with one of his chess club members. The board was clearly in his favor. He sat there smirking waiting for his opponent to make his move. He watched as he nervously shifted his eyes all over the board. He knew he had this game won.

Suddenly, a girl with red hair streaked with gold skidded to a stop on a skateboard and looked over his opponent's shoulder. She studied the board carefully for a mere minute and then moved a rook forward to the opposite side of the board. "Checkmate." And then she skated off.

"Huh. I would've never thought of that." Coltyn, meanwhile, was just staring at the sight in front of him. Little did he know that this would just be the beginning.

ooo

The following day, Mikey and Gabe were playing a game of basketball against Sammie and Coltyn. The score was four to eighteen in favor of the latter. "Stop hogging the ball, Gabe!" Mikey called out to his brother.

"Can't help it if I'm just better than you, Mikey."

"Alright, that's it. If you're gonna be that way, I'm out." And with that, Mikey left.

"You know, basketball's a team sport for a reason," Sammie said to Gabe.

"And now we're one man short," Coltyn pointed out.

"Will you take a girl?" All eyes turned and they saw the redheaded girl with gold streaks whom Coltyn had met yesterday.

"Sure, why not?" Sammie replied, "What's your name?"

"Nellie," answered the girl, "C'mon, let's play some B-ball!" She grabbed the ball from Gabe and started dribbling toward the basket. Coltyn tried to intercept her, but she spun out of his way and took a shot. The ball hit its target and she whooped. "Two points!" In no time at all, she single-handedly turned the game around with a score of twenty-eight to twenty.

"Well, gotta go! Laters!" And with that, Nellie skateboarded away.

"She's pretty good," Gabe said.

"But who the hell is she?" Coltyn wondered.

ooo

A few days later, Coltyn was in the library seated at one of the duel puzzle terminals. He looked at the cards the touch screen presented and scratched his head. He always liked to spend his free time challenging his mind and duel puzzles were one of his favorite ways of doing so. This one, however, was particularly challenging. He had already hit the reset button ten times and still hadn't even come close to figuring out how to solve it. He was just about to try something else when Nellie appeared and looked over his shoulder. Immediately she stuck out her hand and tapped the touch screen repeatedly until the CPU opponent's Life Points dropped to zero. He turned to glare at her, but she had already left.

ooo

Coltyn's monsters lit up the field like daylight as their flames burned brightly. "Raging Flame Sprite, attack directly!" His monster flew in and attacked his opponent a third time, dealing twenty-one points of damage. As it returned to its controller's side of the field, its flames burned even brighter as it gained one thousand attack points. "I end my turn." At that moment, his two Solar Flare Dragons dealt an additional five hundred points of damage each.

"I draw." Coltyn's opponent drew his card and frowned. This caused the black-haired teen to smile. His opponent obviously had not drawn the card he wanted. As he waited for him to finish his move, Nellie suddenly appeared and he groaned.

"Not her again," he grumbled. He watched as she looked at his opponent's hand and pointed at some cards before continuing on. There was a moment's pause before he made his move.

"I activate Brain Control. So by paying eight hundred Life Points, I can take one of your face-up monsters and I pick Raging Flame Sprite." A brain appeared and grabbed hold of Raging Flame Sprite, placing him onto his side of the field. "Next I summon Crimson Ninja in attack mode." A ninja in red garbs appeared. "Now I tune Road Synchron on my field with Raging Flame Sprite and Crimson Ninja." Road Warrior transformed into four green rings and encircled the two other monsters, transforming Raging Flame Sprite into three stars and Crimson Ninja into one. When the three monsters has synchronized, a beam of light shot forth and out came the mighty Road Warrior (ATK/3000 DEF/1500).

"Once per turn, I can use Road Warrior's effect to summon a level two or lower Machine or Warrior from my deck. So I pick another Crimson Ninja. Next I play Enemy Controller and I'll sacrifice Crimson Ninja to take control of one Solar Flare Dragon." A large controller appeared and plugged itself into one of Coltyn's Solar Flare Dragons before bringing it over. "Lastly, I activate Call of the Haunted to resurrect my Armory Arm and equip it to Road Warrior." An enormous clawed gauntlet appeared and attached itself to Road Warrior's arm.

"Road Warrior, attack!" Road Warrior fired up his jets and slashed Coltyn's remaining monster, dealing Battle Damage as well as burn damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack points. He watched as his Life Points dropped to zero.

"Okay, that's it!" And with that, he gathered up his cards, changed his arm back, and ran after Nellie while throwing his jacket over his shoulders. "HEY! You!" The girl stopped in her tracks and turned around.

"Hey, wassap?"

"Every freaking time I see you, you're always doing something to show me up," Coltyn said to her as he stood face-to-face with her. "You have something on me?"

"What can I say?" asked Nellie, "I just like doing whatever I can. If I could do it all in a day, I would. But hey, if it bugs you that much, I'm sorry." Coltyn still wasn't satisfied. He slid his jacket off and tied the sleeves around his waist.

"Duel me."

"Huh?"

"You said you like to do it all, right? Well then, duel me."

"Who's the one with the problem now?" she asked, "But sure." She took out an orange and gold Duel Disk and put it on her arm. She flipped the activation switch and the playing field slid out as the machine hummed to life. Coltyn clenched his fist as his arm transformed and both students inserted their decks, which were automatically shuffled.

"Let's duel!"

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 8000

**Nellie:** 8000

---------------------------

"I'll go first," declared Coltyn after winning the round of rock-paper-scissors. He drew his first card and looked at his hand. "I summon Solar Flare Dragon in attack mode." In a flash of bright flames, Coltyn's fiery dragon appeared and hissed (ATK/1500 DEF/1000). "Now with a Fire monster on my field, I Special Summon Goka, the Pyre of Malice in attack mode." A steel urn appeared in front of Coltyn and from it arose a flame with a ghostly face (ATK/2200 DEF/1900). "By Goka's effect, if he's Special Summoned this way, I have to destroy one Fire monster on my field." Goka's flames burned brighter and consumed Solar Flare Dragon. With that done, Coltyn took two cards from his hand and set them facedown on the field before declaring his turn over.

"I draw." Nellie drew her card, "I summon Marauding Captain in attack mode." She played her card and summoned a blond man in green armor wielding two swords (ATK/1200 DEF/400). "With his effect, I can Special Summon a level four or lower monster from my hand when he's Normal Summoned. So I'm bringing out a second Marauding Captain." A second man appeared and both stood together with their blades held close. "I'm throwing down a facedown and ending my turn."

"I activate Call of the Haunted." Coltyn revealed one of his facedown cards. "I'm bringing back my Solar Flare Dragon." His fiery serpentine creature appeared and hissed. "I respond to that with the activation of my other facedown card: Inferno Reckless Summon." Two more Solar Flare Dragons appeared on Coltyn's side, illuminating the playing field with the blazing orange glow of brilliant flames.

"I don't have any more Marauding Captains in my deck, so this is it," Nellie said.

"Now it's my turn." Coltyn drew his card. "On my Standby Phase, if I have Goka, the Pyre of Malice on the field, I Special Summon one Fireball Token to my field in defense mode." There was a flash of light as a small level one fireball appeared on Coltyn's side of the field (ATK/100 DEF/100). "Now I play Dark Room of Nightmare. This card will deal three hundred extra points of damage every time you take Life Point damage from a card effect. Now I end my turn. Solar Flare Dragons, do your thing!" The first Solar Flare Dragon roared and its body flared up, dealing five hundred points of damage to Nellie.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 8000

**Nellie:** 7500

---------------------------

Immediately, Dark Room of Nightmare kicked in and several shadows flew out and wrapped their incorporeal hands around the girl's throat.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 8000

**Nellie:** 7200

---------------------------

The second Solar Flare Dragon then opened its mouth as its body also flared up and burned Nellie.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 8000

**Nellie:** 6700

---------------------------

Following the burn damage, Dark Room of Nightmare came for her again, shadows tearing at her life points with nonexistent fingers.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 8000

**Nellie:** 6400

---------------------------

The final Solar Flare Dragon then lets its body burn brighter as it dealt another five hundred points of damage to Coltyn's opponent.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 8000

**Nellie:** 5900

---------------------------

For the third time in that End Phase, Dark Room of Nightmare's shadows reached out and ensnared Nellie's throat in their grasp.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 8000

**Nellie:** 5600

---------------------------

"My move!" The redhead with gold streaks drew her next card and looked at it carefully. "I summon Hand of Nephthys in attack mode." She brought out a woman wearing ceremonial Egyptian garbs with a headdress that resembled a Phoenix's head (ATK/600 DEF/600).

"What does she do?" inquired Coltyn.

"If I tribute her and one other monster on my field, I can Special Summon Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys from my hand or deck." Hand of Nephthys and the Marauding Captain she had Special Summoned on her previous turn vanished and in their place rose up a beautiful golden phoenix with a breast and body of lustrous metal that seemed built like ornate scales. Fire blazed from each wing and its head, forming a crown of ferocious elegance. To some it resembled a body structure to that of the Winged Dragon of Ra, but this was so much more beautiful.(ATK/2400 DEF/1600).

"So this is Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys," Coltyn mused.

"Next I'm equipping my Phoenix with Black Pendant." She placed her card into one of his Spell and Trap Card zones and a necklace with a black pendant appeared around the neck of Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys. "This card boosts its attack points by five hundred. And when it's destroyed, you take five hundred points of damage." Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys let out a screech as its attack points rose up twenty-nine hundred.

"Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, roast Goka, the Pyre of Malice! Attack him with Blazing Helix!" The mighty phoenix spread out its wings and flapped them once, sending four streams of fire straight down that spiraled around one another and struck down Goka, the Pyre of Malice, destroying it with one fell attack.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 7300

**Nellie:** 5600

---------------------------

"I'm ending my turn."

"My move." Coltyn drew his card. "I set one card facedown and end my turn." Immediately, his three Solar Flare Dragons began to burn brighter. The first one flared up.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 7300

**Nellie:** 5100

---------------------------

Immediately following it, Dark Room of Nightmare took its effect and dealt an additional three hundred points of damage.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 7300

**Nellie:** 4800

---------------------------

Then the second Solar Flare Dragon's effect kicked in and dealt its share of damage.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 7300

**Nellie:** 4300

---------------------------

Coltyn's Continuous Spell Card kicked in and hit Nellie with full power, causing a second round of pain that chipped away at her life points slowly.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 7300

**Nellie:** 4000

---------------------------

The final Solar Flare Dragon hissed as its body heat rose to unimaginable temperatures and seared Coltyn's opponent.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 7300

**Nellie:** 3500

---------------------------

And then came Dark Room of Nightmare, bringing her Life Points down to thirty-two hundred.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 7300

**Nellie:** 3200

---------------------------

"I draw now." Nellie drew her next card and looked at it. "First I play Gryphon's Feather Duster. By playing this card, I can destroy all of my Spells and Traps and heal myself for five hundred points for each card." A feather duster resembling a gryphon's wing swept across her field and destroyed her facedown and her Black Pendant. Immediately, the Equip Spell Card's effect was chained to that of her first card.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 6800

**Nellie:** 3200

---------------------------

After that effect had resolved, she leaned back and held out her arms as her feather duster flicked a cloud of glowing green dust at her.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 6800

**Nellie:** 4200

---------------------------

"Now I play Special Hurricane! By discarding one card from my hand to my graveyard, I can destroy all Special Summoned creatures on the field. Including all of your Solar Flare Dragons!"

"That would mean your phoenix dies too," Coltyn pointed out.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," Nellie declared.

"Then I'm activating my Backfire Trap Card." Coltyn revealed his card. "Now each time a Fire monster on my side of the field is destroyed, you take five hundred points of damage. And guess what? I've still got Dark Room of Nightmare on the field." A powerful storm hit the field with tremendous power and Coltyn's three Solar Flare Dragons and Fireball Token were destroyed along with Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys. Immediately, Backfire kicked in and dealt five hundred points of damage to Nellie for each monster Coltyn had that was destroyed.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 6800

**Nellie:** 2200

---------------------------

Dark Room of Nightmare activated again and reacted to each time Backfire's effect had activated, dealing a total of twelve hundred additional points of damage.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 6800

**Nellie:** 1000

---------------------------

"Now here's the fun part," Nellie said excitedly, "If my Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys was destroyed by a card effect, it comes back to my field on my Standby Phase and destroys all Spell and Trap Cards on the field!" Coltyn said nothing and she smiled. "But first, I think Marauding Captain wants to launch an attack." With nothing barring the way, Marauding Captain leapt into action and swung his swords at Coltyn.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 5600

**Nellie:** 1000

---------------------------

"I'm done this turn," she declared.

"My move." Coltyn drew his card and began to think. No monster he could summon without a tribute would be able to stand up to Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys when it reappeared. He looked at his hand. There was only one monster he could summon that would be able to deal some kind of damage. He felt he might as well play it now. "I summon UFO Turtle in attack mode." He summoned out a turtle with an alien spaceship for a shell (ATK/1400 DEF/1200). "UFO Turtle, attack Marauding Captain!" UFO Turtle's back began to hum as lights shot out and a laser was fired into the chest of Marauding Captain.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 5600

**Nellie:** 800

---------------------------

Coltyn ended his turn and his opponent began hers.

"It's my turn. I draw!" Nellie drew her card and as soon as her Standby Phase appeared, her Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys rose up from the ashes and screeched. "Sacred Phoenix, welcome back. Now that you're here, how about we blow his Spell and Trap away?" With the activating of its effect, Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys spread out its wings and unleashed a wave of searing heat that hit all the Spell and Trap Card zones on the field. Nellie had nothing in hers so nothing was destroyed. Coltyn, however, had his Backfire and Dark Room of Nightmare and he could only watch as they were incinerated.

"Time to attack, Sacred Phoenix," Nellie said with a smirk, "Attack UFO Turtle with Blazing Helix!" Another quadruple spiral of fire shot down across the field and hit UFO Turtle.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 4600

**Nellie:** 800

---------------------------

"I activate UFO Turtle's effect," declared Coltyn. "When he's destroyed in battle, I can Special Summon one Fire monster with fifteen hundred or less attack points from my deck in attack mode and I choose a second UFO Turtle." In place of his first turtle, a second one appeared and let out a mechanical noise.

"Then it's your move," Nellie said.

"I draw." Coltyn drew his card. He switched his UFO Turtle into defense mode and concluded his turn.

Nellie drew her next card and played it immediately. "I summon Flame Ruler in attack mode." She brought out a dark-skinned man with blue hair wearing a burning robe (ATK/1500 DEF/1600). "Attack UFO Turtle!" Her weaker monster went first and cast a fire spell at UFO Turtle that destroyed it, forcing Coltyn to summon a third one, which was ultimately destroyed by Sacred Phoenix Nephthys.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 3600

**Nellie:** 800

---------------------------

With no more UFO Turtles to bring out, Coltyn summoned The Thing in the Crater (ATK/1000 DEF/1200). "I'm done!" Nellie called out after she set a card facedown.

"My move." Coltyn drew his next card and smiled. This was just the hand he needed to win. "I remove from play Goka, the Pyre of Malice to Special Summon Inferno in defense mode." After he took out his Goka, the Pyre of Malice from his graveyard and placed it in his pocket, he placed a card onto his Duel Disk sideways and summoned a living flame with a demonic face (AK/1100 DEF/1900). "Now I tribute The Thing in the Crater and Inferno and summon Infernal Flame Emperor in attack mode!" There was a massive wave of flames that consumed both creatures and in their place arose a massive winged liontaur made entirely of fire (ATK/2700 DEF/1600). "When Infernal Flame Emperor is summoned, I can removed from play up to five Fire monsters from my graveyard and destroy that number of Spell and Trap cards on the field." The black-haired Ra Yellow student ejected his The Thing in the Crater from his Duel Disk and placed it in his pocket before ordering his creature to destroy Nellie's facedown.

"I activate my facedown card. Phoenix Wing Wind Blast!" I discard one card to return one card you control to the top of your deck." She discarded one card and her Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys flapped its wings and sent a fiery wind that blew Infernal Flame Emperor back to the top of Coltyn's deck.

"Oh shit."

"It's my turn now." Nellie drew. "Flame Ruler, attack!" Flame Ruler cast its spell and then launched it directly into Coltyn.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 2100

**Nellie:** 800

---------------------------

"Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, let's wrap this up!" she ordered. "Blazing Helix!" A loud screech filled the air as Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys delivered the finishing blow.

---------------------------

**Coltyn:** 0

**Nellie:** 800

---------------------------

Coltyn's Duel Disk shut down its holographic projectors and he gathered up his cards before turning it back into his arm. Nellie was smiling as she winked and pointed forward with two fingers.

"That's game! Looks like I can do whatever I want."

"Just....shut up," was all Coltyn could say as he slung his jacket over his shoulder and started to walk away.

"Aww, come on?" Nellie got on her skateboard and skated up to him. "Do I really annoy you that much?"

"There's no nice way to put this, so I'm just going to say yes," was Coltyn's answer.

"Well, you coulda just asked nicely." She smiled again. "S'okay, I won't bug you anymore." And with that, she skated away.

ooo

Nellie hopped up the steps to the Obelisk Blue dorm and landed just inside the door. She kicked up her skateboard into her hand and carried it under her arm as she ascended the stairs.

"Nellie Lazarus?" She turned at the mention of her name and saw a young man wearing a sleeveless Obelisk Elite coat with a flamboyant-looking girl to his left and a grey-haired boy to his right.

"Yeah. Wassup?"

"My name is Saito Kaiba and I've heard quite a bit about your dueling skills."

"What's it to ya?"

"He says only the best duelists are allowed into his little club," Wes answered.

"Only the best, eh?" Nellie repeated intrigued.

"Care to prove your skills?" Saito asked as he activated his Duel Disk. Nellie only grinned.

"Sure!"

ooo

A man long navy-blue hair with a patch of white in front sat by himself in a plain white room. He was Sartorius. As he sat by himself, he examined the Tarot Cards on the table before him.

"A grim fate awaits the future of this world," he read aloud. He turned over another card and examined it. "But one hope does remain. However, that hope will not be realized if it does not recognize the true potential that lays within."

"Do the cards say anything of your future?" The voice came from the direction of the window. Sartorius looked up and saw a man shrouded in black standing before the open window, the winds of an incoming storm making his robes billow like thick black smoke.

"Who are you?" demanded Sartorius.

"You should know who I am. You are a clairvoyant after all, are you not?" The shrouded man stood unmoving. Sartorius looked at the cards on the table. One was still facedown. He reached out and slowly turned it over.

"I see that there is a fate for me as well." He looked back at the shrouded man. He could see nothing of the man's face under the hood. All he knew of this man was he smelt like the filth of the streets and his hands were wizened and grizzled. This man was not an ordinary human. There was something about him that frightened the fortuneteller.

"Sartorius, the time has come for you to die."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Sartorius faces the mysterious stranger in a duel of the fates. Will the fortuneteller succeed or will his assailant be victorious? Found out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	49. Duel of Fates

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-08**

**Duel of Fates**

"Sartorius, the time has come for you to die."

The fortuneteller stood up from his chair and looked at the intruder. He could sense an evil aura around this man. "So you've come to kill them then."

"No." The shrouded man brought out his arm and pulled back his sleeve, revealing a black Duel Disk with eye designs on the Monster Zones. "First, we are going to duel in which I shall determine your fate."

"The cards have spoken, but there is still much about the future that remains unknown. I accept your challenge." Sartorius walked towards the wall and removed a white Duel Disk from a mounted stand. His deck was already inside it. He strapped it to his arm and turned on the power, causing the machine to immediately shuffle his cards.

ooo

Alexis felt defeated. She had done everything she could, but no matter what she tried she could not prevent it. She glared at the folder on her desk. Ever since it arrived, it had caused her nothing but trouble. There was nothing she could do now. Sitting up straight in her chair, she brought her phone close and picked it up. She dialed a number and waited. A few seconds passed before she heard the other end pick up and the face of Jaden appeared on her phone screen.

"Hi honey," he greeted before noticing her expression, "What's wrong?"

"It's that thing again," she answered, glaring at the envelope again.

"There was...nothing you could do?"

"Nothing." Alexis hung her head.

"Well, maybe I can help," Jaden offered. Alexis looked up.

"Help? How?" She watched as her husband reached down and held up and envelope. "What's that?"

"An invitation," he answered.

"You mean..." Alexis looked back at the envelope, "It's not..."

"No," Jaden replied, "It's not just a school program. I'm not sure what it is, but it seems other pro duelists received invitations, as well. Chazz and Syrus each got one, too. Don't worry, Alexis. I can watch over them for you."

"Thanks, Jaden." Alexis smiled a bit.

"Now then, I believe you have some teachers to prepare for this?"

"Yes. I'll see you later, Jaden."

"Yeah. Love you, Alexis." Jaden then hung up and his face disappeared from the screen. Alexis sighed again as she hung up. She continued to sit in her office for a while longer before getting up and leaving.

ooo

"Let's duel!"

--------------------------

**Sartorius:** 8000

**?????:** 8000

--------------------------

Sartorius drew first. "I'll begin this duel with this card. I summon Arcana Force IV – The Emperor." He played his card, but instead of bringing out his monster, his Duel Disk simply displayed an image of the card in the air, which began to rotate in a clockwise path. "Whenever I summon an Arcana Force creature, it will spin. You must then decide when it will stop and its effect will be determined by the position it which it stops."

"So be it." The cloaked man waited and then declared "Stop." The card slowed down and finally came to rest in an upright position.

"When Arcana Force IV – The Emperor is right-side up, all Arcana Force monsters I control gain five hundred attack points." With the card now stopped, the artwork was brought to life as a black winged machine with several mechanical tentacles, each tipped with a three-clawed hand, came forth (ATK/1400 DEF/1400). Then by its own effect, its attack power rose to nineteen hundred. "I shall set one card facedown and end my turn."

"My turn." The shrouded man drew his card. "I begin by setting one card facedown. Then I set a monster as well. That concludes my turn."

"For a man who is determined to kill me, you're not playing very aggressively." Sartorius drew his next card. "I summon Arcana Force VII – The Chariot." Once again, the card's image appeared on the field and began to spin. The stranger wasted no time in calling stop. It came to a halt in an upright position and out came a black multi-armed creatures with two laser cannons on the ends of two tentacles (ATK/1700 DEF/1700). Thanks to the effect of Arcana Force IV – The Emperor, its attack power rose to twenty-two hundred. "When Arcana Force VII – The Chariot is right-side up, any monsters he destroys will be summoned to my side of the field. Now it is time to attack beginning with The Chariot. Strike down that facedown with Feeler Cannon." Arcana Force VII – The Chariot took aim with its laser cannons and fired a pair of beams at the stranger's facedown, revealing it to be Big Eye, a red ogre with a body littered with many eyes that peered into infinity.

"Big Eye's Flip Effect is activated," declared the strange man, "I am permitted to see the top five cards of my deck and rearrange them in any order I choose." He removed the top five cards of his deck and he looked at them carefully. Sartorius waited patiently as his opponent rearranged his cards at his own pace and then slowly placed them back on his deck. Afterwards, Big Eye was destroyed and Arcana Force VII – The Chariot reached out with its arms and ensnared the multi-eyed demon from the grave, placing it on Sartorius' side of the field in attack mode (ATK/1200 DEF/1000).

"Now then, Arcana Force IV – The Emperor, attack!" Arcana Force IV – The Emperor looked at the hooded figure and fired several lasers from its arms.

--------------------------

**Sartorius:** 8000

**?????:** 6100

--------------------------

"Now your Big Eye can attack you." Big Eye leapt toward the mysterious stranger and punched its own master.

--------------------------

**Sartorius:** 8000

**?????:** 4900

--------------------------

"That ends my turn."

"Draw." The black shrouded man drew his card and played it immediately. "Ancient Telescope will permit me to examine the top five cards of your deck." A stone telescope appeared before him and the holographic images of five cards were projected from its lens. After examining them, he tapped his telescope and the images vanished.

"I reveal my Trap Card, Conscription." The stranger revealed his card. "First I pick up the top card on your deck. If it can be Normal Summoned, it is Special Summoned to my side of the field. If not, it is placed in your hand. And since I just saw the top five cards in your deck, I know exactly what it is." A hologram of Sartorius' card appeared over the field and flipped itself over to reveal itself to be Arcana Force XIV – Temperance. Immediately, the card began to spin. "I believe now it's your turn to say when to stop."

"Very well, then. I say stop right now." At Sartorius' words, the card began to slow down and finally came to stop in an upright position.

"According to the text on your card, now all Battle Damage I take it halved," the stranger noted, "I thank you for this effect." At that moment, Arcana Force XIV – Temperance was summoned to the field, bringing forth an inhuman débutante, arms outstretched wide to encroach upon its victims as her flowing dress of yellowed and browned steel touched down to the floor. (ATK/2400 DEF/2400).

"Temperance, destroy Arcana Force IV – The Emperor." Arcana Force XIV – Temperance gathered up magical energies into the shape of a sphere in between her hands and then fired it into Arcana Force IV – The Emperor. The weaker monster was destroyed easily.

--------------------------

**Sartorius:** 7500

**?????:** 4900

--------------------------

ooo

"Oh Maxie~" giggled the sweet voice of a young girl whose brown hair, streaked with patches of blonde, was brushed aside exposing her neck. A tiny kiss planted itself on the sultry and pale patch of skin. The red headed clown duelist smirked and held her close to him, his arm draped around her shoulders and his other hand interlacing finger with finger in her hand. Max and Hayley sat at the Obelisk Blue Girls Dorm Lobby, the television playing _Mulin Rouge _on BluRay. The pair had been seeing each other quite frequently of late, Max having formally asked her out at a recent drama club meeting. She continued to giggle as he kissed her lightly before turning and kissing him back, her lips brushing against his. People walked by with raised eyebrows at the young couple, some envious while others disgusted with the fact she was with a lower level student. As they kissed the sound of music played from her pocket she groaned and pulled it out, looking at the number.

"Is it Saito?" Max asked, knowing full well about her circle of friends. She talked lovingly about them, though it confused him from his own interactions with the Kaiba heir. Hayley lifted up one finger to her boyfriend, placing it on his lips. He playfully bit at the tip of her finger as she flipped her phone open and answered.

"Hello? Oh hey Nellie Nell! Hm? At the lake? Oh, sorry sweetie, but I am with Maxie right now. Yeah. No. Sorry, but I can't. I have been missing out on good time with him of late as is. Why not go with Wes instead? Oh, you sly dog. Well tell me how it goes, okay Nellie Nell? No I will not stop calling you that. Okay. Love ya! Bye!" Hayley smiled and hung the phone up before kissing Max once more.

"What did Nellie want?" Max said breaking the kiss.

"Oh she wanted me to hang with her by the lake. Saito is on a date right now with his new girlfriend, which they have really hit it off, and she wanted me to come along and make things less awkward with Wes. He is so apathetic."

"Why would Nellie feel awkward around him? I mean she is so spirited I would think it wouldn't matter if he was apathetic or not."

"Duh, Max. She totally likes him. Whenever they hang out she is able to always get him to do things with her. He might not care, but he is at least willing to try stuff and she really finds that attractive. Besides, he is a major cutie pie."

"Hey! That is not fabulous!"

"Don't worry babe," Haley planted a kiss on his nose and giggled, "you are still the only guy for me." Max smiled and looked back up to the movie.

"So who is Saito's new girlfriend?

"You didn't know? They started going out over the summer. It's..."

ooo

With Arcana Force IV – The Emperor now dead, the attack points of Arcana Force VII – The Chariot dropped back to seventeen hundred. "I place one card facedown and then conclude my turn," declared the mysterious man.

"What is it that you hope to accomplish by defeating and killing me?" Sartorius asked.

"You have the power to see into the future," the cloaked figure answered, "I cannot allow individuals with that power to roam around freely."

"And why not?"

"I cannot allow anybody to interfere with my plans. Those with clairvoyance have the power to change the future and I will not allow my future to be jeopardized."

"Well whatever your plan is, it ends here and now."

"That's exactly what she said," the shrouded figure said with a hidden smirk.

"She? Who is she?" asked Satorius.

"A young woman I encountered," answered the stranger, "Before I dealt away with her, she called out your name."

"Sarina..." A tear rolled down Sartorius' face as it slowly took on an expression of anger." You shall pay for what you have done to my sister!" He drew his card. "It's my turn now and I sacrifice Big Eye and Arcana Force VII – The Chariot in order to summon Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon." Once again, the card appeared in the air and began to spin.

"Stop," declared the stranger. The card began to slow down and finally came to stop in an inverted position. "Explain."

"When Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon is upside-down, I must select one monster I control and give it to you during each of my End Phases," explained Sartorius. This seemed to bring a smile to the cloaked man, however his hood made it impossible to see it. "However, I am not giving you that pleasure." The white-clad man revealed his facedown card "My Reversal of Fate Trap Card shall allow me to switch the effect of my monster." Immediately, Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon flipped into an upright position. As soon as it had done so, an enormous black alien machine came forth. Its arms were like silver tendrils, each ending with an enormous hand with fingers that seemingly had no joints with several silver tentacles below its hips. Within the blue protruding glass on its chest, a small alien could be seen piloting the creature (ATK/2800 DEF/2800).

"When Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon is right-side up, I can Special Summon one Moon Token during each of my Standby Phases. But for now, Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon, attack Arcana Force XIV – Temperance." Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon wasted no time. It held out its hands and fired lasers from its fingertips and swiftly desroyed Arcana Force XIV – Temperance.

--------------------------

**Sartorius:** 7500

**?????:** 4500

--------------------------

"I'm placing one card facedown and ending my turn," declared Sartorius.

"My turn then." The mysterious man drew his card. He paused in his movements before slowly making his move. "I summon A Man with Wdjat." He played his card and brought out a man in a crimson robe that obscured most of his face save for a single glowing Eye of Wdjat on his forehead (ATK/1600 DEF/1600). "When I summon this card and during all of my future Standby Phases, I can use him to look at one Set card on your side of the field." He pointed to the facedown A Man with Wdjat focuses his powers on it. The card was revealed to be Arcana Call. After it was revealed, he took three cards from his hand.

"I set three cards and end my turn."

"It is my move now." Sartorius drew his card. "I draw and on my Standby Phase, Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon summons one Moon Token to my side of the field." At that moment, a small creature bearing the face of Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon appeared on Sartorius' field (ATK/0 DEF/0).

"I reveal a facedown." The stranger flipped one of his three cards over. "The Eye of Truth. As long as this card remains face-up on my side of the field, you must play with your hand revealed to me at all times." Sartorius growled slightly as his hand appeared over his head, showing that he had Arcana Force I – The Magician, Arcana Force 0 – The Fool, Light Barrier, and Arcana Force VI – The Lovers.

"However," the man continued, "you will also regain one thousand Life Points when you have at least one Spell Card in your hand during your Standby Phase." Sartorius looked at his hand and decided to hang onto Light Barrier for a while longer.

"I summon Arcana Force I – The Magician." Like the others before it, the card's image appeared and began to spin.

"Stop," declared the shrouded man. The card slowed down and came to rest in an upright position.

"When Arcana Force I – The Magician is right-side up, his attack points become double his original when a Spell Card is activated until the End Phase." As he finished speaking, an extraterrestrial being emerged from the card wearing gaudy striped pants, narrow pointed shoes, and a mantle that made it look rather ridiculous (ATK/1100 DEF/1100).

"Now I shall order Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon to attack." Lasers filled the field as Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon launched its attack A Man with Wdjat.

--------------------------

**Sartorius:** 7500

**?????:** 2300

--------------------------

"Arcana Force I – The Magician, attack." Arcana Force I – The Magician went next and launched a spell at the masked man.

--------------------------

**Sartorius:** 7500

**?????:** 1200

--------------------------

"I shall be able to claim victory on my next turn," Sartorius announced, "My turn ends here."

"You are sadly mistaken." The shrouded man revealed a second facedown. "Behold my Bad Reaction to Simochi. Now when you gain Life Points, you lose them instead. Which means that combined with The Eye of Truth, I can burn away your Life Points one turn at a time." Sartorius muttered to himself. He had somehow been outwitted.

ooo

"Sammie! Over here!" Mikey was running toward Sammie with a box wrapped in brightly-colored paper in his hands. The blonde turned her head and saw him approaching. She turned to Saito, who was sitting beside her on the bench. As she was able to say something, Mikey came to a stop and put his hand on his knee breathing heavily.

"Sammie..." He took a gulp and stood up straight, "I..."

"Uh, Mikey? Now's not the best time," she told him, biting her lip lightly as she looked back over to Saito.

"B-but I..." Saito got up and beckoned Sammie to come with him.

"Sorry, Mikey." And with that, she got up, took Saito's hand, and walked away with him as the young Ra Yellow just stood their by himself.

The box fell from Mikey's hands.

ooo

It was now the stranger's turn and he drew his card without so much as a glance. "Time to show you my deck's other strategy. I reveal my final facedown: Call of the Haunted." Big Eye was resurrected. "I sacrifice my Big Eye and summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 in attack mode." Big Eye left the field, destroying Call of the Haunted in the process, and black phoenix-like dragon appeared and screeched as its body glowed bright orange (ATK/2300 DEF/1600). "Attack the Arcana Force I – The Magician." Opening its mouth, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 launched a stream of black fire at its target and destroyed it.

--------------------------

**Sartorius:** 6300

**?????:** 1200

--------------------------

"I conclude my turn and with that, I level up my Horus." Horus began to glow and transformed into a silver falcon that lustrously shined like the sun itself with a heart of black fire (ATK/3000 DEF/1800). "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8. Your move."

Sartorius drew. Immediately, the effects of The Eye of Truth kicked in thanks to the Light Barrier in his hand while the effect of Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon Special Summoned another Moon Token in defense mode. In addition, The Eye of Truth revealed that the new card was Arcana Force III – The Empress. However, his Life Point gain was not to be as Bad Reaction of Simochi turned the sparkling green lights into a toxic miasma.

--------------------------

**Sartorius:** 5300

**?????:** 1200

--------------------------

"It is still my turn." The fortuneteller knew he had to get rid of that Spell Card immediately. "I play the Field Spell Light Barrier." His field tray slid open and he placed his card inside it before it closed and an image of it appeared.

"With Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 on my field, I can choose to negate any Spell Cards and destroy them." The cloaked man pointed toward the card and Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 spread its wings and began to radiate with a red aura. It let out a powerful roar and unleashed a wave of energy that negated the activation of Light Barrier and destroyed it.

"In that case, I summon Arcana Force III – The Empress in attack mode." The card appeared and started its rotation. The mysterious stranger declared stop and it landed upright. "Now each time you Normal Summon or set a monster, I can Special Summon one Arcana Force creature from my hand. A female alien creature appeared wearing some kind of royal garbs and a flowing white veil for a cape (ATK/1300 DEF/1300). "My turn has concluded."

"My move." The stranger drew his card. "Horus, attack Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon." Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 drew in its breath and fired a single stream of black fire that struck down Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon and destroyed it.

--------------------------

**Sartorius:** 5100

**?????:** 1200

--------------------------

"Why do you attack Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon when there are clearly weaker monsters?" Sartorius inquired.

"The Moon's token summoning effect," answered the man. "My turn is over."

Now it was Sartorius' turn again. He drew his card and he paled. It was Cup of Ace, another Spell Card. When his Standby Phase came, the combination of The Eye of Truth and Bad Reaction to Simochi hit him hard.

--------------------------

**Sartorius:** 4100

**?????:** 1200

--------------------------

He knew he could not hold onto Cup of Ace, so he played it immediately.

"I activate the effect of Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8," declared the shrouded man. Once again, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 began to glow and unleashed a wave that negated Cup of Ace's activation and destroyed it.

"I switch Arcana Force III – The Empress into defense mode and set another monster in defense mode." Sartorius took Arcana Force VI – The Lovers from his hand and set it on the field. This was all he could do for now. "It's your turn."

"So it is." The fortuneteller watched as his opponent drew. "I set one card facedown. Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8, attack the facedown." Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 took in a breath and unleashed a stream of black fire that incinerated the facedown Arcana Force VI – The Lovers and destroyed it. "My move is over."

"I draw." Sartorius slowly drew his card and looked at it. Finally, something that brought hope. The cloaked man did not seem too thrilled when he saw it. "Prepare yourself for the true Light." A column of red light engulfed the first Moon Token, a green light engulfed Arcana Force III – The Empress, and a blue light shined down on the second Moon Token."I sacrifice my three creatures and summon my most powerful creature." As the lights came together, a card appeared and began to rotate.

"Stop!" The cloaked man's words were heard and the card began to slow down until finally coming to rest in an upright position.

"I summon Arcana Force EX – The Light Ruler!" The three pillars of light combined and formed one great big beam of white light. From the blinding radiance, an enormous black creature emerged. It had a small head with a single large eye, great big arms, a single tail in place of legs, and two dragon heads coming out of its back (ATK/4000 DEF/4000). "And when this card is right-side up, when it destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the graveyard, I can add one card from my graveyard to my hand. Now Arcana Force EX – The Light Ruler, attack with the End of Ray!" The dragon heads opened their mouths and each fired a beam of light into Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 and destroyed it, watching as it erupted in an explosion of black flame.

--------------------------

**Sartorius:** 4100

**?????:** 200

--------------------------

"And with The Light Ruler's effect, I return my Light Barrier to my hand." With his Field Spell back in his hand, Sartorius played it immediately and the field was bathed in a golden light. "That ends my turn."

"I see. I draw." The shrouded figure drew his card. "I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"This duel is in my favor." Sartorius drew his card and placed it in his hand, revealing it to be his other strongest monster, Arcana Force EX – The Dark Ruler. Following his draw, his Standby Phase kicked in and card image of Light Barrier began to spin. "You will have to stop this card, too."

"Very well. I declare stop." Light Barrier slowed down and came to rest in an inverted position.

"If this card is upside down," Sartorius explained, "whenever I summon an Arcana Force monster, I can choose which effect to apply without spinning. And if an Arcana Force monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle, I gain Life Points equal to the destroyed monster's original attack points."

"Impressive," noted the stranger.

"Indeed. Light Ruler, attack!" Arcana Force EX – The Light Ruler attacked and destroyed another Big Eye. The mysterious man took the top five cards off his deck and rearranged them before placing them into back. Afterwards, Light Barrier flashed and the twelve hundred attack points of Big Eye were added to Sartorius' Life Points.

--------------------------

**Sartorius:** 5300

**?????:** 200

--------------------------

"And now with the effect of Arcana Force EX – The Light Ruler, I can return one card from my graveyard to my hand. Arcana Force IV – The Emperor shall do quiet nicely." Sartorius placed the card in his hand. "Your move."

"I draw." The dark man knew the card he had just drawn thanks to his Big Eye. He set it onto the field immediately. Followed by one card facedown. After that, he declared his End Phase.

"It is now my turn." Sartorius drew. The card was Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen and as a result, the combined effects of The Eye of Truth and Bad Reaction to Simochi dealt him one thousand points of damage.

--------------------------

**Sartorius:** 4300

**?????:** 200

--------------------------

However, that was not his concern anymore. He went through another Standby Phase and Light Barrier landed in an inverted position again, activating its effect. "Arcana Force EX – The Light Ruler, end this duel now. The End of Ray!" Both dragon heads fired their beams of light.

"Your powers of predicting the future failed you." The black-cloaked man held out his hand as his facedown came into play. "Mirror Force!" A barrier was erected before him and it bounced the beams back to the other side other field. Arcana Force EX – The Light Ruler roared as its own attack hit it hard and destroyed it.

"Curses!" Sartorius immediately played his Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen. "I Special Summon Arcana Force IV – The Emperor. And since my Light Barrier is in effect, I choose his right-side up effect!" Arcana force IV – The Emperor appeared and gained an addition five hundred attack points to its original fourteen hundred. "Next I Normal Summon Arcana Force 0 – The Fool and choose its upside down effect. This lets my creature negate the effects of any Spell, Trap, or Monster Effects that target it and destroy those cards." A bizarre creature wearing striped pants with a head full of tentacle-like hair appeared beside Arcana Force IV – The Emperor (ATK/0 DEF/0). With the help of the other monster, its attack points rose to five hundred.

"That ends my turn."

"My move." The cloaked figure drew his card and played it, knowing exactly what it was. "First I play Ancient Telescope." A second telescope appeared and he peered into the top five cards of his opponent's deck. The second card caught his eye immediately and he put the stone device away, removing the holograms from in front of him. "Next I play Reversal Quiz. By sending all cards on my field and hand to the graveyard, I can call the type of card on top of my deck. If I am correct, our Life Points get switched." He discarded his remaining card and Bad Reaction to Simochi and The Eye of Truth were sent to the graveyard. Immediately, the holograms showing Sartorius' hand vanished. The mysterious individual picked up the top card of his deck.

"Thanks to Big Eye earlier, I know exactly what this is and this card is a Trap Card." He showed it to his opponent. It was none other than Conscription. Immediately, the two Duelists' Life Points were switched.

--------------------------

**Sartorius:** 200

**?????:** 4300

--------------------------

"Curses!" muttered Sartorius.

"I end my turn with a facedown." The dark man placed his Conscription facedown and ended his turn.

"It's my turn now." Sartorius drew and his Light Barrier spun. This time it landed in an upright position and thus its effect was not activated. Nonetheless, he had to stop his opponent before he could wipe out his remaining two hundred Life Points. "Arcana Force IV – The Emperor, attack directly!"

"I reveal my facedown Conscription!" declared the man. Thanks to my Ancient Telescope, I know exactly what the card is. And believe me, it can definitely be Normal Summoned." Sartorius drew the card and looked at it. He paled. His opponent took the card from him and cackled.

"I Special Summon Arcana Force XXI – The World." The card appeared and began to spin. "Choose carefully, Sartorius."

The clairvoyant waited and then finally declared stop. The card slowed down and finally came to rest in an upright position. Immediately, the largest Arcana Force monster second only to Arcana Force EX – The Light Ruler appeared. It was a single black mass of metal with spider-like arms and legs with a small head centered within a circle made with its body and a small halo-like protrusion coming from its shoulders (ATK/3100 DEF/3100).

"I switch my creatures into defense mode and end my turn.

"Time for the final turn." The dark man drew his last card. "I play Stop Defense on Arcana Force IV – The Emperor." Arcana Force IV – The Emperor was forced into attack position against its will and stared up to the creature looming over it. "Arcana Force XXI – The World, end this duel!" Arcana Force XXI – The World complied and fired a laser straight into Arcana Force IV – The Emperor, destroying it and the rest of Sartorius' Life Points.

--------------------------

**Sartorius:** 0

**?????:** 4300

--------------------------

The winds generated by the attack blew so powerfully that the hood of the mystery man blew off. Sartorius got a good look at him when he recovered and gasped. The man he had dueled had a strip of black leather bound over his eyes.

"You.... Your eyes...."

"Blind?" The mysterious man smirked. "Yes, I am blind."

"Then how were you able to see my cards?" asked Sartorius.

"I can sense their duel energies," answered the blind man, "so long as the face of the card is toward me." Sartorius just looked at him for a while unmoving.

"Who _are_ you?"

"I am called Omen." And he moved closer. The screams of a man in peril echoed through the night.

ooo

Alexis stood behind the podium in the school auditorium with a grim look on her face as she looked out at the students. She wished at the very least that she didn't have to be the one to tell them. However, she could not force another teacher to perform the unpleasant task. She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly and began to speak.

"Welcome, students," she addressed her audience, "I hope you've all been having a good time here at Duel Academy so far. Now as you know, we care deeply for the wellbeing of all of our students. So it gives me great displeasure in bringing you this announcement." Many students began to murmur among themselves. What was she talking about? What did this mean?

"At the beginning of the year, we received a package from an employee at our sponsor, Kaiba Corp. Inside was a large file detailing a new program for our curriculum. Included was a notice that the new program had already been approved and implemented. We, the Duel Academy faculty, have done everything we can to resolve this. However, nothing has worked. So we have no choice. All students must participate in the new program. Tomorrow, you're all going to leave the school to an undisclosed location where you will take part in a Duel Monsters tournament." One student raised his hand and Alexis acknowledged his question.

"How is a tournament a bad thing?" he asked into his microphone.

"Sixteen years ago, we had a teacher here from another school called Professor Thelonious Viper. Upon his arrival, he began a program forcing the students to take part in what he called 'Survival Duels'. Using technology called Bio Bands, he was able to harvest Duel Energy from the students from each of their duels." Another student raised her hand.

"Does this mean this tournament will be done through these 'Survival Duels'?" she inquired.

"Yes," Alexis answered grimly.

"How would this be a bad thing?" a third student questioned.

"Because..." Alexis dreaded telling her students this part. "...anybody who participates in a Survival Duel can die."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

It's a battle for survival as students from Duel Academy are forced into a tournament on a remote island where they duel against their will. It's more than just a friendly competition. Find out who it unfolds next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	50. Duel Royale

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-09**

**Duel Royale**

The entire Duel Academy student body sat on board the enormous ship waiting for it to arrive at its destination. Mikey sat in a corner with his friends and brother wondering what destiny lay ahead of them. He occasionally cast glances to the side where he saw Sammie sitting with Saito and sighed. He had missed his chance to tell the girl he loved how he felt and now she was with somebody else. He groaned as he leaned his head back and ended up banging it against the railing.

Meanwhile, at the rearmost part of the ship, Max and Hayley stood looking out at the sea behind them as the ship moved ahead. The latter slowly moved her hand across the rail until it was right on top of his.

After what seemed like an eternity, the bobbing of the craft seemed to have stopped. Another half-hour passed before the speakers crackled to life. "Attention students! We shall be arriving at our destination shortly! You may now go up to the deck, but you are forbidden from leaving this ship."

Immediately, the students all went up to the deck. An enormous mix of red, yellow, and blue swarmed outside and gathered near the bow of the ship. Mikey pushed past several of his schoolmates just to get to a flight of stairs leading to the bridge. He reached the top, but so many students had covered the rails that it was impossible to get a good view. That was until he saw Coltyn standing by the wall pointing upward. Mikey took his cue and squeezed his way over. The black-haired teen clasped his hands together and the brunet placed his foot on before hoisting himself up whilst his friend gave him a boost. He clambered onto the roof of the bridge and looked out. He could see a large island covered with trees and rocks in addition to two mountains. On top of the shorter mountain in the center of the island was a large stone castle.

"What do you see?" asked Gabe.

"It's an island," answered Mikey, "with a castle."

"Duelist Kingdom," Coltyn said immediately.

"Wah?" Mikey looked again and he was quickly joined by Sammie.

"It's Duelist Kingdom, alright," she confirmed. The ship soon docked and everybody disembarked. As they got off the ship, Mikey noticed a number people who weren't from the school. However, he didn't have time to get a good look at them as he was whisked away with the others. As soon as the students were gone, the others began to disembark. A young priestess was just making her way down the steps when she tripped on her robe and began to fall forward. Suddenly, a strong arm grabbed her and pulled her back up. She turned around and saw a young woman with blue eyes and lavender hair tied into a long ponytail with each section as a long drooping spike and black and white striped tie. On her head she wore goggles made from brass and rough leather with industrial lenses. She wore brown work boots, rough jeans with two large, heavy tool belts criss-crossing one another and a well-worn grey work shirt over which she had a heavy-looking coat with tails down to the knees made out of oiled brown leather with tall cuffs. Around her neck was a choker made of tiny ball bearings from machines.

"You okay?" she inquired.

"Yes, thank you." The priestess regained her balance and held the talisman she wore around her neck.

"You should be careful with those robes of yours," the lavender-haired woman cautioned, "especially in a place like this."

"I'll be careful. Thank you." The priestess turned around and carefully lifted up the front of her robes before continuing her descent down the stairs.

Several men in dark suits were there to guild everybody up to the castle. Before long, a multitude of people stood outside the front gates. It was then that Mikey took the opportunity to look around. His eyes scanned the faces of everyone around him as he tried to find the people who were not from Duel Academy. Among them, he was able to spot a number of professional Duelists. Chazz Princeton was present as was Syrus Truesdale. His heart nearly skipped a beat when he saw Joey Wheeler.

"What's going on?" he asked his friends his answer soon came when a loud noise was heard coming over several hidden speakers. All eyes turned to the balcony as a man with brown average length hair and glasses wearing a purple business suit stepped out and stood erect with his hands behind his back.

"On behalf of Kaiba Corp., I welcome you to Duelist Kingdom," he greeted, "I am Roman. Marcus Antonius Roman. A personal assistant of Mr. Kaiba himself. Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Maximillion Pegasus, we have been given the great honor of holding this tournament right here on Duelist Kingdom. A tournament that we like to call Duel Royale. Now then, I shall begin explaining the rules. First and foremost, every duel in this tournament shall be an elimination duel. Should you lose your duel, you will automatically be removed from the competition. To stay in this contest, you must win all your duels. The last one standing will have an opportunity to enter the castle to compete for his or her prize. Next, we have a little piece of equipment for each and every one of you." One of the dark-suited men came forward and presented a bracelet that looked very much like modified versions of Professor Viper's Bio-Bands. Roman picked it up and showed it to all the Duelists below him.

"These are Duel Bands. You will each wear one of these on your arm," he explained, "This will allow us to monitor your location and movements. It will be connected to your Duel Disk wirelessly, as it will scan the first one that it comes in contact with. This shall permit us to know who you are. If you lose a duel, it will send out a signal that will disable your Duel Disk for the remainder of the tournament and notify the authorities. You are to stay where you are until they come get you and escort you off the island."

"What if we refuse to duel?" asked one student.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," Roman answered, "If you come within ten feet of another Duel Disk, your Duel Bands will immediately lock on to one another and you will be forced into a duel."

"If that's the case, what if you want to participate in this tournament in a group?" one of the professional Duelists inquired.

"An excellent question," Roman remarked, "Fortunately, the Duel Bands have two settings. The first setting activates when it is first turned on. This is considered it's Standby Mode. During the Standby Mode, you are free to mingle with others and register them as friends. Once you have them registered, your Duel Bands will not view these people as hostile targets. However, they will only remain in Standby Mode for a set amount of time. Once that time runs out, they will automatically be set into Active Mode and anyone who is not registered in your Duel Band will be detected as hostile."

"What are we dueling for?" another pro asked.

"We have a cash prize of four million dollars," answered Roman. Immediately, countless heads perked up. "Now if there are no further questions, let us equip you with the proper gear." At that moment, the gates to the castle opened and more dark-suited men stepped out. They were bringing out the Duel Bands. Another group of men also brought out trolleys of backpacks.

"What are those backpacks for?" another student inquired.

"Those are your survival kits," answered Roman, "You're all going to be here for several days without any provisions. Each backpack has been packed with the items necessary for survival. You will each be issued a three-day supply of food and water, a map of the island, a compass, a blanket, a knife, a rope, a flashlight, a small matchbook, and a small medical kit. You are also free to use whatever items you happen to have on hand. Once you have everything, your Duel Bands have a Standby Mode time limit of ten minutes, so you better move quickly. Now then, come get your Duel Bands and survival packs."

The crowd started to move forward. First they would each go to the left side of the gate, where they would have a Duel Band strapped to their left wrist. Afterwards, they were required to put their Duel Disk on immediately. As soon as they had done so, the Duel Band beeped signifying that it had registered the device. Following that, each individual proceeded to the right side of the gate where they were given a survival pack before being directed down the stairs. Mikey watched as Coltyn received his gear first. "I'll see you guys at the bottom of the stairs." He slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed down the enormous flight of stairs. Gabe received his Duel Band and survival pack next. He bid his brother and friends farewell and then followed Coltyn.

Mikey was right after his brother. The Duel Band felt very much like his father's wristwatch. It seemed to be made of the same type of metal and the band snapped into place like it, too. Once he had it on, he was ordered to put on his Duel Disk. Mikey did as he was told and the Duel Band immediately registered the machine's IP number. The suited man nodded at him and he was given a survival pack. He slung it over both of his shoulders and went downstairs to join Gabe and Coltyn. The three of them waited together until both Sammie and Max finally joined them.

"Ready to register one another?" asked Gabe.

"Let's do it." Mikey, Sammie, Max, Coltyn, and Gabe input one another's friend codes into their Duel Bands and before long the five of them were registered with each other. "And done."

"Where's Saito?" asked Sammie.

"Who cares?" Gabe replied. "Let's get the hell outta here." And with that, he picked up his bag and started heading out.

"Hey, wait for us!" Mikey called after him.

"Sammie, let's go," Coltyn said to the blonde. "If we stay here, we'll be targetted for sure." Sammie eventually came along reluctantly. She had hoped to register Saito in her Duel Band as well, however there had been no sign of him. She now hoped that she would not run into him during the competition.

ooo

"Hayley?"

"Got it, Kay Kay!"

"Wes?"

"Yeah."

"Nellie?"

"You betcha!"

Saito stood up and threw his survival pack at Wes, who seemed to pick it up with no complaints. "Listen up. We're here for more than just prizes. We are here to prove that we are the strongest Duelists on this island." He put his Duel Disk on and locked it to his arm. Once the others had done the same, they moved out. In his mind, Saito wanted to find Sammie before the ten-minute time limit ran out.

ooo

Mikey, Sammie, Max, Coltyn, and Gabe had managed to distance themselves from other the Duelists and had set up a temporary camp by a creek. The five of them sat huddled together around a map as Coltyn explained his plan to them. "It's obvious that no one's leaving this island until there's only one winner. For the sake of our survival, our best bet is to stick together. We can't afford to stay in one spot for long, so every morning we pack up everything and move on. We can't leave any traces that we've camped there that night. If any one of us needs to move, we all move together. Which brings me to my next point: don't wander off on your own."

"Coltyn, you do realize this is a card game tournament, right?" asked Gabe, "And not _Battle Royale_."

"And besides," Sammie added, "even if all five of us make it to the end together, we still have to pick each other off in the end."

"Let's hope we all survive that long," Mikey prayed as he slapped a mosquito as it tried to bite his neck.

"Anyway, let's get going." Coltyn folded up his map and put it in the pocket of his school jacket. Everybody else got up and began to follow, but Mikey stayed behind.

"Hold on a sec, guys. I gotta retie my shoe." He put his foot up on the rock he had been sitting on and started to fumble with the laces. Suddenly, his Duel Band began to flash red.

"Aha! I've got you!" The brunet looked up and saw a familiar face in an Osiris Red jacket.

"Spike?" His mind instantly went back to his first weekend at Duel Academy last year when he met the _Transformers_ fanatic.

"I remember you. You were that loser kid who couldn't duel his way out of a paper bag," Spike said as he came out. With his left arm held out, he switched on his Duel Disk. Mikey's Duel Band reacted immediately and his own Duel Disk was suddenly activated on its own. "You're gonna be my first win." He put his deck into his deck slot and it was automatically shuffled.

"B-but... My friends... I..."

"Quit stallin'!" Spike yelled, "I'm taking you out first!" Mikey sighed. He really had no other choice. Tugging on the strap of his survival pack, he inserted his deck into his Duel Disk and watched as it was shuffled before he drew his starting hand.

"I've improved a lot since that last time," Mikey pointed out, "I still remember that Gadget deck you used. It didn't help you a bit."

"I'm not using Gadgets anymore," Spike said, "I've got a brand new deck and it's gonna kick your Decepticon ass."

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 8000

**Spike:** 8000

--------------------------

"I'm going first!" Spike drew his first card. "I summon Morphtronic Celfon in attack mode!" He made his move and a yellow cellphone appeared. Immediately, the handheld electronic device transformed into a robot (ATK/100 DEF/100).

"Morphtronic?" Mikey scratched his head. "I've never seen one of those before."

"HA! Then I've got the upperhand!" Spike declared, "Morphtronics have different effects depending on their battle position. Since I got Celfon in attack mode, I can use his effect to look at the cards on top of my deck and Special Summon a level four or lower Morphtronic among them. Now Morphtronic Celfon, time to use Speed Dial!" The buttons on Morphtronic Celfon's chest began to flash randomly until finally the five button lit up.

"That means I get to pick five cards." Spike took the cards off the top of his deck and looked at them. "I Special Summon Morphtronic Datatron in defense mode." He put the rest of his cards back into his deck and his Duel Disk automatically shuffled them before he summoned out an orange two-gigabyte USB flash drive (ATK/1200 DEF/600). "Now I activate Morphtronic Datatron's effect and deal three hundred points of damage to your Life Points!" Morphtronic Datatron's cap popped off and a small fireball was shot at Mikey.

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 7700

**Spike:** 8000

--------------------------

"Wait. How can a USB flash drive shoot fire?" Mikey asked.

"Don't know, don't care," answered Spike, "I'm gonna kick your ass. I'm setting a facedown and ending my turn."

"I draw." Mikey drew his first card, "I begin by Special Summoning Cyber Dragon in attack mode." A silver serpentine dragon appeared and roared (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "Cyber Dragon, attack Morphtronic Celfon!"

"I activate my Trap Card! Morphtronic Bind!" The card was flipped face-up and an electric grid appeared in front of Mikey's monster. "This card makes your monsters unable to attack or change battle positions!" Mikey grimaced. This put him in a small pickle. However, he knew had to make do with it. From his hand he set one card facedown and ended his turn.

"My draw!" Spike drew his next card. "I play the Field Spell Morphtronic Map!" His field tray slid open and he placed the card inside before closing it. As an image of the card appeared, the ground became covered with some kind of large map. "'Each time a monster's battle position is changed, place one Morph Counter on this card. All Morphtronic monsters gain three hundred attack for each Morph Counter on this card. When this card is destroyed and sent from the field to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon one Morphtronic monster from your Graveyard," he read. Once he had played his card, he switched Morphtronic Datatron to attack mode, causing the little flash drive to sprout limbs and wear its cap like a hat. This placed one Morph Counter on Morphtronic Map and the attack points of Morphtronic Celfon rose to four hundred while those of Morphtronic Datatron became fifteen hundred.

"Now I summon Morphtronic Boarden in attack mode." With one more card played, Spike summoned a rocket-powered skateboard, which flipped up and unfolded its wheels and jets to create another robot (ATK/500 DEF/1800). Thanks to Morphtronic Map, its attack points rose to eight hundred. "When Morphtronic Boarden is in attack mode, all my Morphtronics can attack you directly! But I'm not done. Morphtronic Celfon, time for Speed Dial!" The numbers on Morphtronic Celfon's chest flashed again and this time stopped on three. Spike looked at the top three cards of his deck and smirked. "I summon Morphtronic Radion in attack mode!" He played his card and out came a handheld radio, which transformed into another robot armed with earbud bolas (ATK/1000 DEF/900). With Morphtronic Map's Morph Counter, its attack rose to thirteen hundred. "Radion boosts all of my Morphtronics by eight hundred attack points when he's in attack mode!" With that, Morphtronic Radion's attack points became twenty-one hundred, Morphtronic Celfon's became twelve hundred, Morphtronic Datatron's rose to twenty-three hundred, and Morphtronic Boarden's atack points rose up to sixteen hundred.

"This is gonna hurt a little," Mikey thought out loud.

"Morphtronics, roll out!" Spike pointed at his opponent, "Morphtronic Boarden, you're first!" Morphtronic Boarden's fired up its jets and launched itself past Cyber Dragon and straight at Mikey.

"I reveal my facedown!" The Ra Yellow flipped his Trap Card over. "Compulsory Evacuation Device. This card lets me return one monster on the field to its owner's hand and I choose Morphtronic Radion!" Spike's radio Morphtronic was placed inside a cannon-like device and then ejected back into its owner's hand. With Morphtronic Radion off the field, the attack points of Celfon, Datatron, and Boarden dropped back down to four hundred, fifteen hundred, and eight hundred respectively.

"You still take damage," Spike said as Morphtronic Boarden slammed into Mikey.

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 6900

**Spike:** 8000

--------------------------

"Morphtronic Celfon, you're next!" Morphtronic Celfon flew across the field and slashed at Mikey with its wings.

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 6500

**Spike:** 8000

--------------------------

"Morphtronic Datatron, finish up!" Morphtronic Datatron popped off its cap and shot a flame jet at Mikey.

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 5000

**Spike:** 8000

--------------------------

"I set a card. Let's see what you've got, Go-Bot!" Spike shouted.

"Hey, you don't need to yell!" Mikey drew his card. As long as Morphtronic Boarden was on the field, it would allow Spike's monsters to bypass his monsters and attack him directly. It had to be destroyed. He looked at his new card and it gave him hope. "First I'm going to activate the Spell Card Mystical Space Typhoon from my hand and with it I'm going to destroy Morphtronic Bind." The electric grid began to overload and then exploded, leaving nothing to block Mikey from attacking. "I sacrifice Cyber Dragon in order to summon Majestic Mech – Goryu in attack mode!" Cyber Dragon vanished and in its place rose up the majestic white dragon bound by golden fire (ATK/2900 DEF/1800). "Majestic Mech – Goryu, attack Morphtronic Boarden! Majestic Blaze!" A torrent of golden flames burst out of Majestic Mech – Goryu's mouth and engulfed Morphtronic Boarden. The rocket-powered skateboard robot shrieked as it was destroyed.

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 5000

**Spike:** 5900

--------------------------

"I set a facedown and end my turn." At that moment, Majestic Mech – Goryu let out a roar as the flames that bound its body as one died and the rest of it shattered.

"My turn!" Spike drew his card. "I begin with my facedown. I activate Morphtronic Monitron!" A security camera appeared and it transformed into yet another robot. "When I summon a Morphtronic Monster, Morphtronic Monitron gives me the option of switching it into defense mode. Now I'm gonna switch Morphtronic Datatron back into defense mode." The orange robot folded up and reverted back into a a flash drive. A second Morph Counter was placed on Morphtronic Map. This raised Celfon's attack points to seven hundred and Datatron's to eleven hundred. Afterwards, he pointed to Morphtronic Celfon.

"Speed Dial." The numbers flashed again and this time the result was six. Spike took six cards off the top of his deck and looked at them. He put five back into his deck and his Duel Disk shuffled it. "I Special Summon Morphtronic Boomboxen in attack mode!" A red boom box appeared on the field and transformed into yet another robot (ATK/1200 DEF/400). With the two Morph Counters on Morphtronic Map, its attack points rose up to eighteen hundred. "Now I use Morphtronic Monitron to switch him into defense mode." Morphtronic Boomboxen switched into its item form and added a third Morph Counter to Spike's Field Spell. Afterwards, he switched Morphtronic Celfon into defense mode, turning it into its cellphone form and putting a fourth Morph Counter on Morphtronic Map.

"Morphtronic Radion, come on out in attack mode!" Morphtronic Radion appeared on the field once again. With its own eight hundred attack point power boost combined with that of the four Morph Counters, that brought its attack power up to three thousand. In addition, the attack points of Morphtronic Celfon, Boomboxen, and Datatron became twenty-one hundred, thirty-two hundred, and thirty-two hundred respectively. "Morphtronic Datatron, attack him directly!"

"I activate Call of the Haunted!" Mikey revealed his facedown card, "With it, I'm resurrecting Majestic Mech – Goryu in attack mode." Once again, the mighty draconic fairy appeared and roared.

"Morphtronic Radion still has more attack points." Both Duelists watched as the radio transformer spun its ear buds over its head and launched them at Majestic Mech – Goryu. They wrapped around its neck and the small robot pulled, forcing the massive monster into the ground where it sank into its grave.

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 4900

**Spike:** 5900

--------------------------

"Now Datatron burns you for three hundred extra damage." Morphtronic Datatron shot a fireball at Mikey.

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 4600

**Spike:** 5900

--------------------------

"Next turn, I'm gonna win it," declared Spike with a smirk as he ended his turn.

Mikey looked at the field. All of his opponent's monsters were now at three thousand attack points or higher. He privately admitted to himself that Spike had gained some skill having finally found a deck with which he could work. However, it was also bad news for him. If Spike won, Mikey would be kicked off the island. He needed something to save himself. His hand had nothing. His eyes looked at his deck and he gulped. It came down to this draw. Bringing fingers closer to his Duel Disk, he placed them on top of his deck and drew.

"YES!" he cried as he looked at his card, "First, I summon Beast King Barbaros in attack mode." He played his card and summoned his lance-wielding liontaur (ATK/3000 DEF/1200). However, since it had been summoned without any tributes, its original attack points became nineteen hundred. However, he felt that was all he needed. He now played the card he had just drawn. "I now activate MY Field Spell, Future Visions." Morphtronic Map vanished as a star field covered the dueling field. With no more Morph Counters, the attack power of Morphtronic Celfon, Morphtronic Boomboxen, Morphtronic, Morphtronic Datatron, and Morphtronic Radion dropped down to nine hundred, two thousand, two thousand, and eighteen hundred respectively.

"Barbaros, attack Morphtronic Radion! Death Sentence!" Beast King Barbaros charged forawd and thrust his lance deep into Morphtronic Radion.

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 4600

**Spike:** 5800

--------------------------

"I end my turn."

"It's my turn now." Spike drew his card. "I switch Morphtronic Celfon into attack mode. Now Celfon, use Speed Dial!" Once Morphtronic Celfon was back in attack position, its chest flashed and produced a two. Spike took the top two cards of his deck and shuffled one back into his deck. "I Special Summon Morphtronic Magnen in defense mode." A U-shaped magnet appeared on the field (ATK/800 DEF/800). "As long has he's in defense mode, you can't attack another Morphtronic. And now I Normal Summon a second Morphtronic Magnen in attack mode." He played his card and a second U-shaped magnet appeared and transformed into robot form. "Now I use my Morphtronic Monitron to switch him into defense mode."

"Afraid not," Mikey said, "Future Visions removes from play all Normal Summoned monsters until that person's next Standby Phase." A portal to the Different Dimension appeared and swallowed up the second Morphtronic Magnen. Spike growled and ended his turn.

Mikey drew his card. He immediately played it and summoned the icy-mist demon known as Mist Archfiend (ATK/2400 DEF/0). However, because of Future Visions, it was removed from play. "Since I can't attack any other monsters, then I'll just attack Morphtronic Magnen."

"I activate Boomboxen's defense mode effect," declared Spike, "Once per turn, I can negate an attack directed at a Morphtronic monster." A blast of sound erupted from Morphtronic Boomboxen's speakers and stopped Barbaros in his tracks.

"I end my turn."

"Mine now." Spike drew his card. On his Standby Phase, the Morphtronic Magnen that was removed returned to the field in attack position. As soon as it was back, he switched it into defense mode and it transformed into its magnet form. Suddenly, the two Morphtronic Magnens turned to point at each other and an electric grid formed between them. "HA! Now I have my Morphtronic Magnen barrier in place! Since you can't attack any other Morphtronics while I have a Magnen on the field, having two will make it impossible to attack anything."

"Like the Marauding Captain barrier," Mikey realized.

"Exactly," answered Spike.

"Darn."

"Yup." Spike then took another card from his hand. "I play Junk Box. I can Special Summon one Morphtronic level four or lower from my graveyard for this turn only and I'm bringing back Morphtronic Boarden in attack mode!" Morphtronic Boarden appeared on the field once again. Then he switched Morphtronic Boomboxen and Morphtronic Datatron into attack mode. "Morphtronics, roll out! Morphtronic Datatron, attack!" With a flip of its cap, Morphtronic Datatron, launched a flame stream at Mikey.

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 3400

**Spike:** 5800

--------------------------

"Boomboxen, attack!" Morphtronic Boomboxen blasted Mikey with sound waves from its speakers.

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 2200

**Spike:** 5800

--------------------------

"And Boomboxen's attack mode effect is it gets to attack again!" Mikey braced himself as he was hit with another blast of sound waves.

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 1000

**Spike:** 5800

--------------------------

"Morphtronic Boarden, attack!" Morphtronic Boarden zoomed in and slammed into Mikey.

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 500

**Spike:** 5800

--------------------------

"Morphtronic Celfon, it's your turn finally!" At last, the cellphone robot moved in and slashed Mikey with its wings.

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 400

**Spike:** 5800

--------------------------

"That ends my turn," laughed Spike as his Morphtronic Boarden was destroyed. "Your move."

"This better count," muttered Mikey as he drew. On his Standby Phase, his Mist Archfiend came back to the field. However, he wasn't too reassured even with its presence on the field. With a mere four hundred Life Points left, there was little he could do. The card he already had was useful, but now was not the time to use it. His new card, however, would buy him some time. "I play Dian Keto the Cure Master." He wondered why that card was still in his deck, but right now he was glad he had it as it restored one thousand of his Life Points.

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 1400

**Spike:** 5800

--------------------------

He decided to set his last card just in case and ended his turn.

Now it was back to Spike. He drew his card and activated Morphtronic Celfon's effect. The result was one and he was disappointed that the card was not a Morphtronic monster. With nothing else to do, he ended his turn.

Mikey drew again. Finally, he found the card that would save him. He immediately set it beside his first facedown and ended his turn.

"My move." Spike drew his card. "Morphtronic Celfon, Speed Dial!" The result of Speed Dial was two and he looked at the two cards on top of his deck. He smiled widely. "I Special Summon Morphtronic Boarden in attack mode!" A new Morphtronic Boarden took the field and he laughed. "This game is over! Morphtronics, roll out! Boomboxen, end it here and now!"

"I don't think so!" Mikey revealed his facedown, "I activate Skill Drain! By paying a thousand Life Points, I can negate all monster effects on the field!"

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 400

**Spike:** 5800

--------------------------

Spike's Morphtronics cried out as their powers were drained and they all turned into a dull blue. "No! This can't be!" He looked at Morphtronic Boarden as it slumped down helplessly. Even worse for him was when the Morphtronic Magnen Barrier failed.

"I believe it's my turn now." Mikey drew his card. With Beast King Barbaros' effect negated, it was now back up to its original three thousand attack points. "Beast King Barbaros, attack Morphtronic Celfon!" The mighty beast thrust its lance forward and impaled the tiny cellular telephone robot.

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 400

**Spike:** 2900

--------------------------

"Mist Archfiend, attack Morphtronic Boarden!" The demon slipped into the icy mist and its arm rose up and grabbed the rocket-powered skateboard. Its grip tightened until the tiny machine was destroyed.

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 400

**Spike:** 1000

--------------------------

"I end my turn there."

"It... It's... It's my move now," stammered Spike as he drew, "I-I-I play Junk Box and Special Summon Morphtronic Boarden from my graveyard!"

"Skill Drain," Mikey reminded his opponent.

"D-d-damn!"

"But since you Special Summoned this turn, that means I can Special Summon Dragon Ice from my hand by discarding a card." Mikey discarded Dragon Ice from his hand and then Special Summoned it from his graveyard. A pair of black wings spread out as a dragon made of ice wearing an iron mask appeared in attack position (ATK/1800 DEF/2200).

"I...I...I...I summon Morphtronic Remoten." He played his card and summoned an iPod which quickly turned into a robot (ATK/300 DEF/1200).

"You forgot about my Future Visions Field Spell." Morphtronic Remoten was quickly removed from play, leaving Spike without any more options. Finally, he ended his turn.

"Thank you." Mikey drew his card and his three monsters looked at the two powerless Morphtronic Magnens before them. "Dragon Ice, attack!" Dragon Ice went first and destroyed the first magnet transformer. "Mist Archfiend, you're next!" Mist Archfiend use its Hell's Cold Grip to squeeze the last monster until it shattered in its hand.

"Barbaros, end this!" With nothing left to stop him, Beast King Barbaros delivered the final blow with a stab into Spike's chest.

--------------------------

**Mikey:** 400

**Spike:** 0

--------------------------

"GYAH! How could I lose?" demanded Spike, being cut short before he could voice a full rant as he collapsed to the ground, grasping at his chest. He felt like cold fire had burned through his chest as he was drained of energy. Mikey hissed, feeling the same pain to a lesser extent. He looked up to his fallen foe worriedly.

"I think I understand what Coltyn said back then," Mikey said as he walked over to Spike, kneeling down to check if he was ok, "and I have to say that I'm not impressed, either. You know, you _could_ have won had you used Datatron's effect and tributed a monster on your side of the field to inflict six hundred points of damage to me. But you didn't. You may think you can run a deck properly. But the truth is you genuinely don't." Before he could say another word, two men appeared and roughly grabbed the unconscious Spike.

"Hey, where are you taking him?"

"He lost. He's gone." And with that, they dragged the fanboy to the dock where a small rowboat was waiting. Mikey tried to protest, but was too weak. He sighed in exhaustion and he put his cards in his pocket. Suddenly, he remembered that his friend had gone ahead of him. He quickly tightened the straps of his survival pack and ran off in the direction in which he he had seen them run. However, he did not have far to run. Just a few steps head and around a corner, he saw a small crowd had gathered, all keeping a suitable distance from each other so their Duel Disks didn't lock on. In the middle of that crowd he saw Sammie with her Duel Disk activated. He couldn't see who she was about to duel. He tried to push his way past the bushes and trees until he reached his friends. At last he could get a clear look at Sammie's opponent. He gasped when he did.

Sammie's opponent was Saito Kaiba.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Sammie Korangar vs. Saito Kaiba. It's a match you won't want to miss. Three duels. Only the best may win. Witness this climactic showdown next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	51. A Match for the Ages

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-10**

**A Match for the Ages**

The encounter had been purely by accident. One moment, Sammie was walking through the woods ahead of the group. The next, her Duel Band was beeping flashing. For a while, she wondered what the cause was until she ran into Saito, who was just coming down another path through the woods, with his own Duel Band flashing and beeping.

"Saito..."

"Well, this seems to be an unfortunate turn of events." Saito looked at his Duel Band for a moment and then activated his Duel Disk. "However, it's happened and we can't change it. So let's duel."

"Are you crazy?" asked Sammie.

"I'm a Duelist. And you are too." Saito put his deck into his Duel Disk. "Let your cards speak for you. Besides, we still have a score to settle."

Sammie bit her lip. She had hoped to avoid dueling Saito. However, fate had decided to play a cruel joke and now her first duel was to be against the one she wished not to fight.

"What're you going to do, Sammie?" asked Gabe. There was a moment's hesitation before she slid on her Duel Disk and switched it on.

"Let's throw down." She smiled with her rosy lips curling at the corners. She didn't like the fact that she had to duel Saito. She hated it. On the other hand, she loved the fact that she was dueling Saito.

"Let's make it interesting," Saito proposed, "Instead of one duel, let's have a match instead." Many students gasped at the proposition, chattering about the idea.

"A match?" Sammie's smile widened as her eyes did. "I like."

Both Duelists set their Duel Disks to match mode and their decks were shuffled.

"We'll let our decks choose who goes first," Saito declared. A random card popped out of his deck, which he picked up and revealed. "The card I have is Dragon's Mirror."

"Oh, that'll be tough to beat," Max commented. All eyes watched as Sammie picked up her Duel Disk's randomly selected card and revealed it to her opponent.

"My card is Chaos Sorcerer. And I'll choose to make the first move!" she announced. She and Saito placed their cards back into their decks, which were then re-shuffled.

"Let's duel!"

--

**ROUND 1**

**Sammie:** 8000

**Saito:** 8000

--

Mikey appeared panting hard and he stopped right behind his friends. "Is Sammie dueling Kaiba?" he asked.

"It's a match," answered Coltyn.

"What's a match?" Mikey asked, slightly confused. Gabe turned around and just looked at him funny.

"Are you serious, bro?"

"A match is three duels in a row," Coltyn explained, "Whoever wins best out of three wins."

"I see." Mikey turned and looked at Sammie. "Seems simple enough."

_I just hope Sammie will be okay_, he thought. His mind went back to what had happened to him and Spike following their duel. As soon as Mikey had won, both boys suddenly felt extremely tired and Mikey even felt a deep pressing pain against his heart. He looked worriedly at Sammie and hoped she would be alright.

"I draw." Sammie removed the top card of her deck and placed it in her hand. "I'll start with summoning Djinn Presider of Rituals in attack mode." She made her move and summoned a fat, green fiend with a sword and shield (ATK/1800 DEF/1400). "I set two facedown cards and end my turn."

_**FLASHBACK**_

"Djinn Presider will attack and deal eighteen hundred points of damage to your Life Points. That will be game." Sammie said to her opponent across the table. They both smiled and enjoyed the cool air conditioning of the card shop blowing over them. The young girl smiled back at her and gathered up his cards and shook her hand before walking off. Sammie leaned back in her chair and relaxed, looking back at the old card shop owner who had set up the tables and chairs for casual games. It wasn't fancy. No holograms or theatrics like what had been popular for years. It was just the game and the people. It was just the fun and love of the duel. Sammie preferred it this way.

The old man stood tall at the front of the store, a body built like a cast iron furnace. He was short and stout with a protruding belly, but he didn't mind. His serious expression and constantly furrowed brow made him seem grumpy, but Sammie knew that to be false. He was the kindest man she ever knew. He had a head of red hair and a thick but short red beard with streaks of white through both. Some of the neighborhood kids were scared of him because of his fake right eye that looked yellow in color, as if he had worn it for ages, though he didn't mind. He always wore a bandanna, something he said he picked up from an old friend in Domino City, and always worked because he thought breaks were for pussies. Sammie smiled at him as he worked and remembered her youth. She remembered two cards that she placed in her pocket and the deal that was made. She always came back in the summer to help him.

"Hey old man!" she cried up to the front of the store. He grumbled and looked back at her with a grumpy expression.

"What is it, brat?" He gruffly said, almost barking. Sammie smiled at him. He had a funny way of talking.

"Do you need help up there?"

"Why would I need help with my store from a sticky fingered punk?"

"I'll get the Windex and clean the front window then."

"Don't streak!"

"Old man, when have I ever streaked?"

"That's Mr. Borson to you. Scratch that! You call me sir!"

"I love you too, old man." Sammie laughed as she got up and hugged the seventy-three year old man from behind. A light smile cracked at the corner of his lips and she smiled too. Sammie released her loving grip and walked into the back, grabbing the bottle of cleaner and a rag. She moved her way to the front of the store, passing the card table and a bookshelf that separated the back of the store from the front. She moved through the front, maneuvering between the several glass cases of cards, many of which were quite rare. She exited the store only to turn back around and begin cleaning the front window.

The Windex soaked the glass and she wiped it dry with a loud squealing of the glass. She sprayed and wiped again and again in small circles. She shivered with each squeak and did it again. That sound drove her crazy. This was her favorite job. She was lost in the moment and didn't notice the world. She didn't notice the sports car that pulled up into the parking lot. She didn't notice the boy that stepped out of the back seat or the man that stepped out of the front with a fair skinned woman. She didn't notice any of it until the boy said.

"Well hello Samantha," he said. She spun around and saw him, Saito Kaiba. He had come with his family in tow.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"My turn now." Saito drew his card. "I set one monster and once facedown. I end my turn."

"I was expecting more from you," Sammie said as she drew. "I summon Djinn Releaser of Rituals in attack mode." She summoned out a fat female fiend clad in purple robes with a staff (ATK/1200 DEF/2000). "Attack that facedown!" Djinn Releaser of Rituals unleashed a burst of magic from her staff and struck the facedown card, which was revealed to be Dragunity – Phalanx (ATK/500 DEF/1100).

"Djinn Presider of Rituals, your turn now!" Djinn Presider of Rituals raised his sword and charged. He approached Saito and slashed.

"I activate my facedown Defense Draw," the son of Seto Kaiba declared, "I can only activate this during damage calculation on your turn. This card reduces the Battle Damage to zero and I draw one card." He drew his card as Djinn Presider of Rituals returned to his spot on the field.

"I end my turn," Sammie declared.

"My move." Saito drew his card. "I'll begin by playing the spell card Heavy Storm." A powerful typhoon blew across the field and destroyed Sammie's two facedowns. "Now I summon Dragunity – Dux." He played his card and summoned a winged creature in a white tunic and armor wielding a slave master's whip (ATK/1500 DEF/1000). "He gains two hundred attack points for every Dragunity creature I have on the field." At that moment, Dragunity – Dux's attack points rose up to seventeen hundred.

"Since when did Kaiba start using Winged Beasts?" asked Mikey.

"Dragunity is still a powerful archetype," Coltyn informed the brunet.

"In addition, when Dragunity – Dux is Normal Summoned, I can treat one level three or lower Dragon-type Dragunity monster in my graveyard as an Equip Spell Card and equip it to him. So now I equip Dragunity – Phalanx to my Dragunity – Dux." A small blue dragon in golden armor burst out of the ground and roared as it clamped itself onto Dragunity – Dux. "I now activate Dragunity – Phalanx's effect. If he's treated as an Equip Spell Card on the field, I can Special Summon him to the field." Dragunity – Phalanx detached himself from Dragunity – Dux and stood beside him proudly. In doing so, the attack points of the latter creature rose up to nineteen hundred.

"Next I tune my Dragunity – Phalanx to my Dragunity – Dux." Dragunity – Phalanx faded away until two shining stars remained and they turned into a pair of green rings. The rings circled around Dragunity – Dux and faded it away until only four starts remained. A beam of light engulfed them all. "I Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight – Gadearg!" A big black dragon appeared wearing red armor with its helmet shaped like a large knife. Sitting on its back was a bird man in matching armor (ATK/2400 DEF/800).

"Dragunity Knight – Gadearg, attack Djinn Releaser of Rituals!" Dragunity Knight – Gadearg flew in and slashed Djinn Releaser of Rituals with the blade on its helmet, slicing her right down the middle.

--

**ROUND 1**

**Sammie:** 6800

**Saito:** 8000

--

"I'll set a card facedown and end my turn."

"My move." Sammie drew her card. Heavy Storm had hurt her pretty badly and now her opponent had a creature with twenty-four hundred attack points. Unfortunately, her hand currently bore nothing she could use. The strongest creature she held was Ruin, Queen of Oblivion, but her twenty-three hundred attack points would not be enough. She examined the other cards in her hand and played one. "I summon Sonic Bird in attack mode." A bald eagle wearing goggles and a jet pack appeared (ATK/1400 DEF/1000). "With his effect, I can search my deck for a Ritual Spell Card. And the card I want is Ritual of Salvation." Her Duel Disk spat out a single card from her deck and she picked it up. She revealed it to her opponent. The card was indeed Ritual of Salvation. After adding it to her hand, Sammie's Duel Disk shuffled her deck. Afterwards, she switched Djinn Presider of Rituals into defense mode. "I end my turn." If Saito did what she expected him to do on his turn, she could destroy his Dragunity Knight.

"My turn." Saito drew his card. "I summon Masked Dragon in attack mode." In a flash of light, his very familiar mask-wearing dragon appeared (ATK/1400 DEF/1100). "Dragunity Knight – Gadearg, attack Djinn Presider of Rituals!" Dragunity Knight – Gadearg flew forward and swung its head downward, cutting Djinn Presider of Rituals cleanly in two.

"Masked Dragon, attack Sonic Bird!" Masked Dragon let out a muffled roar and charged. Sonic Bird saw it coming and spread its wings. Its jet pack fired up and it rocketed toward Masked Dragon. The two monsters collided and destroyed each other. "With Masked Dragon's effect, I Special Summon a second Masked Dragon." A new Masked Dragon appeared and it charged forward and struck down Sammie.

--

**ROUND 1**

**Sammie:** 5400

**Saito:** 8000

--

"That concludes my turn," declared Saito.

_I hope this next card is the one I need_, Sammie thought as she drew. She looked at it and her face brightened. It wasn't the exact card she needed, but it would help her get it.

"I summon Senju of the Thousand Hands." She summoned her creature with one thousand hands (ATK/1400 DEF/1000). "With him Normal Summoned, I can search my deck for a Ritual Monster and I pick Divine Grace — Northwemko." A single card popped out from her deck and she took it before the rest of her cards were shuffled. "Now I set two cards facedown and then I play Ritual of Salvation! By removing from play Djinn Presider of Rituals and Djinn Releaser of Rituals from my graveyard, I can use them as the sacrifices I need to Ritual Summon Divine Grace - Northwemko." An altar appeared and the two Djinns of Ritual were placed on its surface before being engulfed by fire. After their bodies had been sacrificed, a light burst out and from it emerged a woman in a long black dress with equally long white hair wielding a staff that resembled the sun with a face on it (ATK/2700 DEF/1200). "When Divine Grace - Northwemko is Ritual Summoned, her effect activates. I can select a number of cards equal to the number of monsters I sacrificed for the summoning and as long as those cards remain on the field, she can't be destroyed by card effects." Two cords of light shot out of Northwemko's back and plugged themselves into Sammie's two facedown cards.

"Northwemko, attack Dragunity Knight – Gadearg!" Divine Grace - Northwemko raised her staff and a pulse of light surged out and destroyed Dragunity Knight – Gadearg.

--

**ROUND 1**

**Sammie:** 5400

**Saito:** 7700

--

_**FLASHBACK**_

Sammie sighed as she placed another card down on the table, the particle board feeling smooth against her finger tips. Saito grunted lightly and played a card of his own. He had been there for an hour already and had not said a word since he got there. His parents had already left, leaving him there to be picked up later perhaps. Sammie didn't want to pry. The elder Kaiba had purchased enough rare cards to fill a briefcase, which she thought was odd. Why would a man need a briefcase to carry cards? Again, she didn't pry. The Kaibas were weird and that is all she needed to know.

"And my Blue-Eyes White Dragon attacks your Ruin for the win," Saito said, breaking the silence as he moved his Dragon forward towards her spellcaster. Sammie grabbed her face down card and flipped it over.

"Then I will activate Sakuretsu Armor. Bam. Blue-Eyes dies. My turn?" Saito nodded to her and she drew her card before attacking and ending the game. Though she didn't need to she took her pen and paper and made sure to write that Saito was in the negative two-thousand. She giggled to herself as he seemed to get puffy, though he tried to hide it the same way his father always did. It never worked for him.

Sammie stood up and smiled after gathering up her cards. She placed them in their box and began to walk towards the front, walking past the book shelves once more. "Well it was fun, Saito," she said looking back, "but I have to get back to my job. Maybe I'll see you around a few more times before the school year." Sammie didn't hear a reply, though she wasn't expecting one from Saito. She had said her piece and was fine with that. She didn't even bother looking at him again. He would leave when he felt like it, like he usually did. Mr. Borson stood behind the register, counting the money and recounting it. He growled when his second count and first count were different. The third count was right though. Sammie shook her head with a laugh and walked over to a pile of cardboard that lied next to the door. She dragged it outside sighing at the size before she got to work.

She flipped tabs and folded sides. She slid slots and bent edges. She turned it every which way till it was finished. It was a cardboard display of the Dark Magician Girl. She was a popular card and it was ordered to draw in a good number of customers. Sammie smiled at the doe eyed card character and placed her hands on her own breasts.

"Mine look a little bigger." Sammie said triumphantly, getting her own personal satisfaction from that knowledge. Just then she noticed Mr. Borson behind the window. He looked at Sammie, whose hands were still on her breasts and sighed. Her face flushed red and her hands shot into her pockets quickly as he walked away, taking the "Help Wanted" sign he had put up weeks ago down. "He found someone?" She questioned, wondering who it could be, especially when there was only one person in the store. It hit her then. "Fuck."

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Sammie ended her turn and things proceeded over to Saito. He drew his card and switched his Masked Dragon into defense position. Afterwards, he ended his turn. Sammie then began hers and drew her card. Following that, she ordered her Senju of the Thousand Hands to attack. The multi-limbed monster attacked and destroyed Masked Dragon, prompting a third one take its place in defense mode. Northwemko attacked it and in its place, Saito brought out a Totem Dragon, which was a small long-necked dragon with wings, stubby arms and legs, and elegant Native American designs on its face and back (ATK/400 DEF/200). She ended her turn there. "Try to beat my Northwemko."

"I plan to." Saito drew his card and placed it into his hand before taking out another card. "I activate Totem Dragon's effect to use it as two tributes for a Dragon monster." Totem Dragon vanished from the field and Sammie knew immediately what he was doing.

"You don't, do you?"

"I do." Saito slapped a card onto his Duel Disk. "Arise, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" A pair of white wings spread out and flapped once as the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon rose up and roared (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "Attack Senju of the Thousand Hands! Burst Stream of Destruction!" Saito's dragon opened its mouth and charged up before firing a sparking stream of white energy that completely engulfed Senju of the Thousand Hands.

--

**ROUND 1**

**Sammie:** 3800

**Saito:** 7700

--

Many of the spectators looked up in awe at the majesty of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Most of them had never seen one in person before. Even Saito's classmates had not seen the great beast that often if even at all.

"I end my turn."

Sammie looked at the field. Divine Grace — Northwemko was not strong enough to stand up to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. However, she simply could not just switch it into defense mode, either. While Northwemko had high attack power, her defense points were very low. One of Saito's weaker monsters could easily destroy it. She slowly drew her next card and looked at it. Immediately, she looked back at the field. She would be destroying her own monster in the process, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make in order to destroy that dragon.

"I play the Ritual Spell Card End of the World. I sacrifice Ruin, Queen of Oblivion in my hand in order to Ritual Summon Demise, King of Armageddon." Ruin, Queen of Oblivion appeared over an altar and she was quickly sacrificed before the mighty axe-wielding king of the apocalypse (ATK/2400 DEF/2000).

"I remember Demise!" exclaimed Mikey.

"I pay two thousand Life Points to destroy every other card on the field!" announced Sammie.

--

**ROUND 1**

**Sammie:** 1800

**Saito:** 7700

--

Demise, King of Armageddon raised his axe over his head and slammed it into the ground, splitting it wide open on impact. The cracks grew larger and wider as they spread out. Sammie's two facedown cards and Divine Grace - Northwemko were swallowed up as was Saito's Blue-Eyes White Dragon. With the field clear, Demise's target was wide open. "Attack directly with World Ender!" Raising his axe once again, Demise, King of Armageddon approached Saito and swung hard.

--

**ROUND 1**

**Sammie:** 1800

**Saito:** 5300

--

"I'm done," said Sammie.

"My move." Saito drew his card and played it immediately. "I play Ancient Rules, which lets me Special Summon one level five or higher Normal Monster from my hand."

"You don't think..." Mikey started.

"I summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" In a burst of light, a second Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared and roared. "Destroy Demise, King of Armageddon with Burst Stream of Destruction!" The roar of an attack made of pure energy filled the air as it struck Demise, King of Armageddon and pierced through his torso. He collapsed onto one knee and then fell forward before being destroyed.

--

**ROUND 1**

**Sammie:** 1200

**Saito:** 5300

--

"My turn ends here."

Sammie slowly drew her card. With the way things were now, there was no way she would be able to win this round now. The card she had would serve no purpose at all. She brought her hand down to her side and ended her turn.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, finish her," ordered Saito, "Burst Stream of Destruction!" A powerful beam of solid energy flew down and struck Sammie hard.

--

**ROUND 1**

**Sammie:** 0

**Saito:** 5300

--

Saito had claimed victory in the first round, however he seemed unsatisfied. "What was that?" he asked, "Are you here to duel or to play Go Fish? I was expecting more from you that round."

"You want more from me?" asked Sammie as her cards were placed back into her deck and reshuffled. Saito placed his cards back and his Duel Disk reshuffled his deck, as well. "Best watch what you wish for. It may come back to bite you."

_**FLASHBACK**_

"Dammit Saito! Don't just stand there! Fucking help me!" Sammie barked to her junior coworker as she teetered on a step ladder with a large cardboard box in hand. Saito stood with his arms crossed at the bottom of the ladder and sighed as he lifted both hands up and onto the box, helping her bring it down to the ground gently. It hit the ground with a definitive thud, masking Sammie's exasperated sigh. Saito rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall, looking bored. Sammie's eyes skimmed the room, looking over the shelves that lined the walls and the shelf that stood in the middle of the room, each shelf filled with boxes. She checked and double checked each item around her, remembering everything she needed to grab for the day. There was nothing else. Her rosey lips curled and she shot a nasty glare at Saito.

"What the hell are you doing you snotty priss!?" she yelled at him, though he seemed unfazed. "I know getting a job here for the summer was your parent's idea, but you don't have to put on that 'badass' act in front of me."

"Whatever, Samantha. Can we just get this stupid box up front?"

"No. We won't. You will."

"Ugh, throwing your weight around as my supervisor already? How sad." Sammie clenched her fist and growled.

"No, I want you to do it because you need to do something besides acting like a spoiled rich kid." Saito shrugged and grabbed the box, submitting as he began to drag it into the front. He grunted and his muscles tightened as he brought the box off the ground. He groaned as he hefted the box up to his chest and waddled, almost like a penguin, to the front. Sammie smirked at him before following after him. He dropped the box down on the dueling table and sighed. It was a heavier box than he thought.

Sammie placed her hand on his shoulder and giggled. "See? Not so bad. You'd be a lot cuter if you didn't have such a prissy little stick up your ass."

Saito grunted and walked away, getting stopped by a customer on his way to the front. Sammie stood back and began to unload the box as she giggled again at Saito's failed attempt to help the now screaming customer. Maybe working with him wouldn't be so bad after all.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

--

**ROUND 2**

**Sammie:** 8000

**Saito:** 8000

--

"Since I lost the last round, I can choose who goes first in this one." Sammie drew her first card. "I play the Ritual Spell Card End of the World. By sacrificing Ruin, Queen of Oblivion in my hand, I can Ritual Summon another Ruin, Queen of Oblivion to the field." As Ruin, Queen of Oblivion was sacrificed, a new one was born onto the field (ATK/2300 DEF/2000). "Next I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands." She played her card and Normal Summoned a green creature with ten thousand hands all over its body (ATK/1400 DEF/1000). "With his effect, I can bring one Ritual Monster or Ritual Spell from my deck to my hand and I choose Demise, King of Armageddon." Her deck spat out the card and she added it to her hand before her Duel Disk shuffled her cards.

"I end my turn."

"It's my turn then." Saito drew his card. He looked at the field. His opponent already had a monster with twenty-three hundred attack points. His eyes turned to the cards in his hand and a plan formulated in his head. "I begin with the Spell Card Future Fusion. By sending Fusion Material monsters listed on a Fusion Monster to the graveyard, I can Fusion Summon that Fusion Monster in two turns." His Duel Disk released its lock and Saito removed his deck. He selected two Dragunity – Phalanxes, and his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons and sent them to his graveyard. Once he had done so, he placed his cards back and his Duel Disk shuffled his deck. "Now I summon Dragunity – Dux in attack mode." The Winged Beast he had played last round appeared on the field and spread his wings (ATK/1500 DEF/1000) and his attack points immediately rose up by two hundred to a total of fifteen hundred. "With his effect, I now bring back Dragunity – Phalanx as an Equip Spell Card." Dragunity – Phalanx was resurrected and it immediately clamped onto Dragunity – Dux. However, he would not remain in that position for long. Immediately, Saito used its effect to Special Summon Dragunity – Phalanx to the field (ATK/500 DEF/1100).

"I tune Phalanx to Dux to Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight – Gadearg!" In a beam of light, Dragunity Knight – Gadearg appeared on the field for the second time that day and roared (ATK/2400 DEF/800). "Next I activate Gadearg's effect. First I add one Dragon or Winged Beast from my deck to my hand. Then I discard one Dragon or Winged Beast." Saito selected Dragunity – Black-Spear and then discarded Dragunity – Tribul.

"Dragunity Knight – Gadearg, attack Ruin, Queen of Oblivion!" Dragunity Knight – Gadearg flew forward and chopped Ruin, Queen of Oblivion with the blade on its helmet.

--

**ROUND 2**

**Sammie:** 7900

**Saito:** 8000

--

"I end with a facedown." Saito slid a card into his Duel Disk and it appeared on the field in front of his feet.

Sammie's turn came up now. After she drew, she examined her hand and made her move. "I begin with Foolish Burial and I'll use it to send Djinn Presider of Rituals from my deck to my graveyard." Her Duel Disk popped out her card and she slid it into her graveyard before her deck was shuffled. She then set a facedown monster, turned her Manju into defense mode, and concluded her turn.

Saito drew his next card and proceeded. "I summon Dragunity – Legion in attack mode." In a flash of light, a green parrot-like bird man appeared (ATK/1200 DEF/800). "With Dragunity – Legion Normal Summoned, I use his effect to select Dragunity – Phalanx from my graveyard and equip it to him." Once again, Dragunity – Phalanx appeared and equipped himself onto another Winged Beast. "I activate Legion' other effect. By sending one Dragunity card in my Spell and Trap Card zones to the graveyard, I can destroy one monster." Immediately, Dragunity – Legion grabbed hold of Dragunity – Phalanx and threw him at Sammie's facedown creature. It turned out to be Djinn Releaser of Rituals and she was quickly destroyed.

"Dragunity – Legion, destroy Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands!" With a loud squawk, the bird man flew across the field and slammed his fist into Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands, destroying him. "Dragunity Knight – Gadearg, attack!" With the path now clear, Dragunity Knight – Gadearg flew in and slashed Sammie with its helmet blade.

--

**ROUND 2**

**Sammie:** 5500

**Saito:** 8000

--

"I end my turn," declared Saito.

"My move." Sammie drew her card and smiled. She then sifted through her Graveyard and took out two cards. "I remove from play Ruin, Queen of Oblivion and Djinn Releaser of Rituals in order to Special Summon Chaos Sorcerer in attack mode." Orbs of light and darkness spiraled onto the field and they merged together only to bring out one of Sammie's three favorite monsters (ATK/2300 DEF/2000). "Now I activate his effect. At the cost of him being unable to attack this turn, I remove from play Dragunity Knight – Gadearg." Chaos Sorcerer summoned an orb of light in his right hand and an orb of darkness in his left. He pressed them together and opened a portal to the Different Dimension. Dragunity Knight – Gadearg was immediately pulled inside and the gateway closed. "Next, I'm going to destroy your Future Fusion with Mystical Space Typhoon. Now you can't summon out Five God Dragon." A powerful twister shot across the field and destroyed Saito's continuous Spell Card. "I end my turn with a facedown."

"My move." Saito drew his card. "I summon Dragunity – Black-Spear in attack mode." A roar announced the arrival of the beast as a black winged dragon with spearhead for its head appeared (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "Now I tune Dragunity – Black-Spear to Dragunity – Legion." Dragunity – Black-Spear's body faded away until three starts remained and they flew over to Saito's other monster. They changed into rings and encircled Dragunity – Legion, reducing its body to three stars as well. A column of light then shot down and engulfed them both. "I Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight – Vajuranda!" In a flash, a dragon in bright red armor emerged with a winged man in matching armor riding on its back wielding a long spear (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). "When Dragunity Knight – Vajuranda is Synchro Summoned, I select a Dragon-type Dragunity monster from my graveyard and equip it to him." Saito brought back Dragunity – Black-Spear and placed it into one of his Spell and Trap Card zones. Immediately, the small black dragon reappeared and sot down with Dragunity Knight – Vajuranda.

"It still can't beat my Chaos Sorcerer," Sammie pointed out.

"I now activate his other effect. By sending one Equip Card equipped to Vajuranda to the graveyard, I can double his attack power until the End Phase." Dragunity Knight – Vajuranda kicked Dragunity – Black-Spear off and his mouth reached out and ate him. Immediately, his attack points shot up to thirty-eight hundred. "Attack Chaos Sorcerer!" he ordered. Dragunity Knight – Vajuranda raised his polearm and and threw it. At the same time, his mouth unleashed a whirlwind from its mouth and the two combined into a wind-enhanced spear.

"I activate Widespread Ruin!" announced Sammie. "When my opponent declares an attack, I can destroy one attack position monster they control with the highest attack points." An explosion suddenly erupted from underneath Dragunity Knight – Vajuranda and destroyed him.

"Fine." Saito set a facedown. "I end my turn."

"Now it's my turn." Sammie drew her card. "I summon Djinn Presider of Rituals in attack mode." Once again, Djinn Presider of Rituals appeared on the field (ATK/1800 DEF/1400). "This is going to hurt a little. Djinn Presider of Rituals, attack directly!" The fat green demon charged and slashed Saito with his sword.

--

**ROUND 2**

**Sammie:** 5500

**Saito:** 6200

--

"Chaos Sorcerer, attack with Chaos Magic!" Chaos Sorcerer summoned an orb of light and an orb of darkness into his hands. He threw the first at Saito and then followed up with the other.

--

**ROUND 2**

**Sammie:** 5500

**Saito:** 3900

--

Saito steeled himself against the ground as powerful shockwaves from the attack generated powerful winds and knocked down a tree.

"Did a hologram just break that tree?" a student asked.

"It's my turn now." Saito removed the top card of his deck and looked at it. He smiled deviously. "I play Ancient Rules and with it I'm going to special Summon Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry in attack mode." A tornado formed on the field and it quickly dispersed as a massive golden bird appeared and spread its four wings (ATK/2900 DEF/2000). "Next I Normal Summon another Dragunity – Black-Spear." A second Dragunity – Black-Spear appeared and roared. "Now I activate his effect. By tributing one Dragon-type Dragunity monster, I can Special Summon one level four or lower Winged-Beast from my graveyard."

"But you only have one Dragon-type monster on the field," Sammie pointed out.

"And that's just enough. I sacrifice Dragunity – Black-Spear," Saito removed Dragunity – Black-Spear from his field, " and I resurrect Dragunity – Tribul in defense mode." Beside the great golden bird, a small bird man with white wings armed with small red _enbiken_ type shuriken appeared (ATK/500 DEF/300). "Now I activate the effect of Dragunity – Tribul. When he's Normal or Special Summoned. I can send one level three or lower Dragon from my deck to my graveyard." He removed Totem Dragon from his deck and sent it to his graveyard.

"Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry, destroy Chaos Sorcerer!" A strong wind blew as Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry flapped its wings and conjured up a powerful tornado, which spiraled across the field toward Chaos Sorcerer. The terrifying power of nature swept the spellcaster up and all eyes watched as he disappeared.

--

**ROUND 2**

**Sammie:** 4900

**Saito:** 3900

--

"I'll conclude my turn there."

"It's my move now." Sammie drew. With Simorgh on the field, she would have to destroy it this turn or else risk losing the duel. Her attention was drawn to the card card she had just received and an idea formed. "First I play Preparations for the Ritual. This card lets me select one level seven or lower Ritual Monster from my deck and add it to my hand. Then I can add one Ritual Spell from my graveyard to my hand. For the monster, I choose Divine Grace - Northwemko. For the spell, I choose End of the World." After all that was done, she immediately played End of the World. "I remove from play Djinn Presider of Rituals from my graveyard and sacrifice the one on my field so I can Ritual Summon Demise, King of Armageddon!" Darkness fell over the field and from the ground rose up the black-armored King of Armageddon (ATK/2400 DEF/2000). "Now I activate Demise's effect," Sammie declared before giving up two thousand Life Points.

--

**ROUND 2**

**Sammie:** 2900

**Saito:** 3900

--

Demise, King of Armageddon raised his axe over his head and slammed it down hard. The sheer force of the blow caused the ground to rumble and split wide open.

"Holy shit!" cried a spectator and ran away. Several other fled as well as the ground itself gave way. Plants and rocks broke off the island and slid into the sea as both Sammie and Saito stood seemingly unfazed.

"Did Demise just destroy part of the island?" Mikey asked as he sat on the grass having lost his balance in the earlier commotion. Meanwhile, Demise stood proud and tall as no other cards stood on the field alongside or against him.

"Demise, direct attack!" ordered Sammie. Demise, King of Armageddon took up his weapon and swung down hard on Saito.

--

**ROUND 2**

**Sammie:** 2900

**Saito:** 1500

--

"I'm ending with a facedown." Sammie then looked at Saito. "Your go." The boy drew his card after a quick examination of the text, he set it on the field in defense mode and ended his turn. Sammie drew her card and ordered Demise to attack. Saito's card turned out to be Masked Dragon and he used it to Special Summon a second Masked Dragon in defense mode. She ended her turn there. Saito then proceeded and drew his card. With nothing to play, he concluded his turn. He watched then as Sammie drew her card and ordered Demise to attack again. Masked Dragon died and a third took its place. It wasn't long before he ran out of dragons and she knew this fact well. Saito drew his card. He finally had something useful, but he decided that now was not the best time to use it. He kept it in his hand and ended his turn. Sammie drew again and ordered Demise to attack. The third Masked Dragon was dead and in its place, Saito Special Summoned Totem Dragon in defense mode (ATK/400 DEF/200).

_Just a little bit more_, he thought as he drew. He set two facedowns and ended his turn.

"I draw." Sammie drew her card. "Demise, destroy Totem Dragon!" Demise's heavy axe came down hard and split Totem Dragon in two. "I'm setting a card facedown and ending my turn."

"My turn now." Saito drew his card. "I remove from play my two Totem Dragons and one Dragunity – Tribul from my graveyard in order to Special Summon Desert Twister in attack mode." A raging tornado of wind and sand rose up from the field and from it emerged a black and sand-colored demon that resembled a cobra with arms (ATK/2300 DEF/2000). "Now I activate his effect. Once per turn, I can discard one card from my hand to destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field." Saito discarded an Ancient Rules and Desert Twister hissed out loud before unleashing a powerful sand twister at one of Sammie's facedowns. It turned out to be Mirror Force, which brought a smile to Saito's face. With that gone, he now played the card he had saved.

"I play Dragon's Mirror." A giant mirror with a golden dragon frame appeared. "By removing from play Fusion Material monsters listed on a Dragon-type Fusion Monster, I can Fusion Summon that monster." Three Blue-Eyes White Dragons appeared in front of the mirror and Sammie immediately understand what he was planning to summon. All three dragons were pulled in and within moments, the mighty three-headed Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon emerged and let out a deafening roar (ATK/4500 DEF/3800). "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack Demise, King of Armageddon! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Burst!" The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's heads powered up and each launched a powerful Burst Stream of Destruction. All three streams of energy spiraled together and merged into a single attack that effortlessly struck down Demise, King of Armageddon.

--

**ROUND 2**

**Sammie:** 800

**Saito:** 1500

--

"Desert Twister, finish her off!" ordered Saito. "Attack with Sand Tornado!"

"I activate my facedown!" announced Sammie, "Call of the Haunted. And I use it to resurrect Demise, King of Armageddon." Demise returned to the field and stood towering over Desert Twister. Saito quickly recalled his attack and set a third card facedown.

"I'll get you next turn," Saito declared.

"We'll see." Sammie drew her card. She hoped it could save her. If she didn't do something this turn, Saito's dragon would definitely defeat her. She looked at her new card and her eyes brightened. After a quick examination of her hand, she formed an idea.

"I play Ritual of Salvation. Now I remove from my Djinn Presider of Rituals in my graveyard and sacrifice Djinn Releaser of Rituals from my hand to Ritual Summon Divine Grace - Northwemko!" In a flash of light, Northwemko rose up onto the field (ATK/2700 DEF/1200). "Now I bind her to Demise, King of Armageddon and your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon." Streams of light shot out of Divine Grace - Northwemko and plugged themselves into the two targetted cards.

"What did you hope to accomplish by doing that?" asked Saito. "Your goddess still isn't strong enough to destroy my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon."

"I didn't bring her out for her attack power," Sammie explained, "I brought her out as a sacrifice."

"A sacrifice?"

"I sacrifice Demise, King of Armageddon and Divine Grace - Northwemko," Sammie said as she removed the two cards from the field and sent them to her graveyard, "in order to summon out Gandora the Dragon of Destruction!" Amidst the light of the sacrifice, a pitch-black dragon emerged with countless red gemstones embedded into its body (ATK/0 DEF/0).

"How's Sammie going to beat that thing with a monster that has no attack points?" asked Mikey.

"She's planning to use its effect," Coltyn answered.

"I set one card facedown." Sammie to the last card in her hand and placed it onto the field. "Now I activate Gandora's effect! I pay half of my Life Points to remove every card on the field from play except for my dragon."

--

**ROUND 2**

**Sammie:** 400

**Saito:** 1500

--

Gandora the Dragon of Destruction let out a roar and the gems on its body fired beams of energy in all directions. They struck Sammie's card and it vanished. Then the beams struck Saito's three facedown cards, Desert Twister, and Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. The five cards exploded violently and the card was left bare save for the one that had made it so.

"And now Gandora's other effect kicks in. For every card that was just removed from play, it gains three hundred attack points."

"That was six cards, wasn't it?" asked Gabe.

"Yepperonis!" Max answered. With six cards removed from play, Gandora's attack points became eighteen hundred.

"Gandora the Dragon of Destruction, attack directly!" commanded Sammie. "Giga Rays of Destruction!" Laser beams shot out of the gemstones and mouth of Gandora the Dragon of Destruction and they rained down on Saito, blasting away at the ground and flora around him.

--

**ROUND 2**

**Sammie:** 400

**Saito:** 0

--

"Okay, now I'm SURE those monsters are doing real damage!" a person cried out as they watched the debris that was scattered about.

Saito stood with his coat flapping in the wind surrounded by smoke and destruction. He had lost the round, but his resolve had not been broken. Without a word, he emptied his graveyard. He took his Synchros and Fusions and placed them back into his Extra Deck before inserting the rest into his deck, which was then shuffled by his Duel Disk.

"Don't think you've won, Sammie," he said, "This is a match, after all. Victory belongs to no one until the final round is over." He glared at Sammie and drew his starting hand. "I shall be the one to end the final round!"

_**FLASHBACK**_

The store was dark and Sammie sat alone at the dueling table. The particle board rapped loudly in the lonely store. She smelled the cold air as the air conditioning hummed and circulated. The artificial breeze ruffled her hair lightly as she closed her eyes and drifted into thought. Mr. Borson had long since left, leaving her by herself like she always wanted. She had her keys to the store and she used them. There were many nights that she didn't work where she would come into the shop and just sit. Some nights she would play card games with herself. Some nights she would have a tuscany chicken sandwich and a small Diet Coke. One night she masturbated in the back room, though that was her secret. Most nights she just sat in silence.

Though she was the only person in the shop she was not the only soul in the shop. Every night she stayed in the store, no matter what else she did, she always had a conversation. She spoke to no one in particular. She just spoke and paused, as if she was listening, and spoke again. If any one saw this they would think she was crazy, but she was not. Her audience was always in the card shop. When she spoke about boys the Injection Fairy Lily and Ruin, Queen of Oblivion sat and listened intently. When she talked about duels, The Black Luster Soldier and Demise, King of Armageddon perked their ears up, delighted by the idea of carnage. Every time she spoke the cards of the store seemed to come to life. They were always with her and they were always listening. It made her smile. It made her special.

She was was too lost in the moment to notice anything but the spirits that were gathered around her. She was too lost to notice that the door had opened. She was too lost to hear the bell chime that someone had entered the store after hours, even though the doors were locked. Too lost to notice the world until the world noticed her when a hand placed itself on her shoulder. Sammie's neck snapped up in surprise, falling out of her chair with her sudden twist.

"What the fuck!?" she cried, sprawling on the ground for a moment till she staggered to her feet.

The figure moved forward until he was illuminated lightly by the moonlight that cracked through the moonlight. "It's just me," Saito said, now in full view.

"What are you doing rich boy?" she sputtered, trying to slow her heart, which was beating at a mile-a-minute.

"I'm a Kaiba."

"That's your reason for scaring me half to death?"

"That's my reason to do anything and everything."

"Prick."

"Cow."

"Look, I would prefer your real reason, but," Sammie cleared her throat a little and got her voice real low, "'frankly my dear, I just don't give a damn.'" She laughed inwardly. _Gone with the Wind _was one of her favorite movies and she loved using the lines whenever she could. Saito grumbled and looked away, his eyes finding a spot on the ground before sighing.

"Fine. I came in here because I...I heard something today and I wanted to be alone here." Sammie's left eyebrow arched and her head tilted to the right.

"Heard something."

"Yes. I heard something. Like a voice. I don't know how to explain it. It was the voice of nothing, if nothing had a voice." Sammie bit her lip and put her hands behind her back. Her fingers interlaced and began to rub each other. This was the same feeling she had when Mikey started talking to Kuraz. She was there that day and she hated that feeling. She hated not being special. She was actually ecstatic that Mikey could see the spirit like she could. Sammie hated that he tried to rationalize it. Sammie hated being told, even if the statement wasn't directed at her, that she was crazy. She was not.

Her eyes had drifted to the same spot Saito was looking at, not even realizing that she had, and she noticed something scurrying along the ground. A furry little creature, a Kuriboh as they both knew, was running around with smiling furry creature ran over to Sammie and snuggled against her leg before doing the same to Saito. She looked up to Saito and he looked up to her. Their eyes met and they didn't say a word. They both knew what the other was thinking and at that moment their lips slowly met in the back of that dark store as a tear rolled down her cheek. She was special.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

* * *

**A note from Anime Master ZERO and Comic Master Alpha:** Hello everyone. First of all, we'd like to thank all of you for reading out fanfic and we greatly appreciate the reviews you have been leaving for us. On that subject, we've also seen a fair number of you leave comments regarding our next chapter. While we do appreciate the interest, we would be much more appreciative if you would talk about the current chapter. As writers, we require feedback on our work in order to create even better chapters for your future enjoyment. So please, when you write your reviews, talk about the chapter that you just finished reading. Thank you.

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The final round of Sammie's match against Saito has come. Only one shall remain standing. The other shall be forced out of the competition. Find out the winner of this exciting match next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	52. The Third Round

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-11**

**The Third Round**

"I shall be the one to end the final round!"

"If you want to end the final round, you have to beat me first!" Sammie shot back as she gathered up her cards.

"Are they really going for the third round?" asked Max.

"Sammie definitely will," Mikey answered.

"Wow, Mikey! I never expected you to answer for a change," Max said surprised.

"Well I've known Sammie the longest," was Mikey's response.

"Aren't you forgetting about someone, bro?" Gabe inquired.

"Sammie's never the type to give up easily it ever," Mikey continued, "She'll see everything through to the end. She may be smart, but she's also incredibly stubborn. Even in a losing situation, she'll face it head-on."

"Wow...." Max looked at Sammie. "Hey Mikey, it looks like she's switching out some cards."

"Huh?" Mikey looked toward his childhood friend. Sammie had taken out a small deck of fifteen cards and was indeed switching some cards from her deck and putting some new ones in.

"So, Sammie's got a side deck," Coltyn observed.

"What's a side deck?" asked Mikey.

"A side deck is a smaller deck that can hold up to fifteen cards," Coltyn explained, "You don't see them often because most people don't engage each other in matches. But if you're in a match, there are breaks in between duels during which you can switch out cards from your deck for cards in your side deck."

"So you can basically modify your deck in between rounds?"

"Exactly."

_I just hope those new cards can help Sammie win this round_, thought Mikey,_ If she loses, she's off the island._ He watched as she finished switching her cards and placed her deck inside her Duel Disk, which immediately shuffled her cards.

"LET'S DUEL!"

--

**ROUND 3**

**Sammie:** 8000

**Saito:** 8000

--

"The first turn is mine. I draw!" Saito took the top card off his deck and placed it in his hand. "I summon Masked Dragon in attack mode." He placed one card onto the surface of his Duel Disk and called out his dragon in a Hannibal Lecter mask (ATK/1400 DEF/1100). "I set one card facedown and end my turn."

"My turn. I draw." Sammie drew her card, "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior in attack mode." A wizard in red armor appeared brandishing a sword and a matching shield (ATK/1600 DEF/1000). "When Breaker is summoned, he gets one Spell Counter, which raises his attack points by three hundred." A yellow gemstone appeared on the hilt of Breaker's sword and the blade began to glow as his attack points rose up to nineteen hundred. "Attack Masked Dragon!" Breaker the Magical Warrior flew forward and swung his sword, cleaving through his target's neck and separating its head from its body.

--

**ROUND 3**

**Sammie:** 8000

**Saito:** 7500

--

"I activate my Masked Dragon's effect!" declared Saito. "From my deck, I Special Summon Dragunity – Phalanx in attack mode." In a burst of light, a small blue dragon in bronze armor appeared (ATK/500 DEF/1100).

"Now I remove Breaker's Spell Counter to destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field," announced Sammie. The yellow gem vanished from Breaker's sword and he swung his weapon again, firing a wave of energy that destroyed Saito's facedown card, which turned out to be Synchro Strike. "I'm done. Let's see what you've got."

"If you say so." Saito drew his card. "And what I've got is Dragunity – Dux in attack mode!" A bird man wielding a slave driver's whip appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/1000) "And for each Dragunity monster on the field, he gains two hundred attack points." With two Dragunity creatures out, Saito's Dragunity – Dux rose up to nineteen hundred attack points. "Dragunity – Dux, attack Breaker the Magical Warrior!" Dragunity – Dux spread his wings and flew toward Breaker. With one swing of his arm, he lashed out with his whip and destroyed his target.

--

**ROUND 3**

**Sammie:** 7700

**Saito:** 7500

--

"Dragunity – Phalanx, it's your turn! Attack her directly!" ordered Saito. Dragunity – Phalanx let out a shriek and flew toward Sammie before thrusting a pair of spears into her.

--

**ROUND 3**

**Sammie:** 7200

**Saito:** 7500

--

"I'll end with a single facedown." Saito placed his card facedown and turned to Sammie. "It's your move."

"And I draw!" Sammie drew her card. "I summon Ritual Devil Curse Enchanter in attack mode!" She placed her card onto the field and summoned a fat demon wielding a staff (ATK/1700 DEF/1000). "Attack Dragunity – Dux!"

"I activate my facedown!" declared Saito. "Urgent Tuning. Now I can Synchro Summon during this Battle Phase." His Dragunity – Phalanx transformed into two green rings and surrounded Dragunity – Dux before a light engulfed them both. "Come out, Dragunity Knight – Gáebolg!" A dragon in white armor emerged with a bird man wearing matching armor on his back (ATK/2000 DEF/1100).

"Fine." Sammie took a card from her hand. "I set a card facedown and end my turn."

"My move." Saito drew his card. "I summon another Dragunity – Dux in attack mode and with his effect, I'll bring back Dragunity – Phalanx and equip it to him." A new Dragunity – Dux appeared and moments later, Dragunity – Phalanx reappeared clinging to his back. "Now I use Phalanx's effect to Special Summon him to the field." Dragunity – Phalanx jumped off Dragunity – Dux and stood beside him.

"Now I tune Dragunity – Phalanx to Dragunity – Legion and Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight Vajuranda!" From the Synchro Summon light emerged a red dragon with its bird man rider (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). "With Vajuranda's effect, I can bring one level three or lower Dragon-type Dragunity monster from my graveyard and equip it to him." Saito brought back Dragunity – Phalanx and the small dragon appeared with Dragunity Knight – Vajuranda on the back of his dragon mount. "Next I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your facedown." Sammie gasped as Saito's Spell Card destroyed her Sakuretsu Armor.

"Dragunity Knight – Vajuranda, attack Ritual Devil Curse Enchanter!" Dragunity Knight – Vajuranda threw his spear and his dragon unleashed a powerful whirlwind that spiraled with the polearm and struck Sammie's monster, destroying it.

--

**ROUND 3**

**Sammie:** 7000

**Saito:** 7500

--

"Dragunity Knight – Gáebolg, attack her directly!" Dragunity Knight - Gáebolg pointed with his staff and his mount unleashed a blast of energy from its mouth and hit Sammie with full force.

--

**ROUND 3**

**Sammie:** 5000

**Saito:** 7500

--

The raw power of both attacks generated a powerful wind that tore down several trees around Sammie. "I'll end my turn." Saito then looked at his opponent and gave her an affirming nod. Sammie bit her lip and drew her card. Her hand went down to her pocket then and pulled out a set of headphones.

"What is she doing?" Mikey asked as she jacked the headphones into her duel disk.

Coltyn continued to watch the duel with stern eyes and nodded, "Ahe is getting serious."

"What do you mean?"

"She is starting her mantra."

"Huh? Mantra?"

"Yeah, many duelists think better when they say or do something habitual that focuses their minds. Music is her mantra"

Mikey thought back, remembering her doing this once before. His eyes widened when he realized, "Ahe did this when she dueled Lector!"

Sammie's eyes were shut as her fingers danced along her Duel Disk, scrolling through songs quickly. One. Two. Three. They weren't the songs that she wanted. Then she found it, her eyes opening slowly and the music in her head started playing. She looked over to her boyfriend and, with a smile, said "Saito, how about we hear a song?"

"Shit!" he said out loud, having seen her do this before.

His protests would fall on deaf ears as she began to sing.

"_Do you mind if I hurt you?_

_Understand that I need to._

_Wish that I had other choices_

_That to harm the one I love._

_What have you done now?"_

Mikey choked a little at that lyric, but tried not to show it, much as Saito tried to retain his reserved composure, though she was truly frightening now. He eyes were piercing, yet glazed over. It felt like she was peering into his soul.

"I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands in attack mode." She played her move summoned out a green god with ten thousand hands (ATK/1400 DEF/1000). "With his effect, I bring Ritual of Destruction to my hand."

"She didn't have that in her deck earlier, did she?" asked Mikey.

"It's one of the cards she moved in from her side deck," Coltyn reminded him.

"Oh."

Sammie brought the Spell Card out and her Duel Disk shuffled her deck. "Now I play Ritual of Destruction. By sacrificing Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and Ritual Devil Curse Enchanter in my graveyard, I Ritual Summon Garandolph, Devil King of Destruction!" After the two creatures were sacrificed, a great horned demon rose up and growled (ATK/2500 DEF/1400). "And now for his effect. When Garandolph, Devil King of Destruction is Ritual Summoned, all other face-up monsters with a defense lower than his attack points are destroyed. Then he gains one hundred attack points for every card that was destroyed. Now the way I see it, the only other monsters on the field are your two Dragunity Knights. And last I checked, their defense points were definitely less than twenty-five hundred." She was right. Dragunity Knight – Gáebolg only had eleven hundred defense points while Dragunity Knight – Vajuranda only had twelve hundred. Garandolph, Devil King of Destruction let out a roar and a wave of black energy surged from his body. It struck down the two monsters and destroyed them without any effort as well as knocking back all the spectators. Following their deaths, the great king of destruction let out another roar as his body began to glow black thanks to the two-hundred point increase, raising his attack power to twenty-seven hundred.

"Garandolph, Devil King of Destruction, do what you do best and destroy Saito's Life Points!" Garandolph, Devil King of Destruction opened his mouth and roared before firing a black burst of energy from his face directly at Saito.

--

**ROUND 3**

**Sammie:** 5000

**Saito:** 4800

--

Saito shielded himself with his arms as the shockwave hit him and he braced himself against the force while the trees behind him were violently ripped up from their places.

"Your move," Sammie said as her hair blew in the wind, the song had passed a good number of lines by now, but she started singing again anyway.

"_Would you mind if I killed you?_

_Would you mind if I tried to?_

_'Cause you have_

_Turned into my worst enemy_

_You carry hate that I don't feel._

_It's over now, what have you done?_

_What have you done now?"_

"Gladly." Saito drew his card, his hand shaking lightly as he tried to block out the song. Her voice was like the cry of a siren now, and it was everything he could from falling to its spell. It would bring him victory in this duel; however, it would take time for its effect to kick in. He needed a means to protect himself until it was ready. "First I set a monster facedown. Next, I activate my Future Fusion Spell Card." Saito's Duel Disk released his deck and he searched it for his two Totem Dragons, two Dragunity - Black Spears, and his other Dragunity – Phalanx. "Now in two turns, I can Fusion Summon my Five God Dragon. My turn's over!"

_This isn't good_, Sammie thought to herself_, If he summons his Five God Dragon, it's going to be near impossible to beat_. She drew her next card and read the card name. It was useful, but she couldn't play it yet. For the time being, her only option was to attack with her current creature.

" Garandolph, Devil King of Destruction, attack Saito's facedown!" The mighty demon king roared and sank his hands into the ground. With all his strength, he pulled out an enormous chunk of earth and flung it at Saito's card. The monster was revealed to be Masked Dragon.

"I summon another Masked Dragon to the field in defense position!" announced the son of Seto Kaiba as a new dragon wearing a mask unlike that worn by Hannibal Lecter took the place of the other.

"I end my turn."

"My draw." Saito drew his card and immediately set it facedown on the field. Afterwards, he concluded his turn.

"My turn." Sammie drew. Once her turn was over, Saito would be able to summon his powerful dragon. However, her hand had nothing. She had no choice. She switched Garandolph, Devil King of Destruction into defense mode and ended her turn.

"I draw." Saito drew his card and his Standby Phase began. The sky began to warp and from the rift descended an enormous tan dragon with five heads (ATK/5000 DEF/5000). "Five God Dragon, attack Garandolph, Devil King of Destruction!" All five heads opened their mouths and fired breath attacks of earth, fire, wind, water, and darkness and they spiraled together into a single helix before striking down Garandolph, Devil King of Destruction.

Sammie felt the ground start to give and she quickly moved forward a good number of feet as the cliff side gave and fell into the ocean. "Sammie!" Mikey reached out to grab her, but she was able to stabilize herself before he got to her, her headphones sizzled and he face haggard with exhaustion. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mikey. Get back."

"But..."

"I said get back!"

"Okay..." Mikey returned to his spot and continued watching the duel. Now it was Sammie's turn again. Re-examining her hand, she had Demise, King of Armageddon and End of the World. However, she had nothing to sacrifice. She looked at her deck. Hopefully, there would be something there that would help her. She slowly placed her fingers on the top card and drew it. She looked at the card and smiled.

"I play End of the World!" she announced, "Now I sacrifice Ritual Raven in my hand, which can be used as the entire sacrifice if the Ritual Monster I'm summoning is a Dark attribute creature." Ritual Raven appeared on the altar and its body was consumed by black flames. "I Ritual Summon Demise, King of Armageddon!" The Devil King of Destruction had passed and now in his wake arose the deadly King of Armageddon (ATK/2400 DEF/2000).

"Now I activate Demise's effect by paying two thousand Life Points!" announced Sammie.

--

**ROUND 3**

**Sammie:** 3000

**Saito:** 4800

--

Demise slammed his axe into the ground and the island shook again as more earth was destroyed along with every other card on the field. When the smoke had cleared, Saito and Sammie stood alone amidst the remains of the area. "Attack Saito directly!" On orders from his master, Demise, King of Armageddon swung his axe and sank its blade into Saito.

--

**ROUND 3**

**Sammie:** 3000

**Saito:** 2400

--

"I'll end it there," Sammie declared.

"My move." Saito drew his card. He set it facedown and ended his turn. Then it was back to Sammie. She drew and immediately ordered Demise to attack again.

"I reveal Call of the Haunted." Saito's facedown flipped over. "And with it, I shall resurrect Dragunity Knight – Gáebolg!" In a flash of light, the white-armored Dragunity Knight returned to the field.

"He's still short by four hundred attack points," Sammie pointed out.

"Not after I activate his effect," said Saito as Demise's axe slammed into Dragunity Knight – Gáebolg, "When Gáebolg battles, during the Damage Step I can remove one Winged Beast from my graveyard from play and when I do, he gains attack points equal to those of the removed monster." Saito's Duel Disk ejected Dragunity – Dux and he placed it in his pocket. Immediately, Dragunity Knight – Gáebolg's attack points rose up to thirty-five hundred. "Destroy Demise, King of Armageddon!" ordered Saito. The dragon grabbed hold of the axe and blasted Demise, King of Armageddon with a powerful wind attack.

--

**ROUND 3**

**Sammie:** 1900

**Saito:** 2400

--

"Finish your turn." Sammie looked at the last card in her hand and set it. "Good. Now it's my move." Saito drew his card. " Dragunity Knight – Gáebolg, direct attack!"

"I activate Sakuretsu Armor!" Sammie revealed her card and Dragunity Knight – Gáebolg was killed instantly.

"Tch. Fine. I end my turn." With no cards on Saito's field, Sammie hoped she could draw something to help her out. Her card was a Spell Card that would serve very little purpose right now, but it would help her in the end.

"I play Preparations for the Ritual. First I can select one Ritual Monster from my deck and add it to my hand. Then I can select a Ritual Spell from my graveyard and do the same." She wasn't too happy with the results. She had hoped she would be able to use Divine Grace — Northwemko. However, she didn't have any copies of Ritual of Salvation in her graveyard. In the end, she brought Northwemko to her hand from her deck anyway and End of the World from her graveyard. She hoped that her opponent had nothing that he would be able to summon next turn. "I'm done. Your move."

"I draw." Saito drew his card. It was a useful one, but now was not the time to play it. So he ended his turn.

Sammie drew her card. She was mildly disappointed. She hoped it would have been Ritual of Salvation or at least a Sonic Bird or Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands. Instead , she had drawn Ruin, Queen of Oblivion. She now had a card she could use End of the World for, but still had no sacrifices. She prayed once again that Saito had nothing in his hand to summon next turn so she ended her turn there. Fortunately, Saito passed his turn.

Finally Sammie drew again. At last, she finally had something to sacrifice. "I play End of the World. Now by sacrificing Gandora the Dragon of Destruction from my hand, I can Ritual Summon Ruin, Queen of Oblivion!" Sammie's white-haired queen wearing a long black and red dress rose up and grasped her staff in one hand (ATK/2300 DEF/2000).

"Ruin, attack Saito directly!" ordered Sammie. Ruin, Queen of Oblivion pointed her staff at Saito and fired off a stream of light directly into him.

--

**ROUND 3**

**Sammie:** 1900

**Saito:** 100

--

"YEAH!" Mikey cheered, "Sammie's gonna win!"

"This is soooooooooo FABULOUS!" Max cried.

"Nice one!" Gabe yelled.

Coltyn's expression did not change. "It's not over until one person's Life Points have been depleted."

"Come on, Coltyn. Sammie's got Kaiba down to his last hundred Life Points," Gabe pointed out, "What can he do?"

"My draw!" Saito drew his card. "First I play Ancient Rules. With this, I can Special Summon one level five or higher Normal Monster from my hand."

"He doesn't have one in his hand already, does he?" Mikey asked.

"I summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The majestic white dragon with sapphire eyes rose out of the ground and let out an earth shattering roar (ATK/3000 DEF/2500).

"Stop panicking, Mikey," Coltyn said calmly, "Even if Kaiba destroys Ruin, Sammie will still survive for another turn."

"Next I play a second Ancient Rules," Saito announced, "and I'll use it to Special Summon another Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"Unless he summons another dragon," Coltyn added. A second Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared on the field and stood beside the first as it let out a mighty roar.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, destroy Ruin, Queen of Oblivion!" The first dragon let out another roar and unleashed a powerful Burst Stream from its mouth, blasting Ruin, Queen of Oblivion.

--

**ROUND 3**

**Sammie:** 1200

**Saito:** 100

--

Saito looked at the situation and sighed. He had no choice."Sorry Samantha," he said to her, looking at the ground solemnly. She nodded back in understanding. There was no ill will.

"End this now, my loyal dragon!" Saito ordered his other dragon. The second Blue-Eyes White Dragon roared as it spread its wings and flew up to the sky. It stopped several meters overhead and opened its mouth. "Burst Stream of Destruction!" A solid stream of energy shot out and struck Sammie.

--

**ROUND 3**

**Sammie:** 0

**Saito:** 100

--

An entire path of destruction had been left in the wake of the Burst Stream of Destruction. Behind Sammie, the trees and rocks had been obliterated, leaving a straight path leading toward the mountain on which the castle stood. Everyone just stood there looking at the destruction. Many of them failed to notice when Sammie's and Saito's Duel Bands suddenly flashed vigorously until the two young Duelists collapsed to the ground.

"Sammie!" Mikey ran over to the blonde. "Are you okay?"

"What's going on?" Sammie asked weakly. Two men in black suits arrived and stood over them.

"We'll take it from here."

"Who are you guys?" Mikey asked.

"We're here to take her away," one of the men answered.

"Why?"

"Rules of the tournament," the other man replied, "She's lost so now she's off the island. Besides, if she stayed, she wouldn't last. We're taking her away to receive medical attention."

"What about Kaiba?" asked Gabe. "He's in the same condition."

"He'll be fine. Now hand her over."

"She's not fit for sea travel in her condition," Coltyn pointed out, "Isn't there an infirmary you can take her to instead?"

"There's one in the castle," the second man said.

"Take her there, then. Does that sound reasonable, Mikey?"

"I guess so," was the brunet's response. The two men then helped Sammie to her feet and then slowly made their way to the castle. "Will she be alright?"

"I'm sure she'll be in good hands," Max assured his friend.

"Mikey's not completely wrong for distrusting them, though," Coltyn pointed out, "We don't know who those guys work for. If it's Pegasus, I'm sure she's in safe hands. But if they work for Roman..." He trailed of a little and Mikey looked toward the castle.

_Please be okay, Sammie_, he prayed in his head.

o o o

Roman walked through the hallways of the castle with his hands clasped behind his back. He had received news that a few people had already been eliminated. He was disappointed that a number of them had been removed from the competition so early. As he made his way down the hall, he stopped and turned to face the wall. It was just an ordinary wall with some elaborate designs on it. That was until he reached up for a portrait of the late Cecelia Pegasus and tilted it. The wall slid to the side to reveal a secret passage. He stepped through and the wall closed behind him. The businessman descended a flight of stairs and approached another door. He pushed it open and walked into a dark room with only one source of light, which was a single large tube in the middle with orange liquid floating up and down like the wax inside a lava lamp. He made his way toward a man who was monitoring the tube, who turned around when he approached.

"Ah, Mr. Roman," he greeted.

"How goes the collecting, doctor?" Roman inquired.

"Unfortunately, some duels were started and finished before could turn it on. However, we've managed to collect quite a bit on our first collection attempt."

"How many Duelists have you collected from?"

"Just two."

"Two?" Roman seemed intrigued. "Two Duelists managed to generate all this energy in a single duel? How?"

"It wasn't a duel," a young voice answered with a British accent from the shadows, "It was a match." Both Roman and the scientist turned toward the shadows to see a small child-like figure. It was silhouetted by the darkness, but they could still tell that it was male. He was crouching on the floor with a large mass in front of him. Roman took a step closer and saw that it was a replica of Duelist Kingdom made out of LEGO bricks with LEGO people resembling the Duelists. A box sat beside the replica with a few figures already inside. The child reached for a cliff near the water and picked up a figure of a blonde girl with her hair in pigtails.

"Resume collecting duel energy," Roman ordered.

"Yes, sir," replied the scientist. Meanwhile, the boy held up the Mikey figure in his hand.

"This lot will certainly prove interesting."

* * *

**Next Week on**_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The team of teachers has arrived on the island. Hassleberry, Miss Marina, Mr. Bonaparte, and Mr. Thulin have a mission to watch the students. But what happens when a devious duo decides to interfere? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	53. The Big Buzz

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-12**

**The Big Buzz**

Miss Marina crouched behind some bushes as she surveyed the castle through a pair of binoculars. Behind her, Hassleberry, Mr. Bonaparte, and Mr. Thulin finished setting up their camp. Due to the situation, all four of them had come wearing comfortable clothing. "Anything yet?" asked Hassleberry.

"Not yet," was Miss Marina's answer.

"Monsieur Thulin, are you sure zis was a good idea?" asked Mr. Bonaparte.

"A teacher is responsible for his or her students," answered Mr. Thulin.

"He's right, Marcel," Miss Marina agreed, "We have to make sure the students are safe."

"Oui, zis is true." Marcel looked up at the castle. "Still, it feels like we are walking into a trap."

"Y'ain't got no argument here," Hassleberry agreed.

"We'll have to be careful then," Miss Marina said as she lowered her binoculars, "I just wish we could have registered all of our students."

"It couldn't be helped," Mr. Thulin replied as he sat down on a rock and looked at his Duel Band. He didn't like the fact that he was in a tournament like this, fighting his own students in a game that might mean life or death. He bit his lip and sighed, remembering that the whole reason they were there was because it was his idea. He suggested they go to the island in a small group with the children to participate and make sure nothing bad would happen. Chancellor Rhodes had decided that Hasselberry and Marcel Bonaparte would be the best candidates out of all the teachers to go with Mr. Thulin, having had experience with this kind of duel in the past. Ms. Marina had volunteered, though, wanting to help as best she could. A small group of four was perfect, in case they needed rescue should their plan to protect the students fail.

As the teachers sat together discussing their next move, they were being watched by a pair of men. One of them was a short man with blue hair wearing glasses. The other was a man with long brown hair with a patch of purple sticking out from under a red beanie. They were Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor respectively. In their teenage years, they had been two of the best Duelists in the world. However, over the past twenty-five years, they had slipped lower and lower until nobody even remembered their names. They had entered this tournament in hopes of rising up and dominating the world of Duel Monsters once again.

"Hey Weevil, let me see," Rex urged as he nudged Weevil, who was using their only pair of binoculars.

"I'm not finished!" the shorter man replied. The two continued to spy on the group of teachers below. "Let's pick off the easy ones first. That weak guy down there looks like someone I can take."

"Heh. You do that. I got my eye on that muscular guy," Rex said. Weevil turned his binoculars and looked at Hassleberry.

"He's Tyranno Hassleberry. A Dinosaur Duelist."

"Exactly. I'm the best Dino Duelist there is! I ain't lettin' no one take that from me!"

"We had it all, Rex. Fame. Money. All of it." Weevil lowered his binoculars. "But then, twenty-five years ago on this very island, it all came to an end. We were beaten by amateurs and then we became the laughing stock of the world."

"Everybody forgot who we are. Like a couple of years ago, this kid thought I was some guy I'd never heard of. Then when I told him who I was, he just stared at me like I was an idiot and asked me who I was. I mean, come on!"

"We'll have it all back, Rex. And we're going to do it by winning this tournament! By any means necessary."

"So, we gonna just go down there and challenge them?" asked Rex.

"Don't be stupid, Rex," Weevil said, "We'd never be able to take them all at once. No, we have to separate them and pick them off one by one."

"How?"

"Hmmm." Weevil brought his binoculars back up and scoured the surrounding area. His vision fell upon a wasp nest dangling from a tree. "I have an idea."

o o o

Max was crouching near a stream filling up a bottle of water. Not far away, Mikey and Coltyn were working on a makeshift tent. "I'm surprised you brought a knife with you," the latter said as Mikey cut a vine after they finished tying some branches together. "Even though our survival packs included one each."

"I used to be in boy scouts," Mikey answered, "My parents made me join. Didn't do too well, but at least I got some useful stuff out of it. Gabe and I went on a lot of camping trips with our parents."

"Speaking of Gabe, where'd he go?" asked Max as he came back.

"I'm up here." Gabe dropped down from a tree and hung from the branch.

"What are you doing up there?" Mikey inquired, "And where's your shirt?"

"In the tree with my jacket." There was a moment's pause.

"Do I even want to know why?"

"Yes." Gabe pulled himself back up and dropped down his shirt and school jacket, both tied up in bundles. Coltyn knelt down and opened the the shirt, revealing a collection of apples inside. The younger brother jumped down.

"Nice work, Gabe." The black-haired teen laid the apples on the ground and tossed the shirt back to Gabe.

"Good timing, too. I'm a little hungry." Mikey took one of the fruits and took it to the stream to wash it. "How do you guys think Sammie's doing?"

"I'm sure she's fine, bro," Gabe assured his older brother.

"She's in good hands," Coltyn added, "And even if she isn't, she can protect herself."

"I guess you guys are right." Mikey shook the excess water from his apple and stood up before biting into it.

o o o

A bit of a ways up a small hillside stood the entrance to a cave. Sitting on the ground just outside was Wes, who was just staring off into space. Inside the cave, Saito sat with his back against the wall while Hayley and Nellie tended to him. "You okay, Kay-Kay?" the former asked.

"I'm fine. Just exhausted," answered Saito, "And don't call me Kay-Kay."

"I don't get it, Sai. How come you're so tired after one duel?" Nellie asked.

"It was probably this thing." Saito held up his arm and showed them his Duel Band.

"You think so?" asked Hayley as she looked at hers.

"This never happened until we got to this island and put them on." As he said this, they could begin to hear the sounds of Duel Disks humming to life coming from the cave entrance. "Sounds like Wes has a challenger."

"You got outta that duel pretty bad, Sai. Everyone's gonna want a piece of ya while you're down," Nellie brought up, dabbing a wet rag against his brow. Outside an explosion erupted followed by a howl and a thud. Wes sat back down and let out a sigh. "And it seems like those duels out there are starting to take it out of Rem out there."

"Please don't call me Rem," Wes called back, hearing that last comment as he polished his Duel Disk after his quick victory with the now unconscious opponent.

"I'll call you whatever I want!" Nellie shot back in faux anger.

"Whatever," he said apathetically causing her to giggle.

"He's so cute when he is pouty like that," Nellie said to Hayley who giggled in return.

"Though he isn't as cute as Maxie." Hayley placed her hands on her cheeks and giggled a little more as she thought about the clownish upperclassman. Saito, meanwhile, sat in exhausted annoyance at the giggling girls around him. Had he known they would be like this he would of had one of them stay out by the entrance, at least then he could keep them separated.

"I just wonder if Samantha is okay," Saito said, worried about the blonde chaos Duelist. His hands balled up lightly and he sighed before looking up to the others who had a smile on their faces.

"Yeah she is," Nellie said warmly. "We know how much she meant to ya."

"Yeah!" Hayley chimed in cheerily and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him on the cheek tenderly. "Sammie will be okay! I mean, come on, she is your girlfriend after all."

"What do you mean by that?" Saito questioned, a partial smile cracking on his lips.

"Anyone who dates you has to be one of the toughest girls in the world. Now you stop being mopey and get ready. We have a tournament to win." Hayley hugged Saito once more, lovingly. Saito smiled wider and laughed lightly, a warm feeling in his stomach that filled him. Wes sat silent but understanding. Nellie leaned against the cave wall with a positive and supportive attitude. Hayley was caring and loving to those around her. He was laughing and he didn't know why, but he just liked knowing that these people were around him.

o o o

Mr. Thulin sat on his own watching his fishing line waiting for a bite. Marcel was watching the campfire when Miss Marina and Hassleberry returned with some fruit. "Do we really need zis much fruit?" the French teacher inquired, "Zey gave us three days of food and water."

"We have no idea how long this tournament will last," Miss Marina answered.

"Best ta save the perserved foods," Hassleberry added. He set his load down and walked over to Mr. Thulin. "Anythin'?"

"Just one," the student teacher replied. He pointed to a trout he had apparently caught some time ago. It was still twitching, but otherwise it was quite dead.

"Where'd ya learn ta fish?" Hassleberry asked.

"Dad taught me." Mr. Thulin was about to go on, but then he suddenly felt a tug on his line. He immediately grabbed onto his makeshift rod and started pulling.

"Yo, you need a hand?" Hassleberry offered.

"Sure." With one hand, he passed the rod to the P.E. teacher and started using his own hands to pull the line in. Before long, the two men had themselves an eight-pound trout.

"That's a big fish!" Hassleberry noted.

"I think this'll be enough." Mr. Thulin got up and carried his catch back to the campsite. Together with Hassleberry, they arrived to find Marcel already washing the fruits.

"Did you catch anything?" asked Miss Marina.

"We should if two people share each fish," answered Mr. Thulin. He set his catches by the fire and sat down on a log. "Who's got the knife?"

"Right here." Hassleberry held his out toward the student teacher. As Mr. Thulin reached out for it, the four teachers heard something hit the ground followed by an extremely loud buzzing noise. They turned their heads and saw a wasp nest that had fallen from a nearby tree.

"SHIT!" Mr. Thulin immediately jumped to his feet.

"Sam Hill!" Hassleberry quickly moved away as the swarm poured out from the nest.

"Wasps!" Miss Marina cried out. Marcel swore something in French and the four teachers ran away.

From a cliff not far away, Weevil cackled as he watched the mayhem below. "Excellent! They're all running in different directions!"

"Aw'right! I'm dishing out some dino destruction!" Rex declared.

"And I've got my bugs' sights set." Weevil followed Marcel with his gaze and cackled again.

o o o

"Miss Marina, you alright?" asked Mr. Thulin as he helped the girl's P.E. teacher to her feet.

"I'm okay, Mr. Thulin. Thank you." The two of them had managed to escape the wasps. In doing so, however, they had been separated from the others. "We need to find Marcel and Tyranno."

"I saw them run the other way, but that's it." Mr. Thulin turned around and looked in the direction of their campsite. "We need to get back."

"I agree," Miss Marina concurred.

o o o

"Marcel! Ariel! Chance? Where are y'all?" Hassleberry yelled. He made his way through the foliage calling out his co-workers names again. He had lost everyone in the panic and was attempting to regroup with them. Unfortunately, he was the only one of the four who didn't bring a cell phone. He hoped that his fellow teachers would be able to contact each other at the very least.

o o o

"Allo? Is anybody zere?" Marcel took his phone from his ear and knocked his hand against it before trying again. "Allo? Mademoiselle Marina? Monsieur Thulin? Monsieur Hassleberry? Can anybody hear me?" He double checked his screen. He definitely had a signal as his display was showing four bars. Yet for some reason he couldn't call anyone. Suddenly, his screen died. "Sacre bleu. Mon téléphone cellulaire est cassé." He shut his phone and put it away. He had no means of contacting the others. For now, the French teacher had no choice but to try to find his way back. He was about to start walking when his Duel Band began to beep. He looked at it and saw that it was flashing red. That could only mean one thing. Somebody he hadn't registered had entered his ten-meter radius. There was no way to escape it. Preparing for the worst, Marcel activated his Duel Disk and inserted his deck.

"'Welcome to my parlor,' said the spider to the fly." Weevil stepped out from among the trees with a diabolical grin on his face. "Prepare yourself. You're about to fall before the insects of the revered Weevil Underwood!"

Marcel just looked at him. "I'm sorry. You are who?"

"You'll remember my name after I beat you in a duel!" Weevil activated his Duel Disk. Both decks were shuffled and the duel began.

--

**Marcel:** 8000

**Weevil:** 8000

--

"The first move is mine!" Weevil drew his first card. "And from my hand, I summon Cross-Sword Beetle in attack mode!" The holographic projectors hummed to life and an enormous brown beetle with two pairs of pincers appeared (ATK/1800 DEF/1200). "Next I play the Continuous Spell Verdant Sanctuary. Now whenever one of my Insect monsters is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can bring another Insect from my deck to my hand as long as it's the same level as the bug that was destroyed. Your move."

"I draw." Marcel drew his first card. At first he felt like setting a Mad Reloader. However, Cross-Sword Beetle had the piercing effect, so setting that monster would do no good. He fanned out his hand and a plan came to mind. "I set one monster card and one facedown. I will end my turn after that." The French instructor declared as he placed his cards on the field.

"My move then! I draw!" Weevil drew his card and he cackled. Everything was going according to his plan. "I summon Insect Knight in attack mode!" He played his card and summoned a mutated cricket armed with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other (ATK/1900 DEF/1500). "Cross-Sword Beetle, attack that monster!" Cross-Sword Beetle lumbered forward and captured the card in its pincers. With one big squeeze, it shattered its target and was revealed to be Mad Reloader (ATK/0 DEF/0). "Now you take eighteen hundred points of damage!"

"Non! I activate my Trap Card! Defense Draw!" Marcel revealed his facedown card. "Zis card can only be activated during damage calculation. I take no Battle Damage and I get to draw one card." His Life Points were safe as he added a card from the top of his deck to his hand. "Zen with Mad Reloader's effect, I can discard two cards and draw two new ones." He examined his hand carefully and then sent two cards to his graveyard before drawing two more to replace them.

"That still leaves you at the mercy of my Insect Knight!" Insect Knight suddenly flew in and slashed Marcel with its sword only to meet resistance as it collided with the spectral form of a red armor clad warrior.

"I remove zee Necro Gardna in my graveyard to negate your attack." Marcel said with a sinister smirk that became almost habitual from his time possessed by the deranged spirit of Yubel.

"When did you send that to your graveyard?" demanded Weevil.

"When you destroyed my Mad Reloader," Marcel reminded his opponent.

"Bah! Fine, I will still crush you with my insects. I will set one card facedown and end my turn."

"Zen I will draw." Marcel's fingers placed themselves tentatively atop his deck and grasped at his next card. It was going to come in handy in the very near future. But he was lacking the cards he would need to use it. For the time being, he set that card along with one monster. Afterwards, he ended his turn.

"My move!" Weevil cackled as he drew his card and summoned another Insect without a second thought. "Let's see how you do against my Howling Insect." Blue flames appeared on the field and they flared up as a blue grasshopper with its legs ablaze crawled out (ATK/1200 DEF/1300). "Cross-Sword Beetle, attack!" Cross-Sword Beetle crawled across the field and closed its pincers over Marcel's card.

"You'll need a lot more zan zat, I'm afraid." The card was flipped face-up and in the insect's jaws appeared a large green statue (ATK/300 DEF/2000). "My Stone Statue of the Aztecs doubles any Battle Damage you receive when you attack it." Cross-Sword Beetle continued to tighten its grip on its prey until several loud cracks filled the air and pieces of its pincers flew back and hit Weevil.

--

**Marcel:** 8000

**Weevil:** 7600

--

"How dare you deny my bugs their feast!"

"Are you going to finish up soon?" Marcel inquired.

"Grrr. Fine! I end my turn!" Weevil declared.

"Excellenté." Marcel drew his card. "And now I summon Chainsaw Insect in attack mode." A loud mechanical buzz filled the air as a large stag beetle appeared with chainsaws infused with its pincers (ATK/2400 DEF/0). "Chainsaw Insect, attack Howling Insect." Chainsaw Insect reved up its jaws and closed them around its target. Its blades sawed deep into the blue grasshopper until the creatures was cut roughly in half.

--

**Marcel:** 8000

**Weevil:** 6400

--

Weevil shielded himself with his arms as he lost twelve hundred Life Points, but after the damage had been dealt he cackled again. "You should always be careful when handling bugs. Because you never know when it's going to bite back. With your Chainsaw Insect's effect, I can draw a card whenever it attacks or is attacked." His grin remained etched on his face as he drew a card.

"Zat is where I activate zis Trap Card." Marcel revealed his facedown. "Appropriate will let me draw two cards each time you draw outside of your Draw Phase." Gingerly placing two fingers on top of his deck, he removed the top two cards and placed them in his hand.

"So you got two more cards. It won't matter." Weevil's Duel Disk ejected a card from his deck and he placed it on its surface. "If my Howling Insect is destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon one Insect from my deck with fifteen hundred or fewer attack points. So now I bring out Pinch Hopper in defense mode." A green winged insect appeared beside Insect Knight and crouched down in a defensive position (ATK/1000 DEF/1200). "And don't forget about my Verdant Sanctuary. Because you destroyed one of my insects, I can bring one from my deck to my hand that's the same level as the one you destroyed. Such as another Howling Insect." He showed the card to his opponent and placed it in his hand.

"I am done," Marcel announced.

"Now it's my turn!" Weevil drew his card. With Chainsaw Insect on his opponent's side of the field, it was going to be difficult to deal damage.

_First, I may want to get rid of that Appropriate card_, he thought, _As long as he has it on the field, he's eventually going to gain a hand advantage over me_. Looking at his hand, an idea formed in his head and he set a monster facedown before switching the rest of his insect monsters in defense mode.

"Let's see what you've got!"

"Oui, I shall." Marcel drew his next card. "Chainsaw Insect, attack Cross-Sword Beetle." Chainsaw Insect grabbed Cross-Sword Beetle in its pincers and sawed through its carapace until it had cut through it. By its effect, Weevil drew a card which then activated the effect of Appropriate and allowed Marcel to draw two cards. Immediately following, Verdant Sanctuary's effect kicked in, allowing Weevil to add a level four Insect to his hand. He used it to bring Aztekipede, the Worm Warrior to his hand. "I shall set two cards facedown and end my turn."

"It's my turn now!" Weevil drew his card and his eyes grew as wide as his glasses. "First I Flip Summon my facedown Swarm of Locusts!" A large swarm of brown locusts appeared on the field (ATK/1000 DEF/500)."By doing so, I can use its effect to destroy one Spell or Trap Card you control. A card like your Appropriate!" The swarm flew over to Marcel's Trap Card and completely covered it. In seconds, they devoured the card.

"Oh no!"

"Oh yes!" Weevil cackled. "Now I activate the Spell Card Worm Bait. This card can only be activated as long as I have Insect monsters on the field. With this, I can Special Summon two Worm Tokens to the field at the cost of being unable to Normal Summon or Special Summon any level three or level four monsters." Two skull-faced caterpillars appeared on Weevil's side of the field, each only level one with zero attack and defense points. "But they're not staying long because now I'm sacrificing them." The two caterpillars disappeared from the field. "I summon Insect Queen!" A loud screech filled the air as an enormous insect bearing feminine humanoid features crawled out onto the field (ATK/2200 DEF/2400). "She gains two hundred attack points for every Insect on the field." With Pinch Hopper, Insect Knight, Swarm of Locusts, and herself on the field, Insect Queen's attack power rose up by eight hundred to three thousand. "Now I can't attack unless with her unless I tribute a monster. So I'm giving up my Swarm of Locusts. Eat up, my queen!" The enormous bug rounded up the locusts and began to feast on them. When she was done, she only had twenty-eight hundred attack points left, but she could now launch a devastating assault on her master's opponent. "Attack Chainsaw Insect, my pet!"

"I will not allow you!" Marcel flipped over one of his facedowns. "I activate my Mirror Force!" A shimmering barrier appeared before his monsters ready to reflect the attack back with enough power to destroy all of his opponent's insects."

"And I activate MY facedown!" Weevil cackled. "My Trap Jammer will make short work of your Mirror Force!" The barrier began to crack and then it shattered, leaving Marcel's monsters vulnerable again. Insect Queen crawled toward Chainsaw Insect and stuck her legs into its before bringing up to her mouth. She swiftly devoured her prey and swung a leg at Marcel.

--

**Marcel:** 7600

**Weevil:** 6400

--

"I end my turn and thus activate my queen's effect. She lays one Insect Monster Token in attack mode on my End Phase." Insect Queen's abdomen shuddered and before long she produced a slimy insect egg behind her, boosting her back to three thousand attack points.

"Zen it is my turn." Marcel drew his next card. With Insect Queen on the field, Weevil would be able to penetrate his defenses quite quickly and quite easily. If he could get all the cards he needed, he would be able to win the duel easily. He examined his hand and an idea began to form. He grabbed two Spell Cards and played them. "I play two copies of One to One. By sending one Monster Card from my hand to zee graveyard, I can Special Summon one level one monster for each. Et my two monsters will be Mad Reloader and Grave Squirmer." A second Mad Reloader appeared on the field in attack mode followed by a large muscular mummy (ATK/0 DEF/0) in the same position.

"Zero attack and defense points?" Weevil laughed. "What can you do with those pathetic monsters?"

"I now play Creature Swap. And with zis card, I shall give you my Grave Squirmer. Now what will you give me?"

"That's easy. My Insect Monster Token!" The two cards were exchanged and Marcel found himself with the slimy egg while Weevil received his mummy.

"Mad Reloader, attack Grave Squirmer!" Mad Reloader opened its mouth and fired a wave of dark energy at its target. In a simultaneous effort, Grave Squirmer fired several of its bandages and wrapped them around the other Fiend. The two fought for a while before their equal strength destroyed them both. "Mad Reloader's effect lets me discard two cards and zen draw two." Marcel sent his two remaining cards in his hand to the graveyard and then drew two new ones. "And now for Grave Squirmer's effect. When he is destroyed in battle and sent to zee graveyard, he can destroy one card on the field." At that moment, several bandages shot out of the ground and wrapped themselves around Insect Queen. She screeched loudly, commanding her Insects to save her, but none would heed her call as she was dragged into an early grave.

"NO! My Insect Queen!"

"Is dead."

"You'll pay for that!"

"I change Insect Monster Token into defense mode and end my turn."

"You won't survive until the end!" Weevil drew his card and looked at it. Seeing its name brought a sudden change to his facial expression. "Perhaps there IS an upside after all. First, I sacrifice Pinch Hopper in order to summon Saber Beetle in attack mode!" He summoned out a Hercules beetle with a glowing white horn (ATK/2400 DEF/600). "Now since my Pinch Hopper was sent from the field to the graveyard, I can Special Summon one Insect from my hand. Such as my Dreadscythe Harvester!" From the remains of Pinch Hopper's broken carapace arose an enormous green mantis wielding a large scythe (ATK/2300 DEF/1600). "Next I remove from play my Pinch Hopper and my Howling Insect from play to Special Summon Doom Dozer!" Beside Dreadscythe Harvester, the ground split open and out burst a giant centipede (ATK/2800 DEF/2600). "Now I play the Spell Card Double Summon, letting me Normal Summon again this turn. So I'll tribute my Insect Knight and summon out Ultimate Insect LV5!" Insect Knight vanished from the field and in its placed appeared an enormous blue pupa with several sharp blades coming out of its back (ATK/2300 DEF/900). "Lastly, I remove from play my Insect Knight to Special Summon Aztekipede, the Worm Warrior in attack mode." In Weevil's final Monster Zone, a large green centipede broke out of the ground (ATK/1900 DEF/400).

"Sacre bleu!"

"Feel the wrath of my bugs!" cried Weevil, "Saber Beetle, attack Insect Monster Token!" Saber Beetle charged and stabbed its horn through the insect egg. A bright line shined out and the small object burst. It then followed up with a charge at Marcel and stabbed him, dealing piercing damage.

--

**Marcel:** 5300

**Weevil:** 6400

--

"Dreadscythe Harvester, destroy Stone Statue of the Aztecs!" The mantis raised his weapon and sliced down hard on the statue. The stone monument's upper half slid off from its lower half and collapsed to the ground, leaving Marcel wide open to the rest of Weevil's bugs. "Aztekipede, you're up next!" Aztekipede, the Worm Warrior burrowed beneath the ground and rose up in front of Marcel before slamming its body against him.

--

**Marcel:** 3400

**Weevil:** 6400

--

"Doom Dozer, attack!" Doom Dozer crawled along the ground at high speed and rammed its body straight into Marcel.

--

**Marcel:** 600

**Weevil:** 6400

--

"It's over! Ultimate Insect LV5, finish him!" Ultimate Insect LV5 spread out its limbs and unleashed a massive rain of stinger. "At last I've won!" Weevil laughed manically as his Ultimate Insect LV5 returned to its place. His joy was short-lived, however, when the smoke cleared and he saw Marcel still standing there. "WHAT? How did you survive that?"

"With zis." Marcel pointed to his side and as the dust settled, it was revealed that he had activated his facedown. "Defense Draw. My Life Points are safe." He drew his card from his trap's effect.

Weevil's expression changed again back into his trademark sneer. "It doesn't matter. There's nothing you can do with only six hundred Life Points remaining. You've lost."

"Zee duel is not over yet." And with that Marcel drew his card. He set it facedown and then ended his turn.

"My move!" Weevil drew and cackled again. "On my Standby Phase, I can tribute Ultimate Insect LV5 in order to Special Summon Ultimate Insect LV7!" The carapace of Ultimate Insect LV5 split open and from it emerged a fully-developed adult insect with an exoskeleton studded with spines and great enormous pincers on its head (ATK/2600 DEF/1200). "You thought my Insect Queen was tough. Just wait until you see what my Ulimate Insect has to offer! Ultimate Insect LV7, attack!"

"I zink not!" Marcel activated his facedown. "I activate my Threatening Roar!" A loud roar seemingly came out of nowhere and stopped all of Weevil's insects dead in their tracks.

"Feh! Fine then. You're just delaying the inevitable." And with that, he ended his turn.

"It is my turn now. And I draw." Marcel placed his fingers on top of his deck and slowly removed the top card.

"Nothing you have can save you!" Weevil cackled. "Just surrender and maybe I'll go easy on you!"

"I think not." Marcel placed his card into his hand and took another. "I summon Phantom of Chaos." A swirling black massless entity appeared on his side of the field (ATK/0 DEF/0).

"Another monster with zero attack and defense points? Why don't you just place your hand on top of your deck and surrender?"

"Zere is more to my monster zan you think." Marcel began to explain. "Once per turn, I can remove from play one Effect Monster from my graveyard. Zen until my End Phase, my Phantom's card name is treated as zee removed monster's name and it gains its effect and attack points."

"And what could you possibly have in that pathetic graveyard of yours that can save you?"

"You obviously have not paid attention to the cards I discarded with my Mad Reloaders." Marcel's Duel Disk ejected a single card and he showed to Weevil. "Among zem was zis card: Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord."

"HA! Now I know you must be desperate. You're trying to scare me. But I know Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord has no attack points. So much for your Phantom of Chaos."

"Are you forgetting about zee rest of my Phantom's other effect?" asked Marcel, "It takes zee effect of zee removed monster too. Including Exodius' instant win effect." He placed Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord into his pocket and Phantom of Chaos changed into a pitch-black version of Exodius.

"B-but..." Weevil stammered, "You can't! You don't have all five pieces of Exodia in your graveyard!"

"Oh really now?" Marcel showed Weevil his graveyard. Buried deep within it were Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, Right Leg of the Forbidden One, and Left Leg of the Forbidden One.

"HA! Such a bluff!" Weevil laughed. "You only have four! I'm perfectly safe!"

"Are you sure?" Marcel pointed to his card. "With Exodius' effect, my Phantom of Chaos gains one thousand attack points for each of zee Normal Monsters in my graveyard. And he also sends one monster to my graveyard when he attacks. And for zis turn, zee card I choose is Exodia the Forbidden One."

"NO! It can't be!"

"It is ironic, is it not?" asked Marcel, "Zee very man who threw Yugi Mutou's Exodia cards into zee sea at zee first Duelist Kingdom tournament shall now be defeated by Exodia's power."

"Wait...I thought you didn't know who I was!"

"It is amazing what you remember when you duel a coward. Who could ever forget zee footnote you made at zat tournament? Now, Exodius, Obliterate!" Phantom of Chaos, in the body of Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord, charged up its energies in between its hands and then unleashed it in one large blast. Weevil's Aztekipede, the Worm Warrior, Saber Beetle, Dreadscythe Harvester, Doom Dozer, and Ultimate Insect LV7 were destroyed in one fell attack and Weevil screamed at the top of his lungs.

The field quickly cleared of all holograms and the Duel Bands began to flash very quickly. Suddenly, Marcel felt as if his life force had been drained from his body and he fell to one knee onto the ground.

"Th-this can't be!" Weevil stammered, "I was supposed to win! This was my chance to come back on top!" His Duel Band then went off and he too collapsed.

"Chance, I think I heard something over here." Marcel, barely conscious, could just make out a familiar woman's voice approaching before he blacked out. Miss Marina arrived and found him lying facedown on the ground. "It's Marcel!" Mr. Thulin arrived shortly after her.

"Yo, Frenchie, what happened?" Mr. Thulin said to the now tired French instructor. Marcel looked up with a hint of annoyance in his eyes, but was too tired to retort, instead motioning his head to Weevil. "Oh!" Mr. Thulin continued, nudging Weevil with his foot once. Twice. Three times. He looked over to Miss Marina and laughed. "It's Weevil Underwood, that old has been Duelist who got disqualified from the pros for cheating. We got Weeviled."Miss Marina sighed and shook her head before placing a hand on Mr. Thulin's shoulder.

"Chance," she said, "you think we should worry about Marcel here?"

"Not really. He won. He should be fine if he gets some food in him and a little rest. Who we should worry about is Hassleberry. From what I remember on those old pro duels, Weevil always had an accomplice."

"I remember him too," She nodded in realization, "Rex Raptor the...dino Duelist. We have to find Tyranno!"Her young face showed distinct worry as her brow furrowed. Marcel got to his feet and his sickly form seemed even weaker than usual.

"Then, my friends," Marcel said in a shaky voice," we must be off to find ze Tyranno Hassleberry before our insectoid friend's partner does. We would not want to, how you say, lose one of our men zis early on in ze mission."

o o o

The ship was still stationed at the dock. The crew had disembarked a while ago to get some food. The only people on board were the cleaning staff. At least that was what everybody thought. "Let's move, Gio!" a young girl's voice whispered.

"Cassie, wait!" a boy's voice replied.

Two small figures snuck off the ship and made it onto the island. Cassie Rhodes stood in the sunlight as Gio Hassleberry came up behind her. "You're so slow, Gio!"

"I told you I don't do well at sea." Gio's legs still a little shaky as he tried to follow Cassie. "Why did we have to stow away on the ship anyway?"

"Cuz I said so," was Cassie's response. She made her way up the slope of the island and crouched behind some bushes. Gio came up behind her and crouched down beside her. "There's some major stuff going on and I'm gonna find out what."

"I can't believe I'm giving up play time with my rocks for this," muttered Gio.

"Listen Gio, we can get outta here quickly if you just shut your trap so no one can hear us."

"What are you kids doing here?" Cassie and Gio were startled and they turned around to see a man in a black suit standing over them.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

It's a battleof the dinosaurs. Tyranno Hassleberry against Rex Raptor. Who will win in this dynamic dinosaur duel? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	54. Dinosaur Rampage

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-13**

**Dinosaur Rampage**

Hassleberry's boots dug into to the dirt as he climbed up a short hill. He was trying to get to higher ground so he could find his fellow teachers. Shortly after the wasp nest incident, he managed to look around and saw a cliff overlooking the area where the campsite was. He decided he should go there and try to signal the other three teachers. However, getting there was no easy task. The foliage was thick, which made it difficult to find his way. Quite often he would stop and take a moment to think before he realized he was lost and backtracked to his last familiar point. He scratched his head and looked around. Hopefully, getting to his destination would not take too long.

o o o

Cassie and Gio stood there dumbfounded as the suited man walked away. "Well..." The shirtless boy looked at the metal band that had been placed on his arm. "That was..."

"Unexpected?" asked Cassie.

"No, no. That's not it. Gio thought for a moment. "I never saw it coming."

"That's what unexpected means," Cassie replied.

"I told you," Gio began to remind her, "I don't understand big words."

Cassie ignored the rock lover and looked at her Duel Band. When the suited man had caught them, she thought for sure that they would be in trouble. But instead, he had placed their devices on their arms and explained them before giving each of them a backpack containing several supplies. He even helped the kids register one another onto their Duel Bands. Immediately after doing so, he quickly left."Let's just go, Gio. I don't think staying here will be a good idea."

"Let's go find a cave," Gio suggested. Cassie just looked at him.

"Why a cave?"

Gio cleared his throat and pointed at himself with his thumb. "Who's the expert on rocks here?"

"I think you've got rocks in your head," she retorted.

"Follow me and you won't get rocks _on_ your head."

o o o

Roman stood looking out the window of the castle looking down at the island. The tournament had been going for only a few hours and he had already collected a great amount of duel energy. Bringing one arm forward, he brought his hand up to his face and pushed up his glasses. "Things are going well," a voice said behind him. Roman turned around toward the shadows in the back of the room and saw that the LEGO replica of the island had been moved to a table. He looked toward a chair beside it and saw the small child he had met downstairs.

"It's you again."

"Don't be so surprised, Mr. Roman. You know I'm always here."

"I wasn't acting surprised," Roman answered nonchalantly. He watched as the child reached out with his left arm and pick up two figures. He inspected them closely before carelessly throwing them both into the box beside him.

"That duel ended in a draw. As a result, there was no winner."

The child was a peculiar one for sure. Not even Roman could figure him out. He could never tell what the boy was thinking. Whenever he asked him what was on his mind, he would always avoid it. It was as if he didn't want him to know what he was thinking. While this did not bother the brilliant businessman, it did intrigue him. He watched as the child grabbed a milkshake and took a sip from it.

_On the other hand,_ he thought_,he's still just a boy_.

o o o

Saito uncapped the bottle and took a sip of water. Wes was now inside the cave while Hayley was out on guard duty. He sat opposite of Saito not really seeming to notice the fact that Nellie was leaning on him. "I know Roman is up to something," the heir to the Kaiba fortune muttered to himself as he swirld the water around in his bottle.

"Who you talkin' about, Sai?" Nellie asked.

"The guy who's running this tournament," answered Saito, "Marcus Antonius Roman."

"What's so special about him, Sai?"

"I wouldn't say he's special, but I know him."

"Howzat?"

"He works for me."

"Say wha!?" Nellie just looked at Saito like he was crazy.

"Technically for my father, but he's been doing a lot of work for me recently."

"So Kaiba Corp.'s the one behind this tourney?" Hayley asked from outside.

"Hell no. Kaiba Corp. Hasn't held a tournament since the KC Grand Championship. It has sponsored some, though, but that's not the point." Saito took another sip of water and screwed the cap back on the bottle. "In all the time I've known him, Roman's been pretty disquietingly ambitious. He never says it out loud, but his actions definitely say more than words ever could."

"So what's he after? Kaiba Corp.?" asked Nellie.

"I think he's aiming for something higher than my father's company. Although, I wouldn't put it past him to try to get his hands on it on the way up."

"So you're gonna win this thing and stop him?"

"That's the general idea."

"You da man, Sai." Nellie leaned more against Wes and rested her head on his chest. She could hear the soft thumps of his heartbeat and feel the gentle and rhythmic sensation of his breathing. Perhaps a little too rhythmic. She looked at him and realized that he had fallen asleep, which caused her to giggle. "Aww, he looks so cute when he's sleeping." Brushing Wes' short hair away from his face, she moved closer and gently brushed her lips against his.

"It doesn't count if he's sleeping, Nellie!" Hayley called from the cave entrance.

"Aww, come on. A girl can have a little fun with her boy." Nellie looked back at her sleeping crush's face and smiled.

o o o

The lavender-haired woman stood exhausted as her opponent fell to the ground completely drained of energy. The priestess she had met on the boat caught her as she started to fall and eased her down into a sitting position. "Please take it easy, Reka," the priestess said as she handed the lavender-haired duelist some water. Reka nodded and took the bottle from her, sipping lightly before drinking a few big gulps.

"Thank you, Mika." Mika stayed by her partner's side for a while longer before she rose to her feet and walked over to where they had placed their supplies. "We better get going soon."

"Why?"

"If we stay here, some wandering Duelist is going to come by and challenge us," Reka answered, "We have a better chance of steering clear from challengers if we keep moving."

"That makes sense," Mika concurred, "but do we really have to go so soon? These duels have been draining you dry."

"I'll manage." Reka recapped her water bottle and handed it back to Mika, who returned it to the bag. She helped the lavender-haired woman to her feet and they slowly began to move.

"Where should we go?" the priestess inquired. Reka checked her map and directed her toward a beach.

"There's a cove over there with a cliff that can shelter us. We can rest there for a bit."

Together, the two women made their strenuous journey to their destination. Their luck managed to hold out as no Duelists had come within ten feet of their location. Nearly three quarters of an hour had passed before the cove finally came within view. "We're almost there," Mika said as she continued to help Reka down the slope and onto the sand. The other woman slowly looked up and immediately brought up her arm.

"Stop." Mika stopped in her tracks and looked at her partner with a puzzled look on her face. Reka said nothing, but instead pointed forward. The priestess followed her hand and discovered why they had stopped. The place they had hoped to reach was already occupied. Three people were standing on the beach out in the sun. One was a bald man in a black leather jacket, blue jeans, and crocodile skin boots. He wore no shirt and he had a tattoo on the back of his head of a flame with reptilian eyes. The second was another man with a short green spiky mohawk wearing a Union Jack tank top, camouflage pants, and military boots. If the women were closer, they would have been able to see that the second man also had piercings in his right eyebrow, nose, and lip, as well as sixteen-millimeter flesh tunnels in his ears. The last man was a giant, standing at about seven feet ten inches with enormous muscles cloaked head to toe in a long white robe. However, it had been tied in strategic areas in order to maximize his mobility. White footwraps covered his legs and a long black and silver tabard covered his torso, held in place at the waist with a white sash belt. His head was covered with a hood. Though the two women could not see it, his face was obscured by a mask of a haloed orb with a cyclopian eye that swirled with a nexus of darkness.

The men had their backs turned toward them and seemed to be facing a fourth figure standing in the shadow cast by the cliff overhead. Reka directed Mika with her hand and they moved a little closer before hiding behind a rock.

"Can you hear anything?" the priestess inquired.

"Barely." Reka strained her ears to listen in on the conversation, but she could only pick up bits and pieces.

"......tournament.............island.............................blow up..........................."

"What are they saying?" asked Mika.

"I think they're...planning to blow up the island after the tournament."

"They WHAT?" Suddenly, the men turned around and one of them pointed toward the women's location.

"Run!" Reka managed to stabilize herself on her feet and, with the help of Mika, managed to get away.

"Leave them," said the man cast in shadow, "We have bigger plans." The other three looked at each other for a moment then nodded toward their leader.

o o o

Hassleberry reached up with one arm and grabbed onto a rock before pulling himself up. He had managed to find the cliff he wanted and was now climbing up the side to reach the top. "How in Sam Hill can anyone get up here?" he wondered aloud as he continued scaling the rocks. He reached out once more and finally felt a level surface. With the rest of his strength, he pulled himself up on top of the cliff and let out a sigh as he sat down and looked out at the island. "I'll just take a breather before I keep goin'." His break was interrupted almost immediately when his Duel Band started to flash. Immediately, he got up and looked around. What he saw was a man with long brown hair poking out from under a red beanie cap and a green jacket.

"So you finally made it, eh?"

"Who in Sam Hill are you?" demanded Hassleberry as he turned to face him fully.

"The name's Rex Raptor and I'm the top dino Duelist in the world."

"Top dino Duelist? Now hold on right there, pal. Ain't no one a better dino Duelist than me."

Rex laughed. "HA! You can't even tell the difference between a brontosaurus and a triceratops!"

"Oh yeah? Well y'all can't tell a carnotaurus apart from a saurophaganax," Hassleberry countered. Rex just stared at him.

"A what and a what now?"

"HA! Who's laughin' now?"

"Aww, it doesn't matter one bit!" Rex activated his Duel Disk and shoved his deck in. "I'm still gonna beat ya!"

"We'll see 'bout that!" Hassleberry activated his Duel Disk and inserted his deck into the deck slot. Both decks were automatically shuffled.

--

**Hassleberry:** 8000

**Rex:** 8000

--

"Get ready cuz I'm going first!" Rex drew his first card. "And I'm gonna Special Summon my Gilasaurus in attack mode!" He summoned out a brown bipedal carnivorous dinosaur (ATK/1400 DEF/800). "Next I'm gonna shake things up with my Two-Headed King Rex!" A purple two-headed winged dinosaur appeared beside Gilasaurus (ATK/1600 DEF/1200). "Now I'm givin' my Rex a little boost with Raise Body Heat, givin' him three hundred more attack points!" Two-Headed King Rex began to flush and swell up as its body temperature rose, bringing his attack power to nineteen hundred. "Let's see what you've got!"

"Is that it?" Hassleberry drew his card. "Those are old dino cards! Now THIS is what it's all about these days! I summon Sabersaurus in attack mode!" He made his move and summoned a red triceratops with blades on its shoulders and tail (ATK/1900 DEF/500). Afterwards, he opened his field tray and placed a card inside. "Next I play the Field Spell Jurassic World." His Field Spell Card disappeared into his Duel Disk and the duel field transformed into the lush tropical enivonment of the Jurassic period, including a large volcano in the virtual background.

"What's the point?" Rex laughed, "That card boosts ALL dinosaurs by three hundred attack and defense, including mine!" Both dino Duelists watched as Gilasaurus' stats rose to seventeen hundred attack and eleven hundred defense, Two-Headed King Rex to twenty-two hundred attack and fifteen hundred defense, and Sabersaurus to twenty-two hundred attack and eight hundred defense.

"Sabersaurus, attack Gilasaurus!" Sabersaurus charged across the field and gored its horns into Gilasaurus' soft underbelly.

--

**Hassleberry:** 8000

**Rex:** 7500

--

"I'm gunna set a card facedown and end my turn!" A card appeared near Hassleberry's feet. "It's yer move!"

"Aw'right!" Rex drew his card. "I summon Black Veloci in attack mode!" A black velociraptor with feathers on its arms appeared beside Two-Headed King Rex and roared (ATK/1800 DEF/300). With the effect of Jurassic World, its attack points rose to twenty-one hundred and its defense to six hundred. "Black Veloci, go get your dinner!" Black Veloci roared again and ran toward Sabersaurus.

"Ain't you fergettin' somethin'? Hassleberry asked. "My Sabersaurus' got a hundred more attack points than yer Black Veloci."

"Yeah, but my dino gets four hundred more attack points during the damage step!" All eyes watched as Black Veloci avoided a charge from its target and leapt onto Sabersaurus' back. It then bit down on its neck. Sabersaurus tried to shake it off, but to no avail. As the black carnivore continued to hang on, its attack power rose up an addition four hundred points, bringing it to twenty-five hundred attack points. It closed its jaw more and finally snapped the bone before tearing out a chunk of the bladed triceratops' spine.

--

**Hassleberry:** 7700

**Rex:** 7500

--

"Two-Headed King Rex, attack!" With the path clear, Two-Headed King Rex stomped over to Hassleberry and bit down on him with both mouths.

--

**Hassleberry:** 5500

**Rex:** 7500

--

"Show me what kinda stuff you got," Rex challenged as he ended his turn.

"I will," Hassleberry answered as he drew.

_But what can I use to beat his Black Veloci?_ he asked himself mentally, _That thing gains four hundred attack points during the Damage Step when it attacks. But if I attack it, it loses four hundred attack points. That means attackin' it will bring it down seventeen hundred._ Hassleberry examined the four cards in his hand. After doing some math in his head, he placed one card onto the field.

"I summon Hyper Hammerhead in attack mode!" A brown carnivorous dinosaur with a long flat nose appeared and roared (ATK/1500 DEF/1200). With the effect of Jurassic World, its attack points rose to eighteen hundred and its defense points to fifteen hundred. "Attack Black Veloci!" Hyper Hammerhead ran toward Black Veloci and slammed its head into its target. The latter blocked and snarled, but suddenly its body weakened as it lost four hundred attack points, bringing it down to seventeen hundred attack power. This was enough for Hyper Hammerhead to destroy it with a single hit.

--

**Hassleberry:** 5500

**Rex:** 7400

--

"That's it fer now," Hassleberry declared, "Yer move."

"Alright. I draw!" Rex drew his card. "I'm summoning out Balloon Lizard!" He brought out a bloated komodo dragon (ATK/500 DEF/1900). "Next I'm playin' Ultra Evolution Pill. By sacrificing one Reptile on my field, I can Special Summon one dino from my hand." A large pill materialized before Balloon Lizard and it ate it quickly. Almost immediately, it began to grow until it had turned into a black tyrannosaurus. "I'm bringing out my Black Tyranno!" Black Tyranno stood up on its legs and roared (ATK/2600 DEF/1800).

_If he attacks Hyper Hammerhead, I'll be down a few Life Points, but at least that thing'll be off the field_, thought Hassleberry.

"Now I play my Block Attack Spell Card!" Rex played the last card in his hand and immediately, Hyper Hammerhead switched into defense mode. "If all you've got are defense monsters, my big guy can attack directly!" Black Tyranno stomped past Hyper Hammerhead and spun around rapidly, slamming its tail into Hassleberry.

--

**Hassleberry:** 2900

**Rex:** 7400

--

"That ends my turn!" Rex declared as Black Tyranno returned to his side of the field. "Beat that!"

_Dang! That guy hits hard!_ Hassleberry thought as he looked at the field. _But at least my Hyper Hammerhead's safe, so I can hit back. _He drew his next card. At first he thought about attacking with his Hyper Hammerhead and sending Black Tyranno back to his opponent's hand. He would be sacrificing his monster and a lot of Life Points in the process but it would clear the field of the dark behemoth.

"Black Stego, front an' center!" He played his card and summoned out a black stegosaurus (ATK/1200 DEF/2000). "Next I'm switchin' my Hyper Hammerhead back into attack mode!" Hyper Hammerhead got up off its knees and spread out its arms before roaring as it returned to its attack position. "Hyper Hammerhead, attack Black Tyranno!" Hyper Hammerhead roared again before charging toward its target. Black Tyranno roared and reached out with its mouth. The smaller dinosaur slammed its head into the larger creature's ankle just as the massive jaws closed around it. Black Tyranno lifted Hyper Hammerhead off the ground and sank its teeth into its soft flesh, crushing it in its maw.

--

**Hassleberry:** 1800

**Rex:** 7400

--

Hassleberry cringed as he list eleven hundred Life Points. However, the sacrificed paid off as the leg injury Hyper Hammerhead had left Black Tyranno took its toll and the great beast collapsed before being returned to Rex's hand."I'm settin' down 'nother facedown an' endin' my turn," he declared.

"Not a bad move." Rex drew his card. "But you left your Black Stego wide open! Two-Headed King Rex, attack!" Two-Headed King Rex roared and lumbered across the field toward the black stegosaurus.

"That activates my Black Stego's effect!" announced Hassleberry, "When he's picked to be an attack target by my opponent, he switches into defense mode." Black Stego instantly crouched down and huddled its head and tail together as Two-Headed King Rex bit down on its dorsal plates and chipped a tooth.

--

**Hassleberry:** 1800

**Rex:** 7300

--

"HA! That's not gonna stop me for long," Rex gloated.

"You'll see." Hassleberry drew his card. "First up, I'm sackin' my Black Stego fer a new dino!" Black Stego vanished from the field. "Dark Driceratops, front an' center!" In place of the stegosaurus, a green triceratops with feathers and a beak appeared (ATK/2400 DEF/1500). Jurassic World boosted its attack points to twenty-seven hundred and its defense points to eighteen hundred. "Now I'm activatin' a facedown: Survival Instinct. With this here card, I can remove from play any number of dinos from my grave and heal myself by four hundred Life Points fer each." He removed Sabersarus, Hyper Hammerhead, and Black Stego from his graveyard and he regained twelve hundred Life Points.

--

**Hassleberry:** 3000

**Rex:** 7300

--

"Dark Driceratops, smash that King Rex!" Dark Driceratops roared and rammed its horns into Two-Headed King Rex. The impact caused both heads to gasp in pain before the beast was destroyed.

--

**Hassleberry:** 3000

**Rex:** 6800

--

"I'm endin' my turn there."

"Lucky draw." Rex placed his fingers on top of his deck and removed the top card from it. "Lesse what I've got here!" He looked at the card he had just received. He was running out of options. With only one card in his hand, there wasn't much he could do. He just set that one card and ended his turn.

"My move!" Hassleberry drew his card and smiled when he saw it. "Tyranno Infinity, front an' center!" A horned tyrannosaurus materialized onto the field and roared (ATK/? DEF/0). "This guy here gets a thousand points fer every one o' my dinos removed from play. An' since I got three, that makes 'im three thousand points strong!" Electricity poured out of Tyranno Infinity's horns and surged through its body as its attack power rose up to three thousand. "Tyranno Infinity, attack!"

"I activate my Negate Attack!" As Tyranno Infinity unleashed a blast of electricity from its horns, a vortex appeared before Rex and swallowed up the attack, preventing any harm from being done.

"Heh. I never thought you'd ever set a Trap," Hassleberry noted. It was true. Rex Raptor was never known to use Trap Card. However, he knew in his mind when it was necessary to play one.

"I'm done fer now," Hassleberry announced. Rex then drew his card and cringed when he saw it. It was a Monster Card with an incredible ffect, but it would do him no good in this situation. He set it facedown on the field and ended his turn.

"Ha. Is that it?" Hassleberry drew his next card. "Dark Driceratops, attack!" Dark Driceratops lumbered across the field and slammed its horns into the facedown, which was revealed to be Miracle Jurassic Egg (ATK/0 DEF/2000). The card was destroyed and the feathered dinosaur continued and rammed into Rex.

--

**Hassleberry:** 3000

**Rex:** 6400

--

"Tyranno Infinity, attack!" Tyranno Infinity unleashed a powerful lightning blast and struck Rex with incredible force.

--

**Hassleberry:** 3000

**Rex:** 3400

--

"Lesse whatcha got, soldier," Hassleberry called to his opponent. Rex drew his card and his face lit up when he saw it.

"I play Swords of Revealing Light!" Three shining swords of light appeared in the sky and rained down in front of Hassleberry's front line, stopping them from any attacks.

"Y'all can enjoy yer delay. It ain't gonna be long before I can attack again," Hassleberry said.

"We'll see," responded Rex, "I end my turn."

"An' I draw!" Hassleberry drew his card. There was really no point in bringing out anything yet since he could not attack. He ended his turn there and the first sword vanished.

"My turn!" Rex drew his card. "And this card'll give me some help. I play Pot of Avarice. Now I can return five monsters in my graveyard to my deck, shuffle, and draw two cards." He selected Two-Headed King Rex, Gilasaurus, Black Tyranno, Black Veloci, and Miracle Jurassic Egg and returned them to his deck. His cards were automatically shuffled and he drew two. He liked the cards he received and ended his turn.

Hassleberry then drew. His opponent still had two turns to boost his hand count and increase his odds of winning. He looked down at his other facedown. He could activate it, but doing so would cause him to lose his own cards in the decided for the time being that he would hold off on it and ended his turn. Rex drew his card and ended his turn.

Hassleberry drew again and after several minutes of debating with himself, he finally decided he would go for it. Rex ran a Dinosaur deck just like he did. He knew how they worked and every Dinosaur deck relied heavily on summoning their big hitters. If he cleared the field now and opened the way for an attack, he could launch an attack next turn. "I activate my Trap Card!" Hassleberry activated his facedown. "Volcanic Eruption can only be activated on my End Phase if I have Jurassic World on the field. An' if I do, it destroys every card on the field!" The volcano suddenly began to spew smoke and ash and lava began to pour down the mountainside. Great molten boulders were shot out from the funnel and rained down on the field. Dark Driceratops, Tyranno Infinity, Swords of Revealing Light, and Jurassic World were all wiped out. When the smoke finally cleared, the prehistoric environment was gone.

Rex grinned and drew his card. "Thanks for clearing the field. Now I Special Summon two Gilasaurus!" Rex slapped two cards onto his Duel Disk and called out two copies of the very first monster he summoned in that duel.

"Ha! Is that it? With Gilasaurus' effect, I can Special Summon a monster from my grave each time you Special Summon one of them critters." Hassleberry used the two Gilasaurus' effects and brought back Tyranno Infinity in attack mode and Dark Driceratops in defense mode.

"It ain't over y et. Now I'm gonna sacrifice them." The two Gilasaurus vanished from the field and in their place Rex summoned an enormous brown dragon with a green gem embedded in its forehead. "Come on out, Tyrant Dragon!" Tyrant Dragon spread its wings and roared (ATK/2900 DEF/2500).

"Wait a tick! Yer a dino Duelist! How come you got a Dragon in yer deck?" Hassleberry demanded.

"You gotta do what you gotta do to win," answered Rex.

"Ya still ain't gonna beat my Tyranno Infinity," Hassleberry pointed out, "He's still got three thousand attack points."

"That's why I got this." Rex played the last card in his hand. "Riryoku! I can halve one of your monster's attack points and add them to mine." Tyranno Infinity suddenly felt itself drained of its energy as its attack points dropped to fifteen hundred. The other fifteen were then absorbed into Tyrant Dragon, boosting its attack power to forty-four hundred. "Attack Tyranno Infinity!" Tyrant Dragon built up its flames within its throat and then unleashed with a loud gunfire roar in one massive fireball that struck Tyranno Infinity and blasted it into pieces.

--

**Hassleberry:** 100

**Rex:** 3400

--

"Tyrant Dragon, destroy his other monster!" Another gunshot roar later, a second fireball shot through the air and struck Dark Driceratops, blowing it to smithereens. "You were lucky you summoned it in defense mode."

_This ain't good_, Hassleberry thought_, That Tyrant Dragon's powerful. It ain't gonna be easy to take that thing down._

"It's your move!" Rex laughed, "Good luck trying to take down my monster!"

_I got six cards in my hand_, thought Hassleberry, _And I got a way to summon out one of my most powerful dinos. Problem is I ain't got no way to defend myself if I do it._ He looked at his deck.

"It's all up to this draw." He placed his fingers on top of his deck and took a deep breath. "Here go! I draw!" He removed the card and looked it. "Aw'right! Now we're talkin'! First up, Black Ptera, front an' center!" A small black pteradactyl appeared in front of Hassleberry (ATK/1000 DEF/500). "Next I'm playin' my Big Evolution Pill. Now my sackin' my Black Ptera, this little diddy stays out for three turns. And durin' those turns, I can Normal Summon or set my dinos without any tributes."

"Fat lot of good that'll do ya!" Rex laughed, "You already Normal Summoned this turn! My Tyrant Dragon's gonna wipe you out next turn!"

"I ain't finished yet." Hassleberry reached into his hand and pulled out the card he had just drawn. "I play my Double Summon Spell Card. Now I can Normal Summon again so say hello to my favorite monster! Ultimate Tyranno, front an' center!" The ground shook violently as the gargantuan black spiky tyrannosaurus rex that was Hassleberry's favorite monster rose up and let out a deafening roar (ATK/3000 DEF/2200). "Attack Tyrant Dragon!" Ultimate Tyranno body slammed Tyrant Dragon and then sank its teeth into its neck. It bit hard before finally tearing out its throat.

--

**Hassleberry:** 100

**Rex:** 3300

--

"I'm settin' two cards facedown an' endin' my turn!"

Rex drew and his face fell. It was not a very useful card. He set it out in defense mode and ended his turn, hoping that his opponent had nothing else up his sleeve. To his horror, it was not as Hassleberry activated one of his facedown cards.

"I activate Ojama Trio!" Suddenly, three Ojama Tokens appeared on Rex's side of the field, all of them level two with zero attack points and one thousand defense points.

"Oh no!"

"Oh yeah!" Hassleberry drew his card and smiled. "I equip my Ultimate Tyranno with Big Bang Shot. Now he gets four hundred attack points an' he can do piercing!" An' with his special ability, he can attack every monster on yer field once! Go, Ultimate Tyranno! Squash 'em all!" Ultimate Tyranno roared and closed its mouth down on top of one the Ojama Yellow Token.

--

**Hassleberry:** 100

**Rex:** 900

--

"An' with Ojama Trio's effect, you take three hundred damage when one of them tokens dies." Ojama Yellow's ghost appeared in front of Rex and blasted him in the face with a noxious cloud of methane.

--

**Hassleberry:** 100

**Rex:** 600

--

"Ultimate Tyranno, let's finish up!" Hassleberry pointed at another Ojama Token. "Attack that there token!" Ultimate Tyranno roared and stomped over to the Ojama Black token. With one bites of its massive jaws, it crushed it into pieces and the effect of Big Bang Shot hit Rex with powerful piercing damage.

--

**Hassleberry:** 100

**Rex:** 0

--

The Duel Bands immediately took effect and both Dinosaur Duelists went down after having had their energy drained. Hassleberry slowly pulled himself up and looked around. Rex was lying facedown on the ground. He crawled over to him and slowly turned him around so that he was face-up. After that, he got to his feet and did what he came up to the cliff to do. He got a good look at the surrounding area and determined a spot where he could meet his fellow teachers. He took out his binoculars and searched the land below. He managed to find Mr. Thulin and took out his knife. Using the blade to reflect the sunlight, he signalled him in Morse code and then descended down the cliff. He slowly made his way to the rendezvous point and sat on a log upon his arrival. Finally, he could rest.

This moment of rest was not to last, however, as his Duel Band started to beep again. He turned around and saw a shirtless bald man in a black leather jacket, blue jeans, and crocodile skin boots.

"Who in Sam Hill are you?" The interloper said nothing, but instead brought out a customized Duel Disk.

"Just another Duelist," he finally said and played a card.

o o o

"Monsieur Thulin, are you sure he said it was zis way?" Marcel asked.

"My Morse code is a little rusty, but yeah. I think so." Mr. Thulin continued to help Miss Marina transport Marcel across the island to their destination. When they got there, however, they saw that the trees were all on fire and Hassleberry was lying facedown on the ground with an enormous flaming tyrannosaurus rex standing over him. The enormous dinosaur vanished and they could see a bald man walking away into the flames.

"Tyranno!" Miss Marina rushed over, leaving Mr. Thulin to tend to Marcel by himself. "What happened?"

"F-fire....d-dino...." Hassleberry then lost consciousness.

"What happened here?" muttered Miss Marina.

"We should get him to safety first," Marcel suggested.

"But we know one thing for sure." Mr. Thulin looked toward the direction that the stranger had left. "There's another Dinosaur Duelist on this island."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Gio and Cassie find themselves in over their heads as they're thrown into the heart of the action of Duel Royale. See what happens next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	55. Gio's Inferno

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-14**

**Gio's Inferno**

The child was playing with two figures on the edge of the island replica. One was of a young girl with her dark brown hair tied back into a ponytail. The other was of a dark-skinned boy who wore a vest. "It appears we have to uninvited guests. Roman, what are we doing about them?"

"We've decided to enter them into the competition," Roman answered, "If we want to maximize the amount of duel energy we can possibly gather, it would be best to bring in as many Duelists into the tournament."

"Excellent." The British boy put the figures back on the replica and ran his left hand through his snowy white hair while using his right arm to hold something close to his body. His fingers came to rest on the short fuzzy ponytail at the back, which was held in place by a short thin strip of black cloth. "It'll be interesting to see how things play out for these two."

o o o

The sun was starting to set and the island was bathed in a vivid orange light. Cassie slapped a bug as it landed on her arm as she walked along the edge of the island. Trailing right behind her was Gio, who was carrying both backpacks. "Why do I have to carry the packs?"

"Cuz I said so," Cassie answered as she continued walking ahead of him. Gio grumbled and followed her, carefully stepping over logs and going around large rocks.

"Can we stop now? It's getting late and we need to set up camp."

"Whatever." Cassie looked toward the horizon and saw the sun beginning to set. "Sure. Okay." Gio sighed and immediately dropped his load. Cassie cried out and she quickly drew back.

"You jerk! You dropped that on my foot on purpose!" she yelled as she hopped on her right foot.

"I couldn't even see your foot!"

The two of them continued to argue for a few more minutes, their voices growing increasingly higher. Eventually, their argument drifted off onto completely unrelated issues.

"And for the love of God, put a shirt on!"

"I'll wear what I like!"

"No one wants to see your nipples!"

"Hey, that's a low bow!"

"No. THIS is a low blow!" Cassie drew her head back and slammed it into Gio's face.

"OW!" The boy stumbled back and put a hand over his face. "My nose!"

"Oh god, Gio! I'm sorry!" Cassie ran closer to Gio and put her hands on his shoulders. "You okay?" Gio blushed upon feeling her touch.

"I am now." He moved his hand away and smiled with a hidden smirk, though not as well hidden as he thought. Cassie saw it and smacked his face.

"Ow!"

"Find someone else to look after you!" She stood up and crossed her arms across her chest, looking away. Gio just laid back on the ground and stared toward the sky. The two of them had been lucky. So far, neither of them had encountered any other Duelists. Cassie looked at her Duel Band and wondered what it was for. It had to be more than just an identification bracelet for the competitors. She remembered once overhearing her parents talking about something called Bio Bands when she was younger. They were in the living room talking while she was hiding behind the wall in the hallway. She remembered that the Bio Bands drained a Duelist of his or her energy after each duel. She glanced at the bracelet she wore now and began to wonder about that.

The silence was suddenly broken by a nearby explosion. "What was that?" Gio wondered as he sat up.

"Let's go find out." Cassie ran off and Gio went after her, leaving the bags behind. They ran into the woods and dashed through the foliage until they came to a clearing. Four Duelists lay unconscious on the ground. Standing over them were four horses, each carrying a rider. The first was a man wearing pitch black armor. His face was obscured by matching helmet with a bone-white plume. A Duel Disk was clearly built into his left gauntlet. In his right hand, he held a pair of scales as he sat atop his black steed.

The second was a man dressed in white armor. His head bore no coverings save for a long white scarf that obscured the lower half of his face, which left his long silver hair exposed to the elements. Strapped to his back was a quiver of arrows. His eyes were black like the darkest night as he sat upon his white horse with a matching Duel Disk on his left arm and holding a bow in his right hand.

The third was an even more fearsome man as he sat on a brown horse that had been covered from head to toe in blood-red armor. His own armor matched that of his steed with enormous shoulder guards studded with spikes. Atop his head he wore a horned helm red as blood. In one hand he wielded an enormous claymore with runes etched into the blade. Upon closer inspection, however, one would come to the realization that those runes were actually the Monster Zones of a Duel Disk.

The last one frightened Cassie and Gio to the bone. The horse was adorned with old yellowed bones up to the point that it wore the skull of another horse upon its head. Under the right light, it looked like an equine reanimated skeleton. Its rider wore pale armor that also followed the bone theme with horned skulls as his shoulder and knee guards and something appearing to be the head of a Summoned Skull serving as a helmet. In his hand he wielded a long and deadly scythe.

Gio tugged on Cassie's shirt. "Let's get outta here!" her whispered.

"Shh!" Cassie shushed him and continued to watch the scene. The horses slowly circled the unconscious Duelists as their riders looked down at them.

"That was hardly even an effort," the black one said.

"These were just weaklings," the white horseman replied.

"When can I fight a stronger opponent?" demanded the red-clad man as he stabbed his sword into the ground.

"Be patient." The man in bones broke away from the others and moved in front of his comrades. "We are Player Killers. Our task is to remove anybody we encounter from the game, regardless of skill. As the number of Duelists dwindles, only the strongest will remain. Then you shall have your satisfaction." The red horseman smiled beneath his helm.

"Cassie, let's go!" Gio whispered again.

"Shh!"

"Fine! Then I'll go by myself!" Gio turned and started to run away. But in going so, his foot stepped down on a dry branch and it snapped loudly.

"Gio, you idiot!" Cassie whispered loudly.

"What was that?" the black horseman asked.

"It appears we have interlopers amongst us." The bone-armored man turned his horse around and faced the direction from which the sound at come. He clenched his left hand into a tight fist. Several bones resembling fingers sprouted from his gauntlet. A thin membrane formed between then, connecting them together to form a wing-like appendage. A small skull appeared on top of his glove and he slotted a deck into its mouth.

"Gio, run!" Cassie immediately turned around and started running, passing Gio along the way.

"UGH!" Frustrated that nobody ever listened to him, the boy kicked a rock into the trees and ran after Cassie.

"Who were they?" asked the white horseman.

"Just a pair of children. They're not worth the effort," the pale horseman answered as he retracted his Duel Disk, "Come, my comrades. We have much work to do. The horsemen ride tonight." His horse reared up and neighed before he rode off with the other three right behind him.

o o o

Mikey sat on a rock with a raised eyebrow as he read the packaging of the food he found in his survival pack. Coltyn sat adjacent to him tending to the campfire. "Mikey, have you seen your brother?"

"He should be back by now," the brunet answered. At that moment, they heard a holler as Gabe returned to camp with four fish he had caught.

"Got us dinner," he announced.

"Nice, Gabe. I'll take care of 'em now." Coltyn took out his knife from his survival pack and began scaling the fish.

"Hey Coltyn, we already have three days' worth of food in our bags. Why do we still need to forage for more food?" inquired Mikey.

"The food in our survival packs is non-perishable. It'll last us for a while, so we want to keep that for emergencies." Coltyn looked at his classmate. "That a good enough answer?"

"I think so." Mikey put his food pack away. "When's Max coming back?"

"I'm heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!" Max called out gaily as he returned with an armful of root vegetables.

"I wonder if they have any boars on this island. I'm dying for some red meat," Gabe thought out loud.

"Even if there were, you're gonna have one hell of a time trying to hunt one down." Coltyn finished scaling the fish and proceeded to gut them.

"So when's dinner?" Gabe inquired.

"It's gonna take a while, but I'll whip up something filling," Coltyn promised.

"But I'm hungry now."

"Well have an apple," Mikey suggested as he held out one of the juicy red fruits. Gabe took his brother's offer and bit into the apple.

o o o

Mikey and his friends were not the only ones who had already decided to set up camp. Jaden Yuki along with his fellow professional Duelists Syrus Truesdale and Chazz Princeton had a roaring fire going and were sitting around eating dinner.

"Why do you think someone would want to bring back the Bio Band technology?" Syrus asked.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good," answered Chazz. Suddenly, the Ojama Brothers appeared around him.

"Hey Boss, can we have a bite?" asked Ojama Yellow.

"Yeah, come on. Just one bite," urged Ojama Green.

"You guys are Duel Spirits," Chazz replied calmly, "You can't even eat." Having had the Ojamas around for so long, he had long since gotten used to them. Now whenever they showed up, he never got irritated with them.

"Hey Jaden, how come Aster never came?" Syrus inquired, "I thought for sure he'd be here."

"Well you guys know what happened to Sartorius, right? Well, Aster stayed behind to look after him," was Jaden's answer.

"I heard it was brutal," Chazz mentioned.

"Who could do something like that?" Syrus seemed worried.

"Well for now, Aster's on the rescue team along with Zane and Jesse and the other guys," Jaden said, "If things look like they're going bad, they'll show up."

"I'm going to sleep early." Chazz set his empty dish on the ground. "I'm on lookout for the second half of the night, so I'm gonna get some shut eye now."

"I'll wake you when it's time," said Jaden.

"Right." And with that, Chazz crawled into his sleeping bag and started to fall asleep. Jaden and Syrus looked at each other for a moment and continued eating.

o o o

Cassie and Gio had run away from the horsemen and found themselves to be quite lost. "We need to find the bags," the latter said.

"How come you didn't bring them with you?" asked Cassie.

"They were heavy and you told me to keep up, so I had to put them down."

"Great! Now we have no food or water. What are we supposed to do now?" All of a sudden, Gio's Duel Band began to beep and he paled. There was rustling in the bushes and the kids immediately huddled together.

"'Ello, 'ello, 'ello. What 'ave we 'ere?" a British man's voice could be heard saying. From the bushes emerged a man with a short green spiky mohawk wearing a Union Jack tank top, camouflage pants, and military boots. He had piercings were in his right eyebrow, nose, and lower lip as well as flesh tunnels in his ears. "Looks like I've found me-self a couple of victims."

"Who are you?" demanded Cassie.

"Me name's Nicky and I'm 'ere for a duel." He took out a fire-orange Duel Disk and strapped it on.

"How do you cancel?" Gio asked as he tapped his Duel Band.

"Ya can't," answered Nicky, "Once ye've locked onto another Duelist, yer stuck wit 'em until someone wins, oi tell ya."

"Then I'll do it." Gio put on his Duel Disk and activated it.

"Gio, be careful," Cassie warned.

"I've hit some hard rocks, Cass. This'll be easy."

A'right, oi'm gunna wipe da floor wit' ya! Make ye piss ya knickas!"

--

**Gio:** 8000

**Nicky:** 8000

--

"Oi'll make me first move!" Nicky placed his hand on top of his deck and ripped out his first card, "Oi summon Flamvell Firedog in 'tack mode!" He placed his card onto his Duel Disk and summoned out a hound made from lava (ATK/1900 DEF/200). "Then Oi'll set two cards. Lesse wot ye got!"

"You talk funny." Gio drew his first card and read the text. "I set a monster and end my turn."

"That's it?" Cassie asked from the sidelines.

"I know what I'm doing," Gio assured her.

"Ye little tots ain't got nuttin'." Nicky placed his fingers on his deck's top card and pulled it out. "Oi summon out me Flamvell Gurnika!" His Duel Disk's holographic projectors hummed loudly as they projected a blue winged dragon in brown leather pants with a mane and a tail that flicked like fire (ATK/1700 DEF/200). "Aw'right Firedog, show dis lil pillock wot ye've got!" Flamvell Firedog leapt forward and unleashed a twister of flame from its mouth at Gio's facedwn card, which was revealed to be a large green stone statue known as Stone Statue of the Aztecs (ATK/300 DEF/2000).

"You attacked my Stone Statue of the Aztecs!" Gio announced, "Now you take double damage for attacking him!" The flames dispersed around Stone Statue of the Aztecs, which fired a pair of lasers from its eyes at Nicky.

--

**Gio:** 8000

**Nicky:** 7800

--

Nicky growled and looked at his hand. Things were fine for now, so he ended his turn.

Gio then proceeded with his turn. He drew his card. Thinking he could ruin his opponent's strategy, he set another monster and ended his turn.

"C'mon, Gio! Stop defending already!" Cassie called from the sidelines.

"Y'ain't gunna 'elp out the lil shrimp," Nicky said as he drew his card. "And my Flamvell Baby will 'elp see ta that! Ya see, whenever I discard Flamvell Baby from me hand Oi can increase the 'tack o' one fire monster on me field by four 'undred till me end phase. The monster Oi'm choosing is me Flamvell Firedog!" Nicky slid the monster card into his grave and smiled as an impish child appeared, made entirely of fire. The infant giggled lightly before it exploded into a torrent of flames that wrapped around the Flamvell Firedog, making it blaze red hot. As it died, the beast roared as its attack points rose up by four hundred to twenty-three hundred. "Chew up dat statue!" Flamvell Firedog leapt up into the air and unleashed a blast of fire that destroyed Stone Statue of the Aztecs. Nicky cackled as he watched the piece fly about in smoldering rubble. He was jubilant in watching the destruction, licking his lips in self satisfaction.

"An' wit' Flamvell Firedog's effect, if 'e destroys a monster by battle, I can summon a Fire monster with two 'undred or less defense. Like me Gaia Soul!" In a burst of fire, the one-eyed meteor that was Gaia Soul the Combustible Collective appeared on the field (ATK/2000 DEF/0). "Now Flamvell Gurnika, 'tack that facedown!" Flamvel Gurnika summoned a fireball into each palm and then clapped its hands together to fire them both in the form a single concentrated fireball with a loud bang. The blazing attack struck Gio's facedown, revealing it to be Morphing Jar.

"Ha! When Morphing Jar is flipped, we both discard our entire hands and draw five new cards!" Gio smiled as both Duelists sent the rest of their card s to their hands and drew five new cards.

"It don't matter, ya soddin' twat. Flamvell Gurnika's effect still activates!" The humanoid dragon inhaled through its nostrils, taking a deep breath into its burning lungs, before it unleashed a blast of fire that washed over Gio. "Wheneva Flamvell Gurnika destroys a monster 'e deals two 'undred point of damage for each o' that monster's level."

--

**Gio: **7600

**Nicky: **7800

--

"Oi ain't finished." Nicky pointed up to his Gaia Soul the Combustible Collective and then redirected his finger at Gio. "'tack that lil bugger!" The one-eyed meteor broke off several chunks of its molten body and hurled them down on the small boy.

--

**Gio:** 5600

**Nicky:** 7800

--

"Me Battle Phase is over, but Oi ain't finished. Oi sack me Gaia Soul an' summon me Flamvell Fiend in 'tack mode!" Gaia Soul the Combustible Collective exploded into a shower of molten rock and from its remains emerged a grotesque demon made of blue and black flames, wearing black leather pants and chain dangling from its pockets (ATK/2100 DEF/1200). "Lesse wot ye've got, kid."

_He destroyed my rocks so quickly_, thought Gio as he drew, _What can I do to beat him?_ He examined his hand. A card stood out and he quickly reanalyzed his graveyard. Thanks to his Morphing Jar, he had a total five Rock monsters in the grave, including said Morphing Jar and the Stone Statue of the Aztecs that was killed. _If only I had Megarock Dragon, but this guy will do fine too_, he thought to himself.

"I remove from play Stone Statue of the Aztecs and Morphing Jar from my graveyard to summon Gaia Plate the Earth Giant!" The ground split open and from the fissure emerged an enormous stone golem (ATK/2800 DEF/1000). "Gaia Plate, attack Flamvell Gurnika!" The massive stone creature raised its arm and slammed its boulder-like fist on top of the fire-wielding dragon.

--

**Gio:** 5600

**Nicky:** 6700

--

Nicky seemed to be unfazed by the attack. In fact, he almost seemed to enjoy it. "'ow cute. The kid's got some fire in 'im!"

"Yeah, well.... Shut up!" Gio took a monster card and set it in defense mode before setting another facedown in one of his Spell and Trap Zones.

"Me turn at last. Was afraid Oi'd die from a bit o' the boredom." Nicky drew his card. He licked his lips once more as his Field spell slot opened. "Oi play Molten Destruction!" The sky went black with a cloud of smoke and ash as a volcano formed behind Nicky erupting and roaring with the voice of an angered god. A river of molten rock flowed and the two Duelists stood upon stone platforms within the stream. "This card brings all fire monsters tacks up by five 'undred tack points.

"Dammit," Cassie cursed and and looked at Gio with annoyance and worry. Gio was good at defensive plays, but Flamvell monsters were about power and burning. He couldn't stop that. Sometimes a heat was too strong for even the toughest stone. Her hand fell to her hero deck. Her father had given it to her. _What would he do now?_ she thought to herself and bit her lip.

"Next," Nicky licked his lips for a third time, a flake of skin brushing off, "Oi play Foolish Burial to send me Flamvell Commando in me deck to me Graveyard!" A freshly-dug grave appeared beside his feet and a coffin was slowly lowered into it before several shadowy figures filled the grave. Nicky's hand was fanned out and moved around as he prepared for his next move. He laughed lightly and held up another card. "I discard a second Flamvell Baby to power up me Flamvell Fiend by another four 'undred points." Nicky laughed a high pitched cackle as the fiend of blue flames grew in size and his body seemed composed of red, orange, and blue flames now thanks to the eruption of the flaming sprite. The devilish beast now stood tall with an attack of three thousand, a mass of hellfire. Gio was scared.

"Flamvell Fiend!" Nicky called out with ecstasy on his face, "tack 'is Gaia Plate! 'ellfire Blaze!" The demon of flame cackled like its master as it ran towards the stone goliath, its hand grasping at its face and lifting the rock beast high into the air. Flamvell Fiend's blazing eyes stared deep into Gio's eyes, black flames crackling as pupils that pierced the young duelist's soul before the fiend smashed Gaia Plate into the earth, crushing it into molten rubble.

--

**Gio: **5400

**Nicky: **6700

--

"Dang!" Gio hissed as he felt a sudden rush of actual heat that blazed by him. Hot atmosphere whipped around the young boy and brought a bead of sweat to his face.

"Gio!" Cassie called out, taking a step forward only to stop when she heard the hissing of her sneakers against the ground. The rubber grew hotter the closer it got to Nicky. Her heart began to beat like a hammer as she looked at the strange Duelist. He had a seething and piercing look in his eyes and a smile on his face that showed nothing but enjoyment. He was loving every moment.

"Don't think that that attack is all that there is to it, mate. Flamvell Fiend's effect activates. When 'e destroys one of ya monsters 'e deals two 'undred points of damage to ya for each Pyro type monster in me grave. I 'ave me two Flamvell Babies and me Flamvell Commando. That is six 'undred point of damage to ya." As Nicky finished speaking the heat increased drastically, waves of heat rippling through the air. Gio began to sweat more and more as he felt the heat cut through his Life Points.

--

**Gio: **4800

**Nicky: **6700

--

"Now Flamvell Firedog! tack 'is face down monster!" The hellhound roared and unleashed a powerful fireball that collided with the monster, revealed to be door shaped form of Golem Sentry. As the stone golem crumbled in a heap of flaming rock a card was ejected from Nicky's deck that he grabbed and placed on the monster card zone. "And wit' me Firedog's effect I summon Flamvell Archer in 'tack mode." On the field a one eyed archer with flaming hair stood, his fiery bow in hand and quiver on his back (ATK/1000 DEF/200). "Oi end me Battle Phase, but not me turn. I will then sacrifice me new Flamvell Archer and summon me second Flamvell Commando." As soon as the Archer had made its appearance it vanished, now replaced with the form of a humanoid being with dragonic features. He wore green pants and had a helmet that spewed an inferno from the top as he held onto a rifle made of twisted black magma (ATK/2200 DEF/200). "Flamvell Commando can remove a monster with two 'undred defense to inflict damage to ye life equal to its attack."

"Wait...slow down...I can't follow all of that, especially with your funny speech," Gio said, now panting heavily from the heat that was grasping at his lungs. The heat was even getting to Cassie, but didn't seem to bother Nicky who had his sadistic grin plastered on his face. Gio was too exhausted to notice, but Cassie was terrified of the look in his eyes. He was making this heat somehow.

"It don't matter, ya soddin twat. Oi'm gonna remove me first Flamvell Commando from the grave for 'is effect. Flamvell Commando! 'ell's Gunfire!" The blazing commando growled as his rifle began to glow at the barrel. He aimed and pulled the trigger releasing a single blazing stream of flame that slammed into Gio who let out a howl of pain, as if his body were actually on fire. He felt ever bit of the scorching heat and fell to his knees in pain.

--

**Gio:** 2600

**Nicky: **6700

--

"Gio!" Cassie screamed once more, tears streaming from her eyes. She was scared. She was terrified of this man. She kept thinking, _I should have listened. I should have not come here, like Gio told me to. Oh god. Daddy help. Mommy help. help Gio._

Nicky reared his head back and let loose his loudest laugh yet. He was almost giddy by this moment, wanting to dance yet his excited trembling wouldn't let him. "Oi, mate, don't ya love this? The fire and burning and pain! Marvelous! Don't take too long on ya turn. Oi want ta 'ave more fun with yah."

Gio shook violently and stood up. It was finally his turn. He drew his card and smirked. It was time to make his move. "I activate Brain Control. I can use it to take one of your monsters by paying eight hundred Life Points."

--

**Gio:** 1800

**Nicky: **6700

--

As Gio's Life Points went down, a brain materialized in one of the Spell and Trap Zones on his side of the field. A pair of phantasmal arms reached out and grabbed hold of Flamvell Commando, placing him in front of Gio. "Now I sacrifice Flamvell Commando so I can summon Hieracosphinx in attack mode!" Flamvell Commando vanished from the field in a shower of stars and in his place, the young boy summoned a creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of a bird (ATK/2400 DEF/1200). After that, he took a card from his hand and switched it in with his Hieracosphinx. "I sacrifice my Hieracosphinx to Special Summon Exxod, Master of the Guard in defense mode!" The molten ground trembled violently and several rocks burst out from it as an enormous statue of an Exodia-like creature rose up from beneath the surface, its back adorned with a shining golden ring (ATK/0 DEF/4000).

"So ye got out a big ol' defenda. It still ain't gunna stop me Flamvell monsters, ya know," Nicky pointed out.

"That's why I've got this." Gio played the last card in his hand. "This is my Fissure!" The ground split open beneath Flamvell Firedog and the molten creature was swallowed up into the earth. "And this!" He revealed his facedown card. "Smashing Ground!" The ground below Flamvell Fiend rumbled before it fell through the earth and was crushed under ton of rubble, dispersing blue flame upon impact. "Now you've got no monsters and I've got my strongest defender on the field! It's your turn!" Gio smiled. Despite how intimidating Nicky had been this entire duel, the boy finally had his confidence back. All he needed to do now was burn off the rest of his opponent's Life Points with Flip Summons and Exxod's effect.

_This duel's mine!_ he thought excitedly with a grin and a hearty chuckle.

"Think ye've won, eh?" Nicky ripped the top card from his deck. He looked at it and a mad grin appeared on his face followed by his trademark laugh. "Well it ain't gunna happen, ya lil twat." He looked at his two facedown cards at his feet and then flipped one of them up. "Oi activate me Foolish Burial an' Oi'm sendin' me second Flamvell Archer to me graveyard." Another fresh grave appeared on his side and a coffin was lowered into it. "Next Oi play me Rekindling card. Wit' this, Oi can summon as many Fire monsters wit' two 'undred defense points." In a bright flash of flame, Flamvell Gurnika returned to the field accompanied by two Flamvell Archers and two Flamvell Babies.

"None of them an destroy my Exxod!" Gio said. "He's destroy-proof!"

"Oi ain't finished yet." Nicky pointed to his creatures. "Now Oi tune me two Flamvell Archers to me Flamvell Babies." Both Flamvell Archers' bodies faded away until three stars remained for each and they transformed into a set of green rings. Each Flamvell Baby was surrounded by one set of rings and a bright column of light engulfed them. "Oi Synchro Summon two Armory Arms!" The lights faded and in their place were a pair of enormous mechanical gauntlets armed with sharp claws (ATK/1800 DEF/1200). "When Oi equip 'em to another monster, that monster gains a thousand 'tack points for each Armory Arm equipped to it. Now I equip 'em both to me Flamvell Gurnika!" Each Armory Arm slid onto one of Flamvell Gurnika's arms and clamped into place. With the added bonus of Molten Destruction, the dragon roared loudly as its attack points rose up incredibly.

"Forty-two hundred attack points?!" Gio was flabbergasted. He never thought anyone could be able to raise a monster's attack points high enough to destroy his Exxod and now here was an opponent who had done just that.

"Gurnika, blow that thing into 'ell!" Spreading its wings, Flamvell Gurnika roared and took flight. It soared up through the air with its arm outstretched and plunged the claws of its right Armory Arm into Exxod's face. It snarled as it brougt up its left arm and sunk those claws in as well. Then with another roar, it began to focus its flames and began pouring them through its weapons into its target. Very slowly, the enormous behemoth began to glow a molten red. Cracks appeared on its body. Gio looked up in horror as his monster, seemingly in pain, began to spew flames from the fissures in its body. With one final roar, Flamvell Gurnika pulled its arms out to the side and ripped out Exxod's face as the rest of the body burst up in flames and crumbled into a pile of molten rubble.

"EXXOD!"

"An' now me Gurnika's effect," declared Nicky, "Now 'e deals damage to ya equal to yet monster's level times two 'undred!" Flamvell Gurnika turned on Gio and blasted him with a powerful flame attack from its mouth.

--

**Gio:** 200

**Nicky: **6700

--

Gio cried out in pain as he felt the intense heat against his bare skin. This was no hologram. This was real.

"Time to end this!" Nicky's grin widened further as he revealed his other facedown card. "Me Spiritual Fire Art - Kurenai makes me sack one o' me monsters so it can deal damage equal to its original 'tack. It's over!" Flamvell Gurnika hovered over Gio's head for a moment and roared one last time before its body exploded, hitting the boy with an intense blast of fire. The Armory Arms clattered harmlessly to the ground, scarred with incredible burn marks and smoking. The both burst into scrap metal moments later, showering Gio with shards of molten steel along with the blast from Flamvell Gurnika's death.

--

**Gio:** 0

**Nicky: **6700

--

Gio heard nothing. Gio felt nothing. Gio saw nothing. His world had gone dark, his senses dulled save for that of smell. The scent of ash filled the air as he collapsed, unable to hear the maniacal laughter of his opponent as Nicky stood triumphantly over him. The sadistic pyromaniac cackled even as his Duel Band sapped his energy. Nothing seemed to faze him in his hour of blazing glory.

Nicky slowly came down off of his joyous laughter, looking around to see if he could have a little more fun. There was a little girl there, after all, and she might be a good fight too. Nicky looked around and she had already vanished. Gone from sight and mind. He simply shrugged and sighed. He began to leave when he heard an eruption atop a nearby hill. On the hill there stood a flaming dinosaur that slowly faded. Nicky smiled wide once more and began to run up the hill. "Looks like Terry found some fun. Best join 'im before 'e 'ogs all the good duels. Don't want everyone to be burnt to a cinder just yet," Nicky said, a gleam in his eyes.

o o o

Tears streamed down Cassie's face as she ran. She couldn't stay. She was too scared. Gio was hurt, she knew that. She didn't know if he was dead or not, but she did know she couldn't stay. That man was something unnatural. That man and those horsemen were all unnatural. _What have I gotten myself into, Daddy?_ she thought to herself as she ran and cried. She ran until she could not run anymore and cried until she drifted to sleep. This was the nightmare she didn't realize she had. To be alone. Late in the night, after her breathing had settled and she was in a deep slumber a man sat down on a rock near her head. A man with a rifle in hand and cigarette in his mouth. He looked down at her and smiled. The man smiled and he had grey eyes. She was safe, though she didn't know it.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Flamboyant Max meets his first opponent in the Duel Royale tournament, a shy young girl who'd rather not be there. Will there be salvation for either or will they both be forced into a duel against each other? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	56. The Frog's Laugh

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-15**

**The Frog's Laugh**

Max sat with his back toward the campfire facing away from his friends. Behind him, Mikey, Gabe, and Coltyn were fast asleep. He placed his hand apprehensively on his Duel Disk. So far nobody had come near their camp yet, but it still made him nervous. A rustle in the bushes quickly snapped him to attention and he shined his flashlight in the sound's direction. A squirrel crawled out from underneath a shrub and sniffed around for a while before scurrying up a tree. He let out a sigh and turned off his flashlight. Duelist Kingdom was scary at night. The slightest sound or movement sent shivers down his spine. Max quickly took out his wallet and looked at the photo inside it. He and Hayley were standing together, arms around one another with enormous grins on their faces. At the bottom of the photo, he could just make out the tops of their masks being pressed together to appear as one mask. He smiled as he thought about Hayley. Every time his thoughts dwelled on that girl, his heart swelled and he felt warm and fuzzy inside. He loved her so very much. He put his wallet away after a while and returned to his lookout duty feeling reassured.

o o o

Nellie was on lookout duty that night. In the back of the cave, Saito and Wes were already fast asleep. However, Hayley was still awake. She laid there on the cavern floor staring up at the stone ceiling above her head. For some reason, she had trouble sleeping that night. It could have been that the surface on which she lay was solid rock. Or perhaps it was the unfamiliar surroundings. Whatever the case was, she could not sleep. Reaching into her bag, she took out small photo of her and Max together. Seeing the redhead's face and his goofy smile always brought a smile to her face. She thought back to the last time they had spent a day together. It was just before they came to Duelist Kingdom. He had brought out to the other side of island on the opposite side of the mountain from the school to a field full of beautiful flowers. They danced among the bright colors in the gentle breeze. She remembered as he held her close and gave her his signature smile.

Hayley sighed contently and put the picture away. She pulled her blanket over herself and turned onto her side before closing her eyes.

o o o

A girl in an Osiris Red uniform sat on her own by a stream to enjoy the tranquility and splendor Nature offered as a repose against the constant dueling. She was a shy one, meek and unassuming and almost always keeping to herself in a curious sort of way that would lead one to inquire about her. Brown hair the color of moist earth hung from her head and draped over her shoulders, framing her face and subtlety bringing out a radiance from her face. She was admiring, not in a breathtaking sort of way but in a comfortable sense of the word, a girl who looked friendly, kind and warm and whom you could share a decent conversation with. She raised a hand and gently pushed her glasses up with a forefinger, giving a quiet sigh as she knelt upon the emerald glass watched the water flow through the stream, which glittered back in the sunlight with a dazzling radiance.

o o o

Umi logged into her account on the Duel Academy website and accessed her profile. Her newest lesson should have been up by now, she thought, so she decided to take the time today to go do it before her manager found her. When she checked her classes, though, she found nothing. Curious, she refreshed her page and tried again. Nothing. This was most peculiar. Duel Academy was always punctual with its online classes. She wondered if perhaps something was wrong. The fastest way to find out was to call. Taking out her cell phone, Umi dialed the school's number off the website and waited. After five ring tones, she finally heard the line pick up.

"We're sorry, but Duel Academy is currently closed right now," an automated message answered. Now Umi was really puzzled. What could cause Duel Academy to close in the middle of the school year? Then she remembered that Mikey was a student at the school, so she quickly rang him up. She couldn't even get a ring tone. The Duel Pop Star leaned back in her seat and thought for a moment. If she could not reach the school and she could not reach Mikey, then how else could she find out what had happened? Then she remembered that Chancellor Rhodes had given her her private number in case she needed to reach her for any sort of emergencies.

Umi took the number out and dialed it. She heard the ring tone go off three times before she heard someone pick up. "Hello?"

"Hello. Is this Chancellor Rhodes?" asked Umi.

"Speaking."

"My name is Umi O'Dell. I came to Duel Academy earlier this year to register for some online classes."

"Oh hello, Umi. Yes, I remember you. I'm sorry, but all classes have been cancelled for now," Alexis answered.

"And why's that?" Umi inquired.

"Our students are currently undergoing a special workshop and won't be back for a while."

"I know that's not true," Umi said, "I called Mikey's cell phone and it said he was out of reach. Tell me what's really going on."

"I'm really sorry, but I can't tell you."

"And why not?" Umi demanded.

"Confidentiality reasons," was the answer.

"Bull. Look, I know something's up. Now you can tell me right now or I can come to Duel Academy and we can settle this personally."

There was a moment's pause before Alexis finally spoke. "Our students are at Duelist Kingdom right now," she explained, "Earlier this year, we received a forceful implementation of a new program into our cirriculum. All of our students were to take part in a tournament. We did everything we could, but there was nothing that could be done. So now everyone is on that island."

"I smell something fishy here," said Umi suspiciously.

"We all did," replied Alexis, "We sent a team of teachers to keep an eye on the students, but I haven't heard any word from them yet."

"Chancellor Rhodes. If it's okay with you, I want to investigate this thing myself," Umi volunteered.

"No," was the answer, "Even if you are just an online student, I cannot risk having you involved."

"Please, Chancellor. This is important." Umi's voice was stern and solid and Alexis could feel the determination in her words. The same kind of determination she had when she was her age.

"Very well," she conceded.

"Thank you, Chancellor Rhodes. Don't worry. We'll find who's responsible for this and bring the other back." And with that, Umi hung up.

"There you are, Umi!" the pop idol's manager said as he walked in. "Let's go! You've got to practice for your next concert!"

"I'm not doing any more concerts for a while," Umi answered as she stood up.

"What?!"

"I've got something important to do. Charter a helicopter for me immediately. I'm going to Duelist Kingdom."

o o o

Morning broke and Mikey was the first one to awaken. He quickly pulled himself to his feet and ran into the woods. Max was tired from having to spend half the night awake, but he managed to get up to move around. Coltyn woke a little bit later and started to make breakfast.

"Mikey went to take a leak?" he asked.

"I think so," Max replied tiredly.

"Go take a nap. We'll wait you when breakfast is ready."

"Thanks." Max laid down and closed his eyes. When Mikey came back from using the bushes, the redhead was already asleep and Coltyn had already started making breakfast.

"Anything happen while I was gone?" the brunet asked.

"Just Max taking a nap," was Coltyn's answer.

"Well he was up half the night." Mikey took an apple, washed it off, and took a bite. He looked at Gabe, who was still sleeping, and nudged him with his foot until he woke up. "Wake up, Gabe."

"Aww, man..." The younger Angel boy sat up. "Why'd we choose to camp out here? The ground's as hard as fuck."

"We picked this spot so no one can sneak up behind us," Coltyn answered, "We'd have our backs to the ocean."

"Did anyone come while we were sleeping?" Gabe asked as he reached for a bottle of water.

"No one came on my shift. And judging from Max, I don't think anyone came on his either," was Coltyn's answer. Breakfast was soon ready and the four boys sat around their camp fire eating. When they had all had their fill, the group began to pack up.

"Where we headed?" asked Gabe.

"I'm worried about Sammie," was Mikey's response.

"I say we try to make our way back to the castle. There's some serious shit happening up there and I want to know what it is," said Coltyn.

"So we're going to the castle then." Mikey looked up toward the castle on the mountain. "How are we going to get there?" Max took out his map and looked at it.

"What if we went along the outside of the island until we get to that stream?" suggested the redhead as he pointed out the route.

"Well, if we take that path, we might have a better chance of avoiding other Duelists," Coltyn thought out loud. "Most of the Duelists are concentrated on the more inland areas of the island, so it's a good idea. Also, we can fill up on water when we get to that stream."

"I'm for it," said Gabe.

"Sure, let's go," Mikey agreed with that hint of negative emotion he had had in his voice for the past week. Max picked up it right away, but did not say anything. The group walked in silence as they trekked around the perimeter of the island, though it was not because they had nothing to say to one another. It was simply better to remain quiet so they would not be heard by other Duelists.

An hour passed before they finally arrived at the stream. They followed it uphill and stopped to rest where the water was calm. Coltyn and Gabe took out the empty water bottles and went to fill them up, leaving Mikey and Max alone by themselves. It was then that the redhead chose to take the opportunity to ask.

"What's wrong, Mikey? You're not acting like your usual fabulous self."

"I'm okay. It's nothing," Mikey assured his friend.

"Come on, Mikey. I've known you for over a year. You can tell me what's up," Max continued to prod. Mikey sighed. Once Max got started on something, he never stopped until he gave in.

"Is it Sammie and Kaiba?" asked Max. Mikey stiffened.

"How'd you know?" he asked.

"You've been thinking about Sammie for a long time, so it makes sense."

"It was just so sudden..." Mikey stared at the water.

"Things happen over the summer," Max said trying to console his friend, "Sometimes you just have to deal with it. Besides, this isn't anime; relationships don't always mean love."

"What do you mean?" Mikey inquired.

"People get married for lots of reasons," Max explained, "It can be for business reasons, inheritance, or continuing a bloodline or passing on a family name. It's not always for love. The same thing goes for dating."

"So you're saying that Sammie doesn't even like Kaiba?"

"I never said she doesn't. I said MAYBE she doesn't." Mikey's eyes lit up. He still had a chance. Max noticed it immediately and quickly said, ""No, Mikey. Don't go getting your hopes up. That just makes you a creep. I said deal with it, not cling." Mikey hung his head and sighed. Max finished off his bottle of water and walked upstream a bit to refill it. No sooner had he stepped a few meters away from Mikey, his Duel Band started to beep. "Oh this is SO not fabulous!" From the bushes stumbled a brown-haired girl with glasses and an Osiris Red uniform.

"Oh dear! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she apologized rather quickly.

"Hey, I know you!" Max said, recognizing the girl, "You're Rana from the drama club!" The girl whom Max had called Rana raised her head and saw the redheaded boy.

"Are you Max?"

"That's me!" Max answered flamboyantly. Rana immediately shied away from him. "What's wrong?"

"Well, it's just..." There was a silence between them.

"Uh, Max? The Duel Band," Mikey reminded him.

"Oh, right." Max looked at the flashing contraption on his wrist. On the one hand, he was relieved they had found someone else he knew from school. On the other hand, she was to be his opponent.

"I-I was trying to stay away from duels," Rana began to explain, "If I stayed away, then..."

"No need to explain. But surely you can at least duel someone you know, right?" Max asked.

"Well..."

"Uh, Max? Remember what happened to Sammie after she lost her duel?" Mikey reminded his friend. The memory suddenly hit Max like a big.

"Oh, that is SUCH an unfabulous thing!"

"What're you going to do?"

"Max doesn't have a choice," Coltyn said, suddenly appears beside Mikey. Apparently he and Gabe had returned from their bottle refill. "The Duel Bands force the Duelists into duels with the first person who comes within range."

"It really is a sad day," Max said in an unhappy voice as he put on his Duel Disk.

"Yes...." Rana said nothing else as she put her Duel Disk on.

"But..." Max looked at her with a more cheerful expression now on his face, "...let's make this duel a show! As members of the drama club!" He took out his mask and put it on. "Avec le clown des rêves heureux!" Rana looked at him and suddenly she seemed to gain a burst of confidence.

"Let's do it."

Gabe took a quarter out from his wallet. "Call it."

"Tails," said Max. Gabe flipped the coin and announced the result.

"Heads."

--

**Max:** 8000

**Rana:** 8000

--

Umm, here I go." Rana drew her first card, "I play the Continuous Spell Card Water Hazard. This lets me Special Summon a level four or lower Water monster from my hand if I control no monsters. So I'm...uh...Special Summoning my Poison Draw Frog in defense mode." A lily pad opened up in one of her Monster Zones and a small red frog appeared and croaked (ATK/100 DEF/100). "Next.... Ummm.... I'll set a monster." A facedown card appeared beside Poison Draw Frog and then Rana ended her turn.

"Try not to be nervous, Rana. That's what we in the drama club help each other do." Max smiled as he drew his card with flair. "Take the stage, Ryu-Kishin Clown!" A cloud of streamers and confetti shot up from his Monster Zone and a small round demon wearing clown clothes and a party hat appeared laughing (ATK/800 DEF/500). "When he's summoned, his fabulous effect kicks in, letting him switch a monster's Battle Position!" Unfurling a party horn, Ryu-Kishin Clown lashed out with it like a whip and ensnared Poison Draw Frog. The small red amphibian croaked as it was forced onto its feet into attack ready position. It blinked and tilted its head before croaking once more.

"Poison Draw Frog!" Rana gasped.

"Alrighty, Ryu-Kishin Clown! Give us a show!" Ryu-Kishin Clown took out several red balls and began to juggle them. All eyes were fixated on the display as the demonic clown began to perform other tricks. Nobody seemed to notice the fuses being lit one by one on the balls until it was too late. With one final cackle, Ryu-Kishin Clown tossed the ballls at Poison Draw Frog and the exploded around it.

--

**Max:** 8000

**Rana:** 7300

--

"That was simply fabulous, Ryu-Kishin Clown!" As he was cheering for his monster, Poison Draw Frog suddenly burst from the ground and lashed out at Rana's deck with its tongue. It ensnared the top card and placed it into her hand before dying.

"When my face-up Poison Draw Frog is sent to the graveyard, I can draw one card," she explained.

"Always a fabulous little prize." Max took a card from his hand and inserted it facedown into one of his Spell and Trap Zones. "Act one is done!"

Rana slowly drew her card. "She looked at it and opened her field tray. "I play my Wetlands Field Spell." She placed the card inside and closed the tray. The duel field immediately transformed into a rainy wetland. "Next, I summon my Unifrog." Playing another card, she summoned a blue frog with a unicorn horn on its head (ATK/400 DEF/400). "My Wetlands card boosts all level two and lower Water Aqua-Type monsters by twelve hundred attack points." Unifrog croaked as its attack points rose up to sixteen hundred. "Attack...um....directly." The blue frog croaked again and hopped forward. Thanks to its effect, it bypassed Ryu-Kishin Clown and stabbed Max with its horn.

--

**Max:** 6400

**Rana:** 7300

--

"Ouch," Gabe winced when he saw that horn sink into Max's chest.

"I'm done," Rana said quietly.

"Fabulous move, Rana!" Max drew his next card with a flourish. With Wetlands on the field, his opponent had a monster with sixteen hundred attack points and a facedown creature. Examining his hand, he saw he had only one monster that could defeat it. "I'm discarding a card to Special Summon The Tricky. Take the stage, mon ami!" A blue curtain rose up onto the field and unfolded into a cape attached tot he back of a yellow and black harlequin with question marks on his chest and face (ATK/2000 DEF/1200). "Alright Tricky, give everyone your abso-tively posi-lutely FABULOUS performance!" The Tricky lowered his right arm and a dagger slid out of his sleeve into his hand. He brought the blade up in front of his face and leapt into the air. After somersaulting three times, he hovered over the air and threw the knife at Unifrog. It sank deep into the amphibian's body and cleaved its upper body in half.

--

**Max:** 6400

**Rana:** 6900

--

"Now Ryu-Kishin Clown, it's your turn!" Ryu-Kishin Clown took off his hat and pulled out a party popper. He laughed manically before giving it a hard pull and unleashing a flurry of daggers. They skewered the facedown card, which was revealed to be T.A.D.P.O.L.E. (ATK/0 DEF/0). Rana immediately complied with its effect. Upon its destruction in battle and being sent to the graveyard, she searched her deck and brought her remaining two T.A.D.P.O.L.E.s to her hand. "Your turn, Ranny!"

Rana was a little shocked by the nickname Max had just called her by, but she continued to draw her card. Using the effect of her Water Hazard card, she Special Summoned one T.A.D.P.O.L.E. and then set the other one facedown. The face-up creature gained the power up of Wetlands, boosting its attack points to twelve hundred. After that, she placed another card facedown and concluded her turn.

Max drew his card and looked at the field. He shuffled the cards in his hand and placed one on his Duel Disk. "Take the stage, Dream Clown!" A party horn sounded and Max's caped clown rolled out onto the field before somersaulting onto his feet and taking a bow (ATK/1200 DEF/900). "Next I play the fabulous Earthquake Spell Card, changing all monsters into defense mode!" The field shook violently and Ryu-Kishin Clown and The Tricky were forced into a defensive stance in order to maintain their balance. Dream Clown was not quite as fortunate. The sudden tremors caused him to trip over his own shoes and he fell flat on his face. The other monsters laughed in amusement, but Dream Clown's lips curled back into a wide smile as he got up and bowed. Suddenly, several playing cards sprouted from his sleeves into his hands and he threw them at the face-up T.A.D.P.O.L.E. like shuriken.

"Dream Clown's fabulous effect lets him destroy any monster you control when he's switched into defense mode," Max explained. Rana gasped and quickly activated her facedown.

"I'll save you!" she said quickly as her Aegis of the Ocean Dragon Lord was revealed. "This card can save any face-up level three or lower Water monsters from being destroyed in battle or effect until the End Phase."

"Fabulous move!" exclaimed Max. He switched The Tricky back into attack mode. "But it doesn't work on facedowns." And with that, the harlequin leapt up and threw a dagger at the facedown T.A.D.P.O.L.E., destroying it instantly. "Thank you for that FABULOUS act, Tricky! It's your turn, Ranny!"

"Um, okay." Rana drew her next card and looked at her T.A.D.P.O.L.E. "Umm, I sacrifice my T.A.D.P.O.L.E. and summon Des Frog in attack mode." The little red and black tadpole vanished from the field and in its place appeared a green frog (ATK/1900 DEF/0). "When, um, Des Frog is Tribute Summoned, I can Special Summon more Des Frogs from my hand or deck equal to the number of T.A.D.P.O.L.E.s in my graveyard." Her deck spat out two cards and she took them before it was shuffled by her Duel Disk. She then placed them onto her field and two more Des Frogs appeared, filling the air with loud ribbits.

"That's a lot of frogs," Max commented.

"Next, I...um...play the Spell Card Des Croaking." Rana placed her card face-up into her rightmost Spell and Trap Zone and the Des Frogs began to croak loudly. "I can only use this card if I have three Des Frogs on the field. Then it destroys all the cards on my opponent's field." The croaking grew louder and powerful vibrations began to penetrate the air. Max's clowns immediately brought their hands to their ears to block out the noise, but to no avail.

"Oh, this is SO not fabulous!" Max quickly flipped up his facedown card. "I activate my Zero Gravity! This little ditty can change the Battle Positions of every monster on the field." As the Des Frogs continued to croak, all three of them suddenly crouched down into defensive positions while Ryu-Kishin Clown and Dream Clown stood up into battle ready stances and The Tricky crouched down into a defense stance. However, this change in Battle Positions did not stop Max's front line from being obliterated by the sheer power of Des Croaking. Before long, the only creatures on the field were the defending frogs.

"Max was lucky that time," Gabe commented.

"I suppose I'll set a card and end my turn." Rana seemed unsure as she set a card facedown and concluded her turn.

"That was a fabulous move, Rana. You almost had me too." Max drew his card with a flourish. "But now it's my turn. Whilst your Des Frogs are in defense mode, I'm gonna give you a FABULOUS performance! Take the stage, Peten!" He played his card and Peten the Dark Clown appeared before him (ATK/500 DEF/1200). The masked clown looked toward Rana and tipped his plumed hat as he bowed. "Attack the leftmost Des Frog, Peten!" The clown vanished and reappeared behind Des Frog. With a dagger in one hand, he brought back his arm and thrust the blade at the amphibian.

Rana gasped and activated her facedown. "I'll save you, Des Frog! I'll use Froggy Forcefield."

"Froggy Forcefield? What kinda lame name is that?" Gabe asked.

"It's Mirror Force for Frogs," Coltyn explained, "I think that effect alone is enough for anyone to put up with that name."

A spherical barrier surrounded Des Frog and the tip of the dagger struck it. The forcefield crackled loudly before a powerful shockwave erupted from it and destroyed Peten.

"I remove from play Peten the Dark Clown to Special Summon another from my deck." Max placed his first Peten into his pocket and brought out his next one in its place. "Now Peten, why don't you be a dear and finish what your fellow thespian started?" Peten the Dark Clown nodded and vanished only to reappear behind Des Frog as his predecessor had done before him. With one arm, he hooked the frog's head and pulled back and with the other he took his dagger and slit its throat. Peten then nodded and returned to his spot. "I'll be setting a card and ending my turn."

"My turn then..." Rana's voice trailed off as she proceeded to draw her card. "I turn my Des Frogs into attack mode. Then I summon Dupe Frog." A lily pad opened up on her field and a blue frog wearing a black grad cap with question marks all over its body hopped onto it (ATK/100 DEF/2000). "Des Frog, attack Peten." The first Des Frog croaked loudly and the soundwaves shook Peten the Dark Clown until he collapsed.

--

**Max:** 4800

**Rana:** 6900

--

"I remove from play Peten to Special Summon another from my deck." A third Peten appeared on Max's field crouching in defense mode.

"Des Frog, attack that one." On Rana's command, the second Des Frog croaked and destroyed Max's third Peten the Dark Clown. "Now Dupe Frog, attack." Dupe Frog croaked and hit Max directly for one hundred points of damage.

--

**Max:** 4700

**Rana:** 6900

--

"Now I play Polymerization." Rana played her card. "Dupe Frog's effect lets his name be treated as Des Frog when he's on the field. So I fuse three Des Frogs together to form D.3.S. Frog." The three frogs combined and emerged as an enormous green frog with moustache-like whiskers (ATK/2500 DEF/2000).

"That's a big monster," Max noted. "I activate my facedown card, Scapegoat." Four Sheep Tokens appeared on Max's field in defense position, each a level one Beast monster with zero attack and defense points.

"I'm uh, done now," Rana said.

"I draw!" Max drew his card and looked at it. A large smile appeared on his face, "Torapart, come on out and take the stage!" A small figurine resembling a witch appeared standing on a circular base. But suddenly it rose up and a mirror image of itself appeared from the bottom of its base (ATK/600 DEF/600). "Now for some FABULOUS Synchro Summoning! I tune Torapart to my four Sheep Tokens." The Sheep Tokens lined up with one another as Torapart's body faded away into two shining stars which then turned into green rings of energy. The rings surrounded the tokens and their bodies faded away, leaving only one start in each of their places. A bright light engulfed them all.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the amazing, the fabulous Goyo Guardian!" The light faded and there on Max's field stood a kabuki actor wielding a long rope to which a jutte had been tied (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). "Goyo Guardian, have at that D.3.S. Frog!" Goyo Guardian began to spin the jutte around on his line before launching it directly at the enormous amphibian. He struck its vulnerable spot and the massive creature collapsed.

--

**Max:** 4700

**Rana:** 6600

--

"And with Goyo Guardian's FABULOUS effect, he can Special Summon the monster he just destroyed!" Goyo Guardian's jutte sank into the ground and suddenly pulled up D.3.S. Frog from the grave. The enormous frog was deposited beside the kabuki actor and the line and weapon were retrieved. "D.3.S. Frog, sing for us please!" D.3.S. Frog let out a deafening croak and hit Rana directly for twenty-five hundred points of damage.

--

**Max:** 4700

**Rana:** 4100

--

"And now it's time for an intermission!" Max announced as he concluded his turn.

"He's gonna win!" Gabe exclaimed.

"Last card, Gabe," Mikey said reminding his brother of what Coltyn had said the other day.

Rana slowly lifted the edge of the top card of her deck and slowly pulled it out of her Duel Disk. "I activate Level Limit - Area B." A high-security wall rose up behind her with a large sealed door bearing a large B. "Now all monsters level four and higher must go into defense mode and stay that way." Alarms began blaring and searchlights were placed on Goyo Guardian and D.3.S. Frog. The two creatures immediately couched down defensively as if to hide from the lights.

"Fabulous move, Ranny!" Max drew his card. "And now I let the fabulous Crass Clown take the stage!" A large ball appeared on the field and a grotesque clown carrying a balance pole appeared standing on it (ATK/1350 DEF/1400). A searchlight came down on him and he too crouched into defense mode.

_Starting with my turn, I can switch my clown into attack mode and send any monster she summons back to her hand_, he thought as he ended his turn.

Rana drew her card. "I summon Submarine Frog in attack mode." She played it and brought out a frog in a yellow diving suit carrying a red harpoon (ATK/1200 DEF/600). Since Wetlands was still in play, the level two frog monster had its attack points raised to twenty-four hundred. With her monster now boosted up, she pointed toward Crass Clown. "Attack." Submarine Frog threw its harpoon and pierced through Crass Clown. The spear then continued on and struck Max.

--

**Max:** 3700

**Rana:** 4100

--

"What was that?" asked Max.

"So Submarine Frog has piercing," Coltyn thought out loud.

"I end my turn," Rana said quietly.

Max drew. This wasn't looking good for him. Goyo Guardian and D.3.S. Frog each had two thousand defense points, which would not last against the powered-up Submarine Frog. Looking at his deck, he knew there was a card that could stop it. However, the card he had just drawn was not it. All he could do now was end his turn.

Rana drew again. After looking at her card, she ordered Submarine Frog to attack Goyo Guardian. The harpoon pierced right through the kabuki actor's chest and struck Max again.

--

**Max:** 3300

**Rana:** 4100

--

After that, she set the card she had just drawn and ended her turn.

Despite his situation, Max continued to duel with showmanship as he drew his card with a fantastic flourish. Once again, it was not the card he was looking for. He had other cards in his hand, but they were useless against his opponent's powered-up monster. He needed to destroy that boost. With no other options left, he ended his turn.

Now it was back to Rana. She drew her card and ordered her monster to attack. Submarine Frog drove its harpoon into D.3.S. Frog and destroyed it, dealing more damage to Max.

--

**Max:** 2900

**Rana:** 4100

--

Now Max was defenseless. He needed to draw that card on his turn or else he would be done very soon. "Come on, Max!" Mikey called from the sidelines. The redhead slowly put his fingers on top of his deck and drew the top card. He looked at it and his face brightened behind his mask.

"FABULOUS!" he cried happily, "I play Mystical Space Typhoon and I'm destroying Wetlands!" A powerful wind blew across the field and tore up the land as Rana's Field Spell was destroyed, returning the field to normal and Submarine Frog's attack points back to twelve hundred. "Now I discard Level Limit - Area A from my hand to Special Summon The Tricky! Take the stage, my friend!" Max's second The Tricky appeared on the field and bowed gracefully. Then on Max's orders, he leapt into the air and launched a dagger at Subarmine Frog, piercing its diving suit and digging deep into its chest.

--

**Max:** 2900

**Rana:** 3300

--

Rana gasped as she fumbled to draw a card. Flip Flop Frog would do her no good for attack, so she set it in defense mode.

Max then drew his card and he summoned a second Crass Clown. "Alright, Crassy. Give us a show! Show us your Clown Trick!" Crass Clown bounced up and down on his ball before balancing himself on his pole and kicking the spherical object across the field. It struck Rana's facedown Flip Flop Frog and destroyed it. "Okay, Tricky! Your turn!" The Tricky produced another dagger from his sleeve and threw it at Rana.

--

**Max:** 2900

**Rana:** 1300

--

When her turn came again, Rana drew her card. As soon as she saw it, she played it"I summon Beelze Frog in attack mode." A lily pad opened up and black and red frog with small demon wings appeared on it and croaked (ATK/1200 DEF/800). "Beelze Frog gains three hundred attack points for each T.A.D.P.O.L.E. in my graveyard." With three T.A.D.P.O.L.E.s in her graveyard, her Beelze Frog's attack points rose up to twenty-one hundred. "Attack Crass Clown." The devilish amphibian lashed out with its tongue and stuck it to Crass Clown. It then pulled back in and swallowed the menacing circus performer.

--

**Max:** 2150

**Rana:** 1300

--

"Oh my! This is such a predicament!" Max said dramatically as he placed the back of his hand against his forehead like he was fainting.

"Max, you're a comedian, not a drama queen!" Gabe called.

"It's called acting, Gabey baby!" Max answered as he stood erect and drew his card.

"Please...tell me he did not just call me 'Gabey baby'."

Max looked at the two cards in his hand. Beelze Frog was strong in its current state and none of the cards he held could destroy it. He had to think fast. For the time being, he switched his The Tricky into defense mode and ended his turn.

Rana drew her next card. "I summon...Swap Frog." Another lily pad opened up and a yellow and red horned frog appeared (ATK/1000 DEF/500). "Beelze Frog, please attack The Tricky." Just as it had done to Crass Clown, Beelze Frog lashed out with its tongue and ate The Tricky. Following that, Swap Frog attacked with a loud croak and hit Max with full power.

--

**Max:** 1150

**Rana:** 1300

--

"I'm...done...."

Max drew his card. Finally, he had a card with which he could protect himself. He set it right away and concluded his turn. Rana then followed up with her turn and drew. Immediately, she ordered Beelze Frog to attack. However, when the tongue made contact with its target, it was revealed to be the pink puffball Marshmallon (ATK/300 DEF/500).

"If you attack Marshmallon when he's facedown, you take a thousand points of damage," Max explained as Marshmallon lept up and bit Rana.

--

**Max:** 1150

**Rana:** 300

--

The girl cringed, but managed to keep it together. She quietly ended her turn. Now it was back to Max. He smiled when he saw his draw.

"I play the fabulous Stumbling card, which switches all monsters into defense mode when they're summoned. So now I'm letting Blade Rabbit take the stage!" A pink rabbit with knife-like teeth holding a carrot (ATK/400 DEF/300) appeared beside Marshmallon and immediately stumbled into a defensive stance. Upon doing so, its effect activated and it threw its carrot at Beelze Frog, destroying it. Max bowed gracefully as he concluded his turn.

Rana drew and looked at her hand. She had a Des Croaking, a Froggy Forcefield, and Level Limit — Area B. Her Swap Frog was her only card on the field as well as her facedown. However, that card would be unable to help her here. After some time debating with herself, she set Froggy Forcefield to protect her Swap Frog from any possible attacks.

At last Max drew again and he looked at the field and his hand. "Dream Clown, take the stage!" Another Dream Clown appeared and laughed as he tripped over his cape and fell flat on his face. A red rubber fall fell out of his pocket and bounced across the field to Swap Frog. The horned amphibian looked at it curiously for a moment before eating it. Dream Clown looked up and grinned as he pulled himself up into a defensive crouch. Suddenly, Swap Frog bloated up and exploded, leaving Rana wide open. "And now I switch Blade Rabbit into attack mode. Okay, Bladey! Let's end this with some flair!" Blade Rabbit acknowledged Max's command and bounced over to Rana before biting her.

--

**Max:** 1150

**Rana:** 0

--

Max's and Rana's Duel Bands began to glow brightly and both Duelists immediately felt their strength get sapped away. The former was caught by Mikey as he fell while the latter was tended to by Coltyn. "Will she be okay?" Max asked out of concern despite his condition.

"She'll be fine," Coltyn reported. A pair of dark suited men appeared and Coltyn handed Rana over to them after confirming that she would be taken to the infirmary.

"Oh, this is such an unfabulous feeling!" Max moaned as he took off his mask. "What sort of person would use such an awful device? And it looks so tacky!" Mikey couldn't help but giggle a little. Despite what had just transpired, Max was still the same old Max.

o o o

Roman looked satisfied with the amount of duel energy that had been collected. The box beside the LEGO model of the island was filling up increasingly faster with each passing hour. A figure of a brown-haired girl wearing glasses had just joined the pile. Even though he was used to it, he still could not figure out the child's habit. As the boy surveyed the model with his eyes, he reached for a marshmallow from a bag near his side and picked up a can of whipped cream on his other side. He sprayed some of the white cream onto the fluffy treat and placed it in his mouth. He chewed a few times before swallowing and putting his arms around a stuffed toy of a figure with purple hair and a blue scarf.

Candy and toys. Roman shook his head at the boy's childishness.

"Mr. Roman." The small figure reached out with one hand further into the replica. "I have a feeling this one may be a bit of a problem." He picked up a figure of a boy with electric blond hair.

o o o

Spencer had his laptop as he typed furiously across his keyboard. He had no one registered as a friend, so he had to work fast. His Duel Band had been plugged into his computer via a couple of cables as his eyes raced across the screen.

_There has to be a way to shut these things down_, he thought as he paused for a moment only to take a gulp from a can of Full Throttle sitting on a stump beside him. He had a lot of work to do and he couldn't waste any time as he read through the code displayed on his monitor.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Gabe and Spencer face off in a tag team against a behemoth of a man with the power to destroy Light monsters? Can the angels in Gabe's deck and the Batterymen of Spencer's match up to this new enemy? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	57. Judgement of Light

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-16**

**Judgment of Light**

Empty cans of Nos, Full Throttle, and Red Bull lay scattered on the ground as the electric blond teenager sitting on the tree stump continued to type away on his electric blond hair was a mess. His entire diet since arriving on Duelist Kingdom had consisted entirely of energy drinks and sugar. He hadn't dueled anybody yet, either. After receiving his Duel Band, Spencer went into hiding. He had already relocated twice in order to avoid playing any card games, but it was becoming increasingly difficult for him. He hadn't slept since arriving on the island nor had he slept the night before they left the school. He felt himself beginning to doze off again and he quickly gulped down another energy drink before resuming his work.

"I gotta figure out how to unlock the Standby Mode," he muttered to himself as his fingers continued to fly across his keyboard. He had worked tirelessly trying to hack his Duel Band. He could feel he was getting close.

o o o

The rendezvous point was inside a dark cave. The first to arrive was the bald man in biker clothes. An hour after his arrival, Nicky came in with a wicked grin etched upon his face and the smell of ash coming off his clothes. "You seem to have enjoyed yourself," the former said. Nicky just laughed as he sat down on a rock inside the cave.

"It was just such a RUSH!" he cackled, "So when's the boss gunna start? Oi want to get back out there and duel so'more!"

"We can't start yet. We're still waiting on our third guy," the bald man reminded the sadist.

"Well Oi 'ope 'e gets 'ere soon. Ye know Oi don't like waitin'." Suddenly, the light was blocked out by an enormous shadow. The two men looked toward the cave entrance and saw a large muscular monster of a man standing just outside. Nicky grinned maniacally. 'Took ye long 'nough." The large man said nothing as he tried to squeeze into the tiny cave.

"Everyone is here now." A dark aura seemed to permeate the cavern suddenly as the man in the back made his presence known. The three tournament participants turned to the shadows trying to make out the figure sitting there. However, he blended in so well with the darkness it was as if he was not there at all. The tall man lowered himself down to his knee and bowed deeply.

"Oi! Ya really need ta do that?" asked Nicky.

"Leave him be," the bald man muttered.

"Mind your own business, Terry," Nicky replied with a bark. The bald man turned to him and then turned back to the man in the shadows.

"That's enough," the shadowed man said as he looked at his three subordinates. His eyes, though masked in darkness, touched their souls with a piercing chill. "I will not have my men fighting amongst each other. That will not serve our cause well." He paused for a moment, watching as Nicky looked down at the ground in disappointment.

"Why did you call us?" Terry asked.

"I'm going to the castle," the shadowed man answered.

"Why you goin' ta that place?" asked Nicky.

"That's something you don't need to know."

"An' 'ow long will ya be gone?"

"Until further notice. In the meantime, I want you to keep up your work. Understood?"

"Feh. Aw'right," Nicky answered begrudgingly.

"Will do," was Terry's response. The tall man simply bowed and stood up. One by one, they began to leave until the tall man reached the entrance, his large frame silhouetting like a giant in the sun. Before he could leave the dark man's hand placed itself upon his shoulder. "One more thing, my soldier. The runes have told me of a boy that will cause us trouble with hair the color of of the sun and a soul bound by lightning. Find him."

The large man remained still and nodded, a low grumble in his throat as he said, "No man escapes Judgement, my lord." The tall man exited the cave and vanished in the thick woods, leaving the dark man alone in the darkness.

"Those three will follow me to the very end," he muttered as he faded into the shadows.

o o o

Mikey, Max, Coltyn, and Gabe continued their trek toward the castle. The foliage was thick and the air was hot and moist. Mikey found himself stopping several times just to peel his shirt off his skin. "Coltyn, are you sure we're going the right way? I can't even see the castle through these trees."

"Mikey, shut up or people will hear us," was Coltyn's answer. "The only reason we are even heading to the castle is because you wouldn't stop worrying about Sammie. We don't need you drawing opponents towards us and making it more difficult." Suddenly, there was a rustle coming from the foliage up ahead.

"Incoming, guys," Gabe said.

"Gabe? Is that you?" a familiar voice asked.

"Sparky?"

"Don't call me Sparky!"

"Yeah, that's definitely him. Yo, dude! Where are you?"

"Don't come any closer!" Spencer warned them. "Here, catch this!" A small transparent plastic case suddenly few out of the bushes and landed at Gabe's feet. The younger brother picked it up and examined it. Inside was an SD card.

"What's this?" asked Gabe.

"Put it inside your Duel Band's SD slot." Gabe did as he was told. A few seconds passed and his Duel Band suddenly went into Standby Mode.

"What the hell is this?"

"Just pass it around and I'll explain everything."

A couple of minutes passed and finally Mikey, Coltyn, and Max had also managed to reset their Duel Bands to Standby Mode. Spencer finally came out of the bushes with his laptop bag over his shoulder. "Damn Sparky, you look like hell."

"You try working for days without sleep," Spencer replied. "Now that your Duel Bands have been reset, you can freely interact with anyone you didn't register into your friends list at the beginning. Then you'll wanna register them too."

"Nice." Coltyn, who had been the last person to use the SD card, put it back in its case and snapped it shut.

"So how long does it last?" asked Mikey.

"Ten minutes," was Spencer's answer, "I could only figure out how to reset the band to Standby Mode. I couldn't figure out any more than that."

"This will do fabulously for now," Max responded. The four registered Spencer onto their Duel Bands and Spencer did the same for them.

"You guys got any real food?" the electric blond teenager asked. Mikey handed him an apple and Spencer snatched it up and began hungrily devouring it. After he had finished, he managed to regain his composure and straightened his hair as best as he could.

"So is this thing the only thing you've been working on since we got here?" asked Mikey as he took the SD card from Coltyn and looked at it.

"Yeah. I managed to hack mine and wrote a code to reset it," answered Spencer.

"You're one hell of a techno geek, Sparky," Gabe laughed.

"Stop calling me that!"

As the teens continued to chatter and laugh, a large man in a white robe and a mask watched them from the shadows. He was waiting; waiting for the right time.

"So Spencer, how long does this Standby Mode last?" asked Mikey.

"The default ten minutes. After that, you'll have to plug that card back in," answered Spencer.

"How many have you got?" Coltyn asked.

"Just the one. So be careful not to lose it." Suddenly, the electric blond teenager's Duel Band beeped and it went back into Active Mode. As soon as it had, it began beeping loudly and it began to flash. "What the?" Suddenly, the robed man stepped out.

"Who are you?" demanded Spencer.

"He must have been standing there waiting until Spencer's Duel Band reactivated," Max thought out loud.

"I am here by order of my master," the masked man said, "To duel and eliminate." The masked man's eyes scanned over the young boy once more and he grunted lowly, "And in this case, Judge."

"Judge? What do you mean by that?" Mikey questioned with the large man remaining silent. He simply stared from behind his mask, his piercing gaze digging deep into Mikey's soul. The brunet clutched his chest as he felt incredible pressure and began to sweat. "What...What the heck..."

"Oh come on! I spend the past two days working on my code and then this happens!" Spencer turned to the others, breaking the tall man's gaze on Mikey. "Give me the SD card." Coltyn handed over the small chip and watched as the first year inserted it into his Duel Band. However, his bracelet did not stop. "Shit. I forgot to program a deactivation code when this thing goes into Duel Mode." No sooner had he said this, Gabe's Duel Band switched back into Active Mode.

"I'll take him out with you," he said.

"Gabe, wait!" Mikey called after his brother, but Gabe had already strapped on his Duel Disk. He took the SD card from Spencer, put it back in its case, and tossed it at Mikey.

"Bro, take this and get to the castle."

"What? Why?" Mikey just looked at the card as his, Coltyn's, and Max's Duel Bands switched back to Active Mode.

"We're dueling. You guys'll need that on your way to the castle. Don't worry, we'll catch up."

"Mikey, let's just go. We don't have a lot of time," Coltyn said to the brunet.

"Just trust him," Max added, "I know I do." Mikey looked back at Gabe.

"Just go!"

After a while of hesitation, Mikey finally conceded. "Alright. But make sure you catch up soon."

"Will do, bro." And with those words from his younger brother, Mikey grabbed his bag and left with Max and Coltyn. Gabe turned toward the large man.

"Alright, who are you?" he demanded.

"I am Judgement," the robed man answered.

"Judgement, eh?" Spencer strapped on and activated his Duel Disk. "Alright then, how are we gonna do this?"

"A tag team duel," Judgement answered.

"But there's two of us and only one of you," Gabe pointed out.

"I shall have two turns," answered Judgement.

"Where's your Duel Disk?"

"Right here." Judgement pulled back the left sleeve of his robe and exposed a metallic black gauntlet with a golden pentagonal buckler attached to it. He clenched his fist tightly and suddenly the buckler split in two. The two halves opened up until the ends connected and moved to the side of the arm. The elegant designs slide away, revealing a set of black monster zones with white borders. Where the buckler had once been now existed a graveyard slot. A box shape just under the wrist was already loaded with cards.

"We'll go first," said Gabe as he drew his starting hand.

"Fine," Judgement agreed, "but know that by the end of this duel you will be judged. You shall not win. No man defeats me but my God and his priests. No man escapes Judgement."

"Whatever," Gabe scoffed unimpressed as his hand hovered impatiently over his deck.

"Let's duel." Spencer extracted the top five cards of his deck and added them to his hand.

Judgement said nothing as five cards shot out of his wrist into his palm.

--

**Gabe & Spencer:** 8000

**Judgement:** 8000

--

"I'm going first. Draw!" Gabe drew the first card of the game. "I summon Gellenduo in attack mode." A pair of fairies with halos around their waists appeared in front of him. The first was green with one plume on its head, the second was pink with two plumes on its head (ATK/1700 DEF/0). "I'm setting a card and ending my turn."

"My turn." A single card shot out of the wrist of Judgement's gauntlet and flew into his hand with the rest of his cards. "I summon Ally of Justice Garadholg." A white and red mechanical warrior appeared on the field. With a long thick hair made of energy, it grasped for two cylinders at its hips and pressed switches on both, activating a pair of energy blades (ATK/1600 DEF/400). "Now I place a single card facedown. My turn ends."

"My move now." Spencer drew his card. "And I'll summon Batteryman AA!" In a flash of electricity, a AA battery with arms and legs wearing a scarf made of electricity appeared (ATK/0 DEF/0). "Batteryman AA gains a thousand attack points for every Batteryman I have on the field, including himself." Batteryman AA charged up as its attack points rose to one thousand. "That ends my turn."

"Light monsters. Heh." Judgement drew his card. "I summon Ally of Justice D.D. Checker." From the shadows emerged a transparent octahedron with a small mechanical insect attached to each of its angles. It soon became clear to the two students that within contraption was a swirling darkness (ATK/1700 DEF/1200). "Ally of Justice Garadholg, attack Batteryman AA." Ally of Justice Garadholg complied and its hair suddenly propelled itself forward like rocket jets. It flew toward its target and readied its weapons. As it neared, its attack points suddenly rose to eighteen hundred.

"Hey, what gives?" asked Spencer.

"Ally of Justice Garadholg gains two hundred attack points when it attacks a Light monster," answered Judgement. The energy swords cut through Batteryman AA and the result explosion dealt damage to Gabe's and Spencer's Life Points.

--

**Gabe & Spencer:** 7200

**Judgement:** 8000

--

"Now as I recall, when you take damage Gellenduo is automatically destroyed." True to Judgement's words, Gellenduo cried out before it burst into a shower of pixie dust. "Ally of Justice D.D. Checker, attack them directly." Ally of Justice D.D. Checker began to glow and a powerful wave of darkness spread out from the octahedron.

"I activate Negate Attack!" Gabe revealed his facedown card and a vortex swallowed up the attack.

"I conclude my turn," announced Judgement.

"Alright, it's my turn now." Gabe drew his next card. "I set a monster facedown. Next I play the Field Spell, The Sanctuary in the Sky." His field tray opened and he placed the card inside before it closed. An image of the card appeared on his far left and suddenly the three Duelists found themselves no longer on Duelist Kingdom, but rather in an ancient ruin floating high in the sky. "As long as my Field Spell is in play, we don't take any Battle Damage involving a Fairy monster."

"Wait. Mine are Thunder monsters, though," Spencer pointed out.

"It doesn't matter either way," Judgement said as his next card was deployed from his wrist into his hand. "Ally of Justice Garadholg, attack that facedown creature." Ally of Justice Garadholg fired up its jets and flew forward. Its attack points rose up to eighteen hundred again and it swung its swords at its target, which turned out to be a glowing green idol with angel wings and a golden halo above its head and another underneath it, Radian Jeral (ATK/1000 DEF/2000). The energy swords bounced off its surface and the recoil hit Judgement.

--

**Gabe & Spencer:** 7200

**Judgement:** 7800

--

"Count yourselves fortunate." Judgement ended his turn as Ally of Justice Garadholg returned to its original sixteen hundred attack points.

"My move!" Spencer drew his card. "I play the Spell Card Battery Charger. By paying five hundred Life Points, I can Special Summon one Batteryman from my graveyard." He inserted it into his Duel Disk and immediately the built in alarm went off as an error message appeared on his Life Point screen. "What the?"

"The effect of Ally of Justice D.D. Checker prevents the Special Summoning of any Light-Attribute creatures," Judgement explained. Spencer swore loudly.

"Ouch, man," was all Gabe could say.

"I'll set a monster and end my turn," declared Spencer.

"I draw." Judgement drew his next card. "I set one monster facedown. Now Ally of Justice Garadholg, attack that facedown card!" Ally of Justice Garadholg rocketted toward its target and swung its swords as its attack points rose to eighteen hundred. The facedown creature turned out to be a large D battery with arms and legs (ATK/0 DEF/1900).

--

**Gabe & Spencer:** 7200

**Judgement:** 7700

--

Judgement was not happy, but it was impossible to tell with his mask. Ally of Justice Garadholg returned to its original sixteen hundred attack points and he ended his turn.

"My move!" Gabe drew his card. He looked at his hand. He had a Tuner, however Ally of Justice D.D. Checker prevented him from Special Summoning Light monsters, including Synchro Summons. He re-examined his hand again and continued to think. A card suddenly stood out and he took it. "I sacrifice Radiant Jeral and summon The Agent of Judgment - Saturn!" Radiant Jeral vanished and in its place appeared a blue-skinned angel with matching wings (ATK/2400 DEF/0). "Now I activate Radiant Jeral's effect. When it's sent to the graveyard except by battle, I gain a thousand Life Points if The Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field."

"Reveal Trap Card." Judgement used his thumb and pressed the nail area of his ring finger on his gauntlet. "Light-Imprisoning Mirror. When the effect of a Light monster activates on the field or in the graveyard, this card negates it." A mirror shaped like an eye appeared behind Ally of Justice D.D. Checker and it began to absorb streams of light coming out of Gabe's graveyard.

"So much for Jeral's effect," said Spencer.

"I'm not in it for Jeral's effect," Gabe answered back, "I'm after that D.D. Checker! Saturn, attack it now with Celestial Blades!" The Agent of Judgment - Saturn summoned several rings and launched them forward. They cut through the glass case of Ally of Justice D.D. Checker and destroyed it.

--

**Gabe & Spencer:** 7200

**Judgement:** 7000

--

"Nice! Now we can Special Summon Light monsters again!" Spencer exclaimed.

"Do not think this is a victory for you," Judgement said coldly as he drew. He looked at the card he just received and examined the field. "I Flip Summon Ally Bomb." Beside Ally of Justice Garadholg, a small sphere appeared with several lights flashing all over its body (ATK/400 DEF/300). "Now I summon the Tuner monster Ally of Justice Cycle Leader." A black and silver robot resembling a spider with golden legs appeared with a face that resembled a smaller version of Judgement's mask with a red halo (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "Now I tune Ally of Justice Cycle Leader to Ally Bomb." The larger creature faded away until three stars remained and they each turned into a radiant green ring. The rings surrounded Ally Bomb and its body disintegrated until only two stars remained. The stars aligned themselves in the center of the rings and a light engulfed them all. "I Synchro Summon Ally of Justice Catastor in attack mode." When the light faded, in place of the two monsters stood an large machine machine that stood on four golden spider-like legs with a body that curved downward at the middle and back up again and a face that looked like an exact replica of Judgement's mask (ATK/2200 DEF/1200). "Now Ally of Justice Catastor, attack The Agent of Judgment – Saturn."

"Uh, can't you do the math? My monster's stronger by two hundred points," Gabe pointed out.

"Ally of Justice Catastor, when battling a monster that is not of the Dark Attribute, will destroy that monster without applying damage calculation." Energy built up in Ally of Justice Catastor's eye and a single red laser beam shot out and passed through The Agent of Judgment - Saturn. The angel cried out as it was destroyed.

"Holy shit...." Gabe looked up at the enormous mechanical monster as its eye swept the field, taking in its targets as it readied for its next attack.

"That concludes my turn."

"I'll think of something, Gabe. My draw." Spencer drew his card. Now that Ally of Justice D.D. Checker was gone, they could Special Summon Light monsters again. "Now like I was going to do last time, I play Battery Charger. By paying five hundred Life Points, I'm going to Special Summon one Batteryman from my graveyard."

--

**Gabe & Spencer:** 6700

**Judgement:** 7000

--

"Welcome back, Batteryman AA." Batteryman AA burst up from the ground and spun around flashing around its electric scarf. "Now I sacrifice Batteryman AA to summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!" Spencer sent his monster to the graveyard and slapped a card onto his Duel Disk, bringing out the great emperor of thunder with his golden halo on its back and green dome on his head (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "And when Zaborg is Tribute Summoned, his effect destroys one card on the field. Like your Ally of Justice Catastor!" Zaborg the Thunder Monarch fired a bolt of lightning into the sky. As it came back down to strike its target, Judgement's Light-Imprisoning Mirror flashed and the thunderbolt was redirected and absorbed into its glassy surface.

"You forgot about his trap, didn't you?" asked Gabe.

"Yeah, sorry," Spencer apologized, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. He looked at Ally of Justice Catastor. So much for using Zaborg's effect. And if he attacked with his Monarch, it would simply be destroyed by the opposing monster's effect. His strategy was over. He ended his turn.

"I draw." Judgement drew his card. "You have two monsters on the field, both of which are Light monsters. However, I only need one to be able to Special Summon this monster. I bring forth Ally of Justice Cosmic Closer." A large portal generator appeared behind the masked man and began to hum loudly as a dimensional gateway was formed (ATK/2400 DEF/1200). "Ally of Justice Cosmic Closer, destroy that Batteryman D." The portal began to glow brightly, creating a black hole singularity that drew in Batteryman D, erasing the beast from existence.

"Ally of Justice Catastor, attack Zaborg the Thunder Monarch." Ally of Justic Catastor's eye began to glow and a beam shot out and pierced Zaborg's chest, bringing the lord of all thunder to his knees before he exploded in a cloud of pixels. After that, Judgement ordered Ally of Justice Garadholg to attack the boys directly.

--

**Gabe & Spencer:** 5100

**Judgement:** 7000

--

"I conclude my turn."

"My move!" Gabe drew his card. He and Spencer had absolutely no monsters on the field, their opponent's Light-Imprisoning Mirror would negate all of their monsters' effects, and lastly any monsters they summoned would only be on the field temporarily as Ally of Justice Catastor would simply destroy it. He spread out his hand and looked at his cards. An idea slowly formed. "I play the Continuous Spell Card Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen and here's how it works. If I've got no monsters, I can Special Summon a Fairy from my hand." He took another card from his hand and placed it on top of his Duel Disk. "I'm bringing out Archlord Kristya!" A ray of light shone down onto the field and an angel as white as the clouds and as pure as the heavens descended from on high on a pair of red wings with a matching sash across his chest and wrapped around his waist (ATK/2800 DEF/2300).

"Nice! You rock, Gabe!" Spencer exclaimed.

"As long as Archlord Kristya is on the field, no one can Special Summon monsters," Gabe explained.

"You suck, Gabe!"

"I Normal Summon Zeradias, Herald of Heaven now!" A warrior with green wings descended from above wielding a halberd wearing blue pants, brown boots, and green arm and head coverings that matched his wings (ATK/2100 DEF/800). "Zeradias, attack Ally of Justice Garadholg!" The heavenly warrior spread his wings and flew toward his target. Bringing his weapon to the side, he moved in closer and thrust. Ally of Justice Garadholg swung its swords and blocked the halberd. However, even with its two-hundred point boost, it was still no match and soon Zeradias, Herald of Heaven had broken through its defenses and pierced its body.

--

**Gabe & Spencer:** 5100

**Judgement:** 6700

--

"Archlord Kristya, attack that weird portal thing!" Archlord Kristya began to gather energy into his fist and then threw it in the form of a ball of light at Ally of Justice Cosmic Closer. The portal generator exploded and sent pieces of shrapnel flying in all directions.

--

**Gabe & Spencer:** 5100

**Judgement:** 6300

--

Gabe reluctantly ended his turn. He knew this would happen, but still he could not help himself. After having brought out one of his most powerful monsters onto the field, it would only get destroyed in the next turn.

"I draw." Judgement's gauntlet ejected a card from his wrist and into his palm. "I set two cards." Two facedown cards appeared at his feet and he looked up at his monster. "Next I play the Field Spell Savage Colosseum." The Sanctuary in the Sky crumbled and in its place rose the ancient Roman Colosseum. "Now with this card, all monsters will be forced to attack. Ally of Justice Catastor, attack Archlord Kristya." Ally of Justice Catastor locked onto Archlord Kristya and charged up its eye before firing a beam. It penetrated its target and the red-winged angel fell. "And with a monster's attack, its controller regains three hundred Life Points at the end of the Damage Step."

--

**Gabe & Spencer:** 5100

**Judgement:** 6600

--

"I conclude my turn."

"Come on, Batterymen. Don't let me down." Spencer placed his fingers on top of his deck and drew his card. He looked at his card and his eyes lit up. "Alright! First I summon Thunder King Rai-Oh!" A blue machine with two floating electrodes at its sides appeared (ATK/1900 DEF/800). "Next I play the Spell Card Makia, the Magical Mist! By choosing one Thunder monster, I can destroy every monster on my opponent's side of the field with fewer defense points than my monster's attack points. Thunder King Rai-Oh has nineteen hundred attack points and Ally of Justice Catastor has twelve hundred. So say goodbye." It suddenly began to rain as the holographic projectors simulated the weather-based visual. A thick mist covered the field and Thunder King Rai-Oh unleashed a massive burst of electricity that surged across the field, striking its target. Ally of Justice Catastor began to groan loudly as it collapsed and hit the ground hard.

Gabe whooped. "That bitch is down!"

"Reveal Trap Card." Judgement flipped over one of his facedowns. "Call of the Haunted." An enormous golden mechanical spider leg burst from the ground and stepped down followed by a second one as Ally of Justice Catastor rose up from the grave.

"I hate this guy," growled Gabe.

"All that work and he still gets it back?!" Spencer sighed and laid two cards facedown. "Two cards facedown. I end my turn."

"Activate Quickplay Spell, Fires of Doomsday." Judgement activated his card on Spencer's End Phase and summoned two Doomsday Tokens, which were small level one, Fiend-type, Dark Attribute, one-eye black flames with zero attack and defense. "I draw." The large man drew his next card. "I now release my two Doomsday Tokens in order to summon Ally of Justice Thunder Armor." The two tokens disappeared and in their place arose a mechanical behemoth on four spider legs wielding an energy blade on each arm with a pair of wings and an enormous battery pack on its back (ATK/2700 DEF/2200). "Now I play Mystical Space Typhoon and target the left card." A powerful whirlwind blew across the field and drilled into the targetted card, destroying it instantly.

"Crap! My Sakuretsu Armor!"

"Ally of Justice Catastor, attack." Ally of Justice Catastor gazed down at Thunder King Rai-Oh and fired its beam through its chest, destroying it effortlessly. "Now I activate from my hand the Quickplay Spell Card Limiter Removal, which will double the attack points of my Machine monsters and destroy them on my End Phase." Gabe and Spencer watched in awe as Ally of Justice Catastor and Ally of Justice Thunder Armor grew double their size, as did their attack points to fourt-four hundred and fifty-four hundred respectively.

"Yo Sparky, your facedown any good?" asked the brunet.

"It's a Judgment of Thunder," answered the electric blond boy.

"Then this is gonna hurt."

"Ally of Justice Thunder Armor, end this," ordered Judgement. Ally of Justice Thunder Armor fired up its jets and flew forward. It drew back its arms and then swung them both at once, cleaving his blades through both Gabe and Spencer and depleting the remainder of their Life Points.

--

**Gabe & Spencer:** 0

**Judgement:** 6600

--

The three Duel Bands began to flash wildly and suddenly the two teenagers found themselves drained of energy and collapsed to the ground. Judgement felt himself weakened as well, however it seemed to affect him to a much lesser extent. He looked down at his two fallen opponents and walked away saying only one thing, "No man escapes Judgement."

o o o

Mikey's Duel Band buzzed loudly and began to flash. He brought his wrist up to examine it and his heart sank. "Mikey, what's wrong?" asked Max as his own began do the same.

"Gabe lost..." was all he could say. Coltyn stood silent as he looked at his own Duel Band, which had begin to buzz and flash just as Mikey's had.

"Spencer's gone too."

"We gotta go back!" Mikey turned around, but Coltyn grabbed his jacket and stopped him in his tracks.

"It's no use anymore, Mikey," he said, "He lost. He's gone."

"N-no..." Mikey dropped to his hands and knees. "First Sammie.... Now Gabe...."

"Oh for fuck's sake. They're not dead, Mikey. They're just out of the competition." The black-haired teen picked Mikey up with his left hand. "The sooner we get to the castle, the sooner we can find them."

"Yeah, chin up, Mikey!" Max exclaimed cheerfully as he smacked the brunet's posterior.

"Max, please don't do that again," Mikey muttered. He finally stood up on his own and brushed his sweat-dampened hair back with his hand. "You're right, guys. Sorry."

"Now that you're back, let's keep going." Coltyn looked toward the castle. "It'll be a while longer, but we'll get there."

"And we'll be safe as long as we have this." Mikey took out Spencer's SD card.

_This isn't right. This whole thing isn't right. I have to see her and make sure she is okay. Don't worry, we're coming Sammie_, he thought as they continued their trek through the thick woods.

o o o

Roman had left the boy alone to play while he went to go about some personal business. He stood alone looking out a window when his gaze suddenly shifted to the corner. "You know you can come out now." From the shadows a dark man appeared.

"You knew I was here."

"Indeed. So what of your progress?"

"The strategy is going well. Nicky, Terry, and Judgement have been defeating Duelists at a steady rate in intense duels that are sure to generate great amounts of duel energy." Roman took a remote out from his pocket and pressed a button. A screen lowered from the ceiling and displayed several images from the island's many camera. On one of them, Judgement could be seen leaving the unconscious Gabe and Spencer. On another, Nicky was laughing manically as he stood surrounded by wildfire as his Flamvell monsters burned away his his opponent. On yet another, enormous fiery dinosaurs tore into their enemies' defenses with gutwretching gore.

"You chose a good team," he complimented.

"However, I doubt even with them that we are generating enough duel energy," the dark man added.

"You're right. That's why I've made some special arrangements."

"What sort of special arrangements."

"Come."

Roman lead the dark man to an elevator and the descended down into the hidden chambers of the castle. When they arrived at their floor, the two men stepped out onto what appeared to be an observation platform. Roman stood by the window and pointed down. His associate approached and looked down. Below he could see a teenage girl with blonde hair tied into two pigtails engaging in one grueling duel after another. She was still wearing her Duel Band, which was glowing brighter than any other had done before. "That girl generated more duel energy in her very first duel than any other Duelist on this island has since this competition began. She's spirited, determined, and stubborn. Even in her current state, she still produces impressive amounts of duel energy."

"At this rate, you're going to drain her dry," the dark man observed.

"If that's what it takes, then so be it." Together, the two men stood on the observation deck as Sammie continued to duel one opponent after another with her Duel Band draining her strength one game at a time.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The Duel Royale tournament continues. All Duelists slowly head toward the castle, the evident final staging ground of the competition. See how it all unfolds next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	58. Holy War

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

Well everyone, we hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. As you all may have noticed, we didn't have an update last week. That's because Christmas fell on Friday this year, so CMA and I decided to take the day off. We hope all of you have had a great break as well and we hope you will continue to enjoy reading _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!

* * *

**EPISODE 2-17**

**Holy War  
**

Roman sat across the table from the dark man. The two men were engaged in discussion as they monitored the activity all over the island. Their screens were currently focused on Nicky, Terry, Judgement, and four armored Duelists on horseback. "I rather dislike the way you allow your men to run about freely like wildfire," Roman said as he sat with a glass of Chardonnay in his hand.

"They work better when I let them off the leash," the dark man answered.

"And you made sure that they're not going to blow up the island?"

"You know Nicky. His desire for chaos and destruction is rather irritating at times, but he's useful." They turned their attention to the screen which showed the sadistic pyromaniac as he dueled a terrified girl with green hair.

"Flamvell Uruquizas, finish 'er monster off!" The fire god spread out the claws on the Armory Arm on his right arm and blasted flames out of his left hand. He streaked across the field and slashed the gentle-faced green-haired spellcaster, Familiar-Possessed - Wynn. Nicky laughed maniacally as the resulting fiery explosion engulfed his opponent.

"I can't say I'm fond of the way he operates," said Roman. The two men's attention turned to the next screen, where a girl with with fiery red hair watched as the red-armored horseman slapped a card onto the surface of claymore and summoned a creature with two swords, which cut her monster, Hiita the Fire Charmer, into pieces. "My men, on the other hand..."

"True your men have skill," the dark man admitted, "however they are not as skilled as mine." A girl with short brown hair and glasses sent her Aussa the Earth Charmer and another Earth monster from her field to her graveyard and Special Summoned Familiar-Possessed - Aussa. She then powered her up with Megamorph before launching her attack against the massive looming form of Ally of Justice Catastor. Judgement said nothing as his massive mechanical monster turned its eye on the attacking creature and fired a single beam of energy that cut through her chest and destroyed her.

"Believe me, I handpicked these four personally," Roman assured his colleague as he watched the white-garbed horseman tribute his Mist Archfiend to activate Deck Devestation Virus. The icy-cold fiend dissipated and a deadly plague struck the field and destroyed his blue-haired opponent's Eria the Water Charmer. "They will not go down so easily."

"We shall see," the dark man replied as a young black-haired boy stood with his monster Dharc the Dark Charmer helpless as they were outmatched by an enormous flaming dinosaur.

The two watched the monitors and the men depicted in each one. That was one of the main differences between Roman and the dark man. The former had access to money and much of it. To him, these were mere employees; dispensable at so much as a merely a simple mistake. Whereas the dark man treated them much like students. They had respect for him and he had respect for them. With his help, they had reached their maximum potential and in exchange they pledged to him their undying loyalty.

o o o

Four duels had been engaged simultaneously. Saito stood back-to-back with Wes, Hayley, and Nellie; each one of the four facing an opponent none of them had ever seen or even heard of before.

"Let's show these little punks they've got no chance in this tourney!" Saito's opponent announced.

"Is that so?" Saito smirked. "Ladies, Wes, let's show these punks how we roll."

Wes drew his card. "Sacrificing two cards." He lazily removed two of his monsters from his field and sent them to his graveyard. "And I'm bringing out Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord in attack mode." His enormous mechanical warrior appeared (ATK/2800 DEF/2200) and towered over his opponent's front line of Gilfer the Lightning and Guardian Angel Joan. "Now I remove from play my Koa'ki Meiru Guardian from my graveyard to destroy two cards on your field." A full salvo was launched from Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord and destroyed both of Wes' opponent's monsters. "Direct attack." The giant creature lumbered forward and slammed its hammer-like arm into its master's opponent.

Hayley drew her card with a flourish. "Thanks for helping out, Marshmallon. Go take five, hon!" Marshmallon vanished from the field. "Fallen Angel Desire, stand and deliver!" She placed her card elegantly on her Duel Disk and a pair of red feathered wings spread out and opened to reveal an angel in dark blue armor (ATK/3000 DEF/2800). "Give our guest a show. Attack with Black End Galaxy!" Fallen Angel Desire flew forward and crossed his arms over his chest again. His scissor-like claws opened and a pair of blood-red swords slid out of his gauntlets. Spreading his wings, he hovered over the ground and stared at his prey. A black sphere was forming around the monsters and sucked them in like a black hole. Fallen Angel Desire flew in and slashed the sphere with his swords. He came to a stop behind his target and the black orb exploded behind him.

"My turn!" Nellie drew her card and suddenly a golden phoenix-like creature rose up behind her (ATK/2400 DEF/1600). "Welcome back, Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!" When the great phoenix returned, it blasted her opponent's field with a powerful flame from its mouth and destroyed his four facedown cards, which turns out to be Mirror Force, Dimensional Prison, Royal Decree, and Magic Cylinder. "Finish 'em off!" The Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys spread out its wings and a wave of heat shot forth and struck down Nellie's opponent.

"You ain't got nothing!" the final Duelist shouted.

"You really want to put that to the test?" Saito challenged as he drew.

Saito challenged as he drew. "I unequip my Dragunity – Phalanx from my Dragunity – Legion and Special Summon it to the field in attack mode. Now I sacrifice them both. Arise, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The two creatures vanished from the field and in their place arose Saito's mighty sapphire-eyed dragon (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "Attack, my loyal beast! Burst Stream of Destruction!" The Blue-Eyes White Dragon opened its mouth and fired a beam of energy that obliterated the opponent's creature and wiped out the rest of his Life Points.

Four Duelists stood triumphant. Four more lay defeated. But all were met with the same fate. The Duel Bands flashed simultaneously and the eight Duelists were sapped of their energy. Nellie felt her knees give and she started to collapse, but a strong arm suddenly reached out and caught her. She looked up and saw Wes standing over her with his arm around. She blushed as she hung from his grasp but quickly regained her composure.

"Y'know I didn't need your help," she said.

"I wasn't offering," replied Wes.

Hayley giggled. _They are SO into each other_, she thought.

Saito deactivated his Duel Disk and exhaled slowly. The tournament was severely taxing. Every day was one duel after the next. With every game that was played, more of their energy was stolen. He looked at his Duel Band. The infernal contraption that bound him and everyone else to the island. It forced anybody wearing one into duels against their will and drained their energy. It was death.

Saito was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a light punch hit his arm. "Hey Sai, what now?" Nellie asked now standing on her own two feet. "Ya said we were goin' somewhere."

"Yes." Saito pointed toward the castle. "That is our destination."

"Why there?" Hayley inquired.

"Call it a Duelist's intuition," answered Saito, "However, think about it. As more Duelists are removed from the tournament, the remaining competitors will likely be making their way to the castle over time. It has food, water, and shelter, so it's a natural drawing point for people."

"Makes sense," Wes said quietly.

"What do we do when we get there?" asked Hayley.

"We find a way inside. And if that doesn't work, we'll establish a fortified base camp and pick off the remaining Duelists as they come."

"Won't that just drain us more?" Nellie pointed out.

"That's exactly what they want."

"Well if you say so, then I'll go with you, Kay-Kay!" Hayley said flamboyantly.

"I'm coming with ya, Sai!" Nellie added.

"I might as well come too," Wes said.

"Then let's move out," ordered Saito, "Our destination is the castle."

o o o

Nicky was laughing maniacally as his Flamvell monsters destroyed yet another Duelist. The look of insanity on his face was illuminated by the fires that burned around him as he struck deep into his opponent. Meanwhile, two women watched from the safety of the trees.

"Why are we still following him?" asked Mika, "Let's just go and get off the island."

"That guy's an obvious sadist," Reka answered, ignoring Mika's question. "Remember the way he was laughing when he defeated that poor boy?" The memories of Gio's agonizing defeat flooded their minds as the fires burned brighter in the wake of Nicky's path of destruction. He remembered hiding in the bushes and watching as the young boy was decimated by the flaming duelist. "I don't know who he is, but he's bad news. If we leave now, imagine the lives we'd be putting at risk if we continued to let him do as he please."

"If we continued to let him?" Mika looked at Reka like she was crazy. "We haven't even lifted a finger to stop him. And even though we should, there's no way I'm going up against that guy."

"Well I..." Reka was cut off when a loud explosion erupted from the duel field and Nicky's opponent collapsed to the ground in a lifeless heap.

"Oi told ye didn't 'ave a chance 'gainst me," he cackled as he kicked the other Duelist in the teeth, bloodying his face. Mika's eyes widened at this display of cruelty.

"I can't take it anymore," she whispered, "I can't stay here."

"We don't have a choice. We're stuck on this island," said Reka.

"I don't care. I won't have any more to do with this cruel game." Mika sat down. Reka looked down at the priestess and over to Nicky as he began to leave.

"Let's go back to home base," she whispered, "We can find him again later." Mika slowly nodded and Reka helped her to her feet. The two women began to trek across the island back to a secret location they found and decided to use as their home base. It was a small cave in a cliff side overlooking the sea with the the top of the cliff stretching a little beyond the entrance, making it hidden from anyone who was standing on top. The path was a narrow walkway on the side of the cliff camouflaged by a wall of stone. The entrance to the path was also hidden, concealed underneath a thicket of foliage. It was dangerous, though, for a wrong step could send a person sliding down the cliff and into the rough waters below. Reka would normally make her way down carefully first and then help Mika down, making sure to catch her should she slip and fall.

Making their way back to their home base was no easy task, however. To do so without encountering any opponents was difficult. In the forest it was hard to spot anybody approaching and out in the open they would only expose themselves to others. Still, it was something they knew they would have to deal with.

After walking across the island for some time, they were finally far enough from Nicky to be unable to hear his maniacal laughter. Mika breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you okay?" Reka asked.

"Just a little tired," Mika said.

"Want to rest for a bit?"

"No, I'm okay. We can rest when we get back."

"Get back where, I wonder," a voice suddenly said. Mika was started and turned toward the direction of the sound. A man with a shaved head emerged from the trees wearing clothes that appeared to be made out of soft orange cloth and a headband tied around his head.

He had a Duel Disk on his left arm and it was already on. "I wonder which of you ladies I get to duel this time." Mika slowly looked down at her wrist and her eyes widened when she discovered her Duel Band was flashing red. Reka saw this and immediately stepped forward.

"Duel me instead."

"Sorry girl, but I'm dueling her," the bald man said, "You can't change the rules."

"Who the heck are you?"

"My friends call me Yuan."

"Well Yuan, if you want to duel Mika, then you have to duel me too."

"Reka, it's okay." Mika took her deck from her robes. "I've got this." Putting on her Duel Disk, she placed her deck inside the deck slot and her cards were automatically shuffled.

"Hey, don't worry," Yuan said to Reka, "Once I'm done with her, you're next." He turned to Mika. "Now let's duel."

--

**Mika:** 8000

**Yuan:** 8000

--

"My move." Yuan drew his first card. "Fortune smiles upon me. I summon Chu-Ske the Mouse Fighter in attack mode." He played his card and summoned his monster. Reka and Mika just stared. The priestess' opponent had just brought out an anthropomorphic mouse based on Bruce Lee (ATK/1200 DEF/0). "I bolster my defenses with a facedown."

"It's my turn now." Mika drew her card. "Come on out, Breaker." Placing her card on top of her Duel Disk, a red-armored warrior wielding a sword and shield appeared (ATK/1600 DEF/1000). "When he's summoned, he gets one Spell Counter to boost his attack by three hundred." Breaker the Magical Warrior held up his sword and a blue sphere appeared on the cross guard, causing the blade to glow yellow as his attack points rose up to nineteen hundred. "Now I can remove the Spell Counter to destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field." Breaker swung his sword at Yuan's facedown and the glow was released in the form of a wave of energy. It cut through the card and destroyed it. At that moment, the sphere on his weapon shattered, returning his attack points to sixteen hundred.

"Breaker, attack!" Breaker the Magical Warrior launched himself at Chu-Ske the Mouse Fighter and cut the little rodent cleanly in half.

--

**Mika:** 8000

**Yuan:** 7700

--

"Two cards facedown and I'm finished," declared Mika as two cards appeared at her feet.

"I'll be drawing now." Yuan placed his fingers on his deck and pulled out the top card. "And I'll be summoning Monk Fighter in attack mode." A white-haired man garbed in yellow appeared (ATK/1300 DEF/1000). "And as long as he is on my field, I receive no battle damage in any attack he is involved in. "I'll set a card facedown and end my turn."

"It's my turn now." Mika drew her card. "I sacrifice Breaker the Magical Warrior and summon Magical Marionette in attack mode." A shadowy puppeteer appeared over the field cackling wearing a metal mask and gauntlets, his head covered with a red hood. Strings were deployed from his fingertips and a metal marionette wielding two knives appeared (ATK/2000 DEF/1000). "If I can't deal damage, then I'll just destroy your monster first. I play Spell Power Grasp. This Spell Card lets me add a Spell Counter to one card on the field that can have Spell Counters. Then I can bring one Spell Power Grasp to my hand, but I can't activate another one this turn." A Spell Counter appeared on the puppeteer's right gauntlet. At that moment, Mika's Duel Disk ejected a card from the middle of her deck and she took it. After revealing it to her opponent to confirm that it was indeed a second Spell Power Grasp, she placed it in her hand and her deck was shuffled. "And Magical Marionette gains two hundred attack points for each Spell Counter on it." The puppeteer cackled as his attack points rose to twenty-two hundred.

"Now for Magical Marionette's effect. Whenever a Spell Card is activated, it gains one Spell Counter." A second Spell Counter appeared on the puppeteer's other gauntlet and his attack points rose up to twenty-four hundred. "Now if I remove two Spell Counters, I can use him to destroy one monster." The two Spell Counters shattered and their energies empowered the puppet's knives. The puppeteer launched his marionette at the target.

"I activate my trap, Lone Wolf," Yuan declared, "This prevents my Monk Fighter from being destroyed by a monster effect if he's the only card on my field." A aura surrounded Monk Fighter and protected him from the magical knives.

"Well I can still destroy him," Mika announced, "Magical Marionette, attack Monk Fighter." The puppeteer launched Magical Marionette at his target and the knives struck their mark. However, the monk did not fall. "Huh?"

"Lone Wolf also protects my monster from being destroyed in battle."

"Well that's a problem," Reka commented. Mika ended her turn after setting a third facedown.

"My move." Yuan drew his card and smiled when he saw it. "Fortune smiles upon me once again. I now tribute my Monk Fighter to Special Summon Master Monk to the field in attack mode." Monk Fighter's shirt suddenly ripped from his body as his muscles bulged out and his hair grew down to his waist (ATK/1900 DEF/1000).

"He's not as strong as my Magical Marionette," Mika pointed out.

"He is now, but watch what happens after I play Kaminote Blow." Master Monk's muscles seemed to bulge greatly. "Attack Magical Marionette!" Master Monk rushed in and smashed his fist into Magicial Marionette. The aura of Lone Wolf protected him from destruction, though Yuan still lost Life Points as a result of the Battle Damage."

--

**Mika:** 8000

**Yuan:** 7600

--

After Master Monk's fist connected with it, Magical Marionette shattered and the puppetmaster faded away. "What just happened?" asked Mika.

"Kaminote Blow will automatically destroy whatever monster my monk battles with," answered Yuan, "And speaking of my monk, Master Monk's effect lets him attack twice in the same Battle Phase." Master Monk suddenly flew directly at Mika and struck her hard with his foot.

--

**Mika:** 6100

**Yuan:** 7600

--

"I finish my turn."

"I draw." Mika drew her card. She had nothing in her hand and with Master Monk able to attack twice per turn, she would take Battle Damage even if she set a monster. She examined her hand and set one of her monsters facedown along with a fourth facedown Trap Card. She hoped she could buy herself enough time in order to execute her strategy.

"My turn now." Yuan drew his card. "Dear oh dear. Fortune has not been kind to you today. I equip Master Monk with Legendary Black Belt. Now when he destroys a monster, that monster's defense points are inflicted as Effect Damage. Master Monk, would you please?" Master Monk swung his fist at the facedown card and destroyed it, revealing it to be Hannibal Necromancer (ATK/1400 DEF/1800). The creature was destroyed and pieces of its body were flung in Mika's direction as a result of the effect of Legendary Black Belt.

--

**Mika:** 4300

**Yuan:** 7600

--

"Strike again, Master Monk." Yuan's command was heeded as Master Monk kicked Mika again.

--

**Mika:** 2400

**Yuan:** 7600

--

"I conclude my turn."

"I reveal my Trap Card." Mika held out her hand and the facedown she set last was flipped up. "Call of the Haunted. With this card, I bring back my Magical Marionette." The dark puppeteer returned with a cackle and raised his puppet from the ground. Her Draw Phase arrived and she drew. "I summon Frequency Magician in attack mode." A man in blue and white wearing a blue cape, a brown tabard, a white cylindrical hat with nightvision goggles, and gloves equipped with sound amplifiers appeared (ATK/800 DEF/400). As soon as he appeared, A Spell Counter formed on his belt. "Now I tune Frequency Magician to Magical Marionette." Frequency Magician's body faded away into nothingness, leaving only two shining white stars which turned into a pair of green rings. The rings circled around Magical Marionette and its body vanished into five stars, which aligned themselves perfectly in the center of the rings before a white light engulfed them all. "Synchro Summon. Come on out, Arcanite Magician!" The light faded and a wizard covered in a white robe and carrying a green staff appeared. Underneath his cloak, however, he could be seen wearing some kind of armor (ATK/400 DEF/1800). As soon as he appeared, two Spell Counter materialized and began floating around him in a circle.

"More Spell Counters," Yuan noted, "And what can this creature do with them?"

"Arcanite Magician gets a thousand attack points for each Spell Counter on him." Arcanite Magician closed his eyes as the Spell Counters empowered him with their magic, raising his attack power to twenty-four hundred.

"Impressive," Yuan commented.

"Now I activate my three facedowns." Mika's facedown cards flipped over and three smooth black stones appeared in front of her. "Pitch-Black Power Stone. Each of them gains three Spell Counters and during each of my turns, I can transfer one of them to any card on the field that can hold Spell Counters. So I'm transferring one from each Power Stone to my Arcanite Magician." Three magical orbs shot out from the stones and joined the Spell Counters already orbiting Arcanite Magician, bringing his attack power to fifty-four hundred.

"Now I play my Spell Power Grasp." Another Spell Counter was added to Arcanite Magician's collection and his attack points rose to sixty-four hundred. Then Mika brought her third Spell Power Grasp to her hand. "Now I activate Arcanite Magician's effect, I can destroy one card you control."

"You can't destroy my Master Monk," Yuan pointed out, "My Lone Wolf prevents his destruction in battle and by Monster Effect, remember?"

"I remember," Mika answered, "But I'm not aiming for him. I'm targetting Lone Wolf." A Spell Counter floated over to the staff and fused into the orb on the top, lowering Arcanite Magician's attack points back down to fifty-four hundred. The robed wizard took aim with his staff and fired a blast of magic that shot across the field and destroyed Yuan's Continuous Trap Card. "Now that that card is gone, I remove another Spell Counter to destroy Master Monk." Arcanite Magician loaded another Spell Counter into his staff and his attack power dropped to forty-four hundred. He took aim and another burst of magical energy shot out and struck Master Monk, destroying him. Yuan looked at his empty field. Here he thought that he had come across some unfortunate soul, but now his opponent had proven that she was a very capable Duelist.

"Now it's time to attack, Arc." Mika pointed at Yuan. "Arcane Magic Attack!" Arcanite Magician planted his staff against the ground and thrust out his free hand. The imagery on the field suddenly inverted colors as Yuan was hit with forty-four hundred points of Direct Damage.

--

**Mika:** 2400

**Yuan:** 3200

--

"I'm done with my turn," Mika announced.

Yuan drew his card. He looked at his hand again and back at the field once more. "I've underestimated you. Truly you are a great Duelist. Though this removes me from the tournament and thus ending my chances of getting the money to help my temple, I concede to you."

"But why?" asked Mika.

"Your Arcanite Magician has forty-four hundred attack points," Yuan explained, "I, unfortunately, have nothing in my hand to defend against a creature of such power. Additionally, you can add an additional three Spell Counters to your monster. That would bring him up to seventy-four hundred attack points. Even if I were to defend myself with a card, your monster's effect would be able to destroy it with the removal of a single Spell Counter." He placed his hand over his deck. "Regardless, I have no chance of winning. Congratulations, young lady. I hope that your future shines bright." Yuan lowered his hand and his Duel Disk registered and acknowledged his surrender. Suddenly he fell to the ground, his body hemorrhaging and convulsing as he felt the energy drained from his body.

--

**Mika:** 2400

**Yuan:** 0

--

Mika reached a hand out to him in worry only to hear a husky voice cry out, "Dammit!" The priestess turned around and saw Reka's head looking from side to side. "Where is he!?" Reka questioned, balling her fists up. Mika looked around and realized that during the duel they had lost the british duelist. Mika bit her lip, letting her eyes wander to the ground. She had won her duel but they had lost Nicky. They both stood silently, unsure what to do next. Mika looked up to the castle and let her hand wander up to her eye.

o o o

"Dammit," Mr. Thulin said in disappointment as his Duel Disk shut down and closed. At his feet laid another student, drained of energy and fast asleep. His shoulders slumped as he looked down at young boy. The boy ran a magnet themed deck and had great marks in science class, though his attitude was less than respectable. The student records flashed through his head. Favorite color. Favorite food. Favorite music. It didn't matter at this moment as he laid unconscious on the ground. All that mattered was that Mr. Thulin won and Mags had lost.

Mr. Thulin felt a frail and feminine hand placed gently on his shoulder. His eyes never left the boy as the hand gripped his shoulder. "Come on," Ms. Marina said softly to the young student teacher. "We need to get moving or else someone else might come and lock on to us."

"Dammit," Mr. Thulin repeated, as he continued to look down at Mags. He looked at the young boy and bit his lip. "God dammit," He said once more, turning towards Ms. Marina and walking alongside her.

"Well we knew dis would happen, no? Ze students, zey are about." Marcel chimed in. "We must duel if we want to understand what ees going on."

Mr. Thulin's teeth dug into his lip, soft flesh scraping against enamel. The young student teacher's fingernails dug into the palms of his hands as the words hit hard to his stomach.

"Just because we have to duel the students," Mr. Thulin began, "doesn't mean we have to like it. So, Frenchie, kindly shut the fuck up lest I duel you the old fashion way, with a rock to the side of your fucking skull." He hissed the last part out sharply. Marcel took a step back, his eyes widening for a moment as his jaw went slightly slack. The French teacher wanted to say something, but words never came. Miss Marina patted Mr. Thulin on the back as they continued their trek.

They made their way through the forest, twigs snapping and leaves crumbling under each heavy footstep that grew heavier each time they faced a student. It had been a while since Hassleberry had been defeated and they had been unfortunate enough to face only students since. No pros. No adults. Just students. Energy bands buzzed and they screamed. Duels were won and pain was dished out. These were not good times.

The teachers continued their walk silently. Ms. Marina walked next to Mr. Thulin as Marcel trailed behind a few feet, unwilling to get close. They moved ever so slowly as they moved towards the cliffs of the island. Ms. Marina had figured that going toward the castle directly would mean more students would be around and should be avoided. With the castle nestled in the cliffs the best way to avoid the students would be to come at it from behind. It would take longer to arrive at the castle but it would be well worth the effort.

Branches were pushed out of the way as the thick woods provided as much of an obstacle as other duelists. The darkness grew around them as the sun faded in the thick line of trees. Pitch black night hiding in the daylight surrounded them as they moved through the forest, the smell of maple sap filling their nostrils. The sound of scurrying wild life rang out through the woods every now and then. An ominous almost silence that was broken in an instant with the sound of a loud metallic clang.

"Shit!" Mr. Thulin yelped as he hit the ground, rolling into a breaking of the foliage that let in a single segment of sunlight through. He grasped onto his leg and looked down, a long yet shallow gash that tore through his pants and across his shin. Blood trickled from the rolled and peeled flesh, staining his jeans. His eyes moved down to what he had tripped over and gritted his teeth angrily. Gleaming in the light of the sun was a Duel Disk, shattered and tattered. The cards of the deck were scattered about and singed. A large man laid on the ground, lacerated and bloodied in the shaded grass. The teachers looked at him in horror as the setting sunlight revealed a single word, etched by blade in a nearby tree: War.

In the distance a horse could be heard neighing loud and long, like a banshee.

In the moment Mr. Thulin could be heard saying with a harsh rumble, "Forget Roman. We find who did this before they find our students."

o o o

When the invitation arrived he almost threw it away. Almost. There were too many bad memories with this place. It was the good memories that made him come back. He stood in the field he held his first real duel as a Duelist in. The place he met her for the first time. The aroma of each perfume that coated each card was distinct to him. That was the day he became a Duelist. That was the day he met Mai Valentine, the love of his life and mother of his children. His name was Joey Wheeler and he was here on behalf of his friends.

Mai, Yugi, and Seto were all invited to the tournament, but he was the only one that went. They all knew something was wrong, Seto especially. Joey had volunteered to go to Duelist Kingdom himself, to see what was going on. Seto berated him like usual, saying that Joey would be unable to do anything of worth. Mai argued with him out of worry. Yugi did the same. In the end they knew someone had to go and Joey insisted he go alone. He needed people to come to the rescue if something was wrong.

He placed his hand on the old and weathered duel arena, rust rubbing on his old Duel Gauntlet. What compelled him to bring the gauntlet was beyond him. Nostalgia was not something Joey was usually big on, but he felt like he had to walk down memory lane, just this once. The sun hung low on the horizon and Joey sighed. He needed shelter for the night and there was only one place he knew of nearby. The gambling Duelist turned away from the duel terminal, looking back longingly. As he walked away a man shrouded in dark, dank, and dusty robes hid in the shadows. Under the hood of his robes spikey blue, almost purple hair stuck out as his pale flesh seemed luminescent in the dark shadows. An undead stench surrounded him as he stalked his prey.

Bonz the Hell Walker was ready for revenge.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Revenge is an endless cycle, but revenge of the dead is a one-way street. Joey Wheeler faces off against an enemy from his distance past hungry for vengeance. Against this terrifying foe, will he be able to succeed? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	59. Evil Dead

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-18**

**Evil Dead**

Joey Wheeler looked warily around as he entered the cave. Twenty-five years had passed but he remembered this place. It was here where Bandit Keith had lured him into a duel and trapped him, Yugi Mutou, Tristan Taylor, and Tea Gardner afterwards. As he walked deeper into the cavern the memories seemed to come back with every step, each image more vivid than the last. He could remember the first time he laid eyes on the skull-faced boy he had dueled that day. Back then, he thought it was fear that he felt. However, on reflection he realized that he had just been startled by his opponent's horrifying visage. It was just a coward's tactic used by Bandit Keith.

Bandit Keith. Joey's hand curled up into a tight fist. He remembered him all too well. A Duelist without honor. A cheater. A man who hid behind other, using them like tools. He remembered first encountering the man down there in that very cave. The smug man who sat in the shadows as he let another duel in his place, his face hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. Joey could never respect a man such as him. Anybody who resorted to such underhanded tactics had no right to call oneself a Duelist.

Lost in thought, Joey continued walking through the tunnel without realizing it. He failed to notice the small hooded figure dash past him. When he finally did realize it, it had already gone. He looked around but there was no sign of life. Even the candles resting on the skulls that had once provided light to these dark recesses had burned out years ago. He removed a flashlight from his pocket and switched it on. The beam it cast brought little light to the cave and he found himself feeling his way through most of it. His hand passed over jagged rock surfaces, empty forgotten coffins, and the skulls of those who had long since passed away.

Joey came to a spot where the path split into two. He vaguely remembered this place. When he first came into the cave, he had been knocked out by Bandit Keith's goons so he did not know which direction to take. Subconsciously he began making his way toward the right. He did not know why he was going that way, but something was driving him toward that direction as if something were beckoning to him. It was almost as though somebody was whispering his name.

After what seemed like endless hours, Joey Wheeler finally emerged from the tunnels into a large cavern. Skulls lined the walls, but unlike the others he had come across, the candles in this room were lit. Quite recently, too. Somebody had lured him down here. His eyes turned toward a large machine and the memories came flooding back. It was down here in this very room where he had been forced into a duel against the Zombie Duelist Bonz, who had been working as one of Bandit Keith's goons at the time. The old Dueling Arena was still there, but years out of commission had likely rendered it unusable. The old holographic projectors stood misaligned and cracked. The duel terminals were old and covered with dust and cobwebs.

Joey did not know why, but somehow he found himself stepped onto the blue terminal and placing his hand against the cool rusty metal. He remembered waking up and finding himself on this platform. He remembered rising up and seeing the face of his opponent for the first time. He remembered the fear he felt against the other Duelist's near-invincible army of the undead. He remembered the victory he had claimed when all odds were stacked up against him and all hope was lost. He was Joey Wheeler, the Comeback Gambler, a title he had earned for his style of dueling based on chance and successfully coming back from the jaws of defeat.

Suddenly, the Dueling Arena hummed to life and the platform slowly started to rise. The sounds of rusted gears grinding mercilessly against one another ripped through his ears as the distinct odor of rotting flesh and cemetery soil reached his nostrils. He came level with the duel terminal and saw hooded figure standing on the opposite terminal shuffling a deck of Duel Monster cards.

"It's been a long time, Wheeler," he cackled.

"An' just who da heck are you?" Joey demanded.

"Surely you recognize me." The figure pulled back his hood, revealing a face as pale and lifeless as bone and spiky purple hair. One eye was glassed over, the other seemed to hang from inside his skull. A noose hung from his neck with layers of dried blood caked onto the rope as it rubbed roughly against his neck.

"NYEH!"

"Haha! Do you remember me now?" The dead man cackled. He watched as Joey regained his composure and took another look at him. He then shrugged his shoulders.

"Not really."

The dead man suddenly lurched forward as it he had lost his footing. "You don't remember me? You were forced into a duel against me by Bandit Keith, a man whom we both loathe."

"Well I remember duelin' some creepy dude down here who used Zombies back at dat old Duelist Kingdom tourney Pegasus held, but dat's it. Besides, if we had met, it was just once."

"I see. Well then, permit me to reintroduce myself. I am Bonz, the Hell Walker." Bonz took out his deck and shuffled the soil-encrusted cards before placing it on his duel terminal. "But let's let the cards speak for us."

"Why da heck are ya usin' dat old thing?"

"I know all about the Duel Bands," Bonz explained, "They're wirelessly connected to the Duel Disks. It doesn't matter whether or not you're against someone else with a Duel Band, it will still drain you. That's why I've chosen this Dueling Arena. I want you to suffer by my hand alone!"

"Yeesh, what've ya got against loveable old Joey Wheeler?" Joey asked.

"After you defeated me, I suffered a life of utter humiliation and brutality."

"An' how is dat any different from Bandit Keith?"

"Because I died!"

"Oooooooooooooooohhhhhh.... Yeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh, dat'll do it. An' you think duelin' me's gunna fix everythin'."

"They say revenge is an endless cycle," Bonz said, "But revenge of the dead is a one-way street."

Joey thought deeply. He didn't like this. He had dueled many people in these past twenty-five years. Some were honorable Duelists who played by the rules and respected their opponents. Some were those he knew not to trust. The rotting corpse standing before him was clearly one of the latter. He had to be wary. Pressing a button on his Duel Disk, his deck was automatically shuffled and then ejected. "Then let's do dis!" He slapped his cards on the Deck Zone.

"I want to hear you scream!"

o o o

Max was singing as he washed himself in the makeshift shower.

"Max, stop singing!" Coltyn called to him. "You'll attract unwanted attention."

"Oh come on, Coltyn! We're on the edge of the island. I don't think anybody'll be coming," Max replied with his usual flamboyance in his voice.

"I'm gonna have to go with Coltyn on this one," Mikey agreed, "Anything can give us away." Max poked his head out from behind the curtain.

"Well alright. If you say so, Mikey." He gave his friend a wink and returned to his shower.

"Why are there even showers on the island?" Mikey wondered out loud.

"Hey as long as it's here, we might as well use it," answered Coltyn. Mikey sighed and looked at the ground.

"We lost Sammie and now we've lost Gabe."

"It's an elimination tournament, Mikey. These things happened," Coltyn replied.

"I honestly thought Sammie would last longer."

"Life sometimes throws us a curveball."

"And Gabe's my little brother. I hope he's okay."

"Mikey, stop worrying. Seriously man, you're so uptight we could stick a piece of coal up your ass and get a diamond in a few weeks."

Mikey sighed and took a sip of his water. "How far are we from the castle?"

Coltyn checked his map on which he had been drawing their path. "We're about a third of the way there."

"Great," muttered Mikey.

"Hey guys, could one of you hand me a towel?" Max asked.

"Do we even have any towels?" Mikey inquired.

"Well if we don't, I guess I'll just have to dry off in the sun," was Max's response.

"NO! That's okay, Max!" Mikey called to the redhead, "We'll find you something."

o o o

"Let's duel!"

--

**Joey:** 8000

**Bonz:** 8000

--

"The first move is mine." Bonz picked up the first card from his deck. "I begin with the Field Spell, Zombie World!" He placed his card down and the field transformed. The holographic projectors hummed loudly as they slowly generated a boneyard covered with the remains of countless monsters. Gnarled deformed trees rose up from the ground toward the darkened sky as a lone ghost floated around, moving across the field on an elpitical path. "With this card on the field, all monsters on the field and in our graveyards will be treated as Zombies. And as an added bonus, neither player can Tribute Summon non-Zombie monsters."

"Well ain't dat a stinker," Joey commented.

"The only stink you'll smell is the stench of rotting flesh." A maggot crawled across Bonz's fingers and onto his cards as he took one from his hand and placed it onto his terminal. "Arise, Paladin of the Cursed Dragon. Arise!" The decomposing remains of a knight in white armor rose up from the ground. His armor had once been lustrous but its sheen had been dulled from years of age. He suddenly rose up above the ground as a dragon with a hide as white as bone burst out of the ground underneath him, its body whithered into a decrepit corpse (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). "Now I'll set a card facedown and end my turn." One of Bonz's Spell and Trap Card zones glowed indicating the presence of the facedown card.

"Now it's my turn!" Joey drew his card.

_Aw'right, now dis guy's got nineteen hundred attack points_, he thought as he looked at the field, _If I'm gonna beat it, I've gotta bring out somethin' stronger. An' I bet I can shake things up with dis guy._

"Aw'right, bonehead. You want summa dis? I'm summonin' out Zombrya the Dark in attack mode!" A large red cloth appeared and it spun around to reveal a warrior in black with bones for armor and the cloth as a large high-collared cape (ATK/2100 DEF/500). As soon as his feet touched the ground, his armor started to corrode and his flesh rotted away until he was nothing more than an animated corpse wearing a tattered drape. "What da?"

"Did you already forget that my Zombie World turns all monsters on the field and graveyards into Zombies?" Bonz chortled.

"I remembered. I just got a little distracted is all." Joey looked at his monster. Despite its appearance, its attack power had not been affected. His expression changed back to one of determination and he pointed at his opponent's monster. "Take out dat ugly thing! Wipe it out with Dark Assault!" Zombrya the Dark leapt into the air and struck Paladin of the Cursed Dragon with both feet, knocking the rider to the ground and crushing the dragon's skull against the soil.

--

**Joey:** 8000

**Bonz:** 7800

--

"You destroyed my creature," Bonz said, "Well done. But your Zombrya loses two hundred attack points each time it destroys a monster in battle."

"I know dat." Joey looked at Zombrya the Dark as one of his leg bracers shattered and his attack points dropped to nineteen hundred. "But it ain't gunna matta. I'm gunna end with this facedown. Yer move."

"Indeed it is." Bonz drew his next card. His cheeks seemed to split apart as he grinned. "So you're a Warrior Duelist these days, right?"

"Yeah, what's it to ya?" asked Joey. Bonz just laughed quietly and played his card.

"I'll let my Pyramid Turtle speak for me." A pyramid rose up from the ground. It continued to rise higher and revealed itself to be nothing more than the shell of a large turtle (ATK/1200 DEF/1400).

"But dat thing's only got twelve hundred attack points!" Joey pointed out. "My Zombyra's got more than enough to take him on!"

"Pyramid Turtle, attack!" Pyramid Turtle opened its mouth a blast of sand burst from its mouth. Zombrya the Dark saw it coming and blocked with his cape. As the sand cleared, he ripped off the bony spike from his left shoulder and threw it at his opponent. It pierced Pyramid Turtle's head and the reptilian zombie collapsed.

--

**Joey:** 8000

**Bonz:** 7100

--

Having destroyed another monster in battle, Zombrya's left shoulder guard clattered to the ground as his attack points dropped by another two hundred points down to seventeen hundred. However, Bonz seemed to be grinning. "When Pyramid Turtle is destroyed in battle, I can Special Summon one Zombie from my deck with two thousand or less defense."

"Wha?! Two thousand?!"

"That's right. So say hello to Ryu Kokki!" Several skulls came together and formed a horrific beast made up of all those skulls (ATK/2400 DEF/2000). "Ryu Kokki, destroy Zombrya the Dark!" Ryu Kokki's mouth opened wide and a whirlwind of bone dust flew out and engulfed Zombrya the Dark.

"NO! My Zombrya!"

When the cloud has passed, all that remained was a tattered red cape.

--

**Joey:** 7300

**Bonz:** 7100

--

"And as an added bonus, Ryu Kokki automatically destroys any Warrior or Spellcaster he battles against at the end of the Damage Step," Bonz added.

"You're kidding!"

"You wish." Bonz grinned manically as a beetle crawled out from his ear and scurried across his face into a hole in the opposite cheek. "Not that it really matters anyway. Zombie World sees to that. Let's see what you've got."

"Here goes nothin'." Joey drew his card. He didn't like the way things looked. His opponent had a monster with twenty-four hundred attack points and he had nothing. None of the cards he held could help. Any monster that were strong enough had to be Tribute Summoned and his field was empty. He saw a card that could help him, but it was an extremely risky move. If it failed, he would be wide open for a massive attack. "Aw'right, here comes da Time Wizard!" A clock burst onto the field in a cloud of smoke with a pair of short arms and stubby legs wearing a cape and carrying a staff (ATK/500 DEF/400). The effects of Zombie World immediately kicked in and Time Wizard's face cracked and dulled over as its body became rusted and broken.

"The Time Wizard?" Bonz remembered this card. The last time he faced it, it had actually worked in his favor. However, the Time Wizard was unpredictable. It had a fifty-fifty chance of working either way.

"Yup. An' now he's gunna wipe the field clean. Time Roulette, GO!" Time Wizard held up his staff and the arrow began to spin. It spun faster and faster with no sign of stopping. Then without warning it began to slow down. Bit by bit, the spinner decelerated until the arrow finally came to rest on one of the time machine symbols.

"Time Magic!" The words seemed to echo from the Time Wizard as the field began to warp and speed ahead one thousand years in time. Bonz watched as his Ryu Kokki crumbled into dust and more corpses joined the mass grave that was Zombie World.

"An' now for da piece de resistance!" Joey took a Spell Card from his hand and played it. "It's Polymerization! So now I'm fusin' Time Wizard on my field with Baby Dragon in my hand to bring out my Thousand Dragon!" Time Wizard floated up into the air and Baby Dragon appeared beside it. The two were pulled into a vortex and a few seconds later, a large clearly aged brown dragon with a long beard appeared (ATK/2400 DEF/2000). Just as it had done to Joey's other monsters, Zombie World rotted away at Thousand Dragon, exposing its flesh and bone and turning it into another member of the living dead. "We got dis. Thousand Dragon, attack with Noxious Nostril Gust!" Thousand Dragon turned its head at Bonz and breathed a massive brown gust of wind from its nose at him.

--

**Joey:** 7300

**Bonz:** 4700

--

"Aw'right! Nice one, Thousand Dragon!"

"Are you quite finished yet?" Bonz asked.

"Yeah, yeah. You can go," said Joey.

"Then it's my turn."

o o o

Roman was still speaking to the dark man. Meanwhile, the boy was standing on the ramparts facing the sea. The wind blew through his snowy white locks as his arms clutched the purple-haired blue-scarfed stuffed doll close to his chest. He took in a deep breath of fresh air and exhaled as he slowly opened his eyes. His left was like a sapphire and his right like a ruby. He didn't like them. They had been one of the many reasons he had been ridiculed and seeing them only brought him pain. His eyes scanned the island. Occassionally, he would see a hologram rise up Other times he would see one fall. A few notable explosions could be heard coming from the far side of the island. He took a few steps to the side, causing some small red lights in the heels of his white velcro-bound shoes to flash. Duelists were falling like flies and the more they dueled, the more Duel Energy they produced. The boy smiled a little to himself.

"It's all for a good cause," he said to himself as he continued to stand on the ramparts.

o o o

"I draw!" Bonz picked up the top card of his deck with his rotten fingers and placed it in his hand. "And now I call out the mighty Zombie Master in attack mode!" A man with skin blanched white with hair as pale as the moon and eyes blank but radiating with an ominous yellow shine burst from the bones wearing nothing more than tatters of what no doubt had once been magnificent regalia (ATK/1800 DEF/0). "And with his effect, I can send a Monster Card from my hand to the graveyard in order to resurrect one level four or lower Zombie from my cemetary, including the card that was just discarded. So I'd like to bury this monster and then use Zombie Master to bring it back." Bonz send his card to the graveyard and Zombie Master immediately raised his hands and purple energies shot out from his fingers into the ground, bringing out a grotesque abomination of body parts from various creatures forged together into a single entity (ATK/400 DEF/200).

"What da heck is dat thing?" asked Joey in disgust.

"This is my Plaguespreader Zombie," Bonz cackled, "Now watch as I tune him to my Zombie Master." Plaguespreader Zombie's layers of mismatched flesh peeled away until two shining stars remained. The stars turned into rings and surrounded Zombie Master, fading his body away until four stars took his place. They lined themselves up perfectly and a beam of light engulfed them all. "Come forth, Revived King Ha Des!" The tatters of once magnificent robes blew in the wind as the reanimated corpse of the once proud Dark Ruler Ha Des appeared (ATK/2450 DEF/0), now in the service of the Zombies. "Attack Thousand Dragon!" Revived King Ha Des opened his mouth wide and an enormous swarm of locusts few out. They quickly overtook Thousand Dragon and destroyed it effortlessly.

--

**Joey:** 7250

**Bonz:** 4700

--

"I believe it's your turn now."

Joey slowly drew his next card. He had just destroyed a monster with twenty-four hundred attack points and now his opponent had summoned a creature with twenty-four hundred and fifty attack points. His facedown couldn't help him. After some careful hesitation, he set a monster facedown and concluded his turn.

"That was pathetic." Bonz drew his card. "Revived King Ha Des, destroy that card!" Revived King Ha Des launched another locust swarm and Joey's facedown Battle Warrior was destroyed.

On Joey's turn, he drew again and was devastated to have nothing with which to defend himself. This brought delight to Bonz when his turn came up and he ordered Revived King Ha Des to attack directly.

--

**Joey:** 4800

**Bonz:** 4700

--

"Pray you draw something that can save you," Bonz cackled.  
_I ain't got anythin' in this hand_, Joey thought as he looked at his cards. Rocket Warrior had the benefit of protecting him from Battle Damage, but only during his turn. Its effect to lower the attack points of any creature it did battle with by five hundred was useful, but even that would not be enough to weaken his opponent's monster enough. Release Restraint was no good for he did not have the card required to use it. Last was Jinzo, one of his most powerful cards. However, there was no way he could summon it without a tribute. Additionally, it was a Machine monster and Zombie World prevented him from Tribute Summoning any creature that was not a Zombie. He looked at his deck. Everything hinged on this one draw.

Joey closed his eyes. He exhaled slowly and placed his hand on top of his deck. _Aw'right, Yugi's grampa. I have faith in da Heart of the Cards_, he thought. With one unnecessarily dramatic swipe of his arm, he drew his card.

"Aw'right!" The blond man's face suddenly changed when he saw his card. "Aw'right, bonehead. Watch dis! I play Reinforcement of the Army! Dis Spell Card let me add a level four or lower Warrior from my deck to my hand." He searched his deck and pulled out Gearfried the Iron Knight. He then shuffled his deck and placed it back on the duel terminal. "Now I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!" A warrior clad in black iron armor appeared on Joey's side of the field with a shield attached to his left arm and a lance permanently attached to his right (ATK/1800 DEF/1600). His armor rusted severely and it lost its luster, indicating his transformation into a zombie.

"Did you fail math in school?" Bonz mocked, "That monster is clearly no match for the Revived King."

"I ain't finished." Joey took Release Restraint from his hand and played it. "Now I'm playin' Release Restraint! With dis card, I can release Gearfried's true form and his true power! So come on out, Gearfried the Swordmaster!" Gearfried's armor began to crack and suddenly a muscular man with long black hair and a loincloth burst from the suit of armor (ATK/2600 DEF/2200). His glory was soon taken away as his body lost muscle mass, his skin lost color, and his hair lost its sheen. Gearfried the Swordmaster had become a decrepit corpse, however Joey was not going to let that stop him. "Destroy Ha Des!" the proud undead warrior drew his sword and rushed toward Revived King Ha Des. Bonz could only watch as the top half of his monster slid off from its lower half and its body rapidly decomposed.

--

**Joey:** 4800

**Bonz:** 4550

--

"Aw'right, now dat's the stuff!" Joey cheered.

"Dig your own grave before you step into it!" Bonz snarled.

o o o

Reka and Mika stood back-to-back, each facing a different opponent.

"How are you doing, Mika?" Reka asked.

"Thirty-seven hundred Life Points," answered the priestess, "How about you?"

"Fifty-six hundred," was Reka's response. "I think I can finish mine off right about now."

"I've got mine on the run, too."

"Want to finish this together?"

"Please."

"Alright then." The two women turned their full attentions to their opponents.

"Arcanite Magician, end this duel," ordered Mika, "Arcane Magic Attack!" Arcanite Magician thrust out his palm and the imagery on the field inverted colors as a powerful spell struck down Gene-Warped Warwolf.

"I tune Genex Controller to Genex Heat to summon Thermal Genex!" Reka's Synchro Monster rose up before her and targetted her opponent's Lycanthrope before blasting it into oblivion.

Both men fell and were drained of their Duel Energy. Reka and Mika shared the same fate as the cost of their duel took its toll on them.

"Who were they?" asked Mika as she looked at the two men wearing hoodies with faces obscured by baseball caps.

"I have no idea," Reka answered.

"They were creepy," Mika said.

"Just because they look the same?" asked Reka.

"No, not just that," Mika replied, "It's something else. It's like they're the same person, but at the same time not the same person."

"That actually make sense."

"Do you think we should get moving?"

"Definitely." Reka and Mika got up and started to move. They didn't need any unwanted attention.

o o o

"My move!" Bonz drew his card. "I play Call of the Mummy. Now if I don't have any monsters on the field, I can Special Summon a Zombie from my hand. So now I Special Summon Il Blud!" A stone coffin rose up from the ground. A loud groan heralded the arrival of Bonz's monster as the lip fell to the ground and a large dull blue prisoner stepped out (ATK/2100 DEF/800). "Now Il Blud here is a Gemini Monster, so now I'll Normal Summon him again!" The light of a Normal Summon rose up around Il Blud and his body gained color. His suit gained its black and white stripes and his eyes glowed red. The zipper of his suit opened and a partial view of a horrifying face was unveiled. "And with Il Blud's effect, I can bring back one Zombie from either graveyard. And I think I'll chose one from yours."

"What the heck are ya talking about? I ain't got no Zombies!" said Joey.

"Have you forgotten the effects of Zombie World already?" Bonz pointed to the field. "Even the monsters in both graveyards have become Zombies. So now watch as Il Blud brings back a precious creature from yours." The eye of the face beneath its clothes flashed and the lumbering monster plunged its arms into the ground. It grunted as it pulled and extracted the corpse of Thousand Dragon.

"Wha?! My Thousand Dragon!?" Joey was horrified. Thousand Dragon was one of his best monsters and his opponent had just brought it back as his zombie slave.

"Next I activate my Trap Card. Trap of the Imperial Emperor!" Bonz's glowing Spell and Trap Card zone began to shine. "I can only activate this card when I Special Summon a monster from my opponent's graveyard. So now I'll destroy that facedown of yours and your Gearfried the Swordmaster!"

"No! Not Gearfried!" A wicked mist surrounded the field as the mummy of an emperor from an ancient civilization rose up and roared. Joey's facedown and his Gearfried the Swordmaster were destroyed, leaving the man completely defenseless.

"Now Il Blud, attack!" Il Blud pulled apart its suit at the zipper and exposed its second face completely. A loud scream field the air and Joey felt the impact of his opponent's monster.

--

**Joey:** 2700

**Bonz:** 4550

--

"Thousand Dragon, attack your former master!" The undead Thousand Dragon raised its head and unleashed a cloud of gas from its nose at Joey.

--

**Joey:** 300

**Bonz:** 4550

--

"This is the end!" Bonz laughed. "After so long, I can finally end the man who did this to me!"

"Dude! If there's anyone you should be blamin', it should be Bandit Keith."

"Shut up! Make your move."

"Aw'right, here I go! Draw!" Joey drew and looked at his card. This card could very well save him, but he had to be careful. "I play Swords of Revealing Light!" Three shining swords of light rained down from above and landed in front of Bonz's monsters. "Now you can't attack for three turns!"

"You were just lucky," Bonz said, "Your barrier can't hold forever."

_He's right_, thought Joey, _I've only got three turns to make everything count._

"I begin with Rocket Warrior in attack mode!" A small green rocket appeared on the field and it unfolded into a warrior with a sword and a shield (ATK/1500 DEF/1300). Its armor quickly deteriorated until it had become an old battered warhead. "Now I'm endin' my turn there."

"I draw." Bonz drew his card. "And I'll set this card facedown." A facedown monster was placed and he ended his turn.

"My turn." Joey drew his next card. "I summon Panther Warrior!" A black anthropomorphic panther with a green cape, a shield, and a sword appeared and roared (ATK/2000 DEF/1600). Its armor quickly eroded as fur fell out and flesh rotted away. "Rocket Warrior, attack that facedown!" Rocket Warrior folded itself into rocket mode and streaked across the field toward his target.

"You can't destroy Spirit Reaper in battle!" Bonz laughed as his miniature Grim Reaper made itself known (ATK/300 DEF/200).

"Dat's it, then," Joey concluded.

"You're wasting your time." Bonz drew his card, "I set this card facedown. Then I use Il Blud to resurrect Zombie Master!" Il Blud reached into the ground and pulled out the undead necromancer from earlier. "Now I use his effect. By discarding one Monster Card, I can bring back a level four or lower Zombie from my graveyard. Such as Plaguespreader Zombie!" Plaguespreader Zombie reappeared on the field and groaned. "I tune them together now to Synchro Summon Doomkaiser Dragon!" Plaguespreader Zombie tuned to Zombie Master and a column of light swallowed them both. From the radiance emerged an undead version of Chthonian Emperor Dragon (ATK/2400 DEF/1500). "And now his effect activates. When Doomkaiser Dragon is summoned, I can Special Summon one Zombie monster from your graveyard."

"But I ain't got no Zombies," Joey pointed out.

"ZOMBIE WORLD, YOU IDIOT!"

"Oh yeah."

"I think Zombyra the Dark will do it." A dark energy wave shot out of Doomkaiser Dragon's wings into the ground and Zombrya the Dark was revived. "Behold my glorious army!" Bonz cackled. Il Blud, Spirit Reaper, Doomkaiser Dragon, Thousand Dragon, and Zombrya the Dark all lined up his field, every single one of them a member of his army of the undead. It did not look good for Joey. "Show me your next move."

"I will!" Joey drew his card. "And I'm summoning out Little-Winguard in attack mode!" A tiny blue-clad warrior with wings designs all over its armor burst out wielding a sword and a shield (ATK/1400 DEF/1800). "I end my turn."

"You waste your time." Bonz drew his next card. "I'll set this facedown. My turn is over and so are your swords." At that moment, the three Swords of Revealing Light shattered, allowing the zombies to attack once more.

_Come on, deck. Don't let me down_, pleaded Joey he picked up the top card.

"YES! AW'RIGHT!"

"Stop acting like a fool and play it already!" demanded Bonz. Joey looked at him with a diabolical grin.

"Oh, you ain't gunna like this. I sacrifice Rocket Warrior, Panther Warrior, an' Little-Winguard." All three monsters vanished. "Come on out, Gilford the Lightning!" A bolt of lightning struck the ground and deposited a muscular man in silver armor and a red cape wielding a large sword (ATK/2800 DEF/1400). This image was not to be maintained as his body withered away, his cape turned to tatters, and his armor old and dull. "An' when he's summoned with three tributes, he can destroy every monster on your field!"

"Oh no!" Lightning was fired into the air from Gilford's sword and it rained down on the field and Il Blud, Spirit Reaper, Doomkaiser Dragon, Zombrya the Dark, and Thousand Dragon were quickly struck down and destroyed in a hailfire of electricity from the sky.

"An' now dat the field's clear, Gilford the Lightning, direct attack!" Gilford the Lightning picked up his blade and rushed toward Bonz, slashing at him due to the limited holographic projection range of the Dueling Arena.

--

**Joey:** 300

**Bonz:** 1750

--

"Lesse what you got," Joey said with a smirk. Bonz growled.

"You'll pay for that!"

o o o

The sound of hooves galloping could be heard approaching. The white clad horseman turned and waited as the red horseman arrived with the black horseman in tow. "Where is the last member of our group?" the white horseman inquired. A loud neigh filled the air and the three turned their heads to see a skeletal horse atop of a ledge rearing up on its hind legs. Its rider, clad in armor of bone, raised his scythe as a ghostly howl echoed through the land. With a mighty leap, his horse jumped from the ledge and landed amongst his comrades.

"You're late," the black horseman pointed out.

"Just had to finish a few things up," the pale horseman replied.

"You've been destroying people's Duel Disks again, haven't you?"

"Hearing the spirits scream just fills me with pleasure."

"If you ask me, you enjoy it a little too... " The white horseman's words were cut off as he began to cough violently.

"Same thing again?" the black horseman inquired.

"I told you, it's nothing," the white one reassured his comrade.

"Speaking of lateness..." The pale horseman turned to the red horseman. "I've noticed you're actually on time for once."

"I was nearby. And you caught me outside of a duel."

"Your obsession with battle, while admirable, gets quite irritating," the black horseman pointed out.

"I can't help it," the red horseman replied, "I love the thrill of combat. I _love_ war!"

"Say any more and my blade goes through your throat," the pale horseman threatened.

The white horseman, finally finished coughing, regained his composure and looked at fellow horsemen. "Enough. Let's get to the purpose of this meeting."

"Eighty Duelists have already fallen before me," the black horseman reported.

"Seventy-five for me," answered the red one.

"Eighty-three have succumbed to my deck," the white horseman said.

The three of them then turned to the pale rider, who smirked beneath his helmet. "One hundred and seven." The pouch at his side seemed to draw the attention of his comrades as their interest suddenly began to pique. He lifted it off his belt and held it up. "You wish to see?" He undid the drawstring and opened the bag. He stuck his hand inside and then pulled out a handful of cardboard scraps.

"Garbage." The black rider looked at him. "You've been collecting garbage?"

"Look closely." Upon closer inspection, the other horsemen realized what the scraps were. One was a Jinzo card. Another was a Magic Cylinder. Yet another was a Ghost Rare Honest while the one right next to it was United We Stand. All of them had been stabbed through the center of their respective artworks.

"Are those what I think they are?" asked the white horseman before a cough escaped his throat.

"My opponents' rarest cards," the pale horseman confirmed. The black horseman looked at him.

"You're a sick bastard, you know that?"

"I know, but I love it." The pale horseman put his trophies away and placed his pouch back on his waist. "Anyway, I believe this meeting is adjourned." The others nodded and they turned their horses around in different directions. "We reconvene in twenty-four hours." All four horses reared up and neighed before they ran forward.

o o o

Bonz drew his card. It wouldn't be enough to destroy Gilford the Lightning, but it would suffice as a defense monster. He set it and ended his turn.

Joey drew his card and ordered Gilford the Lightning to attack. The blade cut through it, revealing the card to be the horse-like Mezuki. With his opponent's monster vanquished, he ended his turn.

Bonz drew, a dark grin etched on his face. "You just guaranteed your demise. I remove from play Mezuki in order to Special Summon Doomkaiser Dragon from the graveyard." Doomkaiser Dragon reappeared on the field and roared.

"What're you thinkin?" Joey asked. Doomkaiser Dragon was clearly weaker than Gilford the Lightning. His opponent wouldn't have summoned his creature in attack mode if he didn't have a plan.  
"Next I use his effect to resurrect Rocket Warrior!" Rocket Warrior appeared in the same poor shape as it had in its first appearance. "Rocket Warrior, attack Gilford the Lightning!" Rocket Warrior folded itself up into its rocket form and launched itself at Gilford. It struck its target and bounced off, transforming back into its warrior mode upon return. "And you know Rocket Warrior's effect. Your monster loses five hundred attack points." Gilford the Lightning groaned loudly as his attack points dropped to twenty-three hundred.

"Oh, dis ain't good!" Joey thought out loud.

"Doomkaiser Dragon, attack!" ordered Bonz. Doomkaiser Dragon opened its mouth and a torrent of blue fire rushed out of its maw and incinerated Gilford the Lightning.

--

**Joey:** 200

**Bonz:** 1750

--

"You're just two hundred Life Points away from defeat. Make your move."

"Here goes nothin'. I draw!" Joey drew his card. Nothing in his hand could save him. One card had a slight chance of bringing him salvation, but it was an extremely gutsy move. He set a monster and a facedown card before ending his turn.

"Your deck has failed you." Bonz drew his card. "Rocket Warrior, attack!" Rocket Warrior shifted into its rocket form once again and shot toward the target. Joey's monster turned out to be Morphing Jar. Per its effect, both Duelists discarded their hands and drew five fresh cards. "A hand change means nothing. Doomkaiser Dragon, finish him off!" Doomkaiser Dragon's maw began to spill blue flames as it turned its head toward Joey.

"Oh boy."

"This is the end for you, Wheeler." Doomkaiser Dragon unleashed its fiery attack.

"I don't think so!" A wall of Kuriboh suddenly appeared in front of Joey and blocked the attack. The Comback Gambler breathed a sigh of relief as he sent Kuriboh to his graveyard.

_Thanks, Yug_, he thought.

"Bah! Just a moment's reprive," muttered Bonz, "Your deck can't save you." Doomkaiser Dragon roared at Joey as its master ended his turn.

"Aw'right, don't fail me now, deck," Joey said quietly, "I believe in you an' in da Heart of the Cards." He lifted the top card of his deck. "I summon Axe Raider in attack mode!" A warrior in battle armor wielding an axe appeared (ATK/1700 DEF/1150). Just like all of the other monster before him, he took rotted away into a walking corpse. "Attack Rocket Warrior!" Joey hated to attack his own monster, but it was the only way as Axe Raider ran toward Rocket Warrior and chopped it with his axe.

--

**Joey:** 200

**Bonz:** 1550

--

"What a stupid idea," Bonz scoffed, "You endanger you last two hundred Life Points just to barely dent mine?"

"I ain't finished yet," Joey replied, "I activate Call of the Haunted! So say hello to Gilford the Lightning!" Gilford the Lightning's corpse burst out from the bone-littered ground and let out a battle cry. "Destroy Doomkaiser Dragon!" The brave warrior rushed toward Doomkaiser Dragon and slashed with his sword. The undead dragon's head struck the ground and the body slumped into a lifeless pile.

--

**Joey:** 200

**Bonz:** 1150

--

"Now I'm gonna finish up with dis Hinotama Spell Card here." A fireball shot across the field and struck Bonz for five hundred points of damage.

--

**Joey:** 200

**Bonz:** 650

--

"An' I'm endin' with two facedowns." Two of Joey's Spell and Trap Card zones began to glow. "Your move."

"I draw." Bonz drew his card. "First I play Allure of Darkness. I can draw two cards and then remove from play one Dark monster in my hand." He picked up two more cards from his deck and then placed a Goblin Zombie off to the side with Mezuki. "This ends now, Wheeler." I return one card from my hand to the top of my deck to resurrect Plaguespreader Zombie." Plaguespreader Zombie rose up from the ground surrounded by a green cloud of toxic gas. "Now by sacrificing a single Zombie, I can Tribute Summon this card. Say hello to my Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon!" From the bones rose up the corpse of Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, its wings spewing blue flames (ATK/2400 DEF/2000).

"It can't be!" Joey gasped, "A Red-Eyes zombie?!"

"Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon, attack Axe Raider with Undead Fire Blast!" Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon opened its mouth and fired a blast of blue fire at Axe Raider. "This is the end! Scream your dying breath!"

"I activate Skull Dice!" Joey revealed a facedown and a black-clad demon holding a red dice appeared.

"You've only got a one-in-six chance of succeeding, you know," Bonz laughed.

"It's worth da risk!" The demon released its dice and it rolled along the ground. Both Duelists watched as it bounced among the bones and finally came to rest on a six.

"Aw'right!" The effect of Skull Dice kicked in and Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon lost six hundred attack points, bringing it down to eighteen hundred. Axe Raider was destroyed, but thanks to the alteration in attack strength, the damage dealt was severely lessened.

--

**Joey:** 100

**Bonz:** 650

--

"You lucked out on that one. But that luck ends now." Bonz began to explain his monster's effect. "Whenever my Red-Eyes destroys a Zombie in battle, I can resurrect it to my side of the field!" Waves of blue fire began to pour out of Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon's wings into the ground and an arm holding an axe burst out of the ground.

"Ain't happenin' today!" Joey said, "I'm sick of your Zombie World, so I'm gettin' rid of it with dis! Dust Tornado!" A tornado shot out from Joey's Spell and Trap Card zone and engulfed the field. The bones were scattered to the winds, the trees toppled, and the ancient structures crumbled as the field was returned to normal. Immediately, Axe Raider was returned to his rest beneath the ground and Gilford the Lightning became human once more.

"Fine!" Bonz set two cards facedown. "But tell me, do you have what it takes to beat my Red-Eyes?"

"Course I do!" Joey answered. "Gilford the Lightning's got more than enough power!"

"True, but surely a Duelist like you is man enough to try something else." Bonz was taunting him. It was one of his tactics he resorted to when push came to shove. Joey knew this too. Many of his opponents in the pro circuit had tried to use the same psychological tactic. His hand, however, gave him enough of an edge for him to play along.

"Aw'right then. I play Double Summon! Next I'm gonna summon out Alligator's Sword!" A green reptilian creature in armor and wielding a sword appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/1200). "Now I sacrifice my Alligator's Sword an' my Gilford the Lightning!" Taking the final card in his hand, he placed it on the duel terminal. "Say hello to my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" The pitch-black dragon appeared on the field and let out a loud screech (ATK/2400 DEF/2000).

"Ah, the original Red-Eyes Black Dragon." Bonz cackled. "So now we each have a Red-Eyes."

"Shall we test to see which is better?" asked Joey. Bonz looked at his cards. He had a very bad hand and he wasn't ready to put it up to the test.

"Uh, no, that's okay."

"Heh. Your move then."

Bonz prayed to himself and drew his next card. He now had a Veil of Darkness, a Torrential Tribute, and three Soul-Absorbing Bone Towers. He looked at his Trap Card. He set that card facedown and ended his turn. _If he think he's smart, he'll summon another monster so he can attack me directly after he suicides his dragon on mine,_ he thought.

"My move!" Joey drew his card. "Well if you ain't gunna test it out, then I will. Red-Eyes Black Dragon, attack Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon! Inferno Fire Blast!"

"What are you doing?" demanded Bonz.

"I'm doin' what I do best! Winnin'!" was Joey's answer. The undead boy sneered.

"Then we'll see them both die! Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon, Undead Fire Blast!"

Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon opened its mouth and fired a crimson fireball. At the same time, Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon unleashed its stream of blue flames and the two attacks collided in the middle of the field.

"Our monsters are evenly matched. Both our dragons shall die!" Bonz called over the sounds of the roaring fires.

"Nope. Just yours." Joey played the card in his hand. "'Cause I got here a Rush Recklessly!"

"Oh no!" gasped Bonz. Rush Recklessly powered up Red-Eyes Black Dragon by seven hundred attack points, bringing it up to thirty-one hundred. The fireball broke through the blue flames and struck Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon. The undead creature roared as fell to the ground burning in crimson flames.

--

**Joey:** 100

**Bonz:** 0

--

"It can't be!" cried Bonz.

"Dat's just whatcha get!" said Joey. His opponent snarled and shoved his cards back into his robes.

"This isn't over." And with that, Bonz disappeared into the shadows.

"Hey, wait!" Joey jumped over his terminal and ran across the Dueling Arena to the other side, but found no trace of the zombie anywhere. He checked the spot where Bonz had vanished. There were no signs of a hidden door or anything similar. It was as if he had just vanished into thin air. Joey shook his head and gathered up his cards. As he descended from his terminal, the elevator stopped and began to smoke. He quickly jumped off without a moment's hesitation as the Dueling Arena shorted out and caught fire. The machine had been on its last legs and the duel must have strained it. It was an old piece of junk and now it was no longer usable. Joey did not stay to watch. He turned and started leaving the cave.

o o o

A helicopter approached the island. The side of the aircraft bore the logo of a music production company. It slowly came to rest on a grassy cliff and the pilot turned to his passenger. "We're here, miss." The door opened and a girl with beautiful blue hair wearing clothes with a marine life theme stepped out. "Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine. Don't worry."

"Okay then." The door closed and the helicopter flew off. The girl took in a deep breath and strapped on her mermaid-themed Duel Disk to her arm.

"Alright, Umi. Time to get to the bottom of this."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Hayley has been targetted by one of the Four Horsemen, Duelists unlike any other who duel on horseback. Will she be able to triumph over her opponent? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	60. Descent into Darkness

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

The Fallen Angels have been changed in accordance to their English names, Darklords.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-19**

**Descent into Darkness**

"So what's your plan?" Roman inquired as he sat in a chair in the dining hall. The dark man stood by the window with the sunlight silhouetting his figure.

"I've had my eye on a certain Duelist here on this island," he answered as he looked outside, "Somebody whom I believe will make a fine soldier."

"You truly believe that?"

"They have the potential, but they just don't realize it yet." The dark man continued gazing out the window. "I shall help them realize that potential."

o o o

Saito was sitting on a rock shuffling through his deck. Seated on the ground beside him, Nellie was snacking on an apple. Wes had gone into the bushes and Hayley was trying to cool off by fanning herself with her map of the island. The four of them were dead tired. As Saito had predicted, the tournament competitors were moving toward the castle. As they drew nearer, the number of Duelist encounters had increased. They had to engage more opponents in duels and they were taking their toll on them.

_These bands are killing us_, Saito thought.

"Alright, everyone. Break's almost over. Finish up what you need to do and let's get going," he called to his group. Hayley's Duel Band suddenly started beeping as a man with a shaved head in a drab jumpsuit bearing a number on his back and Aryan Brotherhood tattoos all over his head, arms, and seemingly the rest of his body save for a large portion of his forehead occupied with the word "Mauler".

"Geh, it's just a buncha kids," he said scowling.

"Who's this guy?" Nellie wondered aloud.

"He's a criminal, obviously," Saito answered as he stood up.

"Smart guy, huh?" The criminal scoffed. "What's a punk like you know 'bout it?"

"Only that we shouldn't waste time dealing with scum like you," answered Saito as he turned away and began to walk off. "Hayley, deal with this trash."

"Youse lettin' a girl fight for ya? Wassa matta? Youse a chicken to fight me?"

"No," Saito replied calmly, "Your Duel Band is just locked onto hers." He looked at Hayley, who nodded in acknowledgement and put on her mask as she activated her Duel Disk.

"I am l'ange de la tragédie!" she announced, "But you may call me L'ange Noir for short. And what shall I call you?"

"They called me Mauler back in da joint," the criminal answered.

"We gonna watch, Sai?" Nellie asked.

"If she's not done in ten minutes, we go ahead without her," answered Saito.

"What's going on?" Wes asked as he came back from his bathroom break.

--

**Hayley:** 8000

**Mauler:** 8000

--

"And I draw!" Hayley drew her card with a flourish. "Nurse Reficule the Fallen One, stand and deliver!" A blue-haired Darklord with large wings wrapped up in bandages appeared on the field and shrieked (ATK/1400 DEF/600). "And now I play the sensational Upstart Goblin! It gives you one thousand Life Points and lets me draw a card." A shower of green light slowly began to descend upon the criminal.

"Youse a nice kid," Mauler commented, "I'll make sure the guys treat you nice." Suddenly, the green light turned into toxic miasma and drained the convict of one thousand Life Points.

--

**Hayley:** 8000

**Mauler:** 7000

--

"What the fuck?!"

"My Nurse Reficule's effect reverses all Life Point recovery effects aimed at my opponent. So instead of gaining Life Points, you lose them," Hayley explained.

"You lil bitch!"

"One facedown now." Hayley placed her card on the field and then took a bow. "And now, exit stage right."

"My move!" Mauler drew his card. "Imma summonin' Masked Chopper!" A masked armored man wielding two enormous cleaver appeared (ATK/100 DEF/100). "Now he gets two Axes of Despair to boost him by a thousand points each!" Two axes, each with a shrunken head, appeared in place of Masked Chopper's cleavers and his attack points shot up to twenty-one hundred. "Chop dat bitch up!" The armored murderer raised his weapons and brought them down upon Nurse Reficule the Fallen One. Her limbs were severed from her body and the pieces fell to the ground.

--

**Hayley:** 7300

**Mauler:** 7000

--

"An' if Masked Chopper destroys a monster in battle, he gets to dish out two thousand damage to your Life Points!" Masked Chopper continued on to Hayley and swing his axes at her.

--

**Hayley:** 5300

**Mauler:** 7000

--

"Oh fuck yes! That must feel good!" Mauler licked his lips in delight as he watched his monster cut into his opponent prior to his return to his side of the field.

"Betcha ten bucks this guy got put away for murder," Nellie piped up. Wes was silent, but one look at his face and she knew he was thinking something. Even though he always kept things to himself, she could read him like a large print book. "Wassup Rem?"

"Just wondering how someone gets a name like Mauler," he said in his usual tone, "And stop calling me Rem."

"Ya really wanna know, kid?" Mauler asked having overheard Wes, "I used ta be an honest workin' guy. Had a steady job cuttin' meat at the ol' slaughterhouse, a wife an' kid, a nice pad, everythin' a guy could ask for."

"You and everyone else in the big house," Saito remarked.

"Then somethin' happened an' I got laid off. Boss said somethin' about replacin' us with machines," Mauler continued, "My wife didn't have a job. She was lookin' after our kid. Few months went by. Before long we couldn't pay the rent. My wife kept yappin' at me ta get a job, but there ain't much for a meat cutter. So one night we were fightin' an' I took a knife an' I..."

"You know what?" Wes interrupted, "Just stop right now. I don't care enough to sit here and listen to this cliché backstory. Just finish the game and let's get going."

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to know!" Mauler yelled.

"Too long. Don't care," was all Wes said.

"Hayley, finish this guy quickly or we leave without you," Saito said.

"Sure thing, Kay-Kay!" Hayley drew her card. "I'll put this little guy down and set a facedown. Now exiting, stage left!"

"Why you talkin' like that?" Mauler inquired as he drew. "Alright, Chopper! Kill that thing!" Masked Chopper leapt toward Hayley's facedown and swung his axes down on it.

"You attacked Marshmallon!" Hayley announced. "He can't be destroyed in battle and he deals a thousand points of damage if he's attacked while facedown." A small pink bouncy fluffball (ATK/300 DEF/500) appeared and bounced over to Mauler before biting him on the neck.

--

**Hayley:** 5300

**Mauler:** 6000

--

"Bah! You ain't gonna last long!" Mauler played a card. "I summon Chopman the Desperate Outlaw!" A gorilla-faced man in a striped prisoner's garb with the shirt open and the words "I (heart) Chop" tattooed on his forehead appeared on the field (ATK/1100 DEF/500).

"My turn." Hayley drew her next card with yet another flourish. "I'll set down three facedowns and exit stage right."

"Stop doing that!" Mauler drew his card. "Well well well. I summon The Kick Man!" A purple man in brown pants with the words "I (heart) Kick" tattooed on his head leapt up and joined his fellow convicts (ATK/1300 DEF/300). "An' now I'm gonna play Fissure and blow that puff ball!" The ground opened up and swallowed up Marshmallon. "Attack, guys!"

"I activate Bad Reaction to Simochi!" Hayley revealed one of her facedown cards. "This guy works just like Nurse Reficule."

"Ain't gonna do you no good!" Mauler shouted as his monsters charged at his opponent.

"Oh, but it will thanks to these." Hayley revealed her other two Trap Cards. "Gift Cards! Each one giving you three thousand Life Points!"

"And with Bad Reaction to Simochi in play..." Wes trailed off. What happened next had no need for words to explain. A toxic miasma surrounded Mauler and choked out the remainder of his Life Points.

--

**Hayley:** 5300

**Mauler:** 0

--

The Duel Bands flashed for the umpteenth time and robbed the two Duelists of more Duel Energy. Mauler fell against the ground and lay facedown, his cards scattered around him.

"Six minutes." Saito looked up from his watch. "You're losing your touch."

"Coulda saved more time if he didn't blab on about his story," Wes muttered.

"Hey, I liked it!" Hayley said in protest. "It makes for a _fabulous_ drama! A tragic tale of a man who..."

"Let's go," Wes said interrupting her.

As the four of them continued on their way, a man in the shadows watched them. His steed as dark as the night shook its mane and neighed quietly. "We ride. Quietly." His horse acknowledged his orders and began to follow.

o o o

Majestic Mech - Goryu raised its head high above the trees as it unleashed a final Majestic Blaze to wipe the remainder of Mikey's opponent's Life Points.

"These holograms are way too showy," Coltyn remarked, "People are going to find us easily if they can see them."

"Well what do you want me to do about it?" Mikey questioned, heaving an exhausted sigh as he felt the energy slowly drain from his body. "I mean, all my creatures are large and bright. It isn't like I could hide them."

"I know, I was just commenting. We need to avoid duels as much as possible, if we want to survive of course." Coltyn rested his chin in his hand, scratching lightly at his scraggly teenage stubble that had been growing since he arrived on the island. "Maybe Max should lead and take point, his monsters are not that flashy as your Mechs or my Fire monsters."

"I resent that remark!" Max barked, placing his hands on his hips. "My clowns are flashy and fabulous! To say they are anything but is an insult to me." Max's chest puffed out and stuck his nose up in the air.

Mikey sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he watched Max huff at Coltyn. "Maybe Coltyn is right, Max. You like taking center stage, don't you?" Mikey chimed in with shut eyes, still rubbing the bridge of his nose. Max paused and looked at his friend.

"I do at that...Okay! I shall lead the way to the castle!"

A sudden rustle in the bushes startled all three of them and they leapt to their feet. "Mikey, get the SD card," Coltyn said quietly. Mikey nodded in acknowledgment and took the card from his pocket. After deactivating his own Duel Disk's active mode, he passed it to Coltyn who in turn gave it to Max.

"Get ready." Even though their Duel Disks had been rendered safe, Mikey still had his deck ready. The rustling became louder as whoever it was came nearer. "Here they come." Suddenly a blur of blue and aqua burst from the foliage and tackled Mikey to the ground screaming his name. "What the?"

"Long time no see, Mikey!"

"Umi?"

"Well, this was unexpected," Coltyn said.

"Umi, what are you doing here?" Mikey asked.

"Chancellor Rhodes told me everything, so I came here," was Umi's answer.

"She... She told you everything?"

"More importantly..." Coltyn looked at Umi sternly. "how did you find us?"

"Max was talking pretty loudly." The others looked at Max, whose face suddenly matched his hair.

"Well as long as you're here, it's good to have you with us, Umi." Mikey straightened himself out and then explained to her everything that had happened so far. Umi listened intently, taking everything he said. She didn't stop him. She didn't interrupt him. She simply stood their in silence nodding in understand. When he was finally finished, she lowered her head.

"So your brother and Sammie are..."

"They're in the castle, that much we do know," Mikey said, "But we're not sure how safe they are."

"I'll help you guys out then," Umi promised.

"Glad to have you with us then, Umi," said Coltyn, "Just as long as you don't put on any flashy light shows, we'll be fine."

"Oh come on. My Duel Disk doesn't do that _all_ the time!" Umi responded with a wink.

o o o

With weapon in hand, the black horseman continued to follow Saito and his group from a distance. The scales in his hand slowly swung back and forth as his steed trotted quietly through the thicket. _The judgment of this one will soon begin_, he thought to himself.

"This castle is much further than we thought," Wes commented, "This trip is more trouble than it's worth."

"Aw, it ain't bad, Rem," Nellie said, "'Sides, we need ya. Don't we, Sai?"

"Just try to keep up," was all Saito would say. His Duel Band suddenly started beeping and a chubby fellow with short hair and glasses appeared.

"My name's Piggy."

"I didn't ask for your name," Saito said, his eyes glaring sternly at the young duelist.

"Well...I..."

"Don't talk. Just draw your cards and let's get this over with."

--

**Saito:** 8000

**Piggy:** 8000

--

"I'll go first." Piggy drew his card. "I set a card facedown and then play Book of Taiyou to flip him over. Say hello to my Boar Soldier!" A boar in armor wielding a stone hammer appeared (ATK/2000 DEF/500). "Your turn."

"Indeed." Saito drew his card. "I play Polymerization and I'll fuse three Blue-Eyes White Dragons from my hand to summon the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" A large pair of wings spread out and a dragon three times the size of a Blue-Eyes of a White Dragon with three heads appeared and roared (ATK/4500 DEF/3800). "Now I play De-Fusion and split my dragon apart." The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon separated into three separate Blue-Eyes White Dragons (ATK/3000 DEF/2500) and they roared loudly. "Now if I have three Normal Monsters on the field with the same name, I can activate my Delta Attacker Spell Card, allowing them all to attack directly."

"Wait." Piggy looked up. "What?"

Saito snapped his fingers. "Triple Burst Stream of Destruction." All three Blue-Eyes White Dragons took aim and fired their attacks directly at their master's opponent.

--

**Saito:** 8000

**Piggy:** 0

--

Saito barely felt his energy leave him as the duel quickly ended. His friends took note of it as well.

"Hey Sai, don't these usually drain a lot outta ya?" Nellie asked.

"He was a weak opponent," Saito replied before continuing on. "Besides, nobody uses Boar Soldier."

"True enough," was Wes' response. "Anyone else notice we're being followed?"

"He's been back there since that last duel," Saito said as he turned around, "We know you're there. No use hiding."

"I suppose stealth isn't really my thing." The black horseman rode out of the shadows with his scales in one hand.

"What're you supposed to be?" Nellie asked, her eyes scanning over the horse and iron clad man, "some kind of renaissance fair reject?" Nellie's right eyebrow raised up as she stifled a laugh.

"I am called Famine," the black horseman explained, his lips twisting into an unseen smile that looked awkward under his helmet in contrast to his pale, starved cheeks, "I am one of the island's Player Killers."

"Oh oh! I know I heard that before!" Hayley said, jumping up excitedly asthe answer danced on the tip of her tongue."They were in the first Duelist Kingdom Tournament, right? Ugh! I saw it on the DVD! What did they do?" She began to hop on one foot in a circle as she thought hard on the answer. Nellie giggled and draped her arm around her friend as she stopped. "Oh yeah! You guys eliminate people from the tournament without actually participating! Cool!"

"Smart girl." Famine looked at the four teenagers and his eyes fell on Hayley.

"Hey, wait a sec," Nellie spoke up, "If you're supposed to off everyone on the island, why didn't our bands go off?"

"That's a little something we Player Killers are permitted. Unlike the rest of you, we can choose our opponents," answered Famine. He set his scales into a sheath on his saddle and pressed a button on his Duel Disk. Immediately, Hayley's Duel Band began to beep. "And I've chosen mine."

"Hayley, no!" Nellie began to move toward Hayley, but she was stopped.

"I've got it," Hayley assured her.

"She's a strong Duelist," Saito said, "We can leave her and she'll catch up."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Kay-Kay!" Hayley replied enthusiastically.

"Just try to get this done quickly. Wes, Nellie, let's go."

"See you soon!" Hayley waved as they left and then turned to Famine as she placed her mask on. "I am l'ange de la tragédie! But you may call me L'ange Noir for short."

"I see you have a flair for the dramatic." Famine activated his Duel Disk and his deck was automatically shuffled. "But that won't serve you in this duel."

"But it will be a spectacular performance!" Hayley declared.

--

**Hayley:** 8000

**Famine:** 8000

--

"The first draw is mine." Famine placed his armored fingers against his deck and removed the top card. "I'll set a monster facedown and end my turn."

"And now begins Act One!" Hayley drew her card with flair. "Sangan, stand and deliver!" With her fabulously flashy moves, she summoned out the three-eyed hairball with claws (ATK/1000 DEF/600). "Give us a show, Sangan dear." Sangan growled and jumped. It bit down on Famine's facedown card and revealed it to be a spiky purple caterpillar called Needle Worm (ATK/750 DEF/600).

"That activates my creature's flip effect." Famine cackled. "Five card from your deck must be sent to your graveyard." Five of Needle Worm's spikes shot out from its remains and pierced Hayley's deck. White Potan, Nurse Reficule the Fallen One, Winged Kuriboh LV9, Ancient Leaf, and Draining Shield.

"I'll set a facedown." A card appeared at Hayley's feet. "Exiting, stage left."

"I draw." Famine drew his card. "I'll begin with Hand Destruction. First we send two cards from our hands to our graveyards. And then we draw two more."

Hayley examined her hand. She had four cards and she had to pick two of them to send to her graveyard. Seeing one of them would be more useful in that position, she sent Darklord Superbia and Upstart Goblin. Then she drew her two new cards and summoned one of them immediately. "I Special Summon Watapon in defense mode because he was brought to my hand from my Deck by a Spell, Trap, or Monster Effect." An adorable white fluffball with big round eyes and antennae bounced onto the field (ATK/200 DEF/300).

"Quaint." With his new cards, Famine summoned a man with an eye patch holding a sword in one hand and a dagger in the other (ATK/1400 DEF/1500). "Don Zaloog, attack Sangan." With his blades, Don Zaloog charged at Sangan and cut it into three pieces.

--

**Hayley:** 7600

**Famine:** 8000

--

"Now since Don Zaloog has dealt Battle Damage, I can choose to activate one of his effects. Either send one card from your hand to the graveyard or two cards from your deck to the graveyard." Famine smirked behind his helmet. "I choose to send two cards from your deck to your graveyard." Don Zaloog then threw his dagger at Hayley's Duel Disk and sent The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh and Soul Taker to the graveyard. "I end with two facedowns. Your turn."

"Avec plasir!" Hayley drew her card with a flourish. "Stand and deliver, Nurse Reficule!" A woman with demon wings wrapped up in bandages slowly rose up onto the field (ATK/1400 DEF/600). "And next I play Soul Taker to destroy Don Zaloog." Don Zaloog cried out in pain as his soul was pulled out through his chest and his body shattered. "Normally, that card will give you one thousand Life Points, but Nurse Reficule reverses that effect." A toxic miasma surrounded Famine and choked out one thousand Life Points.

--

**Hayley:** 7600

**Famine:** 7000

--

"Attack now, Nurse Reficule!" ordered Hayley.

"Reveal Trap Card, Threatening Roar!" A loud roar burst across the field and stopped Hayley's monster dead in her tracks.

"Exit, stage right!" she announced.

"I activate my other facedown on your End Phase," announced Famine, "The Gift of Greed. This lets you draw two cards." Hayley looked at her hand and then drew her two cards. "And now I draw." The black horseman drew his next card. "I now play the Continuous Spell Card Gravekeeper's Servant. As long as this card remains in play, you must send one card from the top of your deck to your graveyard to declare an attack." He then took a monster and set it facedown on the field before concluding his turn.

"Act Three!" Hayley drew her card. She had to be careful. If she overdid things, she could end up losing her entire deck. She would only deal damage with attacks only if she could spare it. For now, the only powerful monster on her field was Nurse Reficule the Fallen One. "Nurse Reficule, attack!" she ordered. Hayley sent Winged Kuriboh from the top of her deck to the graveyard and her creature unleashed a wave of dark energy. It soared across the field and destroyed her opponent's monster, which turned out to be another Needle Worm. She cringed. After cautiously planning her attack, she ended up losing even more cards. Her heart was not in high spirits as she sent Kuriboh, Solemn Wishes, Shiba-Warrior Taro, Bad Reaction to Simochi, and Darklord Desire to the graveyard.

"You're losing cards fast," Famine cackled.

"I summon Kuribon in attack mode," Hayley announced, no longer in her usual high spirits. A female Kuriboh with a tail with a bow appeaerd (ATK/300 DEF/200). "I'm finished."

"You seem to have lost your fighting spirit," Famine observed as he drew, "This will make it easier for me. The dueling field is no place for someone who doesn't feel like it. And I think this monster will prove it. I summon The Bistro Butcher!" A demon in chef's clothes with a meat hook for a right hand and wielding a large kitchen knife in his left appeared (ATK/1800 DEF/1000). "Bistro Butcher, attack Nurse Reficule the Fallen One!" Grinning like a madman, The Bistro Butcher charged and stabbed Nurse Reficule with his knife.

--

**Hayley:** 7200

**Famine:** 7000

--

"And now for The Bistro Butcher's effect," announced Famine, "You draw two cards each time he deals damage." Hayley drew her two cards. Her deck was now less than half its size.

"Your move," the black horseman cackled.

"I draw!" Hayley removed the card from the top of her deck with a decadent flourish. She now had eight cards in her hand. Even though she had the hand advantage, her opponent had the clear deck advantage.

"Little by little, your deck starves," Famine said in a menacing yet delighted tone, "I wonder how much longer it will be until it dies."

"I'll set a monster onto the field and then I'll place two facedown cards." The three cards appeared on Hayley's field and she ended her turn.

"My turn." Famine drew his card. "And I believe I'll summon my Chainsaw Insect in attack mode!" A loud buzz filled the air as a stag beetle with chainsaws for pincers rose up from the ground (ATK/2400 DEF/0). "Chainsaw Insect, attack that facedown monster!" Chainsaw Insect closed its jaws around Hayley's card and began cutting through it. It was quickly revealed to be the fluffy pink Marshmallon (ATK/300 DEF/500). It quickly slipped out of its captor's grip and chomped down on Famine.

--

**Hayley:** 7200

**Famine:** 6000

--

"Your Marshmallon may be indestructible, but my Chainsaw Insect forces my opponent to draw a card every time it attacks," Famine explained. Hayley cringed as she drew her card. With twenty cards left in her deck, it rendered her own strategy more dangerous to use. However, if it could help her deplete her opponent's Life Points before he could mill out her deck, she had to try it.

"Now I set one facedown," Famine announced, "Your move."

"Action!" Hayley drew her card. "First I activate my facedown card, The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh. I can use this card to Special Summon a Kuriboh or Winged Kuriboh from my hand or deck."

"And what is your decision?" inquired Famine.

"I summon Kuriboh from my deck." The small brown furball popped onto the field and cooed (ATK/300 DEF/200). "Now I sacrifice Kuriboh and Marshmallon." The two small adorable creatures vanished. "Stand and deliver, Darklord Asmodeus!" Black feathers fluttered down onto the field as a pair of matching angel wings spread out and an angel garbed in white with black armor and two chains around his waist appeared (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "Attack The Bistro Butcher!" Hayley sent Nimble Momonga from the top of her deck to her graveyard as a result of Gravekeeper's Servant. Darklord Asmodeus held up a black grimoire and let it fall open. He then held out his other hand and a wave of black light shone down from the sky. The Bistro Butcher grunted once and then his flesh was disintegrated from his bones.

--

**Hayley:** 7200

**Famine:** 4800

--

"I'll set two facedowns now." Two more cards appeared at Hayley's feet, totalling three facedowns. "And now, exit stage right!"

"My draw." Famine drew his card. He smiled behind his helmet. "Alas, your end nears. I summon Grinder Golem!" An enormous headless machine studded with spikes with a gargantuan sawblade in the center of its body and two large chains anchored to its shouldes and waist rose up (ATK/3000 DEF/300). Hayley was a little confused what it appeared on her side of the field instead of her opponent's. She was more confused when two smaller versions of the mechanical behemoth appeared in front of Famine (ATK/0 DEF/0).

"Grinder Golem can only be summoned onto my opponent's side of the field. Doing so will summon two Grinder Tokens to my side of the field. However, I cannot Normal Summon or Set a monster this turn." Famine then pointed at his own monster. "Grinder Token, attack Grinder Golem!" One of the tokens got up and rushed its massive counterpart. Grinder Golem's joints groaned loudly as it raised its foot and slammed it down on top of the token.

--

**Hayley:** 7200

**Famine:** 1800

--

"Why did you destroy your own monster and take such an incredible amount of damage?" asked Hayley.

"So I can use this card." Famine revealed his facedown. "Inferno Tempest. I can only use this card if I take three thousand points of damage. When activated, it removes from play every monster in both of our graveyards and decks." A large number of cards from both Duel Disks were suddenly spat out from their respective decks and graveyards. Hayley was devastated to see that her deck had been reduced to a measly ten cards. Famine was cackling as he sent his own cards to the graveyard, leaving him with twenty-one cards.

"This game ends now. Your deck has been completely starved."

"I still have ten cards left," Hayley said in protest, "As long as I still have even one card in my deck, the show can still go on!"

"Well I'm afraid your show has been cancelled." Famine grabbed his scales and held them up as two decrepit doll heads pulsing with bubbling flesh and writing with fleshy tentacles appeared on either side of the balance. "My Necrofaces have seen to that."

Hayley paled. "N-Necroface?"

"If Necroface is removed from play, you must remove from play five cards from the top of your deck," Famine explained, "And since I had two that were removed, that means ten cards for you. The last of your pathetic little deck."

Ten cards were taken from the deck slot. Ten cards were sent to her pocket. Ten cards were removed from play. Hayley's deck now lay empty. Darklord Asmodeus and Kuribon turned and looked at her. The tiny creature's eyes were filled with tears while the fallen angel had a look of disappointment.

"My turn," Famine grinned widely, "is over."

Hayley's Draw Phase hit and her Duel Disk registered her empty deck. The sudden burst of energy from her Duel Band left her completely drained and she fell to the ground unconscious.

"Target eliminated." Replacing his cards back into his deck, Famine tugged on the reins and turned his horse around. He stamped his heel against his steed's side and the black beast reared up and neighed before taking off into the woods.

o o o

Saito's, Wes', and Nellie's Duel Bands buzzed and the three of them stopped to read their displays.

"Hayley's gone," Nellie said. Saito stood in silence. Inside he could feel it. But he knew he could not show it. He had to be strong in front of the others. Slowly, he turned around to address his remaining two teammates.

"Whatever foe she faced, Hayley was able to prevent them from reaching us. We will not allow her sacrifice to be in vain. We continue to the castle." Wes looked at him. He knew he was right. Nellie also seemed to agree and the three of them continued onward.

o o o

Max felt a sudden sharp sensation in his heart and he fell to the ground.

"Max!" Mikey ran to the redhead with Umi right behind him.

"Are you okay?" the pop star asked.

"I just... I'm okay," Max replied as his friends helped him back to his feet.

"What happened?" Coltyn inquired.

"It's nothing," the redhead assured them. His eyes moved toward the sky.

_Hayley_... His thoughts trailed off.

o o o

The shadows stretched as the sun slowly set beyond the horizon. Amidst the shade and the blazing orange light, a figure of darkness emerged and stood next to Hayley's fallen form. It knelt down and placed a hand on her head, fingers tracing the facial features of the mask.

"I see great potential within you." A dark aura seemed to emanate from the dark man and it slowly flowed down through his touch and into Hayley.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

A mysterious new enemy has emerged from the shadows. Faced with this new foe, Max must duel to survive. Find out if he succeeds next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	61. Dogma

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-20**

**Dogma**

Max was sitting off on his own while Mikey and Coltyn were preparing dinner. Umi was standing over them watching with interest. "I didn't know you cooked, Mikey," she said with great interest.

"I learned from my mom," Mikey answered, "I spent a lot of time at home every summer when I was a kid and she thought I should learn to cook."

"I bet she's a really nice lady," Umi commented.

"She is. What about you, Umi? Do you cook?"

"No, I don't," the pop star answered, "When I'm on tour, I've got people cooking for me. And on the days when I'm actually at home, I'm so tired I just order in."

"Must be rough being a star," Mikey said quietly.

"It is. But when I see the fans' smiles and hear their cheers, it warms my heart knowing that I'm the one putting those smiles on their faces."

"So you're not in it for the money and the fame?" Coltyn inquired.

"That's only a small part of it," Umi answered, "As long as I can bring joy to people who come to listen to me sing, I'm happy."

Mikey smiled. "That's really nice." He then looked over at Max. "I think Max could use some of that joy right now."

"Maybe Hayley got knocked out, maybe she didn't. It really doesn't matter either way," Coltyn said as he checked on the food, "The important thing is that we survive."

"Hey, can I ask you guys something?" Umi asked.

"I don't see why not." Mikey continued slicing apples with Coltyn's knife.

"If you guys make it to the end, what will you do then?" she inquired. Silence fell over the camp. Mikey and Coltyn knew what would happen. It was an elimination tournament. Even if all of them made it to the end together, they would eventually have to duel each other.

"They called this Duel Royale for a reason," was all Coltyn said, finally breaking the silence. He and Mikey returned to their task while Umi looked over at Max. The redhead's cheery persona had vanished. His eyes never once looked away from the moon. His mind was clearly occupied and his heart obviously burdened. Even though he hadn't seen it for himself, deep down he felt it. Hayley was out of the tournament and her Duel Band had taken all she had.

o o o

The dark man had left around sunset, leaving Roman by himself. The businessman watched from the window as the radiant orange light that bathed the island slowly faded away. "Roman, are you just going to stand there or are you going to eat dinner?" a child's voice asked behind him. He turned and looked at the young boy, who was seated at the head of Pegasus' dining table. A man in a black suit wheeled in a cart and placed a covered dish in front of him.

"You eat sweets all day, Mr. Kaiyou. How can you still have room for a proper dinner?" Roman inquired as he sat down across from him.

"I'm a growing boy." The servant removed the cover and exposed spaghetti and meatballs on a silver platter seasoned with some basil before the young boy. He smiled and bounced excitedly in his seat as a glass of chocolate milk was placed beside his dinner. The servant then wheeled the cart to the opposite end of the room and placed a covered dish before Roman. He pulled the cover away and revealed a cured lamb. As Roman unfolded his napkin, the servant opened a bottle of pinot noir and poured some into the glass in front of the businessman.

"So tell me, Roman, how has progress been on the Duel Energy harvest?" the boy inquired.

"Quite disappointing, Mr. Kaiyou," was Roman's answer as he cut into his meal, "The readings were strong at first, but they've been on a steep down curve as of late."

"What's the cause?"

"The duels are far too short. The Duelists have been employing strategies for quick and easy victories."

"And this presents a problem?"

"Very much so. With such short duels, the Duelists cannot get worked up over them. As a result, they produce less Duel Energy."

The boy chewed a bite of his dinner and swallowed before addressing Roman. "And what of our private Duel Energy generator downstairs?"

"Again, no improvement." Roman pushed his glasses up. "She continues to duel, but every opponent she has faced has been far too weak."

"Now that's going to be a problem." The boy prodded a meatball with his fork. "Perhaps I could take care of that."

"What do you mean?"

"Send someone down there and give her a proper meal. Afterwards, let her have a good night's sleep. Make sure she's as comfortable as possible. I'll deal with her in the morning."

"Are you certain?" asked Roman. The boy cut his meatball with his fork and placed half of it into his mouth. He chewed for a few seconds and swallowed before washing it down with a sip of chocolate milk.

"Absolutely."

"I'll send someone down right away." Roman placed a piece of lamb in his mouth and the two individuals continued their dinner in silence.

o o o

Nicky, Terry, and Judgement sat around a campfire eating their rations from their survival packs. "'ow come we gotta eat this shit when the ol' big guy's up there eatin' fancy like?" Nicky demanded.

"It is no concern of ours nor is it our place to question," Judgement answered.

"Don't you two start again," Terry warned, "The boss said he'll be here to talk to us, so just wait."

"Aw'right, but Oi ain't gotta like it," Nicky responded. Suddenly, the three men became aware of a fourth in their presence. "Took ye long 'nuff."

"Do not speak to the master in that manner," Judgement warned.

"Or ye'll do wot?"

"That's enough." The dark man silenced his men and addressed them. "I've gathered you here to have you acquainted with a new member of the team."

"A new member?" Terry was intrigued.

"Oi! Ain't we good 'nuff fo' ya?" Nicky demanded.

"I only select the best," the dark man answered, "and I found this one to be worthy." From the shadows emerged a small and frail figure wrapped in a black cloak. Fair skin peaked out from behind the cloak, radiated by the firelight. Within the firelight the curvaceous form of a woman could be made out. Her head was covered with a black hood and her face was obscured by a mask. The right half was white with a face of despair and tragedy and a blood tear painted just below the eye. The left half was black and bore a seemingly more cheerful expression, but had been warped into an evil smile.

"Why didn't our Duel Bands pick up on hers?" Terry asked.

"It is because she does not have one," Judgement pointed out as he turned the gaze of his mask toward the newcomer.

"You're bringin' in a lil girl?" Nicky looked at her. "Wot can she do that can 'elp us?"

"Face me and find out." The masked girl tossed back her cloak and exposed a standard issue Duel Academy Duel Disk colored black.

"You're on, girly!" Nicky brought out his flame-themed Duel Disk and the two of them walked to the side.

"So where did you find her?" asked Terry.

"About two miles west of here," answered the dark man, "She has great potential. And with my help, she can unlock it."

"What sort of potential?"

"See for yourself." The dark man indicated toward the duel and within a few short minutes, Nicky was defeated and the masked girl stood triumphant over him. "Gentlemen, I'd like you to welcome Dogma."

o o o

Saito was asleep and Nellie was on guard duty. Wes was lying on the ground, but he was most certainly not sleeping. Try as he might, he just could not fall asleep. He sat up and looked around. After scratching his head through his messy grey hair, he got up and grabbed his Duel Disk. He walked past Nellie with his his arm in one sleeve of his coat and the rest draped over his other shoulder. "Where ya headed?" she asked.

"Just out," was his only answer.

"You should stay here," Nellie said, "Hayley never came back."

"So?" Wes seemed unfazed by her words. Nellie just looked at the ground.

"I don't want us to lose anyone else. 'Specially you."

Wes said nothing. He simply stood with his back toward Nellie. Moments of silence passed between then before he finally spoke. "I'll return." And then he vanished into the night.

o o o

Max was on lookout duty. Mikey had offered to exchange shifts with him, but the redhead declined claiming that he would not be able to sleep that night anyway.

The campfire crackled loudly as he fed it another piece of wood. He returned his gaze toward the island and sighed. Thoughts of Hayley began to rush through his mind once again. What could have happened to her? What could she be going through right now? His thoughts only heightened his worry.

Max suddenly remembered he had a job to do and brought himself back into reality. Everything was quiet save for the campfire. His eyes slowly scanned the woods, checking for any signs of movement or life. It was so dark he could barely distinguish one tree from the next. As he kept a vigilant eye out for anything out of the ordinary, a flash of white suddenly appeared out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head and saw it again. Even though it was dark, it stood out as clear as day. The right half of a white face with an expression of despair and tragedy. He immediately jumped to his feet.

_Hayley!_ Without another thought, he ran toward the shape with his Duel Disk still strapped to his arm. The face slowly disappeared into the foliage and he followed after it.

"Hayley, come back!" Max called after the face, but it only seemed to move further away.

_Why is she running?_ the redhead wondered to himself as he chased after the image. As he fought through the thicket, his eyes never once left the mask. It didn't seem to be running from him. It wasn't moving further from him. But at the same, he wasn't getting any closer to it. It just seemed to be maintaining its distance from him as it lured him deeper and deeper into the woods. It was pitch black. Max couldn't see anything. He was now too far from the campsite to see the fire and the trees had obscured the light of the moon. The only thing that stood out in the darkness was the white half-face.

It felt like he had been chasing after it for hours before it finally came to a stop in the thickest part of the woods. Max put his hands on his knees panting and looked up. "Hayley, is it really you?" The hum of a Duel Disk suddenly filled the air and the light of the holographic projectors revealed the left half of the mask, a black face twisted into a demonic smile. The one wearing it was a young woman shrouded in a black cloak.

"You're not Hayley! Who are you?" Max demanded.

"My name is Dogma, a servant to the darkness."

"Where's Hayley? Did you do something to her?"

"Face me."

"Answer my question."

"Face me," Dogma repeated.

"If I duel you, then will you tell me?" asked Max.

"I shall," answered Dogma.

"Then I accept." Max put on his own mask and activated his Duel Disk. "I shall dazzle you with my spectacular performance!" The two Duelists selected Rock-Paper-Scissors on their Duel Disks and selected their choices. Max had picked paper and Dogma had chosen rock.

--

**Max:** 8000

**Dogma:** 8000

--

"I shall begin!" Max drew his card with flair. "And I shall summon the fabulous Crass Clown! Take the stage, my friend!" A large blue ball with green stars appeared and a demonic clown holding a long pole appeared on top of it (ATK/1350 DEF/1400). "And with this facedown, I end my turn!" The redhead bowed down gracefully and looked up at his opponent.

"It is my turn." Dogma drew her card."And I begin with the summoning of Armageddon Knight." A man in dark armor worn down with battle scars appeared on the field with a red scarf flapping in the wind in tatters as he held a long sword in one hand (ATK/1400 DEF/1200). "And with his effect, when he is Normal Summoned I can send one Dark monster from my deck to my graveyard." A single card was ejected from her Duel Disk and she revealed it to Max. "I have chosen Marie the Fallen One." She fed it into her graveyard slot and her Duel Disk accepted. "Strike him down!" Armageddon Knight raised his sword and slashed Crass Clown across his chest, destroying him with one swing.

--

**Max:** 7950

**Dogma:** 8000

--

"I'll end with this facedown card." Dogma looked up. "Your move."

"And so it is! I draw!" Max drew his card. "I discard Level Limit - Area A from my hand in order to Special Summon this monster. Tricky, take the stage!" The caped question marked harlequin spun out onto the field and bowed (ATK/2000 DEF/1200). "And since that was a Special Summon, I can Normal Summon this guy. Take the stage, Dream Clown!" A tiny toy car drove out onto the field and stopped just in front of Max. The driver's side door opened Dream Clown came tumbling out. The circus performer rolled onto his hands and bounced himself up onto his feet. In doing so, he tripped on his cape and fell backwards onto his bottom (ATK/1200 DEF/900).

"Your creature is a clumsy oaf," Dogma said unimpressed.

"Hey, that's totally not fabulous!" Max protested.

"Oh and I suppose your clown meant to do that?" Dogma questioned.

"Making people laugh is just what he does," was Max's answer. "Now Tricky, attack Armageddon Knight!" The Trick produced a dagger from his sleeve and he threw it across the field. The blade sank deep into its target and Armageddon Knight fell.

--

**Max:** 7950

**Dogma:** 7400

--

"It's your turn now, Dream Clown!" Max pointed at Dogma. "Let's show her a spectacular spectacle!" Dream Clown, who had been spinning in place ever since he arrived on the field, began spinning over to his master's opponent. He came to a stop in front of her and pointed a gun at her face. She seemed unfazed. Dream Clown saw this and looked at the tiny weapon in his hand. He shrugged and tossed it aside before pulling out a bazooka. He aimed it Dogma and pulled the trigger. A massive burst of confetti shot out and showered her. She remained motionless, cold eyes gazing from behind her mask with unamused distain toward the clown.

--

**Max:** 7950

**Dogma:** 6200

--

"And I shall take my bow." Max bowed down gracefully and looked up at Dogma. "Your move."

"I draw," she said in a monotone as she gingerly drew the card from the top of her deck. Her eyes glanced over to the card before placing it in her hand. "By the effect of Marie, the Fallen One I gain two hundred Life Points during my Standby Phase."

In a spiraling cloud of dark mist a dark and angelic being appeared. Her skin was black as a starless midnight and her lips hinted with a dark blue. The wings that sprouted from the angel's back flapped with black feathers, not unlike those of a crow that had been bathed in the darkest ink. As if some kind of divine joke the creature wore a pink victorian night gown with a head of short blond hair, a sign of innocence that her body obviously betrayed with her tainted beauty.

The angelic fiend smirked with seductive lips, curling upward as she knelt down before her masked master. Her arms entangle and encircled Dogma in a loving and lustful embrace from behind, hands wrapping around her hips, abdomen, and breasts. The dark angel's face came close to Dogma's and, with a single motion, placed a seductive lick across the cold and unfazed Duelist's mask before vanishing into the depths of hell once more.

--

**Max: **7950

**Dogma: **6400

--

"And now I shall activate the spell card Allure of Darkness. This card allows me to draw two cards," Dogma placed her hand on top of her deck and pulled two cards from the top of her deck, her pale white hands holding them like tainted treasures, "and I remove a Dark monster from my hand. If I don't have one then I discard my entire hand." With a single and methodical motion she pulled one card from her hand and placed it into her cloak. "Now I will activate the Spell Card Trade-In. By discarding a level eight or higher monster I get to draw two cards." Sliding a single card into her graveyard tray she drew two more cards.

"So your deck is about hand advantage?" Max questioned, raising an eyebrow and placing a hand on his hip. "How boring!"

"I do not care," Dogma said monotonously as she singled out a card in her hand. "I will now activate the Spell Card Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen." She slid the card into her Spell Card slot a shrine appeared behind her composed of polished marble adjourned with bright red tapestries that hung high from above. This was a temple to the gods themselves, but somehow it felt wrong in her hands.

"Gabe has that card!" Max exclaimed, "If you have no monsters on the field you can Special Summon a Fairy monster from your hand, right? That is so unfabulous."

"Yes, you are correct," She said as she held out a card in her hand. "I now Special Summon Darklord Ede Arai." A pair of black angel wings emerged from the curtains of the temple and showered the field with black feathers. They flapped once and grotesque horned demon in armor of blackest night emerged (ATK/2300 DEF/2000). "Next I summon a second Armageddon Knight." Another swordsman with a tattered crimson cape appeared beside the black angel, prompting Dogma's Duel Disk to eject another card from her deck. "With his effect, I bury a second Marie the Fallen One from my deck." After placing the card in her graveyard, she turned to Darklord Ede Arai. "Strike down The Tricky!"

"Fear not, my fellow thespian! I shall rescue you!" Max revealed his facedown card. "Zero Gravity will stop his attack by changing all of your battle positions." Just as Darklord Ede Arai had begun charging up a ball of black light, he was thrown off balance upon suddenly being lifted off his feet. Dogma looked at the field. Every monster was now floating in midair. When gravity finally returned to the field, the creatures fell to the ground in crouching stances.

"Dream Clown dear, I believe your effect activates now." A smile broke out on Dream Clown's face as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a large helium tank. He began inflating several balloons one by one. As he inflated each one, he would tie it off with a string and then tie it to Darklord Ede Arai. After twenty balloons, the fallen angel began to float upward. Dream Clown secured an additional ten before Darklord Ede Arai was out of his reach and he floated away. "Well, that was different."

"I'll end my turn then," announced Dogma.

"Fantabulous!" Max drew his next card. "Alright, Tricky and Dream Clown. Let's get it together now." He turned his cards into their upright positions and his monsters stood up into attack mode. "Tricky, why don't you have at that Armageddon Knight?" The Tricky produced another dagger from his sleeve and threw it into Armageddon Knight. The dark warrior fell as the blade pierced his skull. Next it was Dream Clown's turn. He gaily danced over to Dogma, taking out a blue tubular balloon. He stretched it out in his hands and blew into it. Once it was inflated, he tied off the end and began to twist and bend it into the shape of a sword. He held it up proudly like a circus clown showing off his work to a child. Then suddenly the clown swung the balloon blade at Dogma and cut through her.

--

**Max: **7950

**Dogma: **5200

--

Max examined the remainder of his hand, he took the two cards he had left and placed them on the field "I'll set these fab facedowns and end my turn."

"My turn." Dogma drew her card. As soon as her Standby Phase hit dark hands slithered from the ground, bathed in black fire that gave off no light. Dainty black hands reached up, groping with lust and tender love upon Dogma's body. Fingers gripped at her ankles on both sides as the black winged fiends, affectionately named Marie, rose from the ground. One sat, adoring Dogma's body at her hips and legs, licking and kissing as she climbed up the masked duelist's body. The other stood, hanging upon the shoulders of the Dogma, planting a tender kiss upon the nape of her neck, with skin as cold as a freshly carved tombstone. Dante himself would have been shocked at the sight of these lustful beauties in his journey through hell as the lavished Dogma with tender and sensual touch.

--

**Max: **7950

**Dogma: **6800

--

Marie the Fallen One then took her sister's hand and they vanished back into the depths of Hell, each leaving a single kiss upon Dogma's cheeks. Dogma took that moment to examine her graveyard. Its occupants were now a level eight or higher monster, two copies of Marie the Fallen One, two Armageddon Knights, and Darklord Ede Arai. In addition, she had one Dark monster that had been removed from play. She examined her hand and nodded to herself. "I have five or more Dark monsters in my graveyard. With that number, I can now Special Summon this creature. I bring forth The Dark Creator." A black bolt of light struck the ground and the enormous god of thunder rose up. However, his body had been tainted with the darkness (ATK/2300 DEF/3000). "Next I activate my facedown, Escape from the Dark Dimension. With this card, I can bring back a removed from play Dark monster." A portal opened up and a long jagged sword emerged. It was in the grip of a black arm covered with a crimson bracer belonging to what seemed to be Archlord Zerato tainted by the darkness. His body, once radiating with holy light, was now blackened like fresh coal, ready for the pit. His eyes were piercing with a red glow like blood illuminated in the light of a dying flame. Beautiful angel wings had been replaced by the veiny red wings of Satan, spanning out wide (ATK/2800 DEF/2300). "Darklord Zerato."

"This is totally unfabulous!" Max wailed.

"It only gets worse for you." Dogma continued with her move. "By removing from play one Dark monster from my graveyard, I can use the Dark Creator to Special Summon another Dark monster from my graveyard." She removed one of her Armageddon Knights from play and The Dark Creator charged up a ball of black lightning in between his hands. Bolts of darkness tore the land apart and a black cauldron rose up from the grave. "This is the monster I discarded earlier for Trade-In. My Darklord Superbia." Burgundy wings sprouted from the pot as the legs curled back and produced claws as tail feathers sprouted from its underside and a face appeared on its surface (ATK/2900 DEF/2400). "Then with Superbia's effect, I can summon another Fairy from my graveyard." A hellish fiery glow burned inside Darklord Superbia and a pair of black wings sprang forth and flapped once as Darklord Ede Arai returned from the dead.

Max looked at his opponent's field. She had successfully summoned four extremely powerful monsters all at once and now they were going to destroy him. But it seemed as though his opponent was not finished. "Now I activate Darklord Zerato's effect," Dogma announced. "By sending a Dark monster from my hand to the graveyard, he can destroy every monster on your side of the field." Darklord Zerato spread his wings and flew toward the heavens. There he hovered and brandished his sword. He gripped the hilt in both hands and flew straight down. He swept across Max's side of the field and cleaved through The Tricky and Dream Clown with a single swing of his weapon. Then then somersaulted in the air and knelt back down on his assigned monster zone. "Now Darklord Zerato will die on my End Phase. But I don't need him for much longer. This duel ends now. Darklord Zerato, strike down your enemy!" Darklord Zerato stood up and held his sword. Just as he had done to Max's monster, he now flew toward Max himself with his sword ready to cut through his body.

"I'm terribly sorry to disappoint, but I must cut your act short." Max revealed one of his facedown cards. "My Wall of Revealing Light will make sure of that. By paying a set number of Life Points in any multiple of a thousand, any monsters with that number of attack points or lower may not attack. And for this, I think I will pay four thousand Life Points. A column of light descended upon Max and his body sparkled as his Life Points dropped.

--

**Max: **3950

**Dogma: **6800

--

As the redhead's Life Points went down, a wall of light rose up before him. Darklord Zerato's sword clashed against its surface but was unable to penetrate as the barrier rose up four thousand feet, illuminating the entire forest. The tainted archangel withdrew and returned to his post, a scowl plastered on his face. "Then I shall end my turn. But because of my Darklord Zerato's effect he is destroyed during the End Phase of the turn I activated it." The Darklord Zerato let loose a sigh of exasperation as it vanished in a blaze of hellish, lightless fire.

"I activate my Scapegoat on your End Phase." Max revealed his other facedown and four fluffy horned sheep colored yellow, blue, pink, and red appeared on the field, each a level one Earth-attribute Beast-type monster with zero attack and defense points. His turn finally came and he drew his card. So long as his Wall of Revealing Light remained on the field, he was safe from attacks. He looked at the card he had in his hand since his previous turn and placed it on his Duel Disk. "Take the stage, Torapart!" A tiny witch figurine appeared on Max's side of the field. The ground beneath it suddenly became like a mirror and its reflection could be seen (ATK/600 DEF/600). "And now I tune Torapart to my four Sheep Tokens!" Torapart and its reflection faded away until two starts remained. They circled the Sheep Tokens until a pair of green rings had formed. One by one, the tokens faded into one star each. A column of light engulfed them all and from the radiance a kabuki actor wielding jutte on a rope emerged (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). "The stage is yours, Goyo Guardian!"

_This may present a small problem_, Dogma thought.

"Goyo Guardian, your target is The Dark Creator." Goyo Guardian spun his jutte and flung it at The Dark Creator. His weapon pierced its chest and the great black god collapsed.

--

**Max: **3950

**Dogma: **6300

--

"Goyo Guardian can then Special Summon any monster he destroys in battle," Max explained, "However, The Dark Creator had very specific summoning conditions so I will be unable to bring him back under my service." He then bowed. "And on that, I shall take this intermission."

"My draw then." Dogma drew her card. Just as it had been done before, her two Marie the Fallen Ones rose up from the grave to restore her Life Points.

--

**Max: **3950

**Dogma: **6700

--

Goyo Guardian had twenty-eight hundred attack points. If he attacked Darklord Ede Arai, he would surely destroy him. Darklord Superbia was stronger than the Synchro Monster, but the Wall of Revealing Light prevented her from attacking it. Dogma looked at her field once again and switched Darklord Ede Arai into defense mode. The fallen angel landed and crouched down on the ground before wrapping his wings around himself. Beyond that, there was nothing else she could do. She concluded her turn there.

Max drew his next card with a flourish. He knew this Trap Card would serve him well in the near future. But before he did that, he had some business to deal with. He looked at Goyo Guardian and pointed at Darklord Ede Arai. "Alright Goyo Guardian, it's your turn again. Attack!" Goyo Guardian spun his jutte and released his grip, sending his weapon at his target. Darklord Ede Arai was struck and he promptly died. However, Max's creature was far from done. Now the jutte sank into the ground and with one hard pull, Goyo Guardian extracted the fallen angel he had just destroyed and placed him at his side. "When Goyo Guardian destroys a monster in battle, he can Special Summon it to my side of the field in defense mode." He then turned his attention to Darklord Ede Arai and read the text. "Oh, and it looks like Darklord Ede Arai gains a piercing effect when he's summoned from the graveyard." Dogma could have been scowling. She could have been crying. Or she could have been smiling. Max had no way of telling. With his attack now over, he set the card he had just drawn and ended his turn.

Dogma then proceeded with her turn. After drawing her card, her Life Points were restored by another four hundred points.

--

**Max: **3950

**Dogma: **7100

--

She looked at her three cards and set one of them facedown. So long as she still had Darklord Superbia, her Life Points were safe from attack.

Max drew again and his face broke out into a wide smile. "Well this is absolutely FABULOUS!" He played the card immediately. "Earthquake! Now this little ditty can switch all our monsters into defense mode!" The ground began to tremble and the sheer force of the quake caused Goyo Guardian to lose his balance and drop down into a defensive stance in order to stay on his feet. Darklord Superbia continued to remain afloat above the ground. However, the tremors had caused the trees to shift and the Duel Disks' built-in holographic projectors animated one toppling on top of the fallen angel, causing it to fall to the ground. "And now I activate Tragedy! I can only activate this card if one of my opponent's monsters get switched into defense mode. And when it's activated, it destroys all of their defense monsters." A large guillotine appeared and trapped Darklord Superbia. The blade came down and a sickening noise filled the air followed by silence. Burgundy feathers fluttered slowly to the ground as Dogma was left wide open for a direct attack. Max smile and then pointed at his opponent.

"Guests first. Darklord Ede Arai, be our opening act this turn." Darklord Ede Arai spread out his wings and and flew up. He held his hands in front of him and a ball of black light formed in between them. His gaze turned upon his former master as he drew back his arm and threw the sphere at her.

--

**Max: **3950

**Dogma: **4800

--

"That was absolutely fabulous!" Max commended before turning to Goyo Guardian, "It's your turn, Goyo boy. Attack now!" Goyo Guardian launched his jutte and it struck Dogma, shattering the top left quarter of her mask and blowing away her hood.

--

**Max: **3950

**Dogma: **2000

--

Broken pieces of black porcelain fell to the ground as Max's monster reeled his weapon back in. "That was a fabulous move!" He said cheerfully. He turned back to Dogma and his smile vanished. Lavish brown hair with blonde streaks flowed down to her shoulders as his eyes locked with that of a familiar face.

"H-Hayley?"

The masked Duelist looked straight into Max's eyes. The vibrant radiance that danced in Hayley's eyes every day had been clouded over with darkness. "Hayley is no more. I am Dogma."

"Hayley, why are you doing this?"

"I serve only my master. Now face me."

"No! I'm not going to fight you."

"Then you will die here." Dogma drew her card and four hundred Life Points were recovered once again.

--

**Max: **3950

**Dogma: **2400

--

"I begin with Pot of Avarice. By returning five monsters from my graveyard to my deck, I can draw two cards." She selected Darklord Zerato, Darklord Superbia, Marie the Fallen One, The Dark Creator, and Armageddon Knight and placed them into her deck, which was automatically shuffled. Two cards were then ejected from the top and she added them to her hand. "Next I play Trade-In." Dogma discarded Darklord Superbia and drew two more cards. "Now Allure of Darkness." She drew another pair of cards and removed Kuriboh from play.

"Now with Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen, I bring forth Darklord Asmodeus!" The curtain on the shrine was blown away and an angel with dark blue wings emerged wearing pitch-black armor overtop a white robe (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "Next I Normal Summon Nurse Reficule the Fallen One." Another angel appeared beside Darklord Asmodeus with long blue hair and bandages wrapped around her body like a mummy (ATK/1400 DEF/600). "Now for my next card, I play Heavy Storm." A powerful storm blew across the field and Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen crumbled before its sheer power while Wall of Revealing Light shattered. Dogma watched as her facedown was blown away, but her cold expression did not change. She then played her next card, Soul Taker. A clawed hand reached out and Goyo Guardian cried out as his very soul was ripped from his earthly vessel. His body crumbled into dust as the healing effects of the Spell Card were reversed by Nurse Reficule, who choked away at Max's Life Points with a toxic miasma.

--

**Max: **2950

**Dogma: **2400

--

Things were no better when she played a second Soul Taker and destroyed Darklord Ede Arai and another thousand Life Points were burned away.

--

**Max: **1950

**Dogma: **2400

--

Max collapsed to his knees and his mask fell to the ground. This wasn't the Hayley he knew. But at the same time, he could not bring himself to attack her. As he sat there on the forest floor, Dogma tossed her cloak back and pointed at him.

"Darklord Asmodeus, end him." Chains suddenly wrapped themselves around Max and bound him to his place. Darklord Asmodeus held out his arm and gently waved his hand as sharp blades suddenly protruded from the links. He then whipped his arm back and the chains pulled back, causing the razors to cut deep into the redhead.

--

**Max: **0

**Dogma: **2400

--

"This duel is over." Those cold words were the last thing Max head as his Duel Band drained him completely and he fell unconscious upon the ground. As darkness fell upon the woods again, Dogma took a few steps over to her fallen opponent. She looked at him as he laid facedown in the dirt. She gently prodded him with her foot and then pushed him over so that he lay face-up. Her gaze turned to his mask. She stood there in silence for a moment before pushing it closer to him and then walking off.

o o o

Mikey sat up yawning. He looked at the campfire and saw right away that it was burning out. He quickly threw in a few pieces of wood that Coltyn had feathered earlier and watched as the flames roared back to life. He stretched and slowly stood up. "Okay Max, my turn now. Why don't you get some sleep?" He expected to hear the redhead reply, but no answer came. He forced his eyes open more and looked around the campsite. Max was nowhere to be seen. He immediately ran over to Coltyn and shook him. "Coltyn wake up!"

"This better be fucking important," the black-haired Ra Yellow grumbled as he sat up.

"Max is gone," Mikey informed him. Coltyn looked around and saw no trace of the flamboyant metrosexual. He quickly leapt up to his feet and reset his Duel Disk with the SD card. Mikey did the same and the boys did a search of the area surrounding the campsite. They regrouped ten minutes later by the fire. Neither of them had seen Max.

"Max must have been challenged while we were asleep," Coltyn surmised.

"Then he's...?" Mikey looked as his friend hoping for a positive answer, but knowing full well that one wasn't to come.

"Eliminated."

o o o

Dogma used her hood to keep her exposed face hidden as she trekked through the woods. Her job was done and she was now heading back to the others. Unbeknownst to her, a single youth with messy grey hair was following her. Wes Remington had seen the duel from afar and he knew what had happened. He knew what he had to do. With his Duel Disk strapped to his arm, he walked straight up to Dogma. Her Duel Band immediately started going off and she turned around to see the grey-haired teenager standing there. His grey eyes locked on with her emerald gaze as the look in his expression made his intentions clear. He had a job to do.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Wes faces off against Dogma. The duel against his friend will be intense. Will he succeed? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	62. How the Mighty Have Fallen

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-21**

**How the Mighty Have Fallen**

Dogma and Wes stood facing each other in silence. The density of the forest was so incredible that not even the night wind could reach them. No words were said. No words needed to be said. Both knew their reason for being their. Wes simply held up his arm and activated his Duel Disk. Dogma followed suit and their decks were automatically shuffled. Then a single random card was ejected and the two of them revealed them to one another. Dogma's card was The Dark Creator. Wes' card was Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru. The replaced their cards and their decks were reshuffled. The turn order had been decided. Now it was time to duel.

--

**Wes:** 8000

**Dogma:** 8000

--

Wes said nothing as he drew his card. The words he did utter that turn were his announcement of his move. "I summon Koa'ki Meiru Powerhand." A yellow robot burst out of the ground with its entire body covered in drills and the Mark of the Iron Core emblazoned upon its chest (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "I end my turn and reveal a Normal Trap Card in my hand to keep my monster on the field." He revealed Reckoned Power and the duel was turned over to Dogma.

o o o

The boy had retired for the evening. After a hot shower, he had retreated to one of the castle guest rooms, changed into his pyjamas, and climbed into bed. The covers were pulled up just past his shoulders as he lay on his side blissfully sound asleep whilst snuggling his stuffed toy.

Elsewhere in the castle, Roman watched from the window with his hands clasped behind his back. Even in the darkest hours of the night, he could still see the flashes coming from the holograms of people's Duel Disks. He looked at the meter in his hand and continued watching the activity below. The Duel Energy output readings were minimal at best. Every duel that was played was fought against weak opponents or those looking for a quick end. He turned away from the window and placed the device on the table. It looked like nothing of note was going to happen that evening.

As Roman was leaving, the meter began to beep loudly. He strode over to it and picked it up. A large spike in Duel Energy had suddenly appeared. He worked the controls and was quickly able to determine the source. He immediately turned to the monitor and the four horsemen appeared on it.

"Head to coordinates thirty-five, eighty-seven," he ordered, "We've got a spike."

"We're on our way." The pale horseman pulled on his reins and his steed reared up and neighed before galloping away.

o o o

"I draw." Dogma drew her card and placed it in her hand. Her emerald green eye could be seen moving behind her broken mask as she placed a card in one of her Spell and Trap Card zones. "I play Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen." White marble column rose up around Dogma and a bright red curtain draped behind her as a radiant shrine appeared. "With this card on the field, I can Special Summon a Fairy monster from my hand if I control no monsters. So now I can summon Darklord Zerato." The curtain blew away and a scarlet streak shot out from the back of the shrine as the evil-tainted Archlord Zerato emerged and brandished his jagged sword (ATK/2800 DEF/2300). "Now I Normal Summon Dark Crusader." A red-haired warrior clad in black armor and a skull mask with a tattered black cape and a large black sword suddenly faded out of the darkness and stood beside Darklord Zerato (ATK/1600 DEF/200). "Now by discarding one Dark monster from my hand to the graveyard, Dark Crusader gains four hundred extra attack points." Dogma took Darklord Superbia from her hand and placed it in her graveyard slot. Immediately, Dark Crusader's sword began to resonate with a black aura as his attack power rose to two thousand.

"Darklord Zerato, attack Koa'ki Meiru Powerhand." Darklord Zerato grasped the hilt in his hands and flew straight toward Wes' creature. He swung his blade once and cleaved the drill robot in two.

--

**Wes:** 7300

**Dogma:** 8000

--

"Dark Crusader, attack now," ordered Dogma. Dark Crusader rushed Wes and slashed him with his sword.

--

**Wes:** 5300

**Dogma:** 8000

--

"On my second Main Phase, I play the continuous Spell Card Veil of Darkness." The radiance of Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen slowly faded away as darkness cloaked the shrine. "Now whenever I draw a Dark monster during my Draw Phase, I can reveal it and send it to the graveyard to draw another card."

"Done yet?" Wes asked tiredly.

"I am."

"Then I draw." The grey-haired teenager drew his card. "I summon Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak." A dark clad warrior rose up wielding a pair of swords and wearing a steel mask. The Mark of the Iron Core glowed red on his chest (ATK/2000 DEF/200). "I now equip it with Core Blaster." Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak sheathed his swords as a massive energy cannon appeared before him. He held it in his right hand and pulled out a cord from the back, which he plugged into the mark on his chest. "When a monster equipped with this card attacks a Light or Dark monster, Battle Damage is not applied and the attack target is destroyed automatically." Wes looked at Darklord Zerato. "Attack that creature." A shimmering light began to build up inside the cannon as Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak took aim through the scope. He locked on with the crosshairs and pulled the trigger, firing a shimmering beam of energy that struck down Darklord Zerato. "I shall set one card and end my turn by revealing a Warrior in my hand." Wes showed that he had Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord in his hand and his turn ended.

"My turn." Dogma drew her card and revealed it to her opponent. It was Darklord Ede Arai. The shadows of Veil of Darkness shrouded themselves around her card and it vanished from her hand only to reappear in her graveyard. A hand of darkness then moulded from the shadows and took the top card from her deck and placed it in her hand. "I summon Armageddon Knight." A whirlwind of darkness rose up beside Dark Crusader and dispersed to reveal a dark man in armor wearing armor and a tattered red scarf while holding a sword (ATK/1400 DEF/1200). Her deck then ejected a card and she removed it. "And with Armageddon Knight's effect, I can send one Dark monster in my deck to my graveyard. And I choose Marie the Fallen One." She placed the card into her graveyard. "My turn ends."

"And it's my move." Wes drew his next card. "I activate Core Reinforcement to resurrect Koa'ki Meiru Powerhand." The loud buzz of a dozen drills pierced the air as Koa'ki Meiru Powerhand bore through the ground and burst out onto the surface. "Now I sacrifice Koa'ki Meiru Powerhand and summon Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord." The drill machine vanished and in its place an enormous robot rose up with several bolts adorning its shoulders and two large hammers in place of its arms. Each bolt and the surface of each hammer was emblazoned with the Mark of the Iron Core (ATK/2800 DEF/2200).

"Now I activate Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord's effect." Wes' Duel Disk ejected Koa'ki Meiru Powerhand and he placed it in his pocket. "When he's summoned, by removing from play one Koa'ki Meiru monster from my graveyard I can destroy up to two cards my opponent controls." The bolts on Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord's shoulders began to spin. The Mark of the Iron Core glowed brightly and a barrage of missiles was fired. They collided with the marble walls of Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen and the structure began to collapse. Dark Crusader and Armageddon Knight dance out of the way of the falling debris to avoid being crushed, but the weaker monster was caught in one of the blasts and was obliterated. When the smoke cleared, all that remained were Dark Crusader and Veil of Darkness.

"Bergzak, attack Dark Crusader." Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak aimed his Core Blaster at Dark Crusader and charged his weapon. Once he had reached full power, he pulled the trigger and fired a blast that vaporized his target. Wes nodded and turned to Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord. "Attack directly." The mechanical behemoth loomed over Dogma as it slammed its hammer arm into her.

--

**Wes:** 5300

**Dogma:** 5200

--

Dogma's hood blew off as her cloak flapped violently in the wind generated from the impact. The expression in her eye showed great surprise. "I've never seen power like this before."

"Saito's deck is mostly Wind monsters, so I've never revealed the true power of my deck," Wes explained, "Koa'ki Meiru is a deck that works an Anti-Meta strategy, counteracting many popular deck strategies in the game. When everyone else chooses black and white, light and dark, I choose grey. And let me tell you why. My Koa'ki Meiru cards have some special effects. Effects designed to shut down Light and Dark decks. And from my observations, every creature in your deck is a Dark monster. Am I wrong?" When no answer came, Wes picked up card from his hand. "I thought so. I end my turn and reveal this Warrior in my hand to keep my creatures on the field." He revealed a second Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak and his two monsters remained.

o o o

Jaden Yuki felt drained as he stood with Elemental Hero Neos and Elemental Hero Flame Wingman facing off against Joey Wheeler and his Gilford the Lightning and Red-Eyes Black auDragon. Both men were exhausted. The duel had taken everything they had and neither of them had faltered. Behind Jaden, Chazz and Syrus watched. The red jacketed Duelist may have been one of the top pros in the circuit, but his opponent was a legend. It was actually quite exhilarating.

"Who do you think will win?" Syrus asked.

"It's tough call," Chazz replied as he continued to watch the duel.

"I fuse Flame Wingman on the field with Sparkman in my graveyard with Miracle Fusion to create Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman!" Jaden brought out his new monster and then pointed at Red-Eyes Black Dragon. "Attack now with Shining Flare!" Just as Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman was about to launch its attack, the Duel Disks suddenly shut down and the holograms vanished. "What the?"

"What da heck's goin' on?" Joey asked.

"Up there!" Syrus pointed toward a cliff and all heads turned. Lined up along the edge, silhouetted against the moon were four horses, each one bearing a rider. One by one, they descended down the rock face. As they came closer, their features became more defined. Leading the charge was a man in armor like a skeleton wielding a scythe. His horse wore similar armor that gave it the appearance of an undead steed in the darkness. Behind him was a man in blood red armor wielding an enormous claymore in a single hand. His brown steed had been adorned in armor to match his own. The third was a man in white with a bow in one hand and a quiver of arrows on his back riding a sickly white horse. The last was a man in black with a set of scales in his hand riding what appeared to be an undernourished ebony horse.

Chazz, Syrus, Jaden, and Joey immediately stood with their backs against one another as the four horseman came down and surrounded them.

"Who are these guys?" Syrus inquired.

"Zane told me rumors about these guys, but I didn't think they were actually real," Chazz began to explain, "They're an underground dueling team called the Four Horsemen. The black one is supposed to be Famine. The white one is Pestilence. The red one is War. And the last one...is Death."

"What'd you hear about these guys' decks and playing styles?" Jaden asked.

"That is kept a secret among the Underground duelists."

"Excellent work on cutting their duel short," Famine complimented, his sullen cheeks spreading wide into a bright grin.

"Our Duel Disk Jammers do work quite well, I'll give that much," Death replied, "It's so much more rewarding to destroy an opponent yourself than watch them destroy each other." All Four Horsemen activated their Duel Disks. "Pick whichever one you want!"

"I've always desired to duel Joey Wheeler." War maneuvered his horse in front of Joey and held his claymore ready. "A Warrior Duelist. My kind of fight."

"I'll take the short one." Pestilence moved in front of Syrus. The horsemen giggled lightly before coughing into his fist.

"Jaden Yuki. It will be a great day when he falls." Famine placed himself before Jaden. With everyone else taken, Death rode in front of Chazz. The Four Horsemen each pressed a button on his gauntlet and they locked onto their chosen opponent's Duel Band.

"If it's a duel you want, it's a duel you'll get!" Chazz drew his starting hand and his first card. "I summoned Armed Dragon LV3 and play Level Up! to level my monster up to Armed Dragon LV5!" The large red and black dragon stood up and roared.

"I summon Steamroid!" Syrus played his card and summoned out a cartoony train locomotive.

"I play Polymerization and fuse Avian and Burstinatrix to create Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" Jaden's signature fusion monster appeared on the field and spread out his wings.

"I summon Panther Warrior!" Joey played his card and summoned out an anthropomorphic panther with armor, a sword, and a shield.

"Our turns now." On Death's word, the Four Horsemen drew their cards.

o o o

"Your deck is impressive." Dogma drew her card. "However, no mere Anti-Meta can withstand the power of my fallen angels. With Marie the Fallen One in my graveyard, I regain two hundred Life Points with every passing Standby Phase." From the earth an ethereal hand reached up, sliding up Dogma's body like a serpent as the body followed suit, flowing fluidly up the dark duelist's frame. The fallen angel Marie cupped Dogma's hand in her hand and placed a deep kiss upon her mask's lips before shooting a wicked smirk to Wes and vanishing into the abyss.

--

**Wes:** 5300

**Dogma:** 5400

--

"I shall place two cards facedown." Two cards appeared at Dogma's feet. "That concludes this turn."

"My move." Wes drew his card. "Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak, attack directly." Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak aimed his Core Blaster at Dogma and fired a single blast that struck her hard.

--

**Wes:** 5300

**Dogma:** 3400

--

"Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord, attack now." Following its master's orders, Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord lumbered forward and raised its hammer arm.

"I was counting on your stronger creature to attack second." Dogma revealed on of her facedown cards. "Call of the Haunted. And with this card, I shall resurrect Darklord Superbia." The ground burst open and her winged cauldron rose up from the grave (ATK/2900 DEF/2400). "When Superbia is summoned from the graveyard, his effect allows me to summon another Fairy from my gaveyard." A fiery glow started burning inside Darklord Superbia's top. A pair of leathery red wings sprouted from within as Darklord Zerato reappeared on the field.

"Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord, stand down!" ordered Wes. Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord slowed down and its attack halted. The great mechanical warrior took a few steps back and returned to its place. He examined the field Darklord Zerato could destroy every monster on his field with a single stroke of his blade if Dogma discarded one Dark monster from her hand. With his monsters gone, he would be wide open for an attack from both fallen angels which would cost him the duel. He had to prevent that from happening, even if would be just for one turn. A card in his hand caught his attention. He hoped it would help to yield favorable results.

"I play Core Compression. By revealing an Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru in my hand and discarding a Koa'ki Meiru monster, I can draw two cards." He placed Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak in his graveyard and then drew two cards from his deck. One was a Spell Card, the other was a Trap. The former he played immediately. " I play Iron Core Immediate Disposal. This card lets me send an Iron Core from my deck directly to my graveyard." A single card was ejected from his deck and he placed it in his graveayard. "I set a card and end my turn. In doing so, I discard the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru to keep Bergzak on the field." Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord groaned loudly as its joints suddenly burst and its entire body collapsed.

"Such a waste." Dogma drew her next card. "This duel ends now." Marie shot up from the earth, her arms embracing and encircling Dogma's neck lovingly as she grasped the duelist's breasts roughly. The monster giggled as she shot a foreboding look at Wes before disappearing into the earth once more.

--

**Wes:** 5300

**Dogma:** 3600

--

"I activate Darklord Zerato's effect. By sending a Dark monster from my hand to the graveyard, I can destroy every monster on your field." She placed Nurse Reficule the Fallen One in her graveayard and Darklord Zerato flew up into the sky. He brandished his sword in both hands and flew across the field in one fluid motion. His sword cut through Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak and destroyed him, leaving only the Core Blaster in his place.

"If my monster is removed from the field and Core Blaster sent to my graveyard, I can place it back in my hand," Wes explained as he placed the Spell Card in his hand.

"That will not save you." Dogma turned to her angels. "End this right now. Attack!" Darklord Superbia began to charge up a ball of light inside body and fired it. At the same time, Darklord Zerato flew in and raised his sword.

"I reveal my Trap Card." Wes flipped his facedown over. "Koa'ki Meiru Barrier. As long as I have two Iron Cores of Koa'ki Meiru in my graveyard, this card destroys all attack position monsters you have. Much like Mirror Force." A shield appeared in front of Wes and blocked his opponent's offense. The Mark of the Iron Core began to glow brightly in the center of the protective barrier and it reflected the attacks back. Darklord Zerato was slammed into the ground as Darklord Superbia was blasted into oblivion with its own attack. The remaining fallen angel looked at where his comrade had once been before his own sword came down and impaled his chest.

"Curse you," Dogma growled. With no easy-to-summon monsters in her hand, she ended her turn.

Wes drew his next card without a word. He read its text and then placed it face-up on his field. "I summon Koa'ki Meiru Boulder. A conical stone creature appeared with the Mark of the Iron Core glowing on its forehead (ATK/1200 DEF/1000). "Attack." Koa'ki Meiru Boulder acknowledged its master's command and picked up a rock with its hands. With a mighty heave, it tossed the stone onto Dogma.

--

**Wes:** 5300

**Dogma:** 2400

--

"My Koa'ki Meiru Boulder has no maintenance cost, so I end my turn," Wes announced.

"And I reveal my facedown card." Dogma's card was flipped up. "Fires of Doomsday, which summons two Doomsday Tokens." Two cycloptic creatures made of black flames appeared, each a level one, Dark-attribute, Fiend monster with zero attack and defense points.

o o o

Death cackled evilly as he swung his scythe and stabbed it through the artwork of Armed Dragon LV10. He brought his weapon up and removed the card from the blade. "Another one for my collection." He placed it in his bag and looked at the fallen Chazz Princeton. Syrus Truesdale lay next to him unconscious. Pestilence had won his duel as well. The two of them then looked at their two remaining comrades. Somehow, Jaden and Joey had won against Famine and War and fled. Death brought out his communicator and switched it on. "The energy spike has been dealt with and amplified," he reported.

"Excellent work," Roman's voice came through the speaker, "Details."

"Four Duelists. Two of whom were already engaged upon our arrival. Jaden Yuki and Joey Wheeler."

"Ah, I see. That explains the spike." Roman paused for a moment before he spoke again. "Your actions?"

"We engaged all four Duelists at once."

"Excellent. The readings increased tenfold with your actions. Resume your normal duties."

"At once sir." Death put his communicator away and turned to his fellow horsemen. "Alright, back to work. We've got more Duelists to eliminate." He shook his reins and his horse took off. The three remaining horsemen did the same and they dispersed in different directions.

o o o

"Now it's my turn." Dogma drew her card and her Life Points recovered by another two hundred.

--

**Wes:** 5300

**Dogma:** 2600

--

"I now release my tokens and summon Darklord Desire in attack mode." The two Doomsday Tokens flared up and from their flames emerged a pair of bright red wings. An angel in black armor and gold armor burst forward and hovered in the air (ATK/3000 DEF/2800). "Attack Koa'ki Meiru Boulder with Black End Galaxy." Gravity began to condense around Koa'ki Meiru Boulder until it was swallowed up in a black orb. A pair of red blades then slid out of Darklord Desire's gauntlets and he rushed toward the black hole, slicing through it with his blades. He stopped and simply hovered there as the orb erupted behind him in a blinding explosion of radiance.

--

**Wes:** 3500

**Dogma:** 2600

--

"By Koa'ki Meiru Boulder's effect, I can add an Iron Core or a level four or lower Koa'ki Meiru monster to my hand from my deck." A single card was ejected from Wes' deck and he took it. "And my card of choice is Koa'ki Meiru Drago."

"Nothing you have can defeat my Desire," Dogma said.

"We shall see." Wes drew his card. He looked at it and a very rare smile appeared on his face. "I now summon Koa'ki Meiru Drago." A blue dragon with four wings appeared bearing the Mark of the Iron Core on its chest and forehead (ATK/1900 DEF/1600). "Now I use Core Blaster on it." The large laser cannon appeared in Koa'ki Meiru Drago's hands and the cable was plugged into the mark on its chest. "Attack Darklord Desire." The four-winged dragon took aim with the blaster and fired a beam that shot through Darklord Desire's chest and sent him to his death.

"I set a card and end my turn. To keep my creature on the field, I reveal a Dragon in my hand." Wes turned the last card in his hand over and revealed it to be Koa'ki Meiru Maximus.

"My move then." Dogma drew her card. Once again, two hundred Life Points were restored to her.

--

**Wes:** 3500

**Dogma:** 2800

--

"This time, it really is the end for you," she said. "With five or more Dark monsters in my graveayard, I Special Summon The Dark Creator." She placed the card on her Duel Disk, but the device suddenly buzzed loudly with an error message. "What in the world?"

"The effect of Koa'ki Meiru Drago prevents any Light or Dark monsters from being Special Summoned," Wes explained. Dogma was not happy. Her entire strategy had been ruined by a single card. Looking at her hand, the only thing she could do was protect herself. Taking a card from her hand, she set it on the field in defense mode and concluded her turn.

"Then it is my turn. Instead of drawing, I shall activate the power of the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru." Wes' Duel Disk ejected a card from his graveyard. "Rather then draw a card on my Draw Phase, I have the option of returning one Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru from my graveayard to my hand." He took the card and placed it with the other two in his hand. "I now remove from play my Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru in order to Special Summon my most powerful monster."

"Koa'ki Meiru Valafar doesn't have that effect," Dogma pointed out.

"It's not Valafar," Wes assured his opponent, "Like much of what you have seen tonight, this card is yet another thing you have not seen. I summon Koa'ki Meiru Maximus." A pair of white wings spread out as an enormous white dragon emerged onto the field. At first glance, one would believe it was a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. However, further observation would reveal that it was a much different creature as the Mark of the Iron Core glowed brightly on its head (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "Now for his effect. Once during my Main Phase, I can destroy one card my opponent controls. And seeing as you only have one, the choice is obvious." Koa'ki Meiru Maximus opened its mouth and fired a ball of energy at Dogma's facedown monster, which turned out to be another Dark Crusader. The mighty creature then turned its attention on Dogma herself.

"W-Wes...." Wes' expression remained unchanged as he heard his name. He looked across the field at Dogma, who seemed different now. She no longer possessed an aura of darkness around her. But rather, she seemed to have that charm that he recognized so well. "Remmy, is that you?"

"Hayley?"

"Oh, Remmy." Hayley placed a hand on her head. "I had the most horrible dream ever. You were in it. And I saw this shadow man and he did something to me. Writing tattoos that crawled all over my flesh and into my mind. I could hear myself screaming endlessly. And Maxie..." She stopped suddenly and began to cry softly. "I dreamed that I had hurt him."

"That was no dream," Wes pointed out. Hayley's eyes were suddenly filled with horror as her mask

fell to the ground.

"N-no... I... I couldn't have.... Maxie..." Her tears increased and she began to cry louder. "I... I couldn't do anything.... I was like a prisoner trapped in my own body. I watched helplessly as I hurt my dear Maxie..."

"Koa'ki Meiru Maximus, finish her," ordered Wes. Hayley's eyes suddenly widened.

"What? But Wes!" Koa'ki Meiru Maximus charged up and launched a sparking ball of power directly at Hayley.

--

**Wes:** 3500

**Dogma:** 0

--

"Ngh!" Wes grunted as he felt the Duel Band drain him of his energy and he slowly made his way to the fallen Hayley. He leaned over her and watched as the darkness faded from her body in a pool of shadowy markings like scurrying insects. He just looked at her with his unchanged expression and simply muttered a few words. "I don't give anyone an easy win. That isn't who I am." He deactivated his Duel Disk and walked off.

Unbeknownst to Wes, he was being followed. A man in white trailed behind him riding on the back of a white steed.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

After his duel against Dogma, Wes finds himself dueling against one of the Four Horsemen. Will his Koa'ki Meiru deck save him against the devastating viruses of his opponent? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	63. Pestilence

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-22**

**Pestilence**

Wes was lost. He had been trying for hours to find his way back to Saito and Nellie, but thus far had no luck. When he left he hadn't bothered to leave himself a trail to find his way back or memorize any landmarks. Additionally, the darkness of the night combined with the thickness of the forest made it impossible for him to see where he was going. Hours seemed to pass and still not a sign of light.

The only thing that did come to his attention was the fact that the foliage was slowly thinning. The density of the trees over his head was lessening the further on he walked. Following this trend, Wes hoped he would make it out of the forest.

A flash of white suddenly ran past the corner his eye and he whipped around. Nothing. Wes scanned the area with his eyes. Still not a sign of intelligent life was in sight. He wasn't sure what it was he saw, but he didn't have time to core so he simply turned around and continued on. That was when he saw the flash of white again. This time he stopped dead in his tracks and calmly looked around. Still there was nothing there. He paused for a moment, gave his situation some thought, and looked around his immediate area. That flash of white appeared again. Wes turned back toward the direction he had seen it and stared. Not a single sign of movement. A suspicion suddenly came to his mind and he held out his arm. Instantly, he saw that same flash of white. This time on his hand. He continued to hold his arm out and the light did not vanish. His eyes turned upward. There was a small clearing in the leaves, allowing a small ray of moonlight to shine through.

Wes smirked to himself. He had been spooked by the moonlight. He lightheartedly chuckled a little before resuming his normal expression. Moonlight meant that the trees were thinning. He had to be nearing the edge of the forest. Wes picked up the pace and before long he emerged from the woods into an open field. He sighed and sat down on the grass. He had expended a lot of energy and needed to rest. The moon was full that evening, casting its gentle light upon the island. The breeze began to pick up and started blowing through his hair. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling. Wes wanted to sleep, but he knew he could not. To do so out in the open would make him a target for any Duelist. He opened his eyes and picked himself up. He would have to find someplace safe to settle down first before he slept. He could search for Saito and Nellie in the morning.

There was no cover out there in the meadow, so he couldn't hide. The best thing he could do was try to get across as quickly as possible. After making sure nobody was around, Wes took off in a sprint. He never liked to run, but when the situation called for it he did it as fast as he could.

_So far, so good_, he thought as he continued running. With no idea of where to go and the moonlight providing the only illumination, Wes was virtually moving blind.

Suddenly, he felt a presence. He stopped and looked behind him back toward the forest. No one was there, but he still felt an ominous presence approaching and it was approaching fast. Running away would be no use. He simply activated his Duel Disk and stood his ground.

Several minutes passed and a white-clad man atop a white horse burst from the trees. As he neared his target, he pressed a hidden button on his gauntlet and triggered the Duel Band's lock-on function. His steed came to a stop in front of Wes and reared back on its hind legs, neighing loudly. "Alas, you stand to fight. I commend you for your bravery. Or perhaps it is foolishness." Wes said nothing. He was tired and he really did not care what this person had to say. He just wanted him to go away. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am one of the Four Horsemen, Pestilence."

"Are you here to duel me or just talk?" Wes asked tiredly.

"Very well." Pestilence activated his Duel Disk and his deck was automatically shuffled. "Let the duel begi..." He suddenly stopped talking as a violent cough interrupted his speech. Wes waited as his opponent tried to fight it.

"Bad hairball?"

"Funny," Pestilence grumbled once he had regained control over his throat. "Let's duel."

--

**Wes:** 8000

**Pestilence:** 8000

--

o o o

Nicky was restless. Even though he, along with the others, had been ordered to rest for the night, he could not bring himself to sleep. He sat up and looked around. Terry was lying on his side facing away from him and Judgement was seated against a tree. However, since the big man wore a mask, it was impossible to tell if he was even asleep. He badly wanted to go out and attack anybody he could lay his eyes upon. But despite his desires, he had orders to rest up. He truly did not understand it. Never before had he been ordered to do such a thing and he did not like it.

"Just sleep," Judgement mumbled.

"Yer awake?"

"You are surprised?"

"Oi. Oi ain't surprised 'bout nuthin'."

"If you so wish."

Nicky growled. "If ye've got sumthin' ta say ta me, then say it straight to moy face."

"I have," was Judgement's answer.

"Oi mean say it ta me straight!"

"Are you quite finished?" Terry grumbled as he turned over and glared at the sadistic pyromaniac. "Just go to sleep."

"Aw'right, fine." Nicky laid back down. "But Oi ain't gotta like it."

"Whatever."

Nicky laid down and stared straight into the sky, his finger trancing a line that connected each heavenly fireball. In his mind he saw the image he drew clearly. It was a girl with long lavendar hair, tied in a ponytail and piercing blue eyes. In his mind he saw a girl with a grease spotted face and goggles on her head. His hand reached up to the girl, longingly, before crushing the image in his fist with a toothy grin on his face.

"Gonna getcha Reka. Oi know yer out dere. Oi can feel it. Oi'm gonna getcha and yer brotha can't do nothin. Yer gonna burn." Nicky laughed deeply and lowly to himself as he slowly drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the smell of burning flesh and the screams of agony as a new body was tossed onto a fire.

o o o

"I'll begin." A single cough escaped Pestilence's lips as he drew his first card. "I place a monster in defense mode. Then I set a card facedown. Your move." He turned his head and coughed into his sleeve as Wes proceeded to draw his card.

"I summon Koa'ki Meiru Urnight." A centaur in bronze armor rose up and reared up on his hind legs swinging a sword in his left hand and wielding a shield emblazoned with the Mark of the Iron Core in his right while having the mark on his breastplate as well (ATK/2000 DEF/1500). "Attack that monster." Koa'ki Meiru Urnight charged and slashed the facedown monster, which turned out to be Giant Germ (ATK/1000 DEF/100).

"When Giant Germ is destroyed, you take five hundred points of damage and then I can summon two more from my Deck in attack mode." As the words left Pestilence, the enormous purple single-celled organism exploded and showered Wes with its gooey body pieces.

--

**Wes:** 7500

**Pestilence:** 8000

--

Two more Giant Germs appeared before Pestilence, taking the place of their fallen comrade. Wes set one card facedown and then ended his turn by revealing Koa'ki Meiru Crusader in his hand in order to keep Koa'ki Meiru Urnight on the field.

"So I begin my turn." Pestilence drew his next card. "And before I start, I'll activate my facedown Virus Cannon." A large machine with spider leg and a large laser cannon appeared on the field. "By sacrificing any number of non-Token monsters on my field, I can force you to send that many Spell Cards from your deck to your graveyard." The white horseman snapped his fingers and his two Giant Germs floated up and fell into the hatch at the back of the Virus Cannon. The machine took aim and fired a concentrated energy beam directly into Wes. Complying with the effect of the Trap Card, the teen removed two copies of the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru and placed them into his graveyard. "Now I place a monster a monster in defense mode and end my turn." Pestilence coughed again as Wes proceeded.

"My draw." The grey-haired teenager drew his card. "I summon Koa'ki Meiru Tornado." A strong whirlwind began to blow beside Koa'ki Meiru Urnight and from its center emerged a green demon with long blue hair clutching the ends of a large bag in both hands. The Mark of the Iron Core glowed brightly on its stomach and the same mark was also sewn onto the bag (ATK/1500 DEF/1200). "Tornado, attack his monster." Koa'ki Meiru Tornado loosened its grip on the bag and a powerful gust of wind shot forward and flipped Pestilence's facedown card over, revealing a purple-robed Grim Reaper (ATK/300 DEF/200).

"You've attacked my Spirit Reaper, which cannot be destroyed in battle."

"I can see that." Wes revealed Koa'ki Meiru Crusader in his hand. "I conclude my turn and since Koa'ki Meiru Tornado lacks a maintenance cost, he remains on the field."

"And so I draw." Pestilence drew his card. "I sacrifice Spirit Reaper and summon Summoned Skull." Wes was expecting a demon with white bone-like body parts to appear. But instead a crimson demon appeared with skeletal limbs and a ribcage around its torso. Two large black horns protruded out from its head as it gazed at him with a single eye and spread out its wings before reaching into the ground and extracting a wicked black scythe (ATK/2500 DEF/1200). "Strike now and destroy Koa'ki Meiru Tornado!" Summoned Skull flew across the field and grasped the shaft of its weapon with both hands. The blade cleaved through the wind monster and Koa'ki Meiru Tornado vanished in a gust of wind.

--

**Wes:** 6500

**Pestilence:** 8000

--

"I now place two cards facedown." Two cards appeared before Pestilence's horse. The sickly steed shook its mane and neighed. The white horseman turned to Wes." Your turn."

"Draw." Wes drew his card and revealed it right away. "By revealing the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru in my hand, I can use the effect of Koa'ki Meiru Urnight to Special Summon one level four or lower Koa'ki Meiru monster from my deck. I summon Koa'ki Meiru Speeder in defense mode." In a flash of light, a white jet-like machine appeared with arms in place of wings. Its body and two jet engines were joined together by the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru itself (ATK/1200 DEF/2200). "I tribute Koa'ki Meiru Speeder and summon Koa'ki Meiru Valafar." The white machine vanished and in its place a column of fire burst up. A blazing demon with a grey torso and red limbs emerged from the flames and spread his wings (ATK/3000 DEF/2200). "Koa'ki Meiru Valafar cannot be destroyed by Trap Cards, so whatever you have will not work. Valafar, attack Summoned Skull." Koa'ki Meiru Valafar held his arms over his head and built up a large fireball in between his palms.

"I reveal my Continuous Trap Card," Pestilence announced, "Shadow Spell." He coughed loudly as black chains shot out and ensnared Koa'ki Meiru Valafar. "As long as my Trap Card stays face-up on the field, your Valafar can neither attack nor change its battle position and it loses seven hundred attack points." The demon's flames died down into a flicker as his attack points dropped down to twenty-three hundred.

Wes was in a pickle. Not only had his attack been stopped, but the monster with which he was going to attack had been both weakened and rendered immobile. With no other options, he set a card and ended his turn. "In order to keep Valafar on the field, I discard the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru." He discarded the Spell Card and revealed Koa'ki Meiru Crusader in his hand.

"My turn." Pestilence drew his card. His opponent had two monsters that were wide open for an attack. However, the facedown behind them was something to worry about. He had to get rid of it. He examined his hand and nodded. He had an idea. "I summon Mist Archfiend." A cold mist crept onto the field and rose up into the form of a black and red demon (ATK/2400 DEF/0). "Next I equip it with Black Pendant, raising its attack points by five hundred." A necklace with a black gem embedded into a pendant appeared around Mist Archfiend's neck, raising its attack points to twenty-nine hundred. "Now I activate my Trap Card, Eradicator Epidemic Virus. By tributing a monster with twenty-five hundred or more attack points, I can choose whether this card infects your Spells or your Traps. And my choice is Trap Cards." He started coughing again and his monster began to cough as well. The virus spread through Mist Archfiend's body and the demon collapsed. It raised a clawed arm out in desperation before its body shattered, releasing a deadly cloud of spores that flew over to Wes' side of the field and covered his Spell and Trap Card zones and his hand. His facedown was instantly destroyed.

"My Koa'ki Meiru Barrier."

"All Trap Cards on your field and in your hand are destroyed," cackled Pestilence, "Additionally, any other Trap Cards you drawing during your next three turns shall also be destroyed." As he said these words, the Black Pendant that Mist Archfiend had been wearing clattered to the field and shattered, releasing a dark spirit that had been imprisoned within. "Oh yes. If Black Pendant is destroyed, you will take five hundred points of damage." The ghost flew across the field and shot right through Wes' chest.

--

**Wes:** 6000

**Pestilence:** 8000

--

"Summoned Skull, destroy Koa'ki Meiru Urnight," ordered Pestilence. Summoned Skull flew over to the armored centaur and separated its human half from its horse half with one slash.

--

**Wes:** 5500

**Pestilence:** 8000

--

"That concludes my turn." Pestilence sat back in his saddle. "Your turn."

o o o

Mika was asleep. Reka was sitting at the mouth of their hidden cave watching the waves. A light mist had floated up from the beach, the scent of sea salt filling Reka's nostrils as her eye lids lulled, futilely battling her need to sleep. The night sky was calm, peppered with the chaotic cosmic pattern of the stars as they twinkled in serene coordination with the luminescent half moon. Her hand rested softly upon her deck, grasping the top half of the cards and cutting the deck. She placed the top half on the ground and the bottom half onto it. She repeated this cycle again and again, her fingers acting autonomously as she looked absentmindedly over the black horizon. Bottom over top. Top under bottom. She didn't think, she just did.

Her eyes drooped again and her fingers slipped, dropping the cards along the cave floor. Reka's eyes darted open as she heard the clatter of the cards, one after another, hitting the ground. She brushed a strand of her lavender hair aside with her calloused finger, a fixing it behind her ear with her goggles. She looked down at the cards and, looking back at her, she saw the Genex Controller. The Normal Machine Tuner Monster with the RC controller face and miniature robot body. Its joystick eyes seemed sullen as she stared at it with a guilty scowl.

"Sorry, I need to use you for a bit longer," She whispered, her voice deeper and rougher than usual. Her hand placed itself on a pouch on her left pant leg. A second deck pouch. She sighed, growling lightly at the sky, seeing only fire burning in space and thinking of him. "What are you up to Nicky?" she said, silently and deeply.

A gentle wind blew as clouds overcame the once peaceful night sky, cracking thunder over the sea.

o o o

"Instead of drawing, I return the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru from my deck to my hand. Wes took one of the Iron Cores from his graveyard and placed it in his hand. "I sacrifice Koa'ki Meiru Valafar and summon Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord." Valafar vanished from the field and the chains that held it clattered to the ground. As they disintegrated, massive metal foot came down on the spot they had been as the great mechanical warrior known as Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord rose up onto the field (ATK/2800 DEF/2200). "Upon being Normal Summoned, I can remove one Koa'ki Meiru monster from play to destroy up to two cards my opponent controls." He removed Koa'ki Meiru Tornado from his graveyard and placed it in his pocket. Immediately, Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord fired a barrage of missiles into the air.

"Your Rooklord will not stay for long." Pestilence revealed his final facedown. "I chain Bottomless Trap Hole to your creature's summoning." A hole leading into a neverending abyss appeared under Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord's feet and the mechanical behemoth fell through. However, its missiles were still in the air and they came crashing down on Bottomless Trap Hole and Summoned Skull. When the smoke finally cleared, neither Duelist had a single card on his field.

"Turn's end," announced Wes.

"And so I begin mine." Pestilence drew his card. "And I'll summon Plague Wolf in attack mode." The rotten carcass of a black disease-ridden wolf appeared on the field and howled (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "Attack." Plague Wolf leapt at Wes and bit his arm.

--

**Wes:** 4500

**Pestilence:** 8000

--

"That ends my turn."

Wes was able to place his hand on his deck to draw when he suddenly remembered something. The cloud from the virus was still in the air; its effects had not yet left the field. If he drew a card and it was a Trap, it would end up going to his graveyard. His hand moved from his deck to his graveyard and a second Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru popped out. He placed it in his hand and then summoned a monster. "I summon Koa'ki Meiru Crusader." A giant undead soldier appeared bearing the Mark of the Iron Core on its breastplate, shield, and the crossguard on its sword (ATK/1900 DEF/1300). "Attack Plague Wolf." Koa'ki Meiru Crusader swing its weapon and chopped the walking carcass cleanly in two.

--

**Wes:** 4500

**Pestilence:** 7100

--

"When Crusader destroys a monster in battle, I can add a Koa'ki Meiru card from my graveyard to my hand." Wes' Duel Disk ejected Koa'ki Meiru Urnight from the graveyard slot and he placed it in his hand. He then ended his turn and revealed that same card to keep Koa'ki Meiru Crusader on the field.

"And now I draw." Pestilence drew and he instantly set it on the field in defense mode. "I end my turn."

This time, Wes took his chances and drew. His luck held for him as he looked at the recently-drawn Koa'ki Meiru Boulder. He summoned it immediately and brought out the stone creature with the Mark of the Iron Core glowing on its forehead (ATK/1200 DEF/1000). "Koa'ki Meiru Crusader, attack." Koa'ki Meiru Crusader attacked and cut the card in half, revealing it to be Peten the Dark Clown (ATK/500 DEF/1200).

"I remove Peten from play to Special Summon a second Peten from my deck in defense mode." Pestilence's Duel Disk ejected a card from his deck and he placed it sideways on his field, calling out another flamboyantly-dressed clown with a mask.

"Since Koa'ki Meiru Crusader destroyed a monster in battle, I can return another Koa'ki Meiru card from my graveyard to my hand. My choice is Rooklord." He placed the card into his hand and revealed Koa'ki Meiru Urnight once more to keep Koa'ki Meiru Crusader on the field upon ending his turn. The hazy purple cloud finally dissipated as the last traces of Pestilence's Eradicator Epidemic Virus.

"My turn." The white horseman drew his card and coughed. "Giant Orc, appear." A big green monster wearing a loincloth and wielding a bone club appeared (ATK/2200 DEF/0). "Destroy Koa'ki Meiru Crusader." Giant Orc raised his weapon and slammed it down upon its target, shattering its armor and breaking every bone in its body.

--

**Wes:** 4200

**Pestilence:** 7100

--

"I end my turn." As soon as Pestilence exited his Battle Phase, Giant Orc knelt down and crossed his arms before him in a defensive stance.

"My draw." Wes drew his card. "I tribute Koa'ki Meiru Boulder to summon Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord." Once again, the enormous mechanical warrior appeared on the field. The grey-eyed teenager removed Koa'ki Meiru Boulder from his graveyard and Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord fired its barrage of missiles into the air and rained them down upon Peten the Dark Clown and Giant Orc. Not surprisingly, Pestilence then removed Peten to summon a new one to the field from his deck. "Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord, attack." The great hulking warrior loomed over the third Peten and slammed its hammer arm down upon it, destroying it effortlessly.

"Turn's end." He revealed Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak in his hand in order to keep Rooklord on the field.

"My draw." Pestilence drew his card. With only two cards in his hand and no monster on the field, he was in a tight situation. However, there were two cards that could save him and one in his hand could bring it to him. "I set one monster and end my turn."

"My draw." Wes drew his next card. "I remove from play the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru from my hand to Special Summon Koa'ki Meiru Maximus." A loud roar filled the air as a great white dragon bearing the Mark of the Iron Core on its forehead flew down from the heavens. It landed on the ground and raised its head toward the sky before letting out another cry (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "Now I activate Maximus' effect to destroy a card on your field." Koa'ki Meiru Maximus spun around and slammed its tail into Pestilence's facedown, which was revealed to be Sangan.

"With Sangan, I can bring one creature from my deck to my hand with fifteen hundred or fewer attack points." His Duel Disk ejected a single card from his deck and he added it to his hand. "Dark Resonator."

"Koa'ki Meiru Maximus, attack." The white dragon opened its mouth and fired a blast directly into Pestilence.

--

**Wes:** 4200

**Pestilence:** 4100

--

"Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord, attack." The giant mechanical warrior raised its hammer arm and slammed it down on Wes' opponent.

--

**Wes:** 4200

**Pestilence:** 1300

--

"I end my turn." Wes revealed Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak to keep Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord on the field and he sent Koa'ki Meiru Urnight from his hand to his graveyard in order to maintain Koa'ki Meiru Maximus.

o o o

"Mikey," a voice said to the young teen as his head rested lightly against a damp log, his eyes locked in a deep slumber. "Mikey," the voice repeated, speaking with a regal authority. Mikey remained motionless, a bead of drool dangling from the corner of his mouth as wet moss stuck to his hair. "I will not repeat myself a second time. Wake up now, Mikey. Your future depends on it. So I command," the voice boomed loudly, a resounding echo that bounced along the inside of Mikey's head as he felt a blazing sun burst into a nova in the starlit sky, cutting a light through his eyelids that stirred him to the waking world.

Blinking the crust of sleep out of his eyes the brunette shuffled lightly, lifting his head lazily from the log as bits of moss fell from his hair. He looked up with burred vision to the glowing radiance that woke him. Standing in golden armor, looking down upon the young duelist, was the immaterial spirit of Kuraz, the Light Monarch. Mikey sighed, slapping his head before resting his head back down.

"Not this again," Mikey groaned closing his eyes.

"Don't go back to sleep, we have much to do Mikey," Kuraz commanded.

"You aren't real. This is a dream. Leave me alone."

"I will do no such thing. Now wake up, there is much that must be done tonight."

"You. Are. Not. Real. Leave me alooooooone." Mikey covered his hands over his eyes and turned away from Kuraz, his back facing the Light Monarch. Kuraz growled unamused.

"No. I will not leave. You will rise now. I have played your game of ignorance and allowed you not to believe in me, but I shall not concede to you any longer. I am real and you are the only one here that can see me. Get up now, for the trials wait for no man." Kuraz spoke sternly and with power. Mikey shook with each word, peeking over his shoulder at the luminescent lord. At that moment Kuraz's hand reached forward and grasped the Ra Yellow student's shoulder, lifting him up to his feet with a sudden jerk. Mikey's eyes shot open in fear as he looked over to Umi, who was tending the fire. Umi looked up to the young Duelist with a tired smile.

"You gotta go to the restroom baby?" Umi asked, poking a stick into their small fire.

"I-- No, I am not. I am going for a--a walk, I guess." Mikey looked nervously at the spirit that stood in front of him, grasping tightly on his shoulder. The spirit was truly was invisible to anyone, but Mikey and was real.

"Sounds good, you seemed to be mumbling in your sleep again. Remember the SD card, ok? We don't want you to get eliminated so soon after I got here, after all." Mikey nodded and took a step forward, into the woods with the SD card in hand and Duel Monster spirit at his side, leading him on.

o o o

"My draw." Pestilence drew his card. All he needed now was one card. His opponent had two monsters on the field, one of which could destroy any card on his field once per turn. He had three cards in his hand. He hoped his plan would work. He set Dark Resonator and then set the two other cards before concluding his turn.

Wes then drew his card. He weighed his options carefully. He could use the effect of Koa'ki Meiru Maximus to destroy his opponent's monster. However, experience had taught him never to trust a facedown. He finally made his decision and told his dragon, "Koa'ki Meiru Maximus, destroy the facedown on the left." Koa'ki Meiru Maximus lashed out with its tail and destroyed the card to Pestilence's right. It turned out to be Torrential Tribute. Wes might have been disappointed, but he did not show it. He simply ordered his creature to attack. Koa'ki Meiru Maximus opened its mouth and fired a blast at Pestilence's facedown Dark Resonator, flipping it face-up.

"Dark Resonater cannot be destroyed by battle once per turn," the horseman explained.

"Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord, attack," ordered Wes.

"Trap Card activate." Pestilence flipped his remaining facedown over. "A second Shadow Spell." Black chains shot out ensnared Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord, locking it in place and lowering its attack points down to twenty-one hundred.

"I end my turn." Wes revealed Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak again and sent Koa'ki Meiru Hydro Barrier to his graveyard from his hand.

"I draw." Pestilence drew. He looked at the card and smiled. "Without a tribute, I summon Mist Archfiend." Once again, mist covered the field and rose up in the form of a black and red demon. "Now I tune my Dark Resonator to my Mist Archfiend." Dark Resonator struck its tuning fork and sent out a soundwave that converted its body into three shimmering stars, which turned into rings. The soundwave continued to pass over Mist Archfiend, whose body faded away into five stars that lined up perfectly. The rings surrounded them and a column of darkness engulfed them both. "I Synchro Summon One-Hundred Eye Dragon!" From the darkness, a large glowing purple opened. Then another opened. Then another. And another. Before long, one hundred glowing purple eyes had appeared and a black dragon emerged with eyes all over its body (ATK/3000 DEF/2500).

"I've never seen that card before," Wes pointed out.

"One-Hundred Eye Dragon has an effect that allows me to remove from play a Dark Effect Monster from my graveyard, which will then give my dragon that monster's name and effect." A card was ejected from Pestilence's graveyard and he took it. "And my card is Dark Resonator, granting One-Hundred Eye Dragon the ability to remain indestructible by battle once for this turn. Now One-Hundred Eye Dragon, attack Koa'ki Meiru Maximus with Infinity Sight Stream!" All one hundred eyes blinked and One-Hundred Eye Dragon fired a laser from each one. As Koa'ki Meiru Maximus was bombarded, it opened its mouth and fired a blast at its attacker. The beam broke against the dark dragon's hide and Koa'ki Meiru Maximus finally gave to the relentless barrage, dying from the multiple blasts. "My turn is over."

Wes drew his card. Unfortunately for him it would not be able to help. He simply revealed Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak once again. As long as he had a monster on the field, it would reduce the damage he took.

Pestilence drew his card. "I summon Plague Wolf." Another rotting wolf carcass appeared and howled. "Now I remove from play Plague Wolf in my graveyard to give my beast its effect. One-Hundred Eye Dragon, double your attack strength." One-Hundred Eye Dragon roared as it activated the effect of Plague Wolf and doubled its attack points to six thousand. "Attack Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord with Infinity Sight Stream!" The mighty dragon fired its multiple laser beams and obliterated Wes' creature."

--

**Wes:** 300

**Pestilence:** 1300

--

"Finish him," Pestilence commanded. Plague Wolf leapt at Wes and bit him.

--

**Wes:** 0

**Pestilence:** 1300

--

Pestilence cackled manically as Wes' Duel Band drained him of his energy and he watched him collapse to the ground. His laughter was violently cut off as he started coughing again. Once he recovered, he gathered up his cards and glared down at his fallen opponent.

"Another victim to the plague." Pestilence coughed once more as he turned his horse around and rode off.

o o o

Roman was just finishing up. After his previous report from the Four Horsemen, he had kept an eye for any more energy spikes but none had presented themselves. He turned off the light and left. Even though he was used to working late, the events of the day had tired him out. He retired to his quarters and stared out his window for a moment. A smirk appeared on his face as he pushed his glasses, reflecting the moonlight off the lenses.

o o o

Wes's body laid motionless as the island staff picked him up, carrying away on a gurney back to the castle. In the dark and shadowed forest a young girl sat on a rock, watching the event unfold, cursing lightly as she looked up to the larger figure behind her. "That was him, wasn't it?" She asked the larger man, whose grey eyes seemed to glow in the darkness as he watched Wes' unconscious body get carted up to the castle.

"Yes it was," the man said, growling.

"Well, Mr. Remington, what now?" The asked curiously as she stepped into the moonlight of the clearing. Her Duel Disk, covered with comic book hero decals shined in the lunar light, illuminating the face of Cassie Yuki.

"Well, Cassie, if we want a chance in saving your friend and my son," the man began, "we are going to have to put the fear of God in Roman and his men. It's time those Horsemen knew what it was like to be hunted, and you and I both know that there is no better hunter than the Duel Sniper."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Sammie Korangar, the Chaos Queen. She skillfully wields Demise, King of Armageddon and Ruin, Queen of Oblivion. But has she met her match against the newly-proclaimed Chaos King? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	64. The New Chaos King

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

We are aware that Paradox uses a left-handed Duel Disk in the _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ 10th anniversary movie, but we honestly had the idea written down years before then.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-23**

**The New Chaos King**

Coltyn was making breakfast when Umi got up. With Max gone, it was now just the two of them and Mikey.

Mikey. Umi looked around. The brunet was nowhere to be seen. He hadn't come back yet since she saw him go on his own off last night. "Coltyn, have you seen Mikey?"

"No I haven't." Coltyn finished gutting the fish and proceeded to impale a stick through it. "But it doesn't look like he got eliminated. His jacket is still here." Umi looked over at where Mikey's stuff was. Just as Coltyn had said, Mikey's Ra Yellow jacket lay neatly folded on a rock. "Plus he's got the SD card, so I wouldn't worry."

"I guess you're right." Umi knelt down next to his belongings and gently ran her fingers over the device's smooth surface. "Mikey..." She could only wonder where he was right now.

o o o

Sammie was woken up by two men in black suits. Ever since she had been brought to the castle, her mornings had all begun the same way. Some men in suits would come and arouse her and then bring her breakfast a few minutes later. After that, she was allowed to wander around a specifically designated area for approximately an hour before she would be called away. She would be given her Duel Disk and a special modified Duel Band and then presented to duel. She did not mind it too much. However, the duels were excessively grueling and tiresome. She knew the Duel Band was draining her. However, she never realized just how much of her energy it was taking. Her style of dueling possessed something most other Duelists did not have: passion. Whenever she picked up her Duel Disk and drew her cards, she had always put everything into the game. Her mind, body, and soul became one with her cards.

After she had breakfast, she began her morning walk around. There were more Duelists today than there were yesterday. _Over half the people in the tournament must be out by now_, she thought. As Sammie walked around, she heard some faint crying. She followed the noise and came upon a small boy curled up in the corner sobbing. His fine white hair had been tied in the back into a rather fuzzy ponytail and he was wearing a dark blue hoodie with grey sleeves and a matching hood, and black slacks. The moment she saw him, something inside her just clicked and she went closer. She knelt down behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"There, there," she whispered. "Don't cry, little one." The boy slowly turned his head and looked into her gaze with his red and blue eyes. She smiled gently at him and took out a silk handkerchief. She dabbed it gingerly against his face and wiped up his tears. "What's wrong?"

"I...just....wanna....go....home," he answered with an Oxford accent, doing his best to suppress his sobs. His arms tightened around something and Sammie shifted her weight to see what it was. In the boy's arms was a plush toy of a video game character she had never seen before.

"You don't like it here?" She suddenly kicked herself mentally for asking that. Of course nobody would like it here. Everybody here was in what was essentially a dungeon.

"I just wanna go home and see my mummy." Now Sammie really felt sorry for him. This little boy had been torn from his family and was left here, scared and helpless. She immediately sat down beside him and pulled him into a hug.

"Shhhhhh. It's okay," she whispered gently. The boy's sniffles slowly lessened as she rocked him back and forth. The boy brought up his arm and wiped the rest of his tears off onto his sleeve. He tightened his grip around his plush toy and shifted his weight around so that he was sitting down properly. The heels of his white Velcro-bound shoes flashed with little red lights as his feet touched the stone floor. Sammie sat down beside him and placed her arms around him comfortingly. She always had soft spot for children and though she would never admit it out loud, this boy was by far the cutest she had ever met.

"Hey, what's your name little guy?"

"Noah."

"Aww, that's a cute name. I'm Sammie." As she continued to comfort him, another pair of men in black suits came.

"Alright kid, time to duel." Noah's expression was suddenly filled with fear as he clung onto Sammie tightly.

"I don't wanna!"

"You don't have a choice get going."

"Hey! You leave this boy alone!" Sammie demanded. "What kind of sick fu..." She stopped herself. She quickly realized that Noah was in the area, so she had to choose her words carefully. "What kind of sick people put little kids into these twisted game?"

"We don't ask questions," one of the men answered, "We just do our job."

"Well you've gotta get through me first," Sammie said as she stood up and placed herself between the men and the boy.

"You're just a teenage girl. What can you do?" the other man asked. A few minutes later, the two men lay on the ground battered, bruised, and broken.

"Now get outta here and tell your boss he can take a stick and shove it. And tell him that this kid goes free." When they didn't move, Sammie kicked one of them in the ribs and the men immediately got up and ran away. She then looked back at Noah and sat down beside him again, putting her arm around his shoulders. "If those guys know what's good for them, they'll let you go and you can go see your mommy and daddy again." Noah sniffled and looked up at her.

"R-really?"

"Yeah." She smiled at him and dried more of his tears.

o o o

Umi didn't know that it was even possible to build a deck around tokens, but somehow Coltyn's opponent had found a way. After breaking through a Scapegoat, Stray Lambs, and a Mystical Sheep #1, he found his attack blocked yet again by another Scapegoat.

"Is there no end to these things?" he muttered as he drew. He looked at his opponent in boredom and made his move. "Your tokens might be able to protect you from attacks, but they can't defend against burn effects." At that moment, Meteor of Destruction came crashing down on his opponent as his two Solar Flare Dragons hissed over the roaring flames of their bodies.

Umi was on the side saying nothing. Her mind could only think about Mikey and where he could possibly be as her hands held tightly onto his jacket.

o o o

Sometime after her daring actions, Sammie was brought before the observation room, where she saw a familiar silhouette standing behind the bulletproof glass. His face was always obscured by the light behind him, but she always recognized him by his body frame and the purple business suit he wore.

"You!"

"Miss Korangar, I understand there's an issue regarding a certain small child."

"You're damn fucking right there is! You sick fucks kidnap kids to duel. And for what?"

"We're letting him go," Roman said bluntly. Sammie just stopped.

"You're what now?"

"We're letting him go."

"....Oh. I see."

"Well then Miss Korangar, are you ready to proceed with your first challenger today?" Roman questioned.

"Yeah, let's get this over with," Sammie replied as she strapped on her Duel Disk.

"Then meet your opponent." The door opened and from the shadows emerged a small white-haired boy.

"N-Noah?" Sammie became angry once again and looked up at Roman. "What's going on? You told me you let him go!"

"Oh, I was never a prisoner to begin with, Sammie," Noah said. He seemed very different now. He was not the same crying boy she had met earlier that morning. "Now then, shall we proceed?" A suited man came forth with a white child-sized Duel Disk. It seemed very odd to Sammie. Something about it just seemed off. However she could not pinpoint exactly what it was. Noah lifted up the bottom of his hoodie and tied his pushie to his belt by its scarf and took the device from the man and proceeded to strap it to his right arm.

"Wait a sec. You wear your Duel Disk on your right arm?" she asked.

"Of course, I do," Noah answered, "It's a left-handed Duel Disk, after all."

"There's no such thing as a left-handed Duel Disk."

"That's why mine was custom made." Noah switched on his Duel Disk and his field slid out, revealing five blue Monster Zones surrounded with a red border. He then reached into his hoodie pocket and produced a deck of Duel Monster cards. He looked across the room toward Sammie and placed it into his Duel Disk, where his deck was automatically shuffled.

Sammie wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but she did know one thing. Noah was not what he had seemed. Here he was about to duel against her under Roman of all people. She didn't want to have to do it, but she felt she had little choice. She activated her Duel Disk and her deck was shuffled.

"Let's duel."

--

**Sammie:** 8000

**Noah:** 8000

--

"I draw!" Sammie drew her very first card and looked at it. She had a very good starting hand, but she had to be careful with how she played it. "I play End of the World. And I'll sacrifice Gandora the Dragon of Destruction from my hand in order to Ritual Summon. Ruin, Queen of Oblivion." A woman in a red, white, and black dress with long flowing white hair arose onto the field wielding a long horned staff (ATK/2300 DEF/2000). "I end my turn."

"Really? No facedowns? No Normal Summon? I'm a little disappointed. I heard you were one of the best at Duel Academy." Noah shrugged as he gripped his cards in his right hand and reached for his deck with his left. "Now it's my turn." The boy drew his card. "I'll set this card facedown. And then I place this monster in defense mode. I'm done now."

"What was that you were saying about being disappointed?" Sammie drew her card. "You talk big for a kid, but you're still one. And now I'll summon Djinn Presider of Rituals in attack mode." A fat green demon in light armor wielding a sword and a shield appeared (ATK/1800 DEF/1400). "Alright Ruin, attack that monster." Ruin, Queen of Oblivion spun her staff and fired off a blast of magical energy at the card. It was blown to bits and was revealed to be Nimble Momonga (ATK/100 DEF/1000).

"Thank you, Sammie," Noah said with a smile, "By destroying Nimble Momonga, I get one thousand Life Points and the chance to summon two more Nimble Momongas from my deck in facedown defense position." A flying squirrel appeared on his shoulder and chattered. He turned and smiled at it as a radiated with a gentle green aura that spread to his body.

--

**Sammie:** 8000

**Noah:** 9000

--

Two cards were then ejected from Noah's deck and he placed them on the field.

"Well then it's a good thing Ruin can attack again if she destroyed a monster in battle," Sammie responded. She had weighed her options and decided this was the best course of action. Her opponent would not have used a monster that could Special Summon even more monsters upon its destruction unless he planned to sacrifice them for a Tribute Summon. She instantly ordered her monster to attack again and Ruin, Queen of Oblivion launched a second magical blast. A second Nimble Momonga was vanquished and more Life Points were restored to Noah.

--

**Sammie:** 8000

**Noah:** 10,000

--

"Djinn Presider of Rituals, destroy that last monster!" Djinn Presider of Rituals rushed the facedown and plunged its sword into it. The third and final Nimble Momonga was destroyed and yet another thousand Life Points were given to the young boy.

--

**Sammie:** 8000

**Noah:** 11,000

--

"Thanks for the Life Points, Sammie," Noah said cheerfully.

"Better to give you Life Points than monsters to sacrifice," answered Sammie.

"Well now it's my turn." Noah drew his card. "It's too bad you fell for my setup."

"Wait. Your setup?"

"I had you give me those Life Points so I could use this. I play the Field Spell Mausoleum of the Emperor." Sammie had to try very hard not to swear as Noah played his card and a large tomb rose up around them. The two Duelists now stood on a stone bridge with a thousand terracotta soldiers below them. "Now I pay two thousand Life Points."

--

**Sammie:** 8000

**Noah:** 9000

--

After Noah had paid his Life Points, two terracotta statues rose up from the lower area and floated before him. The one on his right became engulfed in a ball of light and the one on his left swallowed up in an orb of darkness. The two spheres then came together in front of him and merged into a single entity as he took a card from his hand and held it over his head. "Awaken! I summon you, Light and Darkness Dragon!" He slapped the card on his Duel Disk and from the mix of light and darkness a white and black dragon with two tails emerged. Its underbelly and entire right half was white flying on a shimmering angel wing while its left half was black and flew on a black bat wing (ATK/2800 DEF/2400). The great dragon roared as it circled the field once before descending and coming to a stop in front of Noah while keeping itself aloft.

"I swear I've seen that thing before, but I don't know where," Sammie muttered.

"My dragon is treated as both a Light and a Dark monster," Noah introduced. "Quite the interesting creature, wouldn't you say? But now I'm digressing. Light and Darkness Dragon, destroy Ruin, Queen of Oblivion with Dark Baptism!" Light and Darkness Dragon opened its mouth and a pulse of dark energy shot out and blasted Ruin, Queen of Oblivion.

--

**Sammie:** 7500

**Noah:** 9000

--

"I'm done," Noah announced, "Your move."

"I draw." Sammie drew her card and looked at her hand. She needed to get rid of that monster and she had just the card to do it. "I remove from play Ruin, Queen of Oblivion and Gandora the Dragon of Destruction to Special Summon Chaos Sorcerer in attack mode." An orb of light and an orb of darkness appeared and brought forth a blue-skinned man in sorcerer's robes (ATK/2300 DEF/2000). "Now I use his effect to remove your dragon from play!" Chaos Sorcerer conjured a ball of light in one palm and a ball of darkness in the other. He made a circular motion with his hands and slowly brought them together.

"You just triggered Light and Darkness Dragon's effect!" Noah announced. "Whenever you activate a Spell Card, Trap Card, or Monster effect, it's automatically negated." A pulse of light shot out from Light and Darkness Dragon's body and Chaos Sorcerer's spell was nullified. Sammie grumbled something, but then she noticed her opponent's dragon's attack points drop down to twenty-three hundred.

"What's going on?" she inquired.

"A side effect of my dragon's special ability," Noah explained, "Every time he negates an effect, he loses five hundred attack points."

"Really?" Sammie was thinking now. With a little patience, she could lower her opponent's monster's attack points until she could destroy it. However before she could do that, she had to take care of her own monsters. Without a second through, she switched Djinn Presider of Rituals into defense mode and ended her turn. "Let's see what you've got, kiddo."

"I draw!" Noah drew his next card and added it to his hand. "Light and Darkness Dragon, attack Djinn Presider of Rituals with Shining Breath!" This time, his monster fired a beam of light from its mouth and it destroyed it without much effort. "Your turn!"

Sammie drew her card. "Chaos Sorcerer, remove his monster from play." Just like last time, Chaos Sorcerer prepared to cast his spell, but was interrupted by a pulse from Light and Darkness Dragon. The great beast groaned as its attack points dropped to eighteen hundred. Satisfied with the weakened creature's state, she ended her turn.

"I draw." Noah drew his card. A smile crept upon his face and he set a card facedown. "I end my turn."

"So then it's my turn." Sammie drew her next card and smiled when she saw it. She thought she could attack with Chaos Sorcerer now, but the card she received would effectively grant her the chance to deal more damage. It would seem like a waste at first, but in the end it would worth it. "I summon Sonic Bird in attack mode." A bald eagle with a jet pack appeared beside Chaos Sorcerer (ATK/1400 DEF/1000). "And with Sonic Bird's effect, I can bring a Ritual Spell Card from my deck to my hand." Another pulse was emitted from Light and Darkness Dragon and the bird' effect was cancelled, lowering the dragon's attack points down to thirteen hundred.

"I activate a facedown!" Noah revealed his second facedown card. "Shrink and I'm targetting Chaos Sorcerer." His Spell Card was suddenly interrupted by another pulse from Light and Darkness Dragon that brought it down to eight hundred attack points.

"Guess you don't know that much about your own monster. It negates your cards, too," Sammie said. "Now this is going to be easy. Chaos Sorcerer, attack!"

"I reveal my Trap Card." Noah's facedown flipped up and Sammie's jaw dropped. "Crush Card Virus! And I'll sacrifice Light and Darkness Dragon to use it." Light and Darkness Dragon's body suddenly gained a purple tinge to it as Chaos Sorcerer's spell blasted it into bits. The pieces of flesh and bone vaporized, leaving only a hazy purple cloud to cover the field. As soon as it came, Chaos Sorcerer clutched his throat and died.

"TIME OUT!" Sammie looked into Noah's eyes. "What the hell? Crush Card Virus is banned! You can't use it. You shouldn't even be able to use it. Every Duel Disk is programmed with the newest ban list.

"There's a funny story behind that." Noah looked at his Duel Disk as he began to retell its story. "As you know, this is a left-handed Duel Disk. These things are not mass produced, so I had mine custom made. Now I know custom manufactured Duel Disks are all the rage among various Duelists, but this is the very first and currently only left-handed Duel Disk in the world."

"What does your Duel Disk being a left-handed model have anything to do with this?" Sammie demanded.

"Plenty." Noah resumed his explanation. "You see, I commissioned a private contractor to make it for me. At least that's what he claimed to be. He let me sit in while he worked. He found a schematic on the internet and got right to work. But there was a complication. No matter how hard he tried, he somehow always managed to build right-handed features into my Duel Disk. After a few months, he finally completed it. Now this is the funny part. Building a left-handed Duel Disk was an incredibly difficult job considering how little he had to work with. The work was so frustrating, when he finally finished building it he completely forgot to program in the ban list."

Sammie stood there in silence for a moment before she finally opened her mouth and spoke the words, "You're kidding."

"That's what I said when I first tried it out," Noah replied. "However I've grown use to it and I can duel with it extremely well."

"But some of those cards are forbidden," Sammie repeated.

"Not according to my Duel Disk. Now are you going to finish your turn?" Noah asked, "And remember, thanks to my Crush Card Virus, all monsters currently on your field and in your hand as well as any you draw for the next three turns that have fifteen hundred or more attack points will be destroyed."

Sammie snapped back into reality. Whether Noah's deck was traditional or advanced format, she would still beat it. She collected her thoughts and turned to Sonic Bird. "Direct attack!" The eagle spread its wings and fired up its jet pack. It shot across the field quickly and struck Noah.

--

**Sammie:** 7500

**Noah:** 7600

--

"I end my turn," Sammie announced. She had been lucky this turn. The monsters she had didn't fit under the Crush Card Virus' effect, thus they were safe. She would have to be careful for all future cards, though.

"I draw!" Noah took the top card from his deck and added it to his hand. "I think I'll start by playing this Spell Card, Change of Heart!"

"That's another banned card!" Sammie pointed out.

"I take it this is the first time you've seen it actually used so I'll explain how it works," Noah offered.

"I know what it does. It lets you take control of one of my monsters for one turn," Sammie replied.

"Ah, so you do know how it works. Then you'll know that I'm planning to take your only monster on the field." Noah smiled as Sonic Bird flew up and landed on his side of the field. "Next I summon Chaos-End Master." A white-haired warrior in white appeared on the field in white armor with radiant wings (ATK/1500 DEF/1000). "Now I tune him to Sonic Bird." Chaos-End Master's body vanished and three shimmering stars took his place. They each turned into a radiant green ring and encircled Sonic Bird. The Winged-Beast faded away until four stars remained and they lined up before a light engulfed them all. "Destroy! I summon you, Dark Strike Fighter!" An explosion of orange, purple, and green blasted from the light, heralding the coming of a massive mechanical monster. Its bronze body gleamed with artificial light as it emerged, bearing a strong resemblance to a bomber jet transformed into a robot (ATK/2600 DEF/1800).

_Another banned card_, thought Sammie.

"Next I play the Spell Card, Last Will!" Noah slotted the card into his Duel Disk and a holographic image of it appeared beside him. "If a monster of mine was sent to the graveyard this turn, I can Special Summon one monster with fifteen hundred or fewer attack points from my deck. And I pick Neo Aqua Madoor!" A man with spiky blue hair and a face concealed behind a mask appeared wrapped in a green cloak (ATK/1200 DEF/3000). "And since you're wide open, that means my monsters can attack you directly! Dark Strike Fighter, attack with Full Salvo Blitz!" Dark Strike Fighter launched several missiles, which homed in on Sammie and rained down on her.

--

**Sammie:** 4900

**Noah:** 7600

--

"Neo Aqua Madoor, it's your turn to attack! Use Aqua Spears!" Neo Aqua Madoor thew back his cloak and conjured up a large mass of water. He swung his arms around and manipulated the surging rush toward Sammie. As the water neared its target, the aquatic wizard clenched his hand into a fist and a thousand icicles formed and rained down upon her.

--

**Sammie:** 3700

**Noah:** 7600

--

"And now for Dark Strike Fighter's effect. I can tribute a monster on my side of the field to damage you for two hundred points multiplied by the sacrificed monster's level." Noah watched as Neo Aqua Madoor was picked up by Dark Strike Fighter. The massive machine closed its hand and the wizard was destroyed with a sickening crunch. Dark Strike Fighter then held out its hand and its fingers opened up to launch a rain of machine gun fire.

--

**Sammie:** 2500

**Noah:** 7600

--

"And now Dark Strike Fighter, use your own effect on yourself!" On Noah's orders, Dark Strike Fighter flew over to Sammie and self-destructed right in front of her.

--

**Sammie:** 1100

**Noah:** 7600

--

"Whew. That was a lot in one turn." Noah straightened his hoodie and placed his left hand inside his pocket, letting his right arm rest at his side. "Your turn!"

"Fuck, that hurt," Sammie whispered under her breath. She drew her card.

"Let's see it!" Noah called. The purple haze of Crush Card Virus was still lurking on the field, so Sammie was forced to show her card. It was revealed to be Senju of the Thousand Hands. "Lucky draw!"

"We'll see just how lucky it is. Your Crush Card Virus only affects monsters that I draw. But if I bring one to my hand with a card effect, it can't be affected. I summon Senju of the Thousand Hands." She placed the card she just drew on her Duel Disk and brought out the orange-skinned god with one thousand arms (ATK/1400 DEF/1000). "And his effect can bring a Ritual Monster from my deck to my hand and I pick Divine Grace - Northwemko." Her Duel Disk ejected her card of choice from her deck and she added it to her hand before having her deck reshuffled. "Now before I summon a monster, I play the Continuous Spell Card Ritual Cage. As long as this card is on the field, any Battle Damage I take involving a Ritual Monster is reduced to zero. Next I play another Continuous Spell Card, Subliming Soul. Once per turn, if I Ritual Summon a monster, I can bring back one of the monsters I sacrificed to my hand. Now I activate Ritual of Grace. By removing from play Djinn Presider of Rituals from my graveyard and discarding Djinn Cursenchanter of Rituals from my hand, I Ritual Summon Divine Grace - Northwemko!" A tall woman in a black dress with long white hair and a staff topped with a sun appeared (ATK/2700 DEF/1200). "When she's summoned, I can choose two cards on the field and as long as those are in play, she can't be destroyed by card effects." Two golden ropes of light shot out of Divine Grace - Northwemko's back and plugged themselves into Ritual Cage and Subliming Soul. "And with Subliming Soul's effect, I bring Djinn Cursenchanter of Rituals back to my hand."

"Impressive," Noah complimented.

"Be amazed after this. Senju, attack!" Senju of the Thousand Hands ran up to Noah and threw one thousand punches at him.

--

**Sammie:** 1100

**Noah:** 6200

--

"Northwemko, it's your turn," Sammie said, "Attack!" Divine Grace - Northwemko held out her staff and rays of light shone out and hit Noah for even more damage.

--

**Sammie:** 1100

**Noah:** 3500

--

"Let's see what you've got, kid," Sammie said as she ended her turn.

"Indeed we shall. I draw!" Noah took his hand out of his pocket and drew his card. "I'll start with Graceful Charity. With this, I can draw three cards and then discard two." He drew his three cards and placed them into his hand. Then after careful selection, he sent two of them into his graveyard. "Now I play Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards." The LED display on Noah's Duel Disk began to flash with the words "DRAW TWO" and he drew his two extra cards.

"What's your plan?" Sammie asked.

"First I'm going to get rid of that card in your hand with this Spell Card, Confiscation. By paying one thousand Life Points, I can look at your hand, choose one card, and force you to discard it. And since you only have one card, there's no real need to look."

--

**Sammie:** 1100

**Noah:** 2500

--

Sammie placed Djinn Cursenchanter of Rituals into her graveyard. Even if she didn't have it in her hand, its effect allowed it to still be used in the graveyard.

"Now to get rid of those Spell Cards of yours. I play Harpie's Feather Duster, which destroys all Spells and Traps on your field alone." A giant feather appeared over the field and swept away at Sammie's side, destroying her Ritual Cage and Subliming Soul. "Now before I go any further, I'm going to heal myself with Rain of Mercy."

"But Rain of Mercy will heal me, too," Sammie pointed out.

"You use what you have and this is what I have," Noah answered as a soothing rain fell upon the field and restore one thousand Life Points to both him and Sammie.

--

**Sammie:** 2100

**Noah:** 3500

--

"So why heal up?" asked Sammie.

"Because you never know when you're going to have to sacrifice Life Points." Noah then played another card in his hand. "I now play Monster Reborn and I'll use it to resurrect Witch of the Black Forest." A purple-haired woman with three eyes and a long black robe appeared on his field (ATK/1100 DEF/1200).

_This looks familiar_, Sammie thought. She had seen this set-up before. However, it had been so long she had to bring herself to ask. "What are you planning?"

"Samantha Korangar. That's your full name, isn't it Sammie?" asked Noah.

"How do you know?" she demanded.

"The Chaos Queen? Who doesn't?" Noah toyed with the last card in his hand. "But now you're about to be dethroned. I remove from play Light and Darkness Dragon and Dark Strike Fighter to Special Summon this monster."

"No...." Sammie took a step back. "It can't be..."

"Annihilate! I summon you, Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End!" Streams of light and darkness spiraled down from above and struck the floor in front of Noah, depositing an enormous green and silver dragon with long flowing orange hair (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "Now Chaos Emperor Dragon, it's time to activate your effect! By paying one thousand Life Points, I can destroy every single card on the field and in our hands and inflict three hundred points of damage to you for each card destroyed."

--

**Sammie:** 2100

**Noah:** 2500

--

"Chaos Emperor Dragon, destroy everything!" ordered Noah. "Chaotic End!" A loud roar filled the air as Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End took a step forward and exploded in a blast of pure chaos energy. It spread out and covered the entire field. Divine Grace - Northwemko, Senju of the Thousand Hands, and Witch of the Black Forest were caught in the explosion and were swiftly destroyed. "Four cards. Three hundred points each. That's twelve hundred points of damage."

--

S**ammie:** 900

**Noah:** 2500

--

"And now for the finale. Since Witch of the Black Forest was sent from my field to my graveyard, I can choose a monster with fifteen hundred or less defense points." A single card was ejected from Noah's deck and he picked it up before his deck was shuffled. "I Normal Summon the Spirit Monster, Yata-Garasu!" Feathers slowly fluttered to the stone floor of the castle dungeon as a purple three-legged raven appeared before boy (ATK/200 DEF/100). "Yata-Garasu, attack." The tiny bird cawed as it flew over to Sammie and pecked at her.

--

**Sammie:** 700

**Noah:** 2500

--

Yata-Garasu then returned to its master and perched itself on his shoulder. "And now for Yata-Garasu's effect. If he inflicts Battle Damage to your Life Points, you skip your next Draw Phase." Sammie was devastated when the LCD display on her Duel Disk began to flash with the word "LOCKED".

"I end my turn and Yata-Garasu returns to my hand." Yata-Garasu's body changed into a stream of white light and flew back into Noah's hand. "Your move."

Sammie's Duel Disk was still reading "LOCKED". When her Draw Phase came, her deck slot was closed off. She had an empty hand and no way to draw cards. All she could do was end her turn. As soon as she had done so, her LCD display returned to normal.

"I draw." Noah drew a card and added it to his hand. "I summon Yata-Garasu." The purple three-legged raven appeared once again. "Attack!" Yata-Garasu flew over to Sammie and pecked her again.

--

**Sammie:** 500

**Noah:** 2500

--

Once again, the word "LOCKED" took possession of Sammie's LCD screen. When Noah ended his turn, Yata-Garasu returned to his hand and her deck was shut off from her again.

"Face it, Sammie. There's nothing you can do." Noah giggled a little as he drew his card and summoned Yata-Garasu again. "Yata-Garasu, Attack!"

--

S**ammie:** 300

**Noah:** 2500

--

"You. Are. Yata Locked!" Noah smiled triumphantly. "I end my turn." Yata-Garasu returned to his hand.

No hand. No draw. Sammie passed her turn.

"I summon Yata-Garasu." Noah summoned his creature immediately after drawing his card. "Attack!"

--

**Sammie:** 100

**Noah:** 2500

--

"I end my turn."

This was it. Sammie was going to lose for sure. She just fell to her knees in defeat with a look on her face that showed her despair.

Noah drew his card and looked down at his fallen opponent. "You've been beaten, Sammie. Your throne is mine." He summoned Yata-Garasu one last time. "All hail the Chaos King!" The avian spirit flew straight at Sammie and pecked her with one final attack.

--

**Sammie:** 0

**Noah:** 2500

--

"Victory is mine." Sammie's Duel Band flashed like it never had before and an immense flow of energy was sapped from her body, illuminating the entire room like the sun. Noah had to raise his arm to shield his eyes from the light. When the radiance finally died down, Sammie lay facedown on the floor.

"Excellent duel, Mr. Kaiyou," Roman congratulated from the observation deck, "That was the biggest energy spike we've ever received."

"I might go so far as to say she's literally been drained completely." Noah crouched down beside Sammie and poked her gently. "A small price to pay in the name of justice, however." As Noah began to walk off he heard a rustling behind him. He turned slowly and saw Sammie, standing tall on shaky legs and glazed over eyes. "Fascinating," the young genius said as he watched he reach for her deck once again to duel before falling over. "Scratch what I said Mr. Roman. I think she may have more Duel Energy in her than anyone on this planet. She could singlehandedly power the device. Let her rest and we shall see how much more we can drain from her." The young one turned once more and exited the duel area with a slight grin.

* * *

**Next Week on**_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Kuraz the Light Monarch takes Mikey to a place of sun worshippers. There he faces a trial of the light. Success with bestow upon him a new power. Failure is not an option. Watch it unfold next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	65. Ensayos Del Sol

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-24**

**Ensayos Del Sol**

"You're not real. You're not real. You're not real. You're not real. You're not real. You're not real." Mikey repeated those three words over and over again as Kuraz the Light Monarch continued to lead him across the island to some undisclosed location. The shining emperor shook his head and proceeded forward.

_Why am I even doing this?_ Mikey wondered to himself as he continued to follow the monarch of light. "Look, Kuraz. Let's say you are real, which you aren't, where are you taking me?"

"To a place where you will find those who worship the Light," answered Kuraz.

"Well it can't really be far then," Mikey thought out loud, "Not a lot of places we can go on an island. Come to think of it, where are we?" He looked around. The trees did not look familiar. In fact, his surroundings looked like an entirely different ecosystem.

"We'll be arriving at our destination soon," Kuraz assured Mikey. The young teen wiped his forehead. The climate had changed suddenly. Instead of the cool ocean breeze of Duelist Kingdom, the air was now hot and muggy.

"That doesn't answer my question." Before he could get a response, Mikey stepped out of the trees and was suddenly greeted by a great burst of hot sunlight. He quickly shielded his eyes with his hands as he tried to keep his focus on the flowing golden cape in front of him. Once he had adjusted to the new light, he looked around at his surroundings. This was definitely not Duelist Kingdom. He and Kuraz were now walking through a village made up of stone houses. Mountain peaks could be seen in the background. At first Mikey thought that they seemed rather short, but then realized that the village itself was on a mountain. The land on which he stood was sloped. Looking down, he could see terraces carved into the mountain itself. A look up up the slope revealed more.

"Try to keep up, Mikey," Kuraz called as he continued up. Mikey climbed the stone steps as he followed the golden king. The pair approached a house that seemed bigger than the others. Inside was a man in ornate clothes and sparkling jewelry with a red cloak over his shoulders and a golden headdress on his head with three feathers.

"You have returned."

"Wise chief, I bring the boy," Kuraz said as he turned to Mikey. The young teen looked around and promptly bowed.

"P-pleased to meet you," he greeted nervously.

"Come child, be not afraid. You have been brought here by the great emperor of the light. You are a guest here, so make yourself comfortable."

"Umm, thank you." Mikey found a colorful mat on the ground and sat down on it. Kuraz simply stood by the entrance.

"Now, I am certain you have questions," the chief said.

o o o

Roman stood in front of a large machine, several tubes and diodes crackling as duel energy passed through, increasing in power and luminescent light. His hands were clasped behind his back as he looked over the impressive device, each bolt and nut placed in the exact same manner as Viper's plans had indicated. The same plans that had been perfected by Professor Eisenstien and Professor Mizawa. Roman stood with a grin and placed his gloved hand upon the smooth surface of the machine and laughed lightly to himself.

Spinning around Roman pushed up his glasses with his left hand, a meticulous motion he was very used to by now. "Wicked, yes, very wicked," the spectacled business man said before leaving, the door creaking closed and leaving the machine alone to home a sinister monotone in the pitch darkness.

o o o

"Now then, if there are no further questions let us ascend the mountain to the temple." The chief stood up and proceeded out of the house. Six warriors accompanied him as he lead Mikey and Kuraz up the mountain.

Approximately an hour had passed when the group came to a halt in front of a cave near the top of the mountain. Mikey stood with Kuraz behind him while the chief approached the entrance. "Beyond this tunnel is our temple to the god Inti. He shall judge you."

"So is this the part where you say I have to go the rest of the way alone?" Mikey asked.

"Dear me, no. We shall escort you to the temple. Once you get there, you must reach the top alone with your guardian spirit. Inti shall appear before you in a mortal form."

"How do we know what he looks like?" Mikey asked again.

"You'll know, now let's go." Kuraz began forcing the brunet through the cave. After several minutes, they came out into a valley in the middle of the mountain itself. A stone path marked the way to a tall pyramid-like structure. The chief and the villagers stopped at the base of a long flight of stairs and pointed to the top.

"There you will face your trials."

"Up...there?" Mikey looked up. Climbing all those stairs was not going to be an easy feat.

"Your trial awaits, Mikey," Kuraz said as he started pushing Mikey up the stairs. "We mustn't keep Inti waiting."

"Okay okay. You don't need to push." Mikey began his ascent up the temple. Kuraz stayed behind him.

It seemed like an hour had passed before they finally reached the top. When they got there, they could see a decrepit old man sitting on a stone chair. In front of him was an altar. He looked drained of life.

"You are the sun god Inti?" asked Kuraz. The man responded in a language completely unknown to Mikey.

"What did he say?"

"He said yes," the monarch answered.

"He looks so...." Mikey tried to find the words he needed. "He isn't..... He's not.... He's really not quite what I had pictured." Inti spoke again. "What'd he say this time?"

"He said that his powers have been greatly weakened," Kuraz translated, "Recently, dark immortals, bound within the earth by the Crimson Dragon and the five servant dragons of the Signer warriors, have risen and drained the power of his Pantheon."

"His pantheon?"

"Yes, each God has a pantheon that they belong to. When chaos occurs because of trouble within the pantheon the gods can become drained. However..."

Inti spoke again.

"He says enough on that. Your trial begins now. Step forward onto the seal."

"What seal?" Mikey asked.

"That circle that looks like a sun." Kuraz pointed toward a stone carving of a sun in the floor.

"Oh." Mikey stepped forward. As soon as both feet touched the carving, everything disappeared around him. "Huh? What's going on?" A bright light suddenly blinded him and he quickly shielded his eyes.

"Open your eyes, young one, and look unto the form of my first story, like my brothers who are not my brothers took," a heavenly voice said gently. Mikey did so and his eyes went wide. He was still standing on the top of the temple, however that was all that was left of the temple. The platform was in space orbiting the sun. He looked around at his more immediate surroundings. The old man wasn't there nor was the altar behind which he was sitting.

"What!? I...What!? The sun! Space! What!?" Mikey gasped, spinning wildly, clasping his hand over his eyes and mouth to hold in the air and block out the light.

"Now young one," the voice boomed, echoing deep inside Mikey and around him in every direction. There was no point of origin to be heard, only a point that could be felt. "Do not fear, for you are safe. Listen me as I speak the language of the soul that knows no language. Listen to me as I speak the language of the soul that knows no lie. I am Inti, the sun and the highest of Apu. I burn bright and am praised, but shall protect you as I did my people. Look unto me and feel no broiled eyes nor crushed lungs. Like Ra and Helios, this is my first form. I am stripped naked before you, a courtesy my brothers who are not my brothers would do for you."

Mikey shook nervously, biting his lip and listening to the voice as he looked around, noticing the air could be breathed and the sun could be looked at. "O...okay..." He said timidly to the voice.

"I am Inti, great Apu of the Sun and your trial begins now." The voice had spoken again and Mikey still could not find where it was coming from. It seemed to be coming from all around him yet at the same time from a single point elsewhere.

_Is it...coming from the sun?_ Mikey thought as he looked toward the blazing star.

"Let your companions fight for you." Now it seemed for sure like the sun was talking, though without a mouth or a face, just a voice. Mikey looked at it and nodded, unsure how he could look into the heart of the blazing ball of fire without straining his eyes. He switched on his Duel Disk and his deck was shuffled.

"Let's duel...Inti."

--

**Mikey:** 8000

**Inti:** 8000

--

"You may proceed," Inti declared.

"Uh, thanks?" Mikey really had no idea how to address a god. He drew his first card and decided to just proceed as he normally would. "I summon Beast King Barbaros." His normally enormous armored liontaur appeared standing a mere two meters tall wielding his lance and shield (ATK/3000 DEF/1200). However, since it had been summoned without a tribute, its attack points were at nineteen hundred instead of three thousand. "And now I'll set two cards facedown." Two cards appeared at Mikey's feet and he looked toward the sun. "Your move."

"Your first test awaits. As you have one creature and I have none, I call upon the Oracle of the Sun to stand in defense." Mercury passed between Mikey and the sun and he could see an enormous stone tablet appear on the planet's northern hemisphere. As soon as it had set, an Inca man in traditional garbs holding a sun staff made his presence known (ATK/1000 DEF/2000). "Next your trap shall be disposed of." Another tablet appeared on Mercury's southern hemisphere depicting the artwork of Mystical Space Typhoon. The card next to Mikey's left foot was destroyed, causing him to gasp in horror a little. "Now the great Fire Ant Ascator shall appear." Venus passed by as another tablet appeared on its northern hemisphere. A large red ant appeared beside Oracle of the Sun (ATK/700 DEF/1300). "Now lend one another your powers." Fire Ant Ascator disappeared and three stars replaced it, which became green rings. They flew around the sun a few times as Oracle of the Sun faded away until five stars remained. They rose up above the platform and lined up perfectly. The rings then encircled them and a beam of light engulfed them all.

"This is the embodiment of my power as your game of magic and wizards understands it," Inti announced, "Sun Dagon Inti." Something seemed to emerge from the sun, but Mikey could not get a good look at it. It looked like a golden replica of the sun with a face carved into it. He stood in awe of its radiance until four red dragon heads rose up from it and roared (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). The heads, serpentine in nature, twisted and coiled in a poise, with tongues licking leathery lips as they prepared to strike.

"Attack," the voice of Inti proclaimed, a solar flare arcing over the platform Mikey stood on and back down again. The Sun Dragon obeyed and released a stream of celestial fire from each mouth, twisting into a single blaze to turn the Beast King Barbaros into a blazing effigy.

"I don't think so!" Mikey called out as his other face down card flipped up. "I activate Forbidden Chalice. This Quick-Play Spell allows me to negate the effect of one monster and increase its attack by four hundred. That will bring my Barbaros's attack up to thirty-four hundred attack." Barbaros let loose a mighty roar as he was washed over with a glowing white aura of purity, holding his lance and shield high as he grew back to his original size. The celestial blaze of the dragon crashed against the shield like a wave against a stone wall, dissipating into flickering embers in the ether of space. Barbaros's lance hummed with energy and released a blast in retaliation towards the dragon, piercing its solar face with great force. The dragon heads bellowed in pain and erupted into a nova of nuclear flames.

--

**Mikey:** 8000

**Inti:** 7600

--

"Then, child, you shall feel the power of the sun, which brings death as it does life," the voice of the Inca sun god said, "You see, young man called Angel, when the dragon who bears my name is destroyed through combat he shall reap vengeance upon that beast and deliver flaming pain upon your life." It took Mikey a moment to realize what the god was saying, but it took less than a moment for the effect to take place as the nuclear fires of the dying dragon burned Barbaros to cinders then to gas, sublimating his atoms into vapor that blasted into Mikey's face like hot wind.

--

**Mikey: **6300

**Inti: **7600

--

"I shall place down one 'card' and relinquish my turn to you, Michael, son of John."

Mikey was about to ask how he knew, but then he remembered that he was dueling a god. He proceeded then and drew without saying a word. His opponent's monster was an overwhelming beast. Without even trying, it had dealt him damage equal to a direct attack from an average four-star monster. He checked his hand and was disappointed with what it yielded. There was no way he would be able to deal any damage this turn. Still, it would benefit him greatly in the long run. "I play the Field Spell Future Visions." His field tray opened and he placed the card on it before it closed. As an image of the card appeared to his far left, his surroundings became shrouded within the colors of a nebula that moved like the Aurora Borealis. "Now whenever we Normal Summon a monster, it gets removed from play until our next respective Standby Phase. So now I'll summon Majestic Mech - Ohka." A shining white winged beast appeared before Mikey and roared (ATK/2400 DEF/1400). As soon as it came onto the field, the effect of Future Visions kicked in and it was removed from play. Satisfied with how things were working out so far, Mikey ended his turn.

"And thus I perform the action that you call drawing." Inti could have been drawing from a stack of stone tablets, but there were none for Mikey to see. "Apocatequil arise." Mars passed by the teenager as a tablet appeared on its northern hemisphere, which brought out a wooden idol holding some kind of thunder staff (ATK/1800 DEF/1200). As soon as it appeared, it too vanished from the field. "Once again, I relinquish my turn to you, young one."

"I draw." Mikey drew his card and placed his hand inside his pocket. "By my Field Spell's effect, my removed from play monster comes back on my Standby Phase." Majestic Mech - Ohka reappeared on the field in its shining glory. "Attack directly with Majestic Ray!" The heavenly creature opened its mouth and began to charge. After a few seconds, a solid beam of white light shot out and flew straight into the sun.

--

**Mikey: **6300

**Inti: **5200

--

"I end my turn."

Inti made known his draw and proceeded with his move. "Your spell affects my own creature and thus returns Apocatequil into my services." Apocatequil reappeared on the field in attack mode. "I shall then place this creature 'facedown.'" A large stone tablet appeared sideways on Jupiter and Inti ended his turn.

"My draw." Mikey drew his next card. "I now summon Fusilier Dragon, The Dual-Mode Beast in attack mode." His dragon-like tank appeared on the field and let out a loud mechanical groan (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). However, since he had summoned it without a tribute, its attack and defense points were halved. Just as Majestic Mech - Ohka had done before, the great machine was teleported to the different dimension. "Ohka, attack with Majestic Ray!" Majestic Mech - Ohka fired another beam and shot Apocatequil. The idol was shattered instantly.

--

**Mikey: **6300

**Inti: **4600

--

"The dormant magic of Apocatequil has been triggered," Inti announced, "His powers return one who communes with the sun from the world beyond." Mikey had no idea what he was talking about until Oracle of the Sun was Special Summoned from the graveyard and placed in defense mode.

"Oooooohhh, I get it now." Mikey looked at his hand and then ended his turn.

"I once again 'draw'." Inti made the motion again. "Reveal yourself, Supay." His facedown tablet was flipped over and a wooden horned mask appeared (ATK/300 DEF/100). "Supay, combine your powers with the oracle." Supay vanished into a single star, which turned into a ring that surrounded Oracle of the Sun, turning him into five stars once again. As soon as they were lined up within the circle, a light engulfed them both.

"What's he summoning now?" Mikey thought out loud. Suddenly, the Earth's moon passed directly in front of him and on its surface a woman's face could be seen.

"The beast that bears the name of my wife," Inti announced, "Moonlight Dragon Quilla." The face suddenly came off the moon and behind it four blue serpentine dragon heads emerged (ATK/2500 DEF/2000). "Strike now." Moonlight Dragon Quilla's mouths opened and a solid ray of moonlight erupted from each maw, spiraling into a single concentrated beam. Majestic Mech - Ohka roared in pain as the blast bore through its body before its power tore it apart.

--

**Mikey: **6200

**Inti: **4600

--

"My beast has done its deed. The task now falls upon you."

"I draw then." Mikey drew his card. "And on my Standby Phase, Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast returns to my field." His dragon tank reappeared on the field now back at full power. "Now I summon Malevolent Mech - Goku En without a tribute!" Blue flames rose up from the platform as an undead version of Majestic Mech - Ohka rose up and roared (ATK/2400 DEF/1400). As soon as it appeared, Future Visions whisked it away into another dimension. "Fusilier Dragon, attack Moonlight Dragon Quilla!"

"The dormant power of the beast bearing my wife's name has been triggered," Inti announced, "Once my foe has set sights of ill intent upon her, she rewards who have bravely fought alongside her equivalent to a fraction of her assailant's strength." Moonlight Dragon Quilla turned around to face the sun and the face that made up the center of its body began to radiate as it bathed Inti in a soothing light.

--

**Mikey: **6200

**Inti: **6000

--

Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast locked onto its target and unleashed four powerful cannon shots. Each head was struck with a shell, causing Moonlight Dragon Quilla to roar in pain. A fifth shot was then fired and pierced the center of her body, ending her life.

--

**Mikey: **6200

**Inti: **5700

--

"As the moon sets, the sun rises." The moon moved away, exposing the sun before Mikey once again. From within its raging blaze, Sun Dragon Inti emerged, its body aglow with the fires of the sun. Mikey paled. He had managed to take down this monster last time, but at a terrible cost. And now it had returned.

"I'll set a card facedown." A card appeared to Mikey's far right. "I'm done." He hoped it would protect him against the Sun Dragon's assault.

"The great beast of the sun shall commence his charge," Inti declared after drawing. Sun Dragon Inti's heads opened their mouths and another quartet of fiery streams spiraled out into a blazing helix that struck down Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast.

--

**Mikey: **6000

**Inti: **5700

--

"I shall now conclude with the rising of the Temple of the Sun, granting more power to my creatures who have returned from death." As Mars passed again, a large pyramid appeared on its southern hemisphere, its top seemingly floating above the rest.

"It's my turn then." Mikey drew his card and Malevolent Mech - Goku En reappeared on the field on his Standby Phase. However, there would be little it could do for him. His opponent's monster had three thousand attack points. However, his facedown would be able to destroy it even if it cost him Life Points by the dragon's effect. "I activate Call of the Haunted to resurrect Beast King Barbaros!" Beast King Barbaros returned to the field standing at his full three thousand attack points. "Attack!" The great beast thrust his lance at the center of Sun Dragon Inti and shattered the surface. However, the flaming remnants of the great dragon bombarded the mighty Beast-Warrior and caused him to fall backward onto his master as he died.

--

**Mikey: **4500

**Inti: **5700

--

"Malevolent Mech - Goku En, attack with Malevolent Ray!" With the path now clear, Mikey's monster was able to launch a black ray of light at the sun itself.

--

**Mikey: **4500

**Inti: **3300

--

"That ends my turn," Mikey announced.

"And thus begins mine," Inti replied as he 'drew'. "As the sun sets, the moon shall rise and the beast named for my wife returns." The moon passed between Mikey and Inti and Moonlight Dragon Quilla re-emerged from its surface. "And thus my temple grants her power." The Temple of the Sun shined a beam of light onto Moonlight Dragon Quilla, raising her attack points to twenty-eight hundred. "And with her resurrection comes another blessing." Inti's facedown flipped up, revealing itself to be Call of the Reaper. "Fire Ant Ascator, return!" The great red ant joined the Moonlight Dragon in preparation for their combined assault.

"Since you Special Summoned, I can do the same for Dragon Ice," Mikey declared, "And I'll discard Dragon Ice himself to summon him." He placed the card in his hand into his graveyard and then placed it on the field in defense mode, summoning a black-winged dragon with a body made of ice (ATK/1800 DEF/2200).

"Your strategy has protected you against the jaws of Ascator," Inti said, "But it will not defend against the new power of the Moonlight Dragon. Strike, my beast!" Moonlight Dragon Quilla fired a beam of moonlight from each of its four mouths and they spiraled into a single concentrated beam that slammed into Malevolent Mech - Goku En and destroyed it.

--

**Mikey: **4100

**Inti: **3300

--

"As you would say, young boy Angel, 'I set one card and end my turn'."

"Yeah, that is what we say." Mikey drew his card. When he saw it, it made him smile. It was just what he needed. "Inti, your Moonlight Dragon Quilla can only summon Sun Dragon Inti when it's destroyed in battle, right?"

"You are correct," Inti replied.

"Well then, I'm going to fix that with this." Mikey took Dragon Ice off his Duel Disk and placed it in his graveyard. "I sacrifice Dragon Ice and summon Kuraz the Light Monarch!" Golden rays of light hit the field as Mikey's golden emperor appeared (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "And when he's Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, he can destroy two cards on the field and the owner of those cards draw a card for each card destroyed. Shining light shot out of Kuraz's armor and pierced through Moonlight Dragon Quilla and Fire Ant Ascator, destroying them both. Mikey beamed happily when he saw this even though two more tablets were added to Inti's 'hand'.

"Brilliantly played, Mikey," Kuraz complimented.

"Thanks." Mikey scratched the back of his head and then suddenly realized that he had just acknowledged the Duel Spirit's existence.

"And now I shall depart temporarily for the other dimension," Kuraz said as he began to fade away from Mikey's Future Visions.

"I guess I'm done," the brunet concluded.

"Your creatures serve you well," Inti commented as a new tablet joined his hand. "However, I have a magic that can make short work of this trial." His facedown was revealed and Mikey gasped when he saw Inti had his own Call of the Haunted. "The beast that bears my name shall rise." Sun Dragon Inti returned to the field in a blaze of glory. With Temple of the Sun still in play, his attack points rose up to thirty-three hundred. "Attack now." The four-headed dragon of the sun launched its attack and hit Mikey dead-on.

--

**Mikey: **800

**Inti: **3300

--

"OW!"

"Your trial ends soon," said Inti.

"Things aren't over yet." Mikey drew his card. "Now with Future Visions, Kuraz comes back." Kuraz the Light Monarch was teleported back onto the field. "And since he was just Special Summoned, he can destroy two cards again. And I pick Sun Dragon Inti and....Future Visions!" A blinding radiance filled the void of space and Sun Dragon Inti's body crackled and crumbled as did Mikey's Field Spell Card. Both he and Inti then drew one card each. "Now with Future Visions gone, I can Normal Summon another Majestic Mech - Ohka in attack mode." A second Majestic Mech - Ohka appeared beside Kuraz.

"Now I play Forbidden Chalice on Kuraz, releasing him from his effect that stops him from attacking this turn," Mikey added, having no way to simplify his sentence. "Ohka, attack first with Majestic Ray!" Majestic Mech - Ohka fired its beam into the sun.

--

**Mikey: **800

**Inti: **900

--

"Kuraz, attack with Excalibur's Light!"

"Acknowledged." Kuraz the Light Monarch drew his sword and swung his blade, firing a wave of light directly at Inti.

--

**Mikey: **800

**Inti: **0

--

As soon as the final blow had been dealt, Mikey suddenly found himself back on the temple with Kuraz and the old man. Inti spoke and the Light Monarch translated. "He says that you have passed the trial."

"I guess I did," Mikey said in response.

Inti spoke again. "He says that the coming of the great threat is nigh. He says that the pantheons chose wisely in the new Pantheolica. Step up to the altar and receive your prize," Kuraz translated.

"He says a lot," Mikey said, doing as he was told and five cards magically appeared on the stone surface. He gasped. They were Oracle of the Sun, Fire Ant Ascator, Supay, Sun Dragon Inti, and Moonlight Dragon Quilla; the exact same cards that had just been used against him mere moments ago.

"He says to use them well," Kuraz said.

"I will." Mikey added the cards to his deck and then looked at his two new Synchro Monsters.

_I finally have my own Synchro cards now_, he thought.

"It is time we returned, Mikey," Kuraz said.

"Lead the way, Kuraz," Mikey replied. The golden emperor looked at him.

"You do not see me as an illusion anymore?"

"No," Mikey answered, "I think I believe in you now."

"I see." Kuraz smiled behind his face mask. "And I am glad." In that moment Inti nodded to the pair, and Mikey's Duel Disk flared up in golden light, speaking in words that Mikey did not understand.

"What did he say!?" Mikey yelled as a rolling roar built up in his ears like a jet plane, light whipping around them like wind.

"He said that to defeat the Dark Ungod they must be with you."

"Who!? Who must be with me!? What is an Ung..." In that moment Mikey was gone.

o o o

Blazing light subsided and Mikey found himself standing within a cave, the cool mist of the moist walls tickling his face as his ears heard the smooth music of dripping stalactites. His eyes were filled with the light of the sun, spotted and blurred as he stumbled blindly in the dank cave. His hand placed itself against the wall, the slimey film of calcium on limestone feeling slick between his fingers as his vision slowly returned. The first thing he saw was two women, both glaring at him. One woman stood with lavender hair, dressed in dirty mechanics clothes wearing a pair of streamlined riding goggles. The other woman wore the robes of a priestess, her right eye glowing red as they held their Duel Disks out.

"I thought you said this cave was clear, Reka?" The priestess whispered harshly.

"I thought so too, Mika," Reka said, growling lowly. "It doesn't matter, we will eliminate this guy right now. Get him!"

Mikey swallowed a hard lump in his throat and cursed silently to himself.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Mikey has met Reka and Mika. When things starts to look bad, what will the young Duelist do? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	66. The New Allies

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-25**

**The New Allies**

Mikey pressed his back against the cave wall fearing for his life. He was back on Duelist Kingdom, but he had arrived in the presence of two women he did not know.

"Who are you?" Reka demanded. "How did you find us?"

"I... I didn't... I mean, I wasn't...." Mikey stammered through several sentence starters, trying his best to avoid a confrontation. "Look, I don't want any trouble."

"Well trouble is what you got," Reka replied, "so put up or shut up. We won't be eliminated so..." It was then that she, Mika, and Mikey realized that their Duel Disks hadn't locked onto each other. All three of them were confused as the SD card was suddenly ejected from Mikey's Duel Disk. The women looked at it and then turned to him for an explanation.

"I guess I've got some explaining to do." As he began, his LED display briefly flashed with the word "Inti".

o o o

Roman was watching the monitors, checking in with every Duelist on the island. Behind him Noah lay sprawled stomach down on the floor beside the island model playing with a G1 Megatron Transformer action figure in one hand and a G1 Starscream Transformer action figure in the other. Every now and then, he would put down his toys and reach into a bag of Hersey's Kisses to eat one of the foil-wrapped chocolates.

"This is unusual," he thought out loud.

"What is it?" Noah inquired as he unwrapped another piece of candy.

"The signal from one of our Duel Bands vanished sometime during the night," Roman answered, "And it's just reappeared on the opposite side of the island."

"Impossible." Noah got up from the floor and walked over to look for himself. "Why didn't anybody tell me when it disappeared?"

"You were asleep at the time."

Noah grumbled something under his breath and looked up at the screens. "How many hours passed between the signal's disappearance and reappearance?"

"You went to bed at around nine o'clock and the signal vanished at ten o'clock. And it only just reappeared."

"Well, that at least explains how whoever it is wound up on the opposite side of the island." Noah continued looking at the screen. "That still doesn't explain why his signal was lost."

"Perhaps it was just a glitch in the program."

"Maybe." Noah was not convinced.

"Anything you want to do about it?" Roman inquired.

"Just let it be for now," was Noah's answer and he returned to his toys.

o o o

"Interesting." Reka looked at the SD card. "So your friend programmed a code to override the Duel Bands' lock-on system into this?"

"Pretty much," answered Mikey. The initial hostilities were now over and the two women had lowered their guard in his presence. He watched as Reka slid the SD card into her Duel Band and forced it into standby mode. Clearly impressed, she passed it to Mika, who did the same thing and reset her band as well. The two of them then added Mikey to their friends lists and he did the same for them. He also provided them with Coltyn's code in case they ran into him and Umi.

"Sorry for our rudeness before," Mika apologized as she bowed, "but we had to be careful. We have been trying very hard to avoid as much confrontation as possible."

"To be honest, I really don't want to be here, either," Mikey admitted, "The only reason I'm here is because my school implemented a new program into the curriculum. But this is WAY beyond a school program."

"Somebody wants us here and whoever it us wants us to duel," Reka said as she looked outside the cave at the ocean. "Oh, I just remember, we haven't even introduced ourselves. I'm Reka."

"My name is Mika."

"Nice to meet you. Mikey Angel." The young brunet shook hands with both women and leaned back against the cave wall. He looked around. It was obvious this was their base camp. A fire pit had been set up near the entrance. Closer toward the inside was one sleeping bag and thick pile of large leaves. Their survival packs were leaning against the cave wall near the back. As Mikey stared into the darker corner of the cave, he noticed a large object covered in a camouflage net hidden in the shadows.

"What's that thing?" he asked.

"It's just something Reka brought along," Mika answered.

"It took a while to get it down here, but we managed it," Reka added.

"So what is it?" Mikey questioned.

"I'm afraid we can't tell you," replied Reka. Mikey nodded in understanding. "So you said you got separated from your friends?"

"That's the gist of it," was the Ra Yellow boy's answer.

"Well why don't we help you find them?" the taller woman offered. Mikey thought about it. He really did need to get back to Coltyn and Umi, but it was too dangerous to travel alone. Additionally, once they did meet up, the two parties could join together.

"I'd appreciate that," he finally answered, "Thank you."

"Then let's go." Reka slung on her survival pack and helped Mika put on hers before they exited the cave with Mikey in tow.

o o o

Nicky watched as his Flamvell monsters turned into stars and his Tuner rings surrounded his non-Tuner before they were consumed by fire and emerged as Flamvell Urquizas.

"Blow 'em to 'ell!" The sadistic pyromaniac watched as his monster dealt the killing blow to his opponent and caused the surrounding area to erupt in a blazing explosion of fire. Nicky's laugh ripped from his throat as the other Duelist collapsed drained of his Duel Energy. He walked over and placed his foot down onto the other man's shoulder before pushing his body down the hill.

"Nick, stop stalling." Terry came to Nicky from behind. "We've got a job to do."

"Awww, an' Oi was just gettin' warmed up."

"You're already hot enough under the collar if you me," Terry grumbled as he led Nicky away.

o o o

Cassie was watching through a pair of binoculars while Sako looked through the scope of his sniper rifle. They were a good distance away so Pestilence would not notice them. They watched as he summoned his Hundred-Eyes Dragon and doubled its attack power with the removal of his Plague Wolf from his graveyard. The super-charged dragon blinked all of its eyes before firing one hundred lasers from each pupil, sweeping the field and destroying the horseman's opponent's creature with no effort.

"You have to commend his opponent for trying to make a deck out of multiple copies of Giant Rat and Bubonic Vermin," Sako thought out loud.

"Why are we doing this again?" Cassie asked, looking up from her binoculars. "Can't you just take the shot and be done with it?"

"I could, but it would not do what I need," Sako replied, adjusting his grip on the rifle.

"What do you mean?"

"I am not assassinating. I am hunting. To make sure I get the proper psychological damage I have to study them and find the best target."

"What would make the best target, Deadshot?"

Sako looked down at her and sighed. "Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Because you are a morally ambiguous marksman. You are Deadshot."

Sako sighed, never taking his eyes off his scope. "I am looking for the one whose death will shake them the most. The one that will cause them to shake in fear. I can't take out the leader, or else I lose vital information while simultaneously breaking their morale. If they have no will at all then they are useless. I want them to be afraid." Sako placed his finger on the trigger and fingered the small switch for a few moments before pulling away from his rifle. "Pestilence is not the one we want."

"Then who is?" Cassie said, looking up at the Duel Sniper curiously.

Sako pulled out a pack of cigarettes and placed one in his mouth, lighting it and taking a long drag of smoke, tar, and nicotine. "If I had to guess?" He paused for a moment and looked off to the side. "War."

o o op

Mikey was still trying to make contact with Coltyn and Umi as he continued to travel with Reka and Mika. He hadn't had any luck yet. He considered setting his Duel Disk to beta mode so he could project images of his monsters into the air, but was advised against it. To do so would attract unwanted attention. He was trying his phone again when he was suddenly bumped into Mika in front of him.

"Ouch."

"Why'd we stop?" asked Mikey.

"Shhh. Someone's here," Reka whispered loudly. The three of them crouched down. There was some shuffling in the bushes up ahead. They remained quiet and watched carefully. A horse in red armor slowly passed bearing a man who also wore red armor and wielding an enormous claymore. The horseman War rode past turning his head back and forth as he scanned for any Duelists. When he saw none were in sight, he continued forward.

"That was close," Reka whispered.

"Who was that?" Mikey inquired.

"He's one of the Four Horsemen," answered Mika.

"Four Horsemen?" Mikey was confused. "Aren't they just figures in the Bible?"

"These are player killers," Reka explained, "Their job is to eliminate Duelists from the competition."

"I never knew they actually existed," Mikey said as he got up.

"Kid, you've got a lot to learn about pro dueling," Reka responded.

"Is he gone?" a woman's voice asked. As soon as the sentence finished, two lock-on signals went off. Reka swore quietly as she looked around to see onto whom she had locked. Her answer came when a woman came forth with long waist-length black hair. She had on a light blue top with some fancy gold glitter and a dark blue bottom that looked sleek and form-fitting. Her Duel Disk looked like it was based off a naga with the humanoid torso, head, and arms resting on top of her deck slot and the tail making up the playing field.

"Who are you?" Mika asked.

"I'm Rikki," the mysterious woman answered. "Who are you?"

"I'm Mika."

"I was talking to the tough one, not you priestess girl."

Mika's good eye twitched. She was about to lash out, but Reka stopped her. She turned to Rikki and answered her question.

"My name is Reka."

"I was hoping for a challenge. Maybe you'll do." Rikki activated her Duel Disk and it hissed to life. Reka activated hers and her holographic projectors hummed. She was just about to insert her deck when a thought crossed her mind. She opened up her side deck pouch and slotted in an extra card before having her deck automatically shuffled by her Duel Disk.

--

**Reka:** 8000

**Rikki:** 8000

--

"My move first." Rikki made a sound reminiscent of hissing as she drew her first card. "I summon Venom Snake." A black and red striped snake appeared with spines along its back and a barbed rattle at the end of its tail (ATK/1200 DEF/600). "Now I set two cards facedown. Go."

"Ah, I see. You're using a Venom deck," Reka observed as she drew her card, "A little tricky, but I can work around that." She looked at her hand and made her move. "I play Double Summon, so now I can Normal Summon twice. So first I'll summon Genex Controller." A small robot appeared on the field with a design that made it look like it had a face (ATK/1400 DEF/1200). "Since I have Genex Controller on the field, I can Normal Summon this next monster without a tribute. I summon Genex Heat." A large Steampunk robot appeared bearing a strong resemblance to a furnace (ATK/2000 DEF/1300). "Next I play Limiter Removal, doubling my Machines' attack points." Genex Controller's attack power rose up to twenty-eight hundred while Genex Heat rose to four thousand. "Genex Controller, attack!"

"I activate my Trap Card," announced Rikki, "Ambush Fangs! If you target my Venom monster, I can negate the attack and end the Battle Phase then place a Venom Counter on the monster that attacked." A blue snake suddenly appeared and wrapped itself around Genex Controller's leg before biting into its thigh.

"Then since the Battle Phase is over, I tune Genex Controller to Genex Heat." The tiny robot broke itself up into pieces and surrounded the larger machine. Their bodies slowly faded away into stars and the three of Genex Controller turned into rings that surrounded Genex Heat's five stars. A ray of light engulfed them and an enormous blue furnace-style machine appeared spewing blue flames (ATK/2400 DEF/1200). "Thermal Genex. And he gains two hundredattack points for each Fire monster I have in my graveyard." A jet of blue fire shot out of Thermal Genex's chest as its attack power rose to twenty-six hundred. "I end my turn."

"My move." Once again, Rikki hissed as she drew her card. "And now I play the Field Spell, Venom Swamp." She placed her card inside her field tray and the woods turned into a putrid swamp with toxic waters and a poisonous gas that filled the air. "For every Venom Counter on our monsters, they lose five hundred attack points. Then at each End Phase, the swamp poisons them with another Venom Counter. And if your monster hits zero attack points, well then it dies. But first, how about a headstart? I sacrifice Venom Snake for Venom Boa." The smaller snake vanished in its place appeared a big blue snake with three eyes. On closer inspection, one would notice a cobra head at the end of its tail (ATK/1600 DEF/1200). "Once per turn, my Boa can put two Venom Counters on one of your monsters but then it can't attack. So I'll place them on your Thermal Genex." Venom Boa shot a blue snake from each mouth and they latched onto Thermal Genex with their fangs, lowering its attack points down to sixteen hundred. "Next I play the Venom Shot Spell Card. By sending a Reptile from my deck to my graveyard, I can put two more Venom Counters on the field." She sent Venom Cobra to her graveyard and her Venom Boa spat some purple venom at Thermal Genex, adding two more snakes and weakening it down to six hundred attack points.

"That ends my turn." And with that, Venom Swamp added a fifth Venom Counter to Thermal Genex, bringing its attack power down to one hundred.

Reka was in a predicament. With just a few moves, her opponent had brought her monster down to a harmless one hundred attack points. She drew and thought about her move carefully. Her current creature was of no use anymore. But she could sacrifice it for something else. "First I play Synchro Blast Wave to destroy your Venom Boa." A blast of energy erupted from the very depths of Thermal Genex and destroyed Venom Boa. "I sacrifice Thermal Genex for Genex Solar!" The big blue furnace disappeared and in its place a golden winged robot flew in (ATK/2500 DEF/1500). "Attack!" Genex Solar flew toward Rikki at high speed and a beam of solar energy from its chest at her.

--

**Reka:** 8000

**Rikki:** 5500

--

"I'll set a card and end my turn." As soon as the card appeared at Reka's feet, her turn ended and the effects of Venom Swamp placed a Venom Counter on Genex Solar, lowering its attack points to an even two thousand.

It was now back to Rekki. "I let that attack through," she said as he drew.

"Yeah right," muttered Mikey.

"I summon Venom Serpent and use its effect to put a Venom Counter on your monster." A green two-headed snake appeared and hissed (ATK/1000 DEF/800). Another Venom Counter latched onto Genex Solar and dropped its attack points down to fifteen hundred. "I end my turn." And with that, Venom Swamp added yet another counter, bringing the Genex creature down to one thousand attack points.

Reka drew her next card and summoned it straightaway. "I summon Genex Neutron." A humanoid black and orange robot appeared with wings that opened up from its bod (ATK/1800 DEF/1200). "Genex Neutron, attack!"

"I activate another Ambush Fangs!" declared Rikki. Genex Neutron's attack was halted and its attack points dropped to thirteen hundred as the Venom Counter poisoned it. Reka did not like it, but she had no choice. She ended her turn.

"On my End Phase of the turn I Normal Summoned Genex Neutron, I get a Machine-type Tuner back and I choose Genex Controller." With Genex Controller back in her hand, Reka turned the duel over to Rikki as Venom Swamp poisoned her monsters further, bringing Genex solar down to its last five hundred attack points and Genex Neutron to eight hundred.

Once again that most unpleasant hiss accompanied the snake Duelist's draw. She summoned a second Venom Snake and used its effect to place a Venom Counter on Genex Solar. With its attack points now at zero, the poison had completely steeped itself in every part of its body, the golden robot collapsed and was destroyed. Afterwards, she ordered her Venom Serpent to place a Venom Counter on Genex Neutron, lowering its attack to three hundred points.

"Attack, my serpent," she hissed. Venom Serpent lashed out and bit Genex Neutron, destroying it.

--

**Reka:** 7300

**Rikki:** 5500

--

"That'll be it for me." And with those words, Rikki's turn ended.

"I draw." Reka drew her card. All she could use at that moment was Genex Controller and she knew it would not last on the field long. She looked at her hand and ended her turn.

"My move." Rikki drew her card. "I sacrifice my snakes on the field and summon Vennominon the King of Poisonous Snakes!" Venom Serpent and Venom Snake vanished and in their place rose up a green-skinned naga garbed in a black robe with a mantle resembling two snake heads wrapped around his neck holding up a red cape. A golden snake head crown covered his head and was adorned by two more heads looking up. The cape was blown back, revealing two arms with a snake for each finger (ATK/0 DEF/0). "And for each Reptile in my graveyard, Venominon gains five hundred attack points." With five Reptiles in her graveyard, Rekki's monster gained twenty-five hundred attack points. "Attack with Venom Blow!" Venominon the King of Poisonous Snakes held out a hand and the snake fingers shot clouds of toxic smoke at Reka.

"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! This negates your attack." A scarecrow made from assorted piece of scrap metal appeared in front of Reka and blocked the attack for her. "Afterward, this card can be set again." The Trap Card returned to its facedown position.

"Fine. I end my turn."

"I draw." Reka drew her card and then played another Double Summon. "I summon Genex Controller and Genex Heat again," she announced, "But this time I'm tuning them for something else." Her Genex Controller tuned into Genex Heat and a light engulfed them again. "Genex Ally Accel!" A white robot with roller blade like feet burst onto the field with turbo boosters on its back and a laser cannon on its left arm (ATK/2600 DEF/2000). "Now by discarding a card, I can use his effect to bring back a level four or lower Machine monster and have its attack points doubled, though it will be removed from play at the End Phase." She placed her final card in her hand into her graveyard. "Genex Neutron, come out!" Genex Neutron returned to the field and its attack points were doubled to thirty-two hundred. "Attack!" Genex Neutron rushed in and fired two orange lasers at Venominon the King of Poisonous Snakes.

--

**Reka:** 7300

**Rikki:** 4800

--

"When Venominon is destroyed in battle, I can remove from play one Reptile to bring him back." Rikki removed from play one Venom Snake and the King of Poisonous Snakes returned in attack position with two thousand attack points.

"You forget that my Accel still has an attack." Reka ordered her next monster to go and Genex Ally Accel sped forward. The weapon on its arm suddenly produced an energy sword, revealing it as a melee weapon instead of a ranged weapon, and it sliced through Venominon.

--

**Reka:** 6700

**Rikki:** 4800

--

"I remove from play Venom Serpent to bring back Venominon!" Venominon returned to the field now with fifteen hundred attack points, still in attack mode.

"I end my turn," announced Reka. At that moment, Genex Neutron was swallowed up by a portal to the other dimension and Venom Swamp poisoned Genex Ally Accel with a Venom Counter, lowering its attack points to twenty-one hundred.

"My turn." Rikki drew her card and set it down along with the other card in her hand. "I'm done." Venom Swamp then took off another five hundred attack points from Genex Ally Accel, lowering it to sixteen hundred.

"I draw!" Reka drew her card. "I discard again and summon the card I discarded last time, Real Genex Ultimam!" A humanoid bronze robot appear (ATK/1800 DEF/1400) and its attack points rose up to thirty-two hundred, much like Genex Neutron before it. "Real Genex Ultimam, attack!" The bronze machine launched itself at Venominon and slammed its fist into him.

--

**Reka:** 6700

**Rikki:** 3100

--

"I remove Venom Cobra this time." Once again, Venominon the King of Poisonous Snakes reappeared in attack position, now with one thousand attack points.

"And now I attack with Genex Ally Accel!" Genex Ally Accel dashed past Venominon and slashed him with its sword again.

--

**Reka:** 6700

**Rikki:** 2500

--

"I remove Venom Boa from play now." Rikki's Venominon returned in attack position again, this time with a measly five hundred attack points.

"Why does she keep summoning him in attack mode?" Mikey asked.

"It's because she thinks she's sure to win," Mika explained, "But her problem is she's relying on a specific condition to happen. Reka understands this, so she's not giving her that opportunity."

"I end my turn!" Reka declared. Her Real Genex Ultimam vanished and her Genex Ally Accel dropped down to six hundred.

"I draw." Rikki drew her card and looked at it. Snake Rain was not the card she wanted, but it would power up her Venominon by sending four Reptiles from her deck to her graveyard. Unfortunately for her, it required a discard and she did not have a card to discard.

_I can still win_, she thought, _I just gotta let her destroy Venominon with an effect and I can activate Rise of the Snake Diety to summon Venominaga._ She ended her turn and Genex Ally Accel dropped to one hundred attack points.

"It's my turn now." Reka drew her card. "And I'll discard this to summon Genex Controller." Genex Controller appeared and its attack points rose to twenty-eight hundred. "Attack Venominon!" Genex Controller stumbled over to its target and fired a fist into him, destroying him with one blast.

--

**Reka:** 6700

**Rikki:** 200

--

"I remove my last monster to bring him back." Rikki was desperately grasping at straws now as she summoned Venominon back in attack mode yet again.

"You just don't get it," Reka said, "You can't rely on your opponent to make it happen." She sent her monster to attack and Genex Ally Accel finally destroyed Venominon the King of Poisonous Snakes for good.

--

**Reka:** 6700

**Rikki:** 100

--

Reka ended her turn and Genex Ally Accel finally doubled over from the poison and died.

"I draw." Rikki drew her card. Now she had a card to discard for Snake Rain, but it was far too late. Venominon was dead. But she still felt she had to do something. "I summon Venom Snake. Attack!" Her snake appeared on the field and lunged at Reka, biting her arm.

--

**Reka:** 5500

**Rikki:** 100

--

"I end my turn."

"I'm sorry to say this, but you're a very poor Duelist." Reka drew her last card. "You rely too much on your opponent destroying Venominon the King of Poisonous snakes by an effect so you can summon Venominaga the Deity of Poisonous Snakes."

"But that's what they always do!" Rikki protested. "Everyone I've faced does that and I've won every time."

"How many Duelists have you faced?" Reka asked.

"Hundreds," answered Rikki.

"How many?" Reka repeated.

"A bunch."

"How many?" A little more sternly this time.

Rikki paused for a long time. "I've....been playing _Duel Monsters World Championship_ on my brother's DS," she finally admitted.

"That is where your problem lies," Reka lectured, "You've been playing against an AI. Real Duelists research other decks." She summoned Genex Blastfan and brought out a green robot with an enormous fan in its chest (ATK/1600 DEF/1300). "Rest easy now." Her monster fired a whirlwind at Rikki and blew away the remainder of her Life Points.

--

**Reka:** 5500

**Rikki:** 0

--

Rikki collapsed and Reka fell to one knee as their Duel Energy was sapped. Mika and Mikey ran to help their friend up.

"Let's keep going," Reka said as she got back up.

"That's it? We're not going to stay and help her?" Mikey asked.

"We still have your friends to find," answered Reka.

"It seems we found you, actually," a familiar male voice said. Before Mikey could pinpoint where it came from, he was tackled to the ground by Umi, who instantly pressed her lips against his.

"Oh Mikey! I was so worried!" Umi said after she pulled away. She got off Mikey and helped him to his feet. He looked around and saw Coltyn standing there with Mikey's bag and jacket on his shoulder.

"I see you made some new friends," the black-haired teen noted.

"So these are your friends," Mika said as she stepped forward.

Mikey nodded. "Yeah. Coltyn, Umi. I want you guys to meet Mika and Reka. Mika, Reka. These are my friends Coltyn and Umi. We had more, but they've been eliminated."

"Oh dear," Mika gasped.

"We lost a few." Coltyn nodded. "Mikey's little brother Gabe, Max, and..."

"And Sammie..." Mikey sighed. Reka noticed his behavior when he mentioned Sammie's name and immediately knew what he was thinking, but she did not say anything.

"Isn't Sammy a boy's name?" asked Mika. Mikey suddenly turned bright red.

"N-no! Sammie is short for Samantha!"

"Ohhhhh..."

"Anyway, I think we need to get up to speed on things," Coltyn suggested, "Like how the hell my Duel Band didn't lock with either of theirs."

Mikey held up the SD card. "I gave them your friend code."

"Then we've got a lot to talk about still," Umi said. Mikey nodded in agreement and looked toward the castle.

_I wonder how Sammie and the guys are doing_, he thought to himself.

o o o

In the dank castle dungeon the moans and groans of young men and women echoed lowly through the corridors. Each person a Duelist. Each person a loser. The cells contained dueling veterans and dueling newcomers. Jaden Yuki sat chained to the walls, hissing in pain as his drained body squirmed in discomfort after a day of forced survival dueling. He was drained, more so than he had been when dueling in Professor Viper's. A prickly numbness washed over his body, as if every bit of his body had fallen asleep. Chazz and Syrus were not doing much better as they both laid on their stomachs, half awake and half dead from a day's worth of non-stop dueling. Joey Wheeler was the only person in the dungeon left standing, which Jaden found astonishing considering Joey had dueled the second most out of anyone else in the dungeon. The only person who dueled more was the girl.

The girl had been here longer than anyone else. When the clown boy came he was ecstatic to see her, but also very worried. Everyone was worried for her, as they carted her off to duel more times than anyone else, getting buckets of duel energy ripped from her until she was almost dead. They let her rest for the night and started the process all over again.

Day in and day out the only sound that could be heard beyond the groans of pain that the prisoners displayed was the screams of agony that the ones dueling let out. It was hell for everyone. No one slept, because the pain was too much and the screams went on through the night. No one ate because they didn't have the energy to eat. They were kept just barely alive, though their life was only measured by the beating of their heart and not what was lying behind their eyes. There was no hope for anyone at this time.

Then, there came a sound, a low tapping that could be heard from the girl's cell. A tapping along the bars in a beat, as if she was drumming on the walls, faintly. A few stopped to listen to the break in the noise. More stopped when they heard her sing.

_"__I must've dreamed a thousand dreams_

_Been haunted by a million screams_

_But I can hear the marching feet_

_They're moving into the street."_

She sang, her drumming growing louder as another girl began to play with guitar she kept with her survival pack. These girls were her band from school. They knew what song she was playing and they were more than willing to oblige as she continued.

_"__Now did you read the news today_

_They say the danger's gone away_

_But I can see the fire's still alight_

_There burning into the night._

_There's too many men_

_Too many people_

_Making too many problems_

_And not much love to go round_

_Can't you see_

_This is a land of confusion._

_This is the world we live in_

_And these are the hands we're given_

_Use them and let's start trying_

_To make it a place worth living in._

_Ooh Superman where are you now_

_When everything's gone wrong somehow_

_The men of steel, the men of power_

_Are losing control by the hour._

_This is the time_

_This is the place_

_So we look for the future_

_But there's not much love to go round_

_Tell me why, this is a land of confusion."_

As they played, growing louder and louder to the best of their ability the other prisoners began to clap. Jaden smiled and Joey's glazed over eyes came into focus. The clown boy, Max, sat next to his unconscious girlfriend, stroking her hair as the music continued. The song was by Genesis but the music was by Sammie.

_"This is the world we live in_

_And these are the hands we're given_

_Use them and let's start trying_

_To make it a place worth living in._

_I remember long ago -_

_Ooh when the sun was shining_

_Yes and the stars were bright_

_All through the night_

_And the sound of your laughter_

_As I held you tight_

_So long ago -_

_I won't be coming home tonight_

_My generation will put it right_

_We're not just making promises_

_That we know, we'll never keep._

_Too many men_

_There's too many people_

_Making too many problems_

_And not much love to go round_

_Can't you see_

_This is a land of confusion._

_Now this is the world we live in_

_And these are the hands we're given_

_Use them and let's start trying_

_To make it a place worth fighting for._

_This is the world we live in_

_And these are the names we're given_

_Stand up and let's start showing_

_Just where our lives are going to."_

The song finished and everyone roared in applause, a glimmer of hope shining in the dim dungeons. There was no sound of pain, just the cheers of those who knew they would be free. Up in his chambers Mr. Roman sat with a glass of wine and smiled.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The teachers have successfully managed to gather some of their students and place them together in a safe environment. But when trouble descends upon them, Miss Marina finds herself protecting them from the diabolical War. Will she succeed? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	67. Naval Warfare

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

March 2010 ban list effective as of this chapter.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-26**

**Naval Warfare**

Two Obelisk Blue students, a Ra Yellow, and three Osiris Reds sat together. They had nothing in common nor did any of them even know each other. However, they had all been brought together by a common group. Mr. Thulin was on watch while Marcel and Miss Marina sat with the students they had managed to collect. "I'm glad we were able to find this many at least," the girls' physical education teacher said.

Marcel heard an explosion and went to investigate. He saw Mr. Thulin dueling against a Duelist who had a Tiger Axe and three copies of King Tiger Wanghu on the field. As he took a step closer, his Duel Band locked onto another signal and a second Duelist appeared beside the tiger user. He sighed and activated his Duel Disk.

"I summon Enraged Battle Ox!" Marcel's opponent brought out a very angry-looking minotaur with an axe in his hand. The French teacher, on his turn, responded with Swords of Revealing Light and proceeded to set a Masked Dragon. Beside him, Mr. Thulin had removed his Hardened Armed Dragon from play to Special Summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon and then use its effect to summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon from his graveyard.

Meanwhile, Miss Marina continued to watch over the students. It was a very small handful, but she had to keep them safe. It was their duty as teachers to protect their students.

o o o

"Not a bad location," Coltyn commented as he sat inside Mika's and Reka's cave. "A little hard to access, but otherwise it's well-hidden."

"Even if we light a fire, we're positioned so nobody can see the light," Reka added as she shuffled around in the back. She was getting some tools out from her belt while Mikey watched, curious as to what she was doing. The large object underneath the camouflage net in the back had caught his interest and he was curious to know what was under it.

"Reka," he started, "can I ask what's under that..."

"No."

"But I never said what..."

"No."

"But I..."

"No."

It was obvious Reka wasn't going to tell him. Mikey sighed and went to the mouth of the cave. He sat down and hung his legs over the ledge and looked out at the sea. Reka sighed and placed her tools down. She walked over to Mikey and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry," she apologized, "but it's been a really tense time lately. I just need to get something done as quickly as possible before someone finds out about this hideout."

"I guess I understand," answered Mikey. Reka patted his shoulder and smiled.

"I don't have anything against you. We're just a little tight on time."

"Alright then, I won't ask again."

"Thank you." Reka patted Mikey's shoulder again and got up to return to her task.

o o o

The heavy hoof-steps of an armored horse left deep footprints in the soil as War rode through the woods hacking away at anything in his way with his claymore. Behind him lay a trail of broken Duel Disks. Every one had either been cleaved apart or bore and extremely deep gash. One of them still had an arm attached. The horseman continued making his way along his path seeking more Duelists to eliminate. He checked his Duel Band tracking GPS and spotted a few signals up ahead. He grinned behind his face mask and kicked his steed, causing it to gallop forward. As he rode, he checked his GPS again and found that all the signals were together and that the one closest to him was a short ways away. This made him smile even more. He swung his gargantuan sword and readied himself for combat.

o o o

Miss Marina continued to sit and watch over the students. Mr. Thulin and Marcel had left to secure a perimeter, leaving her to guard the group of teens. So far no other Duelists had come since the Battle Ox and the tiger users. Until her two fellow teachers returned, she hoped no one would come. She had seen some of the horrible things that had transpired on the island so far and quite a few of them had genuinely frightened her. Among them were the aftermaths of the duels against the Four Horsemen. She had seen the devastation each of them had left in their wake.  
Miss Marina's fears were realized when a horse encased in red armor burst out from the trees and passed over her head. She watched as the steed landed on the ground and turned around toward her before rearing up on its hind legs and neighing loudly. Its rider raised an enormous sword over his head and swung it around.  
"At last, I have found my prey." Immediately, he reached for the cross guard of his sword and pressed a hidden button. Miss Marina's Duel Band was locked on and he smiled evilly.

"Who are you?" she said, standing tall and looking him in the eyes.

"I am War! I am the judge, jury, and executioner of the world of duelists! I have come for battle!" Her eyes narrowed on the red armored horseman, glancing at the students behind her as their half conscious bodies shivered in fear.

"So you are the War duelist that has hurt our students..." Ms. Marina trailed off as she placed her hand on her duel disk.

"Yes I am." War smiled a toothy grin as he spoke, booming in enthusiasm as he began to swing his sword back and forth.

Ms. Marina took a step back, glancing back at her students once more. She bit her lip and looked at him with stern eyes.

"You are here for them, arn't you?"

"Yes I am."

The girls' P.E. teacher had no choice now. She activated her Duel Disk.

"I'll duel you, but just as long as you do not hurt the students," she said.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," War said evilly as he attached a deck holder to his right gauntlet while holding his claymore in his right hand. "I plan to eliminate them all and I shall enjoy doing so with the utmost pleasure." His cards were shuffled automatically and he drew his starting hand, which he placed into a slot on the same gauntlet just below his deck; a setup commonly used by Turbo Duelists.

"I cannot let you do that!" Miss Marina drew her starting hand.

--

**Miss Marina:** 8000

**War:** 8000

--

"I'll be making the first move." The P.E. teacher drew her first card and looked at it. "I begin with my Field Spell, A Legendary Ocean." Her field tray opened and she placed the card inside. As soon as her card appeared, the entire field was flooded and both she and her opponent stood amidst the underwater ruins of Atlantis. "With my Field Spell Card active, all Water monsters in our hands are lowered by one level and will have their attack and defense points boosted by two hundred. Plus some of my various monsters will gain some special effects. Like this one here." She took a card from her hand and placed it upright on her Duel Disk. "I summon Mermaid Knight in attack mode!" An armored green-tailed mermaid wielding a sword and a shield appeared with her long flowing red hair (ATK/1500 DEF/700). "She can attack twice in the same Battle Phase." The power of A Legendary Ocean raised her attack points to seventeen hundred and her defense to nine hundred. "That ends my turn."

"My move then!" War drew his card and read it before adding it to his hand on his gauntlet and taking another card. "And I shall begin with X-Saber Anu Piranha." He placed the card onto the surface of his sword's blade and beautiful woman with long blond hair and red armor carrying a sword appeared and swept her long golden locks back (ATK/1800 DEF/1100). "Attack!" X-Saber Anu Piranha stepped forward and began sweeping her sword through the air. She she began to spin around, the blade suddenly broke into several segments and came off the hilt, revealing them to be connected by a metal retractable wire. "Strike her with Snake Blade." The female warrior gracefully lashed out with her sword like a whip and wrapped it around Mermaid Knight. She then pulled back and the blades cut through the aquatic creature.

--

**Miss Marina:** 7900

**War:** 8000

--

X-Saber Anu Piranha reeled her sword back in and the pieces reconnected to form a solid blade. "I'll place this card facedown." He flipped his sword around and placed a card facedown on the other side. He then flipped his weapon back and pointed at his opponent. "My turn is over."

"Then the turn is mine." Miss Marina drew her card. "With my Legendary Ocean's effect, my level five creature is a level four, so now I summon Divine Dragon Aquabizarre." A long blue sea serpent with one eye emerged from the depths of the sea and hissed (ATK/2100 DEF/1500). The effect of the Field Spell raised its attack and defense points to twenty-three hundred and seventeen hundred respectively. "Attack X-Saber Anu Piranha!"

"I activate my facedown," War declared, "At One With the Sword. I can equip this Trap Card to any X-Saber creature and have it gain eight hundred attack points. And I think you know what my choice is." X-Saber Anu Piranha lashed out with her sword and wrapped it around the entire length of Divine Dragon Aquabizarre's body. As she had the great serpent ensnared, her attack points rose to twenty-six hundred. She pulled back on her arm and her sword cut the great snake apart.

--

**Miss Marina:** 7600

**War:** 8000

--

"So much for your attack," War cackled, "And when a monster equipped with At One With the Sword destroys another monster in battle, I can draw one card." He took the top card from his deck and added it to his hand.

Miss Marina placed two cards facedown. "I am done now."

"Then my turn begins." War drew his next card. "And I'll summon X-Saber Uruz." A wolf-like warrior leapt out from the shadow and landed beside X-Saber Anu Piranha wielding two hooked swords (ATK/1600 DEF/1000). "Now strike! Both of you, attack!" Together, X-Saber Anu Piranha and X-Saber Uruz leapt toward Miss Marina.

"I attack my Trap Card," declared the P.E. teacher, "Tornado Wall! As long as this card is in play, all Battle Damage I receive is reduced to zero." A barrier of tornadoes surrounded Miss Marina and the attacks from her opponent's monsters were blocked by the winds.

"Very well then. Make your move."

"I will." Miss Marina drew her card. "And I'll summon Terrorking Salmon!" A giant fish appeared and swam around in the water (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). A Legendary Ocean boosted its stats up to twenty-six hundred attack points and twelve-hundred defense points. "Attack X-Saber Uruz." The great fish swam across the field and bit down on War's weaker monster, destroying it easily.

--

**Miss Marina:** 7600

**War:** 7000

--

Miss Marina concluded her turn there and War drew. He cackled evilly and proceeded with his turn. "First I summon X-Saber Galahad." He played his card and summoned a frog-faced lizard-like monster (ATK/1800 DEF/800). "Now that I have two X-Saber monsters on my field, I can Special Summon XX-Saber Faultroll." A white-haired warrior appeared in a red cape and extremely high-tech armor wielding a large two-handed sword (ATK/2400 DEF/1800). "Once per turn, he can Special Summon an X-Saber monster from my graveyard. So I resurrect X-Saber Uruz." XX-Saber Faultroll fired a laser into the ground and X-Saber Uruz returned to life and stood beside the one who had resurrected him.

"Now I send X-Saber Anu Piranha to attack your monster." The beautiful female warrior lashed out with her snake sword and wrapped it around Terrorking Salmon. At the same time, the giant fish lunged at her and closed its fangs around her. The two creatures were destroyed simultaneously.

"My turn now." Miss Marina drew her card and played it immediately. "I summon Amphibious Bugroth MK-3." An underwater diving vessel armed with two large torpedo tubes appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/1300). With the effecto A Legendary Ocean, its attack points were seventeen hundred and its defense points were fifteen hundred. "Since A Legendary Ocean is treated as Umi on the field, my monster's effect activates, allowing me to attack directly. Amphibious Bugroth MK-3, attack!" Two torpedoes were fired and they shot past War's front line and into the horseman himself.

--

**Miss Marina:** 7600

**War:** 5300

--

"I'll set another card facedown and end my turn." Miss Marina looked at her field. She was ready in case her opponent tried to bring out anything new.

"It's my turn now." War drew his card and played it. "I think I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon on the card you just set." A cyclone shot out and blasted away Miss Marina's card, which turned out to be Torrential Tribute. "Good thing I destroyed that card. Now I activate Faultroll's effect to resurrect X-Saber Anu Piranha." Another laser was fired into the ground and X-Saber Anu Piranha returned to the field. "I sacrifice X-Saber Galahad to summon Commander Gottoms, Swordmaster." The frog-faced creature vanished in his place appeared a tall warrior in a full suit of silver armor holding a large sword and wearing a long red cape (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "His effect boosts all Saber monsters by four hundred attack points. Commander Gottoms let out a mightly battle shout and the attack points of X-Saber Uruz, X-Saber Anu Piranha, and XX-Saber Faultroll rose up to two thousand, twenty-two hundred, and twenty-eight hundred respectively. Afterwards, he ordered the destruction of Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 by XX-Saber Faultroll. The high-tech warrior obediently complied and cut it in half.

"I conclude with a facedown." War looked at his field and smirked. The duel was as good as his.

"I draw." Miss Marina drew. "I summon another Amphibious Bugroth MK-3." A second underwater vessel appeared ans she ordered it to attack immediately.

--

**Miss Marina:** 7600

**War:** 3600

--

"It's your turn now."

"Then I draw." War drew his card and began to laugh. "I'll save this for later. But for now, I'll destroy your Amphibious Bugroth again." The second one was destroyed by XX-Saber Faultroll. Afterwards, he used its effect to resurrect X-Saber Galahad.

"Now I draw." Miss Marina drew her card and her eyes sparkled. It was the card she needed. "I activate Call of the Haunted and I'll resurrect Divine Dragon Aquabizarre." A torrent of water rose up and from it emerged the great sea dragon. "Next I summon the Tuner monster Deep Sea Diva." A mermaid with a beautiful singing voice and a tail like a Japanese koi appeared (ATK/200 DEF/400). Thanks to A Legendary Ocean, her attack and defense points became four hundred and eight hundred. "With Deep Sea Diva's effect, I Special Summon Mermaid Archer." A large turtle appeared on the field and its shell opened to reveal a blue-haired mermaid with a crossbow (ATK/1200 DEF/200). The Field Spell boosted her to fourteen hundred and four hundred attack points. "Divine Dragon Aquabizzare, attack X-Saber Galahad."

"My Galahad's effect activates," announced War, "When he's attacked, he loses five hundred attack points." The frog-like warrior's power dropped to thirteen hundred attack points as Divine Dragon Aquabizarre launched a torrent of water upon him and vanquished the creature.

--

**Miss Marina:** 7600

**War:** 2600

--

"That's the end of my turn."

"And now it's mine." War drew his card. "First I activate the effect of XX-Saber Faultroll to resurect X-Saber Galahad again." Once again, the frog-faced fighter reappeared upon the field. "Next I play the Saber Slash Spell Card. For each face-up X-Saber monster I control, I can destroy one face-up card on the field. And I have Galahad, Uruz, and Anu Piranha, that's three."

"Doesn't the big guy count?" asked Miss Marina.

"That's an XX-Saber," War corrected. "Now I'll Call of the Haunted, Mermaid Archer, and A Legendary Ocean." X-Saber Galahad jumped toward the face-up Trap Card and stabbed it with its pike. The card was shattered and Divine Dragon Aquabizarre hissed loudly as it died with its only life support. X-Saber Anu Piranha ensnared Mermaid Archer with her snake sword and sliced her to pieces. Finally, X-Saber Uruz cut through A Legendary Ocean with his two swords and destroyed it along with Tornado Wall by its own effect. The three returned to their posts and awaited further orders.

"X-Saber Galahad, you go first," War ordered, "And when he attacks, he gains three hundred attack points." X-Saber Galahad leapt toward Deep Sea Diva and stabbed his pike through her chest.

--

**Miss Marina:** 5300

**War:** 2600

--

Miss Marina now had nothing with which to defend herself, giving War the utmost diabolical grin he could conjure.

"XX-Saber Faultroll, attack," ordered War. The high-tech warrior unleashed its power and cleaved his blade through Miss Marina.

--

**Miss Marina:** 2500

**War:** 2600

--

"Commander Gottoms, attack." Commander Gottoms, Swordmaster raised his sword and chopped down on Miss Marina.

--

**Miss Marina:** 400

**War:** 2600

--

"X-Saber Uruz, end this," ordered War. The wolf-like beast-warrior howled and rushed at Miss Marina, passing his blades through her.

--

**Miss Marina:** 0

**War:** 2600

--

Miss Marina cried out as her Duel Band drained her energy and she collapsed unconscious onto the ground. War's horse stepped up to her and neighed quietly.

"Not this time," the horseman told his steed, "We have more for us." He turned toward the students and charged.

o o o

"No sign of anybody," Mr. Thulin said as he walked back to the camp with Marcel.

"Oui. It was tres bien, actually," the French teacher agreed. As they approached their destination, their eyes fell upon six bodies that lay strewn on the ground, their Duel Disks destroyed.

"Fuck!" Mr. Thulin ran ahead with Marcel right behind him and knelt down at the nearest student.

"Monsieur Thulin...." Marcel was worried, "Are zey...?"

"They're alive," Mr. Thulin answered, "But someone was here."

"Where is Ariel?" Marcel asked.

Mr. Thulin looked around and found Miss Marina lying unconscious eleven feet away. He ran over to her and slowly lifted her into a sitting position. "Miss Marina! Yo, wake up."

o o o

Sako continued to keep his scope on War as he watched the horseman ride away. He puffed on his cigarette once and got up. It was not the best time to smoke, but it he would be moving soon anyway.

"Let's go," he said to Cassie, who sat on a log with a lethargic and bored expression plastered on her face.

"Huh? Now?" The young girl looked up at the Duel Sniper.

"It's time for our attack."

"Finally!" Cassie jumped to her feet. "What took you so long?"

"A sniper knows when to pull the trigger." Sako looked down at War through his scope again. "And our target is War. The hunt for the red horseman begins."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Sako is on the hunt for War. Nicky is on the hunt for Reka. The terrifying game of cat and mouse continues next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	68. The Hunt for the Red Horseman

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-27**

**The Hunt for the Red Horseman**

One large tree fell as the blade of War's mighty sword cleaved through it after shattering the two halves of a severed Duel Disk against its trunk. The armored steed's hooves sank into the soil as its rider spun the massive weapon before placing it on his back. Unbeknownst to him, however, his movements were being watched by a young girl and a man with grey eyes. Sako kept his scope centered on his target, but he did not pull the trigger. He needed answers and a dead horseman was not going to give him any.

"Well?" Cassie looked at the Duel Sniper. "Shoot him."

"Sh," Sako quickly silenced her.

"What are you waiting for?" she inquired.

"Sh."

They continued to watch as War approached a Duelist onto whom he had just locked. They watched as an army of X-Sabers beat down on a deck full of primates. Berserk Gorilla fell before the blade of a great knight in a silver suit of armor and a red cape while Voltic Kong died on the blade of X-Saber Faultroll. Following his victory, War proceeded to destroy his opponent's Duel Disk.

"Do something!" Cassie whispered.

Sako wasted no time. With his sights locked onto his target, he squeezed the trigger and fired a shot that struck War's temple and knocked the horseman off his steed. The armored equine reared up on its hind legs and began neighing loudly as Sako took a puff from his cigarette. "And that is how you assassinate someone."

Cassie looked down at the fallen armored man and then spoke in a matter-of-factly tone. "He's getting up."

"...What?" Sako looked over at his target as War sat up. "...What the fuck?" He checked his gun. Everything seemed to be normal. The scope was aligned properly. The rifle had been calibrated correctly. The gun was fine. As War stood back up on his feet, he aimed, this time at the faceplate, and fired a second shot. He hit his mark and the horseman fell again. He thought that would have done it for sure. But just like the last time, War got back to his feet. "OH COME ON! THESE THINGS ARE MEANT TO PIERCE TANKS! I think I am going to develop a complex if people keep NOT dying on me."

War grabbed his sword from where it lay and looked toward Sako's direction. Calmly, he walked toward his frightened horse and calmed it down. Once it had settled down, he stabbed his sword into the ground and climbed onto the beast's back before pulling his blade out and spinning it over his head before looking back at his attacker.

Sako looked at the scene and then turned to Cassie. "You...may want to run now." The girl nodded and took off while the Duel Sniper took aim again and fired. His bullet struck the horse's armor and the steed fell. Sako nodded and slung his sniper rifle over his shoulder before running off.

"Get off!" War snarled as he tried to push his horse off from him.

Meanwhile, Sako jumped over a rock and crouched behind a tree. He reached into his pocket and produced a roll of wire. He used his teeth to pull out a length as he reached back to take out a few explosives as well. He had already set a few traps since his arrival on the island, but he also had the materials to make dozens more. He could hear the sounds of a horse neighing in the distance, but he did not turn back to look. His first priority was survival.

A ways behind the Duel Sniper, War had managed to bring his horse back onto its feet and hopped onto it back. "Don't let him get away," he snarled as he spun his sword around and pointed forward. "After him!" His steed reared up and neighed before galloping forward.

o o o

A wasteland of fiery destruction surrounded Nicky as he prepared to finish off his opponent. The Winged Beasts he wielded were no match for the might of his Flamvell creatures. Even now, the silver-armored creature with red feathered wings known as Alector, Sovereign of Birds was unable to withstand the heat generated by Flamvell Uruquizas, who had dealt plenty of battle damage to Nicky's opponent over the course of time.

"End it roight 'ere, Uruquizas," he said confidently. His monster's arm began to burn brightly and he watched as Flamvell Uruquizas sank his flaming fist deep into the winged warrior. Alector, Sovereign of Birds squawked loudly before his body erupted into a blazing explosion of bright orange flame. Nicky's maniacal laughter filled the air as he walked across the scorched land toward his defeated opponent and pushed him over with his foot.

"Too easy. Oi want more o' a challenge!" His phone suddenly rang with a text message and he took it out to read. It was from Judgement telling him once again to stay focused on the mission. "'ow the 'ell does 'e do that?" he wondered aloud. The masked man cloaked in a long white robe was on the other side of the island. It would have been impossible for him to know what he was doing.

At least that was the case to him. On the other side of the island, Judgement stood watching from a clifftop with his robes blowing in the wind. He had seen the fires from Nicky's duel from all the way across Duelist Kingdom. The sadistic pyromaniac knew nothing of discretion and subtlety. Judgment had to keep his eyes on him lest he lash out like a wild dog that was let off of its chain. While the master was away Judgment had to make sure that Nicky didn't set the world ablaze. Not yet, at least. Not yet.

At Judgment's feet there laid an unconscious Duelist, sapped of energy, almost at the brink of death. Judgment watched over the landscape atop the cliff and saw the war zone the island had become. Dragons ruled the skies. Fire filled the air. Water flooded the land. It was beautiful Armageddon. As the sun loomed overhead Judgment knew what time it was. Judgment smiled beneath his mask as he took to a knee, facing away from the glowing orb., and prayed.

"Oh my Dark God, who is not a god. Grant me the strength to slay thy enemies; the power to conquer the weak; and the madness to evaporate fear." He place his hands on the ground and carved into the dirt with his fingernail an eye that seemed to pierce the soul as he looked into it. An eye that could view on for millennia. His hand brought itself up and then slammed itself down, crushing the dirt drawing beneath his fist. "Amen," he said in a grumble, his eyes looking up into the light and away from the shadows he was not fit to peer into.

o o o

The foliage was thick and the trees were large and close together. The armored horse neighed loudly as War hacked through the thicket with his claymore. The massive two-handed sword, often lifted with great strain by any average man, was effortlessly being wielded with a single hand.

"Come out, come out. Wherever you are," the red horseman called out, "I won't hurt you. Too badly." The last sentence he mumbled under his breath as he slashed through another pair of trees. A dull wooshing sound reached his ears and he turned his body around and swung his sword in a wide arc. Two tree trunks fell to the ground cleaved cleanly in two pieces each. Both had vines wrapped around them. "The log sandwich. I see. You plan to slow me down with traps. Too bad they won't hold me for long." He kicked his horse and it moved forward again, but the ground beneath its front legs suddenly gave way and the armored steed and its rider fell into a hole in the ground.

"How clever. Using the first trap as a distraction to this second." War kicked his horse again and the equine leapt, but its hooves could not get a hold on the the steep walls and it slid back down. The horseman reached out to grab the dirt so he could climb up, but it gave way immediately. "I see. He drenched the soil with water to make it more difficult to climb out. This would keep most men trapped. However..." He stood on his saddle and jumped. He flipped around as he arrived back on the surface of the ground and landed with a dull thud, kicking up a cloud of dirt upon his landing. "...I am not like most men." He looked back down into the pit. His horse was trapped. He would have to venture the rest of the way on foot.

With his claymore in hand, War continued on his path. Sako continued to watch him through the scope of his sniper rifle. "Almost there." He looked at one of the vines beside him and took out his knife. With one quick stroke, he cut the vine from its anchor and resumed watching War. With the vine severed, the safety had been released on a nearby trap. He kept his scope on his target. As he watched, he could see the horseman as he walked through the woods. His feet sudden ensnared a vine and the trap was sprung. The sound of rolling wood could be heard and War turned just in time to see a multitude of logs rolling toward him down a rock face.

"Is this the best you've got?" War slammed stuck his weapon into the ground and stood behind it. As the logs came closer, he placed his hand on the hilt. Then as soon as the first one touched the blade, he ripped his weapon out of the ground and split the logs in two. They rolled past him on either side and continued down the slope as gravity drove them into a pile at the bottom.

"Aaaaaah! My leg!" The cries of an known bystander were heard, but War did not heed for he had another objective on his mind.

"Your pathetic traps cannot stop me so easily!" he roared as he cut down another tree. Sako muttered something under his breath and withdrew. This was going to be much harder than he thought.

o o o

Where was she? How was she doing? Was she ok? his thoughts fluttered back and fourth like a game of pong, all centered around the same idea. He would never show it and would never say it, but it had been racing through his mind since the beginning. It had been griping him strongly as the spirits looked down on him in pity. He had to know. He had to reach the castle. He had to...

"Sai! What are you doing!? Get in the game!" Nellie yelled out in worry as hulking frame of a Green Baboon charged at Saito, striking him square in the chest with its tree sized club. He winced, snapping back to conscious thought as his life points were brought to a measly one-hundred points, while his opponent still had over twenty-six hundred points and a Green Baboon bearing down with its twenty-six hundred attack points. Saito's mind had been so withdrawn from exhaustion and concern that his skills had numbed over the past few days. He wasn't as precise. Saito was at his wit's end.

"I'm fine," he said to Nellie with a weak tone to his voice, unbefitting of a Kaiba. His knees quaked and his body ached, but his mind was restless.

"Then beat him!" She cried out as he drew his next card. The card shook in his shivering fingers during this, his fifth duel of the day. His mind kept fading in and out as he looked over the field. His life seemed short and drained, like an almost emptied toothpaste tube, just waiting to give up its last globule of vanilla mint. He stood with his head filled with fog as he kept asking these questions, repeating them over and over. Saito didn't even realize what he was doing as his eyes glazed over, the world dissapearing around him. He was lost in his head as his opponent disappeared into a foggy silhouette. Saito didn't know his face or his name. He was too tired to care. He was too lost to care. The world vanished beneath the drum beat of repeated questions before the familiar shock from his wristband told him the duel was over, but not who won. Never who won.

"You did it!" Nellie yelled, though he did not know what he did. He was too drained. Too tired. Too lost. His mind lost in a self imposed fog as his body faulted and collapsed, the victor. The only thing in his mind is the same thing he had thought about since the day the tournament started. How was Sammie doing?

o o o

An explosion caused several birds to flee from their perch. War stood surrounded by smoke with a tripwire wrapped around his leg with the ends tied around several grenade pins. "I commend you on your attempts, but ultimately all are futile!"

"It's just my luck that I have to go up against the fucking Juggernaut," Sako muttered as he watched War. The horseman had triggered five tripwires already and none had seemingly damaged him whatsoever. He could attempt shooting him again, but he risked giving away his position should his target survive, which was highly likely since he had seen for himself how strong his enemy was. His armor had successfully blocked two shots that had been designed to pierce tanks and there were no signs of any openings or soft points along it.

Another explosion signaled the trigger of another tripwire. Once again, War emerged from the smoke unscathed. He checked his taget's location and hit a remote detonator. A nearby tree exploded right beside the horseman and forced him into a low-hanging vine. Just as he had hoped, he pulled on the dangling appendage and loosed another log roll avalanche. War looked up and scoffed. He quickly regained his balance and swung his sword. Several of the logs were cut in two, but more still approached. Grabbing onto the weakened trunk of the tree that had just exploded with one hand, he effortlessly chopped it off its stump with his blade and threw it upward. The tree intercepted the remaining logs and knocked them off their trajectory, causing them to fall harmlessly around him.

Sako rubbed his temple with one hand. This was supposed to be an easy job. Yet despite his resources, the red horseman was still alive and well. and it was beginning to irritate him. "Doesn't anyone stay dead anymore?" he muttered under his breath. Sako double checked his target's location and found that War was nearing a rock face he had rigged with remote charges earlier. With his finger on the detonator, he waited patiently.

War's boots sank into the soil as he continued to walk with his sword in hand. Suddenly the sounds of explosives could be heard above his head and he turned to look. Explosions were appearing all along the rock face beside which he stood. "Rocks now?"

"Rocks now," Sako mumbled as he watched. War spun his sword and kept his eye toward the sky. As a large boulder came crashing down toward him, he swung his weapon and cleaved gargantuan stone in two. He quickly brought his weapon back into ready position and swung again, slicing more rocks apart.

Sako was speechless as he watched the horseman cut through the boulders like hot butter. It was already a wonder how the man could wield such an enormous sword with just one hand, but this was just flaunting it to the point that it was insulting to everybody. "Fuck this." The Duel Sniper took aim and fired. His M107 Barrett roared as a single fifty-calibre round shot out from its barrel and soared through the air at near-invisible speed until it struck its target in the center of his forehead. The impact knocked War off his feet and he fell to the ground as the rocks crashed down on top him.

The dust settled many minutes later. War was nowhere to be seen. All that remained was a large pile of rocks.

"Fina-fucking-ly," Sako sighed as he continued to survey the area. There was no way any normal man could have survived an ordeal like that. A small bird landed on one of the stones.

Suddenly, an arm encased in red armor burst from the rocks and Sako's cigarette fell from his lips. "GOD-FUCKING-DAMNIT!"

War pulled himself out of the rocks and stood up. He turned toward the direction from which the shot at come. "I've found you!" And with that, he began heading straight for Sako. The Duel Sniper was fast running out options. All of his traps had proven useless against this seemingly unkillable foe. He had no other choice now. He quickly reloaded his sniper rifle and fired ten shots at the approaching player killer. Each one forced War back a step, but he pressed on. Sako reloaded and fired again. The result was the same.

"I really hate to do this. Fucking unkillable juggernaut. Should have never sent my kid to this damn school." He quickly reloaded yet again and managed to fire two more shots before War was literally upon him.

"No place to run this time." The horseman stood in front of Sako and raised his claymore over his head. The Duel Sniper quickly rolled to the side as the massive blade came down. He quickly leapt up to his feet as his enemy came at him again, but he swung his rifle around and struck his chin with the butt.

"Your bullets could not penetrate my armor," War said, "What hope do you have of hitting me with it?"

"I don't care," answered Sako as he pulled out his handgun, "Just die." He pulled the trigger and fired several shots, aiming for the points where his fifty-calibre rounds had hit. The bullets ricocheted off his armor as War swung his sword again. Sako leaned back as far as he could to avoid the horizontal slash and flipped backward onto his feet. He slung his rifle over his shoulder, but kept it in a ready position with his finger on the trigger. He continued firing from his handgun, but to no avail as War's seemingly impenetrable armor just deflected every shot.

As the horseman swung his sword, the Duel Sniper continued to avoid it. "You cannot run forever. My blade thirsts for your blood!" War cried out, half laughing. "And so do I."

"Sorry, but we're fresh out." Sako fired two more shots from his handgun before bringing his sniper rifle forward and firing a shot at the crossguard of War's sword as the armored man was swinging it. His aim was true as his shot knocked the blade out of his hands and it slammed into the rock behind him. War looked back at his weapon, but did not go for it. He instead continued forward, grabbing Sako by the head with his hand and throwing him forward. The strap of his Barrett came off from shoulder and the gun landed a ways away while he hit the ground hard.

The Duel Sniper, a little dazed from the fall, looked up to see War approaching him. The horseman raised his leg and slammed his foot down hard. Sako quickly rolled to the side to avoid getting crushed and the bright red armored boot sank into the ground. War pulled out and tried to stomp him again, but his opponent evaded again. Sako rolled away onto his back and fired another five shots from his handgun before he finally ran out of ammunition.

"Do you honestly expect that little pea shooter to damage me?" the horseman inquired.

"Not really, but it doesn't hurt to try." Sako hurled the gun at War's face and struck his face plate. He then rolled closer and whipped out his knife. He brought himself against his opponent's leg and thrust the blade in behind his knee where the joint was. His eyes brightened as he saw blood drip out and he knew that he had drawn first blood.

Suddenly, War's other foot slammed into Sako's ribs hard and he few halfway across the battlefield. The horseman reached down and pulled out the knife. With the blade in his hand, he clenched his fist tight and shattered it with ease. He made his way over to his opponent without a hint of a limp and picked him up with one hand.

"I am going to crush your skull," he barked out with mad glee.

"I don't think so," replied Sako. War felt something press against his armor and he looked down to see the barrel of Sako's Barrett pressed against it. He looked up again and stared into his opponent's grey eyes.

"You, I like." War grinned brightly at the sniper, a bloodlust in his eyes. A worthy foe.

"I'll have it engraved on your headstone." Sako pulled the trigger and War was blown away. Unfortunately, the horseman did not let go upon impact and he dragged the sniper with him, causing the rifle to drop. The two of them hit a rock and fell. Sako had his arm over his stomach. When War had kicked him, he landed on his sniper rifle which, as he found out, was quite a painful experience. The feeling was made no less painful when War grabbed him and slammed his armored fist into his stomach, forcing up a mouthful of blood onto the carpet.

"Give it up," War said, "There's no way you can win."

"That's what you think." Sako recovered quickly and slammed his own fist against War. He let out a cry of pain a few seconds later as he withdrew his arm.

"Punching solid metal? You must be mad." War slammed his fist into Sako's stomach, knocking the wind out of him, forcing the sniper to his knees. War looked down with a wide grin, ready to strike once more with his mighty fists.

"Underestimating the enemy is a deadly mistake." Without warning, Sako's foot slammed against War's chin as the Duel Sniper performed a backflip, springing up from his crouched position. The horseman flew backward and landed hard on his back. Sako lost his footing upon landing and he fell forward. Two of his ribs were like shattered glass in his chest, burning with each breath. As he laid their, he saw his Barrett just within arm's reach. Without a second thought, he grabbed it and sat up to point it at his opponent. He was immediately met with the blade of War's claymore at his neck while the horsemen found himself staring directly into the gun's barrel.

"It appears we've reached a stalemate," War observed.

"It appears we have," Sako agreed.

The two men remained locked before War spoke again. "Perhaps we can settle this another way."

"What do you propose?" Sako inquired suspiciously.

"A duel." His lips curled up again, into the same mad smile filled with blood lust.

Sako thought for a short moment, grey eyes peering with a piercing gaze into War's eyes. "Agreed."

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

* * *

**Next Week on**_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The Duel Sniper faces War in a duel for the ages. The battle of guns against swords is about to begin. Who shall prevail? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	69. The Art of War

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

**Note:** Two chapters ago, we made a mistake with the card Saber Slash and the distinction between an X-Saber and an XX-Saber monster. This has been retconned for all future chapters.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-28**

**The Art of War**

"It appears we've reached a stalemate," War observed.

"It appears we have," Sako agreed.

The two men remained locked before War spoke again. "Perhaps we can settle this another way."

"What do you propose?" Sako inquired suspiciously.

"A duel." His lips curled up again, into the same mad smile filled with blood lust.

Sako thought for a short moment, grey eyes peering with a piercing gaze into War's eyes. "Agreed." The red horseman smirked and then reached into a sack at his side. From within he extracted two silver collars, one of which he tossed to Sako who caught it.

"What are these?" the Duel Sniper asked.

"Since you don't have a Duel Band, we have to make do with some other stakes," War explained as he withdrew his sword. Sako lowered his rifle and examined the strange device as he listened to War speak. "Place this around your neck. The collar will explode upon its wearer's Life Points reaching zero. So, any second thoughts?"

Sako looked at the collar for a long while and then placed it around his neck. "I never back away from a fight."

The two combatants moved away from each other to opposite sides of the area. Sako lit a new cigarette and inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly. He pulled his deck out from his pocket and shoved it into the butt of his rifle. On the other side, War attached his deck to his gauntlet and stabbed his claymore into the ground. He twisted the pommel ninety degrees and the sword folded out into a table-like apparatus.

"How shall we settle the turn order?" the horseman inquired.

"With this." Sako reached into the same pocket from which he took out his deck and extracted a coin. "Make your call."

"Heads."

Sako tossed the coin up. It seemed the hang in the air for a few seconds before finally coming down into his hand. "It's heads."

"You shall fall by my soldiers' blades."

"Let your troops speak for you."

--

**Sako:** 8000

**War:** 8000

--

"I draw." War drew his first card. "I summon X-Saber Uruz to the battlefield." War slapped down the card atop the folded out sword-table and watched with a gleeful smile as a red armored warrior with two gleeming swords and an animal hide cape leapt onto the field (ATK/1600 DEF/1000). "I will then set a card face down and end my turn." War slid his card into the the Spell and Trap zone and waved his hand to Sako, signaling the beginning of the sniper's turn.

"Fine. I draw." Sako drew his first card and placed it in his hand. He examined the cards he held and placed one onto the side of his M107 Barrett. "I summon Twin-Barrel Dragon, locked and loaded." The sounds of motors and gears filled the air as a mechanical dinosaur with a two-shot Derringer for a head appeared onto the field (ATK/1700 DEF/200). "When he's summoned, I select one card you control and toss a coin twice. If both results are Heads, then that card is destroyed." The Duel Sniper targetted his opponent's facedown as he took the same coin which he had used to decide the turn order and flipped it into the air. It landed on Heads and the first barrel of Twin-Barrel Dragon was loaded. He flipped it again and the coin seemed to hang in the air for a few seconds before finally coming back down. The result was another Heads. Twin-Barrel Dragon's second barrel was loaded and the creature fired one bullet at the facedown card, destroying War's Widespread Ruin.

"Twin-Barrel Dragon, fire at will!" ordered Sako. The small gun dragon took aim at X-Saber Uruz and fired its second round. The bullet went through its target and the sword-wielding warrior fell.

--

**Sako:** 8000

**War:** 7900

--

Sako puffed on his cigarette as he took two cards and placed them on the other side of his rifle. "I'll place two cards facedown." He took another drag and pointed at War.

"I draw." The horseman drew his next card. "I summon X-Saber Galahad." A chameleon-like warrior appeared in bronze armor as he grabbed a war pike from his back (ATK/1800 DEF/800). "Next I equip him with the Axe of Despair to raise his attack power by one thousand." X-Saber Galahad's pike vanished and an axe with a gnarled handle and an infused shrunken head dropped from the sky and struck the ground in front of him. He picked up the new weapon and his attack points rose up to twenty-eight hundred. "Galahad, attack that mechanical beast!" The warrior leapt forward and swung his weapon down, As his blade cleaved Twin-Barrel Dragon in two, his attack points suddenly increased to thirty-one hundred.

--

**Sako:** 6600

**War:** 7900

--

"What was that?" Sako demanded.

"Galahad's effect," War explained, "When he attacks one of my opponent's monsters, he gains three hundred attack points. However, if he is attacked, he loses five hundred attack points." X-Saber Galahad pulled his axe out from the ground upon which Twin-Barrel Dragon once stood and returned to his place. "I'm setting a card. Now let's see what those guns of yours can do."

"Ask and you'll receive." Sako drew his card. "I'll start with the Spell Card Star Blast. By paying Life Points in multiples of five hundred, I can reduce the level of one monster in my hand or on my field by one for every five hundred Life Points until the End Phase. So I'll be paying fifteen hundred Life Points to reduce this card's level by three." He took a card into his other hand and seven stars appeared over his head. Three of them suddenly exploded and the Duel Sniper was caught in the blast.

--

**Sako:** 5100

**War:** 7900

--

With his level seven monster now reduced to a level four creature, Sako placed his card on his sniper rifle. "I summon Barrel Dragon in attack mode." The grinding of motors could be heard as an enormous mechanical dragon appeared with giant revolvers for its arms and head (ATK/2600 DEF/2200). "Now I activate the Spell Card Second Coin Toss, which lets me re-toss a coin toss. Next I activate Barrel Dragon's effect. By tossing a coin three times, if two of those results are Heads then my monster destroys one creature on your side of the field. Barrel Dragon, activate Russian Roulette." The chambers began to spin as Sako flipped his coin. It landed first on Tails and the first revolver stopped on an empty chamber. He flipped a second time and the result was Heads, causing the second revolver to stop on a loaded chamber. He flipped his coin one final time and it landed on Heads. With that, the third revolver stopped on a loaded chamber and Barrel Dragon roared before cocking its hammers and taking aim. With one low growl, it pulled its triggers and fired two bullets into X-Saber Galahad. The Axe of Despair fell from his grip as his body fell to the ground and disintegrated.

"Barrel Dragon, direct attack," ordered Sako. The giant machine cocked back its hammers and readied three loaded chambers. It took aim and fired all three rounds at War.

--

**Sako:** 5100

**War:** 5300

--

The horseman stood there effortlessly taking the hits in much the same manner as he took Sako's bullets earlier.

_Does anything down this guy?_ Sako wondered as he concluded his turn.

"Your little pea shooter is no match for my blades," War said as he drew his card. His lips remained curled in a sadistic grin as he looked down at the cards in his hand. "While I have two X-Saber monsters in the graveyard and no monsters on the field I am able to Special Summon this next monster from my hand. XX-Saber Gardestrike, to arms!" War slapped the card down upon the blade-table and materialized a mighty man-bear warrior clad in teal armor (ATK/2100 DEF/1400). Upon the beast's right arm there was a weapon with three piercing, bladed spikes that curved back with a blade that went down the length of the beast's forearm. It let loose a mighty roar and let itself be known. XX-Saber Gardestrike was ready for battle. "Next I summon the Tuner monster X-Saber Airbellum to the field!" War placed down yet another card onto the field, summoning a mighty Tiger-man clad in bronze armor with three meter long metal claws on each hand, each ready to tear a man apart (ATK/1600 DEF/200).

"A Tuner? Shit, he plans on Synchro Summoning," Sako said, taking a step back as he looked at the two imposing monsters, knowing the power they would unleash soon enough.

"Exactly, my friend. Before I can do that, though, I will play my last card! When I have two or more X-Saber monsters on the field I can Special Summon this monster in attack mode! XX-Saber Faultroll to arms!" And with that War summoned forth a tall man with white hair and orange cybernetic carrying a mighty and high tech buster sword that he swung with ease using the power afforded to him by his two mechanical arms (ATK/2400 DEF/1800). "Now I will tune X-Saber Airbellum and XX-Saber Faultroll together to Synchro Summon the mightiest XX-Saber Monster! XX-Saber Gottoms! To arms!" And so the earth quaked and the clouds in the sky parted as the tiger-man and the mechanical swordsmen burst into a cloud of nine stars that descended into the Earth. The quaking increased as the ground split and from the Earth rose up a terrifying giant warrior that made the mighty Barrel Dragon look miniature in comparison. A brilliant radiance burst from the armor's plate as he held his mighty sword at the ready while his mighty red cape flapped in the wind like a banner for the X-Sabers to march under (ATK/3100 DEF/2600).

"Well shit," sighed Sako knowing what would happen next.

"XX-Saber Gottoms! Attack Barrel Dragon! Sparkling Sword!" Gottoms groaned lowly with its mountainous voice as it lifted its large blade up high and slashed the mechanical dragon in two. War laughed in ecstacy as he watched the opposing beast erupt in a powerful explosion.

--

**Sako**: 4600

**War**: 5300

--

"Gardestrike, attack now!" ordered War.

"Not so fast." Sako reached for a card on his rifle and flipped it over. "I'm activating a Quickplay Spell Card called Fires of Doomsday. This card summons two Doomsday Tokens in defense mode, each one a level one Dark Fiend with zero attack and defense points." Two black flames appeared before Sako and each of them suddenly grew a pair of short arms and a single eye opened in the centers.

"You are simply delaying the inevitable." War pointed at one of the Doomsday Tokens. "Destroy that one, Gardestrike!" XX-Saber Gardestrike charged and swung his right arm in a hook. His blade cleaved the token in two and it exploded into a small burst of black fire. "With no other monsters capable of battle this turn, I proceed to my second Main Phase. I activate the effect of XX-Saber Gottoms. By tributing one X-Saber on my field, I can force my opponent to discard a random card." XX-Saber Gottoms reached down and grabbed XX-Saber Gardestrike. He killed it and smeared the blood on his sword. The corpse vanished and the great knight raised his weapon and swung it with both hands at Sako. The blood flew off the blade and struck the Duel Sniper's hand, melting away the card.

"Well executed," Sako complimented.

"Are hands our empty. Can your deck yield anything with which you can defeat my mighty warrior?" War taunted.

"We'll let fate decide." Sako drew his card. It was one of his powerful cards. However, an examination of the field proved that now was not the time to play it. He passed his turn and War drew his card. The armored horseman tucked it into the card holder on his gauntlet and pointed forward.

"XX-Saber Gottoms, attack that other token," he ordered. XX-Saber Gottoms swung his sword and destroyed with second Doomsday Token with incredible ease. "I'll end with this card." War set the card his just drew facedown into one of his Spell and Trap Card zones and signified the end of his turn.

Sako drew his next card without a word. The one he received was one that brought a sparkle to one of his grey eyes. There was still a one-in-three chance that it would not work. However, he was running out of options. Without another thought, he placed it on his Barrett. "I summon Snipe Hunter." A small grey and black demon appeared on Sako's side of the field. It stood there grinning as it took out some kind of ray gun with a dial numbered one through to six (ATK/1500 DEF/600). "Now I activate his effect. By discarding one card from my hand, Snipe Hunter can target one card on the field. Then he spins the dial on his ray gun and if the result is not a one or a six, then that card is destroyed." Sako discarded Blowback Dragon from his hand and turned to his creature. "Do it."

Snipe Hunter pointed his weapon at XX-Saber Gottoms and pressed a button, causing the dial to begin to spin. Both Duelists watched and it eventually slowed down. It finally came to a stop on the number three. The tiny demon cackled and pulled the trigger. A laser shot out and struck XX-Saber Gottoms. The great knight collapsed and fell to the dust.

"Snipe Hunter, your target is vulnerable." Sako pointed at War with the barrel of his rifle. "Fire at will." Snipe Hunter pointed his ray gun at the horseman and fired a laser at him.

--

**Sako**: 4600

**War**: 3800

--

"That ends my turn now." Sako took another drag from his cigarette and nodded toward his opponent.

"You shall pay dearly for destroying Gottoms," War swore as he drew. "And XX-Saber Garsem shall make sure of that. To arms!" An anthropomorphic antelope wearing armor and a red cape appeared on the field and brandished a pair of swords that looked like long white antelope antlers (ATK/1400 DEF/400). "And for his effect, Garsem gains two hundred attack points for every X-Saber monster I control. Including himself." XX-Saber Garsem crossed his blades as his attack power rose up to sixteen hundred. "Attack." The beast galloped forward and thrust one of his blades through Snipe Hunter's chest and out his back. He slowly pulled out and then returned to his place as the small demon died.

--

**Sako**: 4500

**War**: 3800

--

"Show me what battle strategy you have next," War said upon the conclusion of his turn.

Sako drew his card and swore quietly. It was not a Monster card. With nothing to defend himself, he was bound to take a hit on his opponent's turn. Still, the card he had would be useful down the road so he set it.

"I draw." War drew his next card and his eye gleamed behind his helmet. "And I call X-Saber Palomuro to arms." A green armored lizardman appeared wielding a short pike (ATK/200 DEF/300). "Now I tune X-Saber Palomuro to X-Saber Garsem." Both creatures' bodies faded into stars and X-Saber Palomuro's single star formed into a ring that circled X-Saber Garsem's four. A beam of light engulfed them and struck the ground before War. "Synchro Summon. Come forth X-Saber Wayne! You have been called to arms." Amidst the dust and sand, there stood a tall man dressed in Western clothes holding a short gun sword in one hand (ATK/2100 DEF/400). "Strike now." X-Saber Wayne cocked his gun sword and pointed it at Sako. Without taking even a second to aim, a gunshot ran out through the air.

--

**Sako**: 2400

**War**: 3800

--

"My turn ends here."

Sako drew his card and groaned. It was his second Barrel Dragon, a card that was useless in this situation. He had no choice but to end his turn.

"That's it?" War drew his card. "This will be over soon. I summon another X-Saber Palomuro and then I'll tune him to X-Saber Wayne." A second lizardman appeared and immediately tuned itself to the Westerner. In seconds, a woman garbed in blue with bronze armor and a short red cape appeared wielding a sword (ATK/2300 DEF/1300). "XX-Saber Hyunlei. And when she is Synchro Summoned, I can select and destroy up to three Spell or Trap Cards on the field. Such as your three."

"Oh shit." Sako quickly reached out and flipped a card over. "Not happening. I activate Divine Wrath. By discarding one card, I negate your Effect Monster's effect and destroy it." He discarded Barrel Dragon and a bolt of lightning shot down and struck XX-Saber Hyunlei. She cried in pain before her body was destroyed, leaving both monster fields empty once again.

"Well played," War said.

"Seeing as you have no more cards to play, I'll begin my turn." Sako drew his card. Finally, he had a summonable monster and he was not going to let it go to waste. "I summon X-Head Cannon." A blue and yellow robot with cannon on its shoulders materialized before him (ATK/1800 DEF/1500). "Blast him." X-Head Cannon aimed its cannons at War and fired.

--

**Sako**: 2400

**War**: 2000

--

"Your go."

War drew his card and placed it in defense mode. Sako then made his move and drew. He summoned his card immediately. "I summon Z-Metal Tank." A large yellow tank with two sets of treads appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/1300). "Now I activate its ability as a Union Monster and equip it to X-Head Cannon, boosting its attack power by six hundred." X-Head Cannon docked with Z-Metal Tank and its attack points rose to twenty-four hundred. The blue robot then took aim and blasted War's facedown, which turned out to be XX-Saber Ragigura (ATK/200 DEF/1000).

"My troops' turn now." War drew his card and promptly set it in defense mode again.

Sako's turn came yet again and he drew. "First I unequip Z-Metal Tank from X-Head Cannon." The two machines disconnected and returned to their original forms. "Now I summon Y-Dragon Head." A red mechanical dragon appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/1600). "Now by removing from play X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank from my field, I can Fusion Summon XYZ-Dragon Cannon." Z-Metal Tank's sides opened and two large cannons slid out. The treads spread out a little as a docking station appeared on top of the tank. Y-Dragon Head's back opened up into another docking station as its feet were folded into its body and its wings were detached. The red mechanical dragon docked with Z-Metal Tank and then X-Head Cannon docked with Y-Dragon Head (ATK/2800 DEF/2600).

"Fire at will!" All four cannons as well as Y-Dragon Head's mouth were all aimed at the card and they blasted it at once. The facedown X-Saber Anu Piranha (ATK/1800 DEF/1100) did not survive.

War drew again. This time it was not a monster card. Sako could not read his expression, however, as the helmet obscured his face. He waited until his opponent placed it in a Spell and Trap Card zone.

"My turn now." The Duel Sniper was prepared to discard a card for XYZ-Dragon Cannon's effect, but when he saw the card he drew he could not bring himself to do so. "I play Overload Fusion. I remove from play Blowback Dragon and Barrel Dragon from my graveyard and Fusion Summon the mighty Gatling Dragon." A massive machine rolled out onto the field on spiked chariot wheels with three long necks, each capped by a massive Gatling gun turret (ATK/ 2600 DEF/1200). "Fire when ready."

"That is not to happen." War revealed his facedown. "Call of the Haunted, return the great one to the land of the living. XX-Saber Gottoms, your duty calls you back to arms from the world beyond." The enormous knight appeared on the field and stood between the horseman and the incoming attack.

"Cease fire!" ordered Sako. His Gatling Dragon halted its attack immediately.

You've lost," War cackled as he drew. "I now activate my final facedown, Gottoms' Emergency Call. As long as I have an X-Saber on my field, two more can be summoned from my graveyard. Rank up, X-Saber Wayne and XX-Saber Hyunlei. Within seconds, the three most powerful creatures in War's deck stood together ready to slaughter all in their path. "XX-Saber Gottoms, you may attack first. Destroy that Gatling Dragon!" XX-Saber Gottoms charged forward with his sword raised.

"You just triggered my trap." Sako activated his own final facedown. "This is a Trap Card called Covering Fire. If you attack one of my monsters, this card gives that monster attack points equal to that of another monster on my field during the Damage Step. And seeing as I only have one other monster, that means my beast gains a twenty-eight hundred bonus." Gatling Dragon's attack points rose significantly to fifty-four hundred as XYZ-Dragon Cannon rolled up beside it. "Open fire!" Four powerful cannon bursts along with with a laser blast shot out from XYZ-Dragon Cannon as Gatling Dragon then unleashed a hailstorm of blasts shattered the mighty knight's sword and tore apart his armor which was followed up by an immeasurable amount of lead pumped into the target. Before long, XX-Saber Gottoms fell in defeat.

--

**Sako**: 2400

**War**: 0

--

War's table folded back up into his claymore as he collapsed on one knee and growled. "This...isn't...over...."

"By your own stakes, it is," Sako corrected him.

A series of beeps started coming from War's neck and he remembered he was wearing the collar from earlier. "Oh son of a..." The metal collar exploded and he collapsed.

Sako sighed heavily and the cigarette butt fell from his mouth. He put his cards away and slung his sniper rifle over his shoulder. He had done his task and with it he had left a message. A message to the other horsemen and their employer.

o o o

Roman was sitting at Pegasus' desk looking out the window with a chardonnay in his hand. His reports from Famine, Pestilence, and Death had been coming in consistently. However, those from War had stopped suddenly. Noah stepped into the office wearing his pyjamas holding his plush toy in one arm and his toothbrush in his other hand.

"Something wrong?" the boy inquired.

"Nothing of any major concern," answered Roman as he took a sip of his wine. Noah just shrugged and continued on to his room. The businessman continued looking out the window. Things were getting interesting now.

o o o

Sako had left long ago. The body clad in red hadn't moved in hours. But as the moonlight gleamed off the armor, its left hand suddenly closed into a fist. Coughs echoed from behind the face mask as the red horseman pulled himself to his feet. He looked around. Nobody was there. His opponent had left. His fist tightened. Without another word, he grabbed his sword and turned around. As if on cue, a portal opened up and a man with long blond hair in red robes could be seen on the other side. War slowly made his way through, uttering only a few words.

"I told you.... This...isn't...over...."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Things heat up as Nicky draws closer to his prey. But his trail blazing is halted as Coltyn steps forward to take the heat. Who will burn out first? You'll want to get fired up next Friday's episode of _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	70. Dive into Inferno

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-29**

**Dive into Inferno**

Nicky's maniacal laughter filled the air as his monsters incinerated his opponent's Rabid Horseman and Nightmare Horse. Each one turned into cinders as the fires whipped around him, heat licking at his cheeks. His opponent fell to his knees, drenched and sweat and red from the heat of the flames. Nicky's toothy grin went from ear to ear as he looked down to the young boy. "Well, mate, that was a bundle o' fun, but ya didn't last too long didja? Oi am a bit disappointed wif ya." He cackled as he put his foot on his fallen opponent and pushed him down a slope. As he watched him tumble, his phone rang. A look at the caller ID brought a scowl to his face. But nonetheless, he answered.

"Wot do ya want?" he demanded.

"Return to home base," Judgement's voice came through and then the line went dead. Nicky growled. He genuinely did not like that man. Having no other choice, however, he went on his way.

It took him some time since the home base was on the opposite end of the island. But Nicky found himself walking along a rocky beach as he approached his destination. The decreasing footing was a sign he was close. A narrow ledge of wet slippery rocks was his indication that he was almost there. He soon arrived at the mouth of a cave and followed the path of jagged wet stones inside. Up ahead was light and before long he exited the tunnel into a grotto deep beneath the island. Terry and Judgement were already there sitting on some rocks while the dark man stood on a boat that was stationed in the middle of the water. He was leaning against a massive steel crate which Nicky grinned gleefully at.

"Is dat it? It finally got 'ere?" Nicky asked. the dark man nodded, which Nicky leapt up into the air in ecstatic joy, bounding over to the crate. "Its just like Chrissmas and me Birfday all in one! Oi finally get to 'ave some fun on dis bloody island!"

"Not so fast, Nicky," the dark man said, "I'm not going to just give this to you."

"Wot the 'ell are ye talkin' 'bout?" Nicky demanded.

"We're talking about you," Terry answered.

"An' wot 'bout me?"

"You're out of control," the dark man said.

"We came to this island with a mission." Terry stood up and walked up the gangplank onto the boat. "We're supposed to use subtlety and you're anything but subtle. Every time you engage another Duelist, you make a big show if it."

"Sod off, Terry," Nicky growled.

"Until we have good reason to give you this, you're not getting your hands on it," the dark man said firmly.

Nicky turned around and stormed out of the cave. He left a trail of waving specters behind him as plants wilted and browned with each step. A patch of grass burned and blackened, shriveling into smoke, ash and cinders. He walked off and Terry sighed.

"You know, it is scary how powerful he is," Terry said, rubbing the back of his head and looking to the dark man. The dark man nodded beneath his cloak and watched the quivering heat in the air.

"And when he is mad he is all the more terrifying." The dark man said, shadows shifting around him. "Good."

o o o

News of War's defeat had spread quickly to the remaining horsemen. Death simply shrugged it off and Pestilence was coughing too hard to interpret the message properly. However, Famine seemed to be very interested. He had heard rumors about the legendary Duel Sniper. If he had managed to defeat War, then it was logical that he would be hunting the other Horsemen as well. With scales in hand, the black horseman kicked his horse and turned it around.

"Let's go. We have a hunter to hunt."

o o o

Reka was sitting at the mouth of the cave looking out at the sea. Behind her, Mikey was sound asleep using his backpack as a pillow. Umi crouched down beside him and placed a blanket over his body. She smiled seeing his peaceful face in the light of the campfire and kissed his cheek before joining Reka.

"Where are Coltyn and Mika?" she asked.

"Mika will be back soon and Coltyn said he was going to patrol the perimeter," Reka answered.

"Why would he do that? We're pretty safe here," Umi said.

"He's your friend, isn't he? Shouldn't you know?" was Reka's response. Umi shook her head.

"I really don't know him that well. He only ever talks to me if he needs to."

"Men can be hard to understand sometimes. They often let their actions speak for them and they'll always have secrets they can't tell women. Sometimes they'll even speak to one another without words and they'll still understand each other. It's complex."

"Well I suppose you would know quite a bit about men," Umi replied. Reka turned toward the pop idol and just looked at her.

"What do you mean by that?"

Umi shifted her weight and placed her hand on top of Reka's. She cracked a light smile, tilting her head slightly to the side. Reka swallowed a lump in her throat and laughed lightly. Umi giggled and nodded at Reka, who began to shift uncomfortably in her seat. Umi patted Reka on the shoulder and stood up, walking away from the lavender haired girl.

"Just because I'm a pop star," Umi started, stopping in her tracks and looking back to Reka, "doesn't mean I'm stupid." Umi walked away with a smile on her face. Reka sat alone, shifting the sand in her hand.

o o o

Nicky kicked a rock in frustration as he walked across the island. "Outta control. Wot the 'ell they talkin' 'bout? Oi ain't got no control problem!" His Duel Band suddenly beeped and he turned to face a stranger in the shadows. He watched as the figure with a hoodie pulled up to conceal his face summoned a Gene-Warped Warwolf.

"Your move," he said blandly.

"Oh, well if'n it ain't one'a da blands," Nicky responded as he activated his Duel Disk and drew his hand, "You got some nerve thinkin' 'bout facin' me." In no time at all, his Flamvells reduced his opponent's Life Points to zero and he stormed off without abusing the fallen Duelist any further.

"Oi ain't got no time fer 'em." Nicky was not happy. The words of Terry and his superior had angered him to the point where his sadistic pleasure no longer seemed to please him. He trudged across the island for what seemed like hours. Eventually, he was able to calm down a little bit, but his blood was still boiling. As he entered a clearing that overlooked the sea, he noticed a stream of smoke off to the side. He looked, but could not see a campfire anywhere. It was as if the smoke was coming from the side of the cliff. He leaned out as far as he could, but could not get a good look. He resorted to lying down and then stretched out as far as possible. He strained his eyes to see a mass of blue duck inside and a faint glimmer of light reflecting off some kind of glass surface come into view; a surface that was probably a pair of work goggles.

"Oi've found you!" he cackled. He quickly sprang to his feet and ran toward the direction of the smoke, but he was stopped when Coltyn stepped in front of him with his Duel Band flashing.

"You're not going another step."

"Outta me way, ya little..." Nicky stopped and then activated his Duel Disk, remembering that there was no way out of a duel on this island. "Oi'll deal wit' you quickly."

"Let your deck speak for you," Coltyn replied as he shoved his deck into his Duel Disk. He thought he recognized his person from somewhere, so he felt he had to ask. "Didn't I see you compete at the Helios Cup two years ago?"

"Ah, so ye rememba," Nicky mused.

"You were disqualified for violent behavior."

The sadistic pyromaniac growled and held up his arm. "Oi'm gunna end dis roight now!"

--

**Coltyn:** 8000

**Nicky:** 8000

--

"Oi got tha first draw!" Nicky ripped the top card off his deck and placed it in his hand. "Oi summon Neoflamvell Sabre!" A mass of fire suddenly exploded from the ground in front of him and a man with fiery orange hair and a lizard tail appeared wielding a flaming sword (ATK/1500 DEF/200). "Now fer 'is effect! If me opponent's got four cards or less in 'is graveyard, Neoflamvell Sabre gets a whoppin' six 'undred 'tack points!" The flames on Neoflamvell Sabre's sword began burning hotter and brighter as his attack points rose up to twenty-one hundred. "Oi now set one card and end me turn." Nicky grinned as he slid the facedown into the Duel Disk.

"Draw," Coltyn announced, remembering the haunting footage of the Helios Cup and the fires of the Flamvell monsters. "I set one monster facedown and play Soul of Fire. You draw one card through its effect and I remove one Pyro monster from my deck. You then take half the attack of that monster as damage." Nicky smiled as he drew the card and Coltyn pulled his deck from its slot and selected his card. "I choose Infernal Flame Emperor, whose attack is twenty-seven hundred. That means you take thirteen hundred and fifty damage." As Coltyn slid the card into his pocket the air around Nicky burst into flames, hissing and crackling around him.

--

**Coltyn:** 8000

**Nicky:** 6650

--

As the flames and smoke cleared Nicky stood laughing, almost dancing as he hopped up and down. "A Fire deck! A Fire deck! Ye 'ave a Fire deck! Now Oi get to 'ave some fun! Whoo hoo! Burn, burn burn!" Coltyn stared at him with a raised eyebrow, as if Nicky was insane. He was.

"I end my turn," Coltyn stated, ready for whatever came next.

"Goodie goodie, mate. Oi draw." Nicky slid the card off the top of the deck enthusiastically and laughed. "Next, Oi activate the trap Meteor Flare!" The facedown Nicky had set down earlier revealed itself and Nicky grinned from ear to ear as he held two cards up. "By discarding two cards from me 'and while ya 'ave ovah three thousand life points Oi can deal two thousand damage to ya." Nicky place the cards in the grave tray and the trap fired three streams of fire at Coltyn, converging at a single point on his chest before erupting in a large, fiery blaze.

--

**Coltyn:** 6000

**Nicky:** 6650

--

Coltyn winced, feeling the heat as if it were real. "Next Oi play Burning Land!" Nicky slid the Spell Card into the slot and a raging infero blasted out from it and across the land around them, rolling over the ground like a wave.

"What are you doing?" Coltyn questioned, a bead of sweat forming on his brow. "Burning Land's effect to destroy a Field Spell doesn't work without a Field Spell."

"Oi know." Nicky said with a nod, shaking in excitement. "Burning Land also burns both of us for five 'undred points every Standby Phase."

_Shit, he's got a point_, Coltyn thought as he wiped his forehead with his shirt.

"Now Oi'm thinkin' it be time fer 'nother monster." Nicky took a card from his hand and slapped it onto his Duel Disk. "Me Flamvell Firedog!" A pillar of lava erupted from the spot beside Neoflamvell Sabre and a dog made of magma and igneous rock appeared (ATK/1900 DEF/200). "Flamvell Firedog, 'ave a nice meal!" The flaming hound leapt forward with a maw of burning teeth and it bit down on Coltyn's facedown creature, which turned out to be UFO Turtle (ATK/1400 DEF/1200).

"You destroyed my UFO Turtle by battle." Coltyn's deck ejected a single card. He took it out and the rest were shuffled. "And when that happens, I can Special Summon a Fire monster with fifteen hundred or less attack points from my deck or hand in attack position. So here's another UFO Turtle." A large turtle with an alien spacecraft appeared before Coltyn and raised its head up at the snarling dog from hell.

"Well now me Firedog's effect activates," Nicky said as the flames surrounding the field engulfed the trees, casting a bright orange glow upon the duel. "If 'e destroys a monster in battle, Oi can summon a Fire monster wit' two 'undred or less defense from me deck. So Oi pick me Flamvell Grunika!" In another burst of fire, a winged purple dragon with live flames for its mane and tail appeared wearing brown leather pants (ATK/1700 DEF/200). "Now me Grunika's gunna blow yer monster ta 'ell!" Flamvell Gurnika summoned a fireball to its palm and then threw it at UFO Turtle like a baseball. The mechanical reptile was struck and exploded into a shower of seared flesh and scrap metal.

--

**Coltyn:** 5700

**Nicky:** 6650

--

"An' wit' Grunika's effect, you take two 'hundred damage time the level of your monster." Nicky grinned maniacally as Flamvell Grunika opened its mouth and unleashed a jet of flames directly at Coltyn.

--

**Coltyn:** 5900

**Nicky:** 6650

--

"I summon another UFO Turtle in his place," Coltyn brought out his third turtle and stood ready for what was to come next.

"Neoflamvell Sabre, go!" The swordsman leapt up and slashed the final UFO Turtle with its blade.

--

**Coltyn:** 5200

**Nicky:** 6650

--

"I summon out The Thing in the Crater." A circular pool of lava opened in front of Coltyn and a thick wall of smoke rose up, silhouetting a large figure with piercing red glowing eyes (ATK/1000 DEF/1200).

"Oi set a facedown." Nicky placed a card inside his Duel Disk and a hologram appeared at his feet. "Yer move."

"Draw." Coltyn drew his card. As his Standby Phase came, the flames of Nicky's Burning Land closed in on him, scorching the land around him with a heat so intense he could feel it as if it were real.

--

**Coltyn:** 4700

**Nicky:** 6650

--

Coltyn wiped his sweat on his shirt and examined his hand. "I sacrifice The Thing in the Crater to summon Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch." The silhouetted creature sank into the lava and in its place rose a great emperor in fire red armor wearing a cape as blue as the hot flame (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "And his effect forces you to discard a random card from your hand and if it's a monster, you take damage equal to its attack multiplied by one hundred. But first, I'll resolve the effect of The Thing in the Crater, allowing me to Special Summon a Pyro monster from my hand. And I choose Solar Flare Dragon." A blazing flare nearly blinded both Duelists as a burning serpentine dragon appeared on the field and hissed (ATK/1500 DEF/1000). "Now since a monster with fifteen hundred or less attack points was Special Summoned to my side of the field while you had at least one face-up monster on yours, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Inferno Reckless Summon. Now I can Special Summon all monsters with the same name as the monster I summoned from my hand, deck, and graveyard. Then you have to select one monster you control and Special Summon all the monsters with the same name from your hand, deck, and graveyard." Two cards were ejected from Coltyn's deck. He took them and the rest of the cards were shuffled as he summoned his other two Solar Flare Dragons.

"Then Oi pick me other Neoflamvell Sabre." Nicky summoned his second fiery swordsman and it stood alongside its twin, Flamvell Firedog, and Flamvell Grunika.

"And now that those effects have been resolved, it's finally time for Thestalos' effect." Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch pointed two fingers at Nicky's hand and launched a small burst of fire that burned one of the cards.

"Oi! That's me Flamvell Archer!"

"A level three monster," Coltyn noted. He pointed at his monarch and Thestalos launched a much more powerful burst of fire at Nicky this time.

--

**Coltyn:** 4700

**Nicky:** 6350

--

"Thestalos, attack Flamvell Firedog," ordered Coltyn. The great Firestorm Monarch summoned a fireball to his hand and launched it at the fiery beast. Flamvell Firedog howled as it was consumed back into the inferno.

--

**Coltyn:** 4700

**Nicky:** 5850

--

"I'll set a card facedown." Coltyn placed a card down and looked at Nicky. "Now I end my turn and for each Solar Flare Dragon on my field during the End Phase, you take five hundred points of damage." One by one, the Solar Flare Dragons began to burn brightly and the heat from their bodies burned Nicky for a grand total of fifteen hundred Life Points.

--

**Coltyn:** 4700

**Nicky:** 4350

--

As the heat wave passed, Nicky stood slouched with his head hung as if lifeless. Then he began to quiver and a gasp escaped his lips. That gasp developed into a silent chuckle. Coltyn took a step back as Nicky threw his head back and laughed loudly.

"You've got guts, kid. Oi loike that. But y'ain't gunna impress me wit' that l'il show." The insane pyromaniac drew his next card and the flames of the Burning Land scorched away his Life Points.

--

**Coltyn:** 4700

**Nicky:** 3850

--

"Oi sack one o' me Neoflamvell Sabres ta summon Flamvell Commando!" The swordsman vanished in a blazing flare and in its lace another muscular man with a lizard tail and fiery hair appeared, this time wielding an enormous firearm (ATK/2200). "Now I play me Rekindling, lettin' me summon as many Fire monsters from me grave as possible." With two Monster Zones still open, he resurrected Flamvell Archer and Flamvell Gurnika. "Now Oi tune me Archer to me Neoflamvell Saber!" Flamvell Archer's and Neoflamvell Saber's bodies burned away until three stars and four stars respectively rose from the ashes. The former set encircled the latter until a trio of rings had formed and a pillar of fire shot down and engulfed them all.

"Say 'ello to me Ancient Flamvell Deity!" A towering entity with a body of pure fire rose up behind Nicky clad in crimson armor that encased its legs, forearms, torso, and face. It stood erect as it crossed its arms over its chest (ATK/2500 DEF/200). "An' now for its special ability! When 'e's summoned, Oi can remove from play cards in your graveyard equal to the number of cards in your hand and my Ancient Flamvell Deity gains two 'undred attack points fer each card removed. An' since you've got three cards, Oi remove your three UFO Turtles." An altar appeared in front of Nicky and Coltyn's three UFO Turtles appeared chained to it. Ancient Flamvell Deity reached down and grabbed all three sacrifices in a single hand. He absorbed them into his body and his body started to burn wildly as his attack points rose up by six hundred to thirty-one hundred points.

"Now for my Flamvell Commando's effect. By removin' a monster wit' two 'undred defense points from me grave, 'e can do damage equal ta its original attack. An' the first one Oi'm removin' is the Flamvell Commando Oi discarded at the beginnin' o' the duel for Meteor Flare!" His Duel Disk ejected the card from his graveyard and he placed it in his pocket. "Fire when ready, Commando!" Flamvell Commando loaded his gun and took aim. A fiery orange glow built up inside the barrel and when he pulled the trigger, a blast of fire-element energy shot out. The beam slowly took on the form of the Flamvell Commando just before it collided with Coltyn in a fiery hellstorm.

--

**Coltyn:** 2500

**Nicky:** 3850

--

"Now Ancient Flamvell Deity, attack wit' Sea o' Fire!" Ancient Flamvell Deity raised an arm back and slammed it into the ground in front of its feet. The impact created a massive shockwave of fire that rose up and towered over all things. Coltyn took a step back and fell over as the flames passed over him and wiped out Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch.

--

**Coltyn:** 1800

**Nicky:** 3850

--

"Oi end wit' a facedown," Nicky announced with a mad grin.  
"My move." Coltyn drew his card and the effects of his opponent's Burning Land could be felt once again.

--

**Coltyn:** 1300

**Nicky:** 3850

--

Coltyn hissed as the flames licked his cheeks and swirled around him. The flames burned hotter than anything Coltyn had ever felt before. The flames burned hotter than anything Coltyn had ever imagined before. Most importantly, the flames burned. They actually burned.

"AGH!" Coltyn cried out, dropping to his knees as he felt the heat blazing about him, his heart sinking deep into his chest, trying to hide from Nicky's flames. He felt his fear revealed in the light of the flickering hellfire that surrounded him.

Buh-bum. Buh-bum. Buh-bum. Coltyn's heart was screaming in its hiding place to run away, pounding on his chest in a fury. He did not run, though he wanted to. He did not flee or sprint or quit, not because he was brave, but because he couldn't. Within those flames, flickering high and encircling his frame, Coltyn saw the heart of hell and through the fire he saw the face of paralyzing fear. Through the mask of orange and red hellfire Coltyn saw the ever grinning pearly white teeth of Nicky with piercing and evil eyes filled with wicked joy. It was at that moment that Coltyn thought he saw Nicky's mohawk split behind the waves of heat into two horns. He had tried to fight the flames of hell with a match box and had lost.

"It's ova." Nicky called out as he activated his facedown. "Oi activate Spiritual Fire Art — Kurenai. Oi sack one Fire monster and burn ya for damage equal to its original attack points!" Ancient Flamvell Deity exploded and an enormous wave of fire rained down on the field and swallowed Coltyn whole.

--

**Coltyn:** 0

**Nicky:** 3850

--

Maniacal laughter ripped from Nicky's throat as he gloated triumphantly over his fallen opponent, who laid prone and motionless as the smoke cleared. However, his usually prolonged victory was cut short when he remembered he had something important to do. "Oi'll deal wit' ya later if Oi eva see ya." And with that, he ran off.

o o o

Mikey bolted up from sleep, awoken by the shrill beeping of his duel disk. He looked down at it and his jaw went slack. "Coltyn...no." He looked around the cave. Umi stirred in her sleep beside him, but she continued to doze on, sleeping through the noise. Mikey bit his lip at the news that Coltyn was defeated and got up. Reka hadn't moved once since he had gone to bed. Leaving his jacket behind, he went over and sat down beside her. He turned to her and was able to ask her something when he saw her face. Something was wrong.

"Reka? What's going on?"

Reka said nothing for a long time. She looked at Mikey, then behind her at Umi and Mika, who had returned about an hour ago. When she finally did, she only spoke a few words, her goggles glinting in the moonlight. "Pack up. We're moving out."

o o o

Nicky returned to the cave in extremely high spirits. Terry had gone out, but Judgement was still there as was the dark man. He raced up onto the boat and looked at the shadowy figure. "Oi need it now."

"I don't think so," his superior replied, "You still can't control yourself."

"Well this is important! I found 'im!"

Silence took over the cave. It lasted for a few minutes.

"Are you sure it was him?" Judgement asked.

"Oi know 'im when Oi see 'im an' it was 'im!"

"You're sure?" The dark man's gaze pierced through Nicky's soul, studying every inch of his body and analyzing him carefully.

"Oi swear it on me mum's grave."

"You're the one who killed her," Judgement muttered. The dark man finally nodded and unlocked the steel crate.

"Make sure you use it well," he said as he pulled the doors open. Nicky's eyes widened and his smile stretched into an insane grin.

"Oi want it!"

"Find him, defeat him, and its yours forever," the dark man promised.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Terry's ripping up the island with the cards in his hand. Jurassic giants right at his command. Find out more next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	71. Jurassic Giants

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-30**

**Jurassic Giants**

Mr. Thulin and Marcel were the only teachers left from the team of four that had come to the island. Hassleberry was the first to go after having been beaten by an unknown opponent. Miss Marina was next, defeated by War of the Four Horsemen. They had come to save as many of the students as possible. Their plan had gone very badly. Duelist Kingdom was full of surprises. Oftentimes, they unintentionally engaged students in duels that ended in very undesirable results. Other times they were successful in rounding up students, but they never lasted long as the teens were quickly discovered in whatever hideout they were in.

As things stood now, only the French teacher and the student teacher remained with no lasting groups of rescued students. "Monsieur Thulin, how long do you zink we can keep zis up?"

"I don't know, Marcel. I just..." Mr. Thulin sighed as he put his hand over his eyes. "...don't know."

"We had come here to help with zee students, but we have failed. I do not know what it is we should be doing next."

"We don't need to get all expository, man, I know. We fucked up. Bringing it up again just will make us feel like shit. The only thing I can think of to help is to get into that castle and see what they are doing, but then that leaves those horsemen out there. It is fucking bullshit."

"Ah oui. Zee horsemen..." Marcel looked sullen. Too often had they found students lying on the ground with their cards and Duel Disks in varying states of mutilation. It was very fortunate that none of the students themselves had been harmed, but there had been many close calls.

"Chancellor Rhodes." Marcel looked up. "She would know what to do."

"Pfft, yeah right." Mr. Thulin looked the other way. "She was sitting with her head up her ass like the rest of you guys. I will say that the only smart thing she did was send her husband here with her friends. At least they have hero experience. They'll save the kids."

"I hope you are right."

The two teachers at alone in silence. Approximately thirteen minutes had passed when Mr. Thulin got up. "Where are you going?" Marcel inquired.

"I can't fucking stand it," was Mr. Thulin's response, "I am going for a walk, maybe I can find some students. Maybe I can actually do something to help them...maybe."

"I'll stay here zen," replied the French teacher,"Please, be careful."

"Whatever man." And with those two words, Mr. Thulin left.

o o o

The sun was rising and the sunlight slowly began to shine into the cave where a great deal of commotion was happening. "Why do we have to pack?" asked Mikey as he watched Reka and Mika move about at an almost panicked pace. He received no answer but was instead tossed a very large bag that knocked him onto his back.

"No time to explain. I'll tell you as we're leaving," answered Reka.

"Reka." Mika paused for a moment and looked at the other woman. "Can we be absolutely sure that it was him?"

"I'd rather not take any chances," answered Reka.

"What about that thing?" Umi asked as he pointed to the camouflage net in the back.

"We're still trying to figure that one out," Reka said as she continued stuffing things away into her bag.

o o o

Nicky's demonic grin was etched so deep into his face that it seemed like a permanent change as he sped across the island back to the spot where he had dueled Coltyn last night. "Oi got ye now," he thought out loud, "an' you ain't gettin' away from me this time!"

o o o

Some time had passed since Mr. Thulin had gone off to scout. Marcel stayed in camp with his Duel Disk ready in case any Duelists came by. So far, none had shown up but he still had to be on guard. The pale teacher looked at his watch. Mr. Thulin had been gone for a while. He hoped nothing bad had happened to him. He was about to try contacting him when his Duel Band suddenly locked onto a nearby Duelist. He turned to look, but saw nobody around.

"Looks like I've found another one." The voice caused Marcel to turn again and he found himself facing Terry. The bald biker was wearing a red and orange Duel Disk with a tyrannosaurus head as the deck slot and the field designed with dinosaur claws bordering the zones.

"Qui est'ce?" Marcel asked.

"I don't speak French," Terry replied.

"Oh, sorry," Marcel apologized, "I meant to say 'Who are you?', but it came out in French." Terry said nothing in response, but instead activated his Duel Disk. The T-Rex head opened and he put his deck inside.

"I do not wish to fight you," Marcel said.

"You don't have a choice," responded Terry.

Marcel sighed. He was right. Once the Duel Bands were locked, there was no way out. He reluctantly activated his Duel Disk and the two Duelists flipped a coin to determine the turn order. Marcel won and he drew his starting hand.

--

**Marcel:** 8000

**Terry:** 8000

--

"I shall go first." The sickly teacher placed his fingers on top of his deck and he drew his first card. "I shall set zese two cards facedown and zen I will set a monster. Je suis fini."

"I'll assume that means you're done. It's my move." Terry drew his card.

"And I will activate zis card, Solemn Wishes," announced Marcel, "Each time I draw I card, I will gain five hundred Life Points."

"It's an annoying card, but I can handle it." Terry played his first card. "I summon Jurrac Iguanon in attack mode." A blue-skinned Iguanodon with a green head appeared in front of him and its back suddenly burst into bright orange flames as it roared (ATK/1700 DEF/700). "Attack." Jurrac Iguanon trudged over to Marcel's facedown monster and conjured up a large fireball in between its hands. The great lizard raised it up and then slammed it down on top of its target, revealing it to be a UFO Turtle.

"With UFO Turtle's effect, I can Special Summon anozer Fire monster from my deck with fifteen hundred or less attack points in attack mode. And I choose ze second UFO Turtle in my deck." A second UFO Turtle appeared on Marcel's field (ATK/1400 DEF/1000).

"But now my Jurrac Iguanon's effect activates. When it destroys a monster in battle, I can return one set card to its owner's hand. The card I choose is that card right there." Jurrac Iguanon spun around and whipped its tail at Marcel's facedown card, sending it back into his hand. "I'll set one card and end it there."

"It is my turn again." Marcel drew his card. At that moment, a gentle rain fell down upon him as Solemn Wishes took effect.

--

**Marcel:** 8500

**Terry:** 8000

--

"First I switch UFO Turtle into defense mode." The Frenchman turned his card sideways and then proceeded with the remainder of his turn. "Zen, I will play ze Spell Card Hand Destruction. For zis card, we each discard two cards from our hands and zen we draw two new cards." Marcel took two cards from his hand and sent them to his graveyard as did Terry. The two of them then drew two new cards and added to their hands. which prompted Solemn Wishes to shower Marcel with another gentle rain.

--

**Marcel:** 9000

**Terry:** 8000

--

"And now I summon Gale Dogra in attack mode." A small green insect with a sharp stinger and blue wings appeared in front of Marcel (ATK/650 DEF/600). "I now activate his effect. By paying trois mille Life Points, I can send one card from my Extra Deck to ze graveyard."

--

**Marcel:** 6000

**Terry:** 8000

--

A slot behind Marcel's deck slot opened up and a single Fusion Monster was ejected. He took it out and placed into his graveyard. "I shall end with zis facedown. Je suis fini."

"My draw." Terry drew his next card. "I summon Jurrac Brachis in attack mode." As he played it, a large blue Brachiosaurus appeared and suddenly burst into flames (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "As long as I have another Jurrac monster on the field, Jurrac Brachis can't be destroy in battle. Jurrac Iguanon, attack Gale Dogra!"

"I activate my Trap Card!" Marcel announced, "Threatening Roar! With zis card, you cannot battle zis turn." Gale Dogra let out an extremely loud buzzing noise and it halted Jurrac Iguanon in its tracks.

"Fine. I'll end my turn," Terry said.

"And now it is my turn again." Marcel drew his card and Solemn Wishes showered him again.

--

**Marcel:** 6500

**Terry:** 8000

--

"I switch Gale Dogra into ze defensive stance and zen I will play anozer monster in defense mode. Je suis fini."

"I draw." Terry drew again. "I summon Jurrac Deino in attack mode." He summoned out a red and yellow Deinoychus with a Jack O' Lantern face tattooed on its stomach. It roared once and its feet burst into flames (ATK/1700 DEF/800). "Jurrac Brachis, attack Gale Dogra." The flaming Brachiosaurus swept its tail and sent a wave of fire that incinerated the Insect monster. "Jurrac Iguanon, attack UFO Turtle!" Just as it had done before, Jurrac Iguanon conjured up a fireball and slammed it down on top of UFO Turtle, blasting into pieces and prompting Marcel to summon a third one from his deck in attack mode.

"Jurrac Deino, attack!" The new dinosaur ran toward UFO Turtle, leaving a trail of flames behind it, and kicked it in the head. The impact caused the reptilian machine to shudder and explode.

--

**Marcel:** 6200

**Terry:** 8000

--

"With UFO Turtle's effect, I Special Summon Masked Dragon from my deck." A red and white dragon with its face bound in a Hannibal Lecter mask appeared on the field in front of Marcel and roared (ATK/1400 DEF/1100).

"I set one card end my turn," Terry announced. "And that activates my Jurrac Deino's effect. If he destroyed a monster in battle this turn, I can tribute one Jurrac monster on my End Phase to draw two cards." Jurrac Deino walked over to Jurrac Brachis and suddenly jumped on its back and closed its jaws around the base of its neck. A small struggle broke out, but it was not long before the fiery Brachiosaurus fell and Jurrac Deino feasted as its owner drew two new cards.

"I draw now." Marcel drew his card and Solemn Wishes kicked in.

--

**Marcel:** 6700

**Terry:** 8000

--

"Je suis fini." he announced.

"My turn now." Terry drew his card. "And I summon Jurrac Ptera in attack mode." A green Pterodactyl appeared and screeched as its wings burst into flames (ATK/800 DEF/1500). "Now I tune my level three Jurrac Deino with my level three Jurrac Ptera and my level four Jurrac Iguanon." Jurrac Deino's body faded away until three stars remained which turned into a trio of green rings and surrounded the other two dinosaurs. Jurrac Ptera faded away until its body became three stars and Jurrac Iguanon until its body became four stars. The seven stars aligned themselves inside the rings and a a beam of light shot up from under them and burst high into the sky.

"Where are zey going?" Marcel asked.

"They're bringing the annihilation of all life." Terry pointed up. "I Synchro Summon Jurrac Meteor! And when he's Synchro Summoned, he destroys every single card on the field." He looked up toward the sky and shouted, "Jurrac Meteor, destroy all life! Extinction!" Duelist Kingdom suddenly disappeared around them and the two Duelists found themselves in space. Marcel looked down and gasped as he saw the Earth thousands of kilometers below his feet. A glimmer in the distance caught his eye and he turned to look. A large meteor was approaching. As it came closer, he began to notice that it was not just a rock. It had a pair of arms sticking out from its front. It took him a while to realize that it was not just any ordinary meteor. It was a dinosaur with arms, legs, and a head on an enormous boulder with large spikes coming out of its back (ATK/2800 DEF/2000).

"What is zat?!" Marcel cried.

"That," answered Terry, "is Jurrac Meteor."

Jurrac Meteor approached the Earth at increasingly faster speeds. The two Duelists watched as it entered the atmosphere and began to glow with searing hot flames. As the great blazing dinosaur disappeared from sight, Marcel and Terry were returned to the field. The sky had turned bright orange and high above their heads the enormous blazing form of Jurrac Meteor could be seen approaching fast. The great prehistoric terror struck the ground with earthshattering force and a massive shockwave erupted from the impact as clouds of dust and chunks of earth were blown away along with all the cards on the field.

When the smoke finally cleared and the dust had settled, Terry and Marcel found themselves standing in a deep crater. "Now for Meteor's second effect. I Special Summon one Tuner from my graveyard and I choose Jurrac Deino." The fiery Deinonchyus returned to the field and roared.

"Attack." Jurrac Deino did as instructed and delivered a flaming kick to Marcel.

--

**Marcel:** 5000

**Terry:** 8000

--

"I'll set one card and end my turn." A card appeared at Terry's feet and he turned the duel over.

Marcel drew his card. With Solemn Wishes destroyed, he could not recover any Life Points. Fortunately, he had just drawn a card that could delay his opponent. "I play ze Swords of Revealing Light." Three shining swords of light descended upon the field and formed a wall between the two Duelists. "Je suis fini."

"That card's only going to last for three turns." Terry drew his card. "Once they're gone, I'll annihilate the rest of your Life Points. And I'll start with this monster. Jurrac Protops." A blue and orange Protoceratops appeared beside Jurrac Deino and its back burst into flames (ATK/1700 DEF/1200). "And I'll tune Deino to Protops." The two dinosaurs faded away, leaving three rings and four stars. A column of fire engulfed them both and an enormous blue Giganotosaurus appeared. It roared and its tail and eyes burst into flames (ATK/2100 DEF/800). "I bring Jurrac Giganot. And by his effect, all face-up Jurrac monsters gain two hundred attack points for each Jurrac in my graveyard. And right now, I have Jurrac Deino, Jurrac Protops, Jurrac Brachis, Jurrac Iguanon, Jurrac Ptera, and Jurrac Meteor in my graveyard."

"And zat is six Jurrac monsters," Marcel said, "Zat means your monster gains..."

"Twelve hundred attack points." Jurrac Giganot's flames burned brighter and hotter as its attack points rose up to thirty-three hundred. "That ends my turn." The moment those words left Terry's mouth, one of the swords vanished.

"It is my turn now." Marcel drew his card. "I play anozer Hand Destruction." Once again, he and Terry discarded two more cards and drew another two. At that moment, Jurrac Giganot's attack points rose up to thirty-seven hundred attack points.

"Thank you for allowing me to send Jurrac Aeolo and Jurrac Herra to my graveyard," Terry said.

Things were not looking good for Marcel. Sure he could stall his opponent for a while, but as soon as his wall was down, Jurrac Giganot would be able to deal a devastating blow.

"If you're done, then I'll take my turn." Terry drew his card. "And I'll summon Jurrac Monoloph." A blue Monolophosaurus with a yellow head and feet appeared and its back burst into flames (ATK/1500 DEF/1200). Jurrac Giganot roared and the fire on Jurrac Monoloph began to burn brighter as its attack points rose up to thirty-one hundred. "Now I put two cards facedown. Your turn." At that moment, another sword vanished from the field.

"I draw." Marcel drew his card. "I shall set zis monster and end my turn."

"I draw again." Terry drew and played his card immediately. "I activate Big Evolution Pill. By tributing one Dinosaur monster and I choose Jurrac Monoloph. Now for your next three turns, this card stays on the field and I can Normal Summon or set Dinosaurs without tributes." As he spoke, Jurrac Monoloph was incinerated and Jurrac Giganot's attack power rose to thirty-nine hundred. So now I summon Jurrac Tyranus!" A massive column of fire burst up in front of him and a giant orange Tyrannosaurus Rex with blue arms and legs and yellow hair around its neck and going down its back appeared (ATK/2500 DEF/1400). With the boost from Jurrac Giganot, its attack points rose up to forty-three hundred. "That ends my turn." And with that, the final sword faded away.

Marcel quickly drew his next card. He had to get rid of that Jurrac Giganot. With such an incredible effect, it would destroy him completely. He looked at his hand and frowned. The only thing that could stall his opponent right now was the single facedown monster in front of him. He reluctantly ended his turn.

"It's my move." Terry drew his card and summoned another Dinosaur using the effect of Big Evolution Pill. "I summon Jurrac Spinos!" An orange, blue, and yellow Spinosaurus appeared on the field and roared as the large spinal fin on its back burst into flames (ATK/2600 DEF/1700). The effect of Jurrac Giganot increased its attack up to forty-four hundred attack points. "Jurrac Spinos, attack!" The great fiery Spinosaurus opened its mouth and a jet of flames spewed out and incinerated Marcel's facedown card.

"Zis is Peten ze Dark Clown. Et when he is sent to my graveyard, I can remove him from play to Special Summon anozer Peten from my hand or deck." A second Peten the Dark Clown (ATK/500 DEF/1200) appeared on the field and tipped his hat.

"And my Jurrac Spinos' effect activates." Terry pointed at his monster. "When he destroys a monster in battle, I can Special Summon one Spinos Token to my opponent's side of the field in attack position." A small deformed Spinosaurus appeared beside Peten the Dark Clown as a level one Fire-attribute Dinosaur with zero attack and defense points. "Jurrac Tyranus, attack that token with Volcanic Burst!" Jurrac Tyranus gathered up an inferno in the back of its throat and unleashed a flaming ball of lava at the Spinos Token.

--

**Marcel:** 700

**Terry:** 8000

--

"Jurrac Giganot, attack the clown." Jurrac Giganot bit down on Peten with a maw of flaming teeth and tore it asunder, which prompted Marcel to summon a third one.

"My turn is done." Terry smirked as the flames burned brightly around him.

Marcel drew his card. Finally, he had a card that could destroy Jurrac Giganot, but to play it would result in his defeat next turn. There was one other card in his hand that could help, but to play it was rather risky. He glanced at the field once more and determined that there truly was no other way. "I summon Phantom of Chaos." A swirling pool of pure blackness slowly formed in front of Marcel (ATK/0 DEF/0). "Next I will play zee Spell Card Reload. Zis card lets me return my hand to my deck and shuffle. Zen I am to draw cards equal to ze number of cards I returned to my deck." He placed his remaining three cards into his deck slot and his cards were automatically shuffled. Once the cards were mixed, he took the top three off the top of his deck and examined them. Fortune had smiled upon him for two of the cards were Exodia pieces and the third was a defensive Trap Card.

"I activate zee effect of Phantom of Chaos. I remove from play one Effect Monster from my graveyard and for zis turn, he gains its name, effect, and attack points." Marcel ejected a card from his graveyard and held it up for his opponent to see. "And zee card I choose is the one I sent from my Extra Deck, Armityle the Chaos Phantom." Phantom of Chaos suddenly shifted and it slowly took on the form of the massive abomination that was Armityle the Chaos Phantom. "And with Armityle's effect, Phantom of Chaos gains ten thousand attack points during my turn only. However..." He looked at Jurrac Giganot. "Phantom of Chaos can only deal Battle Damage of zero. But I zink it should be enough. Phantom of Chaos, attack Jurrac Giganot. Transmigration Wave!" Phantom of Chaos stood up on its tail and unleashed a wave of energy from its wings while firing a searing jet of fire from its left arm and letting out a deafening cry. The three attacks combined into a single energy form and engulfed Jurrac Giganot. The flaming Giganotosaurus' cries were left unheard as the roar of the attack completely dominated the field. When it finally passed, only Jurrac Tyranus and Jurrac Spinos remained with their attack points dropped back down to twenty-five hundred and twenty-six hundred respectively.

"I set zis card facedown. Je suis fini." At that moment, Phantom of Chaos returned to its former shape of a swirling vortex.

"It's my turn now." Terry drew and looked at the field. His opponent's facedown was undoubtedly a defensive card. If he attacked, it would just be blocked. He had to bypass it in some way and the cards he hand in hand and on his field would allow him to do that.

"I activate a Trap Card." Terry pressed a button on his Duel Disk and one of his facedown cards flipped up. "Fossil Excavation." By discarding one card, I can resurrect one Dinosaur. If it's an Effect Monster, its effect is negated. So I bring back Jurrac Aeolo." A white egg with red flame designs appeared on the field. It suddenly hatched and a baby Allosaurus popped out (ATK/200 DEF/200). "Next I play the Spell Card Fossil Dig to add one level six or lower Dinosaur from my deck to my hand." A single card popped out of his deck and he took it. "And that will be Jurrac Staurico, which I summon now." He played his card and summoned out a blue and green Staurikosaurus, whose back burst into flames upon being summoned (ATK/500 DEF/400). "Now I tune my level one Jurrac Aeolo with my level two Jurrac Staurico and level seven Jurrac Tyranus." Jurrac Aeolo's body disappeared and a single star transformed into a ring. Jurrac Staurico and Jurrac Tyranus faded away until they turned into a total of nine stars.

"The harbinger of destruction now descends! Behold as it annihilates all life! Synchro Summon! Impact, Jurrac Meteor!" The sky turned orange as the massive form of Jurrac Meteor streaked straight down toward the Earth. It struck the ground with terrifying power and annihilated every single card on the field. When the smoke cleared, the crater was much deeper than before and Terry stood with Jurrac Deino standing on front of him.

"Destroy him." The Deinoychus ran toward Marcel at full speed and thrust a flaming foot into his chest.

--

**Marcel:** 0

**Terry:** 8000

--

Marcel collapsed as his Duel Band drained him completely and he fell into unconsciousness. Terry grunted as his own band drained him as well, but to a significantly lesser extent. He was able to bring himself back up onto his feet and looked down at his fallen opponent. He stood there for a moment in silence before walking off. He did not laugh. He did not gloat. He did not savor his victory. He was not Nicky. He was Terry and he had his job on his mind.

o o o

Noah's head shot up at the sudden energy spike reading. He examined the stats displayed on the computer and reached for the mouse. He clicked through a few options and scrolled through a list until he found what he was looking for. "Hmmmm. Marcel Bonaparte and.... Terry.... No last name." He put one hand under his chin and rested his elbow on his plushie's head. He walked over to the LEGO model of the island and removed a figure of a pale sickly man. He then picked up a figure of a bald biker and examined it closely. He was just putting it back when Roman entered.

"Mr. Kaiyou, there's a situation on the island."

"What is it?"

"Our Player Killers have reported seeing a man moving at very high speeds across the island."

"How fast are we talking about here?" Noah inquired as he took a hard candy from a bowl and removed the wrapper.

"Beyond natural human capabilities. And no, the person in question was not on a horse," answered Roman.

"I want our cameras to find him immediately," Noah ordered, "The sooner we have visual confirmation, the better."

o o o

Reka, Mika, Mikey, and Umi had finally finished packing up and were getting ready to move. Mikey was still wondering about the object under the camouflage net, but he was quickly hustled out of the cave. Reka went out first to make sure the coast was clear. She looked around carefully for a very long time, but no one was near. She then looked down the steep and narrow path and beckoned the others to come one at a time. Mikey took Umi's hand and helped her get up to where Reka was. The pop star was able to get up and onto a grassy patch just above where she watched the others. As she observed the rest of the group, she could hear a sound in the distance. A sound that was approaching fast.

"Guys, hurry!" she urged, "Someone's coming." No sooner had those words left her mouth, the sounds got even louder.

"He's found us," Reka muttered as he pulled Mikey up. Her Duel Band suddenly started to go off. At that very instant, a motorcycle burst out of the woods and screeched to a halt on the cliff. It was an old-fashioned chopper, but it had several modifications added to it. The entire bike was a fiery red with enormous exhaust pipes on the back and laden with chains and wheels like fire. Flame-shaped protrusions jutted out from the sides giving the vehicle the image of being on fire. Skull decals with long trails of ghost fire emblazoned both sides of the front wheel and ran up to the handlebars. The rider looked toward Reka and reached up to remove his flame-design helmet.

"Long time no see."

"Nicky."

"You still wearin' that old thing?"

"How'd you know it was really me?" Reka demanded.

"Oi, it wasn't hard," Nicky answered, "Oi recognoized you when Oi saw those goggles ye wear." Reka looked at her goggles and groaned.

"I took the wrong pair again..."

Mikey was confused, so he approached Reka. "What's going on here?"

"I guess it's time you knew the truth." Reka stood straight and reached up. In one fluid motion, she removed her clothes revealing an entirely different outfit underneath as well as some other features.

Mikey stammered as he spoke while looking at Reka. Or rather, whom he thought was Reka. "Y-y-you're a....g-g-guy?!" The man who had called himself Reka nodded. He still had the goggles, but now wore a skintight black tank top with fishnet arm warmers attached to a leather harness. Overtop was a black vest with a pair of short coattails and two straps attached by chains. His pants were also black and were separated at the knees with the lower legs held in place by a series of straps and buckles. On his feet he wore sleek riding boots, on his left wrist a very wide wristband, and around his neck a white bandana. He reached up behind his head and pulled his hair out of its ponytail, letting his long lavender locks drop down around his shoulders. Numerous colors glittered among the silky strands as sunlight reflected off the many gems that lay embedded in hair pieces worn all through his magnificent hair.

"My real name is Rek_**o**_ Telaris. Reka is my twin sister." He took the Genex deck out of the Duel Disk on his arm and placed the cards safely in a case before setting the dueling machine aside.

"Well y'ain't gunna escape this time!" Nicky said as he revved his engine. "If ye run, Oi'm gunna outrun ya!"

"That's how you wanna do it then?" Reko asked.

"Ya betcha!"

"Alright then." Reko jumped down onto the narrow path and into the cave. Curiously, Mikey followed being careful not to fall. He watched as the lavender-haired man approached the camouflage net and pulled it off. The young teenager could not believe his eyes. Standing before him was an '09 Kawasaki Ninja painted with vibrant shades of red and white. Several modifications had been made to it, giving it the appearance that it was brand new. Subtle red lines in the detailing ran along the bike and gradually changed into the design of butterflies. Resting on the seat was a very aerodynamic open-faced helmet with the same color scheme as the motorcycle and the name Telaris emblazoned on the right side near the ridge. Reko put on the protective headgear and threw his leg over the bike. He started the motor and revved his engine. At that moment, Mikey took his cue and quickly ran out of the way as Reko gunned it and drove out. He made a hard left and rode up the narrow ridge onto the top of the cliff.

Reko scowled at Nicky, spitting on the groud and he tossed his false bra into the saddlebags of his bike, "Fine, Limey Leeroy. I'll take you on, just leave these folks out of it. I'll take you to town, and then I want some freakin' answers."

Tossing an object wrapped in silk of all things into his hands, he place into Mikey's hands. "Listen...say I don't make it out of this alive. Say he wins. Say I don't find what I'm lookin' for. Take that back to San Francisco, there's a shop called the White Wind, near Lombard Street. Give that do a lady with my hair and big hoo hahs. She'll know what's going on, maybe."

Reko then took the Duel Disk he had used while in disguise and attached it to his dash. He revved his bike again, the displays chiming to life and he placed an entirely new deck inside the receiver in front of him. "I'm being a huge riddlebox Mikey. ...I'll explain everything if I make it through this." As he drove to meet Nicky at his designated starting line. Mikey slowly unraveled the silk, morso out of sheer curiousity.

...It looked like something that came from Heaven itself.

It was a Duel Disk, at least Mikey though it was since it WAS Duelist Kingdom, a strange device that looked like a large ornate gauntlet. It was covered in wrappings of what seemed to be golden rope chain, with bits and interlocking crystal...no. It sparkles brilliantly. Diamond! Unrolling one end caused it to snap forward. Monster and Spell Card Zones! Each one was a made of small, somehow interlocking piece of diamond, topaz, ruby, sapphire, the coloring of the gauntlet was crushed garnet made into a gleaming lacquer and tooled with intricate lace designs and butterflies, fleur de lis, and braced with elegant bindings of platinum. Let alone that, but made into each zone on the disk was the design of a different person in a suit of armor. The detail of the jewelcrafting, let alone how in the world something like this could ever work is fully remarkable! Every bit seemed to have come from something else, no two parts looked truly alike. But on the palm, over a central core of alexandrite and wrapped in a border of pure silver and spots of emerald was an inscription.

"You are never truly alone."

"Oi've been waitin' for this!" Nicky grinned manically as he put his helmet back on and attached his Duel Disk to his dashboard. He pressed a few buttons and the display was activated. He twisted his deck slot around so that it was in a more comfortable position to draw from and revved his engine.

"We should get out of here while he deals with Nicky," Mika said to Mikey and Umi. The two teens nodded in agreement and started to follow Mika away with Mikey keeping the precious item close to his chest with both arms.

Two engines roared with life as the two bikers gripped their handlebars.

"Y'ain't gunna win this time," Nicky snarled as he shut his visor. Reko pulled his bandana up and covered the lower half of his face before pulling his racing goggles over his eyes.

"It hasn't begun yet," he replied. The two Duelists looked at the road in front of them. Their path was clear. Their goal was obvious. All that remained now was to wait.

Three.

Two.

One.

"Turbo Duel! _**ACCELERATION!**_"

* * *

**Next Week on**_** Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The Turbo Duel between Reko and Nicky is on! It's high speeds, tricky terrain, and one explosive duel! Witness this amazing showdown next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	72. Shift into Turbo

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

Speed Spells provided by _Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Stardust Accelerator: World Championship 2009_ and _Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2010:_ _Rise of Arcadia_ except for Speed Spell - Gemknight Fusion.

More card names have been changed to match their English versions.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-31**

**Shift Into Turbo**

"Turbo Duel! _**ACCELERATION!**_"

The two Duelists released their brakes and their bikes shot forward simultaneously.

"Oi think Oi's do the honours, mate." Nicky took a single card off the top of his deck. "Oi activate the Field Spell, Speed World 2!" A pulse was emitted from both motorcycles as Speed World 2 took effect.

"You know the rules. First one to make the first turn chooses the turn order," said Reko indicating toward a tree with a low-hanging branch sticking out toward the sea. As soon as those words left his mouth, he gunned his engine and sped forward.

"Oi don't think so!" Nicky leaned to his right and slammed into Reko. The latter threw his weight to his left immediately and tried to stabilize himself. Nicky laughed maniacally as he pulled away and sped forward. He rounded the corner successfully and Reko came up behind him.

o o o

"Mr. Kaiyou, we have visual," one of the suited men reported, "We had to go to the satellite, but we've got video."

"Well don't just stand there like a simpleton. Put it on the telly!" Noah screamed as he sat on a couch. He turned his attention to the television in front of him and before long the video feed came through. Two men were racing each other on motorcycles along the perimeter of the island. Upon closer inspection, however, Noah could see the bikes had Duel Disks attached to their dashboards.

"A Turbo Duel?" He leaned back against the cushions. "This should be interesting." He grabbed a laptop and set the Duel Band monitor to follow Nicky's and Reko's bands exclusively.

"And it should include some very favorable results."

o o o

"Looks like Oi got the first turn!" Nicky laughed as he took five cards from his deck and slid them into a slot just above his Duel Disk. Reko took his five cards and placed them into a slot on his wristband.

--

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 0

**Nicky:** 8000 / **SPC:** 0

--

"Here Oi go!" Nicky drew his first card.

--

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 1

**Nicky:** 8000 / **SPC:** 1

--

"An' 'here's a little somethin' you'll remember. Oi summon me Flamvell Firedog!" He slapped his card onto his Duel Disk and a hole in space opened up beside his Duel Runner. His fiery lava dog burst out and snarled as it ran alongside him (ATK/1900 DEF/200). "Next Oi set a card facedown!" A facedown card appeared briefly beside his motorbike before vanishing from view. "Oi'm done fer now."

"Alright. Time for my guys to shine!" Reko drew his card.

--

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 2

**Nicky:** 8000 / **SPC:** 2

--

"I summon out Gemknight Ganet!" A hole in space appeared on Reko's left and a knight in bright fiery red armor burst out (ATK/1900 DEF/0).

"Whatchu gunna do wit' that?" Nicky laughed. "Me Firedog's got the same attack points!"

Reko shrugged. "Ya got me. I'm gonna just set these facedown then." Taking two cards from his wristband, he slid them into the Spell and Trap Card slots in his Duel Disk and the two cards appeared briefly on either side of his Duel Runner before disappearing from sight.

"My turn again!" Nicky ripped his card from his deck laughing.

--

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 3

**Nicky:** 8000 / **SPC:** 3

--

"Oi release me Flamvell Firedog an' summon Flamvell Commando!" Flamvell Firedog was swallowed up in a ball of light and from that light burst out his flaming haired soldier armed with a large blaster (ATK/2200 DEF/200). Nicky cackled as he accelerated. "Now for me Commando's effect. Oi remove me Firedog from play to burn ye fer its attack points!" His Duel Disk ejected his monster and he placed off to the side as he gave his Flamvell Commando a signal. "Scorch 'im!" Flamvell Commando turned around and took aim at Reko. He pulled the trigger and launched a powerful burst of fire that took on the shape of Flamvell Firedog as it struck him.

--

**Reko:** 6100 / **SPC:** 3

**Nicky:** 8000 / **SPC:** 3

--

Nicky cackled as he turned his Duel Runner around one hundred and eighty degrees and drove backwards. "Now me Flamvell Commando attacks your Gemknight Ganet!" His monster took aim again and fired a second burst of flame.

"Not this time!" Reko thrust his hand out to the side and one of his facedowns appeared. "I activate Justi-Break! When my opponent declares an attack against a face-up Normal Monster, I can negate that attack and destroy all face-up monsters except for Normal Monsters." Gemknight Ganet clenched his fist and punched through the flames, splitting the stream in two before connecting with Flamvell Commando's jaw and blasting him to pieces.

"Fine then. Oi set this card and end it." Nicky then turned his motorbike back around and Reko moved forward.

"I draw."

--

**Reko:** 6100 / **SPC:** 4

**Nicky:** 8000 / **SPC:** 4

--

"Alright, I got four Speed Counters. So now I'm gonna activate my Speed Spell — Gemknight Fusion. So I'll fuse Gemknight Ganet on my field with Gemknight Sapphia in my hand." A garnet and a sapphire appeared above Reko's head and his Gemknight Ganet and Gemknight Sapphia were pulled into their respective gems before the two stones became one and emerged as a shining ruby. "I Fusion Summon Gemknight Rubys!" The ruby cracked and shattered as a knight in blood red armor burst out with his elegant blue cape fluttering behind him as he spun a long staff in his hand (ATK/2500 DEF/1300). "Alright, now Gemknight Rumarin can join him." A hole in space opened up beside Reko and a knight in shining yellow armor emerged (ATK/1600 DEF/1800).

"Alright Rumarin, why don't you take the first go?" Gemknight Rumarin fell back and turned around to face Nicky. He charged up a ball of electricity in between his hand and threw it at the pyromaniac.

--

**Reko:** 6100 / **SPC:** 4

**Nicky:** 6400 / **SPC:** 4

--

Gemknight Rumarin rejoined Reko, who then gave Gemknight Rubys the order. "Gemknight Rubys, do your thing." The red knight held up his staff and grasped the end. Then in one fluid motion, he pulled it off and revealed a long fiery blade hidden inside. He swung his flaming sword and launched a wave of fire into Nicky.

--

**Reko:** 6100 / **SPC:** 4

**Nicky:** 3900 / **SPC:** 4

--

That last attack sent Nicky spinning out of control. Reko turned his vehicle around and drove backwards to check up on his opponent, but all he could see was a cloud of smoke. "Did he...? Is he...?" Nicky suddenly burst out from the smoke and moved forward at full speed laughing maniacally.

"Y'almost 'ad me there, mate. But Oi'm still in the game!"

"My second Main Phase," Reko removed Gemknight Sapphia from his graveyard, "I remove one Gemknight from my graveyard to return Gemknight Fusion to my hand." His graveyard ejected Speed Spell - Gemknight Fusion and he placed it back on his wristband. "I'm done now."

"Then it's my turn! Oi draw!" Nicky drew his next card.

--

**Reko:** 6100 / **SPC:** 5

**Nicky:** 3900 / **SPC:** 5

--

"Oi got me five Speed Counters, but Oi only need two ta play me Speed Spell - Double Summon! S'now Oi can Normal Summon twoice this turn! C'mon out, Flamvell Archer and Neoflamvell Garuda!" Two holes opened and from one emerged a fiery-haired man with a bow (ATK/1500 DEF/200) and a red demonic bird (ATK/1200 DEF/1800). "Now Oi tune 'em t'gether to Synchro Summon Flamvell Uruquizas!" Both monsters faded away into three shining stars each and one set surrounded the other in the form of three rings and they were engulfed in a stream of fire before emerging out as a stone skinned god with bulging muscles with live flames around each wrist (ATK/2100 DEF/400). "Attack the yellow one now!" Flamvell Uruquizas launched himself at Gemknight Rumarin and slammed his fist into him.

--

**Reko:** 5600 / **SPC:** 5

**Nicky:** 3900 / **SPC:** 5

--

"An' when Flamvell Uruquizas deals Battle Damage, 'e gains three 'undred attack every time!" The flames around Flamvell Uruquizas' wrists started to burn hotter as his attack points rose up to twenty-four hundred. "Oi end me turn!"

"My move now." Reko drew his card.

--

**Reko:** 4800 / **SPC:** 6

**Nicky:** 3900 / **SPC:** 6

--

"Alright Rubys, take that thing out!" Reko turned a sharp left to avoid falling off a cliff as his Gemknight Rubys turned around to attack.

"Oi was hopin' for that." Nicky took the last card in his hand. "Oi send Flamvell Baby from me 'and to me grave to boost one o' me Fire monsters by four 'undred attack points!" A tiny living baby flame appeared in front of Flamvel Uruquizas and latched onto his fist, engulfing it in fire and boosting his attack points to twenty-eight hundred. The fire god clenched his fist and slammed it at Gemknight Rubys.

--

**Reko:** 4500 / **SPC:** 6

**Nicky:** 3900 / **SPC:** 6

--

Flamvell Uruquizas roared as his attack points rose up to thirty-one hundred by his own effect.

Things were not looking good for Reko. His strongest monster had just been destroyed. He looked at his hand and thought. He still had one facedown card, but would be useless in this situation. He had to think of something fast or else he would lose.

o o o

Mika was still with Mikey and Umi as they were leaving. The two younger teammates were moving along when Mika's Duel Band suddenly beeped. She turned around and saw Judgement approaching her. His Duel Disk had already been activated and it was clear what his intentions were.

"Where did he come from?" Mikey said in surprise as he saw the large.

"Shit. He is one of them," Mika cursed, biting her lip as she looked at her disk. She felt her eye pulse lightly and she hissed.

"What? One of who?" Umi questioned, as Judgment stood in ominous silence.

"He is with that psycho on the duel runner," Mika said and paused looking at the ground. Grass sway about as a gentle breeze blew through and she looked up, her eye pulsing once more. She looked up to Judgment and nodded, remembering the first time she saw him and how frightening he seemed. How powerful he had to be.

"Go," she told Mikey and Umi. "I'll hold him off."

"What? Why? We can't leave you here alone," Mikey said, his eyes furrowed with worry.

"Just go before the others come," Mika said, her eyes pleading Umi and Mikey to leave.

"Where are we heading?" Mikey asked, "You were the one guiding us."

"Reko's going to meet up with us at the base of the castle stairs," Mika answered as she activated her Duel Disk, "Get there and wait for him and me."

"Got it. C'mon Umi, let's go." Mikey and Umi then fled, leaving Mika to face off against Judgement. Mikey looked back once and moved on. He hoped she would be ok. He hoped.

"I won't let you harm the children," she swore as she loaded her deck into her Duel Disk.

"The children are of no concern to me," Judgement replied, "Accept my challenge."

"I will. Let's duel!"

--

**Mika:** 8000

**Judgement:** 8000

--

"I shall commence in the name of my Lord." Judgement drew his first card. "And as my first act of servitude, I summon Ally of Justice Thousand Arms." A black spiky robot wielding a wide assortment of bladed melee weapons appeared (ATK/1700 DEF/0). "This creature can attack every face-up Light monster you control once each turn. However, should it do battle with a a non-Light creature, it must be destroyed prior to damage calculation." He then placed a card facedown and ended his turn.

Mika drew her card then. _If his monster is destroyed against a non-Light monster, then any of my cards should be able to do it_, she thought before placing a card on her Duel Disk.

"I summon Rapid-Fire Magician!" A lavender-haired man in purple robes appeared wielding two short staffs and a ring of magical orbs orbiting his body (ATK/1600 DEF/1200). "Next I play the Spell Card Magical Blast, which deals two hundred points of damage for each Spellcaster on my field." A ball of magical fire appeared and shot Judgement in the chest.

--

**Mika:** 8000

**Judgement:** 7800

--

"And now for Rapid-Fire Magician's effect. When I play a Normal Spell Card, he can deal four hundred extra damage." Rapid-Fire Magician leapt up and pointed a staff at Judgement, which fired a second magical burst at the enormous man.

--

**Mika:** 8000

**Judgement:** 7600

--

"Now Rapid-Fire Magician, attack Ally of Justice Thousand Army! Rapid-Fire Magic!" Rapid-Fire Magician held out his weapons and his orbs began to spin. Then, one-by-one, they replaced the orbs already set into his staffs and fired a single magical blast each time, turning his system like a magical gatling gun.

"Reveal Trap Card." Judgement flipped his facedown card over. "DNA Transplant. This Continuous Trap Card can change the Attribute of every monster on the field into an Attribute of my choice. For this, I choose the Attribute of Light."

"But then," Mika said, "my Rapid-Fire Magician will be a Light monster."

"And Thousand Arms will slaughter it." The sharp sound of blades scraping against blades pierced the air as Ally of Justice Thousand Arms cut through the barrage of magic and stabbed its knives and swords through Rapid-Fire Magician before finally decapitating him with its axe.

--

**Mika:** 7900

**Judgement:** 7600

--

After its deadly counterattack, Ally of Justice Thousand Arms returned to its master's side wiping the blood from its many weapons. Mika stared for a moment. Her opponent had managed to turn his monster's weakness into its strength. With the effect of DNA Transplant active, now every monster on the field would become a creature of Light, thus making it a victim to Judgement's Allies of Justice. With no monsters on the field, she was expecting to take some heavy damage next turn. All she could do was try to defend against Spells and Traps. With that mindset in place, she set two cards facedown and concluded her turn.

Judgement drew his card without a word. Then he played a card and summoned a mechanical mammoth (ATK/1200 DEF/800). "Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher, direct attack." The newly-summoned monster turned on Mika and raised its trunk. In an instant, a flash of light shot out and struck her hard.

--

**Mika:** 6700

**Judgement:** 7600

--

"Ally of Justice Thousand Arms, strike now," ordered Judgement. Ally of Justice Thousand Arms flew toward Mika and struck her with all of its weapons.

--

**Mika:** 5000

**Judgement:** 7600

--

Judgement then set two cards facedown. "My turn ends."

"Then I draw." Mika drew her card. She had suffered a lot of damage last turn so she had to do something to turn the tide. Fortunately, the card she had just drawn could do just that. "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior!" In a flash, a warrior of the Dark Magician discipline appeared in red armor and a blue cloak wielding a sword and shield (ATK/1600 DEF/1000). "When he's Normal Summoned, he gets one Spell Counter that gives him three hundred attack points." A blue orb appeared on the crossguard of Breaker's sword and his attack points rose up to nineteen hundred. "Now I remove that Spell Counter to destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field." The Spell Counter shattered and the blade of the sword began to glow. Breaker the Magical Warrior pointed his weapon at DNA Transplant and a beam of magical energy shot out and blasted the Trap Card to pieces.

"Breaker, attack the elephant!" ordered Mika. As her monster moved in for his attack, she activated one of her facedown cards. "I activate Magician's Circle. When a Spellcaster declares an attack, both Duelists can Special Summon a Spellcaster from their decks with two thousand or less attack."

"My deck has no Spellcasters," Judgement pointed out.

"Then I'll summon one." A card was ejected from Mika's deck and she took it in her hand and placed it on the field. "Magical Marionette." A red curtain appeared and opened up to reveal itself as a cloak worn by a mysterious armored puppeteer. The sinister man cackled as he cast out his hands and deployed a wooden puppet armed with two swords and strings attached to each of the puppeteer's fingers (ATK/2000 DEF/1000).

"Your attack continues, but it will be the end for your creature." Judgement activated his facedown. "DNA Transplant. And I choose the Light Attribute." Breaker's body started to radiate as his sword cleaved through Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher.

--

**Mika:** 5000

**Judgement:** 7200

--

"And now my Unknown Crusher's effect activates," announced Judgement, "When it engages a Light monster in battle, that monster is removed from play." As the remains of Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher fell, the trunk pointed at Breaker the Magical Warrior and sucked him in like a vacuum cleaner.

"Magical Marionette, attack!" The puppeteer guided the marionette across the field and the swords broke through Ally of Justice Thousand Arms' defenses and pierced its chest.

--

**Mika:** 5000

**Judgement:** 6900

--

Mika sighed with relief and brushed her hair with her hand. "I'm done this turn."

"I begin mine." Judgement drew his card. "I summon Ally of Justice Cyclone Creator." In a gust of wind, a red bird-like robot appeared with turbines built into its wings (ATK/1400 DEF/1200). "I discard a card from my hand to activate his effect." Taking Ally of Justice Unlimiter from his hand, he sent it to his graveyard. "Ally of Justice Cyclone Creator returns one Spell or Trap Card for each Tuner on the field." The turbines began to spin faster and two powerful tornadoes were summoned. They spiraled over to Mika's facedown and it was picked up and flung back into her hand.

"I now reveal my Trap Card, Call of the Haunted. Rise from the dead, Ally of Justice Unlimiter." A blue spaceship appeared with two large discs on its side serving some unknown purpose (ATK/600 DEF/200). "Now I tune Ally of Justice Cyclone Creator to Ally of Justice Unlimiter." Ally of Justice Cyclone Creator faded away until three stars remained. They morphed into rings and surrounded Ally of Justice Unlimiter until its body was reduced to two stars. They aligned themselves and a column of light engulfed them both. Judgement's robes flapped violently in the wind as he observed the gargantuan spider-like machine emerge, its body as white as virgin purity and its face like the mask that concealed his own face (ATK/2200 DEF/1200).

"Ally of Justice Catastor, destroy Magical Marionette." On Judgement's orders, Ally of Justice Catastor turned its gaze upon the puppeteer and fired a single laser from its eye. The beam shot across the field and pierced through the hooded figure's mask. The puppeteer slumped over and the marionette fell lifeless.

"Magical Marionette!" Mika looked up at Ally of Justice Catastor as its gaze turned toward her. Judgement's robes billows as he stood with the great mechanical menace towering behind him.

"No man escapes Judgement."

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh!GNext**_

As Mika faces the monster known as Judgement, Reko pulls out all the stops to hold his own against Nicky. It's the continuation of two duels you don't want to miss! Find out more next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	73. Judgement by Fire

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

Speed Spells provided by _Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Stardust Accelerator: World Championship 2009_ and _Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2010:_ _Rise of Arcadia_ except for Speed Spell — Gemknight Fusion.

More card names have been changed to match their English versions.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-32**

**Judgement by Fire**

Mika stood looking at Judgement. Her field was empty and she had five thousand Life Points left and four cards in her hand, one of which had been bounced back from the field. Her opponent, however, had sixty-nine hundred Life Points, one card in his hand, and the powerful Ally of Justice Catastor on his field. The priestess checked her Duel Disk's LCD display and wondered what was happening. The massive machine before her clearly had more attack points than the Magicial Marionette it had just destroyed, yet she hadn't lost any Life Points.

"Ally of Justice Catastor's effect," Judgement explained, "destroys any non-Dark monster without applying damage calculation."

"That is one powerful monster," Mika uttered.

"The judgment of God descends swiftly." Judgement proceeded to his End Phase. "My turn ends."

Mika analyzed her situation and it did not look good. As long as DNA Transplant remained on the field, all of her monsters were vulnerable to Ally of Justice Catastor.

o o o

Reko turned a corner and continued on his path. He could hear the sound of rubber against soil coming from behind him as Nicky made the turn and continued his pursuit. As things stood, Reko had forty-five hundred Life Points, six Speed Counters, three cards in his hand, and one facedown card on his field. Nicky, meanwhile, had thirty-nine hundred Life Points, six Speed Counters, an empty hand, two facedowns, and Flamvell Uruquizas who had been boosted up to thirty-one hundred attack points with its own effect and the effect of Flamvell Baby.

"Oi! Ye payin' attention?" Nicky yelled over the roar of the engines. "It's still your move!"

"I know." Reko looked at his hand. Fortunately, he hadn't Normal Summoned or Set yet. However, his hand had no monsters that could be summoned. But there was one card that could fix that for him. "So you think you really got the jump on me, eh? Nah...With two or more Speed Counters I'll just use Speed Spell - Angel Baton, drawing two, discarding one, and getting the one thing I need to send you packing!" Reko took two cards from his deck and fanned them out in his hand. He quickly placed them on his wristband and then took one of his old cards and sent it to his graveyard. "I'm setting this guy facedown and ending my turn!" A sideways card appeared in front of Reko's Duel Runner and remained there. At that moment, Flamvell Uruquizas' attack points dropped down to twenty-seven hundred.

"It's me turn now!" Nicky tore his card from his deck.

--

**Reko:** 4500 / **SPC:** 7

**Nicky:** 3900 / **SPC:** 7

--

Nicky's grin was wide when he saw the card in his hand. "Oi got me a Speed Spell. But before Oi use it, Oi'm gunna use Speed World 2's effect. Oi remove four o' my Speed Counters ta deal eight 'undred damage to your Life Points fer each Speed Spell in me me 'and!"

--

**Reko:** 4500 / **SPC:** 7

**Nicky:** 3900 / **SPC:** 3

--

Four shimming orbs rose up around Nicky and circled his head. They spun around him faster and faster until they launched themselves directly at Reko.

--

**Reko:** 3700 / **SPC:** 7

**Nicky:** 3900 / **SPC:** 3

--

"Now Oi play me own Angel Baton." Nicky drew two cards and sent one to his graveyard while placing the other in his hand before turning to Flamvell Uruquizas. "Oi! Attack that monster!" Flamvell Uruquizas's fists started burning again and the fiery god flew in and smashed Reko's defense monster, which turned out to be Gemknight Sapphia. "Oi'm done fer now. Lesse wotcha got!"

"Alright!" Reko drew his card.

--

**Reko:** 3700 / **SPC:** 8

**Nicky:** 3900 / **SPC:** 4

--

"Alright. First I'm activating my facedown Birthright and I'm gonna use it to rez Gemknight Rumarin." Nicky turned a corner and Reko followed suit as his yellow knight returned to the field. "Now I summon Gemresis in attack mode!" Slapping his card onto his Duel Disk, the lavender-haired man summoned an armadillo with two air tanks on its back (ATK/1700 DEF/500). "When he's Normal Summoned successfully, I can take a Gemknight from my deck and add it to my hand." A single card was ejected from his deck and he placed it into his hand before his cards were shuffled. "Now I activate Speed Spell - Gemknight Fusion! By fusing Gemknight Rumarin on my field with Gemknight Alexand in my hand, I can Fusion Summon Gemknight Paz!" A yellow gem and a multicolored gem appeared and the two precious stones fused together into a bright orange gem. It shattered into pieces and an orange knight emerged in a black cape with two unusual sword hilts on his belt (ATK/1800 DEF/1800).

"All that for that weaklin'?" Nicky laughed. "You can't be serious!"

"Don't be so sure. I play the last card in my hand. The Speed Spell — Power Baton! By sending a monster from my deck to my graveyard, I can boost one of my monsters by its attack points for this turn." He removed a copy of Gemknight Ganet from his deck, which was automatically shuffled afterward, and placed it into his graveyard. Immediately, Gemknight Paz's attack points rose up by nineteen hundred to a grand total of thirty-seven hundred.

"This is gunna hurt," Nicky thought out loud.

"Darn right it is." Reko turned his Duel Runner around and faced his opponent while driving backwards. "Gemknight Paz, attack Flamvell Uruquizas!"

"Oi activate me Trap Card, Backfire!" One of Nicky's cards appeared and flipped over. "When a Fire monster on me side of the field is destroyed, ye take five 'undred points o' damage!"

Gemknight Paz took the two strange sword hilts and two yellow energy blades suddenly sprang from them. He held his weapons like a pair of tonfas and moved in on Flamvell Uruquizas. As soon as he came in range, he swung his weapons and cut him to ribbons.

--

**Reko:** 3700 / **SPC:** 8

**Nicky:** 2900 / **SPC:** 4

--

"Now for Paz's other effect. When he destroys a monster in battle, you take damage equal to its attack points."

"Oh bloody fuckin' 'ell!" Nicky braced himself as Gemknight Paz threw one of his swords at him like a boomerang and it cut through his body.

--

**Reko:** 3700 / **SPC:** 8

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 4

--

As Flamvell Uruquizas died, Gemknight Paz's attack points returned to eighteen hundred as a powerful explosion of fire erupted from his body and hit Reko hard.

--

**Reko:** 3200 / **SPC:** 8

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 4

--

"An' Backfire 'its!"

"Well it's not over yet because Gemknight Paz can attack twice in the same Battle Phase!" Reko declared.

"Oh bloody fuckin' 'ell!" Nicky repeated.

"Paz, attack again!" ordered Reko.

"Oi activate me other trap, Firewall! Oi can use this card to negate your direct attack by removin' one Pyro monster from me graveyard." He ejected his Flamvell Baby and placed it in his pocket. At that moment, a wall of fire rose up in front of him and blocked the attack.

"Well I've still got Gemresis." Reko pointed. "Gemresis, go!"

"This time Oi remove me Flamvell Commando to save meself." Firewall's defenses activated again and deflected the gem-set armadillo.

Reko looked at the field and his hand. There was nothing more he could do now. He turned his motorcycle around and continued forward. "Now since I can't draw next turn thanks to Power Baton, I'm activating Speed World 2's effect. I'm removing seven Speed Counters to draw a card."

--

**Reko:** 3200 / **SPC:** 1

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 4

--

Reko's Duel Runner slowed down significantly from the sudden decrease in Speed Counters and he ended up falling behind Nicky, but he still kept going. He reached for his deck and drew another card. "Now I'm gonna remove Gemknight Alexand from my grave to bring Gemknight Fusion back to my hand." He placed Gemknight Alexand in his pocket and returned his Speed Spell - Gemknight Fusion to his wristband. "That's it for now."

"About bloody time." Nicky drew his card.

--

**Reko:** 3200 / **SPC:** 2

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 5

--

With fewer than five hundred Life Points, the pyromaniac was unable to pay the cost to maintain Firewall and his defense card was destroyed. "Oi summon another Flamvell Firedog!" A hole opened up beside him and a second lava hound burst out (ATK/1900 DEF/200). "Flamvell Firedog, attack that orange one!" Flamvell Firedog leapt at Gemknight Paz and sank its teeth into his neck. The orange-armored knight was slammed against the ground as the fiery beast brutally mauled it.

--

**Reko:** 3100 / **SPC:** 2

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 5

--

"Now wit' Firedog's effect, Oi bring out Flamvell Grunika!" A purple dragon in brown leather pants appeared on Nicky's other side and flew alongside him (ATK/1700 DEF/200). "Flamvell Grunika, destroy that mole!"

"It's an armadillo!" Reko corrected over the roar of their engines. He watched as Flamvell Grunika turned around and flew straight toward Gemresis with a fireball in his hand. He threw it at his target and struck his mark, but was immediately hit with a laser from a gem on Gemresis' shell. As Flamvell Grunika died, his body erupted into a fiery explosion as a result of Backfire.

--

**Reko:** 2600 / **SPC:** 2

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 5

--

"Now Oi sack four Speed Counters ta hurt your Life Points for eight 'undred per Speed Spell in me 'and!"

--

**Reko:** 2600 / **SPC:** 2

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 1

--

Four shining orbs rose up around Nicky and spun around him briefly before flying toward Reko.

--

**Reko:** 1800 / **SPC:** 2

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 1

--

"Oi end me turn!"

"My turn now." Reko looked down as his deck was shut off from him as a result of his Speed Spell — Power Baton.

--

**Reko:** 1800 / **SPC:** 3

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 2

--

"I summon Gemknight Alexand in attack mode." A silver knight with gems embedded all over his armor appeared (ATK/1800 DEF/1200). "Now I activate his effect by tributing him so I can Special Summon a Gemknight from my deck. Like another Gemknight Ganet!" Gemknight Alexand vanished and in his place appeared the red-armored Gemknight Ganet (ATK/1900 DEF/0). "Now our monsters are even. I end my turn." As Reko's turn concluded, his thoughts moved toward Mika and he wondered how she and the others were doing.

o o o

--

**Mika:** 5000

**Judgement:** 6900

--

"I draw!" Mika drew her card. She looked at her hand. She clearly had the hand advantage over Judgement, but as long as he had that enormous Ally of Justice Catastor every monster she placed out with be destroyed. She had to get rid of it or at least find a way to protect her monsters from being attacked by it. She looked in her hand and saw one card that could help. "I set one card and then summon Defender, the Magical Knight in attack mode." A knight in blue armor from the discipline of Dark Magic appeared wielding a shortsword and an enormous shield (ATK/1600 DEF/2000). "When Defender is summoned, I can place a Spell Counter on him." A red gem appeared in the center of Defender, the Magical Knight's shield and Mika bowed. "I am done."

"Your warrior cannot defend you." Judgement drew his card. "Ally of Justice Catastor, destroy Defender, the Magical Knight." Ally of Justice Catastor turned its gaze on Defender, the Magical Knight and fired a solid laser beam from its eye.

"Actually, it can. My Defender's special ability activates. Once per turn, by removing a Spell Counter from him, he can protect one monster from being destroyed." The Spell Counter on Defender's shield shattered and from its shards a magical barrier was erected in front of him and blocked the laser.

"So be it." Judgement looked at his opponent. "I conclude my turn."

"Then I draw." Mika drew her card. "I activate my facedown card, Pitch-Black Power Stone! When this card is activated, I place three Spell Counters on it. Then once per turn, I can transfer one Spell Counter to any card on my field that can accept Spell Counters. So I'm going to send one to my Defender right now." A Spell Counter reappeared on Defender's shield. "Now I switch him into defense mode." She turned her card sideways and Defender, the Magical Knight couched down into a defensive stance with his sword at his side and his shield in front of him. "I end my turn."

"Draw." Judgement drew his card. "Your defenses have failed you. Smashing Ground shall see to that." A massive meteor shaped like a fist came rocketing down toward the Earth, giving Mika little choice.

"I remove Defender's Spell Counter!" she declared. The red orb shattered and from the shards a barrier of magical energy surrounded and protected Defender, the Magical Knight.

"Ally of Justice Catastor, strike now," ordered Judgement. Ally of Justice Catastor turned its gaze on its target and fired. The laser shattered Defender, the Magical Knight's shield and pierced his heart. "Now your defense is no more."

"I just need one card." Mika drew. "An here it is!" I discard one card to Special Summon The Tricky." There was a brief flash and a yellow and black harlequin appeared wearing a blue cape with red question marks on its chest and face (ATK/2000 DEF/1200). "Now I summon Night's End Sorcerer." A small white-haired boy appeared in jeans, a grey robe, and a tattered cloak with a scythe in his hand and two bats fluttering around his head. Upon a second glance, one would quickly notice that the boy had rabbit ears (ATK/1300 DEF/400). "Now I tune Night's End Sorcerer to The Tricky." The young bunny boy faded away until two stars remained. The stars turned into rings and surrounded The Tricky, who became a straight line of five stars. A light engulfed them all and a white-robed wizard holding a staff wielded by the disciples of Dark Magic appeared (ATK/400 DEF/1800).

"Arcanite Magician! And when he's Synchro Summoned, he gets two Spell Counters and each one boosts him up by a thousand attack points." Two Spell Counters flew into the orb on Arcanite Magician's staff and his attack points rose up to twenty-four hundred. "Now I can remove one Spell Counter to destroy a card you control." The white-robed wizard's attack power dropped to fourteen hundred as a Spell Counter emerged from his staff and shattered. "Go, Arcane Barrage!" Arcanite Magician held out his hand and a volley of arcane missiles flew out from his fingertips and bombarded Ally of Justice Catastor. They exploded on impact, causing the enormous machine of doom to stagger backwards. The great monster soon fell and Judgement was left open.

"Now I transfer a Spell Counter from Pitch-Black Power Stone to Arc." Another Spell Counter emerged from the stone and entered Arcanite Magician's staff, raising his attack points back up to twenty-four hundred. "Okay Arc, it's time to attack! Arcane Magic Attack!" The wizard spun his staff over his head and pointed it directly at Judgement before a burst of magical energy erupted from it.

--

**Mika:** 5000

**Judgement:** 4400

--

Judgement grunted from the force of the impact, but he did not budge. His robes fluttered around him violently from the powerful wind that was conjured up, but his mask continued to conceal his expression.

"That's it for me," Mika declared.

"Impressive. You are the first to destroy Ally of Justice Catastor." Judgement drew. "Do not think this means you have won." He placed one card facedown and concluded his turn.

"I think Arc and I ARE going to win." Mika drew her card. "I transfer the last Spell Counter on Pitch-Black Power Stone to Arc." The last Spell Counter was removed and Pitch-Black Power Stone was destroyed. As it was given to Arcanite Magician, his attack power rose up to thirty-four hundred. "Now I remove one to destroy that DNA Transplant." Arcanite Magican's attack power dropped back down to twenty-four hundred and he fired another Arcane Barrage at DNA Transplant, destroying the Continuous Trap Card and returning all monsters on the field back to their original Attributes. "Arc, attack!" Arcanite Magician aimed his staff and another burst of arcane magic shot out and struck Judgement.

--

**Mika:** 5000

**Judgement:** 2000

--

"Activate Quick-Play Spell Card, Fires of Doomsday." Two Doomsday Tokens appeared before Judgement, each a level one Dark Fiend with zero attack and defense points in the form of a one-eyed black flame.

_He let my attack go through so he could summon those for a reason_, thought Mika. She had to be careful. She looked at her hand and took a card. "I play Nightmare Steelcage!" A black dome-shaped cage surrounded Judgement and his tokens. "Now until the end of your second turn after this card's activation, no monsters can attack. I end here." This would slow him down, she thought.

"Draw." Judgement drew his card. "I sacrifice one Doomsday Token to summon Ally of Justice Omni-Weapon." One of the small demon flames burned out in and its place arose an enormous machine armed with a variety of weapons including a fist, an axe, a hammer, a circular saw, and most notably an enormous drill (ATK/2200 DEF/800). "Turn end."

_He didn't summon a super-powerful monster?_ Mika wondered as she drew. Weird, she thought. However, she was not about to relax. Without a second thought, she took a card from her hand and placed it onto her Duel Disk.

"I summon a second Defender, the Magical Knight." A second blue knight appeared and a Spell Counter appeared on his shield. "I end my turn."

"My move." Judgement drew his card. "You have two monsters and at least one is a Light monster. That permits me to Special Summon Ally of Justice Cosmic Gateway." A large machine appeared behind Judgement. A large circular part in the middle began to glow as an interdimensional portal opened up (ATK/2400 DEF/1200). "And now I shall summon Ally of Justice Cycle Reader." A robotic spider appears on the field with a face similar to that of Ally of Justice Catastor, but much smaller and red instead of gold (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "Now I tune Ally of Justice Cycle Reader to my Doomsday Token and Ally of Justice Omni-Weapon." Three rings were produced from Ally of Justice Cycle Reader and it tuned to the six-star sum of both Ally of Justice Omni-Weapon and the Doomsday Token whereupon a column of light engulfed them all.

"Come forth, Ally of Justice Field Marshal." As the light receded, two enormous silver metal arms emerged. Both were attached to a gargantuan silver robot that hovered above the ground. Two spikes on it shoulders suddenly lit up and illuminated its face, which had but a single eye. Suddenly, searchlights lit up all over its body and began sweeping the field (ATK/2900 DEF/2600). "Now I play Mystical Space Typhoon." A powerful wind blew across the field and Nightmare's Steelcage shattered, freeing Judgement's monsters.

"Ally of Justice Cosmic Gateway, attack Defender, the Magical Knight." Ally of Justice Cosmic Gateway began a suction process to draw in Defender, the Magical Knight.

Mika began to panic a little. If she used Defender's effect to save him, Arcanite Magician would be left wide open. However if she did not use the effect, both of her monsters would be destroyed. She quickly made up her mind and announced her decision, "I remove Defender's Spell Counter!" The Spell Counter shattered and a magical barrier was formed with the shards that kept Defender, the Magical Knight in place. Despite saving him, he had been in attack mode and Mika paid for it.

--

**Mika:** 4200

**Judgement:** 2000

--

"Ally of Justice Field Marshal, strike down Arcanite Magician." Ally of Justice Field Marshal turned around in place and looked down at Arcanite Magician. It slowly brought out its arms and turned them so that its palms faced its target. Its eye scanned the wizard as all of its searchlights focused on a single point. With its target locked on, Ally of Justice Field Marshal fired a laser from each palm and destroyed the Spellcaster with one blow.

--

**Mika:** 3700

**Judgement:** 2000

--

"ARC!" Mika was devastated. Her best, and her favorite, monster had been destroyed so easily. And now she stood with the giant portal and the enormous cosmic robot looming over her. She had already dealt with one of Judgement's most powerful monsters with great difficulty and now she had to deal with this one. With two cards in her hand, she had no idea how she was going to destroy such a technological terror.

o o o

"It's my turn now!" Nicky drew his card.

--

**Reko:** 1800 / **SPC:** 4

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 3

--

"An now Oi summon Flamvell Archer!" Another archer with flaming hair appeared and flew alongside Nick (ATK/1500 DEF/200). "Now Oi tune me Archer to me Firedog ta bring out me strongest monster!" Flamvell Archer's body faded away until three shining stars remained. They turned into a trio of green rings and surrounded Flamvell Firedog, whose body faded away until four stars remained. They aligned themselves inside the rings and a column of fire engulfed them all and descended upon the island.

"Searing flames shall scorch the earth. Great god of fire, show your wrath! Synchro Summon! Incinerate, Ancient Flamvell Deity!"

The sky turned orange and Reko looked up just in time to see an enormous fiery god rise up above the trees clad in crimson armor (ATK/2500 DEF/200).

"An' now for 'is effect!" Nicky pointed up. "Oi can remove any numba o' monsters from your graveyard for every card in your hand and me Flamvell Deity gets a two 'undred attack booster for each!" With one card in Reko's hand, Gemknight Sapphia was removed and as a result Ancient Flamvell Deity's attack points rose up to twenty-seven hundred.

"Ancient Flamvell Deity, attack Gemknight Ganet!" Ancient Flamvell Deity looked down at Reko and clenched his fist. He leaned over a little and swung his punch down right on top of Gemknight Ganet.

--

**Reko:** 1000 / **SPC:** 4

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 3

--

Reko's Duel Runner spun out of control as Nicky's maniacal cackle filled the air. He gripped his handlebars tightly and tried to straighten himself out. Nicky cackled as he pulled ahead and turned a corner while Reko continued to spin forward toward a cliff.

_Crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap!_ The thought ran through the lavender-haired man head over and over again followed by unintelligible rambling in Gaelic. Reko immediately hit the brakes and the loud screech of his tires filled the air as he tried to turn his motorcycle around. Despite his best efforts, he still found himself sliding toward his cliff and impending doom.

"Come on, damnit!" He finally succeeded in stopping having managed to turn his bike sideways with only an inch of his rear tire off the edge. He quickly gunned his engine and drove off to catch up with Nicky. The maniacal sadist saw him in his rear view mirror and cackled. "So ye survived, eh?"

"This duel is still on!" Reko called out.

"Well y'ain't gunna win!" Nicky yelled. "Me Flamvell Deity's on the field and there ain't nuthin' y'can do to stop 'im! You're finished, Reko!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Mika continues her duel with Judgement and Reko struggles to survive against Nicky. It's the climactic showdown coming to a close. See how it concludes next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	74. Flames Allied with Justice

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

Speed Spells provided by _Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Stardust Accelerator: World Championship 2009_ and _Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2010:_ _Rise of Arcadia_ except for Speed Spell — Gemknight Fusion.

More card names have been changed to match their English versions.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-33**

**Flames Allied with Justice**

--

**Reko:** 1000 / **SPC:** 4

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 3

--

Reko was down to one thousand Life Points with four Speed Counters and one card in his hand. His field was completely empty unlike his opponent. Nicky only had two hundred Life Points and three Speed Counters, but he had the Continuous Trap Card Backfire and his strongest monster, Ancient Flamvell Deity (ATK/2500 DEF/200) who had been boosted to twenty-seven hundred attack points by his own effect.

"Oi end me turn!" declared Nicky, "Lessee wotcha got!"

Reko looked at his deck and placed one hand on top if it. He took in a deep breath and began to pull. "I draw!"

o o o

--

**Mika:** 3700

**Judgement:** 2000

--

Mika had thirty-seven hundred Life Points, which was more than her opponent along with Defender, the Magical Warrior (ATK/1600 DEF/2000) and two cards in her hand. However, Judgement, who only had two thousand Life Points and no cards in his hand, had his field occupied with two powerful monsters: Ally of Justice Cosmic Gateway (ATK/2400 DEF/1200) and Ally of Justice Field Marshal (ATK/2900 DEF/2600).

"No man escapes Judgement." The robed man thus concluded his turn.

"I draw." Mika drew her card. As soon as she saw it, she played it immediately. "Swords of Revealing Light!" Three shining swords of white light came down from the sky and landed before Judgement's front line. "That should stop you from attacking for three turns."

"Three turns is more than enough time to set up your demise," Judgement replied.

"You mean like how you've been setting up the demise of everyone on this island?" Mika asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"You guys were planning to blow up this island," the priestess answered.

_Nicky, you overexcitable peon... _Judgement turned to Mika. "We have no intention of doing such a thing. That pyromaniacal fool gets excited over anything and he always starts babbling about his own desires."

"So....the island isn't in any danger?"

"Not even close." Judgement lowered his arm and his Duel Disk rested at his side. "Now are you going to continue?"

"No, I'm done." There was nothing much Mika could do. However, as long as her Swords of Revealing Light remained on the field, she was safe for the time being.

"My draw." Judgement's sleeve fluttered as he drew his next card. "I pass this turn." At that moment, one of the swords disappeared.

"My move then." Mika drew her card. As long as her opponent had such powerful monsters on the field, it would be impossible to deal Battle Damage on him. Mika examined her hand thoroughly hoping that something could defeat him. She saw one card and quickly sifted through her Extra Deck to see if she could use it effectively. Once she confirmed it with a mental yes, she played her card. "I summon Night's End Sorcerer." For the second time, her very young wizard appeared (ATK/1300 DEF/400). "Now I tune him to Defender, the Magical Knight." Night's End Sorcerer's body faded away until two shining stars remained. The stars turned into a pair of green rings and surrounded Defender, the Magical Knight until his body faded away into four shining stars which lined up together and a column of light engulfed them all. "I Synchro Summon Tempest Magician!" A black-haired woman in a long dark dress appeared wielding Night End Sorcerer's scythe with the young spellcaster's bats fluttering beside her (ATK/2200 DEF/1400). "When she's Synchro Summoned, I put a Spell Counter on her. Then I can discard cards from my hand to add Spell Counters to any card on the field equal to the number of cards I discarded." As she said this, a Spell Counter appeared on one of the bats surrounding Tempest Magician. She then sent the other two cards in her hand to her graveyard and two more bats with Spell Counters appeared.

"Now I can remove all Spell Counters from the field to have Tempest Magician burn you for five hundred Life Points each." Tempest Magician swung her scythe and sliced the bats in two. She then twirled her weapon around with its blade stained red and she turned on Judgement. With one stroke of her scythe, the blood flew off her blade and took on the form of a blade of its own as it shot across the field and struck the giant man.

--

**Mika:** 3700

**Judgement:** 500

--

_All I need is one card and I can win this,_ thought Mika, _Next turn, I'll discard my card to put a Spell Counter on Tempest Magician and use her effect to burn off the last of his Life Points._

"I end my turn!" she announced.

"I draw." Judgement drew his card. "I equip your monster with the Scroll of Bewitchment. As long as she bears this card, her attribute becomes the one I choose and I select the Light attribute." A scroll appeared in Tempest Magician's free hand and it suddenly unfurled and wrapped itself around her before letting off a brilliant radiance. "I set this card and end my turn." Another sword disappeared.

_I win_, thought Mika as she drew, "I discard my card to add a Spell Counter to Tempest Magician." A new bat appeared beside the witch and Mika prepared to remove it. "Now I remove that Spell Counter to dish out five hundred points of damage!"

"Reveal Trap Card." Judgement's facedown flipped over. "Light-Imprisoning Mirror." An Eye of Wdjat appeared with its pupil a mirror like a swirling void materialized from the card and began to draw in light from Tempest Magician. "As long as this card remains face-up on my field, the effect of any Light monster on the field or in the graveyard is negated." Tempest Magician's scythe was halted and she returned to her original stance as her bat remained unharmed.

"Damn," Mika muttered. Her plan had been thwarted. With no more cards left in her hand, she ended her turn.

"Draw." Judgement drew his card. "Turn end." With that, the final sword vanished and his monsters were free to attack next turn.

"I draw!" Mika drew her card and cringed. She hoped that she would draw something that would stall her opponent, but it was not. Reluctantly, she switched her Tempest Magician into defense mode and ended her turn.

"Draw." Judgement drew and looked up at his monsters. "Ally of Justice Cosmic Gateway, destroy Tempest Magician." Ally of Justice Cosmic Gateway opened up and a strong wind blew across the field as it started to suck in its target like a vortex. Tempest Magician tried to resist, but it was no use and she was quickly drawn into the unknown.

"Ally of Justice Field Marshal, attack," ordered Judgement. The enormous silver machine turned to face Mika and held out its arms. Its hands rotated around until its palms were pointed directly at her and a laser was fired from each.

--

**Mika:** 800

**Judgement:** 500

--

"Turn end," declared Judgement.

Mika closed her eyes and slowly began to draw. When she opened them to see, she could not believe her luck. This was the exact card she needed. "I play Nightmare's Steelcage!" Another cage appeared and encased Judgement and his monsters, preventing any of them from attacking. "My turn is done."

"Luck can only get you so far." Judgement drew his card. "I set this card. Turn end."

"And I draw." Mika drew her card and smiled. "I summon Magical Exemplar!" She played her card and summoned a dark-haired woman in a green robe (ATK/1700 DEF/1400). "Each time I activate a Spell Card, she gains two Spell Counters. Now I play Toon Table of Contents. This lets me search my deck for any card with Toon in its name or 'Manga Ryu-Ran'." As her deck ejected a second Toon Table of Contents, two Spell Counters appeared and orbited around Magical Exemplar. When she played her second card, two more appeared around her spellcaster as she received her third Toon Table of Contents. Finally, she played the last one and brought Toon Masked Sorcerer to her hand as her creature gained two more Spell Counters, which now totaled six.

"Now I remove all my Magical Exemplar's Spell Counters to Special Summon a Spellcaster from my hand or graveyard whose level is equal to the number of Spell Counters I removed. Come back, Tempest Magician!" Magical Exemplar put her hands together and began to chant. As her spell echoed all over the field, her Spell Counters began to turn into stars. When all six had finally been transformed, they circled the field and came together to form a bright white light from which Tempest Magician emerged. "Now I discard Toon Masked Sorcerer to put a Spell Counter on Tempest Magician." Putting the only card she held into her graveyard, a bat appeared next to Tempest Magician.

"Now I remove that Spell Counter to deal five hundred points of damage!" declared Mika.

"Trap Card activate," announced Judgement, "DNA Transplant. I choose the Light attribute. And now that your creature is a Light monster, my Light-Imprisoning Mirror negates her attack." Light radiating from Tempest Magician was quickly absorbed into the vortex within the robed man's mirror.

"I end my turn," Mika said reluctantly.

"Draw." Judgement took his card off his deck and looked at it. "I play Dark Eruption. I select one Dark monster from my graveyard with fifteen hundred or less attack points and add it to my hand." Ally of Justice Cyclone Creator was ejected from his graveyard and he placed it in his hand. "I summon Ally of Justice Cyclone Creator." In a terrifying torrent of wind, Judgement's bird-like machine with the turbines in its wings appeared (ATK/1400 DEF/1200). "Now I discard a monster to return a number of Spells and Traps equal to the number of Tuners." He discarded Ally of Justice Thunder Armor and Ally of Justice Cyclone Creator's turbines began to spin. Two tornadoes were generated and they flew across the field and swept Mika's Spell Card back into her hand. In doing so, the cage around Judgement vanished.

"This duel ends," he declared, "Ally of Justice Field Marshal, destroy Magical Exemplar." The silver giant rotated on its spot and turned its gaze down on Magical Exemplar. With its arms extended, it turned its palms to face its target and fired. The lasers pierced through the green-robed enchantress and she was destroyed.

--

**Mika:** 0

**Judgement:** 500

--

Mika's Duel Band hummed loudly as it ripped the energy from her's body. She cried out in agony as she fell to her knees. Her teeth gnarled and ground together as she glared at Judgement with the last of he strength. Her eyepatch lit up in a purple flame revealing a glowing eye that seemed to pierce Judgement's soul. He took a step back at the sight of it and gasped before fell forward, unconscious.

"No man escapes Judgement," he began as he moved toward the priestess and picked her up off the ground, "but that doesn't mean you are to be judged by me." He walked away with Mika dangling in his arms. The master had to know about this.

o o o

"I draw!" Reko removed the top card from his deck.

--

**Reko:** 1000 / **SPC:** 5

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 4

--

He placed the card on his wristband and prepared to make his move. "Next I take off four Speed Cou..." His words were suddenly cut off when Nicky rammed his Duel Runner into Reko's. "What the?" The pyromaniac's face was etched with a maniacal grin as he pulled away and ran his motorcycle into his opponent's again. Reko looked the other way and saw he was being pushed off the ledge. "Okay, seriously!" He quickly shifted gears and slammed back into Nicky. "GET THE SMEG OFF ME!"

Nicky just laughed as he decelerated and Reko pulled forward. The lavender-haired man took in a deep breath and proceeded. "As I was saying, I take off four Speed Counters and..." He suddenly felt a jolt and looked behind him to see Nicky bumping his Duel Runner from behind. Reko stared at the man rearending him and then turned an upcoming corner.

"You really don't want me to do that, do you?"

"If Oi go down, Oi'm takin' ye wit' me!"

"Alright, you wanna play that way?" Reko turned a sharp corner with his opponent hot on his tail. "I'll just slap this bad boy down and end my turn." A facedown card appeared in front of Reko's Duel Runner and disappeared from sight. "Alright, Mr. Hothead Duelist. Now will you please stop running me off the road?"

"A'right, then it's my turn!" Nicky drew his card.

--

**Reko:** 1000 / **SPC:** 6

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 5

--

"Oi activate the Speed Spell — Speed Jammer! Oi remove two o' me Speed Counters to remove six o' yours!"

--

**Reko:** 1000 / **SPC:** 6

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 3

--

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me," muttered Reko. He gripped onto his handlebars for dear life as his Duel Runner suddenly dropped tremendously in speed.

--

**Reko:** 1000 / **SPC:** 0

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 3

--

Reko hit his brakes and straightened himself out before pursuing Nicky.

"Now it's time for me to attack!" Nicky pointed up at his gigantic monster. "Ancient Flamvell Deity, attack 'im and end this duel!" Ancient Flamvell Deity turned and looked down at Reko. He clenched his flaming fist and swung downward. The punch connected and a massive explosion of fire erupted around Reko.

"I activate Defense Draw!" The Duelist revealed his facedown card as the searing heat scorched the land around him. "The Battle Damage I receive from this attack becomes zero and I get to draw a card." An energy barrier surrounded Reko and his Duel Runner and defended him against the blazing flames as he drew a card and placed it on his wristband.

"You were lucky." Nicky then ended his turn and rounded a corner with Reko behind him.

"I draw!" Reko took off the top card of his deck.

--

**Reko:** 1000 / **SPC:** 1

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 4

--

He had Speed Spell — Gemknight Fusion, another Speed Spell, and a Trap Card. None of them would be able to defeat his opponent's monster. The Trap Card could delay him for another turn, but whether or not his next draw could save him was a big risk. Still, he felt he had do something. With only one thousand Life Points left, he was out of options. "I'm setting a card and ending my turn."

"My turn!" Nicky cackled as he drew.

--

**Reko:** 1000 / **SPC:** 2

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 5

--

"Aw'right Flamvell Deity, attack!" ordered Nicky. Ancient Flamvell Deity turned on Reko and threw his fiery punch down at him again.

"I activate Negate Attack!" Reko activated his facedown card and a vortex absorbed Ancient Flamvell Deity's attack.

Nicky growled as his Battle Phase ended. "Aw'right, if you ain't gunna go out that way, Oi'll hit ya wit' eight 'undred points for this Speed Spell in me 'and!"

--

**Reko:** 1000 / **SPC:** 2

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 1

--

Four shining orbs rose up around Nicky and spun around him before launching themselves at Reko.

--

**Reko:** 200 / **SPC:** 2

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 1

--

"Oi end me turn!"

"I draw!" Reko drew his card.

--

**Reko:** 200 / **SPC:** 3

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 2

--

Reko now had a monster, but he now also had enough Speed Counters to make use of his Speed Spell. "Now I play Speed Spell — Angel Baton. I draw two cards and then discard one." He picked up two cards and looked at them. They made him smile and he sent his Speed Spell — Gemknight Fusion to his graveyard. "Next I play Speed Spell — Overboost to increase my Speed Counters by six."

--

**Reko:** 200 / **SPC:** 9

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 2

--

Reko now had more than enough Speed Counters to use the effect of Speed World 2 to burn his opponent and end the duel, but if Nicky's earlier stunt was any indication, the sadist would run him off the cliff again. He needed to do something else. "But I only need four 'cause now I remove Gemknight Rubys from my grave to return Speed Spell — Gemknight Fusion to my hand." He placed his Fusion Monster in his pocket and brought back his Spell Card. "Now I play Speed Spell — Gemknight Fusion and I'll fuse Gemknight Sapphia and Gemknight Ganet in my hand." A garnet and a sapphire appeared over Reko's head and the two gemstones combined into a shining ruby, which shattered and from it emerged another Gemknight Rubys (ATK/2500 DEF/1300).

"HA! You must be nutters!" Nicky cackled. "Me Flamvell Deity's still stronger!"

"That's why I'm removing seven Speed Counters to draw a card."

--

**Reko:** 200 / **SPC:** 2

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 2

--

Reko took in a deep breath and slowly reached for his deck. This one card would determine who would win this duel. _Help guide me to victory, Reka_. He placed his fingers on the top card and pulled. _Thanks, sis._ He played his card.

"I play Speed Spell — Riryoku! First I give up two Speed Counters."

--

**Reko:** 200 / **SPC:** 0

**Nicky:** 200 / **SPC:** 2

--

"Now I can halve the attack of one monster on the field and add that amount to another monster." Ancient Flamvell Deity roared as Gemknight Rubys held up his staff and began to absorb his flames. Before long, the giant fiery god's blaze was but a flicker with its attack points reduced to thirteen fifty. Armed with newfound power, Gemknight Rubys was ablaze with bright orange flames as his attack points became thirty-eight fifty.

"You wouldn't!" Nicky gasped.

"This is for everything you've done!" Reko pointed toward Gemknight Rubys. "Rubys, destroy Ancient Flamvell Deity!" The bright red knight unsheathed his staff sword and leapt up toward Ancient Flamvell Deity. The god of fire had collapsed onto one knee and was in no position to defend himself. Gemknight Rubys spun his weapon in his hand and swung downward. His blade cleaved his target in two and the mighty Ancient Flamvell Deity was slain.

"And that's how you kill a god!" shouted Reko.

--

**Reko:** 200 / **SPC:** 0

**Nicky:** 0 / **SPC:** 2

--

Smoke started spewing out of Nicky's Duel Runner as he lost control. "Damn it!" He did what he could to stabilize himself, but his brakes had locked and it was impossible to see through the smoke. When he could finally get a glimpse of what was beyond the thick cover, it was too late. Nicky's Duel Runner drove over the edge of a cliff. Reko stopped just before it and lowered his bandanna. He took off his helmet and watched as Nicky plummetted to the ocean below, laughing maniacally. As he fell, it was as if he and his motorcycle caught fire until he disappeared below the waves.

Reko put his hands on his handlebars and lowered his head. After a few seconds, he put his helmet back on and drove off.

o o o

"That was an intense duel." Noah reached into the large tub of popcorn he had on his lap and ate another handful. With his clean hand he checked the laptop beside him and looked at the figures. Just as he had expected, Reko's Turbo Duel against Nicky had generated an incredible amount of Duel Energy. What he had not expected were the numbers. That duel had produced more Duel Energy than his own duel against Sammie.

"Roman, are you seeing these numbers?" he yelled across the room.

"I am," the businessman answered, "It's rather unfortunate we won't be able to duplicate this sort of duel."

"Pity." Noah just shrugged and ate more popcorn. "Oh well, we'll just have to run that girl harder than before."

o o o

Mikey and Umi were still a long way away from their rendezvous point, but they did not have to go any further on foot. Somehow, Reko managed to find them and he pulled up beside them.

"Did....you win?" Mikey asked. Reko took off his helmet and looked at the teenage boy.

"Yeah," Reko answered. He did not want to tell them about Nicky's fate and for what he thought it was worth, it was probably best if they did not know. He looked around and noticed someone was missing. "Where's Mika?"

"We were ambushed after your duel started," answered Umi.

"By who?"

"It was a really big guy in white robes and a weird mask," answered Mikey.

"Judgement." Reko looked down. He had failed. He had succeeded in drawing Nicky away from the others, but he his lack of anticipation from another Duelist had brought those close to him in danger. Not only that, but Mika had fallen to Judgement of all people. He slowly looked back up and turned his gaze toward the castle.

"Get on."

"Huh?" Mikey blinked.

"I should have enough room for the two of you." Reko revved his engine as Umi got onto the backseat.

"Where are we going?" Mikey inquired as he got on behind the pop idol.

"Where we said we'd meet up," answered Reko. He put his helmet back on and pulled his bandanna over his lower face before lowering his goggles and drove off.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Cassie finds herself thrown into her deepest fears as she faces one of the Four Horseman. The duel takes another turn as it turns into a terrifying struggle within the darkest recesses of her soul. See what happens next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	75. Heroes Fighting Against Famine

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-34**

**Heroes Fighting Against Famine**

The ebon steed neighed as its rider basked in the triumph of another fallen opponent. Famine looked at the carpet of cards that lay scattered on the soil in front of him. Every one of them he had sent from his opponent's deck to the graveyard. From what he could tell, this girl used a lot of rabbit-themed cards. She had begun with three turns' defense using multiple copies of Mecha Bunny and then set up a defense while she wailed away with Inaba White Rabbit. Fortunately for him, his stall and mill strategy was able to counter her stall and direct attack strategy and destroy her deck completely. The black horseman sneered at his fallen opponent and turned his horse around. "Let us ride." The ebon steed trotted away, leaving behind the cards that carpetted the dirt and the arm that once held them.

o o o

Reko finally came to a stop at the base of the stairs leading up to the castle. Mikey, who was still shaky from the ride, tried very slowly to get off but ended up falling off the motorcycle instead. Umi quickly dismounted and helped the young man to his feet.

"Sweet Sally Struthers, that's a lot of stairs," Reko commented.

"I don't suppose you can drive us all up there?" Umi inquired.

"There's no way my bike can support all our weight up those steps." Reko parked his Duel Runner and set the alarm. "We're climbing up."

Mikey said nothing as he followed Umi and Reko up the stairs. Something told him he should save his breath and energy because this was going to be a long climb.

o o o

Saito knew he and Nellie were getting close. The castle still loomed over them, but now it was putting increasingly greater strain on their necks just to look up at it.

"Hey Sai, isn't that Mikey?" asked Nellie. She pointed up toward the stairs and the rich boy followed her finger. He could make out three shapes, but there was no way to distinguish who or what they even were.

"How can you tell from this distance?" he inquired.

"I see a yellow jacket."

"That could be anyone."

"He's got a blue-haired girl with him."

"Again, that could be anyone."

Nellie just shrugged. "Then I dunno, but I do know we gotta hurry." Saito nodded in agreement and picked up the pace with his friend in tow. The sooner they reached the castle, the better off they were going to be.

o o o

Sako uncapped his flask and took a gulp of water. It had been a couple of days since his duel and victory over War. He thought back to that moment when he engaged the red horseman. He had gone off to fight and left Cassie to fend for herself. Ever since then, he had been trying for days to locate the spunky little girl. But so far he hadn't had any luck. Many Duelists ignored him since he lacked a Duel Band onto which theirs could lock; a thing he was thankful for since duels would only slow him down.

Sako recapped his flask and started to move on. Unlike him, Cassie did have a Duel Band and he feared that in a worst case scenario, she would face one of the horsemen.

o o o

Cassie was on her own. The last human contact she had was when she and Sako had parted ways. He had promised he was going to come after her, but it had been days since they separated. She was worried that War had claimed the Duel Sniper's life and was thus left to fend for herself. She checked her pack very quickly and discovered that she was running low on food and water. When she was with Sako, she did not have to worry about these things as the Duel Sniper had brought plenty enough of both for the two of them. But now that Cassie was alone, she realized then that she hadn't been rationing her supplies properly.

She sat down under a tree and rested. It was still a long way to the castle. Even with her map and compass, she continued to find herself lost on this godforsaken island. First she had lost Gio to that insane pyromaniacal sadist and now she had lost Sako. Fear already had her in its hold and it was slowly tightening its grip on her mind. She didn't even notice the approaching sound of hooves coming up in front of her nor did she see the ebon steed that emerged from the shadows or its rider shrouded in black like the darkest hour of night.

Famine said nothing as he looked down at the downhearted girl. But he did not do so out of pity; he did so to relish in her despair. The black horseman watched as Cassie was overtaken by feelings of hopelessness. His steed neighed impatiently and stamped a hoof. The young girl looked up and nearly screamed at the sight before her.

"Do not think you can leave so easily, girl." Famine pressed a spot on his gauntlet and he was immediately locked onto Cassie's Duel Band. He jammed his deck into his Duel Disk and his cards were automatically shuffled.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, "I don't want to duel!"

"You don't have a choice in the matter, girl." Famine held up his scales. "Let your cards aid in your judgment."

Eventually, Cassie reluctantly loaded her deck into her Duel Disk and had her cards shuffled. It was clear the horseman had no intention of letting her go free.

––––––––––

**Cassie:** 8000

**Famine:** 8000

––––––––––

"I'll let you go first," Famine said as he drew his starting hand. He looked at his cards and grinned beneath his helmet.

Cassie looked at the heroes on her Duel Disk skin. _I wish you guys were here_, she thought as she drew her first card. "I'll play Reinforcement of the Army. This card lets me add a level four or lower Warrior from my deck to my hand. And I pick Elemental Hero Stratos!" Her deck ejected a single card and she took it and placed it in her hand before her Duel Disk reshuffled her cards. "Now I summon him. Blow them away, Stratos!" The winds blew strong as a hero in blue and whtie armor appeared with wings equipped with powerful propellers (ATK/1800 DEF/300). "And I'll use his second effect to bring an Elemental Hero to my hand and I pick Elemental Hero Lady Heat!" Another card was ejected from her Duel Disk and she added it to her hand before her deck was shuffled again. Famine could only smile. His opponent already had a start on his job.

"I set a card and end my turn," declared Cassie. "Your move."

"I draw." Famine drew his card. "I Special Summon the mighty Grinder Golem in attack mode." A massive headless machine with enormous claws, chains, and an enormous sawblade on its body emerged and stood in front of Cassie (ATK/3000 DEF/300).

"Yo, what's the deal?" Cassie asked, "Why's this thing on my side?"

"Grinder Golem can only be summoned to my opponent's field," Famine explained, "If he's summoned, I cannot Normal Summon or Set this turn. Additionally, upon Grinder Golem's summoning, I get two Grinder Tokens." Two miniature versions of Grinder Golem appeared before the horseman, each a level one Dark Fiend-type creature with zero attack and defense points. "Grinder Token, attack Grinder Golem." One of the tiny machines ran toward the giant hulking monster, which simply stepped forward and stomped down on it.

––––––––––

**Cassie:** 8000

**Famine:** 5000

––––––––––

_He just took three thousand damage!_ Cassie thought, her confidence coming back, _Heh, this guy'll be easy to beat!_

"Now since I just took three thousand points of damage, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card Inferno Tempest from my hand. With this card, both of us remove all monsters from our decks and graveyards from play."

"What the heck?!" The sky seemed to light up bright orange as every single monster in Cassie's deck was ejected. In front of her Famine removed his monsters without even the slightest hint of worry in his actions.

"And among the monsters that were removed from my deck, one of them was Necroface," Famine continued his explanation. "If he is removed, then we both remove the top five cards from our decks from play." Cassie was devastated once again as she lost another five cards from her deck while her opponent continued to show no sign of despair from losing his cards. "I'll end my turn with three facedowns." Three cards appeared in front of his horse's hooves and he turned the duel over to Cassie.

"I draw." The young girl had no idea what to do. She only had Spells and Traps left and without fusion material, she was a sitting duck. Luckily for her, when Inferno Tempest hit, her hand was chock full of monsters so she still had many to work with. She looked at the card she drew and an idea formed. It was Polymerization. Her gaze turned toward Grinder Golem. Her opponent had indeed milled out all of her monsters from her deck, but in doing so he had also left her with a three thousand attack point monster. She was going to make him regret that move. And with a single zero-attack-point token on the field, she was going to end him this turn. "I play Polymerization! Now I fuse Elemental Hero Lady Heat in my hand with Elemental Hero Stratos on my field." A fusion portal opened and both of Cassie's monsters entered together before emerging as a single green and yellow striped warrior with a black tattered cape draped over his shoulders (ATK/2800 DEF/2200). "Elemental Hero Great Tornado! And his special ability halves the attack and defense of all of your monsters!"

"Trap Card activate," announced Famine, "Torrential Tribute."

"...Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap!" A great torrent of water erupted from the center of the field and blasted away every monster in range. Grinder Golem, Elemental Hero Great Tornado, and the Grinder Token were all wiped out in a single blast, leaving the battlefield void of creatures.

"Trap Card activate." Famine flipped over another card. "The Gift of Greed. My opponent draws two cards."

"...Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap!" Cassie reluctantly drew two new cards from her rapidly diminishing deck. She still had three monsters left and had not yet Normal Summoned this turn.

"I summon Elemental Hero Ocean." A blue warrior wearing an armored waistguard appeared with a dolphin fin on his head and wielding a silver bladed staff in his right hand (ATK/1500 DEF/1200). "Attack!" Elemental Hero Ocean moved across the field as if he were swimming as water started to surround his weapon.

"Trap activate." Famine revealed his third facedown. "Threatening Roar!" A loud roar echoed across the field and stopped Elemental Hero Ocean in his tracks."

"...Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap!"

"This just isn't your day," cackled Famine.

"Fine. I'm done," Cassie finally said.

"My move." Famine drew his card. "I set a monster and end my turn."

"My turn!" Cassie drew her card. She still had two monsters to work with, but she had to use them sparingly. "Alright Ocean, attack that monster!" Elemental Hero Ocean swam forward and slashed with his water-charged weapon, cutting apart what turned out to be some kind of purple caterpillar.

"You've attacked my Needle Worm," said Famine, "Now its Flip Effect activates and you must send the top five cards of your deck to your graveyard."

"...Cra..."

o o o

"Hm?" Noah looked up from his book and turned his gaze toward the window.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Kaiyou?" Roman inquired.

"I thought I heard something." He continued to stare out the window for a moment before shrugging and going back to his reading.

o o o

Famine sat on his horse waiting patiently as Cassie finally started to run out of breath. "Are you done yet?"

"Yeah.... I'm done...." Cassie took the top five cards from her deck and looked at them. Seeing what they were made her cringe as she placed them in her graveyard.

"My move." Famine drew his card. "I summon The Bistro Butcher." A demonic chef with hook replacing his right arm and wielding a long knife in his left hand rose up and cackled (ATK/1800 DEF/800). "When he deals Battle Damage, my opponent draws two cards. Butcher, strike down Elemental Hero Ocean." A maniacal grin appeared on The Bistro Butcher's face and he charged forward brandishing his knife.

"Oh no you don't!" Cassie quickly revealed her facedown card. "Hero Barrier! This negates your attack if I have an Elemental Hero on the field!" A circular wall of blue energy appeared in front of Elemental Hero Ocean and blocked the knife.

"Hiding behind a shield." Famine laughed. "Much like you hide behind that facade."

"What facade?" asked Cassie.

"Do not try to act strong, girl. I can see into your soul." The black horseman brought up his scales and held them out. He could see Cassie between the two trays and he smirked behind his helmet.

"Pfft! That see into the soul stuff is just a load!"

"You're afraid," Famine said.

"What?"

"I can see what's happened in your past." As Famine spoke, a soft flame appeared in one tray of his scales. Cassie Rhodes' soul. He then snapped his fingers and a shimmering golden feather materialized in the other tray.

Cassie began to pale. Her mother had read to her about this before. It was the Judgment of the Dead. Her very soul was being weighed against the Feather of Truth.

"I can see a friend of yours. You two were close, though you would never admit it."

"Sh-shut up!"

"You watched him battle against a fearsome opponent. You watched him fall. You watched helplessly as you let your friend fall."

"Stop it! Stop right now!"

"And after he lost, you ran." Famine cackled. "You ran like a coward." The scales slowly tipped and Cassie's soul descended an inch.

"No! No I was..." Cassie stopped. She could not deny it. She had indeed abandoned Gio the moment he had lost. Seeing the evil in that man's eyes had done more than merely send chills down her spine. It was the first time in her life that she had felt true fear.

Cassie suddenly dropped to her knees and started crying. "You can't escape it, girl," Famine said, his voice now haunting as he penetrated her frail mind. Cassie finally looked up and saw before her the very scene that frightened her to the core. She watched again helpless as Gio collapsed surrounded by the searing flames. It all seemed real. She could feel the very heat she felt those many days ago.

"N-n-no.... I just.... No...."

"Afterwards, you met up with that Duel Sniper. You put on a mask of bravery, but he saw through it."

Cassie was in tears. She thought that she was a big girl who could take care of herself, but she had been fooling herself. She was just a frightened helpless little child. In her dream world, Famine's monstrous form stood looming over her cackling loudly as he rose up from the abyss. Behind him, the scales stood tall. Cassie's soul was sinking and the horseman laughed with such terrifying evil that she fell into an even deeper state of fear.

"You betrayed your friend. You pretended to be something you're not. And you thought you could fool everyone." Famine looked behind him and looked at the scales. "It won't be long now. Soon, you shall be condemned to Hell for eternity."

For once in her life, Cassie had nothing to say in return. No argumentative denial. No snappy comeback. Nothing. It was all gone. Everything was gone. All she could think about was the neverending fear.

She cried. She cried for her father. She cried for her mother. But her cries went unheard as Famine's laughter overpowered them.

"No one can help you, girl. You are mine now!"

"Dad.... Mom...." Cassie sniffled as tears continued to roll down her face. She closed her eyes tight. "What would you do?" Suddenly, she could see the image of her father. He turned around and smiled at her.

"Just believe in yourself, Cass, and you can win any match." Jaden laughed. It was the laugh that Cassie loved so much. Whenever she heard her father's carefree laugh, it always lifted her spirits. Then she saw her mother. Hard and cold on the field of battle, but still the gentle and caring soul who had raised her. Her trademark glare always seemed to pierce through any person's defenses with its chilling intensity.

Jaden and Alexis. Her father and mother. Cassie looked up. No matter what happened, the two of them had always been there for her. Even now in her state of loneliness and fright, they continued to shine for her like a beacon.

"I'm not afraid," she said.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm not afraid!" Cassie repeated. The illusion shattered and the girl found herself back on Duelist Kingdom. Famine still sat on his horse holding up his scales, but they had tipped the other way. Now Cassie's soul was lighter than the feather.

"What?!"

"I'm not scared anymore. I have no reason to be. Sure I failed some people, but you know what? All we can do is move on and try to fix things down the road. Two very important people taught me that."

"Touching, but let your cards speak for you!" Famine slapped a card down on his Duel Disk. "I set a card facedown and end my turn."

"It's my move now." Cassie's deck seemed to glow briefly before she drew her card. "This is..."

"Make your move, girl," Famine demanded.

_Thanks, dad. I promise I'll put this card to good use._ Cassie turned to the horseman and placed the card in her hand.

"First I play Polymerization. Now I fuse Elemental Hero Ocean with Elemental Hero The Heat in my hand to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!" The two heroes merged and from the light a warrior in white armor emerged, his matching cape fluttering behind him (ATK/2500 DEF/2000).

"I reveal my Trap Card, Call of the Haunted." With his card, Famine resurrected the mighty Grinder Golem. "Your pathetic little hero is no match for the might of my golem."

"I'm not done yet." Cassie then took the card she drew and looked at it. "Here goes. I play the Spell Card Parallel World Fusion!"

"What is this?" demanded Famine.

"This card lets me return Fusion Material monsters that have been removed from play back to my deck and then I can Fusion Summon a monster. So I'm bringing back Elemental Hero Woodsman and Elemental Hero Prisma to summon Elemental Hero The Shining!" A blinding light engulfed the field and from its radiance emerged a shining white angelic figure. A large golden halo floated behind his back with eight shimmering points surrounding it like the rays of the sun (ATK/2600 DEF/2100).

"You wasted all that time just to summon a creature like that?"

"It's not a waste! Shining has a special ability," Cassie explained, "He gets three hundred attack points for every Elemental Hero that's been removed from play."

"Wait." Famine looked at his graveyard. "But my Inferno Tempest removed..."

"Minus the two I returned to my deck..." Cassie took her cards out from her pocket and counted them. "That makes ten. So ten times three hundred is three thousand!" Elemental Hero The Shining radiated with white light as his attack points shot up to fifty-six hundred.

"Elemental Hero Absolute Zero, attack Grinder Golem!" The chilling aura surrounding the white hero vanished as it was focused into his right fist. Then he slammed his punch into the ground and a wave of icicles shot out toward Grinder Golem. The massive mechanical demon grabbed the sawblade from its torso and removed it. As the ice wave hit its feet, it threw the circular blade at Elemental Hero Absolute Zero and cleaved him in two straight down the middle.

––––––––––

**Cassie:** 7500

**Famine:** 5000

––––––––––

"Why did you sacrifice your monster?" asked Famine.

"'Cause if Absolute Zero leaves the field, his special ability destroys all the monsters you control!" The ice wave suddenly shattered and flew into the sky, turning into a rain of ice spears. Grinder Golem and The Bistro Butcher were impaled from all directions and the two of them died a quick and painful death. "Elemental Hero The Shining, attack! Shining Holy Light!" The sun-shaped halo on Elemental Hero The Shining's back shone brightly and rays of golden light poured out. Famine cried loudly as they washed over him.

––––––––––

**Cassie:** 7500

**Famine:** 0

––––––––––

Famine's horse reared back and neighed loudly, throwing its rider off into the foliage behind him. The ebon steed ran away as Cassie shut off her Duel Disk and let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thanks mom and dad," she whispered, "I love you." She heard some rustling from the trees and she turned to see Sako emerge from them.

"You're alive!"

"Did you think otherwise?"

"For a moment, yeah. I kinda did." Cassie smiled. Her father's smile. Sako chuckled and tousled her hair.

"Come on, kiddo. Let's get going."

"Where are we going now?"

"Over there." Sako pointed toward the castle with the barrel of his sniper rifle. Cassie nodded and took hold of his hand.

"Lead the way."

o o o

"Curses...." Famine pushed himself up onto his knees hours later and knelt there on all fours. He had been disgraced. The horseman had just been defeated by a little girl. He snarled at himself as he hauled himself to his feet. There was no way he would let himself live this down. Picking up his scales he slung them back onto his hip and walked off. A portal opened up between two trees and he stepped through.

"This....isn't....over...."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

A plague breaks out on the field against the mighty sacred phoenix. Nellie and Pestilence go head-to-head. Watch this duel unfold next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	76. Cure

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-35**

**Cure**

Death and Pestilence stood in a clearing in the woods. Their steeds were grazing off to the side while the pair discussed things in private. The white horseman appeared to be rather shaken, a trait that the ashen horseman did not overlook.

"It just can't be...." Pestilence gripped his fist in his other hand as he began nervously pacing back and forth. Death said nothing as he spun his scythe on the tip of its blade. He could tell his partner was frightened, but do be in such a state would do him no good. He grabbed his weapon loosely and dragged it against the ground, cutting a fine line in the grass.

"First War.... Then Famine.... And within such a short time of one another..."

"You're acting like a snivelling frightened child," Death said in his almost inhuman voice.

"Why aren't you worried? For all you know, you could be next," Pestilence pointed out.

"Death is but a natural stage in the cycle of life. There is nothing that can be done to stop it." Death raised his scythe up and rested it on his shoulder as he proceeded to walk around. "I advise you to remember this. You're one of the Four Horsemen." He stopped behind his white-clad partner. "Fear should not grip you; you should be the one wielding it."

"But...but...but..." Pestilence suddenly felt cold metal against his throat. Death placed his hand on his shoulder and leaned over the handle of his scythe.

"Plagues die out," he whispered into his ear, "You are no exception." He slowly removed his scythe and backed away slowly.

"Wars resolve. Famine disappears. And plagues die." The pale horseman grabbed the reins of his horse. "Death...is forever...." And he disappeared into the shadows.

Pestilence felt a cold chill run down his spine and a hard lump in his throat. He tried to regain his composure. Now was not the time to be afraid. If he hoped to stay alive, he had to do as ordered without question. The white horseman approached his sickly steed and reached into the saddlebag. He produced a syringe filled with a white opaque substance and jammed the needle into his arm. As he injected the unknown liquid into his system, he inhaled deeply. He needed this.

Once the contents of the syringe were emptied into his body, he discarded the medical device and mounted up. "Let's go." He kicked his horse and coughed loudly as it galloped off.

o o o

Judgement stood in the grotto with Mika's body resting on the stone floor. The lights of the boat were shining directly on her as the dark man stood in front of him, his body silhouetted by the illumination. Terry was out, so the two men were alone which was just what the dark man wanted. He jumped off the boat onto the cave floor and moved closer. He knelt down and carefully examined the priestess' left eye.

"I am deeply sorry, my master," Judgement apologized as he knelt down with his head lowered, "I was not aware that she was the one." The dark man stood up and looked at him. That was just like Judgement. His dedication ran so deep he never asked for forgiveness. He knew when he had done something wrong and was more than willing to face the consequences for his actions.

"Rise, Judgement. You are forgiven." The dark man returned to the boat and sat down on a chair. "But try to be more careful with this one. We wouldn't want infuriate our god now, would we?" Judgement stiffened when he heard his master mention the word "god".

"No we would not, my master."

"Then you understand that no more harm must come to this woman."

"Do we release her then or keep her with us?"

"Let her go," the dark man answered, "Our god has a plan. If we were to keep her detained, the fates will not align at the right time. She must be allowed to roam free." Suddenly, the sound of a motorcycle could be heard entering the cave and Terry rode in on a velociraptor-themed Duel Runner with flame designs in varying shades of orange, red, and blue. "Terry, take this woman to the castle. She's exhausted her Duel Energy reserves."

"I'm on it." Terry loaded the unconscious Mika onto his Duel Runner and drove off.

"Judgement, resume your duties." The dark man shut off the lights and the grotto was thrown back into pitch blackness. "I must have a word with Roman."

o o o

Sammie was brought back to the prison level after another day of intensely grueling duels. Max and Hayley, who had been sitting together, immediately got up and ran to her.

"Are you okay?" the vibrant girl asked.

"You don't look fabulous at all," Max said, "Not one bit." The pair helped Sammie to her feet and slowly eased her to a spot against the wall. The blonde took a long drink of water from their daily supply from the guards and finally sat back and looked around. She saw Coltyn sitting by himself flexing his mechanical fingers. The artificial flesh he used to cover his arm lay beside him completely torn and rent. Wes was also on his own, except he had fallen asleep with his back toward the others. For a moment she thought Spencer was gone, but he his electric blond hair stood out amongst the other prisoners when she looked out into the crowd. Max and Hayley were accounted for and Mikey, Umi, Saito, and Nellie were still in the competition. That still left one person.

"Where's Gabe?" Sammie inquired.

"He said he went to the bathroom," Max answered, "He's been gone for over an hour, though."

"For a dungeon, they're pretty lax with their security," Coltyn said monotonously. He then stood up and stretched his legs before he proceeded to walk away.

"Where are you going?" asked Hayley.

"If their security is as light as I think it is, I'm going to see just how far I can go." And with those words he left.

In another part of the dungeon, Jaden, Syrus, Chazz, and Joey were sitting together in a circle deeply engaged in their own conversation. To those surrounding them, it was just a trivial conversation. But the four pro Duelists were sharing some of their past experiences.

"So wait. You tellin' me you guys had yer souls sealed too?" Joey asked out of clarification.

"I saw it with my own eyes, too," Syrus said to which Jaden nodded in agreement.

"I was dueling Brron, Mad King of Dark World...."

"You dueled a card?"

"It wasn't a card then. It was real. The actual monster."

"Huh. So that's what it was."

"You don't seem surprised," Chazz noted.

"I've seen a lotta weird stuff in my day," Joey answered as he remembered the many times he, Yugi, and the rest of their friends had encountered real monsters. Their trip into Ancient Egypt and the whole Atlantis fiasco had him see things he had never imagined in his entire lifetime.

"I heard you got into a lot of weird stuff back in Battle City," Syrus said. Joey leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

"Battle City, huh? Boy does dat take me back. A few things I'd rather not remember like my duel 'gainst Yug."

"But Yugi Moto was your best friend, wasn't he?" Jaden inquired.

"I...wasn't....duelin' him outta my own free will." Joey paused for a moment. "I was bein' possessed."

"Possessed?"

"Yeah. By Marik Ishtar."

"I was possessed once, too," Jaden responded, "by the Supreme King."

"Da who now?"

"One of my past lives." Jaden looked over shoulder into the gentle face of Yubel, who stood behind him. His gaze matched hers and gave her a reaffirming look. Jaden turned back to the others and lowered his voice. "We need to get out of here. And I think I have a plan on how."

"We've been coming up with escape plans since yesterday," Chazz replied, "What makes you think you've got one that might work?"

"Hear me out. First I'm going to need my deck..."

"Problem, J. You don't have your deck and we don't have ours. they keep them locked up unless they call one of us to duel," Syrus pointed out.

"And that's exactly what I'm counting on." Jaden smiled and his eyes suddenly flashed orange and green, causing Syrus and Chazz to clue in immediately.

"Whatcha talkin' 'bout?" asked Joey.

"We'll fill you in," Chazz offered.

o o o

The castle was now in plain sight as Saito and Nellie continued to march forward. The pair had not encountered a single Duelist all day.

"It's been real quiet today, Sai."

"That's because most Duelists have already been eliminated," Saito answered, "Whoever is left are those who either have the skills to make it this far or were just lucky enough to slip by without being noticed."

"Well, we've had our fair share too," Nellie said rather tiredly.

"We did what we had to do." Saito took another step forward as he cast his gaze downward, a hint of slight regret trailing behind his words.

"Hey..." Nellie looked at him sympathetically. "I'm sure she's fine."

"She was an opponent like all the rest," Saito snapped, "It had to be done."

Nellie just nodded. As much as Saito would hate to admit it, she could read him like a large print book and she knew this fact. As a result, she often stopped talking after reaching a certain point.

Another hour or so passed before the two of them finally arrived at the base of the stairs. They took a break and sat down on the steps to rest before beginning their taxing ascent to the castle. "Hey Sai, how many more Duelists you think are left?"

"I don't imagine a lot." Saito took out an apple and bit into it, savoring the sweet juice. As he chewed, his eyes scanned the scenery in front of him. He could sense that the tournament was nearing its end. As a result, he was expecting more Duelists to approach the castle. He had his Duel Disk ready. Even during a time of rest, he never let his guard down. The sunlight glinted off the sapphires on the dragon's head and gave them the impression that they were sparkling. Saito quickly pulled his coat over them. Such things would only attract unwanted attention.

"When should we go up?" Nellie inquired.

"Five minutes," was the answer.

"Five minutes to destroy you is all I need," an unknown voice spoke out. Saito and Nellie immediately leapt to their feet and activated their Duel Disks. An arrow flew out of the woods and struck the ground at their feet as the cries of a horse's neighs reached their ears. They could hear the hooves against the ground and it was not long before Pestilence rode out and came to a stop in front of the two teenagers. His scarf gently blew in the breeze as he approached them. His eyes scanned his two victims. The boy matched the description he had heard about a student from Duel Academy who was relentlessly winning one duel after the next. His intuition told him to stay away from this boy. His eyes then turned toward Nellie and he smiled. He activated his Duel Band seeker and locked onto her bracelet.

"Leave her out of this. You're mine," Saito said as he stood before the two.

"Out of my way, boy. I'll deal with you later." Pestilence slotted his deck into his Duel Disk and watched as his cards were shuffled.

"S'okay, Sai. I got this no prob." Nellie turned to face her opponent and loaded her deck.

"Let us beg..." Pestilence's sentence was cut off as he suddenly started coughing violently.

"You okay?" Nellie asked.

Pestilence continued to cough for another minute before he finally regained his composure and turned toward her. "Yes. Now then, let us begin."

"Let's duel!"

"A pestilence upon you!"

–––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 8000

**Pestilence:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

"I'm gonna go first!" Nellie drew her card. "HA! This is gonna be a breeze! I summon Marauding Captain!" A warrior in green armor wielding a greatsword in his left hand and a short blade in his other appeared on the field and spread out his cloak (ATK/1200 DEF/400). "And if he's summoned, I can bring out another level four or lower monster from my hand! So here comes Hand of Nephthys!" A slender woman wearing traditional gold and orange garments appeared beside the brave captain (ATK/600 DEF/600). "Now I sack 'em both to Special Summon my favorite monster from my deck!" The two monsters were engulfed in golden flames and began to burn as one as Nellie extracted a single card from her deck.

"Come on out, Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!" A golden phoenix with a body very mechanical in appearance rose from the flames and let out its mighty cry (ATK/2400 DEF/1600).

"I'm settin' these two facedown!" Nellie placed two cards into her Duel Disk and they appeared at her feet in facedown position. "Your go!"

"And I draw." Pestilence coughed as he drew his card, but maintained his composure. "I summon Giant Orc." An enormous green brute in a loincloth wielding a femur appeared and roared (ATK/2200 DEF/0). "Now I equip him with the Black Pendant, boosting his attack points by five hundred." A necklace with an obsidian pendant appeared around Giant Orc's neck and his attack points rose up to twenty-seven hundred.

"Giant Orc, attack!" The great green brute rushed Nellie's monster and slammed its weapon into the head of Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 7700

**Pestilence:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

"I end my Battle Phase." At that moment, Giant Orc dropped down into a defensive crouch. "And I end my turn after placing these two facedowns." Pestilence coughed and turned to his opponent. "It's your turn."

"Alright, here I go!" Nellie drew her card. With Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys destroyed by battle, there was no way it was going to come back to life. She had to make do with something else. "I summon Flame Ruler!" A dark-skinned man in a red robe with blue pants and matching hair rose up and conjured two fistfuls of fire (ATK/1500 DEF/1600). "Alright big guy, light him up!" Flame Ruler sent two streams of fire at Giant Orc and incinerated its body. The necklace it wore clattered to the ground and the pendant shattered, showering Nellie with the obsidian shards.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 7200

**Pestilence:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

"What was that?"

"When Black Pendant is sent from the field to the graveyard, it inflicts five hundred points of damage," Pestilence explained. Nellie cringed. She had walked right into a trap. With no other moves left, she ended her turn.

"My draw." Pestilence coughed and drew. The card he saw made him smile behind his scarf. It was one of his virus cards. However, as it was a Trap Card, it would be impossible to activate it straightaway. He re-examined the rest of his hand and an idea formed. "I summon Sangan in attack mode." A three-eyed hairy beast appeared and snarled (ATK/1000 DEF/600). "Now I equip it with the Axe of Despair, boosting its attack points by one thousand." An axe with a shrunken head fused into it appeared and the small creature did its best to pick it up, though with great difficulty. Once it managed to get a good grip, Sangan's attack points rose to two thousand. "I'll end with this facedown."

"Then it's my turn. Here I go!" Nellie drew her card.

_Heh. I'll summon this guy and blow his entire field away_, she thought. "Alright, I'm sacking my Flame Ruler..."

"Trap Card activate," announced Pestilence, "Deck Devastation Virus. I sacrifice a Dark monster with two thousand or higher attack points and as a result, all monsters with fifteen hundred or less attack points on your field, in your hand, and for every draw you receive for the next three turns will be destroyed and sent to the graveyard." Sangan suddenly keeled over and died which triggered a dark green cloud to spew out and cover the field. Flame Ruler fell immediately to the plague and was destroyed. Nellie also lost the Treeborn Frog in her hand.

"And with Sangan's effect, I bring one monster with fifteen hundred or less attack points to my ha..." Pestilence was cut off by another violent cough. His Duel Disk ejected a copy of Giant Germ and he showed it to his opponent before his deck was shuffled.

"I'm done then," Nellie said regrettably.

"Then it's my turn." Pestilence drew his card. "I summon Giant Germ." A giant purple single-celled organism appeared in front of the white horseman (ATK/1000 DEF/100). "Attack!" The next thing Nellie knew, she was inside the Giant Germ.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 6200

**Pestilence:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

"That ends my turn," Pestilence declared. "Let's see what you've..." He started coughing again.

Nellie drew her card and showed it to her opponent. It was Ido the Supreme Magical Force which had twenty-two hundred attack points, rendering it immune to Deck Devastation Virus. She then looked at her field. So long as her two facedowns were out, she would not be able to summon her Treeborn Frog. With no monsters to summon that turn, she proceeded to her End Phase.

Pestilence drew his card and played it immediately. "I summon Plague Wolf." In a blink of an eye, a black disease-ridden wolf appeared and snarled (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "Now I activate its effect to double its attack points until the End Phase at which point it will die." Plague Wolf howled as its attack points doubled up to two thousand. When its master gave the order, the pestilent canine leapt at Nellie and bit her.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 4200

**Pestilence:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

"Giant Germ, attack." The giant micro-organism engulfed Nellie again.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 3200

**Pestilence:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

"I conclude my turn." At that moment, Plague Wolf's body collapsed and crumbled into a pile of dust.

"Here I go!" Nellie drew her card and revealed it. It was a Spell Card and it was just the one she needed. "I play Gyphon's Feather Duster! Here's how it works. I destroy all my Spells and Traps and gain five hundred Life Points for each one." A large feather appeared and swept Nellie's facedowns away.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 4200

**Pestilence:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

Pestilence gasped when he saw that the two destroyed cards were Dark Coffin and Statue of the Wicked.

"First Dark Coffin." Nellie smirked. "You gotta choose one of the effects: destroy a monster or discard a card."

"I choose the effect to discard a card." As a sarcophagus appeared on the field, Pestilence sent the last card in his hand to the graveyard, which was signified with the image of the card being sealed within the ancient coffin.

"Now for Statue of the Wicked! I get a Wicked Token!" A golden statue appeared in front of Nellie as a level four Dark Fiend with one thousand attack and defense points. She grinned widely. It was exactly what she needed. "I'm sacking my token and bringin' out Ido!" Lightning crackled as the statue shattered and in its place emerged a crackling fire of dark power in the form of a terrible monster, its shape ambiguous. To some it appeared as a beast, to others in the guise of a reptile. To identify its shape was near-impossible (ATK/2200 DEF/800). "Ido, attack with Violent Egoism!" Ido the Supreme Magical Force let out a cry and lightning struck Giant Germ.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 4200

**Pestilence:** 6800

–––––––––––––––––––

"When Giant Germ is destroyed, you take five hundred points of damage and two more get summoned to the field in attack position." Pestilence took the two cards his deck had ejected as the remains of his first Giant Germ attacked Nellie.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 3700

**Pestilence:** 6800

–––––––––––––––––––

After that effect had been resolved, two new Giant Germs took the place of the first.

"Look like I'm done," Nellie announced. At that moment, the disease cloud left behind from Deck Devastation Virus dissipated.

"I draw!" Pestilence drew his card. "I summon another Plague Wolf." A second wolf appeared and stood surrounded on either side by a Giant Germ. "Now I activate Virus Cannon!" A spider-like machine with an enormous energy cannon appeared. "I tribute as many non-token monsters as I desire and you shall be forced to mill one Spell Card for each monster that was sacrificed." As the Virus Cannon started to glow, it absorbed the life forces of Plague Wolf and the two Giant Germs before firing a solid beam of energy into Nellie's deck. The girl removed her cards and sorted through them until she had selected three Spell Cards. With great regret she sent Hammer Shot, After the Struggle, and Black Pendant to her graveyard as her deck was shuffled.

"I'll set this card and conclude my turn," announced Pestilence. He sat on his horse tall and proud for a moment before another coughing spell hit him.

Nellie watched him as she drew her card. She was glad that the effects of Deck Devastation Virus had already worn off otherwise she would have been forced to discard the card she had just drawn. However, as much as she wanted to bring it out, Ido the Supreme Magical Force prevented her from having any other monsters on her field. However, is it was now, her opponent was wide open for an attack. "Ido, attack!"

"I activate Shadow Spell!" Black chains shot out and wrapped themselves around Ido the Supreme Magical Force, rendering it immobile and dropping its attack points down to fifteen hundred. "When Shadow Spell is activated, it prevents your monster from attacking and lowers its attack points by seven hundred." Nellie cringed. Ido the Supreme Magical Force was the only face-up creature she had on the field. "Since I allowed you to destroy my last monster, I'm afraid I can't let you attack me directly this turn."

"Guess I'm done then," she muttered.

Pestilence coughed. "Then my turn begins." He drew his card. It would serve him later, but as long as Ido was immobilized his opponent would find it impossible to damage him. "It appears that I must pass."

"All that and that's it?" Nellie drew her card.

"Don't underestimate him," Saito warned.

"I got this, Sai." She examined her card and placed it into her hand. "I'm done now."

Pestilence drew with neither a word nor a cough. "I now play the Field Spell Mystic Plasma Zone." He opened his field tray and placed the card inside before closing it back up. Dark clouds suddenly gathered overhead and lightning streamed down from the sky. "With this card, all Dark monsters will gain five hundred attack points, but lose four hundred defense points." Despite being shackled, Ido the Supreme Magical Force roared as its attack points rose up to two thousand while its defense points dropped to four hundred. "Now I summon Plague Wolf." A second slobbering zombie wolf appeared and snarled as its attack points rose up to fifteen hundred.

_He's setting something up_, Nellie thought, _But I can't do jack if I still have Ido on the field._ She drew her next card and was relieved to find that it was one of her defensive monsters. She immediately set it on the field and concluded her turn.

Pestilence drew and summoned yet another Plague Wolf, whose attack points matched its counterpart. He concluded his turn then. Afterwards, Nellie drew again. She was not particularly enthralled with her draw, however she felt that it would be of use to her in the future. She placed the card facedown in one of her Spell and Trap Card zones and ended her turn.

Pestilence drew his next card and set it immediately. When Nellie's turn came, all she could do was pass. The horseman drew his next card and set that just as quickly as he had the last. Nellie thought she saw a gleam in his eyes, but she ignored it as she drew again. She set a monster on Ido's other side and concluded her turn.

Pestilence drew and a violent cough escaped his throat. "It's time. I activate my Plague Wolves' effects, doubling their original attack points!" Both Plague Wolves howled as their attack points rose up to twenty-five hundred. "Attack Ido the Supreme Magical Force!" The first wolf sank its fangs into the throat of Ido the Supreme Magical Force and the dark beast was felled.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 3200

**Pestilence:** 6800

–––––––––––––––––––

"Now attack the left facedown!" The second Plague Wolf attacked the facedown card and revealed it to be a Crystal Seer.

"When Crystal Seer's Flip Effect activates, I can look at the top two cards of my deck," Nellie explained, "Then I can add one to my hand and put the other on the bottom of my deck." Two crystal spheres appeared in front of her and and displayed a single card each. She thought for a moment before picking the one on her left. The card was added to her hand and the other was sent to the bottom of her deck.

_He's had something set up and now he plans to use it_, Saito thought_, and I bet it has to do with those wolves and facedowns._

"I now activate my two facedown cards." The two Trap Cards Pestilence had set earlier were revealed. "Two Eradicator Epidemic Viruses! I sacrifice one Plague Wolf to infect all of your Spell Cards and I sacrifice the other to infect all of your Trap Cards." The two wolves exploded and a blue spread out and covered the field. Nellie's facedown was destroyed as were three of the cards in her hand. Pestilence let out a few chuckles of triumphant maniacal laughter, but was cut off as he began to cough.

"Is this dude dying?" Nellie asked to nobody in particular.

"Your...move..." Pestilence said no more as his cough worsened.

"Hey, you okay?" Nellie inquired.

"He's a Player Killer, Nellie. Don't concern yourself with his well-being, just finish the duel!" Saito called from the sidelines.

"Alright, then. I draw!" Nellie drew her card as cringed when she saw that it was a Spell Card. Due to the virus' effect, she sent it straight to her graveyard. However, now that she had no more Spells and Traps on the field, she was able to revive her Treeborn Frog. The small winged amphibian made its way onto the field and croaked (ATK/100 DEF/100). At this point, she wished that she had a copy of her Sacred Phoenix in her hand but such was not the case. However, one card in her hand would suffice for the time being. "I sack my Treeborn Frog to summon Dark Dust Spirit!" Large clouds of dust and sand were blown up as a terrifying demon with red and black skin appeared, its long white hair blowing in the wind as it gazed at its prey with piercing yellow eyes (ATK/2200 DEF/1800). "Attack!" Dark Dust Spirit held out its hand and a cyclone filled with dust and sand rose up and flew straight into Pestilence.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 3200

**Pestilence:** 4600

–––––––––––––––––––

"And I'm done. Now Dark Dust Spirit comes back to my hand." More sand was kicked up and obscured Dark Dust Spirit from sight. When the dust finally settled, the creature was nowhere to be seen.

"It's my turn then." Pestilence drew his card and set it on the field. Then he took the other card in his hand and set it in defense mode.

"Guess it's my turn again." Nellie drew her card and thanked the stars that it was a monster. At that moment, Treeborn Frog came back and she sacrificed it to summon Dark Dust Spirit again.

"Trap activate," Pestilence declared, "Bottomless Trap Hole." A hole lined with the spirits of the damned opened beneath the feet of Dark Dust Spirit and it cried out as it sank into the abyss down below.

"Fine..." Nellie ended her turn.

"I draw." Pestilence drew his next card. "This is the end. I Flip Summon Dark Resonator." A small demon wielding a tuning fork in one hand appeared and cackled (ATK/1300 DEF/300). "Now I summon Mist Archfiend." A cold mist appeared on the field and it rose up to take on the shake of a black and red winged demon (ATK/2400 DEF/0). "Now I tune Dark Resonator with my Mist Archfiend." Dark Resonator struck its tuning fork and a soundwave spread forth and hit both monsters, reducing their bodies to stars. The three that had made up the smaller creature converted into a set of rings, which surrounded the five that had once been Mist Archfiend. A black column of darkness engulfed them both.

"I Synchro Summon Hundred-Eyes Dragon!" A large glowing purple eye opened up in the darkness. Then a second appeared followed by a third and then another and another. Before long, one hundred eyes had opened up and a black dragon with eyes all over its body emerged from the shadows and roared (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). With the power of Mystic Plasma Zone, its attack points increased to thirty-five hundred while its defense points were reduced to twenty-one hundred. "Hundred-Eyes Dragon, attack that facedown! Infinity Sight Stream!" Lasers fired from each of the beast's eyes and they swept the field and blasted away at Nellie's facedown monster.

"HA! Nice try, but my Spirit Reaper isn't going anywhere!" Nellie flipped over her card and revealed it to be the purple-clad grim reaper (ATK/300 DEF/200). Mystic Plasma Zone brought its attack points up to eight hundred and its defense points down to zero.

"Your Spirit Reaper can't save you forever." Pestilence looked at his deck. "All I have to draw is a Spell Card that targets a monster and it's dead."

Nellie just smirked and brushed her thumb across her nose. "Let's see how long it takes."

"Very well. My turn ends."

"My turn!" Nellie drew her card. She looked at it and saw that it was a Monster Card, allowing her to keep it. With no Spells or Traps on her field, Treeborn Frog returned from the graveyard to her field in defense mode. She set her new card down and ended her turn. At that moment, the blue cloud that plagued the field vanished.

"My draw." Pestilence coughed several times before he could finally take the top card of his deck and remove it. "Hundred-Eyes Dragon, destroy that facedown card with Infinity Sight Stream!" All one hundred eyes blinked simultaneously and one hundred lasers were emitted from the black dragon's body, sweeping across the field and blasting Nellie's facedown card, which turned out to be a second Crystal Seer.

"Now Crystal Seer's effect activates!" Two crystal spheres appeared before Nellie. She picked one without hesitation and placed the card in her hand while putting the other into the bottom of her deck.

"Feh. So be it. I end my turn." Pestilence let out a cough and turned the duel over to his opponent.

"My turn!" Nellie drew her card. She smiled upon seeing it. This was exactly what she needed. "First I play Emergency Provisions and I'll sack itself for its effect, giving me a thousand Life Points."

–––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 4200

**Pestilence:** 4600

–––––––––––––––––––

"Now I play another Hand of Nephthys." A second woman dressed as a worshipper of the Secret Phoenix appeared on the field. "I sack Hand of Nephthys and Treeborn Frog to bring out Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys from my deck!" The worshipper and the amphibian were swallowed up in golden fire and from the flames emerged the shining phoenix.

"You must be mad," Pestilence laughed, "That creature is far too weak to defeat my dragon!"

"I'm not aiming for your dragon," Nellie answered with a smile. "Attack Giant Orc!" Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys flapped its wings and spewed a torrent of golden fire from its mouth and incinerated the big green brute.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 4200

**Pestilence:** 4400

–––––––––––––––––––

"You've just wasted a move." Pestilence coughed as Nellie set a card facedown.

"We'll see." She smiled again and ended her turn.

"I'll end this duel soon!" Pestilence drew his card. "I activate the effect of my Hundred-Eyes Dragon. By removing a level six or lower Dark Effect Monster, my dragon gains its effect and name. So now I'll remove my Plague Wolf." His graveyard ejected one of his Plague Wolves and he placed it in his pocket. "Now my beast, double your power!" Hundred-Eyes Dragon let out a deafening roar as its attack points rose up to sixty-five hundred. "Destroy that phoenix! Infinity Sight Stream!" The mighty dark dragon fired a hundred lasers from its eyes and blasted away Nellie's Sacred Phoenix.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 100

**Pestilence:** 4400

–––––––––––––––––––

"Now I promised I'd destroy your little Spirit Reaper and I plan to uphold that promise. With this!" Pestilence played a card. "I activate Shrink and target your Spirit Reaper." The purple grim reaper suddenly exploded into several scraps of cloth, leaving Nellie wide open. "You shall die on the next turn."

"Not happening!" Nellie drew her card. "I activate Special Hurricane! This card destroyed all Special Summoned monsters on the field!" A bolt of lightning struck the center of the field and a powerful wind blasted outward and surrounded both Duelists. Nellie and Pestilence watched as trees were ripped out by their roots and the ground was torn asunder. Hundred-Eyes Dragon's eyes scanned the area around it curious as to what was coming. It was suddenly swept away by the wind and carried to its doom. "Now my Trap Card activates, Call of the Haunted! Come on back, Phoenix!" In a flash of golden fire, Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys returned to the field and let out its cry. "Attack!" The golden Winged Beast turned its head at Pestilence and unleashed a powerful stream of golden fire at him.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 100

**Pestilence:** 2000

–––––––––––––––––––

"That was but a stroke of luck," Pestilence said between coughs, "You only have a measly one hundred Life Points left. You won't survive."

"Let's see what you can do!" Nellie smirked as she ended her turn and the white horseman drew his card.

"Your Phoenix shall not be a bother for any longer. I play Lightning Vortex and I'll discard this card in my hand to activate it." After sending the card to his graveyard, Pestilence watched as lightning rained down from the sky and destroyed Nellie's phoenix. "Your strongest monster is gone. What will you do now, girl?"

"I'm not gonna do anything," Nellie answered, "My phoenix is coming back."

"WHAT? How?"

"If he's destroyed by a card effect, my phoenix comes back on my Standby Phase." Nellie drew her card. "Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys arise!"

"It can't be!" Pestilence's horse took a step back. "But...but it was all so....so...." He suddenly went into another coughing fit, but Nellie was not about to stop.

"Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, end it!" The golden phoenix showered Pestilence with golden fire.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 100

**Pestilence:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––

The shockwave generated from the blast caused Pestilence's horse to rear up frantically and throw its rider off. The white steed bolted into the woods, leaving the horseman on the ground. Saito walked up to him and looked down. "You're done."

"I...I can't...." Pestilence coughed several more times as he reached up with his hand before his body went limp and his arm fell to the ground.

"Is he dead?" Nellie inquired as she ran up. Before Saito could answer, his Duel Band started flashing blue.

"This is new." He looked at the bracelet. Beside him, Nellie's Duel Band was acting the same way.

o o o

Death cackled as he impaled his scythe through his last opponent's favorite card. The Gold Series Reinforcement of the Army was rare and now it was his. He then looked down at the fallen Duelist before him and cackled. "Looks like good fortune _just _slipped past you." He placed the impaled card inside his trophy bag and rode off. There was nothing more he needed.

o o o

Mikey, Umi, and Reko were already at the castle gates when the two males' Duel Bands started flashing blue. "Hey, what's going on?" the teenage asked.

"It's never done this before," Reko noted, "My sister could probably figure this out."

"Is this a bad thing?" Umi inquired. Mikey looked up at her and then back at his Duel Band.

"I really have no idea, Umi. I really have no idea."

o o o

Sako looked down when he heard the beeping and he saw Cassie's Duel Band flashing blue.

"Deadshot, is this bad?" she asked.

"I have no idea." The Duel Sniper knelt down and examined the bracelet. "I've never seen these things behave this way before.

o o o

Mr. Thulin noticed his Duel Band's strange behavior and brought his arm up to examine the device more closely. "What the hell is this now?"

o o o

Terry and Judgement looked at their flashing blue Duel Bands and looked up at each other. They knew what it meant. The signal had been given. It was now time to move forward.

"The second stage is about to begin." The dark man's voice came through a cellular phone in the biker's hand. "You know what you have to do. Go now."

"At once, my lord." Judgement bowed to no one and moved toward the mouth of the cave.

"We've got it covered, boss." Terry mounted his Duel Runner, hung up his phone, and drove off while Judgement slipped away like a phantom.

o o o

Noah was standing by the window overlooking the island. Behind him, Roman was seated at the table looking at the computer screen. "Well Mr. Kaiyou, it looks like we've finally reached the final eight."

"I knew it was only a matter of time." Noah walked over to the LEGO island model and removed a few more pieces until only eight remained. He gathered them all up in his hand and examined each of them. A brown-haired boy in a yellow jacket. A man with lavender hair. A girl with a yellow jacket wearing a baseball cap backwards. A boy wearing a long white coat. A little girl. A very handsome man. A biker. A masked man in robes. One by one, he placed them on top of the castle along its ramparts and then returned to the window.

Roman watched him for a moment before getting up and leaving the room. As he closed the door behind him, he could sense an ominous presence near him.

"The next phase has begun then?" the dark man asked.

"Correct." Roman brought up his right hand and pushed up his glasses.

"And he still has no idea?"

"None whatsoever." Roman placed his hands behind his back and walked a few steps down the hallway.

"What of news from our leader?" the dark man's gaze seemed to burn a hole in Roman's back.

"Still no word," the businessman replied uncomfortably, "I'm afraid our plan may be moving too quickly for him."

"This could be a problem. I'll see if I can help speed up his progress."

"And I will continue to keep things under control here." The dark man simply nodded in acknowledgment and faded away into the shadows, leaving Roman alone in the hallway. The businessman's cell phone rang and he answered it. "Roman here. Pestilence was defeated? I see. And Death? I understand. So they've all left the island then, I presume. Very well." He hung up and placed his phone back in his pocket.

"So the second phase of our plan really is happening sooner than we had expected." He walked straight down the hall. He needed to take care of something straightaway.

o o o

Noah pushed the window open and stepped out onto the balcony. His eyes turned toward the horizon where the sun was nearing the surface of the water. As he rested his elbow on the railing and his chin on his palm, he could hear chattering coming up from below him. He looked down and saw people gathering at the top of the stairs in front of the castle's main gate.

"The competition is nearly over, Sabata," he said to his stuffed toy, "The Duel Royale finals shall begin soon."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

It's the night right before the finals of the competition. Everybody takes this time to reflect upon all that as happened as well as reveal some new secrets to each other. See the mysteries unravel next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	77. Mounting Olympus

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-36**

**Mounting Olympus**

The number of people gathering outside the castle's main gate was growing. At first it was just Mikey, Umi, and Reko but it was not long before others had begun to show up. Saito and Nellie were the first to join them. Mikey had a feeling that Saito would make it into the finals, but he still was not too thrilled to see him again. He still remembered that match on the first day. The dragon-like ferocity he saw in Saito's eyes during that match had the determination of a predator ready to slay its prey. His thoughts did not remain on the subject, however, as more people began to arrive. His eyes widened when he saw Sako approaching and he ran up to him.

"Mr. Remington!" Sako looked down at Mikey and he recognized him immediately.

"I told you, Mr. Remington is my father. You can call me Sako."

"You know this guy, Deadshot?" Cassie asked as she came up from behind Sako. Mikey looked down at the little girl.

"Hey, I know you. You're Chancellor Rhodes' daughter!" The brunet turned to Sako. "Mr. Rem... I mean Sako, you know Chancellor Rhodes' daughter?"

"We met on the first day," Sako answered.

"Name's Cassie," the young girl introduced.

"So you're in this tournament, Sako?" asked Mikey.

"No, actually," Sako corrected as he revealed his lack of a Duel Band. "She is." He placed a hand on Cassie's shoulder.

"You're...kidding, right?"

Cassie shook her head and revealed her Duel Band. "What kind of sick person would do this kinda thing to kids?" he asked.

"That's what I'm here to find out." Sako pulled a cigarette out with his lips and lit it casually.

Mikey sat down and leaned his back against the castle wall. Fifteen minutes passed before the next person arrived. When the Ra Yellow looked to see who it was, he was surprised to see who it was. "Mr. Thulin?"

"Yo," greeted the student teacher.

Mikey was about to ask him why he was here along with the usual group of questions, but he stopped when the final two competitors arrived. The enormous shrouded form of Judgement seemed to obscure the setting sun with the sheer girth of his silhouette. Behind him was a man that Mikey had never seen before. It was a bald shirtless man in a black leather jacket, blue jeans, and crocodile skin boots. When he turned around, he could see he had a tattoo of a flame with reptilian eyes on the back of his head. He looked over at Reko and saw him glaring at the two newcomers.

"Welcome to Duelist Castle, finalists!" a voice called out. All eight Duelists looked up and saw a man in a black suit and sunglasses standing on the balcony. "You've made it this far, so please come inside." The locks on the gate were opened and the doors slowly swung inward. Sako took that moment to leave as he disappeared into the foliage. Cassie watched him for a moment before following everyone else inside.

The courtyard was a wide open area with four large grassy patches separated by stone paths. In the center where the paths intersected stood Roman with his back straight and his hands behind his back. To his side was a small boy just a year younger than Cassie with snow-white hair. Upon arriving closer, Mikey could see that his eyes were different colors; his left eye was blue and his right eye was red.

"Congratulations on making it into the finals," Roman said, "Now as many of you may be wondering, everyone who has been eliminated from the tournament is safe. They have all been placed into the care of our infirmary."

"May we see them?" Mikey inquired.

"In due time. Many of them are still recovering from the end results of their matches. It's best just to let them rest for now," Roman answered. "Now, you shall be escorted to your rooms in a moment. For now, we have a few things to discuss." The businessman pushed up his glasses as he turned around and walked back into the castle with the boy right next to him.

"Mikey, can I ask you something?" Reko inquired.

"Sure."

"Who exactly is this Sako person and how do you know him?"

"It's a bit of a funny story." Mikey proceeded to explain. "You see, our school had this big reunion last year for all the pro Duelists. We watched all these exhibition matches and then had a kind of party afterward. Then that's when we were attacked."

"Attacked?" Reko just blinked.

"By the Duel Sniper."

"What happened next?"

"He called out for Axel Brodie, who did as he was told so he could keep the rest of us safe. Sammie dragged me along to go after them. Turns out he wasn't out for Mr. Brodie to do harm. In fact, Sako is a really nice guy."

"Wow..." Reko looked up toward the sky. "So then you became friends with the Duel Sniper, huh?"

"The Duel Sniper?" Saito looked at Mikey who, in turn, turned his gaze toward him. "The lunatic that attacked the school last year? That was him?"

"Did I miss something?" Nellie asked.

"You hadn't arrived at Duel Academy yet, so you don't know any of this yet," answered Saito, "We were attacked by an armed sniper."

"He meant well, Kaiba," Mikey said in response.

"He fired armor-piercing bullets at us from a sniper rifle."

"If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be standing here."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Last year at Kaiba Corp., while you were off doing your own thing, Sammie, Max, Coltyn, and I had to duel a group called the Big Five."

"That's impossible. My father had the Big Five disposed of," Saito countered.

"They came back in the bodies of different people."

"And you fell for such imposters?"

"Okay. A, we don't even know what the original Big Five even looked like. And B, why would Axel Brodie, one of the best Duelists in the world, pretend to be someone he wasn't to achieve some obscure goal after being captured?" Mikey looked at Saito to see what his answer would be.

"Hostage situations will force people to bend," was the rich teen's response.

"Not Axel Brodie," Cassie interjected, "He can't break that easily."

"How do you know that?" Saito asked the young girl.

"Dad knows him," Cassie answered confidently.

"The dead cannot come back," Saito repeated before turning back to Mikey, "You still haven't explained what you meant when you said you wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't for him." Saito looked Mikey in the eyes, doing his best to save face. Images of the duel with Gozaburo flashed through his mind, but he kept silent, saving face.

"While you were upstairs, we ran into a zombie Duelist," the Ra Yellow began.

"And a Zombie deck is a problem how?"

"I don't just mean the deck. He was a walking, talking zombie. If Sako hadn't shown up in time and shot him, he probably would've gotten me."

"I highly doubt any part of your story is true save for the fact that you actually entered the Kaiba Corp. Building."

"Well I still owe Sako a debt of gratitude. He's an amazing man, Kaiba. Nothing like you."

"If he's so amazing, then tell me why he couldn't save Sammie."

Mikey felt like a knife had been plunged into his heart. His fist clenched tightly until his knuckles turned white. Even though no words were spoken, Saito could read his body language like a children's book. He was about to say something when Mr. Thulin intervened. "Boys, save it for inside. We'll have time to duel in a bit. It's the friggin' finals, after all."

Mikey and Saito backed off, but their eyes never left each other's gaze. "Face me in the finals and let your cards speak for you."

"I'll be there, Kaiba."

Then with nobody else saying anything, the eight finalists entered the castle. Upon entry, they were greeted by another suited man who asked them to follow him. The went upstairs and entered a lavishly bright hallway with purple carpeting and several doors on either side. He then held out his hand and told them that these were to be their rooms. No sooner had those words been spoken, the Duelists made their way down the hall and disappeared into their rooms.

Mikey entered his room and was impressed with the entire set up. A large window overlooking the ocean occupied the majority of the far wall. Just beside it was a beautiful and ornate armoire. Against the middle of the wall on the right was a very plush-looking bed with bedding to match the carpet. Beside it was a desk and a chair. A coat rack stood beside a full-length mirror mounted on the wall just opposite of the bed. Mikey turned his head to the right and to his great delight there was a bathroom. A plastic laundry bag hung from the doorknob and he immediately grabbed it. Mikey removed his clothes and stuffed them into the bag before leaving them outside his door. He then stepped into the shower and let the hot water wash over him. This was what he needed. The sweat and grime that had built up on him in the past several days had left him feeling very uncomfortable. He spent some extra time shampooing his hair, which he felt had probably taken the worst of it. When he was done, he looked around for something to wear and found a set of silk pyjamas and a bathrobe inside the armoire. He got dressed and then sat down on the bed, leaning his back against the headboard.

He grabbed his deck off the desk and shuffled through his cards. He fanned out Kuraz the Light Monarch and pulled it out. He stared at the artwork for a long time until an eruption of light exploded in his face, causing him to jump and hit his head on the wall, and the Duel Spirit residing within the card appeared at his bedside. "I apologize for startling you," the golden monarch said.

"I'm fine," Mikey replied as he sat back up properly and rubbed where he had hit his head. "Just felt like talking to someone."

"Very well. Was there anything you needed?" Mikey opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped. He wanted to speak with the Light Monarch, but now that he had the opportunity he was at a loss of words. He sat there in silence for a bit while Kuraz stood watching him. Finally, he began to speak.

"I dunno, Kuraz. Everything's just been so crazy lately. First we get thrown into this whole tournament where one loss means it's over. Then we lost Sammie, Gabe, Max, and Coltyn. We got lucky when we ran into Reko and Mika, but now Mika's gone. And now here we are in the finals living inside this castle." He threw his head back and stared at the ceiling. "Everything's just been going by so fast."

"I sense there is more to these events than meets the eye." Kuraz crossed his arms over his chest. "A foreboding sense of doom that hints of elder magics and law."

"What do you mean?" Mikey asked, turning around so that he sat on the edge of the bed to face the Duel Spirit directly.

"I sense something dark." Kuraz turned and looked out the window. "Something not of the mortal plane nor of the Duel Spirit plane. I sense this evil runs farther than any of us can imagine."

o o o

Mikey's clothes returned from the laundry rather quickly. He had just finished changing when the call to dinner was made. He was escorted by another man in a suit to the dining room where a single long table had been set up with eleven settings, one of which was at the head of the table. Cassie and Mr. Thulin were already there sitting next to each other. Mikey took his seat beside the student teacher. Umi entered shortly after his arrival wearing one of her glamorous outfits. She sat down next to Mikey and smiled at him. Saito entered the room a few minutes later with Nellie and took the seat opposite Mr. Thulin while she sat opposite of Mikey.

"So Mikey, when were you gonna tell us why Duel Idol Umi's here?" Nellie asked.

"It's....a bit of a weird explanation," Mikey began.

"Wait, Umi's here?" Cassie leaned forward in her seat and true enough there she was. She immediately got out of her chair and ran over to Umi with a small book and a pen which she seemed to suddenly pull out of nowhere. "Can I have your autograph please?"

Umi smiled and took both objects. "Sure, sweetie. Who should I make it out to?"

"Cassie Rhodes-Yuki!" She watched eagerly as the pop idol scribbled something and then handed it back. She took her autograph book back and read the page out loud. "'Dear Cassie. Duel with passion and most of all, have fun. Umi.' Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" Cassie returned to her seat and stared at her new autograph.

"Someone's got a fan," Reko said as he walked in and sat down next to Umi. Terry and Judgement finally arrived and sat down in the two remaining seats that were side by side. Their eyes locked with Reko's and sparks seemed to fly between their gazes. Mikey could sense the tension among the three men, but he didn't say anything.

Finally, Roman entered with the boy at his side. Everybody was expecting the businessman to take the head of the table. But instead, he took the empty chair adjacent to it and the young boy sat at the head of the table. A servant came in and poured Roman a glass of red wine before he offered the rest of the adults at the table. Mr. Thulin, Reko, and Judgement accepted and after filling their glasses, he left and another servant entered with beverages for the teens and children. Noah smiled when he had a large strawberry milkshake placed in front of him topped with a thick layer of whipped cream. As he reached for it to take a sip, he noticed Cassie eying his drink with a wanting look in her eyes. He looked at her for a moment and then signaled the servant over. He whispered something into his ear and then watched as he left. The servant returned a few minutes later and placed a milkshake in front of Cassie.

Nellie reached for the bread basket and grabbed a breadstick which she crunched on with a bored and hungry look on her face. Beside her Saito waited patiently with his arms crossed over his chest, drumming his fingers on his arm. Thankfully, it was not long before food started to come. A simple salad to start off followed by a soup. After that the main course was served; fillet mignon cooked to each diner's preferred level of doneness garnished with some garlic and herbs, asparagus covered in a succulent fig sauce, and a rich risotto. Cassie looked at her meal with a look on her face and Noah signaled a servant again. Her meal was quickly replaced with a rotisserie chicken leg and French fries; the same meal as his.

"Wow, this is good!" Mikey cut into his meat and took another bite.

"You've never had fillet mignon before?" Umi asked. Mikey shook his head. He took another bite of his food and turned his head to his right. His eyes went wide when he saw Mr. Thulin's plate was nearly empty while he was barely even halfway done. The student teacher was eating tenaciously. Though his mouth was closed, he could still hear him chewing with desperate need. He hadn't even finished the bite he had in his mouth and was already trying to stuff another one in. He was cutting into his meat quickly and with reckless abandon. Mikey called to him, but went unheard. Mr. Thulin was focused solely on his food.

Dinner came and went. After all the food was gone, everybody just sat back and relaxed for a little bit. Dessert was tiramisu, which Cassie found a little weird so Noah had a slice of chocolate cake brought for her. While everybody was chatting and enjoying the sweetyoung boy knelt on his chair and spoke to everyone. "Everybody, first I would like to congratulate you on making it into the finals of Duel Royale. Now that you've had your fill, I'd like to discuss how the finals shall proceed tomorrow. At ten o'clock in the morning, we shall assemble here. Matches will be determined by drawing lots. Once the matches have been determined, we'll move to Pegasus' Dueling Arena. Participants will proceed directly to the arena while everyone else goes up to the observation balcony. These finals will be a single elimination competition. The last one standing will win. Are there any questions."

"One," Cassie said raising her hand, "Who are you?"

"Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Noah Kaiyou. And you already know my assistant, Mr. Roman."

"What's the deal with these Duel Band thingies?" asked Nellie, "Every time we play a game, both players get drained. And the loser loses even more energy."

"I'm afraid we can't tell you right now. But all will be revealed in due time," Noah answered. He looked around to see if anyone else had a question but no other hands came up. "Now then, if you'll excuse me, I'll be off to bed. Good night everybody and I wish you all the best." With that, Noah got down from his chair and left the dining room. He returned a minute later to retrieve his cake and took it with him.

"So tomorrow's the finals," muttered Terry, "They move fast."

"I'll be cheering for you, Mikey," Umi said cheerfully.

o o o

Sako was shimmying across a narrow ledge along the castle walls. Being trained as a sniper proved incredibly useful here as it was often a part of his job to seek out locations from which he could get a clear shot. The wind blew through his hair, but he left it alone. He needed to get inside. Many of the windows were barred so it would be impossible to get in through them. However, they still provided him with places to grab onto while he climbed up the wall. His sniper rifle hung from his back by its strap as he hauled himself upward. His hand came to rest on a drain gutter and he pulled himself onto a roof. So far, not a single entrance could be found. Security was very tight. As he sat on the roof, he took out a pair of night vision binoculars and scouted his surroundings. His sights soon came to a stop on a tall castle tower. He looked carefully at the window and noticed that it was not barred. He smirked and put the binoculars away. He had his entrance. Now he just had to get to it.

o o o

Mikey laid on his bed in his boxers staring up at the ceiling with his arms behind his head. It was nice to feel soft sheets against his skin again, but he felt that he wasn't ready for sleep just quite set. Something in his mind just continued to prod at him. There was a knock at the door and he sat up. "Who is it?"

"It's Reko."

Mikey got up and walked across the room. He unlocked the bolt and opened the door ajar. "Is something wrong?"

"Just felt like talking," the lavender-haired man replied, "Can I come in?"

Mikey looked down at his state of dress and then back up at Reko. "You're not going to rape me, are you?" Reko chuckled.

"No, I like the ladies." Mikey opened the door all the way and allowed his friend to step inside. He closed and locked the door behind him and returned to sit on the bed cross-legged while Reko plopped down on the desk chair.

"Actually Reko, there is something I wanted to ask you."

"Shoot."

"Why did you dress up like a girl and tell us your name was Reka?"

Reko sat in silence for a few minutes before he finally spoke. "I guess you guys do deserve to know. I'll start from the beginning." Mikey shifted his weight so he would be in a more comfortable position as the lavender-haired man began his tale. "You know how Turbo Dueling is a fairly recent thing?"

"Yeah, it just made it big last year," Mikey said.

"I was one of the first to play them. You could say I was a pioneer of Turbo Dueling. Anyway, Reka is my twin sister. Back in the day, she was known as Lady Genex. Hooo! She was a master with those Genex monsters.

"Anyhoo, I was living with my mom, Recca and my grandmother Rena at the White Wind coffee shop. It's a nice little place on the corner in a busy part of San Francisco. You should stop by sometime. Anyway, everyone was excited because Lady Genex was coming to San Francisco before the big Duelist Kingdom tourney here to try out for the right to compete in a large scale tournament. But my family was pleased as punch because we knew Reka was coming home after two years of cruising about. And after Duelist Kingdom she was planning on staying for quite some time.

"Now then, my sister tried out a few friendly duels against the people living in our area and some of the customers. She even tried her self against mom's Piece Golems. It wasn't long until the tourney came and she went. She dominated the field!

"But when the prize arrived at the White Wind, for some reason she just upped and vanished. The SFPD couldn't find her and what's worse was the prize money was very important to keep a conglomerate from buying the shop. This really put our family in a situation. With no money, we were gonna lose the White Wind. And without Reka, we had no claim to it, either.

"Back then, I wasn't a licensed Duelist and Turbo Dueling was so new back then that it was barely thought of other than an odd spin on dueling. But I was Reka's twin brother, identical in almost every way. With a few feminine tweaks, I agreed to go in her place since I knew her deck better than anyone.

"So I put my hair from a foxtail into a long braid held by two laqured chopsticks made to resemble swords, changed the inflection of my voice to something an octave or two higher, borrowed one of Reka's bras and some clever art tricks, and I made myself look like the splitting image of my sister.

"So disguised as Reka, I came to Duelist Kingdom to win the prize money and to find out clues as to what happened to my sister."

Mikey never broke eye contact with Reko as he listened to his tale. When the man had finally finished, he continued to look into his eyes. "So you didn't find anything?"

"Nothing, sadly," Reko replied with a sad sigh.

"So you disguised yourself as your sister. But how did that guy recognize you?"

"You mean Nicky? He and I have a history together. We used to Turbo Duel together on the circuit," Reko explained.

"That explains a little bit," Mikey said, "But now here's something that puzzles me. If you entered this tournament under your sister's name, how come you didn't get disqualified when your secret got out?"

"I was wondering about that, too." Reko looked at his boots. "But I think there's more to this tournament than meets the eye."

Kuraz's words suddenly echoed through Mikey's head. _"A foreboding sense of doom that hints of elder magics and law. I sense something dark. Something not of the mortal plane nor of the Duel Spirit plane. I sense this evil runs farther than any of us can imagine."_

"Hey, Mikey. Is anything wrong?" Reko asked.

"Huh? No... I'm fine," Mikey lied, "I'm just tired."

"Well I guess I better leave you be then," said Reko as he stood up. He walked toward the door with Mikey behind him and opened the door. As he stepped into the hallway, the young teenager stepped into the door frame.

"Hey Reko?"

"Yeah?"

"I hope you find your sister."

Reko smiled. "Thanks, Mikey. Good luck tomorrow."

"You too."

Reko then disappeared into his room and Mikey shut and locked his door. He returned to the bed and flopped facedown on it. He glanced at his watch. It was definitely time for bed. Pulling the covers aside, he slid in and pulled the duvet over him. It was nice to sleep in an actual bed again. Very soon he drifted off to sleep. Kuraz materialized around the doorway and stood their watching him.

"Rest well, Mikey," the Light Monarch whispered, "You will need your strength for what is to come."

o o o

The dark man came to meet with Roman again, this time on the castle ramparts. The businessman did not seem too pleased as he kept his back toward the man. "Your men are far too rough."

"I assure you that the precious cargo is safe," the dark man assured him.

"It had better be. We can't let anything happen to her." Roman looked out at the dark sea. "You know what will happen if anything should go wrong."

"I'd rather keep my hide thank you very much."

"As would I, which is why we can't let anything happen to her."

"If that is the case, then why did you invite her to the island?"

"I protested this as well. But the fates told me to bring her here."

"Oh?"

"Yes. It seems that within the next year everything will be right. The girl had to be brought here for the plan to work."

"Good," The dark man said as he looked up at the moon and smiled a shadowy smile.

"What are your plans now?" Roman asked. "I'll be running the finals."

"I have no orders right now, so I'll probably stay around and make sure Terry and Judgement don't mess up."

"Make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Acknowledged." And then just like that, the dark man was gone.

Roman kept his eye on the horizon. Tomorrow they would begin the next stage of their plan.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The finals begin. Mikey, Cassie, Judgement, Reko, Saito, Terry, Nellie, and Mr. Thulin are pitted against each other in a final climactic series of showdowns. Watch as Duel Royale comes to a close next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	78. The Tempest and the Topaz

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

Cards names have once again been changed to match their English versions.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-37**

**The Tempest and the Topaz**

Mikey woke up to the sound of his watch alarm going off. He let it ring for a few more minutes before he finally got up to turn it off. He hadn't slept so well in days. The past few had been spent sleeping on either dirt or rocks. He was feeling refreshed and re-energized. Leaving his boxers on the bed, he disappeared into his bathroom for a shower and came back out with a towel around his waist and another one in his hands which he was using to dry his hair.

"This is it, Mikey," Kuraz said appearing in front of the armoire.

"The finals start today." The teen opened his curtains and looked out at the island. It was only yesterday that he was out there fighting for his life. Now he was here inside the castle sleeping in luxury. He walked back to the bed and picked up his underwear.

"Are you concerned about anything?" Kuraz inquired.

"I'm still worried about Sammie and the others," Mikey answered as he pulled up his boxers under his towel. "Tournament-wise, I'm afraid about just about everyone. That big guy with the mask and Kaiba." He quickly got dressed and then proceeded toward the dining room. He arrived there after being escorted to find that breakfast was being served in a buffet fashion. He grabbed a plate off the end of the table and walked down the line. There were pancakes, waffles, sausages, bacon, hash browns, grits, eggs prepared in various ways, cereal, oatmeal, muffins, bagels, bread, toast, fruit, an omelette station, coffee, tea, milk, various juices, and even a sign saying there was steak upon request.

Mr. Thulin was already there eating just about everything. Noah was up too eating Fruit Loops with Cassie. Other than them, nobody else had arrived yet. Mikey helped himself to some of his favorite breakfast foods and then sat down by himself and ate in silence. As the morning progressed, more and more people showed until everybody had arrived.

When the clock struck ten o'clock, Roman arrived with two men in suits. One was carrying a box with a hole in the top and the other was carrying a whiteboard and a dry erase felt marker. It was at that moment that Noah took his place on a chair with the men as he turned to face the Duelists.

"Good morning everyone. As you know, the finals will be beginning soon. As I said yesterday, we'll be drawing lots to see who will be dueling whom. When you hear your name, come up and draw a number from the box." Noah then passed things to Roman and got down from the chair.

"Michael Angel." Mikey had a feeling he would be first since his surname began with A. He stuck his hand inside the box and felt around. He could feel a bunch of styrofoam balls inside and pulled out a random one. It bore the number six on it. The man with the white board wrote his name down on a ruler-drawn tournament bracket.

"Judgement." The massive robed man stood up and walked across the room like a phantom. He reached into the box and pulled out a ball with the number five on it.

"Saito Kaiba." Saito went up next. He shuffled around inside the box for a few seconds before extracting a ball with the number one on it.

"Nellie Lazarus." Nellie quickly stuck her hand in and pulled it out just as quickly with a ball that said seven.

"Cassandra Rhodes-Yuki." Cassie was a little nervous, but she was able to go up anyway and draw a ball that said four.

"Terrance Sinclair." Terry grumbled something about his full name as he reached into the box and felt around inside. He pulled out a ball and showed it had the number eight on it.

"Reko Telaris." Reko eagerly stuck his hand inside and took out a ball with the number two on it.

"Chance Thulin." Mr. Thulin took the last ball in the box and showed everyone that its number was three.

The man with the whiteboard finished writing down all the names and then showed everybody the bracket. The first round of matches were:

Saito Kaiba vs. Reko Telaris.

Chance Thulin vs. Cassandra Rhodes-Yuki.

Judgement vs. Michael Angel.

Nellie Lazarus vs. Terrance Sinclair.

Mikey cringed a little and walked up to the suited man. He said something to him quietly and then took a step back as he changed something on the whiteboard. He revealed it again a moment later to show that he had changed the teenager's name from Michael to Mikey.

"The first match begins at one o'clock," Noah announced, "Take the time between now and lunch to think about your strategies and combos. I'll see you all at the dueling arena." And with that, the young boy left.

"I'm gonna finish eating." Mr. Thulin returned to his seat and resumed eating.

"I'm going to work on my deck." Saito turned and left for his room.

"Is there any TV here?" Cassie asked as she left as well.

"I'm gonna go for a light jog," said Reko, "Gotta loosen up before my match."

"Ditto, but no jogging for me. Those stairs outside look nice, though." Nellie left for her room to grab her skateboard. Judgement and Terry exited without a word.

"Hey, where does that leave me?" Mikey called out. With everyone else seemingly ignoring him, he took another look at the bracket, which had been placed on the wall. He looked at the name of his first opponent and gulped. That giant monster of a man was his first challenger.

o o o

"Mr. Kaiyou, would you like to explain why you've chosen to proceed with the finals this afternoon?" Roman asked. Noah, who was in the castle's swimming pool wearing white trunks and clinging to a floaty, kicked his way over to the businessman and floated in front of him.

"Aside from wanting some time to swim in the pool, I overheard you saying you needed more time," Noah answered. Roman stiffened. Had the boy heard everything? "Well, there's your extra time. But that's it. Whatever it is you need to get done, now is the time to do it."

Roman relaxed a bit. Okay, perhaps the child had not heard everything. "We'll get it done soon, Mr. Kaiyou."

"I'll see you at the start of the finals," Noah said before he kicked away and floated around in the middle of the pool.

o o o

One o'clock came quickly. The room was literally a bottomless pit with only an old-fashioned Duel Arena suspended in the middle. In the red booth stood Saito while in the blue stood Reko. One floor's height above it, Mikey, Cassie, Mr. Thulin, Judgement, Terry, and Nellie stood on the observation balcony looking down. A small balcony was on the opposite wall on the same floor as the arena with a pair of mahogany double doors leading from it. They swung open and Noah emerged and took his seat in Pegasus' chair while Roman stood erect to his right.

"Duelists, shuffle your decks!" Noah called out. Saito took out a USB cable from his pocket and plugged one end into his Duel Disk and the other into the terminal in front of him. He then slotted his deck into his deck slot and watched it get shuffled. Across from him, Reko shuffled his deck by hand and placed it on the Deck Zone of his terminal.

"Duelists ready?" Noah raised his left hand and then chopped it down. "Duel!"

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**Saito:** 8000

**Reko:** 8000

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"Do you mind if I go first?" Reko asked politely.

"Either way, I'll destroy you," answered Saito.

"Alrighty then. Here I go!" Reko drew his first card. "Alrighty. I'm gonna start with Gemknight Fusion and I'll fuse Gemknight Sapphia and Gemknight Rumarin." A sapphire and a topaz appeared on the field and fused together into an aquamarine, which shattered and a blue knight in a cape appeared armed only with a buckler that was equipped with a wide katar blade (ATK/1400 DEF/2600). "I summon Gemknight Aquamarina in defense mode. Now I'm gonna remove Sapphia from play to put Gemknight Fusion back in my hand." He took Gemknight Sapphia out of his graveyard and placed it on the side off the terminal before taking Gemknight Fusion and placing it back in his hand. "I'm gonna stop after I play Heart of the Underdog." A holographic projection of the Continuous Spell Card appeared behind Gemknight Aquamarina and the lavender-haired man ended his turn.

"I draw." Saito drew his card. "I summon Dragunity Partisan." He slapped the card onto his Duel Disk and a small blue dragon wearing armor that gave it a headpiece shaped like a spearhead (ATK/1200 DEF/800). "And now his effect activates. When this creature is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Dragunity Winged Beast from my hand and equip it with Partisan, turning the equipped monster into a Tuner. So I summon Dragunity Militum to the field." A woman with bird wings appeared with a mask to cover her face wielding a sword in her right hand and a dagger in her left as an off-hand weapon (ATK/1700 DEF/1200). As soon as she landed, Dragunity Partisan flew into the air. Its body stiffened and a magical light ran down its body, turning it into a spear. Dragunity Militum sheathed her main weapon and grabbed the new one as it fell.

"Now I activate Militum's effect. Once per turn, she can choose one Dragunity Equip Spell and Special Summon it. And I think you know how this will turn out." Saito pointed to his monster as Dragunity Militum spun her partisan over her head and them slammed it headfirst into the ground, where it resumed its dragon form as Dragunity Partisan. "Now I tune Dragunity Partisan to Dragunity Militum." The spearheaded dragon faded away into a pair of stars that turned into green rings and surrounded Dragunity Militum. The female creature vanished and was replaced by four perfectly-aligned stars. A light engulfed them both. "Arise, Dragunity Knight — Gadearg!" A dark blue bird man in dark red armor emerged from the light riding a massive dark blue dragon wearing matching armor (ATK/2400 DEF/800).

"Next I activate Dragunity Knight — Gadearg's effect," Saito announced, "I add a level four or lower Dragon or Winged Beast from my deck to my hand. Then I discard a Dragon or Winged Beast." His Duel Disk ejected Dragunity Brandistock, which he promptly added to his hand. As his deck was shuffled, he selected a card in his hand and sent it to his graveyard. "Now I play the Spell Card called Cards of Consonance. I discard a Dragon-type Tuner with one thousand or fewer attack points and draw two cards." He discarded the Dragunity Brandistock he had just received and drew two new cards. He received a card he liked, but he did not show it. "I set two cards and end my turn."

Reko whistled. "That's some move." He drew his card. "I equip Gemknight Aquamarina with Fusion Weapon. I can only do this to a level six or lower Fusion Monster and it boosts him by fifteen hundred attack points." Gemknight Aquamarina's buckler vanished and his his arm was replaced with a biomechanical claw that sparked with electricity as his attack points rose up to twenty-nine hundred. "Now I switch him in attack mode. Alright Aquamarina, time to attack!" The blue knight charged up his claw and prepared to fire a powerful blast of electricity.

"I don't think so." Saito revealed one of his facedown cards. "I activate Dust Tornado." A cyclone shot out of the card and hit Gemknight Aquamarina. Because the knight failed to fire in time, Fusion Weapon continued to charge until it overloaded and exploded, scorching the surface of his armor and dropping his attack points back to fourteen hundred. With the opening before it, Dragunity Knight — Gadearg flew in and the dragon raised its head and slashed down with the blade on its helm, cleaving Gemknight Aquamarina cleanly in two.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 8000

**Reko:** 7000

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Reko cringed a little, but he smiled when he saw his warrior's discarded buckler flying into the air after the impact. "Now here's a funny story. When Aquamarina goes from the field to the graveyard, his effect can bounce a card on your field back to your hand." The buckler slammed into Dragunity Knight — Gadearg and the bird man and his steed were blown away as Saito returned the card to his Extra Deck.

"I'll just summon out Gemresis in attack mode and use him to bring a Gemknight to my hand." An armadillo with two oxygen tanks on its back appeared (ATK/1700 DEF/500) and Reko brought Gemknight Ganet to his hand. "Alright, wanna show me what you've got?"

"I have every intention of doing so." Saito drew his card. "Activate Trap Card, Call of the Haunted."

"What could he be bringing back?" Mikey wondered out loud.

On the other side of the room, Noah was thinking the same thing. _Most likely he's resurrecting the monster he discarded earlier as part of Gadearg's effect_, he thought.

"Come back, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The majestic white dragon with sapphire eyes rose up and let out a deafening roar that shook the room (ATK/3000 DEF/2500).

"Whoa!" Reko looked at the mighty beast. "I didn't see that coming."

"I did," Mikey muttered.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Burst Stream of Destruction!" Saito's dragon opened its mouth and a sparking ball of white energy built up inside its maw before a powerful energy beam was fired from it and engulfed Gemresis.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 8000

**Reko:** 5700

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"Well this could be a problem," Reko thought out loud. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon shook its head and snarled.

"I'll end with this facedown," Saito announced.

"Then It's my turn." Reko drew his card and revealed it to his opponent. "I've drawn Gemknight Ganet, a Normal Monster. Thanks to Heart of the Underdog, I can draw again." He placed the card in his hand and drew again. "And I just drew another Normal Monster, Gemknight Rumarin." Reko drew another card. "Okay, I can work with this! Time for more Gemknight Fusion! This time I'm fusing Rumarin with Alexand to summon Paz." An amber and a diamond appeared over the field and fused together into a topaz. The gem shattered and a knight in yellow armor burst forward in a black cape. He landed on the field and activated a pair of yellow energy swords before holding them like tonfas (ATK/1800 DEF/1800). "Now I'll equip him with Fusion Weapon!" Gemknight Paz deactivated his weapons and attached them to his belt as a claw attached itself to his right gauntlet and began to spark, boosting his attack power up to thirty-three hundred.

"Blast that dragon down." On his master's command, Gemknight Paz aimed Fusion Weapon at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and fired. A powerful bolt of electricity shot forward and struck the majestic creature. The dragon's roars filled the air as it collapsed.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 7700

**Reko:** 5700

–––––––––––––––––

"Now Paz's effect activates," Reko said, "If he destroys your monster in battle, he burns you for that monster's attack points." Gemknight Paz grabbed one of his energy swords with his free hand and activated it before throwing it. It spun through the air and struck Saito's side of the Duel Arena since the machine could not project outside its boundaries.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 5700

**Reko:** 5700

–––––––––––––––––

"This is just one reason why I prefer using my Duel Disk," Saito thought out loud.

"And now time Paz's other effect." Reko smiled. "He can attack twice." Gemknight Paz pointed Fusion Weapon at Saito and fired at him directly.

**Saito:** 2400

**Reko:** 5700

"What's with the limit on these things anyway?" Cassie asked rather loudly.

"When Duel Monsters first became popular, Pegasus was still working on finalizing the official rules," Terry explained, "Someone at Industrial Illusions released the cards before the game itself was ready. So then everyone just made up their own rules and it wasn't long before these fan-made rules became 'official'. Pegasus' official rulebook didn't make it out until the Battle City tournament."

"What kinda rules were these old ones?" Nellie inquired.

"Fucked up shit," was Terry's answer, "Summons with no tributes, one attack per turn, totally broken card effects, everything."

"That's dumb," Mikey commented. Terry just shrugged and resumed watching the duel.

"Impressive." Saito drew his card. "You're much stronger than I thought." He examined his hand and set a monster. "I end my turn."

"My turn!" Reko drew his card. "Alright Paz, go for it!" Gemknight Paz fired Fusion Weapon and blasted Saito's facedown, which turned out to be Dragunity Dux. "And go again!"

"I activate Defense Draw!" Saito revealed his facedown. "The Battle Damage I take becomes zero and I draw one card." Gemknight Paz's attack was blocked and Saito drew a card.

"Alright, guess I'll end my turn."

"My move." Saito drew his card. "And I'll start by playing Future Fusion." Saito played his Continuous Spell Card and removed his deck from his Duel Disk. He selected Dragunity Darkspear, Dragunity Phalanx, Dragunity Javalin, Dragunity Arms Misteil, and a Blue-Eyes White Dragon and sent them to his graveyard. Then he replaced his deck and had it shuffled automatically. "Now in two turns, I get to Fusion Summon a monster. But before that happens, I summon Dragunity Pilum." A green dragon in black armor appeared with a spear on its head (ATK/1400 DEF/1000). "And now his effect lets me Special Summon a Dragunity Winged Beast from my hand and equip Dragunity Pilum to it. And my monster of choice is Dragunity Militum." A second Dragunity Militum appeared and Dragunity Pilum transformed into a spear, which replaced the winged woman's sword. "Now by her effect, I can unequip it and Special Summon Pilum back to the field." Dragunity Militum stuck her spear into the ground and drew her sword as the pilum changed back into a dragon.

"Now I tune my level three Dragunity Pilum to my level four Dragunity Militum." Once again, Dragunity Pilum's body turned into rings which surrounded Dragunity Militum and turned her into four shining stars as a beam of light engulfed them. "I summon Dragunity Knight — Trident!" A black dragon emerged wearing blue armor with a headpiece that armed it with two sharp blades on either side of its head and one down its nose, giving it a trident-like appearance. Sitting on its back was a bird man in matching armor wielding a long pike (ATK/2400 DEF/1700). "Now I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Fusion Weapon." A strong wind blew across the field and destroyed Gemknight Paz's weapon, forcing the yellow warrior to draw his energy blade tonfas as his attack points returned to eighteen hundred.

"Dragunity Knight — Trident, attack!" The blue-armored dragon took flight and flew straight toward Gemknight Paz. It gored his torso with all three spikes as the bird man flew up and sank his pike deep into his skull.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 2400

**Reko:** 5100

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The dragon returned to its spot and shook its head. "My turn is over."

"Mine then." Reko drew his card. "I remove Alexand from play to bring back Gemknight Fusion. Then I'll summon Gemknight Ganet and set a card." A knight in fiery red armor appeared (ATK/1900 DEF/0). "I'm done here."

Saito drew his card without a word. "Dragunity Knight — Trident, attack!"

"I activate a facedown!" announced Reko. "Gem Enhance. This baby lets me tribute a Gemknight and then rez one from my graveyard. So buh-bye Ganet and welcome back Aquamarina!" His blue knight rose up and crouched down in defense mode. "Let's see whatcha got."

"I draw." Saito drew his card and his Future Fusion kicked in. "I Fusion Summon Five God Dragon!" From high above, the mighty dragon descended: one head of fire, one of water, one of earth, one of darkness, and one of steel (ATK/5000 DEF/5000). "Now I play Ancient Rules, letting me Special Summon a level five or higher Normal Monster from my hand. So say hello to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Right in between the two dragons, Saito's Blue-Eyes emerged and roared. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, destroy Gemknight Aquamarina! Burst Stream of Destruction!" A solid beam of energy erupted from the dragon's maw and destroyed Gemknight Aquamarina, causing his buckler to fly up again.

"Bounce that Five God Dragon!" Reko called out. The shield struck the giant monster and flung it back into Saito's Extra Deck. However, since it had not been destroyed, Future Fusion remained on the field to clog up its owner's Spell and Trap Card zone.

"Dragunity Knight — Trident, direct attack!" On Saito's orders, the blue-armored dragon flew up and dive-bombed into Reko with its trident helmet.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 2400

**Reko:** 2700

–––––––––––––––––

"Now I activate the effect of Dragunity Knight — Trident," announced Saito, "By sending up to three cards on my field to the graveyard, I can look at your Extra Deck and send cards to your graveyard equal to the number I sent." He placed Future Fusion in his graveyard and Reko spread his Extra Deck out on his terminal. Saito watched as the screen on his showed him what was displayed. "Gemknight Rubys will do nicely." Reko put one of his Rubyses into his graveyard and placed the rest of his cards back.

"I'll set one card and end my turn." Saito placed his card facedown and looked at Reko. "Your turn."

"My draw." The lavender-haired man drew his card. This card would definitely help him, but he did not know for how long. "I play Dark Factory of Mass Production and return two Normal Monsters from my graveyard to my hand." He retrieved Gemknight Ganet and Gemknight Rumarin. "Now time to fuse them!" He played Gemknight Fusion and brought out a garnet and a topaz. The two gems combined into a ruby and as it shattered, a knight in bright red armor and a blue cape appeared with a staff in one hand (ATK/2500 DEF/1300). "Here's Gemknight Rubys! Take out Trident!" Gemknight Rubys grabbed the head of his staff and pulled, unsheathing a sword from within the shaft. With both grace and power, he launched himself at his target. Dragunity Knight — Trident roared and the dragon intercepted with its horns. The bird man then leapt off and brought his pike down onto Rubys. However, the red knight was not to be defeated so easily as he threw his cape up and jumped back. The bird man was caught and he fell to the ground in a heap. With his opponent temporarily disabled, Gemknight Rubys quickly stuck his sword into his cape. Movement quickly ceased and he pulled his weapon back out before leaping up and stabbing the dragon's unprotected side, sliding the blade between the ribs and into its heart. He pulled out and grabbed his cape as he returned to Reko. The dragon's carcass fell on top of the birdman's corpse as Gemknight Rubys re-sheathed his sword and threw his cloak back on.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 2300

**Reko:** 2700

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"Impressive show there." Saito drew. "But fancy graphics don't win duels. I play Dragon's Mirror. I remove from play my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons to fuse them together." A golden mirror appeared and the dragon on Saito's field and the two in his graveyard were pulled in. "I summon the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Moments later a gigantic Blue-Eyes White Dragon with three heads emerged from the mirror and roared (ATK/4500 DEF/3800). "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Burst!" All three heads open their mouths and charged up a Burst Stream. Then they fired them at once and the beams fused into a single concentrated blast that annihilated Gemknight Rubys.

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**Saito:** 2300

**Reko:** 700

–––––––––––––––––

"Your turn."

Reko drew his card. It was the Equip Spell Card called Symbols of Duty. However, lacking a Normal Monster on the field it was useless. It was pointless to continue now. Without another word, he placed his card facedown on the edge of the terminal and looked at Saito. "Hit me with your best shot."

Saito smiled as he drew. "With pleasure. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, destroy him." The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon roared and fired its attack, striking down Reko hard and fast.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 2300

**Reko:** 0

–––––––––––––––––

"Reko Telaris has been defeated!" Noah announced. "The winner is Saito Kaiba." Saito felt his knees weaken as he unplugged his Duel Disk from the terminal, but managed to stabilize himself and walked away, leaving Reko to gather up his cards. The lavender-haired man felt completely drained after that duel, but he was still conscious enough to pack his deck away and walk off. When he finally got to the observation balcony, Mikey and Umi were already at his sides to catch him as he fell.

"Sorry about your loss," Mikey apologized.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault," Reko said gently, "Besides, these things happen."

"What about your sister?" Umi asked.

"I'll just find another way. One way or another, I'll find her and bring her home. This I promise." He collapsed again, forcing Mikey to strain harder.

"Let's lie you down." The brunet moved Reko over to a couch against the wall and laid him down on it.

"Time for the second duel!" Noah's voice called out. "Will Chance Thulin and Cassandra Rhodes-Yuki please come down to the Duel Arena?"

"JUST CASSIE IS FINE!" the little girl yelled over the balcony railing.

Mr. Thulin looked at Cassie for a moment, thinking about all that had happened so far. The draining of Duel Energy. The loss of so many students. He immediately stepped up to the railing and shouted across the room. "You know what? Fuck you Roman. I don't want to duel another student. I don't give a fuck about the legal issues involved, this tournament is over right fucking..." His words were cut short when he was assaulted by Terry and Judgement. He tried to fight them off, but the pair managed to overpower him after a short struggle.

"I am sorry," Roman said calmly, "I think you assumed you had a choice in the matter." As Mikey watched his student teacher get subdued, he caught a glimpse of a dark figure in the shadows out of the corner of his eye. He turned to look, but saw no sign of anybody there.

"Something wrong, Mikey?" Umi asked. Mikey blinked and shook his head.

"N-no... Everything's fine." He turned back and watched as Mr. Thulin continued to try to fight of the two goons even while pinned to the floor.

_It couldn't have been him, could it?_ he wondered in the back of his head.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Thrown into a duel against his will, Mr. Thulin faces Alexis Rhodes' daughter Cassie. His refusal to duel is met threateningly by Roman who gives him two undesirable options. What will the student teacher choose? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	79. Heroes vs Dragons

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-38**

**Heroes vs. Dragons**

Mr. Thulin was standing at the red terminal while Cassie waited at the blue terminal. A suited man finally showed up with a step stool and set it down in front of her. The young girl slowly climbed up and placed her shuffled deck on the Deck Zone.

"You can't make me do this!" the student teacher called out.

"Actually, we can, but I won't bore you with the details. I just suggest you play along and have fun. It's just a card game, after all," Roman answered calmly.

Mr. Thulin wanted to swear at him again, but something in the back of his head forced him otherwise. He looked across the field at Cassie and looked at her. He couldn't let another student suffer. On top of that, she was just a little girl. He had to throw the game for her, but he needed to let her know his plan without letting Roman know. An idea came to him when he recalled the skin on Cassie's Duel Disk.

"Hey Cassie," he called out with a smile on his face.

"Yeah?"

"Who is your favorite supervillain?"

"Captain Cold. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason, I just saw your disk and was intrigued. I am a comic fan myself."

"Oh? Really? Awesome! We should talk after this duel Mr. Thulin!"

"Yes we should. Hey, you know what villain I really like?"

"Who?"

"Roulette."

"OH! The Justice Society vil..." Cassie paused, her eyes straying over to Roman, waiting paitently for the duel to begin. Mikey in the balcony from above, shrugging at Umi who did the same in return. Cassie bit her lip and nodded at Mr. Thulin who continued to smile.

"Yeah, the Justice Society villain. She had an awesome first appearance in JSA Secret Files #2, huh? So, are you ready to duel, Mr. Terrific?" Mr. Thulin placed his hand on top of his deck, his fingers laying patiently on the top card to draw when his turn came.

"Alright Doctor Midnite. Let's do this!"

**Mr. Thulin:** 8000

**Cassie:** 8000

Cassie began the duel and drew her first card. "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn." One of the Monster Zones in front of her started to glow with the sign of a facedown monster. She wished she could do more, but her hand was restricting her from doing so.

Mr. Thulin drew his card and examined his hand. He had a lot of good cards. Throwing the duel was going to prove to be quite a challenge. "I summon Red-Eyes Wyvern." A screech filled the air as an armless black dragon appeared (ATK/1800 DEF/1600). "I'm setting a facedown. Your go."

"I draw." Cassie drew her card, "I play Polymerization. So I'm gonna fuse Elemental Hero Heat and Elemental Hero Lady Heat from my hand to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Inferno!" A man and a woman wearing costumes consisting of a mix of reds, yellows, and white appeared and fused together to form a single entity dressed in white tights with red armor painted with orange flame designs and flame-shaped spikes on his shoulder guards and helmet (ATK/2300 DEF/1600).

"God says no." Mr. Thulin flipped his facedown over. "I pay half my Life Points to negate your summon with Solemn Judgment."

**Mr. Thulin:** 4000

**Cassie:** 8000

"Security, I want visuals of both Duelists' hands," Roman said into a cell phone, "I want to make sure they're both playing their best."

"Put the feed in on my laptop!" Noah called from his seat. He turned to a fancy mahogany table beside him on which the computer sat and waited for the display to appear. On the left they could see Mr. Thulin's hand and the terminal's readout of his cards on the field. On the right they saw the same for Cassie. "Interesting. He's got a Red-Eyes Black Chick, Dark Bribe, Golem Dragon, and Inferno Fire Blast."

"I find it unusual that he would set Solemn Judgment instead of Dark Bribe since Red-Eyes Wyvern would have been better off in his graveyard."

"And that being the case, why didn't he let Elemental Hero Inferno just destroy it?" Noah asked.

"I suspect Mr. Thulin's reluctance to duel may have something to do with this."

"Let's see how his next move plays out," Noah suggested.

"I end my turn," Cassie announced.

Mr. Thulin drew his card. Noah and Roman looked at the screen and saw that he had drawn a Red-Eyes Black Dragon. "Logically, he should summon Red-Eyes Black Chick and then use its effect to summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon from his hand," the boy thought out loud. He and Roman waited to see what would happen.

"Red-Eyes Wyvern, attack!" The dragon screeched and flapped its wings, sending a gust of wind at Cassie's creature, which was flipped face-up to reveal itself as a green giant in a loincloth with a right arm and leg made of wood known as Elemental Hero Woodsman (ATK/1000 DEF/2000). The wind bounced off his skin and the hero of the forest punched the ground, sending out some roots and striking Red-Eyes Wyvern with them but not killing it.

**Mr. Thulin:** 3800

**Cassie:** 8000

"I'm done. Your move," the student teacher said. Roman and Noah looked at each other. Their suspicions had been confirmed.

"I draw." Cassie drew her card. "And on my Standby Phase, I activate Woodsman's effect to bring Poly back to my hand." She grabbed Polymerization from her graveyard and placed it immediately into one of her Spell and Trap Card zones. "Now I use it to fuse Woodsman with Neos Alius." Elemental Hero Neos' little brother appeared on the field beside Elemental Hero Woodsman and the two of them were fused together. "Elemental Hero Gaia!" A giant burst out of the ground in black armor with several gems and missile ports all over his body (ATK/2200 DEF/2600). "When he's summoned, I can halve one of your guys and boost him by that much for this turn!" Elemental Hero Gaia stomped the ground and encased Red-Eyes Wyvern in stone, forcing its attack points to drop to nine hundred. His gems then began to glow as his own attack power rose to thirty-one hundred. "Gaia, attack!" Elemental Hero Gaia held out his arms and several missiles were launched from his wrists. They shot across the field and bombarded Red-Eyes Wyvern.

**Mr. Thulin:** 1600

**Cassie:** 8000

"I'm done." At that moment, Elemental Hero Gaia returned to his original twenty-two hundred attack points.

"My draw." Mr. Thulin drew his card.

"Hold it right there, Mr. Thulin," Roman interrupted.

"What the fuck do you want now?"

"We've been monitoring your cards and you haven't used any of your most powerful ones yet."

"So I haven't drawn them yet."

"I beg to differ. You DO have the means to summon a monster that can destroy your opponent's creature. So why don't you play it?"

"Fuck you, man. You're a sick fuck if you think I'm gonna put a kid through all the stuff you've made us do!"

"If you'd prefer, we can always just rearrange some of the match-ups." Roman pushed up his glasses as he looked up at the observation balcony where Terry and Judgement stood. Mr. Thulin followed his gaze and looked at the two men. He then turned back to the businessman.

"I fucking hate you." He sighed and looked over at Cassie. "Sorry." He played a card. "I summon Red-Eyes Black Chick..." A red egg appeared and from it hatched a tiny black baby dragon's head (ATK/800 DEF/500). "...and I sack it to summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon." The baby dragon broke free of its shell and rapidly grew into a full-sized dragon (ATK/2400 DEF/2000). "Attack Elemental Hero Gaia." His orders came with reluctance as his dragon unleashed a powerful red fireball from its mouth and blasted apart Elemental Hero Gaia.

**Mr. Thulin:** 1600

**Cassie:** 7800

"I'm setting a card facedown," Mr. Thulin declared.

"My turn now." Cassie drew her card. Now that her opponent was being forced to play his A game, she had to be extremely careful. "I play Future Fusion and I'll send King of the Swamp and Elemental Hero Sparkman from my deck to my graveyard." Her Duel Disk ejected the two monster cards from her deck and she placed them into her graveyard.

"I activate my Trap Card," announced Mr. Thulin, "Dark Bribe. It negates your card and you get to draw." Future Fusion was destroyed and Cassie drew her card. It was not looking good for her.

"I'll just set a monster." Afterward, she ended her turn.

"My draw." Mr. Thulin drew and cringed. His draws just continued to get better and better and as long as Roman was watching, he was forced to play his best cards. "I summon Golem Dragon." A dragon made out of solid stone appeared (ATK/200 DEF/2000). "Now I remove it from play to Special Summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon." Golem Dragon vanished and in its place arose a massive dragon with a hide of black metal and wings sharp like swords (ATK/2800 DEF/2400). "Now I play Inferno Fire Blast to burn you for my original Red-Eyes' original attack." Red-Eyes Black Dragon screeched as it unleashed a fireball directly at Cassie.

**Mr. Thulin:** 1600

**Cassie:** 5400

"Red-Eyes Metal, attack." Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon opened its mouth fired a crimson energy blast into Cassie's facedown, which turned out to be Elemental Hero Voltic. "Your go."

Cassie drew. Mr. Thulin was much stronger than she had thought. She looked at her hand to see if anything could turn the duel around. One card gave her an idea. "I summon Elemental Hero Stratos!" A hero appeared in a gust of wind in blue and white armor with wings equipped with rapidly-spinning propellers to keep him aloft (ATK/1800 DEF/300). "And I'll use his second effect to bring an Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand." A card was ejected from her deck and she placed it in her hand. "Elemental Hero Prisma. Now here comes Polymerization!" A crystal hero with wings appeared over the field and was joined by Elemental Hero Stratos. The two of them vanished. "I summon Elemental Hero Great Tornado!" A tornado descended from above and landed before dispersing, revealing a hero in green, white, and gold armor with a tattered black half-cape covering his body (ATK/2800 DEF/2200). "When he's summoned, all your monsters' attack points get halved." There was a great gust of wind as Red-Eyes Black Dragon's attack points dropped to twelve hundred and Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon's attack points were reduced to fourteen hundred. "Attack Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" Elemental Hero Great Tornado summoned up a wind storm and unleashed its fury on the metallic dragon. He manipulated the air currents and surrounded his target with a funnel with which he lifted up the great beast and blew it away.

**Mr. Thulin:** 200

**Cassie:** 5400

Mr. Thulin looked at his monsters' attack and defense points and turned to Cassie. "Why didn't you attack my other monster?"

"Huh?"

"If you attacked my Red-Eyes Black Dragon, you could have won. You would have dealt me exactly sixteen hundred points."

"Come on Doctor Midnite, the chess game isn't over yet," Cassie replied.

"No, but it might be better if it ends soon, don't you think?" Mr. Thulin winked and she nodded.

With the girl's turn over, Mr. Thulin drew his card. His heart sank when he saw it. He really did not want to have to do this, but he was not being given a choice. The other card he had made him hate his situation even mode. He glared at Roman, who only indicated toward Judgement and Terry with a nod. "I play Inferno Fire Blast." Red-Eyes Black Dragon raised its head and launched a crimson fireball at Cassie.

**Mr. Thulin:** 200

**Cassie:** 3000

The student teacher then reluctantly proceeded to play the last card in his hand. "I play Dragon's Mirror. I remove from play Red-Eyes Black Dragon on my field and Golem Dragon, Red-Eyes Black Chick, Red-Eyes Black Chick, and Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon in my graveyard." A golden dragon-shaped mirror appeared on the field and all five dragons were pulled inside. "I Fusion Summon Five God Dragon." The reflective artifact shattered into a thousand pieces as an enormous dragon emerged with five heads of varying attributes (ATK/5000 DEF/5000). Mr. Thulin clenched his fist as he gave the order to attack. Five God Dragon unleashed a breath attack from each of its mouths and they spiraled together into a single blast that obliterated Elemental Hero Great Tornado.

**Mr. Thulin:** 200

**Cassie:** 800

Cassie was terrified. Here she was facing one of the single most powerful creatures in Duel Monsters and all she had in her hand were Parallel World Fusion and Hero's Bond. The first one was useless since she didn't have any monsters that had been removed from play. Hero's Bond equally useless as she had no Elemental Heroes either on her field or in her hand.

"I'm sorry," Mr. Thulin apologized, "Your go."

Cassie had no idea what to do. All she knew she would be able to do would be to stall her opponent, but that counted on her drawing a monster. Anything else would end it here for her. She took a deep breath and drew. Very slowly, she turned her card around. When she saw the green border, her heart sank. But then she saw the artwork and her spirits lifted. She turned it all the way and her face brightened. "I play Miracle Fusion! I remove from play Elemental Hero Ocean and Elemental Hero Woodsman to summon Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!" The green giant and the aquatic hero were pulled away and fused together into a white-armored warrior with a matching cape (ATK/2500 DEF/2000).

"Now I play Parallel World Fusion! I return my two removed from play heroes to my deck and I'll summon Elemental Hero Terra Firma!" Cassie placed the cards from her pocket into her deck and watched her Duel Disk automatically shuffle them in before turning her attention to the field where she witnessed her two heroes merge into a white fighter with blue gems set into his shoulders and head and a red one in the center of his chest (ATK/2500 DEF/2000). "Now I use Terra Firma's effect. I sacrifice Elemental Hero Absolute Zero to boost him by his attack points!" Elemental Hero Absolute Zero vanished from the field and Elemental Hero Terra Firma's attack points doubled to five thousand, matching Five God Dragon.

"I hope you've got a better plan besides just matching attack points," Mr. Thulin called from behind his giant monster.

"I do!" Cassie answered. "When Absolute Zero leaves the field, his special ability destroys all of my opponent's monsters!" At that very moment, a strong blizzard blew across the duel field and encased Five God Dragon in ice. With no functioning muscles left to support it, the giant dragon fell over and shattered leaving Mr. Thulin open. "Thank for your help, Mr. T."

Mr. Thulin gave Cassie his smile and she gave the order. "Elemental Hero Terra Firma, attack with Magma Slash!" Elemental Hero Terra Firma grabbed the spikes jutting out of his hips and pulled, unsheathing a pair of hidden swords whose blades were now glowing fiery orange. He flew across the field at high speed and stopped just in front of the red terminal to deliver two powerful slashes from his weapons.

**Mr. Thulin:** 0

**Cassie:** 800

Mr. Thulin had his energy drained by his Duel Band and he slumped against his terminal, scattering his cards all over it.

"So in the end he still lost," Noah noted. He clapped his hands and a pair of suited men came out. One of them slung Mr. Thulin over his shoulder and dragged him off while the other gathered up his deck before following him away. Cassie finished gathering her cards and got off the stool before walking away. She appeared on the observation balcony shortly after.

"Will he be okay?" Umi knelt down and placed a hand on Cassie's shoulder.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. We've seen a lot of tough Duelists and he's one of them," the pop idol assured her. Cassie smiled lightly and looked over her shoulder to see Mr. Thulin's limp body, with his hand forming a closed fist with an extended thumb.

"I guess he was really the one playing Mr. Terrific after all." Cassie said and looked toward the duel arena.

"What are you talking about?" Mikey asked.

"Will the next two Duelists approach the arena!" Roman called out before he could get an answer. Mikey stepped forward. He was next. His head slowly turned to the side at his opponent. Judgement, the enormous masked man, was the one who had defeated his brother and Mika. His presence alone was incredibly intimidating, but Mikey swallowed the lump in his throat and proceeded to the Duel Arena.

o o o

Sako crouched behind a corner as a guard passed. As soon as he was in the clear, he moved on. He had entered the castle through a window in a very high tower at around dawn. Upon his entry, the first thing he had noticed was a portrait of a beautiful woman with long blonde hair. He did not dwell on it, however, as he had a task to do. He proceeded down the stairs and had been navigating the castle's interior since then.

Security was surprisingly light. The Duel Sniper had only encountered five guards since he entered and hadn't had to knock any of them unconscious. However, he still had to be careful. As he rounded a corner, he came to a stop as he heard two voices.

"So what's gonna happen when all this is done?" a guard asked as he patrolled the hallway with a partner.

"Boss says he's gonna let the kid use it however he likes," the other guard answered.

"So what's going on with all the guys in the dungeon?"

"Haven't heard a word since my last visit down there."

"You've been there?"

"Who hasn't?"

"Not me. How do you get down there."

"Well, it's not hard. If you go into the basement, you'll see stairs with torch cones on the walls. That takes you down to the dungeon. Beyond there is an elevator that'll take you down further to another dungeon. That's where he's keeping everyone."

"And they're all safe down there?"

"As long as we keep their decks locked up in Mr. Roman's office, no one's going anywhere."

"Nice."

The guards left and Sako got up. A dungeon? Prisoners? He had heard much, including two crucial pieces of information. With his sniper rifle slung over his shoulder, the Duel Sniper took out a floor plan of the castle he had stolen and examined it. Pegasus' office seemed like the most likely place for Roman to use as his office. He would go there first and then head downstairs to see if he could free the others. This was definitely more than just a card game tournament. But what exactly its real purpose was he was going to find out himself.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Mikey faces off against Judgement. The Allies of Justice will destroy any Light monster. What hope does Mikey have against such a foe? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	80. Mikey's Judgement

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

More card are being renamed to their English versions.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-39**

**Mikey's Judgement**

Mikey stood at the blue terminal and watched as Judgement approached the red one. The giant walked without making a sound. Mikey wasn't sure if he was even human. Something about the masked man almost seemed ethereal. The only thing Mikey knew was that this man had eliminated his brother and Spencer. His eyes narrowed as he plugged his Duel Disk into the terminal. Judgement brought his hand out from his robes and placed his deck on his terminal.

"Are you ready to begin?" Noah asked.

"I am," Judgement said monotonously.

Mikey took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Ready."

"Then choose your tokens."

Three panels on each terminal flipped over and revealed a golden coin on each. The one on the left showed an open hand, the one in the middle showed a hand holding up two fingers, and the third displayed a closed fist. Mikey looked at Noah. The boy had chosen to let them pick the turn order in the form of Rock-Paper-Scissors. Mikey randomly picked one up and popped into the slot under his terminal. Two holographic hands suddenly appeared over the field and revealed the results. Mikey's scissors had beaten Judgement's paper.

"I guess I'll go first," the brunet declared. He drew his starting hand and watched as Judgement fanned out his five cards.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Judgement:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––––

"Here I go. My draw." Mikey drew his card. "I set a monster and then a facedown. That's it for now."

"Draw." Judgement drew. "Ally of Justice Garadholg." An orange and white robot appeared and stood up as it drew two energy swords from hidden compartments in its legs and activated them (ATK/1600 DEF/400). "Attack." Ally of Justice Garadholg launched itself at Mikey's facedown monster and slashed. The creature turned out to be Majestic Mech - Senku (ATK/1000 DEF/500).

"One facedown. Your turn."

"Okay, I draw." Mikey took the top card from his deck and added it to his hand. "Since you have a monster and I don't, I Special Summon Cyber Dragon." A silver mechanical serpentine dragon appeared on the field and hissed (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "Now I summon Fire Ant Ascator." A rather large crimson ant appeared beside Cyber Dragon and clicked its jaws together (ATK/800 DEF/1300). "Now I tune them together to Synchro Summon Sun Dragon Inti." Fire Ant Ascator faded away until three stars replaced it before they turned into green rings. The rings surrounded Cyber Dragon and its body slowly disappeared until five stars remained, which lined themselves up and a column of light engulfed them all. From the radiance emerged a shimmering golden sun with a face carved into it. As it came further out of the light, four identical red dragon heads emerged (ATK/3000 DEF/2800).

"Attack Ally of Justice Garadholg!" Sun Dragon Inti opened its mouths and unleashed four jets of flames that spiraled into a fiery helix. Per Ally of Justice Garadholg's effect, the mechanical creature's attack points rose by two hundred to eighteen hundred upon engaging combat with a Light monster. However it failed to hold against the Inca dragon's fire.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Judgement:** 6800

––––––––––––––––––––

"Facedown activate," Judgement announced, "Fires of Doomsday." Two one-eyed black flames appeared, each as a level one Dark Fiend with zero attack points and zero defense points.

"That's it for this turn," announced Mikey.

"Draw." Judgement proceeded to draw his card. "I summon Ally of Justice Cycle Reader." A mechanical white and black spider with yellow legs appeared with a face like a red horseshoe with a single glowing eye in the center (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "I tune Ally of Justice Cycle Reader with my Doomsday Tokens." Two laser beams shot out of Ally of Justice Cycle Reader's eye and struck the two tokens, reducing their bodies into one star each. It then faded away until its body was replaced with three stars. They turned into rings and surrounded the two remaining stars before a column of light descended and engulfed them.

"I Synchro Summon Ally of Justice Catastor." The light faded and a giant white machine appeared on four spider legs with a face like a golden horseshoe with a single red eye (ATK/2200 DEF/1200). "Ally of Justice Catastor, attack Sun Dragon Inti."

"Hang on! My Sun Dragon Inti's stronger than your monster!" Mikey called out. "On top of that, if he's destroyed in battle his effect can destroy the monster that killed him and burn my opponent for the attack points of that monster."

"Ally of Justice Catastor's effect can automatically destroy any non-Dark monster that battles with it without applying damage calculation," Judgement replied. Ally of Justice Catator stared up at Sun Dragon Inti and fired a solid laser beam into the sun crest in its body. It pierced through the golden circle and wiped out the four-headed dragon.

"I set a facedown. My turn ends."

"My move." Mikey drew his card. His opponent currently had a monster that could destroy any monster automatically that was not a Dark Attribute. On one plus side, this meant if he summoned a monster in attack mode he would not take any damage. He examined his hand and read through each of the cards he held. He only had one option right now. "Since you have a monster and I don't, I Special Summon Oracle of the Sun in defense mode." A man in ceremonial Inca robes appeared before Mikey holding a staff and crouched down into a defensive stance (ATK/1000 DEF/2000). "I end my turn."

"Draw." Judgement drew his card. "I summon Ally of Justice Quarantine." A swarm of mechanical insects appeared on the field (ATK/1700 DEF/1200). "As long as Ally of Justice Quarantine is on the field, neither of us can Special Summon Light monsters." As soon as he said those words, the insects spread out and fired beams of light from their abdomens at one another. The beams connected and formed an octahedron-shaped container holding a pulsing mass of dark energy. "Ally of Justice Catastor, destroy Oracle of the Sun." Ally of Justice Catastor turned its attention to Mikey's monster and fired a laser from its eye through the man's body. Oracle of the Sun cried out in pain and collapsed into a lifeless heap.

"That activated my Oracle of the Sun's effect," Mikey announced, "If he was destroyed and sent to the graveyard while he was on the field, I can add one Fire Ant Ascator or Supay from my deck to my hand." He searched his deck for Supay and he pulled it out and showed it to his opponent before he reshuffled his cards.

"Ally of Justice Quarantine, direct attack." On Judgement's orders, the insects opened a portion of their prison and allowed a burst of the dark energy contained within burst out and blasted Mikey.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6300

**Judgement:** 6800

––––––––––––––––––––

"One card facedown. Turn end," Judgement announced.

"My move. Draw." Mikey placed his fingers on his deck and pulled off the top card. "This will work. I summon Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast!" A massive tank with the head and tail resembling a dragon with cannons equipped to its head and body appeared and roared (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). "Because I summoned him without a tribute, Fusilier Dragon only gets half of its attack and defense points." The mechanical beast's roar quieted down as its stats were reduced to fourteen hundred attack points and one thousand defense points. "I'm not done, though. I play Forbidden Chalice. This card can boost one monster by four hundred points for one turn, but negate its effect at the same time. Normally, that second effect would be bad. But what if I used it on Fusilier Dragon?" A golden goblet appeared on the field and poured its contents into Fusilier Dragon's gas tank. The great machine suddenly raised its head and roared as its attack and defense points returned to twenty-eight hundred and two thousand respectively and then once more as its attack points gained the four hundred point boost, raising its total attack power to thirty-two hundred.

"And since my dragon is a Dark monster, that means your Catastor's effect can't destroy it. Fusilier Dragon, attack Ally of Justice Catastor!" Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast aimed its cannons at Ally of Justice Catastor and fired.

"Trap Card activate." Judgement revealed his facedown. "DNA Transplant. Light." His Trap Card shined and all of the monsters on the field — Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast, Ally of Justice Catastor, and Ally of Justice Quarantine — were changed into Light Attribute monsters. "Your Fusilier Dragon dies now."

"It won't be in vain then!" Mikey slapped a card from his hand onto his terminal. "I activate Mystik Wok! So I'll tribute Fusilier Dragon to boost my Life Points by its attack points." A giant wok appeared in front of Mikey and Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast was scooped up into it. He watched it stir-fry for a while before the contents of the cooking pot were poured onto him.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 9500

**Judgement:** 6800

––––––––––––––––––––

"I'll set a card. That's it for now," he declared. He knew what was about to happen, so he readied himself for what was to come.

"Draw." Judgement drew his card and made his move. "I sacrifice Ally of Justice Quarantine and summon Ally of Justice Rudra." A striped mechanical silver dragon appeared with green plasma pouring out of its back and claws (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). "Ally of Justice Rudra, direct attack." Ally of Justice Rudra opened its mouth and launched a blast of that same green plasma at Mikey.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 7600

**Judgement:** 6800

––––––––––––––––––––

"Ally of Justice Catastor, direct attack." Ally of Justice Catastor turned its attention on Mikey and fired. The laser from its eye shot across the field and struck the blue duel terminal.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 5400

**Judgement:** 6800

––––––––––––––––––––

"Turn end."

_Please give me something good_, Mikey prayed. He took in a deep breath and pulled off the top card of his deck. "YES! I Special Summon another Cyber Dragon!" A second Cyber Dragon appeared on the field and roared. "Next I summon Supay in attack mode." A wooden mask of the Inca God of the Underworld appeared (ATK/300 DEF/100). "Now I tune Supay to Cyber Dragon." The smaller creature placed self onto Cyber Dragon's face and the two creatures faded into stars. The one that made up Supay turned into a ring and surrounded the other five stars before a light consumed them both.

"I Synchro Summon Moon Dragon Quilla!" A glowing blue moon emerged from the radiance and four blue dragon heads emerged from behind it (ATK/2500 DEF/2000).

"Have you forgotten Ally of Justice Catastor's effect?" asked Judgement. "It will automatically destroy any non-Dark monster it battles. And if you did not know, my Ally of Justice Rudra gains seven hundred attack points when it does battle with a Light monster, which is what your creature is so long as DNA Transplant is in play."

"That's where my facedown comes in," Mikey said as he flipped his card over, "Skill Drain! First I sacrifice one thousand Life Points..."

––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4400

**Judgement:** 6800

––––––––––––––––––––

"...and then Skill Drain negates the effects of every single Effect Monster on the field." Loud mechanical groans came out from the two Allies of Justice as their effects were neutralized.

"Moon Dragon Quilla, attack Ally of Justice Catastor!" Moon Dragon Quilla's four heads turned on Ally of Justice Catastor and fired beams of moonlight from their mouths, which spiraled into a single attack and blasted Ally of Justice Catastor into scrap metal.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4400

**Judgement:** 6500

––––––––––––––––––––

"Nice move, Mikey!" Umi cheered.

"Not bad," Noah thought out loud, "Mikey's deck has many Light monsters, which are vulnerable to the Allies of Justice. However, activating Skill Drain puts them on an even playing field as if all the monsters on the field were like Normal Monsters."

"I wouldn't exactly put it like that," Roman replied.

"Well I did, so there."

"My turn's done," Mikey announced, "Your move."

"Draw." Judgement drew his card. Despite the fact that his monster had been destroyed, he didn't seem to have flinched. "I switch Ally of Justice Rudra into defense mode." The mechanical dragon landed on the ground and curled up its body. "I set one monster and one facedown. Turn end."

"I draw." Mikey extracted the top card from his deck and examined it. He kept it in his hand and then pointed at his monster. "Moon Dragon Quilla, attack Ally of Justice Rudra." Moon Dragon Quilla stared at Ally of Justice Rudra and fired four beams of moonlight at it. The attack struck hard and the mechanical dragon was destroyed on impact. "I end my turn."

"Draw." Judgement looked at his card. "I Flip Summon Ally of Justice Unlimiter." He revealed his monster and a spaceship with two large round panels on its sides appeared (ATK/600 DEF/200). "I summon Ally of Justice Cyclone Creator." A red mechanical bird with propellers in its wings appeared in a gust of wind (ATK/1400 DEF/1200). "Activate Trap Card, Call of the Haunted. Resurrecting Ally of Justice Catastor." Judgement's powerful level five monster rose up from the ground and loomed over the field once again.

"Your Catastor is useless against my monster as long as I have Skill Drain on the field," Mikey reminded his opponent.

"I have no intention to attack with any of my monsters," Judgement responded, "Not yet. First I tune Ally of Justice Cyclone Creator to my other two Allies of Justice to summon my most powerful creature." Ally of Justice Cyclone Creator faded until three stars remained where its head and propellers once were. They turned into green rings and surrounded the other two monsters. Ally of Justice Unlimiter faded until two stars from inside its panels remained while Ally of Justice Catastor faded until five stars remained from within its body. The seven stars aligned themselves inside the rings and a column of light engulfed them all.

"Synchro Summon. Ally of Justice Decisive Armor appear." A black and golden colossus emerged from the light with two enormous crackling energy cannons for its arms and one even larger one on top of its back. Located in the center of its chest appeared to be its head, a blue semi-circle with a shining golden eye gazing out toward its prey (ATK/3300 DEF/3300). "Your Skill Drain may negate my monsters' effects, but it also negates dragon's ability to absorb damage. Ally of Justice Decisive Armor, destroy Moon Dragon Quilla. Infinity Cannon." Ally of Justice Decisive Armor turned its cannons and aimed at Moon Dragon Quilla. They crackled wildly as energy began to build up inside them. Then its eye flashed and all three cannon fired at once, sending out enormous energy blasts that roared across the field and annihilated Mikey's monster.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3600

**Judgement:** 6500

––––––––––––––––––––

"Quilla's damage-absorbing effect may not work, but his other one does since it activates in the graveyard. I Special Summon Sun Dragon Inti from my graveyard in defense mode." The sun rose and Sun Dragon Inti raised his heads and roared.

"Turn end."

Mikey was in trouble. His deck may have relied on Skill Drain, but now his own strategy had been turned against him. With his opponent armed with a thirty-three thousand attack point monster, it would be impossible for him to destroy it without any monster effects. His deck didn't have any Spells or Traps that could destroy it, either. His only hope was to destroy his Skill Drain. He drew his card and looked at it. It would definitely get him the card he needed, but the delay could very well kill him. Unfortunately, he did not have any other options.

"I play the Spell Card Gold Sarcophagus. I select one card from my deck and remove it from play. Then in two turns, it comes to my hand." He extracted a single card from his deck and set it off to the side before shuffling.

_Now I wait_, he thought.

"Draw." Judgement drew his card. "I summon Ally of Justice Nullifier." A red machine on four spider legs appeared with a pair of suction devices on its back appeared (ATK/1600 DEF/1200). "Ally of Justice Decisive Armor, destroy Sun Dragon Inti. Infinity Cannon." Ally of Justice Decisive Armor targetted Sun Dragon Inti and fired. The energy blasts erupted from its cannons with the power of a thousand suns as they shot across the field and obliterated the target. "Ally of Justice Nullifier, direct attack." Ally of Justice Nullifier turned in Mikey's general direction and fired a red laser from its palm.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2000

**Judgement:** 6500

––––––––––––––––––––

"Turn end."

"I draw." Mikey drew his card and on his Standby Phase, Moon Dragon Quilla returned to his field in defense mode. He still had to wait one more turn before the card he needed was brought to his hand. In the meantime, he decided to reduce the damage he would possibly take and also damage his opponent. "I summon Beast King Barbaros!" His massive liontaur appeared on the field and roared (ATK/3000 DEF/1200). "Normally, if I summon him without a tribute he only gets nineteen hundred attack points. But because I have Skill Drain on the field, his attack stays at three thousand. Barbaros, go! Attack Ally of Justice Nullifier! Death Sentence!" Beast King Barbaros roared and charged. He thrust his lance forward and buried it deep into Ally of Justice Nullifier.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2000

**Judgement:** 5100

––––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn."

"Draw." Judgement drew his card. "Ally of Justice Decisive Armor, destroy Beast King Barbaros. Infinity Cannon." Ally of Justice Decisive Armor fired and blasted Beast King Barbaros into oblivion.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 1700

**Judgement:** 5100

––––––––––––––––––––

"Turn end."

"My move." Mikey drew his card and Gold Sarcophagus' effect kicked in. His card returned to his hand. "This is where it ends. First I summon Majestic Mech - Ohka to the field." His four-legged winged beast appeared and roared (ATK/2400 DEF/1400). "Next I switch Moon Dragon Quilla into attack mode."

"What's he doing?" asked Cassie. "Is he crazy?"

_What are you up to?_ Saito wondered.

"Moon Dragon Quilla, attack Ally of Justice Decisive Armor!" Moon Dragon Quilla opened her mouths and fired four beams of moonlight at the giant mechanical menace. The glanced harmlessly off its heavily armored body as Ally of Justice Decisive Armor turned its cannons and fired. Moon Dragon Quilla was quickly destroyed during the counterattack.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 900

**Judgement:** 5100

––––––––––––––––––––

"By Quilla's effect, Sun Dragon Inti comes back." Sun Dragon Inti emerged from the grave and roared.

"What purpose does this serve?" Judgement questioned. "Your Skill Drain nullifies your monster's effect."

"It won't any longer." Mikey played the card he had brought to his hand with Gold Sarcophagus. "I activate the Quickplay Spell, Mystical Space Typhoon and I'm destroying Skill Drain!" A strong wind blew away Mikey's Trap Card and Sun Dragon Inti began to shine. "Inti, attack!" Four spiraling streams of fire shot out of Sun Dragon Inti's mouths and struck Ally of Justice Decisive Armor. The giant machine turned its cannons on the four-headed dragon and fired. Sun Dragon Inti roared as the blast engulfed him and his body vaporized.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 600

**Judgement:** 5100

––––––––––––––––––––

However, his death was not in vain as a beam of sunlight shot out from the remains of Sun Dragon Inti's sun emblem and pierced through Ally of Justice Decisive Armor. The mechanical behemoth shuddered and then exploded, showering Judgement with a rain of shrapnel. "Now you take damage equal to half the attack points of your monster," Mikey said.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 600

**Judgement:** 3450

––––––––––––––––––––

"Ohka, attack directly with Majestic Ray!" Majestic Mech — Ohka opened its mouth and fired a shining white energy beam directly into Judgement.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 600

**Judgement:** 1050

––––––––––––––––––––

"I'll end my turn with a Field Spell." Mikey played his last card. "Future Visions. Now if you Normal Summon a monster, it'll be removed from play until your next Standby Phase. This way you stay wide open." He ended his turn there and turned the duel over to Judgement.

"Draw." The masked giant looked at his card. When his Standby Phase came, Moon Dragon Quilla returned to the field. "Master, forgive me." He set a monster. "Turn end."

"Draw." Mikey drew his card before he glared at Judgment. "You know, last time we met I ran from you, leaving my brother and his friend behind. I left him there and they didn't win. Because of what you did I think I am going to enjoy this more than I should. Funny thing about that? I don't care." Judgment's eyes widened behind his mask and he clenched his fists tightly, his mind racing back to that duel. The boys with the light monsters that went down so easily yet refused to give up. Mikey was there. If only he had given chase then. "Majestic Mech — Ohka, attack! Majestic Ray!" Majestic Mech — Ohka fired and destroyed Judgement's facedown Ally of Justice Thousand Arms. "Now, Moon Dragon Quilla, attack!" The four-headed moon dragon opened its mouths and fired four beams of moonlight down at Judgement.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 600

**Judgement:** 0

––––––––––––––––––––

"The duel is over!" Noah yelled. "The winner is Mikey!"

"He won!" Umi exclaimed.

"Awesome!" Cassie cheered.

"What's going on?" Reko asked.

"When did you wake up?" Umi inquired.

"Just now."

"Mikey beat the Allies of Justice."

"Hot diggity daffodil!"

"Master, please forgive me..." Judgement slumped over and collapsed as he felt his energy drain. Mikey also felt the sting of his own loss, thought it was not as severe as Judgement's. He managed to gather up his cards and haul himself away while it took eight men to move Judgement. As they approached Mikey glared over at the large man and smiled.

"What's the matter Judgement? Didn't you know that the meek shall inherit the Earth?" Mikey smirked and placed Spencer's SD card on the duel terminal and walked away. "That was for you little bro."

"Will the final two Duelists please make their way to the arena?" Roman announced.

o o o

Sako had evaded the few guards he had encountered. He had said this to himself once before, but he still had to reiterate in his head how surprisingly light security was. He heard some scuffling down the hall and immediately ducked behind a decorative suit of armor. He could see some guards dragging a handsome man in his early twenties away. The prisoner was swearing and struggling very hard to break free, but to no avail.

"Just shut up!" One of the guards finally punched him in the stomach and they continued to drag him away. Sako stealthily followed them. It seemed they were heading to the dungeon since they continued to go down stairs. He decided to mark their path in his head and resumed his prior search. Wherever Roman's office was, he would find what he needed.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Round one comes to a close with a battle between Fire Duelists. Nellie's Phoenix deck faces off against the terrifying Jurracs of Terry's deck. The Sacred Phoenix versus the fire dinosaurs. Which will reign supreme? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	81. The Phoenix and the Tyrant

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-40**

**The Phoenix and the Tyrant**

Nellie was pumped and ready to go. She already had her Duel Disk hooked up to her terminal and her deck was shuffled as she waited for her opponent to finish cutting his cards. "Hey, you done yet old man?" she asked.

"There'll be lots of time when my deck tears yours apart," Terry answered as he placed his deck on his terminal.

"Alright, let's go then!" Nellie shouted.

––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 8000

**Terry:** 8000

––––––––––––––

"I'm gonna go first!" Nellie drew her first card. "I'll set this little dude and end my turn."

"My monsters will rip it to shreds." Terry drew his card and proceeded with his move. "And I'll start by summoning Jurrac Guivre in attack mode." A red and yellow Guaibasaurus with blue feet appeared on the field and roared as its hands, feet, spines, and tongue suddenly ignited with bright flames (ATK/1700 DEF/400). "Now I play the Field Spell Molten Destruction, boosting all Fire monsters by five hundred attack but costing them four hundred defense." As he explained the card's effect, a volcano appeared on the field and the ground was turned to rock as lava started to flow down the slope and create a pool of molten liquid rock with only a number of safe stepping stones for each monster zone as well as a few littering the middle of the field. Jurrac Guivre roared as its attack points rose to twenty-two hundred but had its defense points reduced to zero.

"Attack!" Jurrac Guivre roared and charged. As it approached the facedown monster, it swung its head down and sank its teeth into it, revealing the card to be Treeborn Frog. "When Jurrac Guivre destroys a monster in battle, I can Special Summon a Jurrac monster from my deck with seventeen hundred attack points or less but it will be unable to battle this turn. I summon Jurrac Protops." A blue and orange Protoceratops appeared beside Jurrac Guivre and let out its cry as its back suddenly flared up with bright flames (ATK/1700 DEF/1200). The additional heat from lava of Molten Destruction raised its attack points up to twenty-two hundred, matching Jurrac Guivre, and lowering its defense points to eight hundred.

"I'll end with a facedown." Terry looked across the field. "Your turn."

"I draw!" Nellie drew her card with gusto. "Cause I got no Spells or Traps on the field, my Treeborn Frog comes back on my Standby Phase." The tiny yellow winged frog appeared and let out a short ribbit (ATK/100 DEF/100). "I sack Treeborn Frog and summon Dark Dust Spirit!" Powerful gusts of wind blew in great clouds of sand that covered the field and swallowed up Treeborn Frog. When the dust finally began to settle, there stood a red oni with long white hair on Nellie's side (ATK/2200 DEF/1800). "And when he hits the field, he nukes all other monsters!" The sandstorm picked up again and blasted away Jurrac Guivre and Jurrac Protops."

"Attack, DDS!" Dark Dust Spirit roared and a tornado of sand burst out of its mouth and struck Terry.

––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 8000

**Terry:** 5800

––––––––––––––

"I'm gunna set these guys and end it." Nellie set two cards facedown and turned to her opponent. "Your go, old man. And at the end of my turn, DDS comes to my hand." Sand covered the field once again and Dark Dust Spirit flew up and returned to her hand.

"I draw." Terry drew his card.

_She has two facedowns and no monsters_, he thought to himself, _That means she has something to protect her Life Points against a direct attack. Perhaps for this battle, I'll summon a weak monster with a useful effect afterward._

"I summon Jurrac Stauriko." A purple Staurikosaurus with green feet appeared and three rows of flames appeared along its back (ATK/500 DEF/400). With Molten Destruction's effect, its attack points rose to nine hundred while its defense points dropped to zero. "Attack her directly!" Jurrac Stauriko tilted itself forward and fired flames from its back at Nellie.

––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 7100

**Terry:** 5800

––––––––––––––

As he had expected, she didn't use her cards to defend against such a weak attack. However, he was well prepared and his Jurrac Stauriko was the perfect sacrifice.

"My draw!" Nellie drew her next card. "I summon Marauding Captain!" An armored man in a cape wielding a sword in one hand and a greatsword in the other appeared (ATK/1200 DEF/400). "And when he comes out, I can bring out a second monster. Like Hand of Nephthys." A woman in gold and orange robes with a golden phoenix headdress appeared beside Marauding Captain (ATK/600 DEF/600). "Now I sack 'em both!" Her Duel Disk spat out a card and she took it before it shuffled her deck as she sent her two monsters to her graveyard.

"Here comes the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!" Flames burned brightly as her golden phoenix emerged and screeched (ATK/2400 DEF/1600). Its body shined brighter as Molten Destruction raised its attack to twenty-nine hundred points and its defense to twelve hundred points.

"I activate my Trap Card!" Terry revealed, "Hunting Instinct! When a monsters gets Special Summoned to my opponent's side of the field, I can Special Summon a dinosaur from my hand." He took a card from his hand and placed it on his terminal. "Come on out, Jurrac Spinos!" An orange, blue, and yellow Spinosaurus appeared on the field and roared as its dorsal spine ignited on fire (ATK/2600 DEF/1700). The boost from Molten Destruction gave it thirty-one hundred attack points and thirteen hundred defense points.

"Well I can still beat the little guy," Nellie said, "Phoenix, attack Jurrac Stauriko!" Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys flapped its wings and unleashed a searing heat wave that incinerated Jurrac Stauriko."

––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 7100

**Terry:** 3800

––––––––––––––

"If Jurrac Stauriko dies in battle, he summons two Jurrac Tokens in defense mode in his place." Two flaming dinosaur eggs appeared on the field, each a level one Fire Dinosaur monster with zero attack and defense points.

"Guess I'm ending there," Nellie said.

"I draw." Terry drew and smirked at his newest card. "I sacrifice my two tokens and summon Jurrac Tyrannus!" A red and blue Tyrannosaurus Rex with yellow hair around its neck and down its back appeared and roared (ATK/2500 DEF/1400). Its defense points dropped to one thousand while its attack points rose to three thousand. "Jurrac Spinos, attack." Jurrac Spinos charged and sank its teeth into the neck of Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys.

––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 6900

**Terry:** 3800

––––––––––––––

"When Jurrac Spinos destroys a monster in battle, he summons a Spinos Token to your side of the field in attack position." A deformed Spinosaurus hatched out from a recently laid egg as a level one Fire Dinosaur with three hundred attack points and zero defense points, however this change as Molten Destruction raised its attack point to eight hundred. "Now Jurrac Tyrannus, attack!" Jurrac Tyrannus charged with a flaming maw and bit down on the token with its burning teeth.

––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 4700

**Terry:** 3800

––––––––––––––

"And when Jurrac Tyrannus destroys a monster in battle, it gains a permanent three hundred attack points." Jurrac Tyrannus roared as its attack points rose up to thirty-three hundred. "I'll end my turn."

"I draw!" Nellie drew. With two facedowns on her field, she could not summon back Treeborn Frog and as a result, she could not destroy the two dinosaurs looming over her with the effect of Dark Dust Spirit. However, perhaps there was another way and it had to do with her two facedown cards. "Alright, here we go! First I play Call of the Haunted! Come on back, Sacred Phoenix!" Flames engulfed the field as the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys returned to the field."

"Your phoenix is no match for my Jurrac dinosaurs in head-to-head combat," Terry said, "And its effect cannot destroy them."

"My Phoenix's effect can't destroy them, but this can." Nellie revealed her other facedown card. "Torrential Tribute! When a monster is summoned during either turn, I can activate this card to destroy every single monster on the field." A powerful explosion of water erupted from the center of the field and flooded the arena. Jurrac Spinos and Jurrac Tyrannus roared as their flames were extinguished and their bodies sank into the deep. Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys let out a cry of its own as the waters surged over its body until nothing remained.

"You destroyed your best monster," Terry noted, "Why?"

"Because when Sacred Phoenix dies by an effect, she comes back on my next turn and destroys all Spells and Traps."

"I see. Very clever. But you've left yourself wide open."

"Not true." Nellie took a card from her hand. "I summon Flame Ruler!" A dark-skinned man with fiery blue hair appeared on the field (ATK/1500 DEF/1600). Thanks to Molten Destruction still on the field, his attack points rose up to two thousand while his defense points dropped to twelve hundred. "Now I give him Black Pendant to boost him by another five hundred." A necklace with a black medallion appeared around Flame Ruler's neck and his attack points increased again to twenty-five hundred. "Attack!" Flame Ruler summoned two fireballs to his hands and launched them one by one at Terry, blasting him with two flaming explosions.

––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 4700

**Terry:** 1300

––––––––––––––

"Baldy's gonna lose for sure!" Cassie exclaimed as she stood watching from the observation balcony.

"Don't assume anything yet," Saito said without looking away from the duel. "It's not over until someone's Life Points reach zero."

o o o

Jaden, Syrus, Chazz, and Joey were discussing their plan once again. For the most part they had the escape already planned. However, their biggest problem was obtaining their decks. Their discussion was interrupted when the guards came in and threw Mr. Thulin into the room before leaving.

"Fuck..."

"'ey, ya okay over there?" Joey asked.

"Fine." Mr. Thulin got up and looked around. All of the students from Duel Academy were here as well as several professional Duelists. He recognized the man who had called to him as Joey Wheeler and the others he was with as Jaden Yuki, Chazz Princeton, and Syrus Truesdale.

"Who's this guy?" Chazz asked.

"Just a teacher trying to look out for his students," Mr. Thulin replied as he walked over.

"All these guys are your students?" Syrus asked.

"Yup."

"Then it's even more important we get out of here quickly," Jaden said, "We've been working on an escape plan."

"I want in."

"Well, first we need to get our decks back, which won't be easy."

"How long's that gonna take? Because we gotta do this today or some serious shit's gonna happen."

"What's going on up there?" Joey asked.

"It's the finals now," Mr. Thulin answered.

"Then we're out of time. We need to move now." Jaden turned to the others.

"But we don't even know how we're getting out of here to get our decks," Syrus protested.

"We're getting outta here one way or another, Sy," Jaden said as his eyes briefly flashed green and orange. "We're getting outta here."

o o o

"Ya ready, old man?" Nellie asked.

"I draw." Terry drew his next card and looked at his hand. _That girl has no idea what creatures lurk in my hand_, he thought, _She'll know soon enough._

"I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"Wow, really?" Nellie drew her card. "And now Sacred Phoenix comes back." In a flash of bright flame, Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys returned to the field and screeched. The fires from which it was reborn swept across the field and destroyed all Spell and Trap Cards on the field, including Terry's Molten Destruction and the Black Pendant equipped to Flame Ruler, which shattered and then flung the fragments at Terry to deal five hundred points of damage to his Life Points.

––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 4700

**Terry:** 800

––––––––––––––

"Flame Ruler, blow up that card!" Flame Ruler cast another fire spell and blasted Terry's monster, which turned out to be another Jurrac Stauriko. In the wake of its death, two Jurrac Token dinosaur eggs appeared in its place. "Sacred Phoenix, you're next!" The golden phoenix spread its wings and flapped them, sending a searing heat wave that incinerated one of the tokens.

"You destroyed my Jurrac monster in defense mode," said Terry, "That means I can Special Summon Jurrac Herra to the field." He placed his card on his terminal and brought out a green and yellow Herrerasaurus with two large cannons on its back (ATK/2300 DEF/1500).

"That thing can't beat my phoenix!" Nellie called out.

"It can't. But it CAN destroy your Flame Ruler."

"Whatevs. Your turn."

"Yes it is." Terry drew and smiled diabolically upon seeing his card. "I play Big Evolution Pill. Now by sacrificing a Dinosaur monster, I can summon or set any Dinosaur I want without tributing monsters."

"Ha! So that's why you brought out that cannon dino!"

Terry pointed to his remaining Jurrac Token. "Wrong. Jurrac Herra stays." The dinosaur egg disappeared and in its place appeared a large pill. "Now I summon my most powerful monster. Come on out, Jurrac Titan!" A gargantuan eruption of lava exploded from the field and an enormous red and black Tyrannotitan with a body made of blazing hot igneous rock emerged and roared (ATK/3000 DEF/2800). "And here's another kicker. Its body is so hot that it renders it immune to the effects of Trap Cards and Effect Monsters. And now to use another effect. By removing from play a Jurrac monster with seventeen hundred or less attack points, Jurrac Titan gains one thousand attack points until the End Phase." He removed a copy of Jurrac Stauriko and cast it to the side. At that moment, an image of the flaming Staurikosaurus appeared. Jurrac Titan swept down and grabbed it in its jaws. With its teeth and mighty claws, the molten Tyrannotitan tore Jurrac Stauriko to pieces and ate the remains, giving itself the nourishment to raise its attack power to four thousand points.

"Jurrac Herra, attack Flame Ruler!" Jurrac Herra lowered its head and took aim with its cannon. Then two enormous fire bursts shot out and blasted the fire dancer.

––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 3900

**Terry:** 800

––––––––––––––

"Jurrac Titan, it's your turn." Jurrac Titan roared as its body started to glow and began building up a large amount of heat in its throat. "Destroy the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys with Molten Breath!" The enormous Tyrannotitan opened its mouth and thrust its body forward as it launched an incredible mass of molten lava that rained down on Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys.

––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 2300

**Terry:** 800

––––––––––––––

"If she takes another direct attack, she'll lose!" Umi exclaimed.

"And with one monster at twenty-three hundred attack points and the other at three thousand, he'll destroy any monster she brings out," Mikey added.

Terry cackled quietly as he spun the last card in his hand and then placed it on the field. "Your move." On his End Phase, Jurrac Titan's body cooled down and its attack points returned to three thousand.

_Damnit! If only I could get DDS on the field!_ Nellie mentally cursed at herself. She glanced at her deck. Given what she held in her hand, there was only one card that could help. However, the chances of drawing it were slim to none. _Please, gimme something I can use_. She placed he fingers on her deck and picked up the top card.

"Damnit! Aww, man!" She put the card in her hand and sighed. But then she realized that she had no cards on her field and one very special monster lurking in her graveyard. Her tomboyish grin came back and she proceeded to her Standby Phase. "I resurrect Treeborn Frog!" The small winged amphibian reappeared on the field and croaked. _Yes! Now I can bring out my DDS!_

"I sack Treeborn Frog and bring out Dark Dust Spirit!" The frog disappeared and in its place rose up the sandstorm-generating oni. "Now blow those dinos away!" The sandstorm kicked up and blasted away Jurrac Herra and Jurrac Titan.

"Jurrac Titan may be immune to monster effects that target, but effects that don't will still destroy it," Saito thought out loud.

"Alright DDS, attack!" ordered Nellie.

"Not so fast. I activate Widespread Ruin." A spiked mine appeared in front of Terry and Dark Dust Spirit's attack made contact with it, causing the bomb to detonate and take out the undead demon in the following blast.

"Ahh! Damnit!"

"Nice try, though."

"I'll set these facedown then." Two facedown cards appeared on Nellie's side of the field as she ended her turn.

"I draw." Terry looked at his card. "I summon Jurrac Deino." An orange and red Deinonychus appeared and its feet and horn started to burn (ATK/1700 DEF/800). "Attack." Jurrac Deino roared and began running at top speed across the field.

"I MST my other facedown!" Nellie revealed one of her facedown cards and targetted her other card, which turned out to be Statue of the Wicked. By its effect, upon its destruction while facedown a Wicked Token was summoned to her field in defense mode as a golden statue serving as a level four Dark Fiend with one thousand attack and defense points.

"A last-minute defense can't save you." Terry ordered his dinosaur to continue its attack and Jurrac Deino spun around and slammed its foot into the statue, shattering it. "I end my turn."

"Draw time!" Nellie drew her card and her Treeborn Frog came back to the field in defense mode. She held a Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys in her hand, but she had no way to summon it. She reluctantly ended her turn.

Terry drew his card. "I summon Jurrac Brachis." A blue and red Brachiosaurus appeared on the field and its entire body suddenly started to burn (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "Jurrac Deino, attack!" Jurrac Deino rushed forward again and slammed a burning foot into Treeborn Frog. "Jurrac Brachis, attack!" Jurrac Brachis lumbered forward and slammed Nellie with its tail.

––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 1300

**Terry:** 800

––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," announced Terry, "And on my End Phase, I activate Jurrac Deino's effect. If he destroyed a monster this turn, I can tribute a Jurrac monster to draw two cards." There was a violent scene wherein Jurrac Deino tore Jurrac Brachis asunder followed by the biker drawing his two cards.

"Here I go!" Nellie drew her next card and Treeborn Frog was revived yet again. She smiled when she saw her card and set it on the field. "I'm done. Your go."

"And I draw." Terry drew his card. "I summon Jurrac Velo." A green Velociraptor with blue hands and feet and a red head appeared and snarled as the backs of its hands ignited on fire (ATK/1700 DEF/1000). "Jurrac Deino, destroy the facedown!" Jurrac Deino charged and kicked the facedown, which was revealed to be Spirit Reaper (ATK/300 DEF/200), a card that could not be destroyed in battle. He then ordered Jurrac Velo to attack Treeborn Frog and the Velociraptor tore through its with its claws.

"It's your turn."

"I draw and Treeborn Frog comes back!" True to her words, the small amphibian reappeared and her smile only continued to get wider. "I sack Treeborn Frog and Spirit Reaper to bring out Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!" Both monsters were swallowed up in fire and from the flames arose Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys. "Blast Velo!" The golden Winged Beast flapped its wings and unleashed a searing heat that incinerated the Velociraptor.

––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 1300

**Terry:** 100

––––––––––––––

"She's winning again!" Cassie cheered.

"Life Points have to reach zero first," Saito repeated.

"When Jurrac Velo dies in battle, I can Special Summon a Jurrac monster with seventeen hundred or less attack points and I choose Jurrac Ptera in defense mode." A green Pterodactyl appeared and its wings, head, and feet started to burn (ATK/800 DEF/1500).

"I got this in the bag!" Nellie said with a wide grin. "I got Nephthys out and there's nothing you can do about it."

Terry drew his card. "Don't count your eggs before they hatch. Because I can. Jurrac Iguanon will see to that." A blue and green Iguanodon appeared and its back and chest ignited into bright flames (ATK/1700 DEF/700). "Now I tune Jurrac Deino to Jurrac Ptera and Jurrac Iguanon." Jurrac Deino exploded and three flaming stars remained which turned into rings. They surrounded the other two dinosaurs and their bodies faded away until a total of seven stars were left behind. A column of light rose up from under them and shot high up toward the sky.

"This is the end for you." Terry laughed. "I summon Jurrac Meteor! Nuke the field!" High above the Duel Arena, a massive meteor came streaking down with a stone-armored dinosaur fused into it (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). As it entered the atmosphere its body started to burn up from the friction. Before long it was a giant flaming rock as it rocketted down to the ground and struck it with earthshattering force. When the smoke finally cleared, the only thing on the field was a crater.

"And from the ruins, a Tuner rises." Jurrac Deino pulled itself out of the ground and shook off the dirt from its back before igniting its flames. "Finish her." The Deinonchyus rushed in and kicked Nellie in a direct attack.

––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 0

**Terry:** 100

––––––––––––––

The Duel Bands kicked in and both Nellie and Terry were drained, though the latter had a significantly less severe case. The biker gathered up his cards and walked off while more security guards had to retrieve Nellie and take her away.

"That concludes the first round of duels!" Noah announced. "There will be a thirty-minute recess before we proceed to the semi-finals."

"That's good," Mikey said before he took off running toward the bathroom. Saito said nothing as he turned and walked away. One by one, the others also dispersed.

"Whatever it is you're planning, Roman, it better be done soon," Noah said, "We're running out of time with which to stall."

"It will be done soon, Mr. Kaiyou," Roman answered as he pushed up his glasses, "It will be done soon."

"Good. I'm getting rather impatient." Noah got down from his chair. "I'll be right back. I need to use the loo." And he walked off.

o o o

Alexis sat at her desk with her face in her hands. It had been days since she had heard anything. She was getting very worried. Her emails were never answered and the team of teachers had not reported back. To make it all worse her own daughter was missing. Not knowing what was happening was one of the worst feelings she could experience.

As she sat there, an alarm suddenly started to go off. Alexis quickly snapped out of her depression and regained her composure before contacting the other staff members. "Dr. Snappe, what's going?"

"Someone is trying to access the vault," the chemistry teacher reported.

"How could anyone do that?" Alexis asked, "The keys are locked up in my office right now." She turned to the hidden vault and opened it. To her shock, the box containing the seven keys was missing. "Dr. Snappe, I'll be down there soon."

"The rest of us have already gone ahead," Dr. Snappe replied.

Alexis grabbed her Duel Disk and ran out as quickly as she could. She went down into the deepest parts of the school, descending stairwells that had been long forgotten. The walls of the school slowly began to disappear being replaced by walls of unrefined rock. The stairs became a long descending pathway of stone. To her great shock, she found Miss Frost lying unconscious with her cards scattered all around her. Mrs. Jackson was also found in a similar state not far away. Mr. Higsby also lay defeated. As Alexis made her way further down the tunnels, she could see the door to the vault and two figures standing in front of it. Dr. Snappe had his Duel Disk activated with a Dark Magician standing before him as he faced a man with long fair hair wearing robes of red and gold.

"I sacrifice my Dark Magician and summon Dark Eradicator Warlock. Attack with Magic Blast." The purple-clad sorcerer fired a magical burst from his staff and destroyed the man wrapped in a tattered cloak.

"Nice try, but my D.D. Survivor returns on the End Phase thanks to his effect combined with my Dimensional Fissure Spell Card," the red-robed man cackled as his monster returned. He drew his card and cackled again. "I now sacrifice D.D. Survivor and summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch." Lightning bolts came crashing down around them as the enormous emperor of thunder appeared and struck down Dark Eradicator Warlock with a single bolt of lightning. "Now attack directly!" Zaborg the Thunder Monarch began to spark as he brought up a single hand. He seemed to channel the flow of energy into the two fingers he had extended before thrusting them forward and sending a blast of lightning directly into Dr. Snappe and blasting him down the tunnel.

"At last, I have access to the vault."

"Stop right there!" Alexis demanded. The red robes flowed around him as the stranger turned to face her.

"Ah, the esteemed Chancellor Rhodes. I had been expecting your arrival, but I cannot stay. I must acquire the cards behind this door."

"Why do you need those cards?"

"We have plans and they require the three Sacred Beast cards."

"You can't have them." Alexis activated her Duel Disk. "And if you want them, you'll have to get past me first."

"That's exactly what your teachers said." The stranger tossed back his cloak and exposed a beautiful red and gold buckler. With a clench of his fist, it unfolded into a Duel Disk.

Alexis drew her starting hand and watched as her opponent did the same.

"Let's duel!"

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Saito shows mercy to nobody. Even if his opponent is a little girl. Cassie tries her best to hold her own against the best Duelist at Duel Academy, but will Saito's relentless assault prove to be too much? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	82. In the Eye of the Dragon Storm

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-41**

**In the Eye of the Dragon Storm**

She stood bare in the darkness, a chilling void that comforted with the empty vastness of nothingness. Her flesh, creamy and white like fresh milk from a cow's teet, shuddered and blistered with a million billion goosebumps that contracted along her skin. The airless vacuum of the void did not hinder her breathing as she inhaled and exhaled the cold hollow ether of existence, filling her lungs with humid pseudo-atmosphere like water as if to drown her only to be released in a steady stream from her nose and mouth. She felt exhaustion down to the bones, her marrow screaming to her brain that even they needed rest.

Within the darkness she placed a hand upon her breast and felt the drum beat of her heart, bump-bump bump-bump, to make sure that she was alive and to find something to do with her hands. It was then that, within the void, she heard the sound of hooves clacking against the infinite black. Clack Clack-Clack. Clack Clack-Clack. Brushing against her hand she felt the soft main of a six-legged white stallion with brown eyes that she could not see in this lightless void but could picture in front of her as if she was in the middle of a sun bathed field. The horse shook its mane with a moan and flicked off a vast expanse of dew drops, each one forming a star that erupted in a vast nova of creation in the void, lighting up the once dark nothing and filling the young girl with the beauty of existence.

With her sight restored she could see the tree in front of her. Its roots, branches, and trunk stretched out for eternity yet she could see to the ends of each, counting one world upon the ends of each branch and root, nine in total, cradled and balanced precariously like a fruit that she felt she could pluck off the tree with ease. Pinned to the truck, dangling limply with his arms staked down spread out wide as if to welcome the universe, was a man with a single eye and a spear piercing deep into his sternum, dripping blood in a rhythmic pattern that matched the beats of her heart.

"Korangar," The one eyed corpse said with flakes of blood flicking off his lips.

"What?" She asked, curious yet unafraid of her surroundings though she had every reason to be.

"He shall rise." The corpse spoke once more, blood dribbling from his mouth and onto his grey beard.

"Who?" She asked, placing her hand on the horse as it sighed.

"The Dark Ungod. He who is unmaker of the made. He who was made and thus made himself. He who, through the trinities shall rise, rape, and slay the Earth with force twice unstoppable." As he spoke a series of runes began to carve themselves on his flesh, marked by an invisible writer only to vanish as soon as they were etched.

"I don't understand." She said narrowing her eyes upon the talking corpse upon the tree.

"I don't understand." Repeated the void in an echo.

"I don't understand." The void repeated again. She looked up and saw two ravens that spoke with her voice perched upon the branches of the tree. The corpse's lips curled into a bloody smile and he looked up, his one eye piercing yet familiar to her.

"It has been nine days since I have hung myself from the body of Yggdrasil, the world tree, and I have gained wisdom beyond wisdom and runes beyond runes and songs beyond songs. I know all and give you warning of evil and of betrayal. Prepare. Gather. Fight. The Dark Ungod comes and the Lion Heart of Avalon shall strike him down when all Gods fail. He shall arrive upon the call of a once trusted and twice damned soul. Beware of the betrayer for he shall look in the devil's eye and know what once he was and what he shall be."

"But..." She began to speak but found no words able to come out of her mouth as the corpse seemed to vanish while still remaining visible. He now stood in mighty armor that seemed dulled with blood from combat. In his hand was the impaling spear and on his lips there was no blood. He stood there gloriously and smiled down to her.

"You will understand in time. Beware the rituals of patricide, war, and deicide but do not falter in resolve when the traitor reveals himself. As patricide and war have come to pass you must prepare for the ritual of deicide, where gods shall rise and herald his coming. Protect the Avalonian and his ward and await for our arrival from on high." The large one-eyed man knelt down and kissed her upon the brow and smiled a warm smile that could fight back a thousand winter nights. "Be well young Samantha, for you are loved."

In her cell Sammie woke up in a cold sweat, panting as her lungs constricted as did her heart. "What the fuck was that?" She said, placing her hand on her eyes and rubbed them in disbelief.

o o o

The office was empty when Sako entered. There had been only one lazy guard protecting the door and the Duel Sniper did not even need to expend any energy to do away with him. Once he was inside, he began to search. The cards had to be in some kind of hidden vault or safe. As he looked around, he noticed a peculiar Duel Disk sitting on a chair in the corner of the room. It was small enough to fit on the arm of a young child, but the size was not what caught his attention. It took a while to register, but then he realized what it was. Most Duel Disks were designed to fit on a Duelist's left arm, but this one had been made to fit on the right arm.

Sako quickly brought himself back. He had a job to do. He wasted no more time and began his search. The office had many places in which to hide cards and it was up to him to find it. He seemed to glide across the room like a shadowy wraith as his eyes scanned every inch of the office. The smell of brandy filled his nostrils as he came near the expensive liquor on Roman's desk. The tantalizing taste of the brown liquid danced on Sako's lips from a single whiff. The potent and strong sensation of the intoxicating beverage played out in his imagination and he smiled. He would have to come back for some of that after the mission.

His head snapped toward the door as he heard the shuffling of footsteps moving closer and closer intermingled with the low murmur of two voices. Sako cursed in annoyance as he placed his hand on his holstered handgun. The silencer placed on earlier. With the hushed whisper of death Sako was gone. Two men laid face down in a pool of their own blood.

o o o

"Where'd you get these?" Umi asked as she looked at the newest additions to Mikey's deck. She was holding Fire Ant Ascator, Supay, Sun Dragon Inti, and Moon Dragon Quilla in her hands and was reading their effects and overall wondering where and when the brunet got them.

"What do you mean?" Mikey questioned, sitting down in the nearby lobby. He held a cup of coffee in his hand and sighed as he took a sip.

"Where did you get these? These are very rare cards." Umi looked at each card again, squinting her eyes as she looked for any sign of forgery.

"Well...um..." Mikey laughed lightly to himself unsure what to say. Would they believe him? That he had followed a spirit into another world? That he had a divine embodiment of the sun? Mikey just laughed and shrugged.

"Oh come on Mikey!" Umi said as she grasped onto his arm, looking up pleadingly. Mikey looked into her eyes and paused for a moment.

"You're joking right?" Umi sighed, releasing Mikey and handing him back his cards.

"I figured that would work too." Umi smiled down and kissed Mikey on the cheek, causing him to blush a bright red. "You can tell me later though, okay?" Mikey nodded to her, sipping his coffee as Reko walked over to them, a bottle of water in his hand.

"Hey guys, if you see one of those security guards start heading my way then tell me, okay? They have been eyeing me since I lost my match...I think they want to take me to where they took that teacher guy." The Turbo Duelist said, looking over his shoulder. Mikey opened his mouth to tell Reko he would when Reko had darted off, a few security guards in tow a few moments later.

"He might be in trouble..." Mikey said to which Umi nodded. It was then that Mikey felt a cold presence behind him. He ground his teeth and sighed, turning back slowly to look at the person behind him in the eyes. He looked right into the steely gaze of Saito Kaiba.

"What do you want Kaiba?" Mikey said with a growl.

"Just wanted to tell you that just because you got lucky in that last duel does not mean you should be confident in your skills. Your next opponent beat Nellie. She is one of the toughest girls in the school. You have no hope" Saito said coldly, his eyes piercing into Mikey's chest.

"I bet I have more hope than you. You are going up against Jaden Yuki and Chancellor Rhode's daughter. She'll wipe the floor with you."

"I beat her before."

"Yeah, with Sammie's help."

"That has nothing to do with it. I am the strongest Duelist on campus. I don't need help."

"Really? Then why did you get that little circle of friends this year?"

Saito paused. Mikey smirked a little, taking one more sip of his coffee. Umi put her own hands in front of her, a gentle fist balled up over her heart. The tension was crippling. Mikey continued, "Do you even care about your friends?" Saito bit the inside of his lip and glared at Mikey. "Do you even care about Sammie?" Mikey said finally, his lips curled into a sly grin. He had finally landed a real blow to Saito's ego. Saito, however, retaliated with a blow to Mikey's face, sending the young boy to the ground.

"I don't need to explain myself to you or anyone else!" The young Kaiba yelled, turning around and marching toward the arena. Umi bent down to Mikey as he held his bloody nose between his thumb and forefinger, hissing at her touch. She held his head in one hand and dabbed a handkerchief on his face with the other, all while glaring at him with disappointed eyes. Mikey saw her once caring eyes change so harshly and he hung his head low.

"I'm sorry..." Mikey said lowly to Umi, his voice quivering with pain and shame.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," she said, dabbing her handkerchief on his face again.

"I know." It was then that they both heard the call to the arena over the intercom by Noah, the young mystery child. Mikey stood up, his nosebleed stopped for the moment before Umi escorted him to the first match of the semi-finals. As he left Terry stood in the corner with a smile on his face, a pair of eyes gazing from the shadows next to him.

"I don't know why you brought out that boy's hatred like that, but it was a great show, Boss." Terry said with, his arms akimbo as he leaned against the wall.

"That boy," the dark man began, phasing into existence, "is none of your concern. Just beat him."

"No problem, Boss." Terry got up from his spot and walked off toward the duel arena leaving the dark man alone in the shadows, staring at the drops of blood on the ground. His eyes narrowed and he vanished into the shadows, rage filling his eyes as he remembered a man all too familiar to him.

o o o

In the arena Saito stood at the terminal across from Cassie, their Duel Disks plugged in and ready to play. Cassie gave a lethargic smirk as she held hers up and saw a smudge of chocolate on the corner of her lip in the reflection of her Duel Disk. She quickly wiped it off and waved to Noah who waved back with a large, half eaten candy bar in hand.

"Thanks for the snack Noah!" She called out before looking back at Saito. "You ready for our rematch?"

"Let's just get on with it," Saito said gruffly, his eyes glancing back up to Mikey.

"Begin!" Noah yelled out as the two Duelists activated their disks.

"Duel!" the pair cried and the game began.

–––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 8000

**Cassie:** 8000

–––––––––––––––

"Don't expect me to throw this duel the way Mr. Thulin did," Saito said as he drew his first card. "I'll start by playing Card of Consonance. By discarding one Dragon-type Tuner with one thousand or fewer attack points, I can draw two cards." He sent Dragunity Partisan to his graveyard and then drew two new cards. "Next I play Ancient Rules. This card will let me Special Summon one level five or higher Normal Monster from my hand."

"Don't tell me he has one already," Mikey thought out loud.

"I summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" In a flash of light, the majestic white dragon with sapphire eyes appeared and roared (ATK/3000 DEF/2500).

"Holy!" Cassie looked up at the massive beast. She had not expected to face a Blue-Eyes White Dragon so soon. He grip tightened around her cards. It was going to be a difficult challenge take down such a creature on the first turn.

"Now I'm going to sacrifice my dragon and summon a different creature."

"Wait, so he's not using his Blue-Eyes?" Mikey asked.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon vanished from the field and Saito placed a different card on its place. "I summon Dragunity Primus Pilus." A big muscular bird man appeared in a tunic and armor with two big red wings that were folded to resemble a shield and a matching headpiece shaped like a bird's head. He cracked the whip he held in his hand and tugged on it hard (ATK/2200 DEF/1600). "When he's summoned, I can choose a Winged Beast on my field and equip it with a level three or lower Dragon-type Dragunity monster from my deck. So I'll equip him with Dragunity Phalanx." A two-pronged diamond-tipped spear appeared and Dragunity Primus Pilus placed his whip on his hip and grabbed the new weapon.

"Ha! You should've stuck with your dragon!" Cassie said with childish confidence. "That things so much weaker than your dragon."

"Next I activate Dragunity Phalanx's effect. If it's equipped to a monster by a card effect, I can unequip it and Special Summon it to the field. So now I unequip Dragunity Phalanx from Dragunity Primus Pilus." The spear was thrown into the air and it transformed in a navy-skinned dragon in bronze armor with two shields on its arms and a pair of diamond-tipped horns on its helmet (ATK/500 DEF/1100). "Dragunity Phalanx, tune to Dragunity Primus Pilus!" The small dragon faded away until all that remained were two stars where the diamond spearheads had once been. The turned into a pair of rings and surrounded Dragunity Primus Pilus, turning his body into a straight row of five stars. A column of light engulfed them all.

"I Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight — Trident!" A black dragon appeared covered in blue armor and a helmet with a spearhead covering its nose and two horns shaped like spikes pointing forward whilst a black bird man with matching armor sat on its back (ATK/2400 DEF/1700).

"I can take him out!" Cassie said. "I just gotta fuse some of my heroes together!"

"That's precisely why I summoned Dragunity Knight - Trident," Saito responded. He placed two cards facedown before resuming his turn. "Now I activate Dragunity Knight - Trident's effect. By sending up to three cards from my field to the graveyard, I can look at your Extra Deck and send that many cards to your graveyard." Dragunity Knight - Trident turned around and the dragon lunged down and impaled Saito's facedowns on its horns, which began to spark with electricity once they were destroyed. The winged creature then turned around and fired two bolts of lightning at Cassie's Extra Deck. Saito looked at his duel terminal and watched as the cards were displayed. "I think you can do without Elemental Hero Gaia and Elemental Hero Great Tornado." Cassie grumbled as she took the two cards out of her Extra Deck and placed them in her graveyard.

"Your move."

"Here I go." Cassie drew her card. She had just lost two of her Elemental Hero Fusions capable of weakening her opponent's monsters. In the graveyard, they would only be useful as Fusion Materials. However, her hand lacked a Miracle Fusion so she needed to think of another plan. The cards she held would be unable to take down that monster, so she had only one option. "I'll put this guy in defense mode. Then I'll set two cards. Your go."

"I guess I shouldn't get my hopes up just because you are Chancellor Rhodes' daughter." Saito drew his card. "Dragunity Knight — Trident, attack." Dragunity Knight - Trident spread its wings and flew forward. the dragon roared as it soared across the field and impaled the facedown monster with its trident-like helmet, revealing it to be Elemental Hero Voltic (ATK/1000 DEF/1500).

"I activate my Trap Card, Hero Signal!" Cassie revealed one of her facedowns and a searchlight shot up toward the sky and displayed a big H. "Now I can summon a level four or lower Elemental Hero from my hand or deck. So come on out, Stratos!" Two small tornadoes appeared as the white and blue winged hero descended from the sky (ATK/1800 DEF/300). "And with his effect, I'm gonna bring Elemental Hero Ocean to my hand!" She brought out her Water warrior and placed it in her hand before shuffling her deck.

"I'm afraid you're not going to get the chance to use him the way you want." Saito played a card. "I summon Dragunity Legionnaire." A green bird man in a white tunic appeared (ATK/1200 DEF/800). "And by his effect, I can equip him with a level three or lower Dragunity Dragon from my graveyard." Dragunity Darkspear appeared on the field and transformed into a long black spear, which was grabbed by Dragunity Legionnaire. "Now I activate the effect of Dragunity Knight - Trident by sending Dragunity Darkspear and Dragunity Legionnaire to the graveyard." Dragunity Knight - Trident swooped down and impaled both cards with its horns before firing two more bolts of lightning at Cassie's Extra Deck. With the deed done, Saito had the two remaining copies of Elemental Hero Great Tornado sent to the graveyard. "Your turn."

Cassie was in a real bind now. Her plan to summon Elemental Hero Great Tornado had been thwarted. And with Elemental Hero Ocean in her hand, she did not have many choices. She decided that for the time being, she should at least go ahead with part of her plan. She quickly drew her card and then discarded another. "I discard King of the Swamp to add Polymerization from my deck to my hand." She searched her deck and found the Spell Card she needed. "Now I play Polymerization and I'll fuse Stratos with Ocean to make Absolute Zero!" The two monsters were pulled into a vortex and a hero in white emerged with a snow-white cape flapping behind him as he landed on the field and created a circle of ice upon impact (ATK/2500 DEF/2000). "Destroy that monster!" Elemental Hero Absolute Zero thrust out a palm and fired a blue beam that completely encased Dragunity Knight — Trident in a block of ice. Then he broke off a large chunk of ice from under his feet and slid across the field on it like a snowboard. As soon as he reached the frozen dragon, he jumped up and came down with a strong kick that shattered the frozen Dragunity Knight — Trident.

–––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 7900

**Cassie:** 8000

–––––––––––––––

"Oh yeah! First damage!" Cassie cheered as Elemental Hero Absolute Zero slid back to her side of the field and leapt off his ice board back onto his starting spot.

"One hundred damage isn't nearly enough to celebrate," Saito said as he drew. "I'll set a card and end my turn."

"Big talk for a guy who can't do anything." Cassie drew. "Absolute Zero Attack!" Elemental Hero Absolute Zero broke off an icicle with his foot and kicked it directly at Saito.

"I activate Defense Draw. This reduces Battle Damage to zero and I get to draw a card." The icicle shattered into fine powder snow and Saito drew a card from his deck.

"Fine, I'm done."

"And I draw." Saito looked at his new draw and contemplated what to do next. Elemental Hero Absolute Zero had the power to destroy his entire front line upon being removed from the field, so he had to find a way around that first. And he had just the right cards for that task, both in his hand and in his graveyard. "I summon Dragunity Legionnaire." A second green bird man appeared and spread his wings as he grabbed ahold of Dragunity Darkspear in its weapon form. "Now I remove from play Dragunity Legionnaire." A portal opened and swallowed up Dragunity Legionnaire, which sent Dragunity Darkspear back to the graveyard. "And I summon Dragunity Arms Laevatein!" And orange dragon suddenly appeared on the field and roared. A pair of black reptilian wings unfolded from its lower back as it stood up and unfurled a larger pair of orange feathery wings as he held out a long jagged greatsword (ATK/2600 DEF/1200). "When Dragunity Arms Laevatein is summoned, I can equip him with any Dragon in my graveyard."

"Another Dragunity?" asked Cassie.

"Better. I equip Dragunity Arms Laevatein with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Saito's signature monster appeared on the field and roared as its body was absorbed into Dragunity Arms Laevatein's greatsword. The massive weapon glowed and its blade transformed, turning a bright white with two sapphires embedded into the hilt. "Destroy, Elemental Hero Absolute Zero." The orange dragon roared as he flew in and swung his blade, cleaving through the white clad hero with ease.

–––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 7900

**Cassie:** 7900

–––––––––––––––

"You just lost your monster!" Cassie shouted. "Absolute Zero destroys all your monsters when he leaves the field!" As soon as the words left her mouth, a hailstorm of icicles exploded from the spot where Elemental Hero Absolute Zero once stood. Dragunity Arms Laevatein was brutally impaled and his body torn asunder. "And now you got nothing."

"Don't be so sure." Saito pointed to the field. Dragunity Arms Laevatein's sword still remained and it was starting to glow. "When Dragunity Arms Laevatein dies, his effect summons the monster that was equipped to him."

"You..." Cassie was stuttering. "You don't mean..."

"Does it really surprise anyone?" Mikey asked, "It's Kaiba."

"Blue-Eyes white Dragon rise!" The sword shattered and the aura burst out and materialized into Saito's mighty dragon. "Attack directly. Burst Stream of Destruction!" The Blue-Eyes White Dragon opened its mouth and began charging. Then a powerful sparking beam of white energy exploded from its throat and blasted Cassie for three thousand points of damage.

–––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 7900

**Cassie:** 4900

–––––––––––––––

"Oooooooh... That's REALLY gotta hurt," Reko commented wincing.

"When did you get back?" Mikey asked, turning around to see the lavender haired Turbo Duelist.

"Just now. Did I miss much?" Reko took a sip of his water bottle and let out a sigh of refreshment.

"Not much. Mikey got decked and the duel started," Umi stated, her eyes never leaving the arena.

"Sounds like fun." Reko leaned on his forearms against the balcony's ledge.

"Make your move," Saito said as his dragon flapped its wings and roared.

"Crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap..." Cassie drew her card and looked at her hand. Nothing she had was enough to withstand the power of that beast. "I play E — Emergency Call. This lets me bring an Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand." She wasn't sure what to do, so she randomly grabbed the first monster she could see, which turned out to be Elemental Hero Sparkman. She then shuffled her deck and placed it back on her duel terminal. "I set a monster and end my turn."

"I draw." Saito drew his card. "And I'll play the Field Spell Dragon Canyon." He opened his field tray and slipped the card inside before closing it. As soon as the deed was done, the Duel Arena transformed into a large canyon spanning miles with dragons flying around in the air. "I'll use its effect later. Right now, I'll destroy your monster. Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack! Burst Stream of Destruction!" The Blue-Eyes White Dragon opened its mouth and fired again, this time blasting apart Cassie's Elemental Hero Heat. "I end my turn."

Cassie drew and desperately set another monster. Saito's turn came up again and this time he activated his Field Spell's effect. "I discard Dragunity Coresca to bring a level four or lower Dragunity monster to my hand from my deck and my choice is Dragunity Dux." His Duel Disk ejected his card and automatically shuffled his deck. "Now I summon Dragunity Dux." A white bird man in a white tunic appeared brandishing a slave driver's whip (ATK/1500 DEF/1000). "And as you know, the effect lets me equip him with a level three or lower Dragunity Dragon from my graveyard, so I choose Dragunity Coresca." A pink dragon wearing a white three-pronged headpiece appeared and transformed into a trident, which Dragunity Dux grabbed with his free hand. "And for each Dragunity card I control, Dragunity Dux gains two hundred attack points, including from himself." Dragunity Dux spread his wings and held his trident to the air as his attack points rose up to nineteen hundred.

"Blue-Eyes, attack that monster!" The Blue-Eyes White Dragon roared and fired another Burst Stream of Destruction that destroyed Cassie's facedown Elemental Hero Neos Alius. "Dragnuity Dux, your move." Dragunity Dux flew forward and thrust his trident into Cassie.

–––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 7900

**Cassie:** 3000

–––––––––––––––

"On my next turn, I'll boost my Dragunity Dux by another two hundred and use him to destroy your monster and then attack directly with my Blue-Eyes." Saito crossed his arms confidently. "Make your move."

"I draw." Cassie drew and looked at her hand. She needed some way to defeat that monster. However, there was nothing she could do. She had Miracle Fusion but it would not do her much good as all of her fusions that could weaken her opponent's monsters had been sent to her graveyard directly from her Extra Deck. As she examined her cards, Cassie saw Sparkman and suddenly an idea formed. Earlier in the duel, she had discard a copy of King of the Swamp to add Polymerization to her hand. Perhaps there was a way to use Miracle Fusion and defeat her opponent.

"I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman in attack mode!" A hero in blue tights and gold armor appeared (ATK/1600 DEF/1400). "And next I play Miracle Fusion. I remove from play Sparkman on my field and King of the Swamp from my graveyard! Come on out, Shining Flare Wingman!" The two monsters were pulled into a vortex and a blinding radiance covered the field as an angellic hero in white armor with wings appeared (ATK/2500 DEF/2100). "And Shining Flare Wingman gets three hundred attack for every Elemental Hero in my grave." As she said this, the spirits of Elemental Hero Neos Alius, Elemental Hero Heat, Elemental Hero Voltic, Elemental Hero Ocean, Elemental Hero Stratos, Elemental Hero Gaia, Elemental Hero Absolute Zero, and three copies Elemental Hero Great Tornado rose from the graveyard and were absorbed into his body. With ten Elemental Heroes in her graveyard, Cassie's monster gained three thousand attack points, bringing it up to fifty-five hundred.

"Oh wow!" Umi was amazed. She had dueled many Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingmen in her career as a duel idol, but she had never seen one powered up so great.

"Attack!" ordered Cassie. Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman acknowledged his master's command and flew up to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The great beast snarled as the hero clenched his fist slammed it into its head. The impact alone was enough to slay the dragon and it fell with ease.

–––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 5400

**Cassie:** 3000

–––––––––––––––

"And now for his other special ability," Cassie continued, "When Shining Flare Wingman beats a monster, he burns you for that monster's attack points." Elemental Shining Flare Wingman swept down toward Saito and thrust the same shining fist that had killed his monster directly into his chest.

–––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 2400

**Cassie:** 3000

–––––––––––––––

"Looks like she's going to win!" Umi cheered.

"Yeah, I guess," Mikey said looking away slightly. While he did hope to see Saito lose, he had always imagined that he would be the one to defeat him. He really liked Sammie, but she was dating the heir to the Kaiba Corporation. He was like a pauper to the prince compared to him. Outright, there was no chance she would have picked him. But if he defeated Saito, he thought that maybe he would actually have a chance with her.

"Hey, you in there?" Reko asked knocking on Mikey's skull.

"Ow. What?"

"You spaced out for a sec there," the lavender-haired man answered.

"My draw!" Saito drew his card and looked at his hand. "I switch Dragunity Dux into defense mode. I then set two cards facedown. Your turn."

"Ha! Now who's the one defending?" Cassie said with great overconfidence as drew her card. "But my Shining Flare Wingman can burn you not like your dragon. It's over. Shining Flare Wingman, attack!"

"I activate Mirror Force."

Cassie was speechless. No words could be heard being uttered by her as she watched her monster's attack reflected back at it and destroyed it in the process. She sank to her knees and her cards fell out of her hand onto the floor. When she gave no response to Saito's calls, the Obelisk Elite simply resumed the duel. He drew his card and then activated his other facedown card, Call of the Haunted.

"Be reborn, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Saito's signature monster appeared on the field once again and roared. "Finish her. Burst Stream of Destruction!" The Blue-Eyes White Dragon roared as it launched a sparking beam of white energy and blasted Cassie's Life Points.

–––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 2400

**Cassie:** 0

–––––––––––––––

Saito's coat flapped in the wind as the shockwave from the blast spread out across the room. His eyes were as cold as ice as he watched the smoke clear and the dust settle. He unplugged his Duel Disk without a word and left. Meanwhile, Noah sat in his chair in silence so Roman made the announcement in his place.

"The winner is Saito Kaiba. Cassandra Rhodes has been eliminated. Please clear the Duel Arena and will the next two competitors make their way down for their duel."

"Hold the duel for about fifteen minutes," Noah ordered, "I'm going to see if she's alright." He jumped out of his chair and slipped out the door. While he was gone, Roman watched as the guards took Cassie away and then turned to watch Mikey and Terry walk off from the observation balcony.

_It's almost time_, he thought. Roman lowered his head slightly as he brought up his hand and pushed his glasses up.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Mikey faces off against Terry in second round of the semifinals. His Skill Drain can negate his opponent's monsters' effects. But can it help him against the terrifying beatdown power of the Jurracs? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	83. Shining Heaven, Burning Earth

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-42**

**Shining Heaven, Burning Earth**

"You certainly took your time," Roman noted as Noah returned.

"I had to make sure she was okay," the boy answered as he climbed back onto his chair and squeezed his plush toy in his arms.

"The medics are there for a reason."

"You know we didn't hire medics to tend to the Duelists."

"I suspect you may have feelings for that girl," Roman said. Noah just turned away and looked toward the arena.

"The next semifinal match will now begin!" he announced, "Mikey versus Terry!"

Mikey stood at the blue terminal. He had his Duel Disk on his arm and was plugged into the terminal. He watched Terry nervously as he slotted his deck in place. The Duel Disk shuffled his cards automatically. At the red terminal, Terry had his deck already shuffled. "Even if you choose to activate Skill Drain, I can still use my Jurracs as a standard beatdown deck."

"Gee, I really look forward to it," Mikey answered unenthusiastically.

"Gentlemen, begin!" shouted Noah.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Terry:** 8000

––––––––––––

Terry drew his first card and started off the duel. "I summon Jurrac Velo." A green Velociraptor with a red head and blue hands and feet appeared and roared as the backs of its hands burst into flames (ATK/1700 DEF/1000). "I'll set a card facedown and end my turn."

"I draw." Mikey pulled the top card from his deck and looked at it. "And I summon Majestic Mech — Ohka!" There was flash of light and a four-legged beast-like angel with wings appeared (ATK/2400 DEF/1400). "Next I boost him up and negate his effect with Forbidden Chalice." A golden chalice appeared in front of Majestic Mech - Ohka and the shining beast drank from it, raising its attack points to twenty-eight hundred and also reinforcing its body, preventing it from shattering on the End Phase. "Attack with Majestic Ray!" Ohka opened its mouth and fired a solid white beam of energy at the dinosaur, blasting it into oblivion.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Terry:** 7100

––––––––––––

"That activates Jurrac Velo's effect. Now I can Special Summon a Jurrac monster with seventeen hundred or fewer attack points and I choose Jurrac Monoloph." A blue Monolphosaurus with a yellow head, feet, and hands appeared and the back of its head and the tip of its tail burst into flames (ATK/1500 DEF/1200).

"I end my turn," Mikey announced, causing Majestic Mech — Ohka to return to its original twenty-four hundred attack points, but because of Forbidden Chalice it was able to live on.

"I draw." Terry drew his card. "I activate my facedown, Fossil Excavation. It's like Call of the Haunted for Dinosaurs except it negates the resurrected monster's effect. So I'm bringing back Jurrac Velo." The Velociraptor burst out of the ground and roared. "Now I tune Jurrac Monoloph to Jurrac Velo." Jurrac Monoloph faded away into a trio of stars, which became rings and surrounded Jurrac Velo, slowly turning its body into four stars. A light engulfed them and turned into fire as a blue, yellow, and red Giganotosaurus appeared. It roared and its head and tail started to burn (ATK/2100 DEF/1800). "I Synchro Summon Jurrac Giganoto."

"He's only got twenty-one hundred attack points, though," Mikey pointed out.

"True, but as long as Jurrac Giganoto is on the field, all face-up Jurracs gain two hundred attack points for each Jurrac in my graveyard," Terry explained, "And right now, I have two. So that's four." Jurrac Giganoto roared as its attack points rose up to twenty-five hundred. "Then I'll also summon Jurrac Brachis." A blue and red Brachiosaurus appeared and its entire body burst into flames (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). Jurrac Giganoto roared as it powered up the other dinosaur to fourteen hundred attack points. "Jurrac Giganoto, attack." Jurrac Giganoto stomped across the field with a mouthful of burning teeth and sank them into Majestic Mech - Ohka's neck. It twisted and pulled until the Fairy's head came off from its shoulders.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 7900

**Terry:** 7100

––––––––––––

"Jurrac Brachis, attack." Jurrac Brachis stomped over to the now-defenseless Mikey and swung its fiery tail at him.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6500

**Terry:** 7100

––––––––––––

"I'm done now." Terry lowered his arm. "Your move."

"Alright. Here I go." Mikey drew his card. Jurrac Giganoto was going to be a problem. As long as it remained on the field, it would only continue to grow stronger as would any other Jurrac monsters Terry summoned.

"Can he beat something like that?" asked Umi.

"Knowing Mikey, he'll find a way," answered Reko.

o o o

The misery in the dungeon was as high as ever. Duelists sat unknowing of what was to befall them. Jaden was clenching and unclenching his fist. He had gone over his plan for escape countless times, but he still had no idea how he was to get his cards back.

"Guys, I think someone's coming," Syrus said. Chazz, Jaden, and Joey looked up and turned their attention to the door. Some scuffling could be heard coming from outside, but other than that there was not much else.

"Sounds like some kind of fight out there," Jaden thought out loud, "And whoever that new guy is is winning."

"I don't hear a thing," Joey replied.

"Neither can I," Chazz agreed, "You sure you're not just hearing things?"

Suddenly the door clicked and everyone stepped back. It swung open and a man in fatigues walked in with a sniper rifle slung over his shoulder and a cigarette glowing in his mouth. Behind him lay a trail of dead bodies scattered out in the hallway. He turned and looked at the group that was staring at him. Jaden looked at him and something about the intruder seemed familiar.

"Jaden Yuki." The man walked over to him as Jaden stood up.

"Yes?"

"I've got something here for you." Sako reached into his bag and produced a deck of cards. "I believe this is yours."

o o o

"I set two cards facedown. Then I summon Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast." Mikey placed his cards down and his massive dragon tank rose up onto the field and let out a roar (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). "If he's summoned without a tribute, his attack and defense points are halved." Fusilier Dragon's roar died down to a low growl as its attack and defense points were reduced to fourteen hundred and one thousand respectively. "That ends my turn."

"I draw." Terry drew his card. The facedowns had to be Traps. There was no other excuse for his opponent to summon a monster with such a deadly drawback in attack position. He had to be cautious. More than likely that card was Skill Drain. If he attacked with Jurrac Giganoto, Mikey would activate it and raise his monster's attack points back up to its original while also weakening his dinosaur. He checked his field. He had the level three Tuner Jurrac Brachis and the level seven Jurrac Giganoto. A dark grin appeared on his face. "I tune Jurrac Brachis to Jurrac Giganoto." The Brachiosaurus faded and its stars turned into rings and surrounded Jurrac Giganoto and it was nothing but seven shining stars, which were engulfed by a beam of light.

"I Synchro Summon Jurrac Meteor!" High above the field, a massive stone meteor with the limbs and head of a dinosaur came streaking down toward the field (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). "And when it's summoned, it destroys every single card on the field. Jurrac Meteor, strike with Deep Impact!" Jurrac Meteor hit the field and a massive shockwave erupted from the impact.

"Fusilier Dragon!" Mikey watched as the massive dust cloud that had been kicked up started to spread out.

"Your dragon and your Skill Drain are gone," Terry said with a diabolical smirk.

"Yeah, you guessed it. One of my cards was Skill Drain," Mikey admitted, "But my other card I set just in case. Activate Interdimensional Matter Transporter! This card lets me remove my monster from play. Then on the End Phase of this turn, it comes back." A strange spacecraft appeared and it beamed Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast on board before taking off and disappearing through a portal just as Mikey's side of the field took a serious blow and his Skill Drain was blasted away.

"You saved your monster, but it's not over yet because now my Jurrac Meteor's effect kicks in allowing me to Special Summon a Tuner from my graveyard. So now I bring back Jurrac Monoloph." Terry brought back the fiery Monolophosaurus. "Then I summon Jurrac Protops in attack mode." A blue and orange Protoceratops appeared and a line of flames ignited down its back (ATK/1700 DEF/1200).

"This is going to hurt a little," said Mikey. Jurrac Monoloph was first. It ran straight up to him and bit down hard.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 5000

**Terry:** 7100

––––––––––––

"Jurrac Protops, attack." Jurrac Protops scraped its foot against the ground and charged. It slammed its horn directly into Mikey.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3300

**Terry:** 7100

––––––––––––

"Your plan has backfired a little," Terry said as he took three cards from his hand. "I set three facedowns and end my turn."

"And on your End Phase, someone comes back." Mikey looked up as the spaceship returned from the other dimension and beamed down Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast now back at its original twenty-eight hundred attack points and two thousand defense points. "Now I draw." The young brunet drew his card and looked at the field. His opponent had three facedowns, which were going to be a problem. He couldn't risk losing such a powerful monster. However, there was something else he could do. With two monsters on the field, it was more than likely that Terry would sacrifice them to summon a powerful monster. He needed a way to delay that and he had just the card for it.

"I activate the Field Spell Future Visions." He placed the card in his field tray and the field was suddenly surrounded by a sparkling collage of stars. "Now whenever we Normal Summon monsters, they'll be removed from play until the Standby Phase of our next respective turns."

"You're just delaying the inevitable."

"I end my turn."

Terry drew his card. Thanks to his opponent's well-played Field Spell, any monsters he Normal Summoned would be delayed by one turn before they could attack. Unfortunately, his Jurrac Titan had one major disadvantage. The beast could not be Special Summoned even by the effect of Future Visions. To summon it now would be a bad idea. However, he had another card in his hand that just might work. "I sacrifice Jurrac Monoloph and Jurrac Protops to summon Jurrac Spinos in attack mode." A blue and red Spinosaurus with a yellow underbelly rose up and roared as its dorsal fin burst into flames (ATK/2600 DEF/1700).

"And the effect of my Field Spell activates," Mikey declared. A hole opened up in space and swallowed up Terry's creature.

"That ends my turn for now."

"My move." Mikey drew his card. "I'll set one facedown. And then Fusilier Dragon attacks directly!" Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast took aim and fired its cannons. Terry was bombarded with shell after shell as the relentless assault rained down on him.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3300

**Terry:** 4500

––––––––––––

"That ends my turn," announced Mikey.

"My move." Terry drew his card and suddenly Jurrac Spinos reappeared on the field. "And now I equip Jurrac Spinos with Raise Body Heat to boost his attack and defense points by three hundred." He revealed one of his facedown cards, which turned out to be the Equip Spell Card. Immediately, Jurrac Spinos began to glow and its flames burned brighter as its attack points rose up to twenty-nine hundred and its defense points to two thousand. "Destroy Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast." Jurrac Spinos roared as the flames on its fin suddenly turned blue and it unleashed a raging fire blast from its mouth at Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast. The dragon tank roared as the flames incinerated it and before long all that remained was a smouldering pile of slag.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3200

**Terry:** 4500

––––––––––––

"And when Jurrac Spinos destroys a monster in battle, its effect Special Summons one Spinos Token to your side of the field in attack position." A small deformed Spinosaurus hatchling appeared on Mikey's side of the field as a level one Fire-attribute Dinosaur with zero attack and defense points.

"When you Special Summon a monster, I can discard a card to Special Summon Dragon Ice from my hand or graveyard." Mikey took Dragon Ice from his hand and sent it to the graveyard. Then he placed it back onto his field in defense position, calling out a dragon made entirely out of ice wearing an iron mask and flapping a pair of large black wings (ATK/1800 DEF/2200).

"I'll end my turn then."

Mikey drew his card and smiled when he saw it. It was the perfect card to help out his situation. "I sacrifice the Spinos Token." The deformed baby Spinosaurus vanished from the field. "And I summon Kuraz the Light Monarch. Appear!" There was a blinding flash of golden light and the golden-armored emperor appeared with his cape flapping in the wind (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "And when Kuraz is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, he can destroy up to two cards on the field and then the controller or controllers of those cards get to draw for each card that was destroyed. And first I'm going to destroy Jurrac Spinos." Kuraz the Light Monarch began to radiate with light as the halo on his back illuminated brightly. He then slapped his hands together and the light engulfed the entire field. When it faded, Jurrac Spinos was gone.

"And then I'll destroy the facedown on the left," Mikey continued.

"Your left or mine?" asked Terry.

"Yours." Kuraz shined again and with another blinding clap, the facedown card was gone. "And now you draw two cards."

"Alright then." Terry took the top two cards from his deck and fanned them out before placing them in his hand.

"Next we resolve Future Visions' effect, so Kuraz gets removed from play." A portal appeared behind Kuraz and swallowed him up. "Now I switch Dragon Ice into attack mode." The ice dragon spread out its wings and dropped its guard. "Dragon Ice, attack!" Dragon Ice flew across the field and slammed a fist into Terry.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3200

**Terry:** 2700

––––––––––––

"I set one card and end my turn."

"And I draw." Thanks to the effect of Kuraz the Light Monarch, Terry had a major hand advantage over his opponent and his hand had just the right cards he needed. "First I set one monster in defense mode. Then I'll set two more cards and end my turn."

_Three facedown again,_ thought Mikey as he drew.

"Now on my Standby Phase, Future Visions brings back Kuraz the Light Monarch." As Mikey explained this, a portal opened up and deposited Kuraz the Light Monarch back onto the field.

"I activate my Trap Card, Hunting Instinct." Terry revealed one of his facedowns. "When a monster is Special Summoned to my opponent's side of the field, I can Special Summon a Dinosaur from my hand. And the Dinosaur I choose is Jurrac Tyrannus." A red and blue Tyrannosaurus Rex with yellow hair running down its back and around its neck appeared on the field and roared (ATK/2500 DEF/1400).

"He's not staying for long thanks to Kuraz's effect," Mikey said, "It also activates when he's Special Summoned." The halo on Kuraz's back glowed brightly and a light swallowed up the field. When it receded, Jurrac Tyrannus and one of Terry's facedowns were gone. The biker drew two cards as a result.

"Dragon Ice, attack!" Dragon Ice flew in and punched Terry's facedown, which turned out to be Jurrac Ptera (ATK/800 DEF/1500). "I'll end my turn by summoning Fire Ant Ascator." A red ant appeared on the field and clacked its jaws together (ATK/700 DEF/1300). It was quickly removed from play by Future Visions.

"I draw." Terry drew his card. "Time to end this now. I activate Fossil Excavation. By discarding one card from my hand, I can resurrect one Dinosaur from my graveyard. And if it's an Effect Monster, its effect is negated."

"Bringing back Spinos?"

"Something better. Come back, Jurrac Meteor!" Over a dozen stone spikes burst out of the ground and they rose up on the back of a massive rock that made up the body of a giant dinosaur. Up until now, everyone had only seen this thing come crashing down from the sky and obliterating the field. Seeing it up close for the first time was truly terrifying experience. "Jurrac Meteor, destroy Dragon Ice." Jurrac Meteor roared and clenched its claw into a fist, which began to burn intensely. Then with a roar, the massive stone dinosaur rocketed forward and slammed its fist into Dragon Ice, shattering its body into dust.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2200

**Terry:** 2700

––––––––––––

"Dragon Ice!"

"Don't think I didn't know what you were planning," said Terry, "I watched your last duel. You can only Synchro Summon Sun Dragon Inti using Fire Ant Ascator, but to do that you need a level five monster. I'm not giving you that opportunity. I'll now summon Jurrac Guivre." A yellow Guaibasaurus with blue hands, feet, and head and red flame designs on its body appeared and its feet, hands, tongue, and the spines on its back burst into flame (ATK/1700 DEF/400). Future Visions removed it immediately and Terry concluded his turn.

"Mikey drew his card and Fire Ant Ascator returned to the field. Neither of the cards in his hand was a level five monster. He had hoped he could draw one and sacrifice Kuraz the Light Monarch to summon it and then tune it with Fire Ant Ascator. He switched the weaker monster into defense mode, but not the other. Kuraz may have had a formidable attack power, but his defense points were far from it. He was going to take some damage, but at least he wouldn't take a direct attack from Jurrac Meteor. "I end my turn."

"Draw." Terry drew his card. "Jurrac Guivre, attack Fire Ant Ascator." Jurrac Guivre roared and ran across the field. It swung its head down and grabbed Fire Ant Ascator in its jaws before biting it in two. "And since Jurrac Guivre destroyed a monster in battle, I can Special Summon one Jurrac monster from my deck with seventeen hundred or less attack points at the cost of being unable to attack this turn. So I summon Jurrac Deino." A red and orange Deinonychus appeared and roared as its horn and feet burst into flames (ATK/1700 DEF/800). "Now Jurrac Meteor, destroy Kuraz the Light Monarch." Jurrac Meteor rocketed across the field toward Kuraz the Light Monarch and slammed its flaming stone fist into him.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 1800

**Terry:** 2700

––––––––––––

"This duel will soon be over," said Terry.

"We'll see." Mikey drew his card. Things were now set. "First I activate Compulsory Evacuation Device and I'll use it to bounce Jurrac Guivre to your hand." A large machine appeared and grabbed Jurrac Guiver before stuffing it inside. Then it took aim and fired the Guaibasaurus into the air, returning it to Terry's hand. "Now I activate Call of the Haunted and I'm using it to bring back a good friend. Come on back, Kuraz!" Kuraz the Light Monarch reappeared once again in a blinding flash of light. "Destroy Meteor and Deino!" The radiant emperor's armor flashed and unleashed an incredible wave of light that engulfed the field. Rays of light pierced through Jurrac Deino and Jurrac Meteor and the two fiery dinosaurs fell to the radiance.

Terry drew his two cards and looked at Mikey. "Your creature can't attack on the turn he is summoned."

"He can once I use this. Forbidden Chalice!" Kuraz drank from the golden chalice that was offered to him and suddenly he could feel the magical restraints unbind themselves from him as his attack points rose to twenty-seven hundred.

"Thank you, Mikey," the monarch said gratefully.

"Thank me later, Kuraz. We've got a duel to win," answered Mikey.

"Indeed we do." Tossing his cape aside, Kuraz reached for his side and unsheathed his golden sword.

Terry glared at Mikey, his teeth grinding tight, enamel against enamel. His eyes roared with fierce tenacity and a burning fire. Mikey suddenly felt an intense pressure emanating from Terry, like an ocean of flames and heat crashing down with a foam of black soot and smoke. Terry's eyes became slitted and ferocious as he starred Mikey down. Mikey's hand grasped onto his heart and his knees began to shake. "Attack me if you dare runt!" Terry said, gripping down on his terminal with a sickening smile on his face. His lips curled back and his teeth seemed to gleam a sickening light. "Come on! Do it!"

Mikey's hand brushed against his brow as he looked Terry in the eyes, his lip quivering and his resolve faultering. "Attack me or let me go!" Terry cried out once more, the pressure growing heavier on Mikey who fell to one knee. Umi called out his name, but Mikey only heard it as a shrill mumbling. He could barely look at the cards in his hand as his vision began to blur and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a man whom Mikey swore was not there before. Mikey could not see him but felt something familiar about him as he stood amidst the dark shadows. His lumbering and blackened figure seemed to loom over Terry's body like the wicked shadow of the devil. Mikey could not stand against such a powerful force. That was when he thought of Sammie.

Kuraz's armor seemed to resonate with a blinding light brighter than it ever had before as Mikey got to his feet. The young brunette looked Terry in the eyes once more and Terry's expression changed the moment he saw Mikey's stoney expression. "W...what the hell?" Terry said as he took a half step back. His power had always worked in these situations. His duel energy and his power always crippled his opponents and turned around any defeat. What was wrong with this kid? Mikey simply smiled as he threw his hand forward and pointed at Terry.

"Finish him, Kuraz! Excalibur's Light!" Kuraz the Light Monarch swung his sword and unleashed a wave of light from the blade that struck Terry and depleted the remainder of his Life Points. As Terry was enveloped in the blinding light and his Duel Energy was drained he saw the figure of the dark man in the corner of his eye.

"Sorry, Boss," Terry mumbled before he winced and collapsed to the ground, drained of all of his energy. In that same moment, the shadows of the room seemed to grow that much bleaker, though no one noticed. The last of the three warriors had fallen and the dark man was gone.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 1800

**Terry:** 0

––––––––––––

"The winner is Mikey!" Congratulations!" Noah shouted. "You move onto the finals where you'll be facing..."

"Kaiba." Mikey looked up at Saito who stood on the observation balcony with an unconcerned look on his face.

"We'll take a ten minute break now," Noah announced as he got out of his chair and left the room again. Mikey unplugged his Duel Disk from the terminal and placed his cards back into his deck slot before walking off. He was about to face the best Duelist at Duel Academy. Last year he had been utterly destroyed, but this time he vowed to win.

Amidst the cheers of adoration for Mikey, Noah played with his toys and Roman sat with his fingers interlaced in front of him. Noah was lost in his own little world as he swung the toys around and a smile cracked on Roman's face. No one else had seen it, to his knowledge. No one needed to. Roman just smiled and laughed silently to himself, for the dark man had showed something that he had never seen before when Mikey delivered his final blow. The dark man had grown angry, enraged even. It was curious and lead Roman to ask one question, "What is so special about this child, Kage?"

o o o

"Why's the Duel Sniper helping us?" Chazz demanded.

"Yeah. Last time we saw you, you were causing trouble at Duel Academy," Syrus added.

"I go where the money takes me," answered Sako as he inhaled through his cigarette.

"So you're only here because someone paid ya?" Joey asked.

"I'm actually here for another reason." Sako turned to Jaden. "Your daughter is in safe hands for now."

"Cassie? How do you know her?" Jaden demanded.

"She wound up on the island and got involved in this tournament. Whoever's running this thing clearly doesn't care who gets involved."

"I have to go help her."

"And how do you intend to do that while you're stuck down here?"

Jaden looked at his cards, which were now back in his possession thanks to Sako. "I've got a few tricks of my own." His eyes turned orange and green as he took a card and held it up. "I summon Neo-Spacian Grand Mole!" A few short seconds later, giant mole wearing a collar with two drill halves covering its shoulders appeared.

"So the rumors about the great Jaden Yuki were true," Sako thought out loud as he watched Neo-Space Grand Mole close the drill over its head and proceed to burrow a tunnel in the wall.

"Give us our decks so we can go too," Chazz demanded.

"Not so fast," Sako said, "If you guys plan to take out these guys, you need more than just the four of you. Jaden will go ahead. I need the three of you for another task."

"What do you need us for?" asked Syrus. In response to his question, Sako dropped his bag onto the floor in front of him. Inside were countless decks.

"You're going to help me return these to their owners. Considering who you'll be facing, you'll need as many Duelists as possible." Sako pulled out a deck and his eyes immediately fell upon a copy of Batteryman AA.

"Hang on a sec," Joey interrupted, "There's this one girl they got locked up from the rest. She's a strong one, but they've been usin' her for some weird experiments and stuff. We gotta go save her too."

"Leave her to me." Sako nudged the bag over to Joey, Syrus, and Chazz with his foot. "You just make sure everyone gets these." And with that, he puffed on his cigarette once more and walked away.

"Well... You heard the man." Syrus picked up two handfuls of cards. "We better get started. I think old Dino Brain Hassleberry is missing his deck anyway."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The final match of the tournament is finally here. Mikey squares off against his long-time rival Saito in a long-awaited rematch. Which of these two shall be victorious? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	84. The Duel Royale Finals

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-43**

**The Duel Royale Finals**

"The final duel of the Duel Royale tournament shall now commence," Noah announced, "Will Mikey Angel please come to the arena?"

The doors swung open and Mikey stepped out onto the narrow bridge leading up to the blue terminal of the Duel Arena. He connected his cable to his Duel Disk and then plugged it into his terminal.

"Saito Kaiba, please make your way to the arena." Saito's coat flapped in the wind behind him as he stepped out from the corridor. He connected his cable to his Duel Disk and then plugged it into the red terminal. Up on the observation balcony Umi and Reko watched in anticipation.

"Some tension, huh?" the lavender-haired man asked to which the pop star nodded.

"Yeah..."

"I bet I could cut off a slice and put it on my toast."

Umi forced a chuckle at the inappropriately timed joke and looked down at Mikey. "Come on, Mikey. I know you can beat him."

"Gentlemen, lock your decks!" Noah called out.

"This isn't Chaotic. It's Duel Monsters," Roman reminded the boy.

"Have a sense of humour," the child prodigy said in response.

Mikey and Saito rammed their decks into the Duel Disks and their cards were automatically shuffled.

"We'll decide who goes first with this." Noah set the extremely rich-looking banana split he had onto the table beside him and dug around in his pocket until he pulled out a large foam six-sided die. "Odds will be Mikey. Evens will be Saito." He threw it over the balcony railing and it landed in the center of the Duel Arena where it bounced around a bit before landing on six.

"I'll be going first then," Saito said.

"I'm ready for you, Kaiba," Mikey replied.

"Duelists, begin the final match!" announced Noah.

"DUEL!"

"Can I get that back please?" A man in a suit entered the ring and retrieved the die.

o o o

Sammie fell yet again after another grueling victory. She passed her limit days ago and yet they still continued to push her. The men in charge of overseeing her duels dragged away her most recent opponent and began to bring in the next one. "Keep it up, girl. The boss needs your energy."

Sammie was too tired to respond. She was in no position to fight back. As she struggled back onto her feet, she heard someone banging on the doors behind her. The men in the room immediately ran up to with guns drawn and waited in ambush positions. A minute passed before the doors finally opened and a man with grey eyes wearing fatigues came in. Using a single handgun, he shot each man once and they fell to the floor, their lives swiftly taken from them.

"Y-you..." Sammie managed out.

"Save your strength," Sako insisted as he examined Sammie's chains. He unshouldered his sniper rifle and fired a shot at the shackles, freeing the blonde girl.

"I...remember you..."

"Your friend Mikey sent me here," Sako explained, "He's upstairs right now taking care of the guys behind all this."

"Mikey...?" Sammie may have been tired, but she could still hear clearly.

"Let's get you out of here." Sako slung Sammie's arm over his shoulder and began to walk out with her.

"Wait..." Sammie stopped the Duel Sniper. "Mikey...needs to know..."

"What is it?"

"It's about...that kid..."

o o o

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saito:** 8000

–––––––––––––

"I draw." Saito drew his first card of the duel. "I'll begin by playing the Field Spell Dragon Canyon." He placed his card into his field tray and the Duel Arena took on the appearance of a deep canyon with several dragons flying overhead. "Next I summon Dragunity Brandistock in attack mode." A navy-blue dragon dressed in cyan armor appeared with a single spike jutting out of its helmet (ATK/600 DEF/400). "Now I send Dragunity Brandistock to the graveyard to Special Summon Dragunity Arms Misteil!" A black dragon covered in yellow armor rose up onto the field and spread out its two pairs of wings — one a traditional pair of dragon wings, the other a pair of yellow bird wings — and brandished a long sword (ATK/2100 DEF/1500). "When this card is Normal or Special Summoned from my hand, I can equip it with one Dragon-type Dragunity monster from my graveyard and currently the only one I have is the one I just sent: Dragunity Brandistock." Dragunity Brandistock returned to the field and screeched as it was absorbed into the sword of Dragunity Arms Misteil and the blade took on a cyan hue. "Any monster equipped with Dragunity Brandistock has the power to attack twice each Battle Phase."

"Oh, that's gonna be a problem," Mikey said to himself.

"I set a card and end my turn." Saito glared at Mikey. "Your move."

"I draw." Mikey drew his card and looked at his hand. "Since you have a monster on the field and I don't, I Special Summon Oracle of the Sun in defense mode." An Inca man wearing a ceremonial garb appeared in front of Mikey and crouched down defensively (ATK/1000 DEF/2000). "Next I Normal Summon Supay." Upon playing his card, a wooden mask of the Inca God of the Underworld appeared (ATK/300 DEF/100). "Now I tune Supay to Oracle of the Sun." Supay disappeared and a single star took its place, which turned into a green ring. The ring surrounded Oracle of the Sun and the man faded away until a row of five stars remained. Then a light engulfed them both and from the radiance emerged a blue moon carving. "I Synchro Summon Moon Dragon Quilla." Four blue dragon heads emerged from behind the moon carving and roared (ATK/2500 DEF/2000).

_Knowing Kaiba, his facedown is guaranteed to destroy my monster. So I better hold back for now_, Mikey thought as he took two more cards from his hand. "I set two cards facedown. That ends my turn."

"You summoned a monster stronger than mine and yet refuse to attack." Saito drew his card.

"I've learned time and time again that it's not wise to trust a facedown," Mikey answered, "Especially yours."

"A wise ideal. But you should have attacked when you had the chance." Saito activated his facedown. "I activate Dust Tornado." A cyclone shot out of his card and blew away one of Mikey's two facedowns, which turned out to be Skill Drain. "Predictable as always."

"Of course I'd put down a Skill Drain. That's what my whole deck is built around," responded Mikey.

"Then it's a good thing I won't need to worry about it with this." Saito played a Spell Card, "I activate Future Fusion. And with this card, I'll send five Dragons to my graveyard." His deck ejected Dragunity Javelin, Dragunity Coresca, Dragunity Pilum, Dragunity Partisan, and Dragunity Phalanx. "That ends my turn."

Mikey drew his card. His opponent had just sent the monsters needed to Fusion Summon Five God Dragon. However, it also meant that Saito had not set any facedown cards, leaving him open for an attack. "I summon Majestic Mech - Senku!" A humanoid mechanical angel with wings appeared in front of Mikey in a flash of light (ATK/1000 DEF/500). "Moon Dragon Quilla, attack Dragunity Arms Misteil!" Moon Dragon Quilla opened her mouths and fired four beams of moonlight that spiraled together into a helix and collided with the dragon.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saito:** 7600

–––––––––––––

"Senku, attack now! Majestic Spear!" Majestic Mech - Senku's hand morphed into a lance and it flew forward and stabbed Saito in the chest.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saito:** 6600

–––––––––––––

"And if Senku attacks my opponent directly, I can draw a card." Mikey drew and looked at his card. "I set a card and end my turn. And with that, my Senku goes to the graveyard." Majestic Mech — Senku began to crack and before long it shattered.

Saito drew his card. He glanced at the field. Until his Future Fusion's effect kicked in, he was a sitting duck. "I set one monster and end my turn."

Mikey drew and looked at the field. Once again, Saito did not set a facedown; he had only placed a monster in defense mode. He must have been waiting for Future Fusion. He knew there was no way he would be able to stop it before its effect activated, but he had something that could stop it. For the time being, he had to work with what he had. "I summon Fusilier Dragon, The Dual-Mode Beast!" His massive dragon tank appeared on the field and roared (ATK/2800 DEF/2000), but due to its own effect its stats were reduced to fourteen hundred attack points and one thousand defense points. "Moon Dragon Quilla, attack that card!" Moon Dragon Quilla fired a quadruple moonlight laser that blasted away Saito's monster, which turned out to be Dragunity Legionnaire (ATK/1200 DEF/800).

"Fusilier Dragon, attack!" Fusilier Dragon, The Dual-Mode Beast took aim at Saito and fired. Its cannons blasted away at the rich teenager, who stood calmly as the world exploded around him.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saito:** 5200

–––––––––––––

"I'm done now." Mikey looked at one of his facedowns. This would save him.

"I draw." Saito drew. "And now Future Fusion activates, allowing me to summon Five God Dragon!" The images of Dragunity Javelin, Dragunity Coresca, Dragunity Pilum, Dragunity Partisan, and Dragunity Phalanx appeared and were pulled into a rift in space before an enormous dragon with five heads - one made of fire, one blue with the power of water, one yellow possessing the strength of stone, one as black as the darkest night, and one made of steel but possessing the powers of the air — emerged and roared (ATK/5000 DEF/5000).

"I activate Compulsory Evacuation Device!" Mikey activated his facedown. "Now I can send one monster on the field back to its owner's hand. Or in this case, the Extra Deck." A large machine appeared and swallowed up Five God Dragon before ejecting it high into the air and placing the card back into Saito's Extra Deck.

"Nice!" Reko grinned. "He bounced back that big guy."

"Way to go, Mikey," Umi said smiling.

"Your strongest monster has been bounced, Kaiba," Mikey said to his opponent.

"Maybe so, but that wasn't my game plan," Saito answered.

"Wait, what?"

"I summon another Dragunity Legionnaire!" A second green bird man in a white tunic appeared. "And with his effect, I can equip him with a level three or lower Dragunity Dragon from my graveyard and I choose Dragunity Phalanx." A bronze, diamond-tipped, two-pronged spear materialized and Dragunity Legionnaire grabbed it. "Now with Dragunity Phalanx's effect, I Special Summon it to the field." The bird man threw the spear away and it transformed into a dragon with dark blue skin in bronze armor (ATK/500 DEF/1100). "Now I set two cards and end my turn."

"Not much of a game plan, eh Kaiba?" Mikey smirked as he drew his card.

"This doesn't look good," Reko said.

"What's wrong?" Umi inquired.

"Mikey's getting overconfident."

"That's impossible. Mikey never gets overconfident. That's just not him."

"Well he is. He's facing his rival and when even the smallest glimmer of a weak move is played, it boosts his confidence up."

"I'll start back activating my facedown, Call of the Haunted, and bring back Dragunity Legionnaire." Saito's first Dragunity Legionnaire burst out onto the field and stood next to Dragunity Phalanx opposite its twin.

"Then I play Forbidden Chalice. This boosts one monster by three hundred attack points and negates its effect. So I'm boosting Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast." Fusilier Dragon's systems hummed back to life as its attack and defense points rose up to thirty-one hundred and two thousand respectively. "Fusilier Dragon, attack Dragunity Phalanx!" The dragon tank took aim and fired all of its cannons at once.

"I activate my Trap Card, Urgent Tuning! I can only activate this during the Battle Phase during which this card lets me Synchro Summon. So now I tune Dragunity Phalanx to my two Dragunity Legionnaires." Dragunity Phalanx faded away until two stars remained where its diamond spearheads were and they transformed into a pair of green rings that surrounded the two Dragunity Legionnaires until their bodies had become a two columns of three perfectly aligned stars each, which then realigned into a single row of six stars. A beam of light engulfed them both and Saito grinned diabolically.

"I Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight — Barcha." A bird man appeared and spread his wings as he spun his spear in one hand, but he was nothing compared to the beast he rode. A purple skull-faced dragon with a long spear-like bone protruding from its chin flew out wearing green and black armor and roared (ATK/2000 DEF/1200).

"That thing's nowhere near as strong as my Fusilier Dragon," Mikey pointed out.

"That's where his effect comes in," Saito answered, "When Dragunity Knight — Barcha is Synchro Summoned, I can choose any number of Dragunity Dragons and equip them to this card and he gains three hundred for each one. So now I equip Dragunity Knight - Barcha with Dragunity Brandistock, Dragunity Pilum, Dragunity Partisan, and Dragunity Corsesca." A cyan brandistock, a green pilum, a blue partisan, and a pink corsesca appeared and the bird man grabbed them all. Along with his own weapon, he held three spears in one hand and two in the other as Dragunity Knight — Barcha's attack points rose up to thirty-two hundred.

"Destroy Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast!" The massive dragon opened its mouth and began gathering up energy. Then it unleashed a barrage of spears made of wind that intercepted the shells and impaled Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast like a pincushion. The mechanical beast groaned once and exploded.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 7900

**Saito:** 5200

–––––––––––––

"Not only does Dragunity Knight — Barcha get a power boost, but he also gets the effects from each weapon. Dragunity Brandistock lets him attack twice during the Battle Phase, Dragunity Corsesca lets me add a level four or lower monster to my hand with the same Type and Attribute as the equipped monster each time it destroys a monster in battle, Dragunity Partisan lets me treat Barcha as a Tuner, and Dragunity Pilum lets my monster attack you directly and deal half the damage."

"So basically you've got a monster that can do just about anything."

"Essentially."

"I'm screwed."

"That's the idea."

"Then I switch Moon Dragon Quilla into defense mode and end my turn."

"Back to the defending coward, I see." Saito drew his card. "Dragunity Knight - Barcha, attack Moon Dragon Quilla."

"First I get Quilla's effect!" Mikey announced, "If she's the attack target, she takes half of the attacking monster's attack points and adds them to my Life Points." Dragunity Knight — Barcha unleashed its attack and Saito watched as it collided with Moon Dragon Quilla, whose body began to glow as it absorbed the blast and bathed Mikey in a shimmering ray of moonlight.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 9500

**Saito:** 5200

–––––––––––––

With her master's Life Points safe, Moon Dragon Quilla finally allowed Dragunity Knight — Barcha's attack to overtake her and she died swiftly.

"You're still pulling out desperate moves," Saito said, "Now thanks to Corsesca's effect, I'll bring Dragunity Darkspear to my hand." His Duel Disk ejected the card he wanted and he placed it in his hand before his deck was automatically shuffled.

"Dragunity Knight — Barcha, use Brandistock's effect and attack again!" The dragon flew forward and slammed its fist into Mikey.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6300

**Saito:** 5200

–––––––––––––

"That ends my turn." Saito looked up as Dragunity Knight - Barcha roared and landed. "Let's see what you've got."

Mikey drew his card. His opponent had a thirty-two hundred attack point monster that could attack twice, attack directly, and add a card to his hand upon destroying a monster. It was going to be hard to beat. But he hoped he could at least reinforce his defenses against such a creature. "I Special Summon Cyber Dragon in defense mode!" A silver mechanical serpentine dragon appeared (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "Next I Normal Summon Malevolent Mech — Goku En without a tribute." A black undead version of Majestic Mech - Ohka appeared spewing blue flames (ATK/2400 DEF/1400). "Now since I have two Light Monsters on my field, I Special Summon Guardian of Order in defense mode!" A golden column of light shined down from the heavens and an angelic warrior in white armor trimmed with gold descended from above (ATK/2500 DEF/1200). "Finally, I play Mystik Wok and I'll tribute Goku En to boost my Life Points by his attack points." A giant magical wok appeared and Malevolent Mech — Goku En was scooped up into it. After being stir fried for a good few seconds, the contents were poured onto Mikey.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8700

**Saito:** 5200

–––––––––––––

"Hiding can't save you," Saito said as he drew. "I summon Dragunity Dux." A bird man in a white tunic holding a taskmaster's whip appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/1000). "He gains two hundred attack points for every Dragunity card I control. And with two monsters and four Spells out, that makes twelve hundred." Dragunity Dux's power increased to twenty-seven hundred attack points as he cracked his whip. "Dragunity Dux, destroy Cyber Dragon." The bird man flew in and flogged Cyber Dragon until the mechanical beast finally gave and collapsed.

"Dragunity Knight - Barcha, destroy Guardian of Order." Dragunity Knight — Barcha flew in and the bird man on the dragon's back leapt off and swung his six spears. Then he stabbed them into his target and penetrated Guardian of Order's armor. He pulled out and flew back onto his mount's back. "Attack directly now." The dragon turned its head at Mikey and unleashed its barrage of air arrows.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 5500

**Saito:** 5200

–––––––––––––

"That ends my turn."

Mikey looked at his deck. He had no cards in his hand. If he failed to draw the right card, this would be the end. Taking in a deep breath, he placed his hand on top of his deck and drew. The card he received gave him hope. "I play Pot of Avarice. I pick Cyber Dragon, Oracle of the Sun, Malevolent Mech — Goku En, Guardian of Order, and Majestic Mech — Senku and return them to my deck." He slotted the five cards into his deck and watched as his Duel Disk shuffled it. Then he drew two cards and looked at them. This was just what he needed. "I Special Summon Oracle of the Sun in defense mode and set a card." The Inca man appeared on the field once again and crouched down. "And I'll set card too. That ends my turn."

"I draw." Saito drew. "Dragunity Dux, attack!"

"I activate my Trap Card, Skill Drain! I pay one thousand Life Points and all monster effects are negated."

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4500

**Saito:** 5200

–––––––––––––

Dragunity Dux and Dragunity Knight — Barcha cried out as their attack points dropped back down to fifteen hundred and two thousand respectively. The former of the two still continued his attack, though, and his whip bounced off Oracle of the Sun and back into his face.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4500

**Saito:** 4700

–––––––––––––

"My monsters' effects may have been negated, but the effects of the cards equipped to Dragunity Knight — Barcha are not. Dragunity Knight — Barcha, attack Mikey directly." The green-armored dragon flew past Mikey's Oracle of the Sun and blasted him with air arrows.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3500

**Saito:** 4700

–––––––––––––

"Do it again." While still behind enemy lines, Dragunity Knight — Barcha spun around and slashed Mikey with its tail.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2500

**Saito:** 4700

–––––––––––––

"You better have a good offense if you plan to win this duel," Saito challenged.

Mikey drew his card and looked at it. "You better believe it. I tribute Oracle of the Sun to summon Majestic Mech — Goryu!" The Inca man vanished and in his place a giant angellic mechanical dragon appeared with its body held together by golden flames (ATK/2900 DEF/1800). "Goryu, attack Dragunity Knight - Barcha. Majestic Blaze!" Majestic Mech - Goryu opened its mouth and a torrent of golden fire rained down on Dragunity Knight — Barcha, incinerating him.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2500

**Saito:** 4700

–––––––––––––

The corsesca, pilum, partisan, and brandistock clattered to the ground and shattered. Mikey smiled. His opponent's great monster was now gone and he had no way of bringing him back easily. "I'm done now."

"I draw." Saito drew his card and examined his hand. "First I play the Spell Card Giant Trunade, which returns all Spells and Traps to our hands." Mikey's facedown and Skill Drain were blown off the field as well as Saito's Dragon Canyon and Future Fusion which had not left the field due to Five God Dragon having been sent back to the Extra Deck rather than being destroyed. "Next I activate Future Fusion and I'll send these to my graveyard." His Duel Disk ejected three cards and he removed them to show to his opponent.

"Your Blue-Eyes White Dragons."

"My Blue-Eyes White Dragons." Saito placed them in his graveyard and his deck was shuffled. "Now I play my own Pot of Avarice and I'll send Dragunity Arms Misteil, Dragunity Legionnaire, and my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons back to my deck." His cards were ejected from his graveyard and he slid them back into his deck, which was automatically reshuffled before allowing him to draw two new cards.

_This isn't good_, thought Mikey, _If he summons his Ultimate Dragon, I'll be screwed. But I can't destroy that Future Fusion so I've only got one option. But I'm going to need Fire Ant Ascator. _He looked at the field. In the meantime, he had to make do with what he had and hope he could draw the card he needed in time. At the very least, if Saito did summon his monster he still had Majestic Mech — Goryu to reduce the damage he took.

Mikey drew. It wasn't the card he needed. However, another card in his hand would help him get it. "I play Gold Sarcophagus. Now I remove from play one card from my deck. Then it comes to my hand in two turns." His Duel Disk ejected a single card and he took it out. It was Fire Ant Ascator. He placed it down on the duel terminal in front of him. "Majestic Mech — Goryu, attack Dragunity Dux! Majestic Blaze!" Majestic Mech - Goryu roared as it opened its mouth and golden flames poured out onto the bird man.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2500

**Saito:** 3300

–––––––––––––

"I'm done now."

"My move." Saito drew his card. One more turn and he would have his monster. But for now, he decided it was time to destroy his opponent's and had the right cards for that task. "I play Ancient Rules and now I'll Special Summon a level five or higher Normal Monster. Meet my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" In a flash of light, Saito's mighty dragon appeared with scales glistening like snow and eyes like sapphires (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "Destroy Majestic Mech — Goryu! Burst Stream of Destruction!" The Blue-Eyes White Dragon roared as it opened its mouth and unleashed a powerful blast of energy that obliterated Majestic Mech — Goryu effortlessly.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2400

**Saito:** 3300

–––––––––––––

"Your move."

"I draw." Mikey drew. "I summon Beast King Barbaros!" The lance-wielding armored liontaur materialized on the field and roared (ATK/3000 DEF/1200). "Right now he's only got nineteen hundred attack points because I summoned him without a tribute. But that'll change when I use Forbidden Chalice." A chalice appeared in front of Beast King Barbaros and the great king of the Beast-Warriors drank from it. Immediately, he felt his power restored and amplified as his attack points rose up for thirty-three hundred. "Attack Blue-Eyes White Dragon with Death Sentence!" Beast King Barbaros roared as he charged and impaled Saito's dragon with his lance.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2400

**Saito:** 3000

–––––––––––––

"This duel is as good as over," Saito said, "That card you're holding is the Skill Drain I sent back to your hand with my Giant Trunade. It's useless against a monster that has no effect." He drew his card. "And now Future Fusion activates." His three Blue-Eyes White Dragons appeared overhead and roared before they were pulled into a vortex. "I summon the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" An explosion erupted from the other side of the vortex and from it emerged the massive three-headed white dragon (ATK/4500 DEF/3800). "Destroy Beast King Barbaros with Blue-Eyes Ultimate Burst!" Each head began to power up and one by one they fired a Burst Stream of Destruction. The three energy beams spiraled into a single high powered blast and destroyed Mikey's monster.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 900

**Saito:** 3000

–––––––––––––

"Even if your goal was to destroy me with Sun Dragon Inti's effect, you don't have enough Life Points to survive an attack against my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon." Saito sneered. "And not only that, but you can't even end this duel in a draw. My Life Points are still high enough for me to survive. You've lost."

"It's not over until the last card is played." Mikey looked at his deck. He hoped something would be able to save him. Taking in a deep breath, he slowly drew his card. His face fell when he saw it for it was not the one he wanted. But then he thought of a way to use it in his favor. As soon as his Standby Phase came in, Fire Ant Ascator came directly back to his hand. "I'll set a card facedown and end my turn."

"You're desperate, aren't you?" asked Saito as he drew. "Blue-Eyes, attack."

"I activate Call of the Haunted and I'll use it to bring back Moon Dragon Quilla!" Mikey's lunar dragon reappeared on the field and roared.

"You're just delaying the inevitable." Saito pointed forward. "Destroy Moon Dragon Quilla!" The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon unleashed its mighty attack. As it collided with Moon Dragon Quilla, the lunar image began to glow and bathed Mikey in moonlight.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3150

**Saito:** 3000

–––––––––––––

Mikey winced as his dragon was blown to pieces and the Battle Damage was dealt to him.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 1150

**Saito:** 3000

–––––––––––––

"You've failed to gain the necessary Life Points to attack my dragon and destroy it," Saito pointed out as he watched Mikey draw his card.

"Then I won't attack just yet. I Special Summon Cyber Dragon and Normal Summon Fire Ant Ascator." The Ra Yellow's mechanical dragon appeared on the field followed by a large red ant (ATK/700 DEF/1300). "Now I tune Ascator to Cyber Dragon." Fire Ant Ascator's body faded away until three stars replaced its head, thorax, and abdomen. They turned into a set of green rings and encircled Cyber Dragon, fading its body away until five stars remained. Then a column of light engulfed them all. "I Synchro Summon Sun Dragon Inti! In defense mode!" A golden sun carving appeared on the field and from it emerged four red dragon heads (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "I'm done for this turn."

Saito looked at his opponent. This did not look good for him. If he attacked Sun Dragon Inti while it was in defense position, not only would he take burn damage but he would also lose his monster, leaving himself open to Moon Dragon Quilla next turn. He drew his card and ended his turn.

Mikey then drew his card. It was a Mystik Wok. If he had another monster that he could summon easily, he could win the duel. Until then, he had to keep stalling. He watched as his opponent drew and then discarded a card from his hand upon ending his turn. Mikey drew again. This was not a monster, but he decided he should set it anyway. A facedown appeared before him and he turned the duel over.

Saito drew again and smiled at his card. "Remember that Dragunity Legionnaire I sent back to my deck with Pot of Avarice? Well, he's back." The green bird man burst onto the field. "And I'll equip him with Dragunity Darkspear from my graveyard." A black spear appeared in the Winged Beast's hands. "Now I'll tribute Dragunity Legionnaire to Special Summon Dragunity Arms Laevatein."

"Not happening." Mikey activated his facedown. "I activate Solemn Judgment! It'll cost me half my Life Points, but it'll stop your monster from being summoned."

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 575

**Saito:** 3000

–––––––––––––

As the great orange dragon began to appear, divine intervention stopped it dead in its tracks and the great monster was destroyed.

"A costly sacrifice considering you need those Life Points," Saito said as he ended his turn.

Mikey took a deep breath and drew his card. He finally had something. It was not much, but it would give him just enough Life Points to win. "I summon Majestic Mech - Senku!" His small glass angel appeared. "And now I activate Mystik Wok!" A giant wok appeared and scooped up Majestic Mech — Senku, who was stir fried for a few seconds before the contents of the cooking pot were dumped onto Mikey.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 1575

**Saito:** 3000

–––––––––––––

"I switch Inti into attack mode." Sun Dragon Inti's head rose up and roared. "Attack Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Sun Dragon Inti opened his mouths and fired four streams of fire toward Saito's monster. In response, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon fired another fusion of three Burst Streams that blasted past the flames and into the solar dragon and annihilated it.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 75

**Saito:** 3000

–––––––––––––

However, all was not lost as fragments from Sun Dragon Inti's sun carving bombarded the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and destroyed it before raining down on Saito, dealing damage equal to half of the giant monster's attack points.

–––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 75

**Saito:** 750

–––––––––––––

Mikey smiled. He was finally going to win. Albeit his Life Points were dangerously low, but with his next monster his victory was guaranteed. "I end my turn."

Saito drew his card and upon his Standby Phase, Moon Dragon Quilla rose from the graveyard thanks to Sun Dragon Inti's effect. "I can't lose to an amateur like you."

"Yeah? Well this 'amateur' just kicked your butt."

"Saito Kaiba, do you surrender?" Noah asked.

"No..." Saito growled, "I will not be outdone."

"What is with this guy?" asked Umi.

"It's pride," answered Reko. Before he could explain any further, an explosion caused the whole room to shake. A team of security guards stumbled out from the hallway behind Mikey. One of them got up, but lost his balance and fell off the platform into the seemingly bottomless pit below.

"What's going on?" The Skill Drain Duelist looked around as Gabe emerged with his Duel Disk activated and Avenging Knight Parshath out.

"Miss me, bro?"

"Gabe!" Another explosion erupted from behind Saito as Wes came out with Hayley also with their Duel Disks activated.

"Heya, Kay-Kay!" the latter greeted cheerfully, causing Saito to bite his tongue.

"What's going on?" Noah asked as more Duelists appeared on the observation balcony.

"There's been a breach," Roman said.

Suddenly, the speakers in the room crackled to life. "Your game is over."

"I know that voice!" Mikey looked up. "Sako, is that you?"

"These are all the Duelists you had 'sent away' after they lost in the tournament," Sako said addressing Noah and Roman, "You said they were going to be taken care of in the infirmary. That was a boldfaced lie. The truth is that you've been using them to harvest more Duel Energy. Especially a specific blonde teenage girl."

"Sammie..." Mikey gritted his teeth. He looked over at the two in Pegasus' box.

"Roman." Saito glared at the businessman. That man had some explaining to do.

"This entire tournament has been nothing but one big scam," Sako continued, "It's a twisted plot with the sole purpose of harvesting Duel Energy. What that energy is for, I have yet to determine but I'm sure the fine hosts of this competition would be willing to share if properly provoked."

"I don't have to take this!" shouted Noah, "You think you can pick on me? Well think again! I refuse to be bullied by the likes of any of you!"

"What's he talking about?" Mikey asked, "We're not picking on him."

"Mr. Kaiyou, do you have a plan of action?" Roman inquired.

"Yes." Noah climbed down from his chair. "Run." And with that he bolted out the door.

"Typical child," muttered Roman as he followed.

"Stop him!" called Jaden, who was among the many who had come out onto the observation balcony.

"Sako, where are you?" Mikey yelled.

"I can't tell you, but I can reunite you with someone who can give you all the answers you need." And as those words were spoken, a dumbwaiter-like platform descended from the ceiling with Sammie sitting on it and it gently lowered her into the middle of the Duel Arena.

"SAMMIE!" Mikey unplugged his Duel Disk from his terminal and jumped over it to run over to her.

"Mikey, listen," Sammie said, "You gotta stop that kid. He's the one behind all this."

"Yeah, I figured. But why? He's only like what? Seven years old?"

"He may not look like it, but that kid is a genius. I don't know a lot more 'cause I only actually met him once. But everything that went on in that dungeon was because of him."

"Why me, though? Why not Kaiba?"

"I've got someone else to deal with," Saito answered, "You're free to take the kid, but Roman is mine."

"Roman? You know him?" asked Mikey.

"He used to work for my father's company. I have a few questions for him." And with that, Saito left to track down Roman. Once he was gone, Mikey turned back to Sammie.

"Alright, Sammie. I'll do it." He placed all his cards back into his deck slot.

"Hang on, Mikey. You gotta know something real important," Sammie added.

"What's that?"

"It's about his deck."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The plot has been uncovered. Secrets have been revealed. Now two young Duelists are about to bring an end to the Duel Royale tournament scam once and for all. Saito will face former Kaiba Corp. executive Roman while Mikey duels the boy genius Noah Kaiyou. Watch it all unfold next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	85. Chaos Theory

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-44**

**Chaos Theory**

Roman stood in his office looking out the window. Behind him, Noah was kneeling on a chair looking at the model of the island. "I do sincerely hope we got all the Duel Energy we needed, Mr. Roman," the young boy said as he slipped down onto the floor and opened a chest under the table.

"We have enough," Roman assured him, "I've just called for a helicopter. It will be here in an hour. Make sure you are on the roof when it arrives."

"I'll be there. I'm heading there straightaway," Noah replied as he stuffed several items from the chest into his hoodie pocket. Once it was full, he closed the lid and crawled back out before grabbing his Duel Disk and slipping it onto his right arm. "I'm heading to the roof access now."

"I'll be with you shortly. I have one more item of business to attend to."

"I'll see you there then, Mr. Roman." And with that, Noah walked out the door. Roman watched the door close behind the boy and went to sit down. He swiveled his chair around and looked out through the enormous window.

o o o

"Hey Sako, where do we go from here?" Mikey asked as he stood speaking into the Bluetooth headset Sammie had delivered to him from Sako. After the events at the Duel Arena, he had finally reunited with Sammie, Max, Coltyn, and Gabe. The five of them now stood in that hallway with Saito listening for their next set of instructions.

"Roman's office is just down the hall. Head straight to the end and go through the large mahogany double doors," the Duel Sniper said.

"Gotcha. We're heading over." Mikey looked down the hall and proceeded to walk toward the end. As he did so, however, his attention caught a figure just shy of three feet in height run past down an adjacent hallway. "What was that?"

"Must be the kid," Coltyn guessed.

"I'm on him!" Gabe said as he ran off.

"Gabe, wait!" Mikey called after his brother but he had already rounded the corner and vanished from sight.

"He's gone. This is totally unfabulous," Max sighed.

"Go after him," Saito said.

"What about you?" Mikey asked in response.

"I told you. Roman is mine." Saito looked down the hall. "And mine alone." He walked forward with his coat billowing behind him, leaving Mikey and the others.

"Should we do like he said then?" Max asked.

"We might as well," Coltyn answered, "He's not going to accept help from anyone, so let's just go after the kid. Plus Gabe already ran after him and we do need to find him anyway."

"Alright then. Let's go." Mikey turned and began to follow the same path that his brother had taken.

o o o

The large wooden double doors flew open and Saito stepped into the office. He saw a large desk on the far end of the room. The chair behind it was facing the window, but he could still tell someone was sitting in it. "Roman, you have some explaining to do."

"Hello, young Mr. Kaiba." Roman swiveled his chair around and looked at Saito. "It's good to see you again."

"Spare me the pleasantries, Roman. You're one of the top executives at Kaiba Corp., so why are you here in league with that kid?" the rich teenager demanded.

"I'm here on behalf of Kaiba Corp.," Roman explained, "Your father's company has kindly sponsored this tournament and I was sent to make sure the company's money was being put to good use for it."

"Bullshit. There are no records of Kaiba Corp. funding any such event."

"And how would you know?"

"I'm going to inherit Kaiba Corp. one of these days, Roman. And until that day arrives, I've been keeping an eye on all that happens within the company and I know that Kaiba Corp. had no hand in this so-called tournament." Saito stared straight into Roman's eyes. "What are you really up to?"

Roman said nothing. Instead, he simply rose from his seat and pushed up his glasses. He came around the desk and revealed a Duel Disk in his hand. "If you want your answers, young Mr. Kaiba, then duel me for them."

"I'd be happy to oblige." Saito activated his Duel Disk and shuffled his deck. Then he waited as Roman attached his device to his arm and slotted in his own deck.

"Let's duel."

––––––––––––

**Saito:** 8000

**Roman:** 8000

––––––––––––

"I begin." Saito drew his card. "I'll start by playing Cards of Consonance. By discarding one Dragon-type Tuner with one thousand or fewer attack points, I can draw two cards." He placed Dragunity Phalanx into his graveyard and then drew two cards. "Now I'll summon Dragunity Dux in attack mode." A bird man in a white tunic appeared cracking a taskmaster's whip (ATK/1500 DEF/1000). "And when he's summoned, I can equip him with a Dragunity Dragon from my graveyard. Since I only have one, I'll equip Dragunity Phalanx to him." A bronze two-pronged, diamond-tipped spear appeared and Dragunity Dux grabbed it with his free hand. "And with every Dragunity card I control, Dux gains two hundred attack points." The bird man cawed as his attack points rose up to nineteen hundred. "But he won't be staying for long. I activate Dragunity Phalanx's effect. I unequip it and Special Summon it to the field." Dragunity Dux stuck the spear into the floor and stood back as it transformed into a blue dragon in bronze armor with two diamond-tipped spears on its helmet and armed with two bucklers (ATK/500 DEF/1100). "Now I tune them together." Dragunity Phalanx faded away until two stars replaced it. They transformed into a pair of green rings and surrounded Dragunity Dux, turning his body into a row of four stars before a light consumed them both.

"I Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight — Gae Bulg!" A blue dragon in white armor appeared on the field and roared with a bird man riding on its back in matching colors (ATK/2000 DEF/1100). "I'll end my turn with this facedown. Your move, Roman."

"Indeed it is." Roman placed his fingers on top of his deck and drew. "Do keep in mind, young Mr. Kaiba, that you will only get your answers should you defeat me."

"Just make your move."

"Very well then. I'll begin by summoning Elemental Hero Prisma in attack mode." A winged hero made of solid crystal appeared on the field (ATK/1700 DEF/1100). "Now I activate his effect. By revealing a Fusion Monster in my Extra Deck, I can send one Future Material monster listed on that card to my graveyard and Elemental Hero Prisma's name becomes that card's name until the End Phase. So now I reveal to you Gladiator Beast Gyzarus and with that I shall send to my graveyard Gladiator Beast Beastiari." He showed Saito the card and his deck ejected another from his deck. Roman took it out and placed it into his graveyard. "Now that Elemental Hero Prisma's name is treated as Gladiator Beast Beastiari, I can Special Summon Test Tiger." A tiger wearing blue and orange striped armor with rubies embedded into the surface pounced onto the field and roared (ATK/600 DEF/300). "Next I activate Test Tiger's effect. I tribute Test Tiger and return a Gladiator Beast on my field to my deck and then Special Summon a different Gladiator Beast from my deck." Test Tiger disappeared and Elemental Hero Prisma was reduced into a glowing ball of light and flung back into Roman's deck as another card was ejected from it and played. "I Special Summon Gladiator Beast Darius." A purple anthropomorphic horse appeared on the field clad in Roman gladiator armor and swung an electrified whip around (ATK/1700 DEF/300).

"So you traded one monster with seventeen hundred attack points for another," Saito surmised.

"It was not for naught," Roman replied, "Since Gladiator Beast Darius was Special Summoned from my deck, his effect activates allowing me to Special Summon a Gladiator Beast from my graveyard at the cost of having its effect negated and its life dependent on another. I resurrect Gladiator Beast Beastiari." Gladiator Beast Darius swung his whip and plunged it into the ground. He pulled back and extracted a green anthropomorphic bird also wearing Roman gladiator armor with red feathers on its gauntlets and head and two mini-cannons attached to its arms (ATK/1500 DEF/800). "Now I'll do something very similar to your Synchro Summoning, Contact Fusion. However, unlike normal Contact Fusion, the Gladiator Beasts have a special case. Instead of sending them to my graveyard, I send them back to my deck instead." A worm hole opened up and both Gladiator Beast Beastiari and Gladiator Beast Darius were pulled in. "I summon Gladiator Beast Gyzarus." The monster that emerged looked almost like Gladiator Beast Beastiari. However, its body was now covered in a complete suit of armor and more red feathers adorned its head and its wings appeared to have been upgraded (ATK/2400 DEF/1500). "Now for Gladiator Beast Gyzarus' first effect. When he is Special Summoned, I can destroy up to two cards on the field and my targets are your facedown and your monster." Gladiator Beast Gyzarus spread out his wings and two tornadoes of darkness spewed out and blasted away at Saito's field, leaving nothing left and him wide open for a direct attack.

"Gladiator Beast Gyzarus, attack young Mr. Kaiba directly." On Roman's command, the Winged Beast flew toward Saito at high speed. He brought his arms forward and fired a barrage from his mini-cannons.

––––––––––––

**Saito:** 5600

**Roman:** 8000

––––––––––––

"I end my Battle Phase," announced Roman, "and my Gladiator Beast Gyzarus' second effect activates. After the Battle Phase of a turn it attacked or was attacked, I return him to my Extra Deck and Special Summon two Gladiator Beasts from my deck. My choices are Gladiator Beast Laquari in attack position and Gladiator Beast Hoplomus in defense position." Gladiator Beast Gyzarus flew off and two beams of light shot out of his wings and deposited two creatures onto the ground. One was an anthropomorphic tiger in red armor with six sharp spikes on its back (ATK/1800 DEF/400). The other was a rhinoceros in white armor surrounded with a multitude of hexagonal plates on its back(ATK/700 DEF/2100). "Since they were summoned by the effect of another Gladiator Beast, their effects activate. Gladiator Beast Laquari's original attack becomes twenty-one hundred and Gladiator Beast Hoplomus's original defense becomes twenty four hundred." Gladiator Beast Laquari roared as it felt its power grow to twenty-one hundred while the plates on Gladiator Beast Hoplomus detached and spun around it like a ring, bringing its defense points to twenty-four hundred. "I'll place one card facedown. That concludes my turn, young Mr. Kaiba."

"Then I draw." Saito drew his card and looked at the field. He was in a pickle. His opponent had two monsters whose original attack and defense stats had increased because of their own effects. No monster in his hand could destroy them. For the time being, he would have to defend. "I set one monster and then place two cards facedown. That's it for my turn."

"Then I draw." Roman drew his card. "I'll begin this turn by playing the Field Spell known as Colosseum — Cage of the Gladiator Beasts." He placed his card in the field tray and the office transformed into the stone ruins of an ancient coliseum. "I shall elaborate on this card when the time is right. For now I summon Gladiator Beast Secutor." A green lizard in blue armor with two large cannons behind its shoulders appeared (ATK/400 DEF/300). "Now through Contact Fusion, I fuse my three monsters together." Roman pushed up his glasses as his three Gladiator Beasts were pulled into a vortex. "I summon Gladiator Beast Heraklinos." A giant gladiator emerged from the other dimension and stepped onto the field. His armor, body, and weapons all looked like they had all been constructed from parts of all the other Gladiator Beasts (ATK/3000 DEF/2800).

"What is that?" Saito inquired.

"This is the ultimate Gladiator Beast," answered Roman, "Gladiator Beast has been training and his power has increased. He has Gladiator Beast Darius' upper legs and Gladiator Beast Dimacari's upper body as well as his accessories for leg guards. His shield is made up of Gladiator Beast Hoplomus' plates and Gladiator Beast Secutor's cannons. His waist armor comes from Gladiator Beast Secutor and Gladiator Beast Murmillo. He has the lower body, tail, bone fragments, and halberd of Gladiator Beast Spartacus. The chest armor and winged arm guards come from Gladiator Beast Beastiari as does the spearhead that is attached to the halberd. He retains Gladiator Beast Laquari's face and shoulders and his dragoons surround the spearhead on the halberd. Lastly, Gladiator Beast Heraklinos has the wings and hair of Gladiator Beast Alexander." The giant Gladiator Beast raised his arms and spread his wings before letting out and earth-shuddering roar.

"Destroy young Mr. Kaiba's facedown," ordered Roman.

"I activate Sakuretsu Armor!" Saito declared.

"And I activate Gladiator Beast Heraklinos' effect to negate it by discarding one card." Roman sent the only card in his hand to his graveyard and watched as Saito's card was shattered by a blast from each of the cannons on Gladiator Beast Heraklinos' shield. The halberd came down and chopped the teen's facedown Dragunity Darkspear (ATK/1000 DEF/1000) in two. "And unlike my other Gladiator Beasts, Gladiator Beast Heraklinos does not return to my deck after he has battled. That concludes my turn."

Saito drew his card and looked at his opponent's monster. Gladiator Beast Heraklinos was a very powerful monster with an equally powerful effect. However, it possessed one glaringly obvious weakness. As long as Roman's hand was empty, he would be unable to activate his creature's effect.

"I'm getting tired of playing games, Roman. I know you've been up to something and as the heir to the Kaiba Corporation, I demand to know what it is you've been up to."

"Your persistence is admirable but tiresome, young Mr. Kaiba," Roman said, "However, I suppose I can indulge some information to you. First, I'd best set your mind at ease. I am, in no way, after control of Kaiba Corp., its funds, its technologies, or anything from it. My actions here are completely unrelated to the company."

"Then what IS your reason here?" Saito demanded. Roman simply reached into his pocket and produced a pitch-black pocket watch. He opened it and gazed inside for several long seconds.

"I'm here to serve a higher purpose."

"That tells me nothing."

"If you want to know more, then try to defeat me."

"I will." Saito looked at his cards. Since Roman's hand was empty, he would be unable to activate Gladiator Beast Heraklinos' effect. That meant his Spell Card would not be negated. "I play Ancient Rules, which lets me Special Summon one level five or higher Normal monster from my hand. So I summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" A great wind blasted across the whole office as Saito's prized white dragon with sapphire eyes appeared and roared (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, destroy Gladiator Beast Heraklinos! Burst Stream of Destruction!" The Blue-Eyes White Dragon began powering up as energy built up inside its throat. Then it opened its mouth and fired a beam of sparking energy at Gladiator Beast Heraklinos.

"I activate my Trap Card, Defensive Tactics." Roman revealed his facedown card and Gladiator Beast Heraklinos' shield broke apart. "This card can only be activated while I control a Gladiator Beast. This card prevents my creatures from being destroyed in battle and reduces any Battle Damage I receive to zero. Afterwards, this card is sent to the bottom of my deck." The shield fragments formed into two rings that began to circle around Gladiator Beast Heraklinos and soon formed a spherical barrier. The Burst Stream struck the shield and broke against it.

"Damn it," Saito muttered.

"One more thing." Roman pushed up his glasses. "Our monsters both have the same attack strength, so normally they would both be destroyed in battle. However, my monster is protected from death in combat. Yours, on the other hand, is not." As the Burst Stream of Destruction's power died down, Gladiator Beast Heraklinos roared and spun his halberd in his hand, causing the dragoons on the spear end to deploy. They flew out of the barrier and surrounded the Blue-Eyes White Dragon before connecting themselves together with a ring of fire around its neck. The great dragon roared in pain as the searing heat stopped all of its movements. The barrier around Gladiator Beast Heraklinos dropped and the great gladiator threw his halberd. It cleaved Saito's monster in half and vanquished it effortlessly. The dragoons cooled down and reattached themselves to the weapon's hilt as the massive beast retrieved his weapon and hoisted it upon his shoulder as the plates that scattered the field reformed into his shield.

"It appears your attempt to destroy Gladiator Beast Heraklinos has failed." Roman drew his card. "Attack." Gladiator Beast Heraklinos raised his halberd and chopped down on Saito.

––––––––––––

**Saito:** 2600

**Roman:** 8000

––––––––––––

Saito looked across the field as the holographic smoke began to clear. Roman stood erect with his Duel Disk in front of him as Gladiator Beast Heraklinos towered over him.

"I suppose the stories about you aren't all true, young Mr. Kaiba," Roman stated as he pushed up his glasses, "You lack your father's skills. But even his skills pale in comparison to the power that you face." Something inside Saito snapped then.

"My father is a great Duelist. I will not allow you to insult his honor."

o o o

Mikey, Sammie, Max, and Coltyn had followed Gabe's trail. They ran down many hallways and rounded multiple corners, but there was still no sign of either the younger Angel or Noah.

"That kid runs fast," Coltyn commented.

"So does Gabe," Mikey replied. As they grounded another corner, the four of them were assaulted by a raven. They ducked, but the black bird passed through them.

"It was a hologram!" Max realized. Everyone watched as the raven flew back down the hall and landed on the floor. Noah stood with his Duel Disk activated with a dark grin on his face. Meanwhile, Gabe was on his knees completely helpless.

"I end my turn and my monster returns to my hand." Noah picked up his card and placed it into his hand, causing the crow to disappear. "Your move."

"Damn you, kid." Gabe made no attempt to draw and ended his turn.

"You had no chance to begin with." Noah drew his card. "I summon Yata-Garasu! Attack directly!" The crow appeared on the field again and flew at Gabe. It pecked at him and returned to its owner's side of the field. "I end my turn." And with that, the crow returned to his hand.

"I've heard of Yata-Garasu!" Max exclaimed, "It's one of the banned cards."

"How come this kid can use banned cards?" Gabe asked.

"My Duel Disk doesn't have the ban list programmed into it," Noah answered.

"See? I told you," Sammie said to Mikey, "This kid's deck is Traditional Format."

"Your move," Noah announced.

"I can't make a fucking move!" shouted Gabe.

"Oh, then I guess you lose." Noah drew and grinned. "I play Monster Reborn and I'll use it to bring back Archlord Kristya." Gabe's own monster rose onto the field on Noah's side of the field. "End this with a direct attack." Archlord Kristya spread out her wings and unleashed a bombardment of light onto Gabe. "And I win."

"So that's the power of a Traditional Format deck," Mikey thought out loud.

"Now you see why those cards were banned," Coltyn responded.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a helicopter to catch." Noah deactivated his Duel Disk and put it away before he hugged his plush toy. "So now I'll be off."

"Noah, wait. We're not finished yet." Sammie stepped forward. As soon as she had, the boy pulled a pistol out of his pocket.

"I wouldn't try to follow me if I were you." He pointed his weapon toward Mikey and slowly swept it across the group of teens. "Nobody tries to be a hero and nobody gets hurt."

"Just put that gun down and come with us quietly," Coltyn said as he stepped forward. Noah immediately turned his gun on him.

"Don't come any closer."

Coltyn took another step forward. "Put that thing down and come quietly."

Noah took a step back. "Stop or I'll shoot!"

"Go ahead and try." Coltyn took a few more steps forward, which caused the young boy to back away even more.

"I'm not afraid to!"

"Then why do you keep backing away?"

Realizing that Coltyn was not going to back down, Noah abandoned his gun and fled down the hall. "Coltyn, are you crazy?" Gabe asked.

"Not at all," answered the black-haired teen as he bent down and picked up the gun, "It's plastic."

"Eh?"

"Here." Coltyn tossed the gun over to Gabe, who caught it.

"Whoa! It IS plastic!" He pulled the trigger and a puff of smoke shot out following a small bang. "This thing's just a cap gun."

"And he still fooled us with it," Mikey sighed, "But still, how'd you know it was a fake, Coltyn?"

"From the way he was holding it," Coltyn answered, "A kid his age would've had trouble keeping a real one held up for so long. It's too heavy for him."

"These things just keep getting more and more detailed every year," Max commented as he peered at the toy gun.

"Well now that we know that was nothing to worry about, let's keep going," Mikey proposed. Everyone nodded in agreement and they continued their pursuit.

Up ahead, Noah could hear voices approaching. With his short height, they would catch up to him soon enough. He quickly dug into his pocket and pulled out a velvet bag. _This will slow them down_, he thought. He opened the drawstring and dumped the bag's contents onto the floor before running away again. Upon reaching the stairs heading for the roof, he took out several bags and emptied their contents onto each of the steps behind him.

Meanwhile, the group was approaching the place where Noah had briefly stopped. Sammie, who had been ahead of everybody else, suddenly found herself slipping on several small objects causing her to fall backward. Mikey moved into try to catch her, but she fell against his chest instead of into his arms and the pair of them were sent sprawling onto the floor.

"Sammie, Mikey, you okay?" Gabe asked.

"I'm okay," Sammie assured him, "Mikey, how are you?"

"You...kinda...landed on my..." Mikey trailed off, but it was clear to everyone what he was talking about. Sammie quickly got off, allowing him some time to recover. Meanwhile, Max was examining the floor with Gabe.

"The floor's covered with marbles," the latter reported.

"He's a smart one," the redhead added.

"Mikey, lean on me." Coltyn helped Mikey up to his feet and then used himself as a human crutch to support him before they moved on. The path Noah took was quite obvious as he had laid out all sorts of toys to slow them down such as jacks, tops, and even more marbles. They followed his trail and eventually wound up on the castle ramparts where they found the young child staring up at the sky playing with a little red yo-yo.

"NOAH!" Mikey stumbled forward as his call attracted the boy's attention.

"You again?"

"Why are you doing this?" Mikey asked.

"I'm not going to let you torture the answers out of me," Noah said darkly as he put his yo-yo away in his pocket.

"Wait, what? What do you mean torture?" Mikey was confused. What did this kid mean?

"Don't pretend you don't know. You're just like everyone else!"

"Noah, please." Mikey walked toward Noah. But as he came within two feet of the boy, the child genius smacked him with his yo-yo and took several steps away.

"Mikey, there's no reasoning with this kid. You're gonna have to do it the old-fashioned way," Sammie said. Mikey rubbed his nose where the yo-yo had hit him and looked over at Noah. He really did not want to have to do it, but he had no choice now. With great reluctance, he activated his Duel Disk.

"You think dueling me will get me to talk?" Noah asked.

"I'm not trying to interrogate you, Noah. I just want to know why you're doing this," Mikey corrected.

"No, you're just like everyone else." Noah tied his stuffed toy to his belt by its scarf before he took out his Duel Disk and strapped it to his right arm. "And because of that, I'll use you to set an example. This is what happens when you pick on people."

_What exactly is he talking about?_ Mikey wondered.

Noah activated his Duel Disk and his deck was shuffled.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Noah:** 8000

––––––––––––

"I want you to go first," said Noah.

"Um, sure." Mikey drew his card and looked his hand. He had neither Skill Drain nor Forbidden Chalice, so he was in a slight pickle. "I summon Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast." His gargantuan dragon tank appeared on the field and roared (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). "His effect lets me summon him without a tribute at the cost of halving his stats." At that moment, Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast shifted gears and dropped its attack points to fourteen hundred and its defense points to one thousand. "I'll set this card and end my turn then."

"My move then." Noah drew his card. "Perfect. I play Painful Choice. I choose five cards from my deck and then you pick one. That one goes to my hand and the others go to my graveyard. So take your pick." His Duel Disk unlocked his deck, permitting him to search through it for his five cards. When he had them all, he placed his deck back into his Duel Disk where it was immediately reshuffled and revealed his cards to his opponent. He had chosen Makyura the Destructor, Sangan, Cyber-Stein, Cyber Dragon, and D.D. Warrior Lady. Mikey contemplated his options. D.D. Warrior Lady was out of the question as she could remove a monster from play when attacked. Cyber Dragon could be Special Summoned so long as Noah had no monsters while he had at least one. He did not trust Makyura the Destructor or Cyber-Stein as he had never seen either card. Finally, Sangan could help him bring a monster with fifteen hundred or fewer attack points to his hand. After contemplating his options, Mikey made his decision.

"I pick Sangan to go to your hand." Noah smirked as he placed the card in his hand and sent the rest to his graveyard.

"Now I summon Sangan." A hairy three-eyed imp appeared on Noah's side of the field (ATK/1000 DEF/600). "Now since Makyura the Destructor was sent to my graveyard this turn, that means I can activate Trap Cards from my hand. So I activate Ring of Destruction." A collar with eight grenades attached to it appeared around Sangan. "This card destroys one monster on the field and inflicts its attack points to both of us. Ring of Destruction, detonate!" The pins were pulled and Sangan struggled desperately to escape. But it was all for naught as the bombs exploded and the imp was killed.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 7000

**Noah:** 7000

––––––––––––

"With Sangan's effect, I bring Cyber Jar to my hand." Noah's deck spat out the card and he revealed it to Mikey before placing it into his hand. "Now I remove from play D.D. Warrior Lady and Cyber-Stein and Special Summon Black Luster Soldier — Envoy of the Beginning!" A knight in blue and gold armor appeared on the field and swung his sword (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "And now to explain. Black Luster Soldier — Envoy of the Beginning has two effects. The first one lets me remove from play one monster on the field, but renders my monster unable to attack this turn. The other one lets him attack twice if he destroys a monster in battle."

"Just like Chaos Sorcerer and Ruin, Queen of Oblivion," Mikey summarized as he turned to look at Sammie.

"Exactly like Chaos Sorcerer and Ruin, Queen of Oblivion." Noah pointed forward. "Black Luster Soldier — Envoy of the Beginning, attack Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast!"

"I activate my Trap Card, Interdimensional Matter Transporter!" Mikey brought out a strange device that pulled in Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast with a tractor beam and then vanished. "Now with no monster to destroy, yours can't attack twice."

"I can still attack you directly, though," replied Noah, "Black Luster Soldier — Envoy of the Beginning! Direct attack!" With its target gone, Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning shifted his attention to Mikey and slashed him across the chest.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4000

**Noah:** 7000

––––––––––––

"The duel's barely begun and you've already lost half of your Life Points." Noah took a card from his hand and placed it inside one of his Spell and Trap Card slots. "With Makyura the Destructor's effect still in, well... effect, I activate Time Seal from my hand. Now you skip your next Draw Phase. I end my turn." At that moment, the Interdimensional Matter Transporter reappeared and returned Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast back to the field, its attack and defense points now restored to twenty-eight hundred and two thousand respectively.

Mikey looked at his Duel Disk as his deck was shut off from him. With no means to draw a card, he was stuck with what he had in his hand. There was no way he was going to last long against Black Luster Soldier — Envoy of the Beginning. "I switch Fusilier Dragon into defense mode." The dragon tank lowered its head and folded itself into a more compact form. Mikey looked at his hand. He had no monsters that could be set and the one he could summon had a very powerful drawback. However, he also had one other card that could help. "I summon Malevolent Mech - Goku En." An undead version of Majestic Mech — Ohka appeared on the field and spewed blue flames (ATK/2400 DEF/1400). "Now I play Mystik Wok and I'm going to restore my Life Points by his attack points." A giant wok appeared on the field and Malevolent Mech — Goku En was scooped in. After a few seconds of stir frying, the Mystik Wok tipped over and poured its contents onto Mikey.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6400

**Noah:** 7000

––––––––––––

"I end my turn."

"Desperate times call for desperate moves." Noah drew his card. "Black Luster Soldier — Envoy of the Beginning, attack and destroy Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast!" The armored knight spun his sword in his hand and dashed forward. He approached Mikey's monster and swung his blade, cleaving Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast cleanly in two. "Now attack again!" With nothing to protect him against a direct attack, Mikey felt the blade of Black Luster Soldier — Envoy of the Beginning pass through him with one swift stroke.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3400

**Noah:** 7000

––––––––––––

"I'm done now. Your turn!" Noah turned the duel over to Mikey, who proceeded to draw his card. When he saw it, he smiled. This was the perfect monster to destroy Black Luster Soldier — Envoy of the Beginning.

"First I Special Summon Cyber Dragon." A silver mechanical serpentine dragon appeared on the field and roared (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "Next I summon Fire Ant Ascator." A red ant with Inca runes printed on its head appeared and clacked its jaws together (ATK/700 DEF/1300). "Now I tune Fire Ant Ascator to Cyber Dragon." Fire Ant Ascator's body faded away until three stars remained, which turned into circles and surrounded Cyber Dragon. The stronger monster faded away until five stars were left and a column of light engulfed them. "I Synchro Summon Sun Dragon Inti!" A golden stone carving of the sun appeared on the field and from it emerged four identical red dragon heads (ATK/3000 DEF/2800).

"Attack Black Luster Soldier — Envoy of the Beginning!" Sun Dragon Inti opened all four mouths and a quartet of flames streams forward and spiraled toward his target. Black Luster Soldier — Envoy of the Beginning lowered his sword and held his shield out. The fire blast collided with his protective weapon as he readied his sword behind him. The blade began to glow magenta and while the fires continued to rain down, the knight took up his stance. Then as soon as his weapon was charged, he lowered his shield, exposing himself to the flames, and swung his sword, firing a wave of magenta energy from the blade. It cut through the flames and struck Sun Dragon Inti's center. The solar relic began to crack and then shattered, taking out the four dragon heads with it. At the same time, Black Luster Soldier — Envoy of the Beginning fell from the flames. However, all was not yet over as fragments from Sun Dragon Inti's body continued to float in the air.

"When Inti dies in battle, he destroys the monster that destroyed him and inflicts half of its attack points to its owner," Mikey explained. The fragments fell from the sky and bombarded Noah.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3400

**Noah:** 5500

––––––––––––

"Clever move," Noah complimented. He drew his card. "I set one monster and end my turn."

Mikey drew his card. "Mist Archfiend, attack!" He placed his card on his Duel Disk and a cloud of mist gathered and formed into a black and red demon (ATK/2400 DEF/0). He watched as it faded back into mist and moved across the field before a single claw reached out, grabbed Noah's facedown, and squeezed the life out of it. What it turned out to be was some kind of mechanical jar (ATK/900 DEF/900).

"That was my Cyber Jar." Noah grinned. "And now for its effect. First, it destroys every monster on the field." Cyber Jar's face slid away and began to pull everything inside it like a black hole. Mist Archfiend was quickly absorbed and Cyber Jar itself imploded. "Next we pick up the top five cards from our decks and Special Summon any level four or lower monsters either in face-up attack mode or facedown defense mode. The rest of the cards then go to our hands." Mikey and Noah took their five cards at the same time.

"You really milk this whole Traditional Format thing, don't you?" Mikey asked.

"I wouldn't call it milking," Noah corrected. "My deck isn't made completely out of banned cards. I summon four monsters." He placed Flare Resonator (ATK/300 DEF/1300), Gearfried the Iron Knight (ATK/1800 DEF/1600), Sinister Serpent (ATK/300 DEF/250), and Tribe-Infecting Virus (ATK/1600 DEF/1000).

"I place one monster facedown." Mikey looked at the field. The banned cards in Noah's deck were giving him an unfair advantage. Despite this however, he was determined to defeat him one way or another. He re-examined the other four cards he had received thanks to Cyber Jar and took two of them. "I'll end with two facedowns."

"My turn." Noah drew his card. "I now tune Flare Resonator to Gearfried the Iron Knight." Flare Resonator struck its tuning fork and faded away into three stars, which turned into rings and encircled Gearfried the Iron Knight. The armored warrior's body vanished, leaving only four stars which were swallowed up by a light. "Come forth, Dark Strike Fighter!" A great brown robot resembling a jet-based Transformer appeared with motors grinding and turbines roaring (ATK/2600 DEF/1800).

"Sorry Noah, but it's not staying." Mikey revealed one of his two facedown cards. "I activate Compulsory Evacuation Device, sending your monster back to your hand. Or in this case, your Extra Deck." A large machine appeared and captured Dark Strike Fighter within it. It then took aim and fired, launching the mechanical war fighter into the sky.

"Clever move," Noah commented. "I'll end with a facedown."

"My turn then." Mikey drew his card. "I sacrifice my facedown monster and summon Majestic Mech — Goryu." An angelic mechanical white dragon descended from the sky with its body joined together by golden fire and roared (ATK/1900 DEF/1800). "Now for my facedown, Forbidden Chalice. This boosts my monster's attack points by three hundred and negates his effect for this turn." Majestic Mech — Goryu drank from the cup that had been placed before it and its flames flared up as its attack points rose to thirty-two hundred. "Attack Tribe-Infecting Virus! Majestic Blaze!" The great angel dragon opened its mouth and launched a torrent of golden flames upon the plague monster, wiping it out instantly.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3400

**Noah:** 3900

––––––––––––

"I'll set this facedown and end my turn." As soon as Mikey's turn ended, Majestic Mech — Goryu's attack points returned to twenty-nine hundred. However, thanks to the effect nullifying effect of Forbidden Chalice, it did not go to the graveyard and thus remained on the field.

"I draw." Noah looked as his card and cackled childishly.

"What's so funny?" asked Mikey.

"I'm just picturing the look on your face when you find out what's about to happen. I play Metamorphosis. Here's how this card works. By tributing one monster, I can Special Summon one Fusion Monster that's the same level as that monster. So I tribute Sinister Serpent and summon Thousand-Eyes Restrict!" The green winged snake twitched and twisted, but it soon stopped as it suddenly expanded exponentially in size and turned into a dull purplish crimson. Arms began to grow as a torso started to form. A circular mouth with long dagger-like teeth appeared with two glowing green eyes just above it. A large protective shell appeared over each shoulder as curved teeth appeared out of the thing's cheeks and claws emerged from the arms. An abnormal extremity started growing out of the monster's forehead and from the end emerged a golden sphere with the Eye of Wdjat carved onto it. This was the creature's true head. Then just as it seemed that the metamorphosis was complete, eyes opened up all over its body (ATK/0 DEF/0).

"That's one ugly monster," Gabe muttered.

"Oh, I know!" Max replied, "It's absolutely hideous!"

"As long as Thousand-Eyes Restrict is on the field, no other monster can attack or change Battle Positions. Now here's the great part. Thousand-Eyes Restrict, go and eat." The grotesque monster began inhaling and Majestic Mech — Goryu was caught in its pull. Unable to resist, it was sucked up into Thousand-Eyes Restrict.

"My monster! Where'd it go?" asked Mikey.

"It's right there," Noah cackled as he pointed at his monster. Mikey looked and watched as Majestic Mech — Goryu's head emerged from Thousand-Eyes Restrict's body along with a part of a wing and half of its tail. "Once per turn, I can equip Thousand-Eyes Restrict with one monster you control with a limit of only one. Then my monster gains its attack and defense points." A loud screech emanated from Noah's monster as its attack points became twenty-nine hundred and its defense points became eighteen hundred.

"Your field is empty. I have your monster equipped to mine and with its power, I will destroy you!" Noah cried out. "YOU CAN'T WIN!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Saito's duel against Roman's Gladiator Beasts continues. Meanwhile, Mikey continues to struggle against the terrifying power of Noah's Traditional Format deck. Armed with some of the most powerful cards ever released, the boy genius pushes his opponent to the very edge. Will Mikey be able to defeat him? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	86. Chaotic Colosseum

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-45**

**Chaotic Colosseum**

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3400

**Noah:** 3900

––––––––––––

Mikey stood staring at the field. Noah had summoned a banned monster known as Thousand-Eyes Restrict (ATK/0 DEF/0) and had used its effect to steal his Majestic Mech - Goryu (ATK/2900 DEF/1800) and now the great divine dragon was part of the foul creature's body, granting it its attack and defensive power. His only possible defense was the facedown card he had. Noah held six cards in his hand while Mikey only had two. The boy genius had the clear advantage.

"You seem at a loss," Noah pointed out, "I suppose that's to be expected when your monster is used to feed and power my own. Well, I suppose I can always put an end to it quickly. Thousand-Eyes Restrict, attack directly!" The multi-eyed abomination turned its gazes on Mikey and began to build up golden flames in its throat.

"It's not happening." Mikey revealed his facedown. "I activate Skill Drain! Now by paying one thousand Life Points, all monster effects are negated."

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2400

**Noah:** 3900

––––––––––––

"Wait. So that means..." Noah paled and turned his eyes toward his Thousand-Eyes Restrict. Its magic had been drained, leaving only a hollow shell with blanked-out eyes as its attack and defense points were reduced to zero. The golden blaze that had been building up in its throat had faded, leaving Thousand-Eyes Restrict the only option of firing a single thin beam from its main eye that dealt no damage to Mikey. "Damn it!"

"Looks like your attack was just rendered useless." The brunet watched as the boy in front of him took a card from his hand and played it.

"Fine! I don't need Thousand-Eyes Restrict for this. I play Graceful Charity. First this card lets me draw three cards." Noah drew the top three cards from his deck. "Then I can send any two cards from my hand to my graveyard." He selected two of his cards and placed them inside his graveyard. "Looks like I'm ending with a facedown."

"Then I draw." Mikey drew his card and smiled. "I summon Beast King Barbaros!" His massive liontaur appeared and roared (ATK/3000 DEF/1800). "Normally, Barbaros only gets nineteen hundred attack if I summon him without a tribute. But Skill Drain negates this. And since he's going to attack your zero-point monster, you're going to take a lot of damage here. Barbaros, attack!"

"Not if I activate this." Noah revealed his facedown. "Crush Card Virus. And I'll infect my Thousand-Eyes Restrict."

"Oh that's not good."

"It usually never is for my opponent when for the next three turns all their monsters with fifteen hundred or more attack points in their hands, on their fields, or in their next draws are destroyed." Beast King Barbaros impaled Thousand-Eyes Restrict with his lance. However, instead of exploding the thousand-eyed abomination instead burst into a purple cloud that shrouded the entire field. Beast King Barbaros roared loudly as he dropped his weapons and died.

"Guess I'll end there."

"Good choice." Noah drew his card. "Now on my Standby Phase, if Sinister Serpent is in my graveyard, I can add it to my hand." His Duel Disk ejected the one-star monster from his graveyard and he placed it into his hand. "Now I think we can do without that Skill Drain, so I'm going to destroy it with this card: Harpie's Feather Duster. This card can destroy every Spell and Trap card on your side of the field." A large feather appeared and swept Mikey's entire back row, clearing out his Skill Drain. "I'll set a monster and then play Card of Safe Return, which lets me draw each time a monster is Special Summoned from my graveyard. Now that that's been said, I end my turn."

"I draw now." Mikey drew his card.

"Show me," Noah called out. Mikey complied and revealed his card to be Oracle of the Sun. "It's fine."

"Since you have a monster on the field and I don't, I can Special Summon Oracle of the Sun. So I'll bring him out in defense mode." Mikey placed the card sideways on his Duel Disk and brought out an Inca man in ceremonial garb (ATK/1000 DEF/2000) who knelt down and held his staff defensively in front of him. "That ends my turn."

Noah drew his card. As things stood now, there was not much he could do so he decided to pass his turn.

Mikey then drew and revealed it to be Supay. "I summon Supay in attack mode." A mask of the Inca king of the underworld appeared (ATK/300 DEF/100). "Now I tune Supay to Oracle of the Sun." The mask vanished and a single star remained that turned into a green ring and surrounded Oracle of the Sun. The Inca man disappeared leaving behind a column of five stars. A light engulfed them and from it emerged a glowing blue stone moon carving. "I Synchro Summon Moon Dragon Quilla." Four blue dragon heads emerged from the moon and roared (ATK/2500 DEF/2000). "Attack!" Moon Dragon Quilla opened her mouths and fired four beams of moonlight that spiraled together into one and blasted away at Noah's monster.

"You destroyed my Nimble Momonga," the boy declared, "I get one thousand Life Points and then I get to summon two more from my deck in facedown defense position."

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2400

**Noah:** 4900

––––––––––––

Noah's Duel Disk ejected two cards and he took then and placed them facedown on the field before his deck was shuffled.

"Mikey, be careful. I think I know what he's planning," Sammie cautioned.

"He's reimbursing his Life Points for some reason," Mikey said in acknowledgement before turning back to Noah, "I end my turn." At that moment, the viral cloud lingering on the field vanished signifying the end of the Crush Card Virus' effect duration.

"Then I draw." Noah picked up the top card of his deck and looked at it. "I set a Field Spell facedown and end my turn." Mikey looked at the card on the far right of him and wondered what it was.

"Mikey, I know for sure what he's planning now," Sammie warned now fully aware of the boy's plan.

"I draw." Mikey drew and looked at his card. "I summon Mist Archfiend without a tribute." A second Mist Archfiend appeared on the field in a cloud of icy-cold mist and hissed (ATK/2400 DEF/0). "Mist Archfiend, attack the left card." The cold demon disappeared and the mist floated over before a single arm reached out and crushed the facedown Nimble Momonga in its claws.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2400

**Noah:** 5900

––––––––––––

"Quilla, attack the other one!" Another helix of moonlight shot down and destroyed Noah's other facedown Nimble Momonga.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2400

**Noah:** 6900

––––––––––––

"Now I activate Mystik Wok from my hand and I'll use it to reinforce my Life Points by Mist Archfiend's attack points." Mist Archfiend was scooped up into the giant magical wok, stir fried, and then poured onto Mikey.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4800

**Noah:** 6900

––––––––––––

"And now I'm done."

"I draw." Noah drew. "I activate my facedown Field Spell, Mausoleum of the Emperor!" A large stone structure rose up around the field and Mikey found himself standing on a bridge suspended over a pit filled with Terra Cotta statues. "With this in play, we can both sacrifice Life Points in increments of a thousand in place of monsters to Tribute Summon. So now I'll pay two thousand Life Points to summon Light and Darkness Dragon!"

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4800

**Noah:** 4900

––––––––––––

As Noah's Life Points went down, two statues rose up from the pit and were vaporized into sand. Then he placed his card on his Duel Disk and from the heavens descended a dragon with two tails. Its right half was white like the clouds of heaven with a white angel wing while the other was black as obsidian with a leathery bat wing (ATK/2800 DEF/2400). "Light and Darkness Dragon, attack Moon Dragon Quilla!"

"Quilla's effect activates!" announced Mikey. "If she's the selected attack target, I gain Life Points equal to half of the attacking monster. Moon Dragon Quilla began to glow, but then suddenly Noah intervened.

"By my dragon's effect can negate it this turn," he retaliated, "at the cost of losing five hundred attack points." A pulse of darkness emanated from Light and Darkness Dragon and stopped Moon Dragon Quilla's glowing. In doing so, its attack points dropped to twenty-three hundred.

"Even though your dragon's effect negated mine, its attack still resumes." As if in response, Light and Darkness Dragon fired a beam of white light from its mouth at Moon Dragon Quilla who countered and intercepted with her moonlight helix, breaking through the light beam and striking down Light and Darkness Dragon.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4800

**Noah:** 4700

––––––––––––

"Now for my dragon's other effect!" Noah announced. "I can choose a monster in my graveyard and then nuke my entire side of the field. Then my chosen monster gets Special Summoned." He ejected a single card from his graveyard and picked it up. "I pick Thousand-Eyes Restrict." A pulse of light and darkness erupted from the place where Light and Darkness Dragon fell and destroyed the Mausoleum of the Emperor, returning the field to its default state. Then from the point where the wave emerged, Thousand-Eyes Restrict returned to the field, blinking away any remaining dust before unleashing a hypnotic wave across the entire field.

"Since you Special Summoned a monster, I'll bring discard a card to Special Summon Dragon Ice." Mikey sent Dragon Ice from his hand to his graveyard and then brought it back out again in defense mode, summoning his masked ice-blue dragon with black wings (ATK/1800 DEF/2200).

"That won't matter because I'm taking Moon Dragon Quilla." Noah pointed and Thousand-Eyes Restrict began to inhale. It sucked in Moon Dragon Quilla and before long its heads appeared out of its body with the moon embedded just above the mouth. "She's mine now. Taken from you just like everything was taken from me."

"Okay Noah, that's enough!" Mikey shouted, which was very uncharacteristic of him, "Talk! What have you been planning all this time?"

"You really want to know?" Noah asked, "I'll tell you. I want justice."

"What do you mean justice?" Mikey questioned.

"That one sin that everybody overlooks. When an individual torments those weaker than him."

"Huh?"

"I think he means bullying, bro!" Gabe called out.

Mikey thought about it. That actually made quite a lot of sense. It explained why Noah was always accusing people of picking on him. However, that still left a lot of questions unanswered.

"So what are you planning to do?"

"With the Duel Energy I've collected, I'm going to construct tool with which I will use to wipe out the bullies of this world."

"You mean kill them all?" Mikey asked.

"Total extermination." The brunet couldn't believe his ears. The small child in front of him was talking about committing an act very similar to mass genocide. Hate dripped from every one of Noah's words as he spoke. "Ever since I was little, I've had to endure the pain and suffering at the hands of those beasts. Everywhere I went I couldn't turn my back for fear of being caught by them. They put me through unspeakable tortures. All for their own sick and twisted pleasure."

"Couldn't you have gone to an adult and talked to them?" inquired Mikey.

"And adult? Pffft! Don't make me laugh!" Noah scoffed. "Yes, I did approach them. But they never did anything. The worst 'punishment' they gave was a talk. A bloody talk!"

"Can you believe this kid?" Coltyn asked.

"You know if it wasn't for Sammie, Mikey might've turned out like this kid," Gabe brought up. That suddenly got Mikey thinking. He had also been bullied a lot in his school life. As far back as he could remember, the other kids always used to pick on him. And every time it happened, Sammie was always there to protect him.

"Words can't solve anything," Noah rambled on, "Imprisonment only does so much. The only true way to ensure they never sin again is through execution."

"Noah, listen to yourself for a second!" Mikey called out. "You're talking about mass murder."

"Bullies can never learn!" Noah screamed. "The only way to make sure they don't do it again is if they can't! And the only way to ensure that is to exterminate them all!"

"Noah, listen to me." Mikey tried to maintain a calm voice and a cool composure as he began to speak to the boy. "I was bullied a lot too. When I was your age, the bigger kids would beat me up, steal my lunch money, and publicly humiliate me. Every day I would cry when I got home. I wanted to tell the teachers so badly, but they threatened to beat me up even more if I did."

"So...you were a victim too?" Noah asked, his tone no longer angry, but full of sympathy and understanding. Mikey nodded in response.

"Yeah."

"Then why do you want them to live?" Noah demanded, the vengeance back in his voice, "They tortured you! They shouldn't deserve to exist! Why are you protecting them?"

"Because they're still human! And like or not, they deserve to live just as much as you or I do!"

"That's a load of dog mess!"

"Noah, even if you want them all dead, it's not your place to decide who lives and who dies. You're not God."

"Of course I know I'm not God. But what has God done for me? Has He come to save me when I needed Him the most? What about the others? Has He answered their prayers for help? I'm sorry, Mikey, but if I were God I would not stand idly by and watch as kids got tortured every day. Someone has to do something and I'm taking action. I will save them all. I will be a saviour to all the victims."

"A savior?"

"A saviour!"

"Okay, now that's just being 'holier than thou'."

"I am not holier than thou! I'm just doing what any decent person SHOULD do!"

"Killing people is not decent!"

"For the sake of the greater good, it is. Anyway, are we going to continue this duel or not?"

"If you're not gonna listen to reason, Noah, then I'll just have to win this game," Mikey declared.

"We'll see," said Noah, "Too bad this is my second Main Phase so I can't attack with Thousand-Eyes Restrict. But next turn I will. Make your move."

Mikey's chances of defeating Noah's Thousand-Eyes Restrict a second time were slim. His Dragon Ice was stuck in defense position and even if he could switch it, the multi-eyed abomination had twenty-five hundred attack points thanks to absorbing Moon Dragon Quilla. He knew he could always negate its effect, but he had to draw the right card. He slowly placed his hand on top of his deck and drew.

"Well Mikey, did you get the card you needed?" asked Noah.

Mikey looked at his card. "Yes, I did. I activate Forbidden Chalice. This gives a monster four hundred attack points. But it also negates its effect."

"It won't help. Dragon Ice can't attack anyway," Noah reminded his opponent.

"I'm not giving it to Dragon Ice," Mikey corrected, "I'm using it on Thousand-Eyes Restrict!" A golden chalice appeared in front of Thousand-Eyes Restrict and it reached out and grabbed it.

"No, don't drink that!" shouted Noah. However, his words went unheard as the sweet nectar poured into the beast's mouth. Thousand-Eyes Restrict suddenly shuddered violently as the heads of Moon Dragon Quilla turned to stone and it slumped down, its attack points reduced to a mere four hundred. Its eyes closed, causing the hypnotic wave to cease.

"Now I switch Dragon Ice into attack mode." Mikey turned his card upright. "Attack Thousand-Eyes Restrict!" Dragon Ice began flapping its wings and a hailstorm of icicles rained down on Thousand-Eyes Restrict, impaling every eye until the abomination perished.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4800

**Noah:** 3300

––––––––––––

"Nice!" Gabe cheered.

"Fabulous move, Mikey!" Max called out. Coltyn nodded his acknowledgement and Sammie just smiled. Mikey felt his cheeks turn red, but he turned his attention back on Noah. "Noah, let's stop this now, please."

o o o

––––––––––––

**Saito:** 2600

**Roman:** 8000

––––––––––––

Saito stood in the office facing Roman, who had Gladiator Beast Heraklinos (ATK/3000 DEF/2800) on the field while he had nothing. Both Duelists held one card each and the latter had just recently completed his Battle Phase.

"That will be all for now," Roman announced.

"Then it's my turn again." Saito drew his card. This was not looking good. Roman's Life Points were completely untouched and he had his strongest monster on the field. Saito only had two cards. Nothing he had would be able to destroy it. Nothing yet anyway. He took the card he just drew and set it. "I set one card and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn again." Roman drew his card. "And I summon Gladiator Beast Beastiari." For the second time in that duel, the green bird man appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/800). "Gladiator Beast Heraklinos, attack directly." Gladiator Beast Heraklinos raised his halberd and swung it down at Saito.

"I activate Defense Draw. This reduces the Battle Damage I take to zero and lets me draw one card." The halberd was deflected by a barrier that surrounded Saito as he took a card from his deck and added it to his hand.

"I suppose I will end my turn there then," said Roman.

_He didn't attack with Gladiator Beast Beastiari_, Saito noted, _That must mean he's planning to Fusion Summon Gladiator Beast Gyzarus again. I can't let that happen._ He drew his card and looked at his hand. An idea formed and he nodded to himself.

"First I summon Dragunity Dux." Another bird man taskmaster appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/1000). "Next I use his effect to equip him with Dragunity Phalanx from my graveyard." A bronze diamond-tipped two-pronged spear appeared in Dragunity Dux's free hand. "Now I Special Summon Dragunity Phalanx!" The spear was stuck into the ground and transformed into a blue dragon in bronze armor (ATK/500 DEF/1100). "Now I tune them together and summon Dragunity Knight - Vajuranda!" Dragunity Phalanx disappeared leaving only two stars that turned into rings that surrounded Dragunity Dux, causing the latter to fade away until four stars remained. A light engulfed them and from the radiance emerged a bird man in brilliant red armor holding a lance riding a dark dragon im matching armor (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). "And with his effect, I'll equip him with Dragunity Darkspear." A blackspear rose up from the ground and the bird man grabbed it.

"Now I use Vajuranda's effect. By sending one card equipped to him to the graveyard, I can double his attack points until the End Phase." Saito sent Dragunity Darkspear back to his graveyard and Dragunity Knight - Vajuranda's attack points rose up to thirty-six hundred.

––––––––––––

**Saito:** 2600

**Roman:** 7200

––––––––––––

"That's all for this turn." Saito was glad that Gladiator Beast Heraklinos was dead. And now he just had to take care of the rest of his opponent's Extra Deck. In the meantime, Dragunity Knight - Vajuranda returned to its original nineteen hundred attack points.

"Then I draw." Roman drew his card. Despite the fact that his strongest monster had been destroyed, he seemed abnormally calm. "I shall place Gladiator Beast Beastiari into defense position and set this card facedown. That will end my turn."

Saito drew. Finally, his solution had come. "I sacrifice Dragunity Knight - Vajuranda in order to summon Dragunity Primus Pilus." Dragunity Knight - Vajuranda vanished and in its place a tall bird man in red wielding a whip appeared (ATK/2200 DEF/1600). "When he's summoned, I can choose a Winged Beast and equip it with a Dragunity Dragon from my deck and I choose my other Dragunity Phalanx." A bronze two-pronged spear appeared in Dragunity Primus Pilus' hand. However, it was quickly thrown away as Saito summoned it to the field in its dragon form. "Now I tune Phalanx to Primus Pilus." Two green rings encircled five shining stars and a light consumed them all.

"I summon Dragunity Knight - Trident!" A bird man in blue armor flew onto the field riding a black dragon in matching armor with a helmet that had been equipped with two horns plus a spearhead on its nose (ATK/2400 DEF/1700). "Next I play Pot of Avarice. So now I'll send both copies of Dragunity Dux, Dragunity Darkspear, Dragunity Primus Pilus, and my Blue-Eyes White Dragon back to my deck, shuffle, and draw two cards. He placed all five cards into his deck and watched as his Duel Disk shuffled them. Then he placed his hand on top and drew two cards. All the cards in his hand were now exactly what he needed. "I set three cards facedown."

"Three cards?" Roman raised an eyebrow.

"And now I activate Dragunity Knight - Trident's effect." Saito began his explanation. "By sending up to three cards I control to the graveyard, I can look at your Extra Deck and send that number of cards to your graveyard." The bird man jumped off his mount's back and slashed all three facedowns with his weapon. Then as he flew back into the saddle, the dragon's helmet sparkled wildly and a bolt of lightning was fired from the horns and spearhead striking Roman's Duel Disk. At that moment, his Extra Deck was projected. Saito smirked when he saw that all he had were Gladiator Beast Gyzarus and two additional copies of Gladiator Beast Heraklinos. He then had all three of them sent to the graveyard.

"You have no more fusions to work with," Saito declared. "Now Dragunity Knight - Trident, attack Gladiator Beast Beastiari!" The dragon spread its wings across the field. It impaled Gladiator Beast Beastiari with its horns and promptly returned to its side of the field. "I end my turn."

"You've impressed me, young Mr. Kaiba." Roman drew his card. "However I cannot guarantee that it will be enough. First I summon Gladiator Beast Dimacari in attack mode." An anthropomorphic water buffalo appeared on the field in high-tech armor (ATK/1600 DEF/1200). "Next I equip it with the Gladiator Beast's Battle Manica, which prevents it from being destroyed in battle." A rather flexible armguard was equipped to Gladiator Beast Dimacari's right arm and he flexed it while clenching his fist. "Attack Dragunity Knight - Trident." The water buffalo charged and slammed his newly-armored fist against the dragon's hide, but the resulting impact bounced back in the form of a shockwave at Roman.

––––––––––––

**Saito:** 2600

**Roman:** 6400

––––––––––––

"I end my Battle Phase, which means Gladiator Beast Dimacari returns to my deck." Gladiator Beast Dimacari vanished and the Battle Manica clattered to the floor. "And now Gladiator Beast's Battle Manica's effect activates. If the monster it was equipped to returned to my deck, it comes back to my hand." Right on cue, the manica vanished and Roman removed the card from his Spell and Trap slot. "And now Gladiator Beast Dimacari's effect summons Gladiator Beast Alexander." An anthropomorphic lion appeared on the field wearing golden armor with large wings and roared (ATK/2400 DEF/600). At that moment, one of the lines of the Colosseum lit up.

"What's that?" Saito inquired.

"That is one of the Colosseum's counters," answered Roman, "It gains one each time a monster is Special Summoned from either deck. For each counter on my Field Spell card, my Gladiator Beasts gain one hundred attack points."

"Then why aren't Gladiator Beast Alexander's attack points going up?"

"Gladiator Beast Alexander is unaffected by Spell Cards when he is Special Summoned. I'll end my turn now." As soon as Roman's turn was over, Gladiator Beast Alexander's immunity to Spell Cards wore off and his attack points rose to twenty-five hundred.

"I draw then." Saito drew his card and looked around. Gladiator Beast Alexander would destroy his monster for sure. His card would not do much, but he set it anyway and ended his turn.

Roman drew his card. "Gladiator Beast Alexander, attack." A set of claws unsheathed themselves from Gladiator Beast Alexander's wings and began to glow yellow before a set of golden lasers shot out and blasted Dragunity Knight - Trident.

––––––––––––

**Saito:** 2500

**Roman:** 6400

––––––––––––

"And now Alexander returns to my deck." Gladiator Beast Alexander vanished from the field as Roman extracted a different card from his deck. "And in his place I summon Gladiator Beast Octavius." An anthropomorphic bald eagle appeared on the field and spread his wings to reveal his majestic golden armor and a staff he held (ATK/2500 DEF/1200). Upon his summoning, another line appeared in the Colosseum, which raised Gladiator Beast Octavius' attack points to twenty-seven hundred. "That ends my turn."

Saito drew his card. This was his only hope now. "I play Future Fusion. And with this card, I'm sending my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons to my graveyard. Then in two turns, my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon appears."

_This is unfortunate_, thought Roman, _I'll have to end this quickly_. When his turn came, he drew his card. "Gladiator Beast Octavius, attack."

"I activate Defense Draw." Once again, a barrier protected Saito and he drew a new card.

"I end my Battle Phase and in order to keep Gladiator Beast Octavius on the field, I discard one card." Roman took a card from his hand and placed it in his graveyard. "I now equip Gladiator Beast Octavius with Gladiator Beast's Battle Manica." The manica appeared on Gladiator Beast Octavius' right arm and the businessman ended his turn.

Saito drew his card. "You're lucky you have that manica equipped. However, if Octavius is like all the others, he'll return to the deck if he's just attacked. And with no cards in your hand right now, he's definitely not staying. Especially when I can do that with this: Dragon's Mirror." He played his card and removed his Blue-Eyes White Dragon's from play. A mirror appeared on the field and absorbed the dragons. After a few seconds, a giant three-headed Blue-Eyes White Dragon emerged (ATK/4500 DEF/3800). "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack Gladiator Beast Octavius! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Burst!" The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon charged up three Burst Streams and fired them at once, spiralling them together into a single blast that struck Gladiator Beast Octavius.

––––––––––––

**Saito:** 2500

**Roman:** 4600

––––––––––––

Gladiator Beast Octavius was blasted back into Roman's deck and the Battle Manica was returned to his hand.

"And one facedown just in case. Your move."

Roman drew his card. It was not even a monster card, so he couldn't even defend himself. So he ended his turn, prompting Saito to draw his. At that moment, Future Fusion kicked in and a second Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon appeared.

"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack!" On Saito's orders, the first dragon fired its Ultimate Burst at Roman directly.

––––––––––––

**Saito:** 2500

**Roman:** 100

––––––––––––

"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, end it now!" The second dragon lurched forward and fired its own attack.

––––––––––––

**Saito:** 2500

**Roman:** 0

––––––––––––

With the duel over, the Duel Disks' projectors shut down and the holograms finished. Saito then walked over to Roman. "Now then Roman, I believe you have a lot of explaining to do."

o o o

"Stop? While all those bastards still live?" Noah looked at Mikey with a feral look in his red eye and a vengeful one in his blue eye. "No. No way."

"Noah, not everyone is the same," Mikey protested.

"Mikey, you're just like me. A victim. So tell me why do you defend them? WHY?" Noah demanded.

"Because they're still people too. And everybody deserves a chance to live," Mikey answered.

"People? You call those monsters _people_? No, calling them monsters is much too complimentary." Noah clenched his fist. "They're abominations and I won't stop until every single one of them is dead. I'll liberate this entire world of this plague. I'll free it from all the suffering and pain. I'm the only one who can do it since no one else will." He drew his card. "Once I win this duel, I'll use the Duel Energy to complete my plan and finally justice will be served." He looked at his card and smiled.

"And this card will see to my victory. I remove from play Light and Darkness Dragon and Makyura the Destructor from my graveyard and summon my most powerful monster."

"Mikey! Be careful!" Sammie called out.

"Annihilate! I summon you, Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End!" White and black fires of light and darkness ignited and surrounded the field. They spiraled toward the center of battlefield and erupted into a powerful explosion of chaos from which emerged an enormous green dragon, its body covered with golden armor that allowed it great flexibility. A pair of black jagged horns adorned its head and a mane of long orange hair flowed from the back down to its wings (ATK/3000 DEF/2500).

"Behold, Mikey. The strongest monster in all of Duel Monsters. With his effect, I could easily wipe the field of every card on it. But why should I do that now when there are better times to use it." Noah pointed at Mikey's monster. "Chaos Emperor Dragon, destroy Dragon Ice! Chaos Inferno of the Damned!" Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End opened its mouth and blasted a chaotic blaze at Dragon Ice. The frigid creature's body melted before the flames made contact and its mask, armor, and wings were incinerated.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3600

**Noah:** 3300

––––––––––––

"You have no cards in your hand and with my Chaos Emperor Dragon on the field, your chances of victory are about to go up in flames!" Noah wiped his thumb across his nose and curled his lips back into a maniacal grin.

"You can't defeat the power of chaos!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

* * *

**Next Week on**_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

It's the season finale! The climactic showdown between Mikey and Noah comes to its conclusion. Against all odds, the young teen must defeat the unstoppable chaos deck and stop the boy genius from achieving his goal. You don't want to miss the season finale next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	87. Chaos' End: Tears of a Broken Child

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with one of my friends, Comic Master Alpha.

* * *

**EPISODE 2-46**

**Chaos' End: Tears of a Broken Child**

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4800

**Noah:** 3300

––––––––––––

Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End (ATK/3000 DEF/2500) roared as it stared down at Mikey who had no cards on the field or in his hand. Noah had six cards fanned out in his hand and was grinning diabolically in the wake of his monster's last attack. The searing flames that lingered on the field slowly died down, but left a horrid charred stench in the air.

"Looks like it's your move now," Noah said, "but I doubt you can defeat my Chaos Emperor Dragon if you're top-decking." And then he began to laugh.

o o o

"Well young Mr. Kaiba, you won," Roman congratulated, "As a man of my word, I shall now explain everything to you."

"Then start talking," Saito demanded.

Roman slid his hands daintily down his lapel and sighed. "It is quite simple, Mr. Kaiba, I am going to resurrect a god, one that died five thousand years before its time." Saito's eyebrown arched up in surprise and confusion. He remembered hearing fairy tales and stories from his father about these kinds of things, but never really believed them.

"Yes," Roman continued, cracking a smile at Saito's confusion, "I helped set this tournament up with the express purpose of gaining enough Duel Energy for a revival ritual. The blueprints for the storage device were easy enough to find after I looked into the details of the Professor Viper incident sixteen years ago. Amazing that a simple school teacher had come up with such a wonderful piece of technology just to aid an angry Duel Spirit." Roman paused and looked Saito in the eyes from behind the steely glare of his glasses. Saito felt a deep chill down to his soul, balling up his fist tight and digging his nails into his palm.

"Of course knowing what I needed and being able to create it were two completely different things. I needed an engineer to design this, but more importantly I needed an innocent. Mystic rituals are so much more effective when you corrupt an innocent, don't you agree?" Roman smiled and slid his fingers into his lapel pockets. "So I was ecstatic to find that Kaiyou boy. He had been through some rough times in his life and was a prodigy at the orphanage I found him. Funny thing about geniuses is that they think they are so smart that they can't be outwittted. I simply told him that his work on this project would eliminate all bullies and create world peace or some such nonsense, I really don't care at this juncture.

"Once I had my machine built, though, it was a simple matter of sending out the invitations, using some legal loopholes to force students of Duel Academy to come here, placing my own agents on the island to ensure high energy duels at a quick rate, and feeding the ego of that little brat. What I didn't anticipate one of my associates coming with his own men. It all worked out for the best, though. I did win, after all." Roman smiled, turning his back to Saito and laughing lightly to himself.

"Until I stopped you." Saito snapped coldly.

"Yes. You stopped me. Woe is me for my plan was foiled by a teenager. What shall I do?" Roman mocked.

"Don't talk down to me Roman. You lost. And now that that's done, it's time I take care of some business. On my father's behalf Roman, you're fired. As for me, I'm off to put an end this myself."

"Now hold on just a moment, young Mr. Kaiba." Saito stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at Roman.

"What is it now?"

"Well, I did promise you a complete explanation if you defeated me," Roman began as he slowly reached for his shirt sleeve cuff, "However, I never said that you would remember it." He unbuttoned his cuff and pulled it back to expose a black bracelet that suddenly illuminated the room in crimson light.

"What's going on?" Saito asked as everything blacked out.

o o o

––––––––––––

**Saito:** 2600

**Roman:** 8000

––––––––––––

Saito stood in the office facing Roman, who had Gladiator Beast Heraklinos (ATK/3000 DEF/2800) on the field while he had nothing. Both Duelists held one card each and the latter had just recently completed his Battle Phase.

"That will be all for now," Roman announced.

"Then it's my turn again." Saito drew his card. This was not looking good. Roman's Life Points were completely untouched and he had his strongest monster on the field. Saito only had two cards. Nothing he had would be able to destroy it. Nothing yet anyway. He took the card he just drew and set it. "I set one card and end my turn."

"My turn now." Roman drew his card. "Gladiator Beast Heraklinos, attack."

"I activate Defense Draw!" Saito revealed his facedown and a barrier rose up and blocked Gladiator Beast Heraklinos' halberd.

"And I activate Gladiator Beast Heraklinos' effect." Roman took a card from his hand. "By discarding one card, I can negate the activation of a Spell or Trap Card during either player's turn." He placed Gladiator Beast Beastiari in his graveyard and watched as Gladiator Beast Heraklinos withdrew his halberd, brought his shield forward, and began blasting the barrier with the cannons. The protective dome shattered and Saito was left wide open. The great gladiator swung his halberd once again and chopped down on Saito.

––––––––––––

**Saito:** 0

**Roman:** 8000

––––––––––––

The images slowly vanished as Saito collapsed onto his knees in complete and utter defeat.

_I...I lost..._, he thought to himself,_ And Roman doesn't even have a scratch on his Life Points... How could this have happened?_

"It doesn't matter how skilled you are, young Mr. Kaiba," Roman said as he stood over Saito, "there are just some foes you can't beat." He pushed up his glasses. "Now then, I have a helicopter waiting for me. And tell your father that I officially submit my resignation from the Kaiba Corporation." He placed an envelope containing his letter of resignation on the floor in front of Saito and walked away with his hands clasped behind his back.

o o o

"Alright, here I go." Mikey drew his card and cringed. This monster would have no chance against the mighty dragon. However, it was the only card he had so he had no choice but to play it or else face a direct attack. "I set one monster and end my turn."

"You can't keep defending forever." Noah drew his card. "Sooner or later, you'll draw a card that can't help you. But until then, Chaos Emperor Dragon, attack with Chaos Inferno of the Damned!" Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End opened its mouth and launched a blazing torrent of chaotic fire at Mikey's facedown, which turned out to be Majestic Mech – Senku (ATK/1000 DEF/500). "If you're hiding behind such a weak monster, you must truly be desperate." He looked at his hand in which he held seven cards. If he ended his turn now, he would have to discard one. He looked up at his monster. Despite the fact that Chaos Emperor Dragon was nigh unbeatable, there was always that possibility that it could still be killed. "I'll set a card and end my turn."

"My move now." Mikey drew his card and a look of hope appeared on his face. It was a long shot, but he did not have much of a choice. "I play Pot of Avarice. So now I can return five monsters from my graveyard to my deck, shuffle, and draw two cards." He selected Majestic Mech – Goryu, Cyber Dragon, Oracle of the Sun, Fire Ant Ascator, and Sun Dragon Inti. He placed the last card into his Extra Deck and the others back into his deck. He still continued to beat himself for forgetting to summon Inti when Moon Dragon Quilla was destroyed. He hoped now he would have a chance of bringing it back. However, his chances of drawing the cards he needed now were slim to non. Still, he watched as his deck was shuffled and his Life Points LED display was replaced with the words "DRAW TWO". Taking in a deep breath, he placed his fingers on his deck and drew the top two cards.

"Well Mikey, did you get the cards you need?" asked Noah.

Mikey did not answer. He fanned the cards out in his hand and slowly opened his eyes. When he saw them, tears of hope appeared and he whooped. "I Special Summon Cyber Dragon!" Once again, a silver serpentine dragon appeared on the field (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "Then I Normal Summon Fire Ant Ascator." His giant red ant appeared (ATK/700 DEF/1300). "Now I tune them together and summon Sun Dragon Inti." Mikey gambled and won. Now he watched as three green circles surrounded five stars and they were engulfed by a white light from white a golden sun carved into stone emerged with four red dragon heads attached to it by the base of their necks (ATK/3000 DEF/2800). "Attack Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End!"

"Are you bloody mad?" Noah demanded.

"If I wasn't, this would probably never work," Mikey replied quoting a line from one of his favorite movies as Sun Dragon Inti fired four streams of fire that spiraled into a single blast.

"They'll both be killed!"

"But thanks to Inti's effect, I'll be safe."

"His effect, you say." Noah rubbed his hand over his smooth hairless chin, "In that case, I'll stop your attack thereby preventing you from using that effect. Trap Card activate, Negate Attack!" A vortex opened up and swallowed up Sun Dragon Inti's fire. "And that also ends the Battle Phase. You might as well end your turn seeing as you have an empty hand."

"I guess, yeah," Mikey said in response.

"It's my turn then." Noah drew his card. "Well Mikey, it looks like I've won."

"What do you mean you've won?" Mikey asked curiously.

"I activate Monster Reborn and with it I'll resurrect Witch of the Black Forest." A purple-haired woman with three eyes in a black dress appeared on the field (ATK/1100 DEF/1200). "Next I activate Dian Keto the Cure Master to booster my Life Points by one thousand."

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4800

**Noah:** 4300

––––––––––––

"And now I'll activate Chaos Emperor Dragon's effect. By paying one thousand Life Points, I can destroy all cards on the field and in our hands. Then you take three hundred points of damage for every card destroyed this way."

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4800

**Noah:** 3300

––––––––––––

Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End lowered its head and began pouring fire onto the field itself. The scorching inferno obliterated the hands in Noah's deck, Sun Dragon Inti, Witch of the Black Forest, and Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the end himself.

"And that was eight cards," Noah pointed out, "That means you owe me nine cards' worth of damage." The residual flames on the field suddenly flared up around Mikey.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2400

**Noah:** 3300

––––––––––––

"Now thanks to Witch of the Black Forest's effect, I can bring one monster with fifteen hundred or less defense from my deck to my hand. And my card of choice is Yata-Garasu." Noah held the card in his hand and placed it on his Duel Disk. "Now I summon him in attack mode." A three-legged raven appeared on the field and cawed (ATK/200 DEF/100). "Attack, Yata-Garasu!" Yata-Garasu flapped its wings and flew over to Mikey. It pecked him on the head once and returned to Noah.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2200

**Noah:** 3300

––––––––––––

"Now since Yata-Garasu damaged you, that means you can't draw on your next turn. And with no cards in your hand, you're in a deadlock." Noah cackled as he ended his turn and Yata-Garasu, as a Spirit Monster, flew into his hand.

"My turn now." Mikey's deck was shut off from him, but he continued to face Noah. "Noah, there's something flawed with your plan. And that's in Sun Dragon Inti's and Moon Dragon Quilla's effects. When Inti dies, Quilla come back from the grave during the next Standby Phase." Right on cue, Moon Dragon Quilla rose up and roared (ATK/2500 DEF/2000). "Attack Noah directly!" The four heads charged up and fired beams of moonlight that spiraled into a single laser form and blasted away at Noah.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2200

**Noah:** 800

––––––––––––

"It's your turn now."

"No. How could I have let that happen?" Noah asked himself. "Alright, here I go! I'll make up for this. I draw." He drew his card. "And on my Standby Phase, Sinister Serpent returns." He retrieved the card from his Duel Disk. "Next I'll play Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards." He drew two new cards and added them to his hand. "I'll set this monster and end my turn."

"I draw then." Mikey drew and turned to the field. "Moon Dragon Quilla, attack!" Moon Dragon Quilla roared and fired a helix of moonlight that blasted away at Noah's facedown, which turned out to be a young fuchsia-haired girl in purple and red robes with a moon-topped staff (ATK/300 DEF/400).

"You just activated the Flip Effect of my Magician of Faith," Noah declared, "She lets me bring one Spell Card back from my graveyard and add it to my hand." A single card was ejected from his deck and he placed it in his hand. "And my card of choice is Monster Reborn."

"I'm going to end my turn there," Mikey announced.

"Then it's my turn." Noah drew his card. "And I play Monster Reborn. Now I can bring back a monster from my graveyard. And I'm glad I sent this guy there with my Graceful Charity. Be reborn, Dark Magician of Chaos!" An stone seal covered with ancient runes appeared on the floor and opened up a portal from which a blue-skinned man clad in a black skin-tight leather bodysuit emerged. He had long wild black hair that flowed down to his waist and a dual-coned hat that curved back like a pair of horns. His arms and legs were covered with belts and even the front of his bodysuit was bound by buckles. In his hands he wielded a long wicked staff similar to those who studied the Dark Magics but its design had been modified to fit his own fashion (ATK/2800 DEF/2600).

"Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Moon Dragon Quilla!" Noah ordered.

"If Quilla is selected as an attack target, I gain Life Points equal to half the attack points of the attacking monster," Mikey said as rays of moonlight shined down on him.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3600

**Noah:** 800

––––––––––––

"That won't matter. Your monster still dies! Attack with Chaos Scepter Blast!" Dark Magician of Chaos spun his staff over his head and slammed the top against the ground, which sent a sphere of chaos magic flying at Moon Dragon Quilla.

"Don't forget if Quilla dies and goes to the graveyard, I can Special Summon Sun Dragon Inti," Mikey reminded his opponent.

"Oh I didn't forget," Noah replied, "But Dark Magician of Chaos has an effect. For every monster he destroys in battle, instead of sending it to the graveyard he removes it from play!"

"What?" Mikey looked up and watched as the magical blast struck his monster and blasted Moon Dragon Quilla into another dimension.

––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3300

**Noah:** 800

––––––––––––

Dark Magician of Chaos spun his staff and planted the end against the floor of the castle rampart. "I'll set one card and end my turn," Noah declared.

"I draw." Mikey drew his card. Dark Magician of Chaos was going to be hard to defeat. However, with the right cards he could beat it easily enough. "First I set a card facedown, that ends my turn."

"You must really be desperate now," Noah cackled as he drew. "Alright then, Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Mikey directly!"

"I activate my Trap Card!" Mikey declared, "Call of the Haunted! And I'll use it to resurrect Sun Dragon Inti!" Sun Dragon Inti reappeared on the field and roared. "With Moon Dragon Quilla removed from the game, I had to find an alternative to bring Inti back and I found it."

"Dark Magician of Chaos, halt your attack!" ordered Noah. Immediately, his dark wizard lowered his staff and retook his ready position. "I'll end my turn."

"I draw then." Mikey drew his card. "Now Sun Dragon Inti, attack Dark Magician of..."

"I activate my Trap Card!" Noah interrupted.

"What?" Mikey looked and watched as his opponent flipped up a Trap Card depicting a muscular naked red-haired man wrestling with a nine-headed serpent.

"This Trap is called Last Turn," Noah explained, "and here's how it works. I can only activate it during my opponent's turn if I have one thousand or less Life Points. Then I choose one monster on my side of the field and we both send all other cards on the field and in our hands to our graveyards. After that, you pick a monster from your deck and Special Summon it. Then our monsters fight and whoever remains standing wins the duel. I choose Dark Magician of Chaos." At that moment, Sun Dragon Inti was swallowed up by the ground as Noah and Mikey placed their hands into their graveyards.

"Pick your monster, Mikey."

Mikey's Duel Disk unlocked his deck and the young teen took it out and sifted through his remaining cards. He had to choose something that could defeat his opponent's monster. Something that could be Special Summoned. He finally came to rest his thumb on something and he pulled it out. He quickly jammed his deck back into his Duel Disk, which shuffled it immediately, and placed his card on the field. "I summon Majestic Mech - Goryu." The sky brightened but quickly darkened again as a white angelic mechanical dragon descended from the heavens with its body segments connected by golden flames and roared (ATK/2900 DEF/1800).

"This is it, Mikey." Noah was now hugging his plush toy as his hands were finally free. "Whoever's monster is left standing wins. Are you ready?"

"I am definitely ready, Noah," Mikey answered, "This madness ends now. Goryu, attack!"

"Dark Magician of Chaos, wipe him out!" ordered Noah. Dark Magician of Chaos spun his staff rapidly and fired a blast of chaotic magic. At the same time, Majestic Mech - Goryu fired a stream of golden flames. The two attacks met halfway, but the latter began to push the former back. It quickly broke through and headed straight for the leather-clad sorcerer. Dark Magician of Chaos spun his staff and used it as a shield against the incoming inferno from Heaven. When the fires ceased, he stood alone surrounded by a circle of charred earth.

"Don't think Dark Magician of Chaos will be defeated so easily." Noah brushed his bangs away from his eyes and wiped his forehead on his sleeve. "This is the Last Turn, after all. And the Last Turn always demands an epic battle. Dark Magician of Chaos, show no mercy!" The dark wizard leapt high toward the sky and spun across the field through the air while firing short bursts of magic from his staff at Majestic Mech - Goryu. He landed back on the ground and spun around to face his opponent only to find the dragon's tail coming down on him. He quickly leapt away and dodged it as it slammed into the surface of the castle ramparts.

As Majestic Mech - Goryu began to raise its tail back up, Dark Magician of Chaos pointed his staff the other way and fired a blast of magic fire that propelled him back down. He landed on the great angelic drake and began running up the length of its body. As he moved along its tail he fired one blast of magic after another from his free hand into the joints held together by the shining inferno within. Majestic Mech - Goryu roared and flew into the air trying to shake off its attacker. It reached a high point in the sky and began to circle itself, keeping a close eye on Dark Magician of Chaos. As soon as he reached its back, the great dragon began to flap its wings wildly. The strong winds they generated made it difficult for the chaos mage to stay on. Then with one barrel roll, Majestic Mech - Goryu threw him off and sent a blast of golden fire after him.

Dark Magician of Chaos was falling. Below him the ground was approaching fast. Above him, the shining heavenly inferno was bearing down on him. Not wanting to die by either means, he closed his eyes and chanted a spell. When he finished, the soles of his boots began to burn with black and purple fire. He increased their output and pushed himself out of the way of the fire. He watched as Majestic Mech - Goryu's attack flew to the ground before flying back up into the sky and facing the gargantuan creature.

Majestic Mech – Goryu fired another Majestic Blaze, which was avoided as Dark Magician of Chaos flew to the side. As he continued to move, he fired a Chaos Scepter Blast from his staff. His opponent dove beneath the clouds, avoiding the blast, and rose up from them again. The pair of monsters flew in circles around each other, exchanging and dodging attacks from one another. The Dark Magician of Chaos' flight spell gave him great manuverability and his small size compared to that of his enemy allowed him to easily dodge attacks. However, Majestic Mech - Goryu was far more powerful. Though not quite as agile as the dark wizard, it possessed great and terrifying power in its Majestic Blazes. Not only were they strong, but they were also very large fire blasts capable of covering a wide range. Additionally, they also seemed to be able to cover a long range. Despite their differences, the two monsters were very closely matched.

Dark Magician of Chaos withdrew from the fight and hovered facing his enemy for a good while. He gripped his staff tightly and focused his magical energies into it. The bulb at the top began to glow and a sphere of chaos started to build up. Majestic Mech - Goryu launched another fire blast, which the chaos mage avoided and flew to the side, circle strafing the big monster. Against such an opponent, this strategy seemed like a logical choice. As the great dragon continued to fire blast after blast at its foe, Dark Magician of Chaos flew around dodging them to the best of his abilities while the chaos sphere around his staff continued to grow.

Realizing its breath attacks were proving ineffective, Majestic Mech - Goryu rushed in toward the leather-clad sorcerer. This was it. The chaos sphere was now almost big enough to consume Dark Magician of Chaos himself. As soon as the great dragon came within range, he flew up over it and rocketed back down, slamming his staff into Majestic Mech - Goryu's head and unleashing a powerful chaos blast. The resulting impact sent the giant beast crashing to the ground and landing somewhere in the forest. Dark Magician of Chaos stood up and jumped off onto the grass.

"And that's game over," Noah announced.

"It's not over yet," said Mikey, "Goryu, get up!"

Those words seemed to reach Majestic Mech - Goryu as its eyes opened up and it reached out a began snapping its jaws at its opponent. Dark Magician of Chaos jumped back, surprised by the sudden jump in the dragon's stamina. He tried to fight it back, but then Majestic Mech - Goryu raised itself up over the treetops and blasted them with a Majestic Blaze, setting the entire forest on fire. This did not look good. The dark wizard's cover had been destroyed. He was being forced out into the open. Finding himself pressed against the island's only mountain, he quickly flew up and landed back on the castle ramparts. Majestic Mech - Goryu flew up and grabbed onto the walls as it continued snapping at its foe. It forced the sorcerer to the edge of the castle walls right over the burning forest. With nowhere else to run, Dark Magician of Chaos braced himself as Majestic Mech - Goryu blasted him with a charged up Majestic Blaze.

"Game set and match," Mikey announced as the holograms disappeared, including the impressive forest fire display.

"I...I lost..." Noah looked at his Duel Disk. "But I ran an undefeatable Chaos deck! I had the most powerful cards in all of Duel Monsters!"

"Noah." Mikey spoke calmly. "It's not about the cards in the deck that makes a person a great Duelist. It's the skills they use to play those cards."

"I guess it doesn't matter anymore," Noah suddenly said as he deactivated his Duel Disk and shoved his deck back into his pocket. "My ride is here anyway. Finally, justice will be served." A helicopter suddenly appeared with Roman sitting in the back seat. "Roman! Toss me the rope ladder!"

"I do apologize, Mr. Kaiyou, but I can't do that," Roman replied.

"Roman! Throw me the ladder!" Noah repeated. As he said these words, a cargo aircraft flew past.

"Looks like I have to go now. You did wonderfully Mr. Kaiyou. However, your usefulness has ended."

"My usefulness has... What?"

"What the hell is going on here?" Sammie demanded as she and the others stepped forward.

"It was quite simple," Roman explained, "The master plan required Duel Energy and we needed a way to harvest it. And what better way than a tournament."

"That doesn't explain where the kid comes in!" Gabe shouted over the noise from the helicopter blades.

"We needed someone who had the drive to go to any lengths to get what he wanted," Roman answered, "And what better person than a naive little child with a vendetta against the world?"

"You told me that Duel Energy was going to be used to save the world!" Noah shouted. "You told me it was mine! That I could use it to save millions from their tormentors!"

"The way I see it, there's nothing more malleable than the mind of a child, especially a 'genius.'" Roman pushed up his glasses. "You were but a desperate boy when I found you. You believed anything I told you and carried it through without question. I acted as your advisor, letting you make all the decisions yourself. I made you think that you were the one in control. It was made all the easier with you thinking you were smarter than me. But now that we've gathered all the Duel Energy we need, there's no need to keep up this charade."

"You...you used me?" Noah looked up at Roman.

"You were just a tool for our master plan." The businessman pushed up his glasses again. "Well, I can't stay any longer. I have a meeting to get to." And with that, he closed the door and the helicopter flew off.

Noah fell onto his knees staring at the helicopter as it flew away and disappeared beyond the horizon. He then tilted his head back and screamed loudly before collapsing into his hands and crying.

"N-Noah?" Mikey slowly approached the boy.

"I-I thought he was different... Th-that he u-understood me... But h-h-he's just like...e-everyone...else..." He clenched his fist. "Using me... Betraying me... This world is disgusting..."

"Noah, please..." Sammie placed her hand on Noah's arm and tried to pull him up, but he pulled away.

"Don't touch me! You're just going to hurt me like everyone else."

"Noah, we're not gonna hurt you," Mikey pleaded.

"Liar."

"Oh for God's sake." Sammie grabbed Noah's arm, pulled him up, and slapped him across the face. "Listen, I don't know how you've been treated in your past but you gotta let that go! Nobody's the same. Sure you ran into the wrong people at the wrong time when you were little, but those guys were assholes. Whatever they did to you is just what they do and you can't change that. So stop being a fucking pussy and man up already!" She then let him go and watched as Noah just sat there. Then he suddenly started crying loudly.

"Oh for fuck's... NOTHING gets through to this kid! I swear not even you were even this bad, Mikey."

"Maybe that's the thing," Mikey said, "Maybe you're doing it wrong. Let me try."

"Be my guest." Sammie stepped back as Mikey came forward. He knelt down and placed a hand on Noah's shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay," he said gently. When he got no reaction, he swallowed and made the next move. He placed his arms around Noah and pulled him close. Immediately, the boy's cries quieted down. "If you need to cry, just let it out." The young child sniffled a few times before he finally spoke.

"You and I are the same, Mikey. How come you're not seeking justice?"

"I admit, Noah, I was bullied a lot as a kid. But I got through it all because I had my friends and family there. They helped me get through it all," Mikey explained as he stroked Noah's soft white hair, "What about you? Did your family or friends do anything?"

The boy sniffled again. "I have neither."

Mikey felt his muscles stiffen. The boy he held in his arms had neither friends nor family. Suddenly, he felt great pity for him and hugged him tighter. "It must have been tough going through it all alone."

"I...I had no one to turn to..."

Now it all made sense. Growing up, Mikey had had Sammie and his family to help him with his problems. But Noah had nobody to turn to. Nobody to comfort him. In turn, his own feelings got a hold of him and it developed into a thirst for revenge.

"I'm really sorry, Noah."

"No you're not..."

"I can't completely understand exactly how you feel or what you went through, but I can help you out now."

"No you can't..."

"Not if you won't let me help you." Mikey let go of Noah and held his shoulders at arm's length and looked straight into his eyes. "Noah, you don't have to go through this alone anymore. Because I'm going to be here for you from now on. I'm going to be your first friend."

There was silence for a moment. "You're lying."

"No, I'm not."

"Why would you want to be my friend when nobody else ever has?" Noah demanded.

"Because you've never opened up to anyone. You've been afraid that people will hurt you. But I'm going to change that. I know that you probably don't feel like opening up anytime soon, but..." Mikey patted boy's shoulder. "...I'll be willing to open up to you."

Noah was silent. This was entirely new to him. All his life he had been shunned and bullied by the world and now here was a person who was willing to be his friend. He looked away. "But..." he finally said, "but I don't know how to deal with stuff like this."

"Then I'm here to help you," was Mikey's response. "So what do you say, Noah? Do you want to be me to be your friend?"

Noah was silent again. He remained silent for a long time. Finally, he looked back at Mikey. "Can I...have another hug? It felt really nice."

The brunet smiled. "Of course you can." And he pulled Noah in for another hug.

Off to the side, the others were watching with smiles appearing on their faces. "Hey guys, everyone's safe now," Reko said as he joined them accompanied by Mika. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Mikey's just made a new friend," replied Max.

"Let me guess. It's 'totally _fabulous_'?" Gabe asked while making jazz hands.

"Nope. I was going to say it was sweet," the redhead answered.

After several minutes, Mikey got up and offered Noah his hand. The child genius took it and rose to his feet as the sun began to peek out from behind the clouds. He wiped his tears off on his sleeve and followed Mikey and the other back inside the castle and then out the main gate with all the other Duelists. Everybody piled onto the ship that was docked on the pier where Reko and Mika walked up to the bridge.

"Can you drive a boat like this?" the latter inquired.

"Oh yeah," Reko answered confidently as he started flipping switches, "My sister did this sort of thing all the time."

"She drove boats?"

"Nah. She dismantled them."

"Wow. That's really reassuring." Mika turned around and stared out the side window. She placed her hand over her new eyepatch. It felt soft, smooth, and cool to the touch of the fingers. But the feeling underneath it burned. It burned like nothing before. She was normally used to this sensation, but for some reason the feeling had intensified immensely since her loss against Judgement. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying out in pain.

"Hey, you okay?" Reko asked. Mika slowly regained her composure and turned toward him.

"I'm fine," she replied while hiding her pain.

When everybody was aboard, Reko started the ship and pulled out. On the deck right below the bridge, Mikey stood with his hand on Noah's shoulder as they watched the prow cut through the water. The sea air felt refreshing against the boy's face as he turned his gaze skyward and met Mikey's who was looking down at him. The boy returned his gaze to the horizon and then, for the first time in his life, Noah genuinely smiled.

o o o

The students of Duel Academy returned to the island safely along with Miss Marina, Marcel, Hassleberry, and Mr. Thulin. The staff were ecstatic to see them all again. After many long exchanges between students and teachers, Mikey and Sammie were finally able to take Noah to the side and introduce him to Chancellor Rhodes.

A week passed and classes resumed as normal. After the massive ordeal on Duelist Kingdom, it felt weird to get back into the norm of school life. Somehow, though, it actually felt a little easier now. Mikey figured that after everything that had happened, sitting in a classroom taking notes, doing assignments and homework, and taking tests seemed so much easier by comparison.

"So how's it going with the kid these days?" Gabe asked one day after school let out for the day.

"Noah's doing pretty okay," Mikey answered, "The school's letting him live in my room for the time being. He's still a little introverted though and he really only ever talks with me. He's still pretty scared of everyone else."

"I'm sure he'll come around in time," Max said encouragingly.

"With Mikey around, I'm sure he's in good hands," Coltyn complimented.

"So Mikey, any plans?" Sammie asked.

"Well, I was gonna go back to my room and do my homework..." Mikey began.

"Mikey..." The brunet turned to Sammie and saw that she had that look on her face.

"...buuuut I think I'll go take Noah out for some ice cream first." Sammie nodded approvingly.

Mikey's eleventh grade year at Duel Academy had been an unusual one. A fixed tournament, an evil plot, and one lonely boy who just needed a friend. It was all something else.

o o o

The meeting room was full as all the school staff had gathered together. It was their annual year-end meeting to tie up all their loose ends

"And zat is zee end of it," Marcel finally concluded.

"Well it's good to know that our students were all able to come back safely," Mrs. Jackson said with a sigh of relief.

"That certainly was quite an ordeal they went through," Dr. Snappe agreed.

"Yes, it's good they're all safe, nobody's denying that." Alexis nodded as she sat up. "However, there's another issue I'd like to bring up. That boy."

"So far, we've been allowing him to stay with Mr. Angel," Mr. Bibby said, "But, the boy has no home. The school year is ending and we certainly cannot keep him here."

"Are you suggesting one of us take him?" Miss Frost asked.

"It seems to be our only option." Alexis looked at her staff. "Any volunteers?"

"I'm just the student teacher," Mr. Thulin said. The other student teachers nodded in agreement.

"Sorry, but I got my hands full with Gio already," Hassleberry answered.

"Yes, I have children too," Mrs. Jackson added, "I can't take another."

"I'm not particularly fond of them myself," was Mr. Bibby's response.

"I currently only make enough to support myself. There's no way I can support a kid on my salary," said Mr. Higsby.

Debates continued on for a while before Miss Marina finally stood up. "I'll take him."

"You will, Ariel?" Alexis asked.

"The boy needs a good home," explained Miss Marina, "I'm not saying I'm going to adopt him, but he does need a legal guardian. So for now, I'll take him in. However, I would like to make one additional request."

"And what's that?"

"I'd like to enroll him into this school."

"Seriously?" Dr. Snappe inquired, "He's a seven-year-old child."

"But he's a very brilliant boy," responded Miss Marina, "He already knows a lot more than what most kids his age do. But he still needs a proper education. Plus he's dueled by the Traditional Format rules for so long, so we need to teach him how to play by the Advanced Format rules."

"That does seem reasonable," Alexis thought out loud, "Alright. I'll have the paperwork done to have him enrolled here as a student."

"Thank you, Chancellor Rhodes."

"Well, I think that concludes this meeting." Alexis stacked up her papers and placed them into her folder. "I'll see you all again next year."

And with that, the staff dispersed. The year was over now and Duel Academy would be closed until after the summer break.

Alone at last, Alexis turned and looked out the window. Everything was fine now or so everybody believed. She went over to a secret box hidden under her chair at the meeting table and produced her Duel Disk. It was covered with scorch marks, scratches, and dents and the LCD screen was badly cracked. She thought back to the duel she had with the intruder. The man in the red robes had beaten her easily with an onslaught of Monarchs, summoning one after another. Before long, their effects had completely devastated her field and left her defenseless. She was defeated and the intruder opened the vault and retrieved the three cards sealed inside.

Alexis dropped down onto her chair and buried her face in her hands. She had failed the school. God only knew what was going to happen now that those cards had fallen into the wrong hands once again.

o o o

Roman disembarked from the helicopter upon its landing and straightened his tie. He pushed his glasses back up and proceed indoors. Once there, he made his way down a hall into a corridor and entered a circular room. It was dark save for a few columns of dim light shining down in the form of a circle, each a different color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and purple. The perimeter of the chamber was surrounded by pillars of obsidian carved with strange symbols and runes.

"Roman, you've returned," a voice came from the darkness.

"Yes, I have," the businessman acknowledged. He turned toward the indigo light into which a man shrouded in a black robe stepped. He slowly reached up and pulled off his hood, revealing a band of black leather tied around his head covering his eyes. "What news have you, Omen?"

"Sartorius will no longer be a thorn in our side," Omen assured him.

"So the man is dead then?"

"Still alive. I'm afraid Aster Phoenix entered and interrupted my work before I could finish the job."

"How could you tell it was Aster Phoenix?"

"I'm blind, Roman. Not deaf."

"Right, right." Roman pushes his glasses up again. At that moment, a new presence made himself known. "Ah, Prince Kel'aral. Welcome back. Was your mission successful?"

The man in red robes stepped into the column of green light and held up three cards in his hand. "It was too easy. Their resistance was pitiful. It was like taking candy from a baby."

"Excellent. That means we can proceed with the next phase of our plan." Roman strode over to Kel'aral and took the cards from him. He walked over to the yellow light and held them up to read.

"We've done well so far, but we can't get lax," another voice said. The speaker seemed to be hidden in the shadows behind the red light. Roman turned toward him and looked straight into the darkness.

"I am quite aware of this. I have already selected three Duelists for these cards. They will go very well with the master's plan."

"It is not the choice of people that concerns me," the dark man replied. "It is our timing. We haven't received any orders yet. On top of that, we're still missing a few more members of our group."

Roman looked at the purple, orange, and blue lights. "Yes. We've been flying blind for a while now. But once everything is in place, our master will reveal himself."

"That is assuming his vessel remains intact." The room fell silent. Everybody knew exactly what the dark man meant.

"If that priestess is so important, why do we continue to let her wander free?" Kel'aral questioned, "Would it not make more sense to lock her up safely so that no harm can come to her?"

"If she knew what her true purpose was, she would kill herself to stop it from happening," Omen answered, "That is a loss we cannot afford."

"No it is not. Despite how weak she may appear, she's invaluable to our cause," the dark man said, "Without her, our master cannot awaken."

"We'll continue to keep an eye on her." Roman began to walk around the room with his hands clasped behind his back once again. "For now, it's best if she remains unawares. Then when the time finally comes, we'll extract it from her body." When he had finished speaking, the dark man sunk back into the darkness as his words echoed through the room.

"And we shall resurrect...our god."

* * *

And that concludes the second season of _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_! We hope you enjoyed it and we look forward to seeing you all again for **SEASON 3**!


	88. Darkness Rising

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my friends, Comic Master Alpha and our newest addition, Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-01**

**Darkness Rising**

It was the Duel Monsters Grand Prix, a tournament that was held every August in the Kaiba Colosseum. Every year, pro Duelists from all across the world came to compete. This year was no different save for one exception. Mikey and Sammie were sitting in the stands eagerly awaiting for the surprise that was said to blow everybody's minds. The band was ready to play along with a special guest singer named Masato Nagai. Mikey was sure he hadn't heard the name before but he couldn't help but think that he had heard his music at some point because there was something about his style that seemed familiar. He sat there in the stands in blue jeans, a plain white shirt, orange sneakers, and an orange and white zip-up hoodie after having been dragged to this event by Sammie who was next to him in her black and white blouse and blue jeans.

Suddenly, the lights went out and four spotlights shined down on the stage in the middle of the stadium as none other than Seto Kaiba came out accompanied with Mokuba on his right and Saito on his left. The vice president of the company stepped forward and brought a microphone to his mouth. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the tenth annual Duel Monsters Grand Prix! This year's sure to be another great competition! But before we begin, it's time to announce our secret Duelist. Brought out of retirement, please welcome the King of Games himself, Yugi Mutou!" Cheers erupted from the crowds beyond any previous sound volume that it hurt Mikey's ears as the spotlights shined down on the world's most famous Duelist. Yugi stood up and waved to the thousands of screaming and cheering fans.

Mokuba then passed the microphone to Saito, who took the next spotlight. "Now that our special guest has been announced, are you ready to duel?" His words were greeted by even more cheers. "I can't hear you! Are you ready to duel!" The screams came even louder and he passed the microphone to his father.

"Then I officially declare that the Kaiba Corp. Duel Monsters Grand Prix has officially begun!" He pointed his finger at the band and they started playing as fireworks shot up into the sky and the massive LCD screen lit up as Duelists began activating their Duel Disks. As they lined up and faced their first opponents, Kaiba pointed to the sky as one of his company blimps flew over head.

"HEY SAITO!" Sammie shouted as she leaned foward, pushing down on Mikey's head. The brunet flailed at the sudden motion as Saito merely smiled toward her and waved before turning his attention back to helping his father run the tournament just as the spectators erupted into a roar of cheers as Yugi sacrificed his Obnoxious Celtic Guard and summoned Dark Magician Girl. On the opposite end of the stadium, more cheers arose as Joey tributed Axe Raider to bring out Jinzo. At the same time, three other Duelists summoned monsters of their own not far away from the top two pros. A tall man in a purple robe activated a Trap Card and summoned Embodiment of Apophis. A woman in traditional white Egyptian clothing brought out Mudora and equipped it with Cestus of Dagla. Then there was a man with long white hair who Special Summoned Dark Necrofear.

Mikey craned his head back to stretch his neck and his eyes fell on the screen of the blimp overhead. Displayed on it were not images from the tournament, but rather stock footage of the three Egyptian God Cards. God of the Obelisk walked proud and strong through the searing flames. Following immediately was a view of the sun as the Sun Dragon of Ra flew down and stopped in the middle of the screen. Then it was covered by black storm clouds as Saint Dragon - God of Osiris descended from above and roared.

Mikey was quickly brought back into reality when Sammie thwacked him on the shoulder and pointed down at the duels. The brunet brought his binoculars up and focused on the point her finger was aimed at. Down below dueling someone who ran some kind of Beast deck was his own father, Johnathan Angel.

"I summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin!" A white-haired woman in holy white armor appeared on the field with a white cape lined with red silk and armed with a shimmering shield and a glowing sword. "Attack!" On his command, his paladin brandished her sword, charged in, and destroyed the Tree Otter in attack position.

"Go dad!" Mikey's words went unheard as they were drowned out by the crowd's cheering, but somehow Johnathan was able to feel them. While everyone's attention was focused on the events down in front, hidden in the shadows in the back a dark figure watched in complete inconspicuousness.

"Now I activate Commander Covington's effect!" Yugi's current opponent pointed to an important-looking robot who crossed its hand over its chest in a salute and pointed to three monsters: a brown robot with a gun named Machina Sniper, a green robot with a machete named Machina Soldier, and a robot with gun turrets on its back named Machina Defender. "Assemble!" Commander Covington's eyes flashed and it began beeping commands. The three Machina monsters instantly began to respond. Machina Defender separated its feet and head from its body while Machina Soldier detached its head and bent its body backwards. Its legs connected with the feet of Machina Defender before its body split in two and connected to either side of Machina Defender's overturned head. Machine Sniper then folded in its legs and the newly-formed limbs connected to its hip as Machina Defender's body attached itself to its back and raised its turrets off on rotating arms. Finally, Machina Sniper's head folded into its body as Machine Soldier's head took its place. (ATK/4600 DEF/4100).

"Behold, my Machina Force! Attack Yugi's Dark Magician Girl!" After positioning its turrets and zeroing in on its target, Machina Force launched a barrage of gunfire at Dark Magician Girl. The brave young sorcerer's apprentice braved the attack as best as she could, but it was too much. The final blow was dealt when Machina Force pulled the trigger on his rifle and placed a bullet through her head. "You may be the King of Games, but your time's up, Yugi. It's time for a new King of Games to take the spotlight."

"We'll see." Yugi drew his card. "I summon Skilled Dark Magician!" A man in dark robes appeared with two orbs on his shoulders and one fastening his clothes around his neck (ATK/1900 DEF/1700). "Next I play Emblem of Dragon Destroyer to return Buster Blade to my hand from my graveyard." As he took the card from his graveyard, the orb on Skilled Dark Magician's right shoulder lit up. "Now I play Monster Reincarnation and discard Summoned Skull to bring Kuriboh back to my hand." The orb on Skilled Dark Magician's left shoulder lit up. "Now I play Black Magic Ritual and I'll sacrifice Buster Blader and Kuriboh from my hand to Ritual Summon the Magician of Black Chaos!" Two incense burners appeared and Buster Blader and Kuriboh were each absorbed into one before a circle engraved with Dark Magic runes appeared. A dark flame began to burn and from the circle emerged a blue-skinned man with long black hair clad in a skin-tight leather suit wielding a long staff (ATK/2800 DEF/2600). At that moment, the third orb on Skilled Dark Magician lit up.

"Now I activate Skilled Dark Magician's effect," Yugi declared, "By sacrificing him when he has three Spell Counters, I can Special Summon Dark Magician!" A card was ejected from Yugi's deck and he placed it on his field, bringing out his signature monster as the purple-robed wizard appeared brandishing his green staff (ATK/2500 DEF/2100).

"Ha! Those two are no match for my Machina Force!"

"That won't matter when I activate this, Thousand Knives!" Yugi played his final card and an array of sharp knives appeared around Dark Magician. "I can activate this if I have Dark Magician on the field and destroy one monster you control." The knives flew across the field and embedded themselves inside Machina Force's body. The great mechanical behemoth groaned before its body shattered.

"My Machina Force! And after I worked so hard to bring him out!"

"Magician of Black Chaos, go! Attack Commander Covington Chaos Scepter Blast!" The Magician of Black Chaos spun his staff over his head and slammed the head into the ground, sending a sphere of chaos magic at Commander Covington, blasting it to pieces. "Now finish him, Dark Magician! Dark Magic Attack!" Dark Magician thrust out his hand and the colors on the field inverted as a blast of dark magic struck down the Machina Duelist with a single blow.

"How does he keep doing that?" Mikey wondered out loud.

"He's Yugi Mutou," Sammie reminded him.

"I know, but I still want to know how he does that," the brunet responded.

"Just be happy you're even here. Saito wasn't really happy when I asked him for a second ticket for you. But then I told him your dad was competing and he felt he really didn't have much of a choice."

"That wasn't the only thing you said, was it?" Mikey asked skeptically.

"Maybe," Sammie answered elusively.

"You really know how to twist people's arms, don't you?"

"It's a gift."

"You call that a gift?"

"You got a better name for it?"

"No, but I wouldn't take pride in something like that."

"It gets the job done."

"You know if Gabe was here, he would have twisted that by now."

"Where IS your brother anyway?" Sammie inquired.

"Out, like always." Mikey sighed and placed his hand against his forehead. "Where the heck does he go?" Sammie looked away for a moment as if she knew something, but the brunet next to her didn't seem to notice.

Meanwhile, the Machina Duelist who had lost to Yugi was walking down the hallways under the stands of the Kaiba Colosseum muttering to himself. "I lost to him. How could I lose to him? My Machina deck was unstoppable. How could he beat me with such outdated cards?" He growled as he felt his anger build up inside him. He turned around and punched a wall. "DAMNIT! I'm not gonna let him get away with this!" He turned and continued down the hallway, storming with rage. In the shadows behind him, the dark man chortled silently.

Meanwhile, Mikey's attention was turned to the LCD screen where he watched a black-armored humanoid robot named Genex Ally Triarm shoot down a facedown Trap Card with one of the three barrels on its arm cannon before blasting away at the monster in front of it with all three. The brunet knew that it was Reko disguised as his sister Reka once again. Mikey heard an elderly chortle to his left, which caused him to once again be distracted.

"And he says he doesn't know how to utilize his sister's deck. He's such a little dear." Mikey gazed at a woman who looked to be about in her late eighties. She was diminutive, about a little under four feet and of a willowy build. Swaddled in an old dress that looked reminiscent of the 1920's and having her pale lavender hair tied up in a bun held in place by two chopsticks with almost real eyeballs in the tops. Their eyes met, and the elderly smiled.

"Ah...hello Michael Angel. Where is your dear little Gabriel?"

"How do you know who I am?" Mikey asked. The old lady laughed heartily and smiled.

"My grandson told me a lot about you over the summer."

"Your grandson?" Mikey thought for a few seconds and then the realization struck him. "Are you Reko's grandmother?"

"You catch on quick," the old woman said without breaking her smile, "My name is Rena Telaris. My daughter Recca is his mother."

"I bet listing off each other's names rolls off the tongue pretty well," Mikey thought out loud.

"Dear me, that boy did it again."

"Huh?"

"He wore his own goggles instead of his sister's, silly thing."

"Oh." Mikey turned back to the events in front of him and continued to watch. He had never seen the goggles Reko was supposed to wear when he disguised himself as his sister, so he had no idea what he was supposed to look for. But if this woman was indeed his grandmother as she claimed, he just had to take her word for it.

"Mom, I'm back!" Mikey looked up to see...well...breasts. Straining against a shirt she had gotten at the event that night was a woman with thin black frame glasses and cheery blue eyes looking like a spring sky. Her clothing was all about showing off her curves, with tight blue jeans and a shirt that was probably too small for her. Still, Mikey was scarlet and the ice cream she held did nothing to help the image, "Ohmygoshyou'reMikeyAngel!" She gave her vanilla ice cream a heavy, long lick much to Mikey's dismay as she shimmied past him into a seat next to Rena, "Name's Recca Telaris, sweetie! Thank you soooo much for helping look after my little sweetie!" She giggled at the end of that, focusing all her attention on her ice cream. Tearing his attention away from that, and wondering in no amount where Reko got his style or good looks from, was Reko's grandmother, who simply looked at an ornate pocket watch and scowled.

"Oh, nab it. I have an engagement to attend Recca dear. Do hold a spot for Reko when he's all wrapped up with the competition?" She held in a gloved hand an ancient looking pendant of a white rose, held with a ragged throng of leather.

"Mmm? Kay, you're gonna do the thing?" Rena only chuckled as she got an old gnarled staff topped with a clear ball, stood, and slowly walked up the stairs.

"I'll be happy to expand the business." Rena waved her cane in acknowledgment as she continued towards the VIP sections of the stadium. "Well, that just leaves you and your friends with little ol' me!" Another giggle escaped her. "Mikey, you've been looking at this ice cream for a long time. You want some of it?" Mikey just turned away and hid his face in his arms. Sammie watched but she didn't move. She just glared at Recca while continuously clenching and unclenching her fist. Recca smirked at the action much like a cat, "Ohhh...I get it."

"Get what!" Sammie finally snapped, looking at Recca, who in her mind was definitely an airy-headed bimbo if she ever knew one.

"Oh, I don't even have to say it!" She then laughed, gasping before catching her dripping ice cream and finishing it in record time. "Though, I'll have to admit you did-"

The announcer's voice cut off Recca 's statement, "Reka Telaris is the winner! Lady Genex of San Francisco advances to the Semi-Finals!"

"Whaaaa? Ohhhh, I missed Reka...um...oh..." Recca then looked down into her lap, quiet for a moment. Mikey caught her in the moment, coming to the realization fairly quickly. Recca truly did miss her daughter, even if everyone else didn't know Reka was missing, the Telaris family sure did, and Reko was playing a double role as detective and his own sister to keep up appearances and find clues to her location. He gained a bit more respect for the Turbo Duelist then. Recca then slapped her hands on her thighs, giving a small breath and smiling. "So, who's next?"

o o o

"You are aware I cannot simply let you in, madam...?"

"Telaris, Madam Telaris, representing the Telaris family in all matters of legal discourse, sir," Rena grumbled mentally, the suited man stood between her and the door to the Kaiba's personal booth. She spun out the pendant in her hands and held the artifact to the man, "It regards the future, a birthright..." She got out a small hourglass in her opposite hand for one of the many folds of her dress, "...and ten minutes of a Kaiba's precious time. Besides, you can perform a rare honor kicking an elderly lady out of a booth for the entire public to see. Oh, now that does sound grand does it not?"

They shared a small stare down before the guard sighed, "One moment Madam Telaris, I'll notify them." After a moment he opened the door to the booth. "Only Saito can see you Madam, and you have ten minutes before he must be down at the floor again."

Rena nodded, stepping inside, "As it was foreseen. Leave us, we have a great many things to discuss." As the door shut behind her, she looked along a long desk to Saito Kaiba sitting at the end, scowling. "You're interrupting me just as I leave, Ms. Telaris. I have I good idea where Reko picked that up from."

Rena said nothing, instead sitting down across from Saito and placing the pendant of the White Rose upon the table, turning up her hourglass as the sands started to pour. "Tell me Mr. Kaiba. Are you aware of past lives? Regardless, I come here to ask for aid, and offer unto you a service your family hasn't had for over five hundred years."

o o o

As the tournament wore on, more and more Duelists were eliminated. Jaden Yuki found himself in a familiar situation as he faced off against a Duelist who had brought out two Hydrogeddons and an Oxygeddon. "Now I play Bonding - H2O and sacrifice my monsters to summon Water Dragon." The three monsters vanished and a massive torrent of water rose up in their place, which took on the form of a great serpentine dragon. "Attack Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!"

"I activate Negate Attack!" Jaden activated his Trap Card and blocked the attack and ended the Battle Phase. "Now it's my turn and I'll fuse Elemental Hero Flame Wingman with Elemental Hero Sparkman to bring out Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman!"

"GO DAD!" Cassie screamed at the top of her lungs.

"And he gets three hundred extra attack points for each Elemental Hero in my graveyard," Jaden continued, "And I got Necroshade, Wideheart, Bladedge, Darkbright, Wildedge, Avian, Burstinatrix, Flame Wingman, and two Sparkmen in there. That makes ten for a whopping three thousand extra attack points. Attack Water Dragon!" Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman took off and launched his attack as the massive dragon made of water, destroying it with one fell swoop and depleting the rest of Jaden's opponent's Life Points.

Meanwhile, Yugi was faced with a team Machine monsters lead by Perfect Machine King while being flanked by two Machine Kings, a Machine King Prototype, and a Machine King - 3000 B.C. It seemed like his opponent had a strong front field. However, he was not prepared for what was to come next. "You filled your field up so much that you failed to realize how dangerous that is. Well, I'm about to show you. I activate Lightning Vortex and I'll discard my Dark Magician to activate its effect." He sent his signature card to his graveyard and a rain of lightning blasted the field and obliterated all the Machine Kings. "Now I activate Call of the Haunted in order to resurrect my Dark Magician!" In a flash of dark light, the purple-clad wizard appeared on the field. "End this now! Dark Magic Attack!" Dark Magician fired a blast of magic that inverted the colors on the field and obliterated Yugi's opponent.

On the other end of the stadium, Johnathan Angel was facing off against an opponent wielding several Jinzos and a Jinzo - Lord. A sacrifice of one thousand Life Points swiftly dealt with that. "Judgement Dragon, attack." With one single blast, the Lightlord won yet another duel.

o o o

"So you're telling me that my father was a prominent figure back in the War of the Roses." Rena nodded. "Christian Rosenkreuz to be specific, though in all reality you wouldn't see your father as an illustration in a history book, the secrets of soul reincarnation are closely held to only a few. What you need to know is that there was dueling back in those days using a 'Perfect Rule' a duel utilizing it was held back in the ruins of what you called Death-T a good while back, the supernatural energy from it caused me to first show concern, and start moving the pieces necessary to bring forth a good amount of aid in Reka and Reko."

Saito raise an eyebrow. "The effeminate Duelist I bested in Duelist Kingdom and Lady Genex, who he was crossdressing as, doesn't seem like you can bring a whole lot of aid."

Rena looked at her hourglass for a moment, nodding with a dishearted look on her venerable face. "That is true, sadly. Reko doesn't yet believe fully in his birthright, actually you both are similar in that you both disregard the supernatural, even when Reka has vanished."

"So call Interpol or something if it's that dire, it doesn't concern me." Saito mentally skipped a beat when Rena slammed her staff onto the ground. "This is not a matter you easily brush off child! Dark times are coming, something horrendous and powerful, with many powerful agents, many more horrible and tyrannical than Roman, whom you did best!"

Saito stopped and stared at here. "How...how did you..."

Rena scowled. "It it my purpose to know, as well as to run a business that makes a swell coffee. Now I don't see you needing coffee so I believe, child, that leaves my first service the only thing I can offer you. Knowledge."

Saito looked at Rena, sliding back from his chair and standing looking at the pendant. Rena noticed this, and slid it across the table to rest over hear him, within arm's length. "After the events of a Rose Duelist, and Eight Cards of Red and White, the monsters still ran loose. The Duelist unified the nobles of the Yorkists and Lancanstrians, and from the union the Telaris family was born. We slew the supernatural forces once before as the Rose Crusaders, you would have a powerful boon in us once again. However, I cannot help you until we strike a bargain, that pendant is one such part. You obtaining it, means you accept at least the honor of lending me an ear for another turn of my glass."

After what seemed like an eternity, Saito took the pendant, keeping it far out of sight in a pocket. "I finish in twenty minutes."

Rena nodded. "I understand, I'll help myself to some of this fine wine then. Kaibas do have a discerning eye for fine drink." Saito simply shut the door, a finger in his pocket absentmindedly stroking the side of the pendant.

o o o

The tournament continued on and the number of Duelists who remained continued to dwindle. Joey Wheeler found himself up against a defensive wall of Slime monsters made up of three Metal Reflect Slimes. They also had a Humanoid Worm Drake out for offense and a Magical Reflect Slime to bolster defenses. However, the grin on his face when he drew made it obvious that he had received a card he needed. "I sacrifice my Swordsman of Landstar and summon out Jinzo!" The powerful Trap-negating android appeared and immediately lasers fired out of its goggles and blasted away the Metal Reflect Slimes, sending them to Joey's opponent's backfield where they sat useless. "Now attack dat freaky slime worm thing!" Right on cue, Jinzo conjured a black electric energy ball and shot it at the target.

Johnathan Angel, meanwhile, was waiting for his opponent to finish her move. He watched as she played Polymerization and fused together King's Knight, Queen's Knight, and Jack's Knight from her hand to summon Arcana Knight Joker. "Attack!" With one swift stroke of his sword, the knight cleaved apart Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon. "Your move."

Johnathan drew his card. "I Special Summon Judgment Dragon." His massive white feathered dragon appeared and roared. "I now pay one thousand Life Points to destroy every other card on the field." Judgment Dragon spread its wings and light rained down from the heavens and pierced through every other card on the field, including Arcana Knight Joker. "Now attack directly!" The great winged creature opened its mouth and unleashed a blast of light from its maw.

o o o

Saito walked back into the booth, seeing Rena sitting at a small table overlooking the entire stadium, another woman was with him, a much younger woman with an emphasis on curves. Rena had a glass of rose-colored wine in her frail hand, sipping it lightly as the younger woman waved Saito over.

"Oh my god it's really Sai-"

"Recca. Leave us won't you. I thank you for your company as usual, yet you do tend to be for...social matters. Besides, I'm sure Reko would love to get some support from you."

Recca nodded. "Aww...okay." She bowed politely to Saito before walking out of the booth.

Saito took Recca's seat to face Rena, the old woman silent while she held something wrapped in silk. "She did not come in for no reason, she gave the second part of the bargain to me."

Saito said nothing. "Don't feel too put off by this, child," Rena started, "If anything, we can help out each other. I myself have a great deal of wisdom to impart upon you."

"...I take it Mikey is also somehow involved in this?" Rena cackled, causing Saito to look at her with a confused expression. "Oh...oh my, you children do catch on quick. Yet you, Sammie, my grandchildren, even unnamed players back in Duelist Kingdom and even back home in the academy, you all are simply players in a great, and wonderful play. I am merely an individual who for the moment has been given a pen to help turn it from a tragedy into a triumph."

"...Do you always talk like that?"

Rena finished her wine, setting in upon the glass table. "Quite. Now, shall I discuss the terms?"

Saito looked at the pendant. "I'll hear you out, the final decision is still mine."

She nodded. "Always cautious, at one point in time it was not always so, you were formerly so impetuous, then you met an opponent, and you also had a brush with the supernatural far too soon. I'll be brief for time's sake.", she placed her hourglass upon the table, the red sands pouring like a river, "Your former ancestor gave us that pendant through The Duelist. We can ask for one favor from the family that is now the Kaiba family, an ancient boon I now invoke for this bargain. Do you accept?"

Saito nodded, "I think at this point I don't even have a choice."

Rena smirked, "He thought the same way. You always have a choice, all of you. Now, the terms of the bargain." She pulled the silk from her hand, revealing two cards the size for occult reading, Tarot. They were covered in endless red and white script respectfully, with billowing roses of their proper color upon their faces, their backs covered in a symbol of a moon, sun, and star.

"Are those?"

"These are two of the sixteen Rose Cards, passed down through generations, now I offer them to you for guarding, if they ever unite, this dark presence would gain a boon unlike which has never been witnessed in ages. Full mastery over the creatures and might the Shadows hold, full control of the Perfect Rule, horrendous evils."

Saito looked at the cards she placed on the table, they definitely looked old enough. "Why us?"

"You are one of the major players in this play, and our power will be used in other ends, simply listen."

Saito growled at that, "Hurry then..."

"Rena. Rena Telaris, Saito. Now, the second part is you will protect our White Wind in San Francisco, you will banish these mewling corporate dogs that seek to throw us out. Make it so and in exchange for this, I give you those items. The White Wind is now much more than a shop and an apartment complex for the budding artists that live there, it is my base of operation, and I myself have a great deal of-"

"Speed it up, Rena."

"Make the White Wind sound, I can take it from there, secondly we want the full power of Kaiba Corporation to help find Reka Telaris. All of it, all surveillance, recon you may have, anything you can aid Reko with."

"In exchange?"

Rena smiled, "How do you feel about putting a cafe in the Academy, it'd be a discreet method for us to keep an eye on the 'Stage' and also be in close contact of the Kaibas. I have some dear friends who can help me run the store back in San Fancisco. I'll give you Reko and Recca to work there and make for a good cover. Also, our drinks and various little dishes and cakes are to die for."

Saito thought about what Rena offered, her eyes lighting up and a sly smirk gracing her face, "I can also help you out so Roman cannot hold a card to you, so to speak. Bolster your mind against the supernatural maladies he will use. The coward." Rena finished, pouring another glass. "Yet...of course, this is merely our bargain, my terms are laid before you. The final call is yours Saito, what say you?"

o o o

The Machina Duelist, the Slime Duelist, the Chemical Duelist, the Poker Duelist, the Jinzo Duelist, and the Machine Kings Duelist were just some of the many who had walked out of that stadium calmly. But as soon as they were out of sight, their emotions began to control them, elevating higher and higher with anger. As the commotion continued, a dark figure watched from the shadows. He cackled silently to himself as the dark man observed the Duelists.

o o o

"...I'll agree."

Rena only grinned like a Cheshire Cat, clamly standing up and placing the cards in Saito's hand before clasping it over them. "You have much to build upon Saito, like your ancestors before you. Though...what say we start with the mundane trifles first. Return and obtain the necessary paperwork, I'll go and tell my family all about the latest events." She took her cane, walking over towards the door before looking back to him. "You did win that duel against Roman, you know. You're skilled."

Saito wanted to speak, but Rena waved the top of her cane. "I understand we also have to put our best dueling foot forward to work in the Academy. I understand." She produced a deck of cards, held by two stands of silk. "I'm no slouch in the ring myself. Shall we set the date for, two weeks?"

He nodded. "I'll take care your terms in the States then. Two weeks."

"I have your word?"

"You have my word." Saito felt tired after he said that, like a weight was placed on his chest firmly for a split second, Rena nodded, "I am glad. Good eve Mr. Kaiba."

As she left, Saito took a glass of wine and overlooked the tournament grounds, taking a long sip as Rena hobbled down the stairs to her place in the stands. There was something definitely askew with the Telaris family, that much was for certain. Finishing the glass, Saito stepped out himself, a bodyguard quickly rushing to his side as he walked to meet with his own family.

o o o

The final duel of the Kaiba Corp. Duel Monsters Grand Prix had finally arrived. As everyone had expected, Yugi was one of the two finalists. His opponent was also not unexpected, but at the same time still a surprise as there were many other Duelists who could have taken the other spot. Mikey was absolutely thrilled to see his father step up and face off against the King of Games.

"Hey Mikey, who do you think will win?" Sammie asked, wondering what her friend's opinion would be.

"Hard to say, but I'm hoping dad will," was Mikey's answer.

"I'm sure he'll do fabulously," Reko replied, who was now sitting next to his grandmother still wearing his sister's clothes.

"C'mon, Yug! You can win this!" Joey Wheeler's voice called out from the sidelines of the arena. Mikey looked down from his seat at the Comeback Gambler. He and Reko had both lost in the quarter-finals against Johnathan and Yugi respectively. But instead of heading inside the two of them had gone straight to their seats where their families were waiting.

It was not long before the duel between Yugi Mutou the King of Games and Lightlord Johnathan commenced. Dark Magic clashed with the Lightsworn radiance in a magnificent display of skill. Jain, Lightsworn Paladin with her prowess as a fighter was no match against the Dark Magician Girl, who fell to Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon, who in turn was vanquished by Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight only to be killed by the effect of Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter. As the duel progressed, neither Duelist seemed to gain an upper hand over the other. Their Life Points remained relatively close and for each monster one summoned the other always somehow found a way to destroy it.

Mikey's knuckles were white with tension as he watched the duel draw toward a climactic finish with Yugi's Dark Magician against Johnathan's Judgment Dragon. It had finally come down to this; both Duelists had their signature monsters out and were about to find out which one was truly stronger.

"YUGI!" The Machina Duelist suddenly stepped out. "I demand a rematch!" He was followed by the Poker Duelist and then the Chemical Duelist.

"'ey, what's goin' on?" Joey demanded. "What're all these guys doin'? They lost fair an' square!" Before long the entire stadium arena was swarmed with Duelists who had lost in the tournament all shouting the same thing.

"Sammie, what's going on?" Mikey asked worriedly. Before she could answer, an arm shot out from the shadows and wrapped around Rena's throat.

"Don't try anything, kids," the dark man threatened as he pressed a knife against Rena's neck with his other hand.

"Gramma!" Reko tried to react, but his grandmother's captor simply pressed his weapon in deeper.

"Nobody likes a hero." The dark man slowly began to pull Rena into the shadows. Her face was calm as the shades began to envelope her. But then a card shot out and struck the dark man's hand, causing him to break his hold and release her. Mikey looked up and saw Saito holding a card bearing the image of a white rose. He looked down at the seat next to him and saw the card that had hit the dark man bore the image of a red rose. He had no idea what it was but it seemed that the dark man recognized it.

"Shit. Why now?" The dark man sank back into the shadows, which prompted Mikey to poke his head in only to find that he had vanished.

"Where'd he go?"

"Mikey, there!" Sammie pointed and Mikey followed with his eyes as a man in black leather emerged from the shadows and ran. As he had come to expected from her, the blonde bolted after him. "Mikey, let's go!"

Mikey knew there was no way out of this. "Wait for me!"

They chased the dark man out to the parking lot where he jumped onto a pitch-black motorcycle and drove off. Sammie quickly ran to her convertible which she had received on her last birthday after having passed her driver's license exam. She jumped over the door into the driver's seat and started the engine as she barked for him to get on. He had just barely finished buckling his seatbelt before she gunned the engine and drove after the dark man.

A motorcycle and a convertible raced down the streets. The dark man, whose head was now covered in a black helmet with a tinted visor, looked back over his shoulder. It was clear this girl was not going to give up easily. However, the boy that sat beside her seemed reluctant to be there. On top of that, she was most definitely not driving a Duel Runner. He decided what to do then. Reaching into his satchel, he pulled out a pitch-black Duel Disk and held it out to his side to make sure Sammie got a clear view of it.

"Mikey, grab my disk from my bag," she ordered.

"You're not gonna duel him while you drive, are you?" Mikey asked incredulously.

"No, YOU are!" Sammie turned a corner and resumed chasing after the mysterious person.

"You're kidding!"

"Shut up and load up!" Ahead of them, the dark man attached his Duel Disk to his dashboard. Mikey sighed and strapped on Sammie's Duel Disk. He had no choice in the matter.

"Standard duel," the dark man said, "since you're not equipped for a Turbo Duel."

"We'll do it," Mikey said. The dark man simply nodded in acknowledgement and drew five cards, which he placed inside a card holder on his glove. "Duel!"

–––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Dark Man:** 8000

–––––––––––––––

"I'll go first." The dark man drew his first card and placed it in his hand before taking another card and placing it on his Duel Disk. "I summon Armageddon Knight in attack mode!" A man with stringy black hair and dark armor appeared with his face covered by a pair of dark glasses and a tattered red scarf as he wielded a sword in his right hand (ATK/1400 DEF/1200). "When Armageddon Knight is summoned, I can send one Dark monster from my deck to my graveyard." His deck ejected a card and he removed it before watching his cards get reshuffled. "And I choose Necro Gardna." He placed it in his graveyard and then turned the duel over. "Your turn."

"I draw." Mikey drew his card. "I summon Beast King Barbaros." His armored liontaur rose up on the field and roared as he brandished his lance and shield (ATK/3000 DEF/1200). "When he's summoned without a tribute, he only has nineteen hundred attack points. But that should be enough to take out your monster. Barbaros, attack Armageddon Knight! Death Sentence!" Beast King Barbaros thrust his lance into Armageddon Knight and impaled his body all the way through.

–––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Dark Man:** 7500

–––––––––––––––

"I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn now." The dark man drew his card and looked over at Mikey. "I summon Dark Crusader in attack mode." A skull-faced man with red hair in black armor appeared with a red cape and a big black greatsword (ATK/1600 DEF/200). "Dark Crusader gains four hundred attack points for each Dark monster I discard to the graveyard. And as it turns out, my hand has four Dark monsters." And with that he placed Prometheus, King of the Shadows, Plague Wolf, another Dark Crusader, and Dark Grepher into his graveyard, which gave his Dark Crusader sixteen hundred extra points thus boosting him up to thirty-two hundred attack power, which was reflected by the sudden enlargement of his sword. "Now attack Beast King Barbaros with Black Cleaving!" With his incredibly massive weapon, Dark Crusader swung at Beast King Barbaros and chopped him cleanly in two.

–––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6700

**Dark Man:** 7500

–––––––––––––––

"I'll set this card and end my turn."

Mikey was in trouble. Within the duel's third turn his opponent had succeeded in powering up his monster to double its original attack points. He drew and frowned. That was not the card he wanted. He took another card and set it facedown in defense position. "I end my turn."

"Then I draw." The dark man drew his card. "Dark Crusader, destroy!" Dark Crusader swung his sword and cleaved Mikey's facedown in two, revealing it to be Majestic Mech – Senku. "I end my turn."

"I draw." Mikey looked at his hand and examined his cards. This could work. "I Special Summon Cyber Dragon." His silver mechanical serpentine dragon appeared and roared (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "Then I Normal Summon Fire Ant Ascator." His Inca red ant appeared beside Cyber Dragon and clacked its pincers together (ATK/700 DEF/1300). "Now I tune them together to Synchro Summon Sun Dragon Inti!" Fire Ant Ascator's body faded until three stars remained. The stars turned into green rings and surrounded Cyber Dragon, causing its body to fade as well until five stars remained. Then a column of light engulfed them both from which a golden sun image emerged with four red dragon heads attached to it (ATK/3000 DEF/2500).

"Sun Dragon Inti, attack Dark Crusader!" Sun Dragon Inti opened his mouths and fired four streams of fire that spiraled into one fiery helix toward his target. Dark Crusader immediately jumped forward and cut through the attack with his sword before slicing off all four heads at once.

–––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6500

**Dark Man:** 7500

–––––––––––––––

"You were planning to use Sun Dragon Inti's effect," the dark man surmised.

"How'd you know?" Mikey asked.

"I've watched you duel and you won't get that chance. Sun Dragon Inti's effect targets and I can negate that with this." The dark man revealed his facedown card. "Dark Illusion negates the effect of any Spell, Trap, or Monster Effect that targets a Dark monster and destroys it." At that moment, the fragments from Sun Dragon Inti's body rained down on Dark Crusader only to hit an illusion which revealed its true form afterward as a dark hooded figure while the real Dark Crusader stood in his original spot.

"I play Gold Sarcophagus then. I remove from play one card and in two turns it comes to my hand." Mikey sifted through his deck and pulled out Kuraz the Light Monarch. He carefully placed it into his pocket and zipped it up so it would not fall out and then placed his deck back into his Duel Disk, which shuffled it. "This is gonna hurt, isn't it?"

"Oh hell yes." The dark man drew. "Dark Crusader, attack!" Dark Crusader flew over to Sammie's motorcycle and slashed Mikey.

–––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3300

**Dark Man:** 7500

–––––––––––––––

"I end my turn."

"I draw." Mikey drew his card and smiled. He finally had a means to defeat Dark Crusader. "I Special Summon Oracle of the Sun in defense mode!" His Inca shaman appeared in his traditional garb and crouched down defensively (ATK/1000 DEF/2000). "I'll set another card and end my turn."

"I draw now." The dark man drew. "And I'll discard Plague Wolf to power up Dark Crusader by another four hundred." He placed the card in his graveyard and watched as Dark Crusader's sword grew again as his attack points jumped to thirty-six hundred. "Now attack Oracle of the Sun!"

"I activate Skill Drain!" Mikey revealed his facedown card. "By paying one thousand Life Points, I can negate all Monster Effects on the field, including yours!"

–––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2300

**Dark Man:** 7500

–––––––––––––––

Dark Crusader roared as he felt his power leave him. Clouds of darkness streamed out of his body and his sword shrank back down to its original size as his attack points returned to sixteen hundred. His weapon was deflected by Oracle of the Sun's staff and the impact was felt by the dark man.

–––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2300

**Dark Man:** 7100

–––––––––––––––

"Feh. I'll end my turn."

"Then it's mine." Mikey drew his card. "And Kuraz comes to my hand now!" He carefully unzipped his pocket and took out his Duel Spirit card before placing it in his hand. "Now I sacrifice Oracle of the Sun to summon Majestic Mech - Goryu!" In a burst of miraculous light, the giant angellic dragon appeared and roared (ATK/2900 DEF/1800). "Thanks to Skill Drain, he won't die at the end of this turn. So Goryu, attack Dark Crusader with Majestic Blaze!" A golden torrent of fire rained down on Dark Crusader and incinerated his body.

–––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2300

**Dark Man:** 5800

–––––––––––––––

"I'll set a card and end my turn."

"Don't think you've won yet." The dark man drew his card. "I play The Beginning of the End. If I have seven or more Dark monsters in my graveyard, I can remove from play five to draw three cards." He took out both Dark Crusaders, Prometheus, King of the Shadows, Armageddon Knight, and one of the Plague Wolves and stuffed them into his satchel before drawing three cards. One of them caused him to grin behind his visor. "Prepare yourself. First I play Mystical Space Typhoon on Skill Drain." A whirlwind shot out and destroyed Mikey's Continuous Trap Card. "I now have exactly three Dark monsters in my graveyard. That allows me to Special Summon one of the most powerful monsters in the world."

"I know what he's summoning," Sammie said.

"What?" asked Mikey.

"I Special Summon Dark Armed Dragon!" A creature bearing a resemblance to Armed Dragon LV7 appeared but with a head that more closely resembled that of Armed Dragon LV10, but its entire body was pitch-black (ATK/2800 DEF/1000).

"Since you Special Summoned a monster, I can Special Summon Dragon Ice by discarding a card from my hand." Mikey discarded Dragon Ice and then brought it out in defense position, summoning out his dragon made of ice wearing its iron helmet (ATK/1800 DEF/2200).

"And now for Dark Armed Dragon's effect," the dark man cackled, "By removing from play a Dark monster in my graveyard, I can destroy one card on the field. And I'll first remove Plague Wolf. Dark Armed Dragon, destroy Majestic Mech – Goryu with Dark Genocide!" Dark Armed Dragon's abdominal blades began to spin and it fired off a set of three jagged-bladed sawblades that tore Majestic Mech – Goryu apart.

"Goryu!"

The dark man cackled as a new set of blades grew back in place of the ones that had just been launched. "Now I remove from play Dark Grepher to destroy Dragon Ice." Once again, a set of sawblades were fired from the dragon's abdomen.

"Not if I sacrifice him with this!" Mikey revealed his facedown. "Mystik Wok lets me tribute one of my monsters and boost my Life Points by its attack or defense and in Dragon Ice's case, I choose defense." Dragon Ice was scooped up into a giant wok and the sawblades flew through the air and hit nothing as their former target was stir-fried for a few seconds and then being sprinkled onto Mikey.

–––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4500

**Dark Man:** 5800

–––––––––––––––

"You're still wide open." The dark man motioned to his monster. "Dark Armed Dragon, direct attack. Dark Armed Punisher!" Dark Armed Dragon's drills began to spin rapidly and then they were fired all at once like missiles directly at Mikey.

–––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 1700

**Dark Man:** 5800

–––––––––––––––

"Nothing you have can save you from my Dark Armed Dragon."

"Every card has a weakness and I'll find it!" Mikey shouted over the roar of the wind.

"We will see." The dark man took a card from his hand. "Since my dragon was Special Summoned, I can still perform my Normal Summon this turn and I summon a second Armageddon Knight!" Another knight in dark armor and a red scarf appeared. "And with his summoning, I can send another Dark monster from my deck to my graveyard. Mystic Tomato shall suffice nicely." After he had made the transfer of the card from the deck to his graveyard, he set a card and ended his turn.

"My turn now." Mikey drew his card. "This'll take care of your Dark Armed Dragon. I Special Summon another Cyber Dragon!" A second mechanical dragon appeared and roared. "Now I sacrifice it to summon Kuraz the Light Monarch!" Cyber Dragon vanished and in its place a column of golden light shined down and there appeared the emperor of light in his glorious golden armor (ATK/2400 DEF/1000).

_So this is the card that defeated Kel'aral_, the dark man thought to himself.

"Now here's Kuraz' effect. When he's Normal or Special Summoned, he can destroy any two cards on the field. And for each card that was destroyed, the controller can draw a card. So I'm targetting Dark Armed Dragon!"

"That's a mistake you're going to regret." The dark man revealed his facedown card. "I activate another Dark Illusion!" A second shade appeared and absorbed the blast from Kuraz' effect before reaching out and grabbing his throat. The illusion's eyes flashed briefly before it extended a set of claws from its fingertips and slit the monarch's throat.

"Kuraz!"

"You are defenseless," the dark man said ominously.

"It's not over yet." Mikey looked at the Call of the Haunted that remained in his hand and set it. On his opponent's turn he would activate it and resurrect Kuraz the Light Monarch to destroy Dark Armed Dragon.

"My move." The dark man drew his card. "Now I activate Dark Armed Dragon's effect. I remove from play Mystic Tomato to destroy your facedown. Dark Armed Dragon, Dark Genocide!" The blades on Dark Armed Dragon's stomach began to spin once again and three sawblades were fired. They sliced through the air and came down on Mikey's facedown Call of the Haunted, shredding it to pieces.

"Oh no!"

"Dark Armed Dragon, end this duel! Dark Armed Punisher!" The drills on Dark Armed Dragon spun rapidly and were fired at once like missiles directly at Mikey.

–––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 0

**Dark Man:** 5800

–––––––––––––––

The shockwave from the last attack shook the car so badly, Sammie had to pull over before anything happened. As soon as they stopped, Mikey threw himself against the back of his seat and gasped for air. He had never seen such a powerful deck before. As he took in several deep breaths, the dark man pulled up beside them and gazed over at the two teenagers. He was about to say something to them until his phone rang. He placed his hands on his helmet and pulled it off. The man had medium length black hair with light stubble on his chin. His crimson eyes seemed to pierce Mikey's soul as he looked at him. However, what drew the teenager's gaze the most was a notably large scar that ran down the right side of the dark man's face from his temple, past his eyes, all the way down past his chin. On the left side, he had what looked like three black tendrils tattooed on his face that went down his neck and disappeared under his clothes. Mikey blinked and scratched his head. For a very brief moment, he could have sworn he saw them move.

The dark man took out his phone and put it against his ear. "What is it, Roman?"

"Did you succeed in your mission?" Roman's voice could be heard saying.

"No. It wasn't at the stadium."

"Then return to home base. There's no need for you to stay there, Kage."

"I'll be there soon." The dark man shut off his phone and put it away. He took one more glance at Mikey and Sammie before putting his helmet back on and driving away. As he turned a corner, the boy just stared at the spot he had vanished.

"Kage... Why does that sound so familiar?" The sound of another motorcycle could be heard coming up behind them, but instead of seeing Reko's familiar Duel Runner Mikey saw a pink motorcycle, petite and sleek in design with many sweeping curves to it. Recca was riding it with Rena on the back. Recca was wearing an open faced helmet with a cute smiling flower on one side, which was also pink. Rena took off the spare helmet, getting down from the bike by using her cane for support.

"You live, Michael. This is good." Sammie snapped at Rena with a fixed glare.

"What do you fucking mean that's good? He just kicked Mikey's ass!"

"Gee, thanks," Mikey muttered.

Recca frowned, slinging her cascade of lavender hair behind her shoulder. "Yes, but you got a first hand view on what's to come. I'm so glad you two didn't get hurt..." Rena nodded. "You know what challenges to face in the future, and preemptive knowledge of the enemy can win a war in your favor. Now the pieces have been set, it matters not what the outcome was here. The island and the academy, that is the where the stage shall be. That is where you, Sammie and countless others shall stand as a bulwark against this tyranny."

Mikey looked down the road, getting a chuckle from Rena. "Reko is mopping up the minions of Kage with the others. In due time, he too shall be at the stage. Recca, it is time we departed, I'm getting rather exhausted of all this hustle and bustle." She once again climbed up the motorcycle, with Recca mounting it and starting it up.

"See you in a week or two! I can't wait to see all your smiling faces!" Recca then drove off, leaving the two of them alone in the street.

"...I hate that bimbo. She's like walking Prozac," Sammie stated bluntly, "C'mon Mikey, let's get back to the others." The two of them climbing on their own cycle ad returning to the Colosseum.

o o o

Back in Duelist Academy, a man with thin black glasses and long black hair thrown into a soft tie at the end was sorting books in the library. A small girl no older than six it seemed was helping him, both looked like they were starving, hungry and slightly dirty from working all day, but they still seemed happy.

"Zetsu, you have a smudge on your cheek." The older one laughed. He was maybe in his early twenties, a man of thin build and bustling with intelligence, holding within him a quiet beauty. Wearing old clothes slightly decrepit and well-worn, they were a musty grey color with black sleeves on the long shirt.

"We've had smudges all over Mikomi sweetie, we've been working for what seems a fortnight. Though that's every...last...there we are, Basic Warrior Deck Stratagem. That's the last book there, good work angel."

The little girl giggled and clapped, happy to aid her big brother in his task. Zetsubou Tejinashi and Mikomi, his little sister came to Duel Academy suddenly during the whole turmoil in Duelist Kingdom, he assured the remaining staff that if he found work there as a librarian, historian, anything, that they could take his entire pay and use it to support Mikomi's schooling, it would be her first time at an honest place of learning. Skeptical, they placed Zetsubou and Mikomi in basic aptitude tests, both were incredibly high, impeccably high. Zetsubou out debated one of the professors even, and Mikomi herself was learning the major theories of many major scientific fields, which Zetsubou said he taught her happily using the dirt in the ground as a chalkboard of sorts.

Mikomi was a small little pip of a girl, wearing lacy, frilly clothing that seemed to have been cobbled and sewn from parts of other dresses, yet keeping white and black as the major theme, with a battered lotus made out of aluminum in her short black hair. Her blue eyes glittered as Zetsubou sat the ladder to one side and broke down the boxes, placing them under her shoulder. She clutched her brothers hand as they walked down and out of the library, happily waving by at the other librarian present. "Go on princess, your Duel begins tomorrow! After that, you'll be placed in a caste and ready to get some major learning in!", Mikomi nodded, rushing into the small Osiris Red dorm the academy lent them for the moment, also taken from Zetsubou's pay.

Passing by the the hall after tucking her into bed and reading her a gripping story of a Dwarven King fighting a cruel Orcish Warlord, Zetsubou walked in the midnight gloom through the dorm halls, not being able to rest, so much happened tomorrow. With realtive ease he graced into the main building, taking a small paper from a stack and reading the names of the students that were arriving tomorrow, spotting one name in particular.

"Michael Angel..." Zetsubou's blue eyes shimmered black for a brief second. "Fascinating." He then walked out into the night, disappearing into the thick shadow.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

It's welcome back to Duel Academy! Mikey, Max, Sammie, and Coltyn are back and in their third year. What brand new challenges await them? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	89. Welcome Back to Duel Academy

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-02**

**Welcome Back to Duel Academy**

The boat ride was as long and tedious as Mikey had assumed. Then again, he had done this twice already. His third and final year at Duel Academy was at hand and he was looking forward to it. Last year's ordeal had exhausted the entire student body. Even thought it had only lasted for approximately one week, the strain of the Duel Bands had left everyone unfocused for the remainder of the school year. Mikey was thankful to God that he was able to pass. Then for half the summer break he spent most of his time sleeping.

Elsewhere, Zetsubou and Mikomi were busy hiding whatever trace of them remained in the Osiris Red dorms, knowing full well the students were arriving today. After making sure she had her deck and feeding her breakfast, he knelt down to her and smiled warmly at his sister, ruffling her hair as she laughed. They then both walked to the main building for their trial duels, hand-in-hand, fully confident in their skills.

Meanwhile at a small, unused building the students who arrived first were gathered in amazement. Several lavender haired people were hard at work furiously ripping out old material and renovating the entire structure, with the oldest among them sitting a small table outside with a silver abacus and a piece of paper, writing down various financial figures on it. The youngest of them, a man looking in his late teens was doing the most of the labor, with the women enthralled by his lack of any clothing save a pair of tight jeans and construction boots.

All that he worked and smoothed out, the older woman, looking to be a beautiful thirty-something was lovingly crafting and painting all matter of wonders for the walls and the furniture, giving everything the look of a street side cafe from the bustling cities. Hanging lights, booths and small tables, lounges of various comfy chairs and tables, everything she touched was of an immaculate detail, the three of them worked like a well oiled machine. A suited man breaking up the crowd as the oldest, an ancient woman of a venerable age walked off with him, abacus in hand.

Rena was led silently in the dawn light and mist to the main building, past several doors into a small conference room. At the lavish desk sat three important figures, one of which held a small stack of papers against the surface and regarding the old woman with an icy stare. Rena herself nodded politely towards the man who escorted her, then calmly shut the door and nodded in respect to the three gentlemen, who nodded in kind. Taking her seat at the far end of the table, Rena Telaris was faced with Saito, Mokuba, and most famously Seto Kaiba.

"Good morning gentlemen, I trust we have business to finish?"

o o o

Reko stretched out his back, patting down his forehead and looking towards the incoming boats. "Geez, there sure are a lot of boats, mom. Oh, I think I'm done with all the heavy work now, you think this place is big..."

Recca gave a battle cry, smashing down a wall with a large mallet and dusting herself off. "It will be now with the big sad wall out of the way! Sweetie pumpkins, be a cutie and carry out this rubble and vacuum there?" Reko gave a unimpressed expression, muttering something about building integrity as he put on thick leather gloves and walked back inside to cleanup. His mother on the other hand, set about placing lovely hanging plants and other foliage to the area.

"Reko, is that you?" The lavender-haired man turned his head to see an all-too-familiar brunet standing there with his mouth open in awe.

"Heeey! Mikey! Good to see ya!"

"Mikey, what's taking so long?" Sammie came up behind Mikey and poked him in the shoulder.

"Sammie, it's Reko!"

"Yo," Reko greeted the blonde.

"Reko sweetie, could you help mommy..." Recca stopped her sentence short when she saw Mikey. "Why if it isn't little Mikey!"

"Um, hello Ms. Telaris."

"Oh come on now. I'm not some old lady." Recca smiled. "You can call me Recca." Mikey responded by scratching the back of his head. Recca then turned her attention back to her son. "Reko sweetie, could you help mommy move a couch?" Reko, blushing lightly with embarrassment with the way his mother was treating him in front of his friends, obliged and began to follow her inside.

"Hey Reko, what exactly are you guys doing?" Mikey asked out of curiosity.

"Gramma's opening a franchise here," Reko answered cheerfully before disappearing inside.

"I wonder what they're building," Mikey thought out loud, not quite remembering whether or not Reko had actually told him about his family's business last year.

"We'll find out later. We need to get to registration." Sammie impatiently grabbed the hood of Mikey's sweater and dragged him along.

o o o

Rena shook Seto's hand, the signing of her contract complete. "We will work for the Kaibas as long as it takes. As for Reka and everything..."

Seto looked down at Rena. "We've held our end of the bargain for you Ms. Telaris. That shop of yours back in the states is completely immune to any hostile takeover. Also, we're actively hunting down your granddaughter down, we're hoping for results soon." Rena nodded.

"I see. Thank you, Mr. Kaiba, may fortune smile upon you and yours for your benevolence." Seto swiftly left in no hurry with Mokuba at his side, leaving Saito with Rena. "Strange, is it not?"

"What are you going on about now, Rena..."

Rena chuckled at Saito. "Contracts. It used to be that oaths, and the power those words carried were binding enough. Nowadays we can hardly trust one another to hold to their oaths so we write down the meanings on paper, sealing it with something a simple as a signature. A sad, sordid, state we've become, Humanity."

Saito looked at Rena with a puzzled expression. She was still amazingly enigmatic to him. "Saito. After your classes, seek me out at the Dual Rose, the shop my daughter and my grandson are furiously constructing. We will begin your enhancements there, and swiftly, for the night moving upon us swiftly."

"Enhancement?"

Rena walked outside the room, looking back at him before the doors shut, "Does a true Kaiba need training?"

o o o

Mikey stood in the A to E line waiting for his turn to come up. His brother was right behind him listening to his iPod not really paying attention to what was going on around him. The familiar halls were freshly scrubbed, the windows were so clean it was nearly impossible to tell if they were even closed, and Mikey could have sworn they installed new carpets.

His turn finally came and he walked up to the table and gave the man behind it his name. After searching through some files, he finally find what he was looking for and examined it carefully. He then turned around and reached into one of the many cardboard boxes that lined the floor behind him. He extracted something blue covered in plastic. Mikey looked at him. "Is this...?"

"It's your new school jacket. You've been bumped up to Obelisk Blue." The man then printed off some information and handed over to Mikey. "Here is your dorm number and your room key." The brunet was still speechless as he took the items and stepped aside to the line could progress. He was still standing there staring at his new school colors when Gabe finished and walked over to congratulate him and then poke him when no response was made.

"Mikey, are you done yet?" Sammie's voice did nothing to snap the boy out of his trance until she tackled him.

"Ow! Yeah, I'm done." Mikey picked himself up and then grabbed his new coat which had been knocked out of his arms. When Sammie saw it, her eyes went wide and she went giddy and wrapped her arms around him. "Omigosh! Mikeyyoudidit! You'reabluenow! Congrats!" All the while her grip got increasingly tighter causing Mikey to gasp out for air. He tapped her repeatedly until she finally realized she was squeezing to hard and let him go. After taking in several deep breaths, he walked toward the Obelisk Blue dorm with Sammie beside him.

Upon entering the building, Mikey's jaw dropped. The foyer was huge! The walls were like white marble and blue carpet covered the vast floor. Along the walls were couches set up in square units so students could sit together in groups. At the back of the room was an elegant staircase that split into two other stairwells that circled the room halfway along its perimeter as they led up to the second floor. Hanging from the ceiling was a crystal chandelier. But what impressed Mikey the most was the foyer's centerpiece. In the dead center of the massive room was a life size statue of the God of the Obelisk. He tried to say something, but no words came out.

"Mikey, if you're gonna gawk then don't drool on the carpet." Mikey snapped back into reality and watched as Sammie walked past him, ascended the stairs, and took the steps to the right. "The boys side is on the left. You get settled in and I'll show you around later." And with that she walked up and disappeared from sight.

Mikey, with his coat still under his arm, checked his papers to see where his room was. He was in room 512. He slung his backpack higher on his shoulder and ascended the stairs to the left. When he got there he saw a set of elevators. He pressed the button and one of the doors opened immediately. He stepped inside and pressed the button for the fifth floor, but nothing happened. It was then that he noticed the small black box on the panel. He took his keycard out and held it close to the device, which caused it to beep. He pressed the button for the fifth floor again and the doors closed. As he stood there, he took a moment to take in his surroundings. The elevator was a good two square meters and three meters high. The walls were covered with mirrors bordered with elegant lacquered wood frames. The brass handles were polished so brightly that they could have been mistaken for gold.

The elevator finally reached the fifth floor and Mikey exited into the hallway. It was much less extravagant than the foyer, but still very nice. The floor was covered with the same blue carpet and the walls were outfitted with tasteful light fittings. A sign pointed the directions of various room numbers and Mikey followed it until he came up to room 512. Mikey took his keycard out and slid it into the lock, waited for two seconds, and then pulled it out. As soon as he got the green light, he turned the handle and stepped inside.

The room's foyer was just wide enough for the door to swing all the way in. Once he was inside, he let it close behind him. To his immediate right was a door. He peered inside and nearly orgasmed with joy. Inside it was his very own bathroom. On his left was an elegant sink made of white porcelain and with gold taps and faucet. Right above it was a mirror with a fantastic golden frame topped with one hundred watt lightbulbs. Right beside it was a matching toilet with some kind of control pad on its side. He had no idea what it was for but he had a feeling he was going to find out that night. Beside the toilet was a device Mikey had never seen before. It was shaped like a toilet but it had no seat. There were taps and a drain, but when he turned them it caused water to shoot up like a drinking fountain.

On the far corner opposite of the strange device was a walk-in shower with a frosted window. Mikey had never seen one in person so his curiosity immediately drew him closer to it. He could see multiple faucets, the purpose of which he did not know, a wall and a floor made of white marble, and what appeared to be a separate temperature control for the water. Mikey immediately felt that he had to try it out so he stripped down and stepped in. He turned the tap and water instantly began to pour out all the shower heads at once. Standing inside, he felt completely refreshed, he almost couldn't describe the feeling, hitting a button on the side made every single jet of water oscillating and massaging his body, and he couldn't help but to make a relaxed, contented noise. Though when he stopped the shower, he felt like jelly. Mikey pressed his hand against the walls to support himself as he exited the shower and stepped onto the fuzzy blue bathmat. He reached for the towel rack to his left and grabbed one of the clean white towels. After he finished drying himself off he wrapped it around his waist and left the bathroom to explore the rest of the room.

Once he got past the bathroom door the room opened up into a wide open area. A double bed with crisp white sheets and a blue duvet sat in the center of the right wall. Immediately to its left was a desk with a complete desktop computer. Beside the desk was a window adorned with blue curtains. Mikey looked outside and he could see a wondrous view of the island and the ocean. Against the adjacent wall was a large mahogany dresser. Beside it was a full length mirror. Attached to the wall right in front of the bed was a fort-two inch flat screen plasma television. The brunet looked up, his hair still dripping lightly onto his smooth skin, and saw elaborate light fittings installed into the ceiling.

Needless to say, Mikey was in awe.

A knock at the door caused him to go and answer it. When he looked outside, he saw that his suitcase had been delivered. He pulled it in and set it on his bed before opening it to grab some fresh clothes. After seeing all this, it just didn't seem right to wear jeans inside the dorm. He put on a pair of black casual slacks and a plain blue shirt along with his usual white socks and orange shoes. He finally then removed his new school coat from its wrapper and put it on. The zipper and clasp were exactly the same as his old Osiris Red and Ra Yellow jackets. The only difference he felt was the presence of the long coattails behind him. Deciding to unpack the rest of his clothes later, he quickly grabbed his comb to straighten his hair and then went back downstairs to meet with Sammie.

She was waiting on the second floor looking at the Obelisk statue when he arrived. "There you are!" she said when she saw him and ran over to him. "What took you so long?"

"I had to try out the shower," Mikey confessed. Sammie giggled. He truly was unaccustomed to this life style. Without a second thought, she grabbed his hand and began pulling him after her telling him how much she had to show him around. Her first stop was a pair of fancy double doors on the second floor right between the two sets of elevators leading up to the dorms.

"This is the dining room," she said as she opened the door for him to see. There were lots of tables all covered with white table cloths. Each one had at least two chairs with plush blue padding and a small vase holding a single flower. The windows spanned the entire height of the room and were adorned with elegant blue drapes.

"This place looks like a restaurant," Mikey commented.

"It kinda is, actually," Sammie explained, "You basically sit down and you're given a menu. You then order your food and they bring it out to you. The only difference is you don't have to pay."

"Wow, that's amazing. What's the food like?"

"Here, read a menu." Sammie grabbed a menu from a nearby pile and handed it to Mikey. The cover was bound in blue leather and embossed with gold lettering. He opened it and skimmed the items. His eyes widened like saucers until he finally finished.

"You guys...actually eat this stuff every day?"

"The menu changes every week, but yet pretty much."

"Oh...my...gosh..."

Next Sammie showed him the way to the indoor hot springs and spa. She waited outside while Mikey went in to have a look at the boys' spa for himself. Upon entry the first thing he noticed was how warm and humid the air was. His eyes were quickly drawn to the hot spring, which was the size of a swimming pool. Beyond that was a tiled public shower area with stools, mirrors, water buckets, soap dispensers, and shower heads. Right beside that was a large rack filled with clean towels. His gaze then followed the wall to the left from there and he saw a cold bath as well. After that were two doors: a frosted glass door and a wooden door. The first lead into a steam room. The other was a dry sauna. Continuing along the wall near the corner closest to the door was a set of lockers lined up with some benches and more towels. These were for students to come in and leave their clothes while they enjoyed the spa. Once again, Mikey had the urge to try it out but he forced himself to hold off. Sammie was still waiting outside. He took one last look around and then went to rejoin her.

Next was the recreation room. The moment Mikey stepped in, his eyes lit up. There were several big screen plasma televisions each hooked up to various game systems including Nintendo Wiis, XBox 360s, and PlayStation 3s, some of the latter two of which had been set up with Kinect and PlayStation Move respectively. Controllers had been marked with colored bands matching the color of a sticker on one of the systems. The games themselves were all lined up on bookshelves near the consoles while couches had also been set up for the gamers to relax on. Somebody was already there right then playing _Dragon Age: Origins_ on one of the XBox 360 systems. There was also a cabinet full per peripherals for Guitar Hero, Rock Band, SingStar, Band Hero, and even DJ Hero. Just behind that to Mikey's immediate left upon entering through the door was a juice bar. It was currently closed, but when it opened it was manned by one of the school's culinary staff. There were three pool tables and three ping pong tables lined up with each other into two rows in the center of the room. There were also two Foosball tables just beside them. To the right of them following a five meter gap was a bunch of large sturdy tables with chairs. Sammie explained that these were for people who preferred board games and tabletop gaming. She then pointed to a cabinet where several board games were stored among which were countless boxes of Risk. Along a portion of one wall next to a large window were two _Dance Dance Revolution_ machines. There was also a crane game machine, a Stacker machine, three basketball throw machines, three football throw machines, and three skee ball machines. Finally along the wall beside Mikey was an entire row of computers for online and LAN gaming. Someone was already on one of them playing _World of Warcraft_.

"They have all sorts of gaming tournaments and events going on here every week," Sammie explained, "Sometimes you just wanna play something else besides Duel Monsters."

"I hear ya," Mikey agreed as he looked around again. He definitely wanted to come back here tonight. "Does this dorm come with a weight room too?"

"No, that's in the school building."

"You guys really do have everything, don't you?"

"Most Blues come from rich families."

Mikey left the recreation room with Sammie, looked out at the foyer, and smiled. He was going to like it here.

o o o

Reko was stunned as he walked back inside, throwing on a tight white sleeveless shirt with a red chain necklace that had rumpled up on top of a small crate. Recca was just finished adjusting the last espresso machine into place, prancing next to Reko with a wide beaming smile as they both gazed upon the Dual Rose, it looked truly beautiful, a marriage of plant life and old Victorian industry. Reko pulled out his cellphone and checked the time. "It only took an entire day to make this...!"

"Yeps!" Recca got out a small hanging sign with the logo of the shop, two roses over a teacup, and affixed it to the side of the wall outside with a quick whirring of a power tool. "Like your pops Reign always said, apply apply apply! Now you clean up Reko, we got to show the kids what what in a dueling circuit."

"Wha...?" Reko looked at his mother with a surprised expression, "You didn't get approved to build here before you built here? I know the 'Entrance Duel' is a tad wonky, though it does make sense, but-"

"No, no, no, that applies to students."

"Then why the jingle japes are you gonna duel!"

Recca laughed happily. "Publicity! You gotta get out there and get known! But by the way Mr. Sourpuss, your entry duel is at noon."

Reko looked at his mother. "... ...what?"

His mother looked away, pressing the tips of her fingers together, "Yeeaaahhhh, an owner of a pre-established place of business owned under the jurisdiction of Duel Island is exempt from any entry duel. Unless it's working for the Duel Academy faculty proper. So Duel Shops, my pretty lady lumps, so on and so forth are exempt. However..."

Reko shrugged. "I can see where this is going."

"However...lemme find the small print on this." Recca grabbed the contract she signed the night Reko was sound asleep from behind the bar, flipping through pages and adjusting her thin glasses. "Aha! See? Only the owner, one owner, is exempt. So your tush..."

"Is fried nine ways to Tuesday."

"Not exactly, you're a Turbo Duelist, which means..."

"I'm not a licenced Duelist, though you gotta admit, it's becoming steadily popular. Wait..."

Recca nodded. "You win this thing, you're a licensed Turbo Duelist. Not a whole lot of folks can say 'I'm so cool that I make coffee, woo ladies, play card games on motorcycles, AND am completely licenced.' Need that to stay on the island, or you wear those fancy uniforms...which you WOULD look in, but we can't afford to lose you here. 'Sides, you got Reign's Gemknights on your side, so you're as sure as a sunny spring day to win hands down." Recca tossed him his deck box of white leather, "Arena Seven, it's eleven-thirty. I'll finish up here, mainly just fancy touches." Reko, knowing full well he wasn't going to get a further word in edgewise, walked out of the shop towards the main building.

o o o

Noah stood in Alexis' office with an Obelisk Blue coat draped over his body. The sleeves hung from his arms like a wizard's robe and the coat tails trailed behind him like a wedding dress train. Even a size XS was too big for him. "Hmmm. Must remember to order one in a child size," Alexis thought out loud. Behind her, Cassie laughed a little before getting off the bookshelf on which she had been sitting. Noah sighed as he tried to undo the neck clasp. As soon as it was open, the entire coat slid off his body onto the floor.

"In the meantime..." Alexis reached into her desk and pulled out a blue badge with a picture of God of the Obelisk on it along with a banner that had the school's motto printed on it. "...wear this so then people can tell which dorm you're in." Noah accepted the badge and pinned it to the front of his hoodie, but it was off-center.

"Lemme help." Cassie walked over and adjusted the shiny blue object. Noah turned his head away trying to hide the light rose in his cheeks until she was finished. "There. All done!"

"Th-thank you," the boy said quietly.

"How are you settling in, Noah?" Alexis asked as she returned to her desk and sat down.

"I'm still very nervous," Noah answered, "Everyone else is much older than me. I feel so out of place."

Cassie moved up closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, did you forget about me?"

"Well, I..."

"I'm here cuz my dad's a dueling pro, so my mom looks after me. She home schools me right here in the office. Y'know, you're lucky, Noah. You get to be out there with the students. I gotta stay here. Mom only lets me out when my lessons are done. I don't get to talk to anyone else while I'm stuck in here. But you've got classes with everyone else. Be happy!"

"I hope you are right...," replied Noah. A few minutes of awkward silence followed before Cassie decided to break the tension and grabbed his hand.

"Come on. There's someone I want you to meet." And with that she dragged Noah out of the office.

"Where are we going?" the boy asked as he used his other hand to cling onto his beloved plush toy.

"You'll see." After several minutes, the two children arrived at the cliffs behind the Osiris Red dorm. Cassie led the way up to a cave. Upon arrival, she picked up a rock and threw it inside.

"OUCH!" Several seconds later Gio came out of the cave rubbing his chest. "Can't you just call me when you come over?"

"Cuz every time I do you never answer. Anyhoo Gio, this is Noah." The rock lover looked over at the white-hair boy who stood behind Cassie clutching his toy close to his chest. He walked nearer and inspected him closely.

"His eyes are funny." Noah's right eye twitched and he smacked Gio across the face with his doll. It didn't hurt, but it certainly came as a surprise. "Hey! What was that for?"

"Don't make fun of my eyes," the boy genius growled.

"He's a little sensitive about them," Cassie told Gio quietly.

"Well they're weird," the rock-lover protested, which earned him another smack. "It's like he's got 3D glasses in them." That earned him a third smack. "You know that doesn't hurt, right?" Then he got hit in the head with an apple.

"Where did that come from?" Cassie wondered.

"It was in my pocket," Noah answered as he stood with his right arm holding his plushie close to his body and his left arm inside his hoodie pocket.

"That didn't really hurt, either," Gio said though he was rubbing his head.

"C'mon Noah, Gio really didn't mean it," Cassie said nicely as she took Noah's hand out from his pocket and held it. "He's..._special_." Gio looked at Noah's hand being held in Cassie's own and he felt a sort of sharp pang inside his chest.

o o o

"You're early, Mr. Tejinashi." Professor Snappe looked at the other end of the Duel Arena, while Zetsubou stood in his well worn garb and bowed politely.

"I pride myself on courtesy, Professor. Shall we begin the lesson and employ myself? I find my time to be in haste to catch my sisters examination."

"Who is that?" a student mumbled.

"Some hobo looking for a job?"

"He looks like a total wuss."

Snappe gave a sneer. "Your haste will be your down fall Tejinashi, ready yourself. You will have first move."

"I'd be delighted." And with that Zetsubou drew his first card.

o o o

The sound of the seagulls and the lapping of the waves filled the air. Just beyond the beach was a shady wooded area. Nellie was standing to the side on the path leading down from the school trying to flip her skateboard with her heel. Wes sat on the ground in the shade just staring blankly toward the sky. Saito was standing close to the water's edge, allowing the ocean breeze to blow through his coat tails. Seated on a tree stump across from where Wes lay was Hayley cuddled up with Max. The redhead had been promoted to Obelisk Blue, which made the young couple very happy. Saito tolerated him more now since they spent a lot of time together over the summer through Hayley. The Kaiba heir had not spent any time with Sammie during the break, though. Whenever she called, he always told her he was busy. Kaiba Corp. had been trying to crank out its newest line of Duel Disks faster for the next year and the company needed all the help it could get. A Kaiba's work was never done; Saito knew this very well.

Wes was able to spend a month with his father over the summer. Sako had taken a break from mercenary work and the two of them were able to spend some bonding time together. The most memorable was their hunting trip. The two of them camped out in a secluded spot in a forest at the foot of a mountain. They had gone with only guns, ammunition, and knives. From that point on, the hunting trip became more of a survival camp. With only weapons and the clothes on their backs, the father and son team spent a week in those woods.

Hayley and Max had spent every Saturday afternoon that summer with each other. On some days they would go for walks in the park or picnics while on others they would go shopping. On their special days they went to go see plays for which they were able to get discount tickets thanks to their student IDs as Duel Academy drama students. The two of them agreed that that summer had brought them even closer together.

Nellie had spent her holiday going on one adventure after another. Skydiving, skateboarding competitions, scuba diving, bungee jumping, rock climbing, surfing; her entire summer had just been one adrenaline rush after another. She had never felt so alive. She loved the excitement and the exhilaration. She lived life to the fullest without hesitation and she lived it in the fast lane. She was Nellie Lazarus and adrenaline was her passion.

o o o

Reko smirked, stepping out from his duel the same time as Zetsubou, smirking as he slid up astride the raven-haired man. "You win?"

Zetsubou was silent, which he thought would get the point along to Reko, yet be only beamed as carried on. "Yeahhhh...I kicked my tester's ass. All licenced now and stuff, so you won to-" Zetsubou's finger rested upon his lips. "As much as I would love to hear your topic of conversation, I have only a few minutes to find Arena Twelve, so if you cannot help me with this simple task..."

The lavender-haired man sputtered, laughing, "Well, that's easy to find. Follow along, we'll watch the match together."

"I...fail to see why you'd come."

He smirked, resting a hand on Zetsubou's shoulder, his eyes instantly locking on where Reko's hand rested. "It's obvious your sibling is dueling. I got family too. I know that look and that 'get outta my way' vibe. I want to see the person you admire so much, nothing else."

As odd as that sounded, Zetsubou could not help but smile, "I can see I'm not going to shake you. Zetsubou Tejinashi."

"Reko Telaris, now come on, I know a shortcut through a maintenance room."

o o o

Gabe was settling in at the Osiris Red dorm. He had the exact same room as last year and was paired up with Spencer yet again. He watched the electric blond boy from his bunk as he plugged all of his electronic devices into his numerous power bars. That had to be a fire hazard, he thought as Spencer continued to set up his side of the room.

"You gonna take any longer, Sparky?" the brunet asked. Spencer gritted his teeth. That nickname still bugged him and Gabe knew it.

"I take a while to set up, okay?"

"I swear you brought double the stuff you had last year."

"A lot changes when you're gone at a boarding school on a remote island," Spencer replied as his iPhone 4 suddenly started to ring. "Hang on. I gotta take this. I don't want to see a sock on the door when I come back!" He left the room so he could have some privacy from his roommate, leaving Gabe by himself.

Once alone, the younger Angel boy got off his bed and walked to his desk. He opened his drawer and pulled out his deck. As he looked at it, memories of his crushing defeat against Judgement and his Allies of Justice came back. Memories that made him realize his deck's true strength. He set the cards down. He needed a new deck. He then remembered that the next booster series was coming out the following day, so he decided then and there to create a brand new deck from scratch.

o o o

"Ms. Telaris."

"It's Recca, cutie. Ms. Telaris is my mother that's walking about."

"Would you mind being a tester for Arena Twelve for your publicity match? The tester had a few personal matters to attend to.", Recca shrugged, "I guess it couldn't't hurt love, after all I'm just in her to get the shop known. When they see that the owner can hold her water in a duel they'll come flocking I think."

The attendant smirked, penciling in Recca's name as the tester, he blushed when he saw Recca smirking at him. "S...sign here?" Recca's slender hand artfully placed a very curvaceous signature upon the paper before she looked at the attendant with a calm look. "So...honest boy's opinion, how does this outfit look? I got changed riiight before it was showtime."

"U...uh."

Recca giggled, "That's all the approval I need, thank you dear."

Reko and Zetsubou sat next to Mikey and the others, "Last duel eh? This place is packed!".

Zetsubou brushed off his shirt, looking at Reko and the others. "Oh, I take it you know those folks, yes?"

Reko laughed. "I should hope so. They saved my heiny from the hibachi back in the Duelist Kingdom. They're good people, solidly good people."

Zetsubou rose an eyebrow at Reko. "You're still euphoric from just getting licenced aren't you." Reko only responded with a small squeal and punching the air. "Assumed as such, how do you do. My name is Zetsubou Tejinashi, and I'm quite pleased to make your acquaintance. However, I may ask that you do not disturb me. I must observe my sister in this match."

o o o

Mikomi nervously walked out into the huge arena, her black hair pulled up into two small pigtails as her nervousness turned into awe, looking out at all the spectators who looked down upon her and her soon to be opponent who hasn't arrived yet. Barely three feet tall, she still didn't feel overwhelmed at all, brushing off her patchwork layered dress and adjusting her aluminum flower hair clip, looking at her Duel Disk and running through in her head how the thing worked, Zetsubou went over it with her a few times, yet Mikomi felt she had to refresh herself before the match, just in case.

All eyes went to Zetsubou, who only beamed as he adjusted his glasses. "She'll be just fine that one."

"A candidate is a what, a toddler?"

Zetsubou's brow furrowed, glancing over at everyone who was just as shocked as the rest of the arena.

"She's young, I'll admit."

Max smiled warmly, "She looks adorable!", to which Zetsubou smirked, "You see past the..."

"Of course. You must have made everything you two own, and that's just fabulous!"

Reko smiled, "Little tot like her wouldn't walk into an arena unless she wasn't confidant, I'm eager who she...is...oh..."

A stunning woman walked out into the other end of the arena, a beautiful Duel Disk of red metal and inlaid with white crystal petals in a golden lattice attached to her arm. She wore an elegant black evening dress with a high slit going up one voluptuous leg and revealing elegant stiletto heels and a plunging neckline. The dress was covered with red and white petals as if they were caught in a light breeze. Her lavender locks were pulled into a loose bun, with tendrils gracing her face and coiling down her back, held in place by two roses, a red and white. Two black cloths were tied around her biceps, and a small scarf tied firmly to her neck in a small bow with a rose in the center.

Her sly ruby red lipsticked smirk turned into a sweet smile as she regarded the girl behind her thin black frames. However, in the stands, a grand riot of the male hormones broke out.

"Alright Mikomi, let's begin now. Why don't you go first?" Recca held out her hand to Mikomi, who nodded quickly and drew her card, her eyes lit up with excitment. Rena couldn't help but giggle and smile cutely, which made many people in the stands swoon as the duel came to be.

So it was that first few days of Duel Academy went about, quiet and with an air of intrigue.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Change is in the air. New students, new teachers, new cards, new rules, and a new school year. School is back in session next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	90. Changes

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-03**

**Changes**

Mikey woke up feeling the soft texture of silk sheets against his skin. Within a few minutes of waking up he remembered that he was an Obelisk Blue now, which meant he was living in luxury. He sat up in bed and looked out his window. The sunlight was streaming in gently past his curtains and onto his bed covers. Mikey yawned as he brought his hands over his head and stretched before tossing the blanket aside, revealing the notable bulge in his boxers. He looked at his alarm clock. There was still time. He could take care of it. Getting up, he walked to his bathroom and closed the door behind him.

o o o

Gabe walked back to his room with his towel around his neck, his toiletries in a bag in his hand, and his hair still dripping wet. His clothes looked like they had been hastily put on, which had been the case since there had been a line. He entered his room and threw his things onto his bed before he started drying off his hair. Spencer was just sitting there on his bunk playing on his Sony PSP. "I hate this dorm sometimes," the brunet thought out loud, "Why the hell can't they just put the bathroom at the end?"

"At least we have a bathroom," Spencer replied, "The food is questionable. Remember dinner last night?"

"Don't remind me," Gabe muttered as he threw his towel aside and grabbed his hair gel.

"Where do you think they got such tiny drumsticks?" the electric blond teen wondered.

"I saw a mouse in the kitchen missing a leg last night," was Gabe's answer. Spencer facepalmed and just resumed his game.

o o o

Coltyn's surroundings hadn't changed one bit. The Ra Yellow dorm was the same as always. The only difference now was that he was back to eating his meals in silence with a newspaper in front of him. Chatting with Mikey and Max over breakfast last year had always managed to brighten his day as the former was able to hold a conversation and the latter had enough energy to keep it going. As he sat there reading his paper, he failed to notice the girl on the other end of the dining room eyeing him.

o o o

Max was already out the door and skipping along the path from the dorm to the school singing Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi". The drama club had an early morning meeting that day. The supervising teacher was going to announce the new president of the club since the last one had graduated. The position of club president had always been given to a third year student and since Max was now in his third year, he thought that now would be his chance. The club had changed since he first joined. He remembered Will, Hector, Damien, Romano, Julia, Lucas, and James had all been there at the booth on that first Club Day. But now all of them had graduated and the only ones left were him and everybody who had joined last year among which was Haley.

Max smiled to himself as he thought of his girlfriend and continued skipping along.

o o o

Sammie was sitting in the dinner room waiting for Mikey. She was supposed to be having breakfast with Saito, but the rich boy had left early to take care of some things. Finally, her childhood friend arrived dressed handsomely in his Obelisk Blue coat. He bid her good morning and then sat down in the chair across from her. "Morning, Sammie. What's for breakfast?"

"Take your pick." Sammie handed him a menu and he looked over it. Everything on it sounded so good.

"And all this is free?" he asked.

"Yup." Mikey was in heaven. He was practically living a rich man's lifestyle now. After several minutes, he finally decided to order the eggs benedict with smoked salmon while Sammie decided to have the fresh herb and veggie frittata. Their food came very quickly much to Mikey's surprise. He learned later this was because students needed to get to class quickly, so meals had to be prepared fast. At the mention of classes, Mikey quickly looked at his watch. There was still an hour before they started, so he relaxed a little and began to eat. The food was nothing like what he had before. Each bite was a taste of heaven and he savored every one of them. Sammie watched him eat and couldn't help but giggle. He was like a child exploring a new environment in nearly every way.

After breakfast, Mikey wanted to get to school early so he could find out where exactly all his classes would be before the first day assembly. Sammie decided to just let him do what he wanted. He hadn't changed much in all those years. As soon as the pair of them got to the school, Mikey checked his schedule for his classrooms and began trying to locate them on the school directory while Sammie waited patiently. Once he had finished walking through the school to find the rooms, the two headed to the assembly hall where the students had already begun to gather. All the staff were already seated on the stage including Alexis, Marcel, Hassleberry, Mr. Higsby, Mr. Bibby, Mrs. Jackson, Miss Frost, Dr. Snappe, Miss Marina, and much to everyone's surprise, Mr. Thulin. There was also a girl with glasses and auburn hair tied neatly and held in place with a barrette that resembled the head of an extraterrestrial known as a Grey. She wore a Ra Yellow jacket, but it was different from the standard issue. It was more slender and designed more like a blazer. Underneath it she wore a white girl's dress shirt and a blue tie. Additionally, she also wore a navy blue pleated skirt, white knee-high socks, and black Mary Jane shoes. She was seated on the end of the row of chairs with her back straight all prim and proper.

As the last of the students settled down, Alexis walked up to the podium. The room immediately went quiet and she began to speak. "On behalf of the staff here, we welcome you back to Duel Academy. It's good to see all you students again. And a special welcome to our new first-years." At the mention of the first-years, Mikey turned his attention toward the new students. His eyes scanned their heads until he finally found a messy mop of white hair sitting shorter than the others. Noah was amongst his fellow first year Obelisk Blues wearing his dorm badge on the front of his hoodie while holding his plush toy in his arms.

"Now as you know, last year we dealt with a very unfortunate turn of events," Alexis continued, "However, we can guarantee this year will be very different. Now I'm sure most of you remember our staff. Mr. Hassleberry is the head of the Osiris Red boys' dorm and the boys P.E. teacher. Miss Frost is the head of the Osiris Red girls' dorm and the religion teacher. Mr. Bibby is the head of the Ra Yellow boys' dorm and the geography teacher." Alexis paused for a moment and then spoke again. "I'm sure many of you have noticed that Mrs. Jackson is gone. Last year was her final year here at Duel Academy. She is now happily retired and we send her our deepest thanks for her. Mrs. Danford the history teacher shall be replacing her as the head of the Ra Yellow girls' dorm."

"Moving on we have Dr. Snappe in charge of chemistry and the Obelisk Blue boys' dorm." Mikey cringed. Despite doing well in school, there was something about Dr. Snappe that always made him want to avoid him. "Miss Marina is the girls' P.E. teacher and the head of the Obelisk Blue girls' dorm." The brunet looked over at Miss Marina. Two years ago, he dueled her in his entrance exam with naught but a starter deck and still won. In some way, he felt he owed her for being where he was now.

"Mr. Higsby is here once again as the math teacher, Ms. Peters as our music teacher, and Mr. Bonaparte as the French teacher. I'd also like to welcome Mr. Slawter as our new biology teacher, and Dr. Zheng as our new physics teacher. Since Mrs. Jackson has retired, I'm pleased to announce that our new English teacher is someone you're all familiar with. Students, please welcome back Mr. Thulin." The auditorium erupted in applause as Mr. Thulin stood up and waved to the students before sitting back down.

"Now before I continue, your student council president has a few words." Alexis walked off to the side and the student who was sitting on the stage with the teachers came forward.

"Everyone, my name is Marsha Ripley. I'm your student council president. And as your student council president, it's my job to make sure the student council makes your time here at Duel Academy the best! That being said, we've got a whole bunch of events scheduled. Every Saturday night is movie night in room 201. Check the schedule outside the student council office to find out what's showing. Next we have a freshmen barbecue happening tomorrow at lunch. Free barbecue for all our new first years. This Friday we're holding a welcome back dance from eight to two in the evening. Everyone's invited to come. Lastly, we of the student council have begun a Duel Lottery. Every day, two students will be chosen at random and they'll have to duel before the day's over. The winner receives a prize put together by the student council." Marsha paused for a moment as she reached under the podium and pulled out a large container.

"But since this is our first duel, we're going to make it a treat and turn it into a tag duel. And our first two lucky students are..." She shuffled her hand inside and pulled out two strips of paper, which she read out loud. "Gabriel Angel and Samantha Korangar." At the mention of their names, Sammie and Gabe looked apprehensively at each other. "And our other two are Samuel Gauss and Norman Plane." Marsha then returned to her seat and Alexis came forward.

"Thank you, Marsha. And that's an interesting idea. Well that concludes this morning's assembly. I hope everyone has a good time here at Duel Academy." The headmistress then walked offstage with the rest the staff following her. "Remind me to talk to her about this Duel Lottery thing," she said quietly to Dr. Snappe, "All duel-related events need to be approved by a member of staff."

o o o

Recca was busy cleaning up in her shop, the Dual Rose. Already it was better than could be expected, with many students coming in for a change of pace and many of her little treats and various teas and coffees. Dressed in a large style princess dress of white and pink complete with a corset of glittering butterflies, she casually flitted here and there, making many feel welcome and at home from their studies. Dressed as a 'Prince' complete with a jack with long coat tails of red trimmed with roses in the cuffs and a white cravat, he aided his mother at the bar itself, his long ponytail smoothed and tied with a single black ribbon that danced here and there and he moved about. Anyone new coming in could already ascertain that Recca's Dual Rose was in addition to all of this, a cosplay cafe. After making a swift round, Reko's pigtailed mother leaned back against the bar, letting out a huff.

"Geez, hard to move with all that stuff on Princess Creampuff?" Reko said while idly wiping clean a glass.

Recca looked over to him, "One, be thankful you don't have actual mommy bags for old world costumes; corsets blast the air right out of you. Secondly angel, I'm amazed at our turnout here! I mean really, I know it was going to be busy but...yowie zowie, I can almost hardly keep up. And with Rena training up Saito she didn't want to be disturbed. I think this may rival the White Wind back home, it's that incredible."

Reko placed a beautiful white tea set etched with gold leaves on the bar, tapping Recca's shoulder and winking at the table it was meant to go to, full of Ra Yellows. "Think we should hire somebody to help out?"

Recca shrugged. "I suppose. We certainly have enough funds to support them for their time here. I think it'd be something to ask about for." Reko smiled sweetly at his mother, finishing the tea set with elegant silverware, actual silver.

"I'll ask about after the rush then, place up some flyers in the commons and the like. Oh, and ma?" Taking the tea set, Recca tilted her head curiously.

"Yeah, rose?"

Reko gave a smug look. "It's been a week, and I know you could have thwacked that Mikomi girl harsh. I know what combo you had setting up with those diabetically sweet monsters of yours, I know."

Giggling, Recca looked back towards her patrons. "I don't know what you were talking about. Her monster was far too overwhelming for me. I must go attend to my table."

Walking off, Reko sighed, looking back at the various bottle of hazelnuts, strawberry and other flavorings to speak quietly to himself, "You could have whomped her, but you didn't. That's mighty honorable, that's for sure. Wonder where that little squip of Zetsubou's got off to?"

o o o

Mikomi was absolutely delighted, looking at her bright new yellow uniform in the mirror she gave a quick salute to her reflection, looking a bit like some kind of soldier. Her marks have been impeccable thus far, for only a week in she had shown amazing progress in many of her studies, often outsmarting the curriculum and easily understanding problems eight chapters ahead of the other students. Any extra time she spent with Zetsubou until she got tired, she didn't know where he slept nowadays, but he said he was very well taken care of. She noticed out the corner of her eye a few various people looking at her, the small her flushing and running off in embarrassment.

A school, an actual institution just like her big brother told her! She felt like a princess, affixing her aluminum flower hairpin so it shined beautifully in the sunlight. The dorm looked like a castle to her, there was actual food that her and her brother didn't have to fight and scrape for! During the Dorm Meeting however, she found herself deep in thought as to what kind of club she should join. Looking at her crude deck box of stained and discolored plastic, she thumbed through the incredibly pristine cards to find an old, ruined photograph piece in between her favorite monster cards. The picture was a faded, water stained and discolored picture of a beautiful woman in some kind of facility, with beautiful black hair and soft features wearing a lab coat and holding two vials.

Putting the picture and her deck away she made her way out the door, checking the bulletin boards briefly to find where the Drama Club met at. She had a soft smile on her face, absentmindedly patting her deck as she made her way.

o o o

Nobody was in the school card shop save for the clerk, Sammie, and Gabe. The two students had a one-hour break at the same time and had come to the store to shop for cards, though not intentionally. Sammie had gotten there first and was there when Gabe arrived. The two of them and locked gazes for a moment before looking away.

"Uh, hey," Gabe started.

"Hi," Sammie responded.

There was an awkward silence as they stood there in the card shop. Neither one of them really wanted to speak to the other, especially not about their upcoming lottery duel.

"So wassup?" Gabe asked.

"Nothin," answered Sammie, "You?"

Gabe looked down at the cards in the display case and sighed. "Nothin..." He paused for a moment, his hand placed lightly on his deck box. His eyes scanned row after row of displayed cards as Sammie followed them, darting left to right.

"Um," Sammie scratched the back of her neck and laughed a little, "so what are you doing here? I thought your deck was all set up for the year."

Gabe's body went rigid and he turned away from her, holding onto his deck box a little tighter.

"Well...um...this lottery thing...it made me think about some things and...yeah..."

"What kind of..."

"Just things, okay? I mean, it isn't like it matters or anything."

"Well we will be dueling together so..."

"It doesn't matter Sammie, seriously I just..."

"Its about Judgement isn't it?" Gabe snapped his gaze back to Sammie, his eyes wide with surprise. He opened his mouth to ask her how she even knew about his duel with Judgement when she continued. "Mikey told me about him. Guy in a mask. Allies of Justice deck. Mikey beat him at Duelist Kingdom., or so he told me."

"What?" Gabe looked at her with a bewildered look on his face. "How? Mikey's deck is full of Light monsters! And even most of those non-Light monsters wouldn't stand a chance against Catastor."

"Mikey's deck's got Skill Drain," Sammie reminded the Angel boy. "Allies of Justice all Effect Monsters. Once Mikey took away their effects to destroy Light monsters, it was easy pickings."

Gabe scoffed and looked down again, "Figures Mikey would be able to beat that asshole. Mom always said he was a lot like Dad in that regard. Too fucking brainy."

"Its okay to lose Gabe, I mean it..."

"Shut the fuck up Sammie," Gabe interrupted, snapping at her. "Do you really think I don't know why you're here? You didn't win a single duel last year after you got back from Duelist Kingdom. You dropped in rank quickly and became a damn joke. Did losing to Saito really..." Gabe didn't get to finish his sentence as he felt Sammie's fist slamming into his cheek and sending him sprawling to the ground.

"GAH!" he cried out.

"Fuck you, Gabe!" Sammie growled at the Osiris Red with tears in her eyes and gritted teeth.

Gabe looked down to the ground again and bit his lip, mouthing a low and hushed apology. Sammie unclenched her fist and looked to the counter with a sigh. "It's okay. I'm sorry too." She helped him to his feet and he rested himself against the counter. Gabe ran his hand along his jaw to make sure it was still in place before turning to face her.

"Look, something's bugging you. You don't need to be a genius to figure it out," Gabe said out of the blue.

"What about you?" Sammie replied, "Every time I see you duel, you freeze up. What's up, Gabe? It's like you're scared to duel or something." Gabe said nothing. His eyes just wandered down to the floor. "I'm right, aren't I?" Several minutes of silence passed before the young male teen slowly began to nod his head.

"Every time I duel, my mind goes back to that duel with Judgement," Gabe began to confess, "It was like he saw into my soul. I couldn't see his face, but it still scared me shitless. It was like he was probing my soul and my deck." He paused and looked at his deck. "My deck..." He fanned out his cards and looked at them.

"That guy ain't human, Sammie."

"It sound like he saw into your deck's soul too," Sammie said.

Gabe shuffled through his cards again, but then he remembered something and changed the subject. "What about you? You've been on a losing streak since we got back from Duelist Kingdom. Did losing to Saito really..."

"It wasn't Saito," Sammie interrupted abruptly, "It was Noah."

"That kid?" Gabe looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I thought I was the Chaos Queen. My deck was a tourney winner. And then he comes out of nowhere and wipes the floor with my ass using a chaos deck of his own."

"Sammie, the kid was cheating. He used banned cards!"

"They were my favorite cards!"

"The little bastard cheated! What'd you expect?"

"He still fucking beat me in a few turns. The kid may have cheated, but he knows how to run a chaos deck and he beat me with it."

"Okay, so he's got a fast deck. So what?"

"My deck couldn't beat it 'cause I couldn't get the cards I needed in time. My deck's too fucking slow!"

There was another moment of silence between the two friends. In those few minutes the two of them had identified what each other's problem was. Now they had to come up with a solution for each of them.

"Ummm, excuse me?" Sammie and Gabe turned to look at the clerk behind the counter. "You said your deck has no soul and yours has no speed, right? Let me see what you've got." Both teens placed their decks on the counter and the clerk looked through them both. "Hnnnn... Okay... Yeah, okay. Guy, you're gonna need a whole new deck. This one totally isn't gonna work for you. And you, I got some cards that'll make Ritual summoning faster." Both Sammie and Gabe looked at each other and then back at the clerk. They nodded and watched as the clerk began pulling out cards from the counter display and the supply behind him.

o o o

Samuel and Norman were waiting in the courtyard right outside the school's front doors. The latter was a Ra Yellow student with flat black hair and a blank expression on his face. The former was better known by his nickname Mags and sported his usual red and blue hair. "How the fuck that little loser make Blue and I get bumped down to Red?" he muttered.

"I really don't care," replied Norman, "I'm scared shitless. We're gonna duel Sammie Korangar, one of the strongest Duelists in school!"

"Oh ya! I remember her. Heh, if she sees me, she ain't gonna turn down this playa." Mags smirked. "This gon' be easy."

Meanwhile, Marsha stood by the window of the student council office looking down at the activity down below. From here she had a clear view of the area where the duel would soon take place. She pushed up her glasses and smirked to herself. She was a genius and she knew it.

Some movement caught her eye and she looked as the crowd parted to make way for Sammie and Gabe as they approached with their Duel Disks locked and loaded.

"Hey there, sweet cheeks," Mags greeted winking at Sammie.

"Oh god, not this fucking idiot again," Sammie groaned.

"When we're done, this playa's gonna lay you down!" Norman facepalmed. He couldn't believe this guy was to be his partner.

"Can we just get this started?" asked Gabe.

"Sure. Let's cut." Sammie cut her deck and revealed the card she got. "Sonic Bird."

"Luster Dragon," Norman reported.

"Negate Attack," Gabe announced.

"Giant Rat! This playa's goin' first! Then the hot chick, then this ordinary dude, and that other dude." Mags grinned as everyone placed their decks back into their Duel Disks and had them automatically shuffled. "Aw'right, time fo' this playa ta..."

"Shut the hell up!" shouted Gabe.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Gabe:** 8000

**Mags & Norman:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"This playa's gonna kick things off!" Mags drew his first card. "An' I summon Giant Rat!" He slapped his card onto his Duel Disk and summoned out a large rat holding a skull in its paws (ATK/1400 DEF/1450). "This playa's done."

"My move!" Sammie drew her card. "I summon Djinn Presider of Rituals!" A fat green demon in armor with a sword and shield appeared in front of her (ATK/1800 DEF/1400). "Now I set a facedown and play Ascending Soul. Now when I Ritual Summon, I can return one of the ritual sacrifices to my hand. I'm done."

"My turn then." Norman drew card from his deck. "I summon Insect Knight." A large humanoid insect being some resemblance to a mantis appeared wielding a sword and shield (ATK/1900 DEF/1500). "I set two facedowns. I end my turn."

"Draw!" Gabe drew his card excitedly and proceeded to make his first move. "And I summon Vairon Charger!" A long white cylinder with arms surrounded by golden rings appeared on the field, but it took everyone some time to realize that it did have a face (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "Now I play the Spell Card Vairon Material." A gold and white device appeared on the field resembling what could be considered a mix of a shield, a sword, and a blaster. "When I equip this to a Vairon monster, it boosts it by six hundred points." At that very moment, Vairon Material attached itself to Vairon Charger's right arm, raising its attack points to sixteen hundred.

"That won't be enough to beat my monster," Norman pointed out.

"Hey, that's where you're wrong," Gabe corrected with a smile, "Vairon Charger gets an extra three hundred for every Spell Card equipped to him." As soon as those words left his mouth, Vairon Charger's attack points rose to nineteen hundred. "Attack Giant Rat!" The golden tusk-like protrusions and the white spearhead slid apart and a white energy ball began to charge up inside the Vairon Material. Then Vairon Charger took aim and fired a single shot at Giant Rat, destroying it with ease.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Gabe:** 8000

**Mags & Norman:** 7500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Y'destroyed my rat! So's now this playa can get an Earth monster with fifteen hundred or less attack points from my deck and summon it to the field in attack mode. This playa's gonna pick Gamma the Magnet Warrior!" A pink robot with wings with the letter S on its chest and left wing and the letter N on its back and right wing (ATK/1500 DEF/1800).

"I'm gonna set a facedown and end it there," Gabe declared.

"Back ta this playa!" Mags drew. "Awesome! I'm gonna play Double Summon, now this playa can Normal Summon twice. Soes I'm gonna summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior and Beta the Magnet Warrior." A grey robot with a sword and shield (ATK/1400 DEF/1700) and a green robot with magnets in its hands and head (ATK/1700 DEF/1600) appeared alongside Gamma. "Now watch 'em combine!" All three Magnet Warriors suddenly dismantled themselves and their parts swirled around like a tornado. Alpha's body was used as a base while Beta and Gamma added extra armor and wings. It was armed with Alpha's sword and then finally equipped with a golden mask (ATK/3500 DEF/3850). "Awwww snap! This playa's brought out Valkyrion the Magna Warrior! Now get that Djinn thing...guy... Whatevs, just kill it."

"Oh hell no!" Gabe activated his facedown. "Negate attack!" Valkyrion the Magna Warrior fired a beam from its sword and all eyes watched as it was swallowed by a magical vortex that appeared in front of its target.

"This playa'll get 'im lata!"

"Then it's my move." Sammie drew her card. "Hey Gabe, you need that Vairon Charger?"

"Be my guest," replied Gabe.

"I play Contract with the Abyss." Sammie played her card and four torches appeared on the field surrounding a hexagonal diagram. "I sacrifice Djinn Presider of Rituals and Vairon Charger to Ritual Summon Demise, King of Armageddon." The hexagon began to burn with black fire as the two monsters were sacrificed into it before a demon in heavy black armor emerged with a skull-faced helmet and wielding an enormous axe (ATK/2400 DEF/2000).

"Are you going to use Ascending Soul's effect?" asked Norman.

"No, Djinn Presider of Rituals is better off in my graveyard and Vairon Charger went to my partner's graveyard. Now I activate Demise's effect. By paying two thousand Life Points, he can destroy every card on the field except himself! Do it, Demise!" On Sammie's orders, Demise, King of Armageddon grasped his axe with both hands and began to feed off the life energy his master fed to him.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Gabe:** 6000

**Mags & Norman:** 7500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"World Ender!"

"I activate my facedown." Norman revealed one of his facedown cards. "Skill Drain. By paying a thousand Life Points, all monster effects are negated."

Sammie swore loudly.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Gabe:** 6000

**Mags & Norman:** 6500

–––––––––––––––––––––

Demise, King of Armageddon's movements slowed and were halted immediately as his body faded into a dull blue. "Fine. I'll just attack Insect Knight then!" Sammie pointed at the insectoid monster and Demise rushed in and cleaved it in two.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Gabe:** 6000

**Mags & Norman:** 6000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I'm done now."

"I activate my other facedown, Birthright. This lets me resurrect a Normal Monster from my graveyard in attack mode. So I bring back Insect Knight." Norman's recently-slayed monster burst back out onto the field and shrieked. "My turn now." And he drew his card.

"I sacrifice Insect Knight and summon Cyber-Tech Alligator." A winged bipedal alligator appeared, but its left leg was covered in red armor and its right arm, right wing, the entire right side of its torso, and part of its head had been replaced with cybernetic enhancements (ATK/2500 DEF/1600). "Attack Demise with Trident Arm." Cyber-Tech Alligator took aim with its right arm and fired its mechanical claw at Demise, King of Armageddon with the projectile connected by a wire. Its attack pierced through its target.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Gabe:** 5900

**Mags & Norman:** 6000

–––––––––––––––––––––

Once Demise was dead, Cyber-Tech Alligator reeled its claw back in. "Your move."

"I draw." Gabe drew his card. "I summon Vairon Soldier!" A white machine appeared with arms and shoulders made of gold (ATK/1700 DEF/1000). "Next I equip him with Axe of Despair, and Big Bang Shot! Axe boosts him by a thousand attack and Big Bang another four hundred plus piercing." A large fiendish axe was equipped to Vairon Soldier and its head started to burn brightly as the great robot's attack points rose to thirty-one hundred.

"That ain't gunna dent my Valkyrion!" Mags laughed.

"That's why I'm playing one more card, Mage Power! This boosts my monster by five hundred points for every Spell and Trap Card I have."

"That's three, so that means fifteen hundred," Norman observed. A magical aura surrounded Vairon Soldier as its attack points rose up yet again to forty-six hundred.

"Holy fucking shit," muttered Mags.

"Attack Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!" Vairon Soldier raised its arm and swung the axe down on top of Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, splitting the robot into two.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Gabe:** 5900

**Mags & Norman:** 4900

–––––––––––––––––––––

"The fuck was that?" Mags demanded.

"Payback, bitch!" Gabe yelled before ending his turn.

Mags drew his card and scowled. "Fuck, I got nuttin'."

"My turn then." Sammie drew her card. "First I MST Skill Drain." A blast of wind shot across the field and wiped out Norman's card. "Now I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands." She played her card and summoned a green god with ten thousand hands all over his body (ATK/1400 DEF/1000). "Now I can bring a Ritual Spell Card or a Ritual Monster to my hand and I choose Contract with the Abyss." Her deck spat out her card and she took it before her Duel Disk reshuffled her cards. "Now I play Contract with the Abyss and I'll sacrifice Manju and remove from play Djinn Presider of Rituals from my graveyard to Ritual Summon The Masked Beast!" Once again, four torches and a hexagon appeared. Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and a ghostly image of Djinn Presider of Rituals were swallowed up in the black flames and in a fiery blast, a horrific creature with a humanoid upper body and a demonic lower body emerged with masks covering its face and running down the front of its body (ATK/3200 DEF/1800). "Then with Ascending Soul's effect, I bring Manju back to my hand." Sammie's Duel Disk ejected the card and she placed it back into her hand. "Attack Cyber-Tech Alligator!" The Masked Beast's masks all opened their mouths and clouds of plagued dust shot out and corroded away at Cyber-Tech Alligator until all that remained was a skeleton in rusty armor.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Gabe:** 5900

**Mags & Norman:** 4200

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Show me what you've got."

"I will." Norman drew. "I MST Big Bang Shot. If it's destroyed while equipped, the monster it's equipped to gets removed from play." Gabe swore as the flames were extinguished from his monster's weapon and he watched as the resulting extinction of the fire created a black hole that sucked up Vairon Soldier. "Next I play Ancient Rules, which lets me Special Summon a level five or higher Normal Monster from my hand. So here comes Gogiga Gagagigo!" A massive lizard enhanced by demonic energies wearing cybernetic power armor landed on the field and roared (ATK/2950 DEF/2800). "Now I boost him by eight hundred with United we Stand. Gogiga Gagagigo let out another roar as his attack points increased for thirty-seven fifty.

"Attack The Masked Beast." Gogiga Gagagigo leapt high into the air and slammed a fist down on top of The Masked Beast, causing its entire body to shudder and then splatter.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Gabe:** 5350

**Mags & Norman:** 4200

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I'm done now," Norman said.

"Back to me now." Gabe drew his card and examined it. This would be very useful. He set it down on the field and then set a monster in defense mode. "I'm done."

"This playa's gonna draw!" Mags drew his card. It was a card he needed, but it would do him no good now. He set it on the field and ended his turn hoping he'd have enough time to use it.

"I draw now." Sammie drew her and placed Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands back onto her Duel Disk. "And I'll use his effect to bring Dark Master - Zorc to my hand." She took the Ritual Monster from her deck and placed it in her hand. "Now I activate my facedown card, Advanced Ritual Art! I send two Archfiend Soldiers to the graveyard and Ritual Summon Dark Master - Zorc!" A bright red cloak appeared on the field and swirled around several times before revealing the one wearing it. Dark Master - Zorc was a dark-skinned demon with wild green hair and a face hidden behind the mask. The cloak that was seen earlier turned out to be his wings (ATK/2700 DEF/1500). "Now I activate his effect. On my Main Phase, I can roll a die. If it lands on one or two, I can destroy all your monsters. If it's a three, four, or five, I destroy only one. And if it's six, I destroy all of my monsters." Sammie pressed a button on her Duel Disk and a large die appeared on the field. She hit it again and the die began to spin. She pressed the button a third time and the die flew up and rolled along the ground before landing on three.

"Three. That means I get to destroy one monster and I pick Gogiga Gagagigo! Zorc! Diabolic Edict!" Dark Master - Zorc unleashed a wave of darkness that wrapped around Gogiga Gagagigo. When it finally dispersed, the great lizard was nowhere to be found. "Manju, they've got no monsters now. Attack directly!" Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands complied and moved in, delivering a flurry of punches from his multiple limbs.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Gabe:** 5350

**Mags & Norman:** 2800

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Dark Master - Zorc, attack!" Dark Master - Zorc clenched his fist as his wings began to flap like a cape and materialized into a dragon head in front of him from which a large fireball was launched and blasted away and Mags' and Norman's Life Points.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Gabe:** 5350

**Mags & Norman:** 100

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," announced Sammie.

"I draw." Norman drew his card and looked at it. Then he placed it in his hand and played another one. "I activate Lightning Vortex and I'll discard my Dark Blade to use it." A torrential rain of lightning shot down from the sky and blasted Dark Master - Zorc and Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands. "Now I play Monster Reborn and bring back Gogiga Gagagigo!" Norman's strongest monster quickly rejoined the field and roared. "Attack that facedown monster!"

"Not happening!" Gabe revealed his facedown card. "I use Magic Cylinder to reflect your attack back at ya!"

"You fuckin' idiot!" Mags swore.

Gogiga Gagagigo channeled the demonic energies that coursed through his body and fired it with a blast from his fist. In response, two purple tubes appeared. The blast went inside one and then a few seconds passed before it shot out of the other one and struck down both Mags and Norman.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Gabe:** 5350

**Mags & Norman:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––

"What the fuck happened?" Mags shouted at Norman.

"What're you getting worked up about?" the latter asked, "We weren't getting graded for this."

"We lost to a chick!"

"So? She's the best Duelist in this school."

Sammie cleared her throat to get Mags' attention. "Need I remind you that this 'chick' kicked your ass during and after the duel last time?" she asked calmly as she tightened her fist.

"Ey, this playa ain't need no shit from yo face!" Mags called out.

"What...did you just say?" Sammie growled.

"Alright, break it up!" Mr. Thulin stepped in and turned to Mags. "You lost, so suck it up." Mags was lost for words. He stood there speechless for several minutes and then just stormed off. Norman just shrugged and headed back to his dorm.

"Nice work, you two," Marsha congratulated as she walked out with two other representatives of the student council. "As I promised, you get a prize for winning. Thirty-dollar gift certificates at the card shop." Sammie and Gabe took the gift certificates from the two accompanying council members and looked at them.

"Ironic, huh?" Gabe laughed.

"What?" Sammie asked.

"We spent all that money to buff our decks and now look what we get."

Sammie looked again at her gift certificate and chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Hey Sammie?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

She turned to Gabe. "Same."

o o o

Mikomi finally found the auditorium after quite a time searching around, laying a hand on the doorway she carefully opened it to find the place dark, with only the stage lit. It was somewhat disheartening, but something made her heart jump, "Move now? Are you serious? What about the pacts, the preparations! Think of the ramifications of what a preemptive strike may cause! You'll have this entire damn area in alarm!"

That was her brothers voice! Moving quickly, she ran down the aisle, skidding to a halt when she heard a deep and powerful voice, "So you wish more time to be given? When these Neophyte Crusaders of the Rose move against us?" A loud crack was heard, "Keep your damn construct off of me, I am not one to be bound."

Mikomi leaned against the base of the stage, hoping she could get a glimpse of what was transpiring, however all she saw were flickering shadows, "You prove your worth in arms as well as in your duels. You have integrated yourself, but have not moved along yet with your task." A scoff was heard, "So you say, a trap takes time, and he is already marked...it merely is up to time now, sooner or later he will fall into place then you shall have him."

"...Very well, I see I cannot dissuade you to be faster. I only hope you do not delude yourself into believing that this life is truly the one you were meant for. Come along.", heavy footsteps were heard as a door slammed shut. Mikomi slowly crawled up onto the stage and peered behind it, but found no one, no trace of even movement. She couldn't have simply imagined it, but she slowly back away off the stage and out of the auditorium, looking puzzled and very distraught. She distinctly heard her brothers voice in there, didn't she? Shaking her head, she quickly turned tail and ran from the auditorium, fast as her legs could carry her.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The Duel Lotteries continue and take a turn as two new students are pitted against each other. Noah Kaiyou faces off against a fellow first year in his first public duel ever. What will the outcome be? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	91. The New Kids on the Rock

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-04**

**The New Kids on the Rock**

Coltyn had never exactly worked with any of the younger students before. However, when a first year in Ra Yellow came to him asking for pointers on a Fire deck, he couldn't help but give him a hand. Standing at five foot four in height with shoulder length dirty blond hair and bluish eyes that turned brown closer to the pupils, fourteen-year-old Scott Sculac was among the smaller first year students. Having not yet finished puberty he was still shorter than most of them and his voice had not yet completed its transformation. In addition to his standard Ra Yellow jacket, he also wore jeans and black Chuck Taylors.

The two of them were sitting in the Ra Yellow dorm's dining room. Cards had been spread out all over their table with an open tin sitting on the corner to Scott's left. The majority of the table had been occupied by cards that had been laid out neatly as Coltyn explained the deck building process. "With a Fire deck, you want to build your strategy mostly around burning your opponent. Now because of your cards, you'll have to build yours a little differently from mine. You lack a lot of raw power, but I can see the makings of a stall deck."

"Stall deck?" Scott looked at Coltyn.

"It means you stop your opponent from attacking."

"I know what it means, but why a stall deck?"

"You don't have the cards to mount a good offense," Coltyn answered bluntly. He shifted through the cards again. "But you've got cards here perfect for stalling."

"I was kinda hoping I could get some action into a duel."

"Trust me, you'll have fun burning your opponent down."

Scott thought about it for a moment before finally giving Coltyn an affirming nod. "Alright, let's make this deck."

o o o

Noah was threading his belt through his new deck boxes as he got dressed. He wasn't quite used to it yet. His Duel Disk sat on his bed, which had a footstool beside it for reasons the boy did not particularly want to gloat about. The Disk itself had the ban list programmed into it. Looking at his Duel Disk again, Noah then went to his closet and took out a tin from a corner on the floor. He put it on the floor by his bed and opened it. Inside were all the cards that he had used last year that were banned. Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End, Graceful Charity, Yata-Garasu, Painful Choice, Crush Card Virus, Witch of the Black Forest, Time Seal, Change of Heart, Sinister Serpent, Pot of Greed, Raigeki, Tribe-Infecting Virus, Harpie's Feather Duster, Thousand-Eyes Restrict, Dark Strike Fighter, Ring of Destruction, Metamorphosis, Magician of Faith, and Dark Magician of Chaos were just some of the many forbidden cards he had used. He put the tin back and closed his closet door. After that, he grabbed his plush toy and his Duel Disk off his bed and left his room.

o o o

The Dual Rose wasn't very busy at this time of day. Most of the time, Reko found himself leaning against the bar counter drumming his fingers on the surface listening to the same track play over the cafe's speakers for the umpteenth time.

"Reko dear, can you please clean the floors?" Recca asked sweetly.

"Again? It's only been ten minutes," Reko replied.

"We want to keep the place clean for the students when they come in."

"Ma, I know you're excited but maybe you should pick different hours for the cafe. Everyone's in class."

"Not everyone." Recca nodded toward the door and Reko looked as Gabe walked into the cafe with Spencer. As soon as they sat down, Rena came up to them with her rather notable assets bouncing with every skip in her step. After delivering them their menus, she walked off. Spencer couldn't help but keep his eye on her as she left.

"How come nobody in the school ever has a bod like that?" he asked his roommate.

"Sparky, not now. I missed breakfast and I'm hungry," Gabe grumbled.

"Damnit, Gabe! Stop calling me Sparky!"

"I'll call you whatever the hell I want. Now shut up and let me order. I'm hungry!"

"Maybe if you didn't sleep in, you wouldn't have to miss breakfast."

"I was up late!"

"Doing what?"

"Boys, boys, boys!" Recca came back to the table with her cheerful smile, "No need to fight. Here! Have some of our strawberry cake on the house!" She placed a slice of cake in front of each of the young teens and returned to the kitchen.

"Well it's free food," Spencer pointed out. Gabe said nothing. He just picked up his fork and started eating.

o o o

Marsha was in the student council office. It had been a week since she began her Duel Lottery and so far sixteen students had dueled. The first duel had been a tag team and she found it quite interesting. However, all the others had been boring and lackluster. She thought for sure her idea would spice things up at the school. But it turned out that it was growing steadily boring.

"Why am I even dealing with these nobodies?" she asked herself, "The only reason that first duel went so well was because I picked the best Duelist in the school." She thought about what she could do to spice things up again. She considered rigging the draws so that Saito Kaiba would duel. But her hopes were dashed when she remembered witnessing him summoning three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in one turn. It was an impressive move, but it ended the duel far too quickly. She certainly could not choose Sammie again so soon or risk being called out for favoritism. She needed something else.

Marsha logged onto the office computer and began to look through the student roster. "He's too blah. She's too plain. He's too bleh. I don't know what he does. She's boring." She continued to repeat the same words over and over again for fifteen minutes before something caught her eye. She clicked on the link and brought up the student's full profile.

"Hmmm, Noah Kaiyou. First year at Duel Academy. Obelisk Blue. Birthday, September thirteenth." After skimming over the boy's date of birth, she checked her calendar. "He's just a kid!" Suddenly, Marsha started laughing quietly. "Oh this is gonna be good." She wrote down the name and then scrolled through the rest of the roster. "And he looks like he'll be the perfect opponent." She grinned to herself. This was going to make the Duel Lottery more exciting.

o o o

Mikey, Sammie, Max, and Coltyn were just getting out of their English class. For the past two years, they had had Mrs. Jackson teaching them. Now Mr. Thulin had replaced her. Many of the students liked the change as the handsome young teacher brought a new air to the classroom.

"That was a good class," Mikey thought out loud.

"Oh I know! It was totally fabulous!" Max agreed.

"I'll admit, Mr. Thulin has a way with words," Coltyn confessed, "I think he'll be here for a long time."

"Sammie, what about you?" asked Mikey. He looked over at his childhood friend and saw her sighing dreamily.

"Someone's got a fan crush!" Max squealed.

"Shut up! No I don't!" shouted Sammie. As the group rounded a corner, they could see a crowd of students gathered around one of the announcement monitors. Amidst them Mikey saw Noah jumping up and down and asking people to move so he could see as well, but no one seemed to pay him any mind.

"Noah?" The boy turned around.

"Mikey! Hello!" the little British boy greeted as he waved. "Could you help me, please? I can't see the announcements."

"Sure," Mikey answered with a smile. He set his bag down, got on his knees, and hoisted Noah onto his back. The boy was surprisingly light. "Can you see anything?"

"Too low still," Noah answered. Thinking that he might just be light enough, Mikey took a chance and hoisted him up onto his shoulders. "That's good!" He turned toward the monitor and began to read the announcements as they came.

"See anything?" Mikey asked. Normally he would not have any trouble reading the announcements himself, but since Noah was on his shoulders it made him difficult for him to tilt his head up.

"Nothing much. Mostly things run by the student council. This week's film is _Vertigo_. There's a bake sale tomorrow. Yearbook committee is looking for new staff. The Duel Lottery of the day..." His voice trailed off as he read who was dueling.

"Noah? Is anything wrong?" Mikey asked.

"Mikey, I'm dueling in the Duel Lottery today," answered Noah.

"Wait, what? Against who?"

"Some fellow named Scott Sculac."

"Scott Sculac?" Coltyn asked. Everyone turned to him.

"You know him?" Mikey inquired.

"I was helping him build his deck this morning," responded Coltyn, "He hasn't even tested it yet."

"And what about me?" Noah asked as Mikey brought him back down.

"I have no idea what the student council is thinking, but you really don't have much of a choice, kiddo," Sammie said. Noah made a little whiny noise.

o o o

Duel Arena 5-B was filled. Mikey, Sammie, Max, Coltyn, Gabe, and Spencer sat in the front row watching as Noah and Scott took their spots. On the floor, Marsha sat prim and proper with two student council members on either side of her. She pushed up her glasses and watched as things unfold.

"Are you Noah?" Scott asked, looking around. This was his first time dueling in front of an audience and he was nervous.

"Y-yes," Noah answered, equally nervously.

An awkward silence hovered between the two boys before Noah sighed and put down his bag. He took out his Duel Disk and strapped it to his right arm. "I guess we should just do this then. It's not going to get any better if we just stand here."

"Tis," replied Scott as he activated his Duel Disk.

Noah lifted up the side of his hoodie and exposed three deck boxes attached to his belt. "I understand your deck's untested?"

"Tis," Scott repeated.

"Mine are too." Noah took one and slotted it into his Duel Disk before activating the device. "I guess I'll start by trying out my Darkness Deck."

Both Duel Disks shuffled their decks.

"Let's duel!"

–––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 8000

**Scott:** 8000

–––––––––––––––

"I guess I'll go first." Noah drew his first card. "I summon Vampire Lady in attack mode." A pale-skinned vampire with green hair in a long purple dress appeared with decorative bat wings sewn into her gown (ATK/1550 DEF/1550). "Now I'll set two facedowns and end my turn."

"I draw then." Scott drew his card. "First I'm gonna play Tremendous Fire."

"What's it do?" asked Noah.

"You take a thousand and I take five hundred." Before Noah could say anything else, a raging inferno rose up around the entire dueling arena.

–––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 7000

**Scott:** 7500

–––––––––––––––

"Then I play Ookazi to damage you for eight hundred." Another blast of fire erupted from underneath Noah.

–––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 6200

**Scott:** 7500

–––––––––––––––

"Now I play Meteor of Destruction for a thousand."

"Oh bloody hell!" Noah looked up and watched as a fiery meteor came crashing down on him.

–––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 5200

**Scott:** 7500

–––––––––––––––

"I summon Great Angus in attack mode." A red boar-like ogre appeared on the field and thumped its chest (ATK/1800 DEF/600). "Attack Vampire Lady!" Great Angus roared and charged foward.

"I activate my Trap Card, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" A scarecrow made of random pieces of scrap metal appeared in front of Noah's monster and blocked the attack, forcing the brute to withdraw. "And after activate, I can Set it again."

"I'll set two facedowns and end," Scott declared as he placed the last two cards facedown on the field.

"I draw." Noah drew his card.

"I activate two Backfires," Scott announced as he revealed his facedowns. "Now each time you destroy one of my Fire monsters, you take a thousand damage."

"Coltyn, did you teach him that one?" Mikey asked.

"I told you I helped him build his deck," Coltyn answered.

"I sacrifice Vampire Lady and summon Vampire Lord in attack mode!" Vampire Lady vanished and in her place appeared an elegantly-dressed male vampire with light blue hair and a cape that shimmered like the stars (ATK/2000 DEF/1500). "Next I play the Evil Eye of Coercion. By choosing a Zombie monster with two thousand or less attack points, I can have it attack this turn and I choose Vampire Lord." Vampire Lord's eyes began to glow bright red as he licked his fangs. "Attack directly!" Vampire Lord hissed and shot past Great Angus. He stopped right in front of Scott and hissed again before slashing him with his claws.

–––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 5200

**Scott:** 5500

–––––––––––––––

"Now since Vampire Lord dealt Battle Damage, his effect forces you to send a Monster, Spell, or Trap from your deck to your graveyard depending on my choice. And I pick Trap Card." Scott ejected his deck from his Duel Disk and sifted through his cards before removing Dust Tornado and placing it in his graveyard. He put his deck back and it was automatically shuffled.

"I'm done now," Noah announed, "Your move, Scotty!"

"Scotty?" Mikey raised an eyebrow.

"Well he IS seven," Max pointed out, "Or is he eight?"

Scott drew his next card. "I play Dark Room of Nightmare."

"That card deals an extra three hundred points of damage each time burn damage is applied," Noah said.

"Tis," Scott replied. "I switch Great Angus into defense mode and end my turn." Great Angus let our a growl as he crouched down into a defensive stance.

"My turn then." The little British boy drew his card. "First I'll begin by activating my facedown card, Call of the Haunted. And I'll use it to resurrect my Vampire Lady." A flock of bats rose up from the floor in front of Noah and they all converged together to form Vampire Lady. "Vampire Lady, attack Great Angus." Vampire Lady hissed as a flock of bats flew out of her dress and swarmed Great Angus, killing it effectively.

"Don't forget about my Backfires," Scott reminded his opponent. You take a thousand from both of them plus three hundred from Dark Room of Nightmare for each Backfire."

"So I just took one thousand and six hundred points of damage," Noah calculated. As if in sudden response, an explosion of fire erupted in front of him.

–––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 3600

**Scott:** 5500

–––––––––––––––

Noah coughed a bit and waved his arm around to try to clear the air. When he could finally see, he gave his other monster the order. "Vampire Lord, attack directly!" Vampire Lord spread his cape and flew across the field. As he descended down on Scott, he held his hand flat with his fingers lined up and then thrust it claws-first into Scott's chest.

–––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 3600

**Scott:** 3500

–––––––––––––––

"And now Vampire Lord's effect activates and I choose Monster!" declared Noah. Scott took his deck out again and shuffled through his cards until he found the one he was searching for. He placed Molten Zombie into his graveyard and then put his deck back to be reshuffled.

"Now I sacrifice Vampire Lady and summon Patrician of Darkness." Noah's Vampire Lady disappeared again and in her place appeareda blue-skinned vampire with white hair and large black wings that he kept folded around himself (ATK/2000 DEF/1400). "I end my turn."

"I draw." Scott drew his next card. "I remove from play Great Angus and Special Summon Inferno in defense mode." A raging fire rose up in front of him and a face appeared. The roaring spirit looked around and opened its mouth, revealing countless lost souls trapped within its fires (ATK/1100 DEF/1900). "I set one and end my turn.

"I draw now." Noah drew his next card. "First I play Monster Reborn and I'll use it to bring back your Molten Zombie." A plume of lava burst in front of Noah and from it emerged a searing zombie that looked like it had just climbed out of a volcano (ATK/1600 DEF/400). "And thanks to his effect, I get to draw a card." Noah drew another card from his Duel Disk. "Now I sacrifice Molten Zombie and summon Vampire's Curse in attack mode." An armored vampire appeared in place of Molten Zombie. He wore a cape that covered his left side and on his right he had a single bat wing (ATK/2000 DEF/800). "Now I activate from my hand another Evil Eye of Coercion and I choose Vampire's Curse this time." The eyes of Vampire's Curse glowed. "Attack Scotty directly!" Vampire's Curse flew in and slashed Scott with his armored claws.

–––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 3600

**Scott:** 1500

–––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," announced Noah. He could have attacked and destroyed Inferno if he desired to, but with two Backfires, Dark Room of Nightmare, and one facedown in play, it was too risky. However, if he could get through the next turn, then he could win the duel.

"Draw." Scott drew his card. "I summon Solar Flare Dragon." A flaming serpentine dragon appeared on the field and hissed (ATK/1500 DEF/1000). "I'm done my turn and you take five hundred from Solar Flare plus three hundred from Dark Room of Nightmare." The heat on the battlefield suddenly intensified as the flames on Solar Flare Dragon flared up.

–––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 2800

**Scott:** 1500

–––––––––––––––

"I draw." Noah drew his card. Solar Flare Dragon was going to be a problem. Despite the intense burn damage he would receive from doing so, he had to destroy it or else end up taking more damage as the duel wore on. "Patrician of Darkness, attack Inferno!"

"I activate my facedown," Scott announced, "Gravity Bind. Now all level four and higher monsters can't attack." An powerful feeling hit the field as the gravity intensified.

_And now his main strategy hits_, Coltyn thought to himself.

Noah frowned. This was definitely going to be a problem. But he had no other cards to play, so he ended his turn.

Scott then drew his card and he summoned a second Solar Flare Dragon. A rather loud "Oh shit!" could be heard from the audience somewhere. He ended his turn and his two monsters' effects kicked in. With five hundred points of damage each plus three hundred for each blast, the damage dealt totaled sixteen hundred.

–––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 1200

**Scott:** 1500

–––––––––––––––

"I draw!" Noah drew his card. Finally, he had something. "I activate the Field Spell, Zombie World." He placed it inside his field tray and watched as the entire arena transformed into an enormous charnel pit filled to the brim with corpses. "Now your Solar Flare Dragons are zombies, which means they CAN be attacked!" And indeed that was the case as the Solar Flare Dragons' flames died down and their bodies rotted away until nothing but bits of hanging flesh and bone were there while Inferno's fiery orange glow turned into a dull blue.

"You can," Scott said in response, "but can you afford to? You've only got twelve hundred Life Points left. Even with your Field Spell, my Solar Flares are still Fire monsters. If you destroy them, my Backfires take you out. And if you pass, my Solar Flares will burn you down."

"So either way, I'm screwed," Noah realized.

"Tis," answered Scott, "Besides, I still got Gravity Bind."

That settled it. Noah was going to lose. With nothing else he could do, the boy placed his hand on top of deck. "I surrender."

"The winner is Scott Sculac!" announced Marsha. She got up from her seat as one of the student council members with her approached Scott with a twenty-five dollar gift certificate at the card shop.

Curious about what his next card would be, Noah drew from his deck and had a look. His jaw dropped. The next card in his deck was Giant Trunade. If only he could have held out for another turn, he could have used it to clear the field of his opponent's two Backfires and Gravity Bind and launch an assault with all his vampires that could have won the duel.

"Hey, you did great," Scott said as he walked over to Noah. The small boy looked up at the young teen. Two pairs of dual-colored eyes met for a moment before Noah stepped forward and hugged Scott. The older boy was a little stunned for a bit, but then hugged back.

"Well, that's new," Gabe commented.

"I think that's just Noah's way of telling people he wants to be friends," Mikey replied.

"And that concludes today's Lottery Duel!" Marsha announced as she stood on the stage on the microphone. Keep your eye on the announcements for tomorrow's lottery! Opponents are selected randomly so it could be anyone." And with that, everybody left the arena and Noah found himself with a new friend.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

An old rivalry has been refired. Max finds himself once again facing the person who taunted him back in his first year. Some things change and some things don't. See it unfold next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	92. Old Rivalries Die Hard

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-05**

**Old Rivalries Die Hard**

Max awoke to his alarm clock blaring Lady Gaga's _Bad Romance_. He got up and stretched before getting out of bed. "Time begin a brand new _fabulous_ day!" After a shower, getting dressed, brushing his teeth, and grooming his hair, Max left the dorm and headed over to the Dual Rose, where he ordered strawberry waffles for breakfast. The only other people there other than the Telarises were three Obelisk Blue girls having soy lattes, Mr. Thulin who was getting a coffee and a cranberry nut muffin, and Noah who was sitting at a table enjoying a strawberry parfait. While he was waiting, Hayley came by and greeted the redhead cheerfully before sitting down. The couple shared the waffles and paid the bill before heading off to class together. Recca watched them as the skipped off merrily and smiled to herself.

As the happy couple left the cafe, a student in an Osiris Red jacket watched them from the distance seething.

o o o

Alone, only Zetsubou stood in the library, rifling and sorting through some old books amid the moonlit night. It was a full silvery moon out, filling the library with an almost ethereal quality. As he finished placing the last book, a book on ancient Norse Mythology into place, he felt a rush of wind behind him. He smirked, he knew full well who it was. The man in question was a tall silhouette, robed and powerful with a mask that glinted in the moonlight, "Progress?"

Zetsubou smirked, "Several more days, a Harvest Moon is coming. We shall strike then, the powers of the Shadows are strongest in times of supernatural superstition." The robed man laughed, a deep sound, from behind his mask, "Angel? What of him?" He smirked, "I must play the Samaritan for now, but you have done as I wanted, I will quietly eliminate Angel and allow you to take your parts, her happiness-"

He rose a thick arm, palm shown, "No worry, I ensure your sister will remain unharmed. However fail us, and you shall not. Besides...you are not the only one whom I have entrusted with tasks that proliferate His Design." Zetsubou walked past the man, towards a small room in the library set up for him, "Take care, many need to vanish and soon. Then again, you yourself already know that."

o o o

Marsha was accessing the student records again. As student council president it was only natural that she would have access to some of the school's resources. However, it was a mystery how she could still access information that was off limits even to her. She had overheard some talk the other day about an old rivalry that had been going on around the school for years. It started out two years ago when an Osiris Red student was being harassed by a bully. The conflict was quickly resolved through a duel. Ever since then, however, the bully continued to harass the same student, who continued to climb up the ranks in the school while the bully remained in Osiris Red.

Marsha did some further digging. An old rivalry would be the perfect way to spice up her Duel Lottery. She began exploring the student files in greater depth. Every major action of each student was recorded in this database. If she could find the identities of the bully or the person they were taunting, she could make the next announcement a big one.

However, as things were right now Marsha could not do much. Every duel that was played using the school's issued Duel Disks was recorded and stored in the database. However, with no information on either student she had no idea what to search for. She decided it was time to do some on-field investigating. Taking her student council president band and slipping it on her arm, she left the office and made her way to the Osiris Red dorm with a list of some of the third years who were still here.

Arriving at the dorm, she was immediately greeted by Hassleberry. "Howdy there, little lady. What can I do fer ya?"

"I'm here on business, Mr. Hassleberry," Marsha answered, "I'm investigating a bullying incident dating back two years. I understand one of your students back then dueled another student to resolve it."

"Yer gunna hafta be more specific," Hassleberry replied, "We get lots o' that here."

"Very well." Marsha pushed up her glasses and looked at her papers. "According to the school records, this happened sometime in early September. Since then, there has been a rivalry between the students in question. One of them stayed here in Osiris Red while the other moved up the ranks. If my information is correct, he should be an Obelisk Blue now."

"Oh yeah! I think I remember! That lil ginger, Max." Hassleberry smiled thinking about his old student. The spunky and flamboyant metrosexual always seemed to brighten the mood everywhere he went. But because of the way he acted and spoke, he was often mistaken as a homosexual which was what started the problems in the first place.

It began back at the welcoming party. Max had merely asked for a can of pop when Biff reacted hostilely. From there the arguing intensified until they took it outside and dueled. Max's deck was stocked completely with clowns, which matched his personality perfectly. They were performers just like the flamboyant redhead, but tricky to use as their strategy revolved heavily around changing their Battle Positions and their attack points were low. Biff, by comparison, ran a Goblin beatdown deck which in turn also required changing Battle Positions but it was mostly to keep his monsters in attack mode. Despite the disadvantage in power, Max still won.

Hassleberry snapped back into the present and looked at Marsha. "Max Harley's his full name. An' the other guy's Biff Doyle."

"Thank you, Mr. Hassleberry. I hope you have a nice day." Marsha curtsied before the teacher and walked away. She had names. Now it was time to do some digging.

o o o

It was Friday afternoon and the sun was still high. Hayley had to go off with Nellie, which meant Max would be spending the afternoon with Mikey, Coltyn, and Sammie. Presumably Gabe was to be there too, but he never showed up. "Mikey, has your brother always been like this?" Coltyn asked.

"He shows up late for these kind of things a lot, but lately he just doesn't show up at all," Mikey answered.

"So not fabulous," Max replied.

"What does he do all this time anyway?" Mikey wondered aloud.

"I bet I got an idea," was Sammie's response. Mikey was about to ask what she meant by that, but before he could get a world out a very loud and obnoxious voice called.

"HEY FAG!"

All heads in the surrounding area turned and watched as an all-too-familiar brute made his way toward the group. "Great..." Sammie muttered, "This guy again."

"It's Biff," Mikey said quietly. Everyone looked at Max waiting to see what the redhead would do.

"You an' me gotta duel," Biff said, getting right to the point, "Sumthin' 'bout a lotto or sumthin'."

"Guess you must've been picked for the Duel Lottery," Mikey said to Max.

"Doesn't it seem weird that Max's opponent just happens to be this guy?" asked Coltyn.

"It can't be a coincidence," Sammie agreed.

All eyes watched as Max and Biff loaded their Duel Disks and prepared to duel.

"How the fuck does a fag like you get into Blue but I'm still Red?" Biff demanded.

"Even if I was a homosexual, that doesn't affect my mental capacity," Max said calmly as he took out his mask, "If you just try, you could be a Blue too."

"Shut it, fag! I ain't need no advice from some fag!"

"Okay, this is getting old," Max muttered. He put on the mask.

"Le clown des rêves heureux shall end this gloriously!" the redhead declared.

––––––––––––––

**Max:** 8000

**Biff:** 8000

––––––––––––––

"Ain't no fag gonna go first!" Biff ripped the top card off his deck. "Ha! Goblin Attack Force right away! Come out!" He slapped his card onto his Duel Disk and summoned a small batallion of green-skinned goblins in light armor wielding clubs (ATK/2300 DEF/0). "One facedown an' I'm done."

"It's time to begin our FABULOUS show!" Max drew his card with flair. "Absolutely _fabulous_! Dream Clown, take the stage!" His favorite clown monster appeared on the field with his yellow and red suit and blue cape (ATK/1200 DEF/900), but stumbled and tripped as he came in. "And now I'll set this in the backfield." Max placed a card facedown. "And now I end my turn!" Max bowed gracefully and turned the duel over to his opponent.

"My turn!" Biff drew his card. "I summon Giant Orc!" The all-too familiar brute with a femur club (ATK/2200 DEF/0) appeared on the field and roared.

"I activate my Trap Card!" Max revealed his facedown. "Zero Gravity! Now all Battle Positions are switched!" Dream Clown tripped over his own shoes and landed face-first on the ground before picking himself up and crouching in a defense position while Goblin Attack Force and Giant Orc knelt down defensively. "And now that Dream Clown's been changed to defense mode, he can destroy one of your monsters!" Dream Clown got up and began to galavant across the field. He stopped in front of Goblin Attack Force and laughed. Then suddenly he took out a tiny car and opened the trunk. One by one, he stuffed each of the goblins inside it. When the last one was put away, he shut the trunk and stepped over the car only to get into the driver's seat. The tiny little vehicle drove back to Max's side and disappeared. There was a loud explosion and Dream Clown came back onto the field and returned to his position.

"What the fuck was that?" Biff demanded.

"You don't want to know," answered Max.

"I'm putting down a facedown and activatin' my own Zero Gravity." Giant Orc and Dream Clown suddenly stood back up in attack position. "I'm done."

"Fabulous! My turn!" Max drew his card.

"And on your Standby Phase, I activate Battle Mania. Now your faggy clown goes into attack mode and has to attack and he can't switch into defense mode!"

"When did he add that to his deck?" Mikey wondered.

Biff looked at his deck and grinned. _That fag's gonna go down now that I got all these cards to help beat 'im!_ he thought as he remembered the events from the other day.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"Are you Biff Doyle?" Biff turned around when he heard his name and saw Marsha standing there with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Who the fuck are you?" he asked.

"Marsha Ripley. Student council president," Marsha answered matter-of-factly.

"Council prez, huh? What does the queen of nerds want with me?"

"Quiet." Marsha lowered her head and glared at Biff as sunlight reflected off her glasses, giving her a rather ominous look. "I understand you have an issue with a Max Harley."

"Who the fuck is that?"

"Age seventeen. Red hair. Runs a clown deck."

"OH! That little fag!" Biff realized.

"I believe we are now on the same page," Marsha said, her expression not changing.

"So what about him?" Biff demanded, "Ya here to take me in?"

"No. I'm here with a proposition." Marsha looked up at Biff. "How'd you like a chance to duel him and humiliate him publicly?"

"Whatchoo talkin' 'bout?"

"I run the Duel Lotteries, as you know. But lately they've been getting repetitive and dull. I want to add some excitement to my next match and I think an old rivalry is just the thing I need."

"Ain't gunna happen. That little fag cheats every fuckin' time!"

"What if I had ways to make sure you won?" Marsha proposed. Biff's attention perked up.

"You really gunna help me win?" he asked.

"You can with these." Marsha took out some cards. "Battle Mania forces your opponent's monsters to battle. Final Attack Orders keeps all monsters in attack mode. And Skill Drain will negate your Goblins' effect of switching into defense mode."

Biff took the cards and looked at them. Very slowly he began to grin. "I can so beat that little fag with these. An' when I'm done with him, I'm gonna beat the shit out of the fagginess in him."

"Glad to see we have an understanding." Marsha ran her fingers through her hair and touched her barrette. "I'll make the announcement tomorrow."

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"I don't know how he got that card, but he has it now. It looks like he came prepared to face Max this time," Coltyn said to his friend.

Max looked at his hand. All the monsters he had couldn't help him that turn. If he summoned it, it would just be forced to attack Giant Orc and lose. So instead, he took a monster and set it facedown. Then he proceeded to his Battle Phase. "Dream Clown, attack," he ordered unenthusiastically. Dream Clown skipped across the field and took out a spritzer bottle. He sprayed water on Giant Orc, but it had no effect. The great big green-skinned creature raised his club and slammed it down on top of the circus performer.

––––––––––––––

**Max:** 7000

**Biff:** 8000

––––––––––––––

"That is SO unfabulous!" Max ended his turn.

"That's whatcha get ya little fag!" Biff drew his card. "Second Goblin, come out!" A short purple demon appeared beside Giant Orc holding a towel in one hand and the left eye covered by a patch (ATK/100 DEF/100). One could say it looked like a coach. "And he's a Union monster, so I equip him to Giant Orc." As soon as Biff had done so, Second Goblin jumped onto Giant Orc's shoulders. "ATTACK!" Giant Orc lumbered across the field and slammed its club on top of Max's facedown, which was Peten the Dark Clown (ATK/500 DEF/1200).

"I remove Peten the Dark Clown from play to Special Summon a second one from my deck." Max placed the card in his pocket and a second one was ejected from his deck, which he placed onto his Duel Disk in defense mode. "Take the stage, Peten!" A clown in the large plumed hat appeared on the field and bowed gracefully.

"Fucking hate that thing," grumbled Biff as his Giant Orc returned and switched into defense mode because of its own effect. "Now I use Second Goblin's ability. He can change the Battle Position of whoever he's equipped to once per turn!" Second Goblin began shouting and started whipping Giant Orc with its towel, forcing the brute back onto its feet in attack mode. "I'm gunna end with this facedown."

"My draw!" Max drew his card with flair. "This is totally fabulous! Take the stage, Ryu-Kishin Clown!" A round demonic clown with party hats in place of horns appeared and laughed (ATK/800 DEF/500). "And when he comes out, he can change the Battle Position of one monster. So Giant Orc goes defensive!"

"Final Attack Orders!" shouted Biff. "All our monsters have to be in attack mode and can't change it."

"Totally not fabulous!" Max cried as Peten the Dark Clown switched into attack mode. "I'll set this and end it then."

"My turn!" Biff drew. Things were finally looking up for him. "Goblin Elite Attack Force!" A battalion of goblin warriors in full plate armor appeared (ATK/2200 DEF/1500) and stood at attention. "Attack Peten the Gay Clown!"

"I activate Shrink!" Max revealed his facedown. "I halve your Goblins' attack points!" Goblin Elite Attack Force's attack points dropped to eleven hundred, but it was still enough to destroy Peten the Dark Clown.

––––––––––––––

**Max:** 6400

**Biff:** 8000

––––––––––––––

"I remove Peten to summon another Peten! Take the stage!" Max's third Peten the Dark Clown appeared on the field in a defensive crouched stance.

"Final Attack Orders puts him in attack mode!" Biff reminded, causing Peten the stand up in attack position. "Giant Orc, beat 'im!" Giant Orc slammed its bone club on top of Peten and swiftly vanquished him.

––––––––––––––

**Max:** 4700

**Biff:** 8000

––––––––––––––

"I'm done," Biff announced. At that moment, his monsters switched into defense mode. But as soon as they had, the effect of Final Attack Orders immediately placed them back in attack position.

Max needed something to help combat his opponent. Every monster that he played had over two thousand attack points. Plus with Final Attack Orders in play, they would remain in attack position so long as that Trap Card was face-up on the field.

"I draw!" The redhead drew his card with a flourish. This was going to be a problem. Many of his monsters were weak and so Final Attack Orders would be a great disadvantage. However, perhaps there was a way to use its effect against its owner. He examined the card he had just drawn and an idea came to his head. "I activate the fantastical Stumbling! Now any monsters we summon get switched into defense mode!"

"Ain't gonna save ya!" Biff gloated, "Final Attack Orders'll just change him back into attack mode."

"Why that's absolutely fabulous!" Max took another card from his hand. "Take the stage, Blade Rabbit!" A pink rabbit with teeth like dagger blades appeared holding a carrot (ATK/400 DEF/300). As soon as it appeared, it tripped and fell into a defensive stance. "And when he goes into defense mode, he can destroy one monster on my opponent's side of the field!" As those words left his mouth, Blade Rabbit's carrot flew out of its hands and struck Giant Orc like a missile, obliterating the large beast and Second Goblin.

"That weakling's going down. Just like you, ya little fag!" Biff laughed as Final Attack Orders forced Blade Rabbit into attack position.

"I'm not finished yet!" Max said wagging a finger. "Now I play Earthquake, which turns all our monsters into defense mode!" Once again, Blade Rabbit tripped into a defensive position, as did Ryu-Kishin Clown and Goblin Elite Attack Force. Another carrot flew across the air and destroyed the battalion of armored goblins before the two remaining monsters on the field rose back up onto their feet into battle ready position.

"Give us a show, Blade Rabbit!" On Max's orders, Blade Rabbit hopped over to Biff and bit him.

––––––––––––––

**Max:** 4700

**Biff:** 7600

––––––––––––––

"Okay, Ryu-Kishin Clown, it's your turn now! Give us your best act!" Ryu-Kishin Clown laughed as it began to ride over to Biff on a unicycle while juggling eight multicolored balls, each with the number one hundred on it. It cackled once again as it neared his target and then started pelting the bully with the balls.

––––––––––––––

**Max:** 4700

**Biff:** 6800

––––––––––––––

"Fabulous, Ryu-Kishin Clown!" Ryu-Kishin Clown returned to Max's side and jumped off its unicycle. "Exit stage left!"

"You're gonna pay fer that ya little fag!" Biff drew his card. "Indominatable Fighter Lei Lei's gonna beatcha!" A massive cat-like creature in armor appeared and punched his fists together (ATK/2300 DEF/0). As soon as he arrived, he tripped and fell into a defensive stance per the effect of Stumbling but quickly returned into an upright attack position thanks to Final Attack Orders. "Pound that rabbit!" Indominatable Fighter Lei Lei rushed up to Blade Rabbit and slammed his fist down on top of it.

––––––––––––––

**Max:** 2800

**Biff:** 6800

––––––––––––––

As soon as he finished attacking, Indominatable Fighter Lei Lei switched into defense mode, but the effect of Final Attack Orders placed him back on his feet. "Your turn, fag!"

"Fabulous!" Max drew with even more flair than before. "Crass Clown, take the stage!" A ball appeared on the field and a very grotesque demonic clown jumped down on top of it carrying a balancing pole (ATK/1350 DEF/1400). As soon as he appeared, he fell off the ball and landed on his face thanks to Stumbling. But then he got back up straightaway due to the effect of Final Attack Orders. "And now my Crass Clown's effect lets him bounce a monster on your field to your hand when he gets changed from defense to attack mode!" Crass Clown cackled as he swung his pole like a baseball bat and sent Indominatable Fighter Lei Lei back to its owner's hand.

"Okay Crassy, time for some fantabulous action!" Crass Clown hopped back onto his ball and bounced around on it before lifting himself onto his pole and kicking the round object into Biff.

––––––––––––––

**Max:** 2800

**Biff:** 5450

––––––––––––––

"Ryu-Kishin Clown, give us a show!" Ryu-Kishin Clown rode its unicycle again over to Biff while juggling and pelted him with balls.

––––––––––––––

**Max:** 2800

**Biff:** 4650

––––––––––––––

Max took a bow. "Fabulous, friends! Exit now, stage right!"

Biff growled as he drew. He was being humiliated in front of the whole school once again by this flamboyant metrosexual redhead. "This ain't over, fag! I'm still gonna beat the shit outta yo! I summon Goblin Attack Force!" A second Goblin Attack Force appeared on the field. "Take out Ryu-Kishin Clown!" The entire team of goblins charged Ryu-Kishin Clown and beat it down with their clubs.

––––––––––––––

**Max:** 1300

**Biff:** 4650

––––––––––––––

Biff grinned. He looked at his hand and he could see Goblin Black Ops among his cards. With thirteen hundred attack points and the ability to attack directly, he would win the duel next turn for sure.

"Time for my draw!" Max drew his card. "Fabulous! Torapart, take the stage!" A tiny little wizard figurine appeared and cackled (ATK/800 DEF/800). It flipped into defense mode and then into attack mode. "Now I tune Torapart to Crass Clown!" Torapart disappeared and its body turned into a pair of green rings that circled Crass Clown until four stars remained of its body before a column of light engulfed them.

"Time for the star of the show! Take the stage, Goyo Guardian!" Right on cue, a kabuki dancer wielding a jutte on a rope appeared on the field (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). He tripped a little upon arrival, but was able to reestablish his balance. "Attack Goblin Attack Force!" Goyo Guardian spun his weapon and launched it the target. His jutte struck all the goblins with one simple swing.

––––––––––––––

**Max:** 1300

**Biff:** 4150

––––––––––––––

"And now Goyo Guardian can bring back your monster to my side of the field!" The rope suddenly wrapped around Goblin Attack Force and Goyo Guardian reeled them back, placing them at his side. "Okay Gobbies! Attack!" The goblins turned on their former master and launched a full-out assault on him.

––––––––––––––

**Max:** 1300

**Biff:** 1850

––––––––––––––

"I'm gonna set this and end my turn." Max bowed gracefully as Goblin Attack Force switched into defense mode by its own effect and then put back into attack mode by Final Attack Orders.

"You're gonna lose, fag!" Biff drew. "Goblin Black Ops!" A squad of goblin ninjas appeared (ATK/1300 DEF/0) and tripped over themselves thanks to Stumbling, but were able to get back on their feet because of Final Attack Orders. "They can attack directly! It's over, fag! Black Ops, go!"

Max chuckled. " I knew you'd do that!" He revealed his facedown card. "Go Mirror Force!"

"OH FUCK!" Biff watched in horror as his Goblin Black Ops collided with a reflective barrier, which blasted them back with their own attacks and destroyed them.

"Are you finished?" asked Max. He waited, but there was no answer. Finally, he decided to draw. "Goyo Guardian, let's end with a spectacular finish!" Goyo Guardian danced as he twirled his weapon and then flung it directly at Biff.

––––––––––––––

**Max:** 1300

**Biff:** 0

––––––––––––––

"NO FUCKING WAY!" The bully screamed. "How the fuck did that fag beat me AGAIN?"

"First of all, respect for your opponent goes a long way." Marsha stepped onto the fading dueling field with Max's prize in her hand. "Secondly, your old prejudices blind you from seeing what a great Duelist your opponent really is. And if you can't see that, you're leaving this school as an Osiris Red." She turned to Max and handed him his prize. "Congratulations."

"Thank you!" Max bowed gracefully. "Le clown des rêves heureux will be happy to entertain again!"

"Nicely played, Max," Sammie said as she and Mikey came up. Max smiled as he took off his mask and put it away.

"No fucking way. No fucking way." Biff continued to mutter the same words over and over again.

"Want me to kick his ass?" asked Sammie.

"Oh I think things will be absolutely fabulous." Max smiled.

o o o

"...I must admit, you are getting better at this, Saito. You haven't broken into chills while sleeping for some time now.", Saito wasn't sure how Rena would know about that part, he'd been the focus of many strange exercises. Meditation, Chanting various litanies, but oddly enough most of the time she would tell him to study and if he had any spare time she'd impart some text or some word, always about the past and about the Rose. He was fed up with all the mediation and mental and physical exercise now, if being a Crusader meant dueling with supernatural force, then why haven't they even dueled yet?

His deck was thrown at his feet, and in the basement under the Dual Rose where they often practiced amongst many ancient furnishings, Rena stood in a red and white robe within a circle of gold and silver chains with her deck in her hand. A beautiful gauntlet that lightly resembled a Duel Disk rested on her hand, with a similar one on a table near the circle.

"It is time to test yourself in combat, you've been eager to do battle. That's good since you'll be doing much of it.", Saito looked over at the gauntlet, placing it on as he felt a sharp tinge of pain rush through his body. The jewels screamed forth with a brilliant energy, and a wing of light emerged on the other side. Saito was stunned to see something so odd as he heard Rena's voice, "That one isn't finished yet, Recca's tailoring its form to you." Recca makes these...things!

"Step inside the circle, Saito Kaiba! Test yourself!"

* * *

**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Mikomi is finally settling into Duel Academy and gaining attention from her peers. Too bad she is gaining the wrong type of attention from a mean spirited student. Watch it unfold next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	93. Scrapped Princess

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-06**

**Scrapped Princess**

Recca placed a nice breakfast of eggs, waffles and bacon at a small table to Mikomi and Zetsubou. It was the morning and they were the first customers at her shop. Reko was upstairs, snoring away as many Kaiba Corporation documents were strewn on his bed. He had spent the entire night looking for any clues to Reka's whereabouts within them and found nothing. Recca remained strong throughout the ordeal and with her mother consoling her she was able to greet each morning with a fresh smile and a new ray of hope. Rena was behind the bar, looking at various fiscal reports and upkeep on the store, and wearing an old world dress of white Recca bowed politely and made her way back upstairs to wake Reko.

"Are you excited at all, Mikomi? You're trying out for the Choir, that's a great ordeal," Zetsubou said between sips of his coffee, watching Mikomi happily eat her meal. She looked up and nodded happily with a wide smile on her face. The sunlight caught her features ever so slightly, giving her a bright radiance that made Zetsubou give a light smirk before beginning his meal as well. Rena was silent, filing her paper and taking up a cane of etched silver. Giving a good long look at the patrons, she stepped out to find Saito, or one of his companions.

With a great yawn, Reko walked down the stairs, his large mane of lavender hair disheveled and all to his name was a pair of brown boots and a pair of jeans. Nothing more save a pandant of two leaves hanging from his neck. "Mornin' you two. Come see me when you're all re-oh, heya Zetsu." Zetsubou regarded the man with a nod, he's made at least a passing acquaintance with him. Reko Telaris. A Turbo Duelist of light renown from the States and a man who cared for camaraderie, passion, and the arts as much as anyone could suspect. Recca came down a few moments later red as a tomato smacking Reko over the head with a newspaper and stepping into the back where Recca baked. "Wait, what did I do!"

Zetsubou laughed. "Mikomi, did you know where your Science Teacher went last night?" Mikomi pointed at Reko, to which Zetsubou laughed. "I should have known." Reko scowled, going back to setting out several trays of baked goods.

"So what's on your agenda, Zetsu?" Zetsubou pointed at Mikomi.

"I have a lot of time to myself after sorting the many books in the library, and this is a pretty light day for traffic in there, so I'm watching my little sister here try out for Choir. Did you want to come?"

Reko looked at his mother glaring at him at the back room, then looked back and got a plain white shirt from under the bar. "Oh yes. That would be lovely. Maybe I'll meet up with Mikey and the lot of them, see what business they'll be up to."

Finishing their breakfast, Reko took the dishes back and made quick work cleaning and placing them back with the others. A tall woman with amber colored hair groggily walked downstairs, dressed in clothing fit for a Ra Yellow teacher before pecking Reko on the cheek and walking out with a cup of coffee. Reko chuckled, tying a black bandanna to his forehead and patting Zetsubou on the back. "Go time."

"But...that WAS Mikomi's Sci-"

"Go time! Time to go! Go go, let's go," Reko said ushering them both out the door and out towards the main building. When they left, Recca placed a Help Wanted sign outside just for that lunch rush she had a whole lot of trouble with for awhile. Reckless as her little boy was, and as promiscuous as well, he was right about maybe finding a helper somewhere on the island.

"Recca dear, could you please watch the store for a little while?" Rena asked. Recca nodded toward her grandmother and watched as she disappeared into the basement. When she got there, she saw Saito and Wes wearing the white robes and chianmail made for them for training. They stood surrounded by the tapestries and workshops that Recca and Rena plied their strange trades, within a circle of silver and gold chains. They wore silver vambraces in the shape of duel disks, with a more elegant and bold look to them. Rena clacked her staff as all three spoke, it was time to invoke the Rule of Perfection, "In the name of the Highest of Orders, with my Conviction as my Armor and these Cards as my Weapon. I shall cut down my foe in the name of a Peaceful Realm. I hereby invoke the Rite of Perfection!"

Rena smiled to herself. In time, they would learn what it meant to be true warriors.

o o o

"Oi, 'ow many days 'as it been...!"

"Calm yourself, it's only been several weeks. The preparations are reaching completion."

"Oi've seen th' blighter. Rompin' round like a bleedin' numbskull. Oi wanna RUIN 'im." In the dark cavern, the sound of rock and chain rattling and scraping was heard before a loud crack was heard, and a body hit the ground with great force.

"Thank you, but he needs to live to operate his Runner," a groan was heard.

"Git yer damn zombie away from me." A snap of fingers was heard before a calmer, more professional voice was heard.

"Gentlemen and ladies, the seeds are being sown as we speak. Our inside is slowly making his presence known. The Harvest moon, that is when everything will come about, that is when we will begin our movements. That is when our intent will come to light."

"What of the crone?"

"That woman has trained only one, expecting the other to come about on blind faith alone?"

"Maybe th' bitty don't trust 'im."

"...I believe I know why. I'm eager to see how it will play out in the end. Prepare, rest, harness that hate. Make it useful, make it white hot to drive into our foes come the time."

o o o

"Holy hizzles..." Reko looked up at the large waterfall with a crystallized image of The Winged Dragon of Ra within. Water cascaded down the crystal work into a pool featuring various images of Duel Monsters, accented with aquatic plant life. Zetsubou was awestruck as well, with the Corinthian pillars, the crystal chandeliers, the place was regal in appearance. Even the carpet on their feet felt plush, which Reko was simply amazed at, though the others simply gave him an amused look.

"Let's get this underway. Mikomi, lead on!", Mikomi took Zetsubou's hand and walked happily towards their auditorium.

"So...Zetsu." He looked back towards Reko. "Mikomi's is going to sing? But...uh...you know." He nodded.

"She rarely speaks, she's not mute as many would think."

"Yeah, but why is that?" Zetsubou looked down at Mikomi who looked this way and that towards the various hallways and rooms.

"I'd rather not get into that." Reko held up and hand, but Zetsubou glared. "Ease off, Telaris." He shrugged, walking along for another five minutes. Mikomi opened the doors to the auditorium and saw the people practice various arias, her eyes glittered with amazement as a woman with a long, red teardrop style braid finished a stunning song.

"Wow, Lindsey, that was really something!"

"Lovely as always, Miss Coen."

"Beautfiul, simply beautiful Lindsey."

Lindsey Coen nodded in her Ra Yellow outfit, looking towards Mikomi with a delightful smirk, Reko rose an eyebrow and stepped forward towards Lindsey, getting a slap in the chest with Zetsubou's forearm.

"Student. Baaaad Reko. That's also Miss Coen, a forefront of intelligence in Ra Yellow. Conceited, cruel, icy, but dagger sharp wit and intellect."

"Odd. You think I would've heard of her." Zetsubou gave a short laugh. "Mikomi's making her look bad. Coen doesn't take giving up the limelight well. I suppose I myself would not want to look bad to a girl more than half my own age either."

"You two. Hobo. Hornball. Out." Coen said, pointing at the two.

"Wow jeez, okay. Am I really that well known?" Reko said, looking towards the man sitting at the table in front of the stage. "Hey, if you need a place to chill your dink, there's a fine spot right between her le-"

Zetsubou gave him a hard shove knocking Reko out the doorway. "Forgive us, Mikomi. Tell us how it goes, I'll be with you always." He gave Mikomi's aluminum lotus headband a tap before stepping outside, "Really Telaris, brashly arrogant."

Reko rose to his feet dusting himself off. "That little something. I just wanted to listen! Wonder why I could hear her but I can't hear Mikomi?"

He laughed, walking with Reko back outside the building, "My guess? She's trying to make Mikomi nervous by playing a power card. Won't work."

"Why's that?"

He looked towards Reko, "You and your questions."

"Well? I gotta know! Otherwise I can't get my stuff done, I'm too busy trying to figure it out."

He chuckled, "Well...I guess we Tejinashi's are strong. It's only been her and myself."

Reko nodded, he figured that was a good enough answer, "How long has in been just you and her, no folks?"

"Six years. Excuse me, I'm going to see if I can't find a nice spot by the shore to relax." Zetsubou then quickened his pace, leaving Reko alone.

"But...isn't Mikomi six...?"

o o o

As Zetsubou and Reko left, Mikomi stood alone on the stage, making a loud gulp and making a few students smirk. Lindsey took up a microphone. "C'mon Mikomi! This is what you wanted right? No rush, you can do it! Just try and sing your best!" she jeered. She'd shown her up in everything, best all of her marks in every class, how dare she that little upstart! She'd make Mikomi flee the stage in fright, make her the laughing stock of Ra Yellow. That would show her. To her dismay though, Mikomi took off her hairpin, holding it as she thought of the faded picture in the old, dented deck box on her belt. A picture of a young Zetsubou and several kind people holding her and a newborn, swaddled in thick cloths, he himself told her they were her parents, and they would always be with her. Feeling a bit better, she closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, speaking for what many in Ra Yellow was the first time.

_Libera me domine_

_From everlasting death_

_On that dreadful day_

_When the earth_

_Shall be moved_

_When thou shalt come _

_To judge the world_

_I quake with fear_

_I tremble_

_Awaiting the day_

_Of account and the wrath to come_

_Libera me domine_

_Deliver me my Master_

Everyone was stunned, even Lindsey, though she herself wouldn't admit it openly, her voice was calm, quiet yet pure. The way she sung lyrics so somber and deep with a voice so angelic and serene was amazing. The head of the Choir of Ra, a man with ruffled black hair was quiet, watching Mikomi's performance with great interest. Mikomi herself was in her own world, she imagined anything her young mind could conceive, and in her thoughts she was singing on a great mountain, with her brother and a pure, happy world around them for miles to come.

_That day, the day of anger_

_Of calamity, of misery_

_That day, the great day_

_And most bitter_

_Libera me domine_

_Deliver me my Master_

Mikomi held the note loud and strong for a good long moment, before giving a light curtsy and walking off the stage, the Choir Head rose a hand. "Miss Tejinashi, I would be honored to have your talent. You were...I'm amazed a girl your age can sing that well. How did you learn to sing?"

She was quiet, before speaking in a hushed tone, "...My brother...he taught me. It helped him rest."

He nodded, "A bit strange, but I can respect him for teaching you how to sing so well. Welcome to the team, Mikomi. Coen! Teach our lead the ro..." Lindsey stormed out of the door. "Uh...wow. Okay...? Malon, want to give Mikomi the crash course? I'll need to find Zetsubou and ask him a bit more about Mikomi, if it's all the same to you." Malon nodded to the man as she took Mikomi around the stage.

o o o

Reko was hard at work on his Duel Runner, maintaining it just the way his sister taught him. He himself thought his way was better and more efficient, but a few years back he took her advice to heart when one of his repairs nearly destroyed himself and his Runner in a ball of fire. Wiping the sweat that somehow escaped his bandanna out of his eyes, he looked up at Rena, giving his grandmother a wave with oil stained hands. "Happy noon to ya, gramma. How can I help you this fine day?" He finished with a grin, having no effect of his grandmother whatsoever.

"Nothing found of Reka, grandson?" He shook his head sadly.

"I haven't found a trace. I got a person from the Science Lab to help me correlate point A to point B, but it didn't help at all."

She gave a half smirk, patting Reko on the back. "Yes, yes, my grandson was putting 'Point A' to 'Point B', a real detective you are. Anyway, I need you to find Mikey, you little mangling twit." Reko tossed a wrench back in the toolbox Reka gave him for their birthday.

"Just what for?"

"Legacy."

"... ... ...Ohhhhh. Right." Reko nearly forgot about that, and if Rena knew that he'd get clobbered nine ways to Tuesday. Back in Duelist Kingdom, Reko was given a strange glove that he was told to put on if things got too weird. Not wanting something so precious to fall to Nicky if he got lucky during their Turbo Duel, he gave it to Mikey for safekeeping. Afterwards, with all the pandemonium he forgot it, figuring Mikey kept it safe with him. He didn't believe in the whole supernatural fluff Rena and all them kept preaching, but if it kept them happy, he'd follow along. "Riiight! Legacy. Six Hundred Year Old Glove. I'll go get that for you presently!" He wiped off his hands, making his way towards the Obelisk Blue dorm. "I'll be right back to give it to you soon enough, Gramma!"

Rena shook her head. "Ishkabibble, can't believe he chalks such a precious artifact off as ishkabibble." Nodding towards the Duel Runner, she twisted on an oil cap he didn't put on right and stepped inside, "He has great merit, but...really."

o o o

"Mikomi!" Lindsey stepped into the dormitories of Ra Yellow, spitting fire and brimstone towards the smaller Tejinashi, who was reading a large book of the Black Company. "Arena Twelve, I'm gonna put you in the ground once and for all!"

She stood up, affixing her hairpin as she put her book back in her bag and walked by Lindsey without a second word, essentially taking all the air out of her sails. "Would it HURT you to make a comeback?" she growled under her breath, following behind as they made their way towards the Dueling Arenas. When Lindsey got there however, she found Mikomi already on her side, Duel Disk attached to her arm and her pack tossed to the sidelines. She placed her deck inside, and cocked her head at Lindsey, who placed her disk on and readied her deck in kind. "Go first, you little pipsqueak! You better speak up when you place down your monsters too!"

––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 8000

**Lindsey:** 8000

––––––––––––––

Mikomi drew her hand, looking ahead at Lindsey, she didn't know that she was being such a thorn by doing so well in her studies. She wanted to apologize, she didn't want to duel at all, but she knew that Lindsey was far to upset with her. It was best to trounce her quickly then make up afterwards. Though that might be difficult since Mikomi didn't duel except for when it was necessary and she never had gone up against Lindsey's deck before.

"Lindsey, have you EVER seen my cards?" Mikomi asked curiously.

Lindsey scoffed at her remark, "What does it matter, I'm gonna stomp flat whatever you send out and prove to all the Ras how worthless you really are! I'm sick of playing second fiddle to you!"

Well, that answered that question for her, time for a little deception. She didn't know how her deck worked, she never saw her match against Recca...perfect.

"Why don't you go first, midget?" Lindsey mocked. Mikomi timidly nodded and drew her first card.

Mikomi looked at the card in her hand, inspecting it thoroughly as she would her brother's books. She slapped a monster onto the field and nodded to Lindsey. "I summon Scrap Recycler!" The machine summoned rolled along on three rusty wheels, its body comprised of a hodge podge of appliances to form a mobile trash compactor (ATK/900 DEF/1200). "When Scrap Recycler is summoned, I place one Machine monster from my deck into my graveyard." Pulling out her deck Mikomi fanned through her cards and slid it into her grave slot before securing her cards into her Duel Disk once again. "Next, I will set one card and end my turn." Mikomi bowed her head lightly as she slid the card into the Spell and Trap Zone slot to politely signal it was Lindsey's turn.

"Pathetic," Lindsey scoffed dismissively as she drew her card, disgusted by the rusted metal beast. She looked at her card and smirked before slapping it onto the disk. "I play Queen's Bodyguard." Slapping the card onto her Duel Disk she summoned a squad of masked men and women in regal uniforms wielding swords (ATK/1700 DEF/1200) into her second Monster Zone. "Now I play Double Summon so I can Normal Summon again. So here's another Queen's Bodyguard." A second squad of bodyguards appeared in her fourth Monster Zone. "Now I play The Cheerful Coffin, which lets me send up to three cards from my hand to the graveyard." She took one card and placed it into her graveyard, leaving her with a single card in her hand. "Now I play Monster Reborn and bring back the monster I just sent to my graveyard. Come on out, Allure Queen LV3!" There was a flash of orange flames and a slender woman in a maroon and black dress appeared holding a magical staff in one hand (ATK/500 DEF/500). "And now I'm going to use her ability to take your Scrap Recycler."

"Why?" Mikomi asked quietly.

"Once per turn, she can take one level three or lower monster from your field and equip it to herself." Lindsey smiled diabolically as Allure Queen LV3 held out her staff and blasted Scrap Recycler with a ray of light. The small machine was pulled in by the mystical force, only to stop as Mikomi activated her facedown Spell Card.

"I activate Scrapstorm in response to your Queen's magic. By selecting and destroying one Scrap monster on my field I am allowed to send a Scrap monster from my deck to my grave and draw a card." Mikomi said with a light smirk as her small machine burst into a collection of battered parts and scrap metal that flew into her grave followed soon after by another monster card she slid into her tray. Mikomi drew her card and nodded to Lindsey.

"Fine," the annoyed upper classman said as she brushed a single strand of hair out of her face, "I will just attack you anyways! Queen's Bodyguards, cut her down!" The first squad of bodyguards charged and slashed Mikomi with their swords.

––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 6300

**Lindsey:** 8000

––––––––––––––

After the first attack had been resolved, the second squad of bodyguards charged in with their swords and cleaved them through the little girl.

––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 4600

**Lindsey:** 8000

––––––––––––––

"Allure Queen, finish up." Allure Queen LV3 snapped her fingers and a flame appeared on the top of her index finger. She looked over at Mikomi and pointed at her. The flame flared up and launched itself at her in the form of a large fireball.

––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 4100

**Lindsey:** 8000

––––––––––––––

"I'm done," Lindsey declared, "for now."

Mikomi drew her card without a word. She looked at the card in her hand and nodded. If only her big brother were there right now. "I play Monster Reborn," she said sliding the card into the tray. "With it I will resurrect the card my Scrapstorm sent to the grave: Scrap Golem." A whirlwind of scrap metal spun around the field and formed a colossus with a refrigerator body and a television head (ATK/ 2300 DEF/ 1400).

"With the special ability of my Scrap Golem I am able to select any level four or lower Scrap monster in my grave and Special Summon it." The large beast of rusted metal opened up its refrigerated chest and let a collection of scrap parts fly out of it before they came together to form a robot on treads made from different machine parts (ATK/1600 DEF/400). "I summon the Scrap Hunter I sent to the grave with my power of my Scrap Recycler."

"Next I use Scrap Hunter's effect. By destroying one Scrap monster on my field except for him, I can send a Tuner from my deck to my graveyard." Scrap Hunter turned and looked at Scrap Golem. Its spiky left arm began to spin before launching toward the refrigerator and smashing it into scraps. Mikomi took that moment then to search her deck and send one Tuner monster to her graveyard. As soon as she placed the card in, her Duel Disk automatically shuffled her deck.

"Now I summon Scrap Chimera." A mechanical lion with wings and a tail resembling a twisted snake appeared and roared (ATK/1700 DEF/500). "When he's summoned, I can resurrect a Scrap Tuner from my graveyard and I'm going to use the one I sent just now with Scrap Hunter's special ability." Her Duel Disk ejected the card from her graveyard and she placed it onto a Monster Zone. "I summon Scrap Beast." A mechanical black tiger rose up from the floor and roared (ATK/1600 DEF/1300). "Now I tune Scrap Beast to Scrap Chimera." Scrap Beast's body faded away until four stars remained. Those stars turned into green rings and surrounded Scrap Chimera until its body faded into four stars. A column of light engulfed them all.

"I Synchro Summon Scrap Dragon." A great big black mechanical dragon rose up and its magenta eyes flashed as it let out a roar (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). "Now for his special ability. I can pick one card I control and one card you control and then destroy them. So I pick Queen's Bodyguard and Scrap Hunter." Scrap Dragon unfolded its wings and fired a rain of missiles. Half of the projectiles struck down one of Lindsey's Queen's Bodyguards and the others destroyed Scrap Hunter.

"Now Scrap Dragon, attack Queen Bodyguard." Scrap Dragon turned its glowing magenta eyes onto the other squad of bodyguards and opened its mouth. Energy built up within the back of its throat before a purple laser shot out and destroyed Queen's Bodyguard.

––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 4100

**Lindsey:** 6900

––––––––––––––

Lindsey bit her lip in frustration as she looked at the large hovering monsters. Her bodyguards were no match for Scrap Dragon. With its destruction effect followed by an attack, she had run out of protection for her Allure Queen LV3 soon. That was not good.

"I end with these two facedowns." Mikomi looked over at Lindsey and nodded.

On the other side of the arena, Lindsey drew her card. She wasn't about to let a six-year-old steal her thunder. She looked at her deck and smirked before playing the card in her hand. "I play Creature Swap, so you get my monster and I get yours." Scrap Dragon struggled against the invisible force as it tried to switch it with Allure Queen LV3. But alas the power of Creature Swap proved too great and the two monsters switched places. "That's it for me."

Mikomi was confused. Why didn't she attack? Scrap Dragon was significantly more powerful than Allure Queen LV3. She looked on her field and wondered if it was her two facedowns that were keeping her safe. Whatever the case was, she had to continue her turn. She drew her card. As long as her Scrap Dragon was on her opponent's side of the field, it could easily destroy her monsters. She would have to find some way to destroy it or return it back to her side of the field. Taking one card from her hand, she set it on the field in defense mode and ended her turn.

Lindsey drew her card and smirked. "Oh look. Another Allure Queen LV3." She played her card and summoned another Allure Queen. "And I'll use her effect to take my first Allure Queen back." Allure Queen LV3 held out her staff and a light shined and pulled in the other Allure Queen LV3. "Now Scrap Dragon, attack that facedown." Scrap Dragon opened its mouth and fired a purple laser at the facedown monster, which turned out to be Scrap Goblin, a small creature made up of an assortment of parts including an old camera for a body, and old sink tap for a helmet, metal clips for feet, and even an old discarded dinner fork for a left arm (ATK/0 DEF/500).

"Scrap Goblin can't be destroyed in battle," Mikomi pointed out, "But if he's attacked while in face-up defense mode, he's destroyed at the end of the Battle Phase."

"You really shouldn't blab your cards weaknesses," Lindsey said mock chidingly. "Allure Queen, attack." Allure Queen LV3 raised a flaming finger and then pointed it forward to unleash a stream of fire that struck Scrap Goblin.

"I reveal my Trap Card, Scrap Rage." Mikomi flipped up one of her facedowns. "I can only activate this during damage calculation. If my defense position Scrap monster is attacked, it gains two thousand defense points and then dies at the end of the Battle Phase." Lindsey gasped as Scrap Goblin's defense points suddenly skyrocketted to twenty-five hundred, two thousand more points than her Allure Queen's attack points.

––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 4100

**Lindsey:** 4900

––––––––––––––

The tiny creature was not destroyed, but a great deal of damage had been dealt. When the moment the Battle Phase ended, Scrap Goblin died right away. Despite its destruction, Lindsey was fuming. How could she have walked into such an obvious trap? Behind her she could hear a few students laughing. They were laughing at her. They were laughing at her for being outsmarted by a child.

Still angry, she ended her turn and Mikomi drew her card. "I summon Scrap Chimera." A second Scrap Chimera appeared on the field and roared. "With its effect, I bring back Scrap Goblin." Scrap Chimera plunged its tail into the ground and raised Scrap Goblin out from the ground. "I tune Scrap Goblin to Scrap Chimera." Scrap Goblin's body faded away and the three stars that remained turned into rings that surrounded Scrap Chimera and turned it into a string of four stars. A column of light engulfed them and a horned demon with wings made entirely out of scrap metal and spare parts (ATK/2700 DEF/1800).

"That thing's still not strong enough to take down this dragon," Lindsey said.

"I activate Call of the Haunted." Mikomi revealed her other facedown. "I bring back Scrap Golem." The refrigerator with a television head reappeared on the field after rising from the ground. "With its effect, I bring back Scrap Recycler." The tiny mobile trash compactor appeared on the field once again. "Now I play Scrap Sheen. I destroy one Scrap monster and all the other gain one thousand attack points until the End Phase." Right on cue, Scrap Recycler exploded and the parts that flew across the field were pulled toward Scrap Archfiend and Scrap Golem, attaching to their bodies and boosting their attack points to thirty-seven hundred and thirty-three hundred respectively. "Scrap Archfiend, attack Scrap Dragon." Scrap Archfiend's right arm opened up and a long shiv slid out. It leapt up toward Scrap Dragon and swung, severing its neck and separating its head from its body.

––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 4100

**Lindsey:** 4000

––––––––––––––

"Scrap Golem, attack Allure Queen LV3." Scrap Golem opened its door and started firing pieces of scrap metal at Allure Queen LV3.

"My Allure Queen lives since the card she's equipped with a monster and I can destroy that monster in place of her." Lindsey removed the equip card and stood as she received the damage from the difference in attack points.

––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 4100

**Lindsey:** 1200

––––––––––––––

Lindsey was seething. In a short number of turns, her Life Points had been reduced to nearly nothing. She glared at Mikomi, who calmly watched as she ended her turn. Now it was her turn again and Lindsey drew. "I play Swords of Revealing Light! Now you can't attack for three turns you little bitch." Mikomi seemed unfazed by the insult as three shining swords of light rained from the ceiling and struck the ground in front of her monsters. "I'm done."

Mikomi drew and used Scrap Golem's effect to resurrect Scrap Goblin in defense mode. She ended her turn after that and one sword vanished.

Lindsey drew her card. "Allure Queen, absorb Scrap Goblin." Allure Queen LV3 held out her staff and absorbed Scrap Goblin, equipping the tiny thing to herself. "I'm done my turn."

Mikomi drew her card. Using Scrap Golem's effect, she resurrected Scrap Hunter in attack mode. She ended her turn and the second sword vanished.

Lindsey drew and placed the card in her hand. "Now that my Allure Queen has had a monster equipped to her, on my Standby Phase she levels up to Allure Queen LV5." Allure Queen LV3 changed. Her dress and hair became longer, her staff bigger, and two ribbons appeared flowing down the back of her dress (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "Now she can absorb a level five or lower monster and she's taking that golem." Allure Queen LV5 held out her staff and another ray of light shot out and consumed Scrap Golem, absorbing it into her weapon. "I end it with this facedown."

Mikomi drew again. She just got another Scrap Chimera, but she decided to save it for later. For now, she chose to end her turn and the third and final sword disappeared.

"I draw. And now my Allure Queen LV5 levels up to Allure Queen LV7." Allure Queen LV5 grew taller once again and her hair longer. Her dress shrank back, but left two long elegant sleeves on her arms with more ribbons trailing from her back and holding an even bigger staff (ATK/1500 DEF/1500). "And now she can absorb ANY monster. So I'll take that Scrap Archfiend." Just as her two past forms had done before, Allure Queen LV7 held out her staff and absorbed Scrap Archfiend. "I summon Queen's Bodyguard." A new squad of bodyguards with swords appeared. "Now I attack. Bodyguards, attack Scrap Hunter." Queen's Bodyguard launched themselves at Scrap Hunter and cut it down with their blades.

––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 4000

**Lindsey:** 1200

––––––––––––––

"Allure Queen, finish it off." Allure Queen LV7 channeled and focused flames into her staff and then unleashed a great and mighty fire blast at Mikomi.

––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 2500

**Lindsey:** 1200

––––––––––––––

Lindsey looked confident again. Finally she was going to crush Mikomi. "I end my turn."

Mikomi drew. After an examination of the field, she summoned Scrap Chimera and used it to resurrect Scrap Beast. "Scrap Chimera, attack Queen's Bodyguard." Scrap Chimera flew straight toward Queen's Bodyguard and the two creatures collided. The latter's swords sank deep while the former's claws and fangs ripped the bodyguards into pieces.

"Scrap Beast, attack Allure Queen."

"Allure Queen protects herself by destroying the equipped monster." The equipped Scrap Archfiend was destroyed in place of Allure Queen LV7 as Lindsey too the minor damage.

––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 2500

**Lindsey:** 1100

––––––––––––––

"My turn's over."

"And this duel's gonna be over soon." Lindsey drew her card. "Allure Queen, absorb Scrap Beast." Allure Queen LV7 held out her staff and absorbed Scrap Beast. "Attack." Once again, the Spellcaster creature unleashed a blast of fire from her staff.

––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 1000

**Lindsey:** 1100

––––––––––––––

"I end my turn by activating Ojama Trio. This summons three Ojama Tokens to your side of the field in defense mode." As soon as Lindsey finished speaking, three level two Light-attribute Fiends with zero attack points and one thousand defense points appeared bearing resemblances to Ojama Yellow, Ojama Black, and Ojama Green appeared in defense position. "Now on my turn, I'll absorb one and then kill another to win." She smirked. "Your move."

Mikomi looked at her deck. It was the deck her brother had given to her and it was the deck that had helped her many times over. And now she was asking it for help once again. With a deep breath, she dew a card. "I play Guts of Steel. I choose three Scrap monsters from my graveyard. You pick one that gets Special Summoned and the other two get removed from play." She took three cards from her graveyard and revealed them. They were Scrap Goblin, Scrap Dragon, and Scrap Archfiend.

"No way I'm picking the Synchros." That settled it. Mikomi placed Scrap Goblin on her field in defense mode and placed the two Synchro monsters in her pocket.

"I put one card facedown and I tune Scrap Goblin to the three Ojama Tokens." The level three Scrap Goblin faded away and the three rings that came from it surrounded the level two tokens, fading them until six stars remained and light engulfed them all. "Synchro Summon Scrap Twin Dragon." A larger version of Scrap Dragon appeared except for its green eyes as well as a second head (ATK/3000 DEF/2200). "I pick one card on my side and two of yours. My card gets destroyed and your two get bounced to your hand." Mikomi watched as her facedown was destroyed and Scrap Twin Dragon fired two whirlwinds from its mouths aimed for Scrap Beast and Allure Queen LV7. The two cards were swept away and placed into Lindsey's hand.

"This can't be happening!" she screamed.

"Scrap Twin Dragon..." Mikomi said no more as she pointed forward and her dragon opened its mouths and fired a pair of green lasers directly at Lindsey.

––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 1000

**Lindsey:** 0

––––––––––––––

Lindsey was in a furious rage over her loss as Mikomi quietly put her cards away, deactivated her Duel Disk, and turned to leave. "We're not finished yet!" she shouted. The little girl stopped, looked over her shoulder, and then continued walking away.

"Don't walk away from me!"

"Miss Coen." Lindsey turned around and saw the choir head accompanied by the English teacher Mr. Thulin.

"Mr. Andante?"

"Your jealousy greatly disappoints me." At that moment, Mr. Thulin grabbed Lindsey's Duel Disk and removed her deck before sifting through her cards.

"Miss Coen, care to explain why your cards all have make-up smudges near the edges?" the English teacher inquired. Lindsey paled.

o o o

"Excuse me, does Zetsubou frequent..." the head of the Choir looked at Recca, currently dressed as French Maid.

"Hm?" He turned red as a beet before Reko shook his head and slung his arm around his shoulder outside, he himself dressed like a french aristocrat, complete with cravat.

"What's up? Zetsu eats here time to time." Reko recently came back from the Obelisk Blue dorm, and found that Mikey wasn't in, so telling Rena the news, he was just about to help Recca out with a few new outfits to beguile the customers with when the choir head went to ask something then become enthralled by his oblivious succubus of a mother.

"Oh, I was trying to find him...ask him about Mikomi. She's very closed to people sometimes. I felt I could get the answers from him but...he's not in the library and I can't find him anywhere else." Reko nodded, patting the man on his shoulders.

"I'll go look for him for ya. Then I'll come back and tell you all about it. Hey mom! Gonna step out!" He took off the cravat and coat, wearing a silk blouse of ruffles and white silk.

"Bien, revenir bientôt mon doux!" Recca said happily while waving a napkin, he walked away with a sigh...his mother knew how to stick to a role.

It was a few minutes later before he made it to the crags overlooking the ocean, with Zetsubou looking over the horizon into the sea, Reko came out of the brush to sit next to him. "You're too damn easy to find." Zetsubou gave a bemused smirk, turning on the grass to face Reko.

"What makes you say that? I often come here to relax." Reko held up his arms, giving his best sinister look despite his rose-color sunglasses ruining the image.

"Dark, mysterious...withdrawn. I'll come here to consider and contemplate...fleh. I'm surprised people don't go to the cliffs the first time to find you." Zetsubou laughed, facing the sea again. "Maybe you just think differently than most."

Reko shook his head, adjusting his seating in the foliage. "Probably true, that's for damn sure. Can't get a damn job to save my life, after awhile I just helped out the folks, pays well too, count my lucky stars for that. Though, being unique isn't too bad, at least you're always going to turn heads." Zetsubou considered what Reko said, then saw Reko's smile. "See? I told you you're an easy read, considering what I said already. Withdrawn!"

They both laughed a good while, with Zetsubou stopping first. "So you came here for something, I'm sure."

"Hm? Oh yeah...Choir head wanted to know a bit about Mikomi, I told him I'd find out. I think he just wants to know some neat things about each of the singers, not the life story."

Zetsubou sighed, "As I said, you ask far too many questions and get involved in far too many situations that it HAS to be unhealthy."

Reko chuckled, "Well, someone has to help, that's the way my father told me." Standing up, Zetsubou walked back towards the buildings with Reko close behind.

"Mikomi...lost her family shortly after her birth. Don't mention her family to her, she's very close to me because that's how it always has been. I'm her mentor, father figure and role model all in one. She's quiet not out of nervousness, she's studious, incredibly so, she can't stand to not know something. She is sharp and disciplined, and she loves books. Her favorites are ones about armies and fantasy lands. I guess...I suppose that's all he'll need."

Reko nodded, "Was that hard, Zetsu?"

He nodded slowly, "...She shouldn't have had this life."

"Fate's weird like that, but beyond all that...I think you did a good job raising her. She's still got so much to go yet too. You're a really good guy Zetsubou."

Zetsubou was taken aback, looking down, "Uhm...well...yes. Thank you, Reko."

The Turbo Duelist laughed uproariously, "Don't look so shy! You really aren't used to people being nice to you! Sheesh, no wonder you like our shoooo...", Reko's voice trailed off as he saw Mikey walk into the Obelisk Blue dorm. "We'll meet again." He then sprinted of towards the dorm, calling out wildly for Michael and waving his arms.

The sun was setting on the day.

The streets were quiet save for him.

For once in six years, Zetsubou Tejinashi found himself at a dreadful crossroads.

o o o

Wes and Saito were both laid out on the stone floor in the basement of the Dual Rose, within the circle of elegant chain that marked the area. Both of them wore chainmail over white robes, which Saito and Wes were both skeptical of wearing at first. Rena insisted it was the garb of the Crusader of White, and in his position and physical state Wes was in no position to remove it. Rena looked over at them, her staff making a clack with every few steps she took to step inside the circle.

Wes glanced over as Rena materialized in the endless highland of rolling grass and towering stones where he and Saito dueled. They both invoked the Perfect Rule, and Rena was pleased and made no effort to hide it, "You wonder why you two are so fatigued yes? Why the slings and fires felt so real?", she saw their confusion on the proud boys faces, "It is simple, this presence you call Duel Energy is to blame. The Egyptians called it Ba while I have taken it calling it Nether myself, but call it what you will. It draws it from you and will weaken you, for this is in a dimension unlike your own. You have fought well, the match lasted for a but a few minutes and was fought with great intensity, but you have proven that you both both can survive in this realm."

Saito panted out, "Where...is this?"

Rena waited for the boys to stand before she joined them, "This is the Realm of Shadows, for the Rule of Perfection has allowed you to unlocked the potential of your Duel Energy. The War centuries ago is testament to that dark fact. Duel Energy is the coin of this realm, though it can also be used for many dark ends, as proven in the Duelist Kingdom from before. It was the reason that Nicky was able to generate his soul's blazing heat or why the Duel between you and Samantha slowly became a real conflict of titans. The power of the Nether grants the individual the power of their soul and tears open the doors of eternity, allowing the beasts of the shadows to become flesh, blood, and bone. It is the power that destroyed Egypt. ", Rena continued as the boys stepped out of the circle, back into the basement of the Dual Rose as Rena broke the chains, "Yet everything has the potential of good. You are the Crusaders I am looking for, important ones. Though there are many others still waiting to be discovered. Go and rest Saito, Paragon of the Crusaders of White and you Wes, his Seneschal.", Rena then walked upstairs to join Recca.

Saito was ragged and worn, yet he stood strong as he put back on his original clothing and made his way back upstairs. Wes followed, and Recca was enjoying some tea with her Grandmother, "You said everything has good, Rena. Then what good is coming from what's going to happen?"

Rena was quiet was she looked at Wes, "It gives us the honor to crush it flat, and the duty to do what we must. Let us pray this is enough."

* * *

**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Dark forces make their move within Duel Academy. The Telaris family feels the first brunt of the dark assault, and Zetsubou sets in motion the beginning steps towards darkness washing over the island. See it happen next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	94. Misery

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-07**

**Misery**

"How...dare she." Lindsey was in her room alone, in the dead night. She could not rest, she was a laughing stock, beaten by that pipsqueak and her awful looking trash heap monsters. "Nothing is ever broken, anything can be anything else in you're willing to try. ...Augh! What stupid rubbish! Rubbish like and her damn filthy monsters! Beating my deck! Mine! It has no flaws! It's perfect! Perfect...!" Lindsey felt herself crying, but she didn't sob, she wouldn't let the entire school hear her. No...she was perfect. It was clear what had to be done. Mikomi, that little Princess of Ra Yellow...she had to go. Her eyes turned black for a brief second, and she gave a wry, evil grin. "Oh yes...little Mikomi... I'll have to make sure you can't sing...can't duel...can't do anything...ever again..."

On the other side of her door, a cloaked man with a gleaming mask put down his hand, brimming with a black energy. "That should force his hand..." He walked down the dead hallways of Ra Yellow's dormitory, the guards strangely unaware of his presence. A man in a business suit stepped out of a shadow cast by a pillar, no doubt standing there the whole time and following pace with the man, "Judgement..."

He acknowledged the man in the suit with a slight nod, "Roman, we must be swift. Every second we remain here alerts us to Rena...the crone is assembling something and should she manage to weaken us now..."

"You don't need to worry. The Rose Crusaders are no threat, and we ourselves hold all we need. Let her gather her force, what hope to the few have against the many, the Chosen of your God? We will take the last parts of the puzzle from their corpses." He looked back towards the room of Lindsey Coen. "Such malice, the whelp shows promise...are you bringing her into Your Flock?"

"His Will is upon us at all times, and His Plan is nigh. Miss Coen is not part of it, rather I'm making Zetsubou, one of our contacts from the inside, make the first move. We begin tomorrow night at midnight's hour, within the Harvest Moon."

Roman adjusted his glasses, walking to the end of the hallway. "The first blow is Zetsubou's...I see. You're forcing a choice on him, should he not move tomorrow."

Judgement gave a deep and unsettling laugh. "Then Mikomi's blood will be on his hands should he want this false life away from His embrace. I find it ironic about Miss Coen, however." Roman glanced curiously at Judgement. "Her deck is one of domination and control, yet she herself is the one so easily dominated." He laughed, stepping into a dark shadow cast by the corner on a room to vanish suddenly. Roman followed behind, chuckling to himself. Soon, very soon, he would be upon this mockery of an institution and infinite power would be within his grasp!

o o o

Reko woke up groggily and walked to the bathroom inside his file and clothing strewn room. Moments later he was outside tossing on a tight t-shirt depicting a sword wrapped in roses and ivy, his belt hanging from his jeans and a toothbrush in his mouth. Rena was running down the hallway in her purple robe, which puzzled him. She looked at him with a serious gaze and slowly took out the toothbrush, making Reko raise a brow, "...Um?"

"I want you to wake your mother, then I need you to go find Michael. Find Sammie, find them all Reko. You must find Legacy tonight, I know it's in that dorm of theirs, you MUST hurry.", he was quiet, Rena looked...fearful. He placed his hand on his grandmother's shoulder, and squeezed very gently, "Grandma...I don't know what happened, but I'm sure it will be okay.", she glared at Reko and spoke sternly, "I only wish it could be, child. You must not come back without them, They all need to hear this, I shall inform Saito immediately, I believe him ready for the task at hand."

Rena was completely serious, more so than normal, so Reko knew he had to agree. Placing his goggles around his neck and his sunglasses on he walked to Recca's room before hearing Rena's voice, "Be swift. Take your father's Runner right as you get outside, I need your speed.", he knew something dire was happening, and stepping into his mother's room he saw her asleep in a gown of white silk, loosely held in her right arm was a silver picture frame displaying a picture of his father, Reign. He was riding the very same Runner that Reko rode today, and his wild mane of platinum lavender hair hung out loosely in a wild mane that ran a great length. Two little kids that looked identical to each other stood in front of the Duel Runner. One held up a large wrench proudly, with hair in large pigtails. The others grinned happily while giving the camera a great thumbs up, Reign looked like he was laughing, wholeheartedly enjoying the moment. Reko shook his head in regret, remembering that day all too well as the day Reign went missing without a trace, and now Reka joined the same fate.

He noticed Recca's eyes looked puffy and her cheeks were slightly red, even with the rest she must have had. His mother cried herself to sleep, and Reko in the moment felt even more powerless than before. He was trying his best to keep her spirits up, help locate his sister, what if he disappeared too? What would become of Recca then, of Rena? He understood why she wept, she lost so much dear to her, and was worried so much for the safety of her son, with her empathy probably even Mikey and the others...people she barely knew. He couldn't understand how in that state she could give such happy smiles, treat people so kindly, sound so sweet, but he loved her all the more for it. She awoke slowly, noticing Reko and blinking slowly, "...Reko...?"

He then hugged his mother, and held her tightly, "I'm sorry...", he felt hot tears run down his face, "Mom...I'm so sorry...", Recca was surprised, and her expression became soft as she held him to her, "Reko..."

"I couldn't save Dad...Reka! I went to Duelist Kingdom for nothing...! She's gone...I...I can't find her mom...", Recca looked shocked, she knew that Reko's ruse to Duelist Kingdom was to try and win the money to save their shop. Now with Rena's clever bargain their shop, home and all the kind folk within were saved, but she had no idea he went there to find Reka, "Honey...you care about Reka that much...?"

Reko clung to her, trembling, "...Yes...with all I am... I can't bear to see you like this, mom..."

She chuckled, "Funny."

At that moment, Reko felt strage...Legacy. Wait, he found that the other day it was under the bar in the Dual Rose, he gave it to Rena and got a whack on the head! Reko's eyes snapped opened as he felt a white hot pain rip through his back, "I can't stand you being so weak.", Reko staggered backwards, tasting the metallic bitterness of blood in his mouth, a fierce backhand knocked him to the floor, "You can't protect a damn soul, worthless boy. You're living a damn lie!", Recca of all things kicked him dead in the chest, causing him to cough up blood and slowly stagger away, "Run away Reko, you're a damned fool and a failure!", Reko pulled out what was in his back, a blood covered ornate dagger, carved into the handle were Reign and Reka. Staggering out into the hallway, he looked down the hallway and saw with his own eyes Mika...the girl from Duelist Kingdom, "Why didn't you save me..."

Reko clutched his chest, it was becoming hard to breathe, "I...tried! I did, I truly did!", Mika's other eye was open, and from it he felt despair, some horrid dread and an icy pain in his heart, "Die Reko...die and join those you could not save!", Reko staggered backwards to feel two hands grip his arms with such force he heard crunching noises, and screamed in agonizing pain and fury, "...No...", he glanced over and saw Reign on one side, clad in a black leather biker's outfit with a card of Black Roses held in his off hand, his other currently crushing his arm. He looked dark, cold, a sinister mockery of what the picture earlier described. Nicky held his other arm fast with most of his body charred into blackened bone, but Reko knowing that insane gaze all to well, and it cackled with a hideous glee, "Oi, relax mate! You're just goin' to join those you killed! Oi...I think it's time for ya Reaper to come for you...! Yer turn, mate!", the hallway twisted and swam as he saw Mika's gaze, and around the corner she came.

"...Reka...", her throat cut, her skin pallid, her hair matted, her eyes black as coal and wearing her overcoat and bloodstained work clothes she slowly stalked towards Reko, "... ... Dieee...", he held a knife in her hand, a simple thing, "Well...look at that...", Recca cooed from the doorway, how a warped and strange thing, "Looks like she's not even going to use anything special for your demise...shame... You put your poor mommy through so much!" Reko struggled, with Reign growling and ripping Reko's arm completely off, only causing Reko to panic madly and cry out in a sound that no human should possibly make, "Aww...baby lost his dueling arm.", she then cackled madly, with Reka coming in ever closer, Nicky leaned in his ear, "You're not gonna save a soul Reko...everyone is gonna come crashing down around you...and you'll be always powerless to stop it.", his sister came up to him carving his chest and pulling out two decks, pure and clean admist all the blood, "Thank you...for keeping our decks alive..."

Reko slumped over, through blurred vision he saw everyone laughing around him, Gemknight Rubys standing next to Reign and Genex Ally Accel standing next to Reka. Nicky grabbed him by the back of his hair, keeping him aloft, "So the Rose Crusader of Telaris has no deck of his own...no weapon to do battle! All alone, all alone Reko..."

"Reko!"

o o o

Reko snapped to in a cold sweat, Rena worriedly looking at him, even more so when Reko leaped out of bed, fell on the floor then furiously checked his chest then his arm to make sure it was still there. It was, and he looked at his grandmother worriedly, "Are you...?", he noticed it was still night, the silver light shining through with a moon nearly full.

"You were convulsing, calling out for Reka...", Rena looked down, "I am relieved you are safe, your mother was restless. She is downstairs tending to a few store matters.", Reko threw on a loose fitting white shirt and brown corduroys he wore earlier this night, stepping into black sneakers, when he reached for the top of the dresser. His father's deck was not there, neither was Reka's! He looked at his mother, "Gramma, where were the deck boxes here!", she stood, "I don't-", that's when they both heard a loud roar from outside and Recca screaming. Reko leapt downstairs, then stopped dead in his tracks. A man in a black helmet and the exact same biker's outfit from his dream stood outside. He held two deck boxes in his hand, tapping his visor and pointing dead at Reko, then mounting a massive motorbike next to him with wheels made for off-road, covered in thick plating with smoke emanating off of the slotted exhaust vents. Both his outfit and bike were black, with a smoke colored design of endless roses and thorn vines enveloping him and the vehicle. Upon the front of the bike was a rose in bloom, with blood leaking over the petals and onto the vines. Grey and lavender streaks flowed out the back of his helmet, made to look like a faceless horror. He sped off, with Reko in pursuit before Rena grabbed his arm, "You have nothing to duel him with! I feel his aura, he will destroy you without one."

Reko remembered his nightmare, punching the wall in fury and growling. Rena understood the rage in his heart, and Recca looked ahead, "That...was that...?", Rena was stunned, Reko was silent, not wanting to upset his mother. The three Telarises stood in silence in their shop for a good five minutes before Rena's voice broke the quiet, "Recca, get some rest. Come on now dear.", her voice was calm, and Recca stood, shakily making her way up the stairs completely frightened. Rena looked to her grandson, and laid a hand on his shoulder as they both sat at the bar, "It will be dawn in one hour. I need you to gather Michael and the others, I shall gather Saito and his allies. Do as I say, it is time, you have always been ready."

Reko nodded slowly, Rena patting his hand, "I know what you must have seen shattered you, but this is how He works. He will try to get inside you and break your will and spirit. You can beat it, you're too stubborn to let something like this get to you."

"Grandmother...back in Duelist Kingdom, I thought this Duel Energy and the other stuff was just crap, honestly. Had I known...", Rena got off of her stool, and took up a cane of maple wood resting by the bar, "You had to believe with your own heart, child. That's all you need to fight this. Believe. Believe in yourself and your allies, act in their defence and the mutual cause of safeguarding this world. That's a Crusader, in the purest essence.", she produced Legacy from behind the bar, the glimmering gauntlet that meant so much to Rena, "Put it on now Reko, and do not remove it. It will guide you to your destiny, it is yours to wear."

She stepped downstairs into the basement, "I must prepare, very soon now they'll come. I leave it to you Reko.", in the basement he looked at the various tools she had on hand for her application into the detecting of evil forces and their defense, "Damn it all...I sensed them this evening. Now it's...simply too much.", she looked at her own deck of cards on the table next to a variety of wands and placed the deck into her robe. She closed her tired eyes and sat in a chair surrounded by her circle of chains, getting a few hours of precious rest.

Reko placed on the gauntlet, it felt like a second skin, and was light as a feather, he knew that part of it unfurled into extra zones and that it itself was some kind of ancient Duel Disk from ages ago. The extra zones were coiled seamlessly around the armor, and despite picking at it, Reko couldn't budge it. He followed true to his grandmother's word though, sitting until dawn came. He wasn't going back to sleep tonight, that was for sure.

o o o

Morning came, and as the student body was bustling about to classes Zetsubou emerged as he did every morning from his tiny niche in the library, bowing politely to the teachers and students and working diligently as he did any day, though this day felt different somehow, "They...were here."

"Hm? Who was here, Mr. Tejinashi?", a Obelisk Blue student asked, confused as to Zetsubou's sudden remark. He shook his head, "I'm sorry, it wasn't important. Can I help you find something sir?", in the back of his mind he felt it, a wrongness in the air.

Elsewhere, within the bowels of the island a horrible roar rang out, "YOU BLITHERING IDIOTS!", Reign was thrown to the ground as Kel'aral loomed above him, "Do you KNOW what you have done! Do you KNOW that they move so soon! You force our hand too soon! It is too soon Reign!"

A cackle rose from the inky depths, "'e was prolly bored sittin' in this dump Kel. Oi am too, Oi'm glad the mate did it!"

Roman's voice was heard, and it sounded steady, yet desperately trying to shackle the unbridled fury within, "It is no matter. Let them move, Reign has performed well enough, the Telaris family is in complete disarray as he has both his and Reka's deck. This is positive, now their Champion has nothing to combat us with."

Judgement was still and silent, Reign soundlessly rising to his feet and walking back into the shadows. What Roman said had least somewhat of an edge to it, yet he himself dismissed them as the words a politician may use to curry favor. His gamble would still be successful either way. Their assault would have to be stalled, attacking while Rena was on full alert was suicidal. Even with Reko deflated and weakened Recca and Rena, including Saito and the others assisting, assaulting now would prove a madman's tactic.

As he mused however, he recalled the importance of the Harvest Moon, and it's supernatural influence was something he could not pass up. He thought to Zetsubou, and behind he mask he grinned, his thoughts then drifting to Rena... He knelt and began to fervently pray, His influence will drive his will home. He thought to force Zetsubou to strike to save his sister, now he will strike to eliminate the one force keeping them from attacking outright and taking the Rose Cards in Rena's keeping for themselves.

o o o

Reko rushed down the street towards the Obelisk Blue Dormitory, intent on getting Mikey and the others to come to the Dual Rose as soon as possible, sure enough he saw Sammie walking towards her classes. He ran at full pelt, leaping over a large planter in the walkway and landing out right in front of her, pointing at her with the garnet covered finger of Legacy, "SammieIneedyou!"

Sammie all but stopped for conversation, kneeing him in the gut before she realized who she hit, "Oh shit Reko! I'm sorry, you can't startle me like that.", Reko doubled over, coughing, "It's...fine. Good morning? I need you and Max and Mikey and everyone else I can't remember because I just got the wind blown out of me, oh god...wasn't prepared for that.", Sammie offered and arm to pull up Reko, which he obliged, "So yeah, morning. Sorry about that. I'll get them, but for what? Also, you're a hell of a lot more resilient then that, from what Max told me you resisted getting your Duel Energy drained, all you needed was a power nap."

Reko recalled that and chuckled as he regained his composure, that girl could send them packing, "Yeah, slammed two Monsters I had stowed in my bag before I locked horns with Saito, I think the buzz kept me going, or I'm just lucky as all hell."

"Wait, you went up against Saito?"

He nodded, "Yeah, but it's not an important bullet right now. I need you guys to get your butts to the Dual Rose as soon as you possibly can. Like now would be good.", he looked around, then swore under his breath, "Hell's Bells, I don't see gramma about, she prolly took a power nap herself before looking for Saito."

Sammie scowled, then looked concerned for Reko, "I figured he'd come, and thanks for bringing me into it too, I guess. Reko...you look really skittish, that's not like you. What's up, you look like hell."

Reko slumped over, cracking his neck before figuring out mentally where in the hell Saito would run off to, "Rough night, don't want to talk about it Sammie."

Sammie stood her ground, "I'm not going till you tell me. I'm sick of this secret bullshit I keep hearing with your family and Saito.", Reko figured word might get around, he noticed Wes go in with Saito and Rena sometimes, "It's complicated, it's like a birthright thing, our families owe each other big for an event way way way back in Europe. Rena can fill you in more, as for me? I had a dream where my mother stabbed me in the back, my father ripped off my arm, my old rival was a charred corpse and gibbering in my ear. There was a girl who practically was an innocent that I couldn't save in the Kingdom glaring this hell light at me. Recca was jeering at me aaaand my near identical twin sister disemboweled me, tore two decks out of my chest and left me a broken and highly shattered corpse. Not ten minutes after I wake up from that hoe down my father speeds off with my decks and I dare not tell a soul about who it was for fear my mother might crack. She's vulnerable, poor thing. Happy now Miss Sassy Sally?", Reko held his hand out towards the dorm as Sammie stood there, stunned.

"Uh...wow. Holy Shit Reko, that's...um."

"Yeah, holy shit right? Go get the others and get your asses to the Dual Rose, get in the gorram basement and if my grandmother is resting let her, she's strained her body to no end to keep these guys out of our hair as long as possible. After what I've seen, yeah buddy, I'm believin' this full on. It's why I have this crazy anime thing on my arm, in case you were going to ask."

"I wasn't."

"Good. Get goin'! Nice punch by the way!", Sammie doubled back towards the dormitory as Reko looked towards the main building with the wide majority of the classrooms. Finding Saito would be no easy task, but he'd find him, even if he had to tear every classroom upside down while he did so.

o o o

Mikomi yawned sleepily, she studied her subjects longer than she should have, and she sipped her cold water to try and wake herself up. Her pack of rough cloth was slung over her shoulder, herself bearing the familiar weight with ease as she strolled to class. Lindsey came up behind her, smiling happily as she waved to Mikomi. She was puzzled, but Mikomi happily waved back, maybe sleeping cooled down Lindsey? Maybe she had a good friend after all of that, she could hope, "Mornin' Mikomi!"

Her eyes shone, Mikomi was so excited for that, "Hi Lindsey!", she happily called back, that startled a few of the Ra's who heard her speak. A few even pulled in closer just to reaffirm that they weren't just hearing things as Lindsey continued, "I was wondering, if you were'nt busy why don't we hang out at the docks? We could talk, study, practice dueling and have some fun! How about say at six?", Mikomi nodded happily.

"Great, I'll see you then Mikomi!", Mikomi was so excited, she had an actual friend! Someone other than her brother wanted to do things with her, play with her! Of course, she was curious why she wanted to play and study so far away but Mikomi had her favorite study spots, she could learn to love Lindsey's too!

Lindsey grinned as she walked off towards her classes, soon she'd be alone with her at the docks. No one would be looking, no one would hear her body plummet to the depths of the ocean. She patted the small craft knife she got from the art room strapped tightly to her thigh, it would do the job quick enough.

o o o

Reko kicked in the door to an Obelisk Blue History Class, "SAITO KAI...OhmygodI'msosorry.", he bowed politely to an angry teacher before dashing down the hallway before seeing Saito Kaiba standing alone in the hallways with no one else but Reko, "There a reason why you're running around screaming my name like a lunatic, Reko?"

He nodded, pointing a finger at Saito while catching his breath, "You...need...to get to...Dual Rose...right now, with everyone you know...all of them.", Saito rose an eyebrow, "I don't have time for this Saito! Bad, incredibly not good things are going to happen! If Rena says there's a storm comin' don't you think you should pay that some heed!", Saito rose a finger to protest but Reko glared at him in a commanding kind of way, a bold action that actually impressed Saito. He figured the lavender haired teen as a simpleton, "Your classes can wait. I'll take the heat for it, get going."

Saito scoffed, "Make m-", Reko fist blasted Saito's cheek, "Yeah...you like that! You know what's I've been through in the past few hours? Complete hell, Saito! Honor your gorram mentor, get your gorram posse and get your ass over there!", Reko was poised to counter Saito's coming punch, but it never came. Instead Saito checked his jaw, nodded, spat out a small bit of blood and walked past Reko, "I'll get them. I can respect you now, Reko." As he vanished into a classroom he didn't check yet, he walked out of sight with Hayley and walked out of his site. Reko turned back and ran back towards the Dual Rose, within an hour he thought, everyone should be there, "Respect me...? Sheesh."

o o o

Sammie sat the basement of the Dual Rose, Recca was happily serving guests upstairs, and she could hear the chatter of students and the clatter of dishes. She checked her watch, it was noon right on the dot, and what startled her was all the odd things in this basement. Circles made of chains, strange armlets, gems of every size and description, and even a working forge gave off a steady wave of heat was in one corner. There were many crafting tools, and countless jars of various powders and oils lining part of the wall. A large tapestry hung by itself, taking the entire length of one wall and depicting countless red and white soldiers fighting a fearsome demon. Rena came back downstairs in a red and white dress, nodding over at Sammie before sitting down in front of her.

"Have you contacted all of your friends, child?", Sammie scowled, but nodded, "What does this have to do with anything?", Rena shuffled to a large bookshelf, getting out an old leather bound tome with cracked and yellowed pages, "Oh, but it has everything to do with everything Samantha. As I told Saito in the past, we all have our part to play. Yours is a quite significant one, its purpose vital to our victory. Do not doubt yourself."

"What makes you think I have?", Rena chuckled at Sammie's question, sitting down in front of her with the book, "You modified your deck because of Noah, he defeated you at Duelist Kingdom, and you felt powerless. Even now, with this new deck you yourself are feeling as though you will eventually lose. It is a secret you hold it your heart, and one that will corrupt and destroy all that you are.", Sammie stared at her wide-eyed, "How...how do you know all of that?"

"I am wise in many things Samantha. Keep true to yourself and believe in what you have done. Believe that you will lay low all of your enemies and you shall. I've heard of your rage and anger, and I have no qualms about it, such battle rage is to be expected regarding your birthrights."

"My...what the fuck are you going on about about?"

Rena heard more footsteps and Coltyn's voice, "Child, I will have to tell you another time. Know that you are powerful, and that you have no reason to doubt yourself. Welcome.", she bowed humbly to Mikey, Saito and their companions as they filled the large, mystic looking basement.

"So...what is all of this?", Gabe said with a puzzled bewilderment.

Reko stepped downstairs a few moments later, "It's where my mom and Rena do the more magical parts. Divining, making arms...duel disks, training against the supernatural, that kind of thing.", he looked at the circle of chains, "Take that for example, those contain and restrain the magical energies brought out through the cards and dueling, so I've been told. ", Rena nodded, "I fabricate the powers of the Dark Forces, those I know of. Then I train other Crusaders to resist and see through the veils cast by them. Saito was the only one who required training, the rest of you have the power inside you...", she regarded Reko, "Though, others had to have the spark of belief ignite within them. Regarding Saito, think not of his former inability against the arts, I have trained both he and his second, Wes. Both of them are very formidable within their own rights."

She stepped off her chair and opened the book, revealing ancient images of Duel Monster Cards, "A small lesson is in order, are you each aware of the War of the Roses?"

Gabe nodded, "Bunch of Knights fought over boundaries, I thought.", Rena chuckled, "As I would expect. It is but a fabrication, the events were dire, and their repercussions are still felt even to this day. Two houses fought, Red and White, and their champions found weapons stronger than any mortal steel. Ancient powers, stemming to Egypt, and the Eldritch magic of the Shadow Realm, its potential yet unseen in Europe.", she flipped the page, showing pictures of French Soldiers being cut down by a swathe of Insect-type Duel Monsters, "Each one bore power cruel and terrible, with a mere monster holding might many times the common soldier. Each house of White and Red coveted the power, and though both had in their mind equal intentions of conquest, when dealing with the Realm of Shadows there can never be such a thing as no consequence for its utilization. Death tolls rose, disease ran rampant, The Reaper gorged himself on an ever swelling mass of souls, and soon all of Europe, not just France and England, would feel the wrath of the Shadows."

Everyone listened intently, save Max who rose a hand, "So...the history of the War of Roses, that was a lie?" Reko shrugged, "...Kinda? The names are the same, but everything else was changed. Seriously, this card game kept reoccurring time and time again. It can't be destroyed because it's part of our history. Do you REALLY want people to know that a game being played at this moment somewhere in say Canada contains powers that can literally turn the world upside down?", Max frowned, which caused Reko to sigh, "I'm sorry. Bit of a hectic day.", Rena held her hand out, "It's been hectic for all of us, child. The incident this morning did nothing but alarm us.", she flipped to a picture of a faceless human, sixteen cards were laid behind him in a strange arcane circle, a black flame behind him, "Our ancestors were of both noble houses. Lancastrian and Yorkist, we were an exception, our blood tied to an ancient Druidic order that still runs strong within us even now.", Reko slapped his arm, "Strong Celts, we are. I know a bit of the story from here Gram. Okay, so in a desperate bid our ancestors secretly bound portions of the power running rampant by each house, scribing them onto large blank cards. This limited the full power of the Perfect Rule to only be used by those wielding the cards. Eight cards of Red represented the blood shed of the people, White for their convictions and inner light...though the White ones were forcibly taken, and used to erect a barrier that kept the Reds from assaulting them. We took the Red ones to Stonehenge, mystic place, kind of a big thing. We used a ritual there in hopes to bring a man from somewhere in time to lend us aid in that time."

Spencer rose up, "Can't we do that ritual again...! I mean, if this is getting as dangerous as you think...", Rena shook her head, "It cannot be done, we would have to go to Stonehenge, and that would take far too long, the conditions of which the ritual was made would also have to be made which means...", Spencer finished, "Death...disease, hell would have to have hit us.", Rena nodded solemnly, "I am...sorry, young one. To continue, this man was one of legend. We call this paragon The Duelist, and it was he who gathered the Rose Cards to cast them back to Stonehenge."

"Wait wait wait.", Hayley shook her arms out in front of her, "I thought the cards were needed FOR his summon? What gives?"

Reko leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, "Imagine you were a regular guy just minding your own business. Maybe you were getting married or something, then you get pulled to a world in the past with all kinds of Hellions running about, and YOU had to stop the two armies and get them to throw down their swords against each other and raise them against the real enemy. Wouldn't you want to leave, that it would be overwhelming? Anyway, that's kind of sketchy sweetie. We think that the cards were discovered right after, and while the Duelist was in some kind of torpor the cards were spirited away back to the houses. They were needed so we could send him back, and originally he went to take back the cards and get back home. Somewhere along the line, he wanted to genuinely save Europe from the Shadow Realm, I guess. A lot of this has been lost to time."

Rena flipped that pages, revealing that same Duelist mortally wounded by some kind of grotesque being, "He did succeed, but before we could perform the ritual, as he himself through Dueling via the Rule of Perfection-". Gabe held up his hand, "The Rule of Perfection was a style of dueling from those old times, the War of the Roses. Invoked it created a battlefield upon which you and the monsters fought in bloody conquest. You put your very soul within the shell of such a creature, and your monsters fought with unflinching loyalty at your very whim. It was a real war, no turns to be had. It was and your force against theirs in a brutal conflict."

Mikey stood up, "I remember that! We did something like this back in the old Death-T!"

The old Telaris chuckled, closing the book and setting it to one side on a table, "I know of this. I sensed it so long ago, and steadily prepared over time. The Duelist did weaken both houses, tore down the false 'Rose Crusaders' and a tranquility spread in his wake, Humanity slowly recovered. Before we could send him back, something altered the ritual, sending a horrendous demon against him." Rena waved her hand to a tapestry of a united French and English armies, led by a man in tattered robes against a malevolent, almost Egyptian looking creature. "He was called Manawyddan fab Llyr, something called a Card Guardian. He was anathema to our world and brought several items with him, pieces and parts of something terrible. He was defeated, but not without horrible wounds to the Duelist. ...We did send him back, but where his blood touched, a strange black card mocking our own Rose Cards laid in the pool of blood. Three Artifacts were also found in the battlefield, the others, how many there may have been were banished back to whatever fell dimension the so called 'Card Guardian' came from."

She looked towards those gathered, "Thus ends the Saga of The Duelist, however it was not the end of our history. Those that were summoned were still running rampant, unchecked. A few of the noble houses in France and England merged, wed and slowly integrated into one house, picking up a new name of their choosing and free of any root. Free Knights for the people, this first house was called Telaris. We slew many score of monsters, and banished them back to their dimension or slew them outright. We kept the secret of the Rose Cards and what evil they hold at bay, and now on this island dark forces are moving to invoke what we cannot allow to happen. However about the Perfect Rule itself... Back on Death-T I think whomever you fought failed to invoke it properly,yet he was close... At that time, I knew I had to begin making our own move against this, for you to meet Reko, and for us to be here now. Of the Rule, it has been lost to time to us. We remember only an inkling. However, this inkling allows you to invoke and heighten your Duel Energy to combat these things. I know not what would happen if one them actually found a way to invoke the entire Perfect Rule again, or if such a being is on their side. However, it wouldn't bode well for either of us."

Reko held out his hands as he kicked off from the wall, walking towards his grandmother, "I know, it's kinda epic. Horrible guys are going to make their moves, and from what I saw and what they can do, its vicious.", Saito glared at Reko, "You have a bad dream and a biker took your decks, how does that affect us." Reko looked at Sammie, who shrugged, "Okay, that aside sounds mild. If you seen what I've seen...haven't you felt like something weird is going on? Take that one creepy girl I've seen once or twice uh...Marsha! Aren't those Duel Lotteries or whatever kind strange? They seem to keep targeting you guys, I'm finding that odd, it's like she WANTS you guys to fight. In...a school of Dueling. Okay, new theory I guess...", Rena patted Reko's back, and he slumped a little, "You're exasperated, child. I brought you all down here to inform you that you are all ready to defend this island if need be, to tell you the sagas of the past to arm you with knowledge, and to tell you I myself have sensed many dark forces afoot recently. Be careful this evening, and keep one hand ready for battle, I suspect they may make their move tonight."

Recca voice came from upstairs, "Reko? I need your help up here.", Reko silently went upstairs, making everyone looked over at Rena, "I have nothing more to inform you, only that I am needed elsewhere. I'm sensing something odd at the Ra Yellow dorm as of late, it's time I put my fears to rest. Coltyn, you go to this dorm. Have you noticed anything odd?"

As everyone slowly left, confused and some irritated for missing class, Coltyn nodded, "Lindsey Coen, she's been acting strange. Almost like she snapped ever since Mikomi handed her ass back to her. She's all buddy buddy now though, and from what I hear they're both going to be down by the docks this evening. Noone else there though."

Rena said nothing, taking an oak staff from a rack of multiple staves and headed up the stairs. Coltyn called up as he followed suit, "Linsdey wouldn't do a thing like what you're assuming to Mikomi, would she? Also Rena...how did you know about Death-T?", Rena chuckled, looking back Coltyn with a curt smile, "Now dear...even sages must have their secrets."

As they both left, Zetsubou sat near the stairway leading downstairs, sipping some coffee bought from Recca. He heard the whole short conversation regarding his sister from the stairwell, about Lindsey and Rena's question. He paid for his drink and quickly left towards the docks.

o o o

The rest of the day went, and in the amber light of the evening Recca was busy closing the shop early, it brought some disappointment to the people, but she felt absolutely horrid. Reko was at her side, helping her clean up as Recca looked over at her son cheerily, "I'm going to go take a nice long bath, and then get some rest early. You know what to do!" He gave a light smirk, "You closed up so they would be back at the dorms, where its safer.", she nodded. Reko laughed, "You're brilliant."

"They mean the world to me, just like you do. You don't have a deck of your own but...", she placed her hand into Reko's, "Your gauntlet, you can invoke the Perfect Rule in that. I...don't know what will happen if you do. If they come for you, you know how to say it? How to invoke it?", Reko nodded, "That's a good boy, Reko. I hope Rena comes back soon."

Reko shrugged, looking outside, "I'm sure she's fine mom, I'm going to go check up on Mikey and the others, I'll lock up.", Recca nodded, looking worriedly as ever, "You're not going to lose me mom, I promise.", Reko locked up after stepping outside then as he walked down the street, Recca made her way upstairs to take another nap, this day was far too much for her.

o o o

Mikomi was already at the docks, Lindsey was sure of it. She watched her, alone as she surveyed the girl on a hill with a pair of binoculars she borrowed from the Science Lab, they wouldn't notice. She drew the knife strapped to her leg, this was the only way. The grass rustled behind her, probably the wind. Before she made her way to creep down the hill and perform the grisly task of slaying Mikomi, she felt an arm coil around her and rest on her forehead, it felt like a thousand needles driving themselves into her head, and she cried out to find that no sound escaped.

Rena had her hand on her forehead, and tracking the girl was a pain. She felt much evil taking rein over the girl's soul, Lindsey writhing on the ground. It was a complex spell meant to tranquilize, sure enough Lindsey lay limp on the ground as if having slept there for hours, "Now...who did this to you...", she uncorked a vial, applying a clear oil to Lindsey's forehead, "O spirits I beseech you to grant this humble vessel the sight of gods. Grant me the ability to pierce the veil and gaze into her soul. Allow me to cleanse the sin she herself is not responsible for."

Rena felt a weightlessness she had long accustomed herself to, viewing many images that flew past her like a flipbook, resting upon a venomous swamp, the ruins of a dungeon all around her with stinging rain pelting her face. A mask was embedded into the wall, Rena gasping at it and shattering it with her staff, "Judgement! Wretched being, cruel puppeteer!" A massive hulk rose slowly out the swamp, the man she had named, "You seek to banish me from the woman's mind? I shall simply leave, she is of no consequence to me. I have many other people serving me... Besides Crone...", the hulk melted away, revealing Roman, which caused her to take several steps back ,"You should be careful whom you name, and whom you yourself allow your allies to associate.", the rain slowly died down to a light drizzle, the swamp being swiftly grown over by healthy looking marshland.

When Rena broke out of her trance she gasped for air. She had seen Roman and Judgement, people whom she had scryed upon many times in the past. Are they both here? How many others? Before her questions could be answered, several footsteps and the sound of crunching foliage could be heard. She turned around, seeing Zetsubou himself standing in the field with a strange Duel Disk on his arm. It writhed, and looked like shadow itself coalesced into its form. Rena looked over at him, the vile energy was prevalent within him as well, if felt like Roman's from mere moments before yet more...amiss. She he hosted the sleeve on her robe, revealing a Duel Disk that look heavily modifed, adorned with all kinds of strange baubles and symbols. It gave a strange, holy chime as it unfurled into its familiar shape, "...You are?"

He bowed politely, the shadow growing over his body and jutting out in cruel barbs. The shadows covered the lower half of his face, and made him look more menacing, though it had no effect on Rena, "Hail and well met, Crone of Telaris. I hear tell tale you have assembled Rose Crusaders, have you told them that yet? Have you told them that your know who the Whites are, but not the Reds?"

"I am Rena Irene Telaris, name thyself, or I shall cut thee down with utmost vigor.", Zetsubou cackled, "Do not name me like a monster, for I am not. Shall I tell them that one or more of them shall betray them?"

Rena was silent, which made Zetsubou raise a shadowly finger to his mouth, "Oh, but such is your fate. You know what will happen, but cannot intervene in any way. Tragedy, for you know what can happen if you do. You have moved them as subtly as you can, gave them all the you could. Your daughter Recca does pose a threat with her own might, but she will be dealt with soon enough. Your demise however is paramount...the Harvest Moon empowers me, my might matches yours."

"As it does, you challenge me to a Shadow Game? You seek to possess my Rose Cards?"

"Nay, I know you have willingly given your cards to another. Accept my challenge, you know what it entails."

Rena nodded, drawing her hand, "I award you the first move child, do not disappoint."

Zetsubou snapped his fingers, six cards flying into his hand. "This act is trivial, crone," he said as darkness suddenly engulfed them both. Rena made no move of horror, only giving a frown to Zetsubou, "So I see child...you do wish to throw your soul away like it meant nothing. What of your sister, selfish fool, what do you-"

"Silence Crone! I shant have your incessant voice ringing between my ears no longer! Now accept your fate and die, Rena Irene Telaris, battle now within the Trial the Shadows have set for us!"

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 8000

**Rena:** 8000

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"I Special Summon Evil Cell of the Inverz." He placed his card onto his Duel Disk and summoned out what appeared to be a pitch-black ladybug. Emblazoned on its carapace was a symbol that looked a black horned mask in the shape of a claw or a beetle (ATK/0 DEF/0). "Watch now, Crone, as I release my monster in order to summon the deadly Inverz Madith!" The carapace of Evil Cell of the Inverz began to crack and then its body shattered, leaving behind only traces of its hide as an insectoid demon resembling a mantis descended in its place, closing up its wings and swinging its tail as it hissed loudly (ATK/2200 DEF/0).

"Now when he's Tribute Summoned, I can pay one thousand Life Points to resurrect one Inverz monster. So I'll bring back Evil Cell of the Inverz."

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 7000

**Rena:** 8000

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As Zetsubou's Duel Disk counted down the Life Point reduction, the darkness shifted and several bloodshot eyes opened up behind him. From the shadows, several black tendrils covered in what appeared to be thorns shot out and wrapped themselves around his leg. Any ordinary man would have squirmed and cried out in pain, but Zetsubou didn't so much as wince. In fact, it looked like he was smiling.

"I'll end with this facedown," he declared.

"My turn." Rena drew her first card. In no time at all, her opponent had succeeded in summoning a creature with twenty-two hundred attack points with no drawbacks. She knew that she would have to go on the defensive for a while and she had the best combo for that in her hand right now. "I begin with summoning Krebons." A creature resembling digital purple and orange harlequin materialized on the field (ATK/1200 DEF/400). "This little dear can negate any attack directed at him by paying eight hundred Life Points. But when I equip it with Telekinetic Charging Cell, I won't need to pay anything." Two white wheels appeared on either side of Krebons and quickly surrounded him in a spherical prison of yellow energy bars.

Rena could have attacked. She could have sent Krebons in to destroy Evil Cell of the Inverz. However, the facedown filled Rena with an icy dread. What if his deck was full of cards that harmed him? Was he that eager to face death so soon? Krebons looked to her, waving a hand towards the Evil Cell, but Rena held her hand. She had to somehow break this spell, had to somehow show Zetsubou that he did not have to do this. It was either he or her however, and Rena wasn't eager to die just yet. Her mind flooded with images, Mikey and the others dead from a lack of guidance of her wisdom, Mikomi being a puppet to the same dark power...driven by the disappearance of her brother. There was no time to run the threads of fate now, she had to act.

"Krebons! Enact judgement upon the Evil Cell!" Krebons nodded let out an electronic cry and it summoned out a multitude of telekinetically-conjured geometric blocks of varying shapes before launching them toward Evil Cell of Inverz.

Zetsubou gave a dark chuckle before revealing his Trap Card. "Such a blind little insect when your sight is clouded by despair! Aggressive Wave! By returning one Inverz to the hand, I can destroy one card you control...I was meaning to save this for something other than that pathetic clown, but bloodshed is bloodshed." The Evil Cell was recalled in a black wind, only to gather in Zetsubou's hand. With a cry of fury a bolt of baleful violet energy engulfed Krebons, he reeled in the death of Rena's monster.

He finished with a great bow, his remaining Inverz monster standing as still as a statue, "This all you can muster, Crone?"

Rena suspected that Zetsubou would attempt a tactic like this. She was fortunate that she was correct in her assumption. Upon arriving at her second Main Phase, she took a card and slid it into one of her Spell and Trap Card slots. "I now play Teleport. At the cost of eight hundred Life Points, this Continuous Spell Card lets me Special Summon a Psychic monster from my hand if my opponent has monsters while I do not."

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 7000

**Rena:** 7200

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Several bloodshot eyes opened up behind Rena and several spiked tendrils emerged from the darkness and wrapped themselves around her arm. The old sage winced in pain, but she bore it. She bore it for both of their sakes as she struggled to play a monster from her hand. "I summon Master Gig in attack mode." A massive egg appeared before her. At first Zetsubou thought nothing of it until it suddenly unfolded several laser cannons from its midsection and a head rose up from the top (ATK/2600 DEF/1400).

"So your true agenda reveals itself," Zetsubou mused as he looked up as the enormous Psychic monster that had just appeared.

"I end with this facedown." A card appeared at Rena's feet.

"My move now." Zetsubou drew. "Ah, an excellent draw. With this Double Summon, I can reinforce my field with more monsters. Specifically, Inverz Caller and Gatekeeper of the Inverz." The first creature that appeared was some kind of black moth man with the Mark of the Inverz on its abdomen (ATK/1700 DEF/0). The other was an enormous six-legged pill bug from the underworld with the Mark of the Inverz on its head (ATK/1500 DEF/1900).

Rena was expecting more to happen, but nothing came. Her opponent simply ended his turn. None of his monsters could destroy Master Gig in battle and yet he had left them all in attack position. Was he really so willing to throw his life away?

The elderly Telaris drew her card. She had to reduce his monsters' numbers, even at the cost of his soul. However, her options were not many and the choice between his soul or her own. "I summon Psychic Snail." A silver shell with dozens of blinking lights appeared and from its interior emerged an extraterrestrial yellow and purple snail with muscular arms and antennae sparking with electricity (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). "Now by paying eight hundred Life Points, my Psychic Snail can grant another Psychic monster the power to attack twice at the cost of being unable to attack himself."

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 7000

**Rena:** 6400

–––––––––––––––––––

Pain shot through her body as more tendrils ensnared Rena's leg as the result of her sacrifice. But she knew it was worth it as Psychic Snail fired a charging bolt at Master Gig. "Attack Inverz Madith." The giant monster began to spin around and fired a great number of lasers from its cannons that spiraled toward the sky and rained back down onto the targetted creature.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 6600

**Rena:** 6400

–––––––––––––––––––

"Now attack Gatekeeper of the Inverz." Once again, lasers shot up toward the sky and rained back down from above, exterminating the giant pill bug.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 5700

**Rena:** 6400

–––––––––––––––––––

Zetsubou didn't flinch as more tendrils wrapped themselves around his body. In fact, he seemed to be laughing. He hadn't felt such a tremendous dose of pain in so long and it was truly exhilarating. Rena, on the other hand, was feeling the toll of the Shadow Game on her soul. The man standing across from her was not human.

With no other moves left to play, Rena ended her turn. Zetsubou's lips curled back into a dark smile as he drew his card. "I sacrifice Inverz Caller in order to summon Inverz Morth." The moth exploded with a horrifying shriek and in its place appeared another moth, but this was was much larger with different wings and a large tail. The Mark of the Inverz was emblazoned on its belt buckle (ATK/2400 DEF/0). "You are lucky that my field has no other monsters for me to sacrifice to use Inverz Morth's effect. But in the meantime, he will attack your Psychic Snail." Inverz Morth spread its wings and took off. As it flew over Rena's monsters, its wings began to give off a strange powder. Psychic Snail watched out of curiosity, but then it suddenly crumpled over and shriveled away as its shell cracked and then broke apart.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 5700

**Rena:** 5900

–––––––––––––––––––

"I activate my Telepathic Power Trap Card." Rena revealed her facedown. "When you destroy my Psychic monster in battle, the monster that destroyed is in turn destroyed and I gain Life Points equal to its attack power." At that moment, the remnants of Psychic Snail caught hold of Inverz Morth in a powerful telekinetic hold and slammed it into the ground before crushing its body into an unrecognizeable mass. Rena watched without flinching and her patience rewarded with twenty-four hundred Life Points.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 5700

**Rena:** 8300

–––––––––––––––––––

"So much for trying to 'save' me," Zetsubou cackled, "One facedown and I'll end my turn."

Rena grimaced as she felt the tendrils loosen. She did not want this. She had hoped over and over again that Zetsubou would call off this Shadow Game. However, the chances of getting through to him slipped away a little more with every turn. Defeating him seemed to be the only option now. She began to pray that little Mikomi would be okay without her brother. She solemnly drew her card and ordered Master Gig to attack directly.

"I'm afraid that won't be happening." Zetsubou revealed his facedown card. "My Dimensional Prison will see to that." A portal opened up below Master Gig and swallowed him up before he had a chance to attack, sending him straight to the Different Dimension. Now there was nothing on her field for Rena to use to protect herself. Hoping her opponent would fall for a bluff but knowing full well that he wouldn't, she set a card. It wasn't going to help her at all, but somehow just having it on the field made her feel more at ease.

Needless to say, Zetsubou was delighted when his turn came up. He drew his card and smiled evilly. "I once again Special Summon Evil Cell of the Inverz." The tiny insect appeared and clacked around on the ground. "Now I sacrifice it to summon another Inverz Madith." The small insectoid demon burst and in its place a second mantis demon appeared. "And now I activate his effect to resurrect an Inverz from my graveyard."

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 4700

**Rena:** 8300

–––––––––––––––––––

More tendrils ensnared Zetsubou around his waist and torso and the thorns began to cut into his skin, but he still felt nothing. His mad grin only seemed to widen even more as he watched Inverz Madith sink its arms into the ground and pull out Inverz Morth. "Inverz Morth, strike now!" Inverz Morth spread its wings and flew up, sprinkling its deadly powder over Rena as it passed overhead.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 4700

**Rena:** 5900

–––––––––––––––––––

"Inverz Madith, your turn." Inverz Madith brandished its mantis-like arms and leapt forward. With two swift strokes, it slashed Rena across the chest.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 4700

**Rena:** 3700

–––––––––––––––––––

The pain was unbearable as Rena felt the tendrils wrap around her again. But she had to endure. She couldn't lose this duel. Zetsubou looked at her and declared the end of his turn.

Slowly, Rena drew her card. She looked at it and an idea formed in her head. There was still a way she could win. Her Teleport was still on the field and Zetsubou had two monsters on the field while she had none. "I activate the power of Teleport."

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 4700

**Rena:** 2900

–––––––––––––––––––

Her Life Point sacrifice was excruciating, but it had to be done. "I Special Summon Final Psychic Ogre." A grotesque creature with several blue tendrils wriggling from its body wearing yellow bindings on its wrists and ankles appeared (ATK/2200 DEF/1700). "Next I activate my Trap Card, Psychic Tuning. With this card, I can resurrect one Psychic monster from my graveyard as a Tuner. But if this card goes to the graveyard, I will receive damage equal to the raised monster's level multiplied by four hundred. I bring back Psychic Snail." The shelled creature rose up from the ground and wiggled around. "Now I tune Psychic Snail with Final Psychic Ogre." Psychic Snail faded away and four stars remained where it once stood. These stars morphed into green rings and surrounded Final Psychic Ogre until its body faded into five stars. The loss of Psychic Snail was immediately felt as Rena received the damage from Psychic Tuning's trip to her graveyard.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 4700

**Rena:** 1300

–––––––––––––––––––

"I Synchro Summon Hyper Psychic Blaster." A light engulfed the rings and stars and from the radiance emerged a man from the future in a white suit and white armor armed with a pair of laser blasters on both arms (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "Attack Inverz Morth." Hyper Psychic Blaster took aim with his right blaster and fired a single shot at the giant moth demon. His attack pierced through his target's body and Inverz Morth collapsed.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 4100

**Rena:** 1300

–––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," announced Rena.

Zetsubou, by this point, was almost half-covered with tendrils but the pain seemed completely pleasurable to him. And as he drew his next card, the mad look in his eyes never left. He invoked the power of the Foolish Burial he had just drawn and used it to send one monster from his deck to his graveyard. After that, he ended his turn. Zetsubou may have dressed like a homeless person, but he was not stupid. He knew that Hyper Psychic Blaster could deal piercing damage and since his Inverz Madith had zero defense points, that would mean taking all three thousand points of damage. Additionally, his opponent's monster could heal her for that same difference if it attacked a defense position creature. He had no intention of giving her that chance.

"My move." Rena drew her card and looked at it. "I summon Pandaborg in attack mode." She played her card and a mechanical panda bear materialized on the field (ATK/1700 DEF/1400). "Hyper Psychic Blaster, attack." Hyper Psychic Blaster took aim with his blaster again and fired.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 3500

**Rena:** 1300

–––––––––––––––––––

"Pandaborg, attack." Rena's words were heeded as Pandaborg walked over to Zetsubou and attacked him directly with a slash from its claws.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 1800

**Rena:** 1300

–––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn."

Zetsubou drew. The card in his hand gave him an idea, but he decided against using it for the time being. Instead, he played his other card. "I play Monster Reborn and I'll use it to resurrect Inverz Morth." The moth demon reappeared on the field and stood ready to attack. "Attack Pandaborg." Inverz Morth flew over the field and scattered powder over Pandaborg, causing its body to malfunction and inevitably shut down permanently.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 1800

**Rena:** 600

–––––––––––––––––––

"My turn ends here."

Rena drew her card. She was close to winning, but her Life Points were dangerously low. Even if she attacked, it still would not be enough to finish off Zetsubou, which could leave her wide open for any burn damage. She hoped her draw would yield something useful. She looked at it and smiled. It was her salvation. But instead of playing it right away, she took a small page from her grandson's book and added a little extra flair, which made her chuckle a little thinking about the way he would duel. "I summon Mind Protector." A tiny gold and purple robot with large hands appeared on the field (ATK/0 DEF/2200).

"What are you planning?" Zetsubou questioned.

"This." Rena played her other card. "I activate Polymerization. And with this card, I'll fuse Mind Protector with Hyper Psychic Blaster to create Ultimate Axion Kicker." The two monsters were pulled into a vortex and from it emerged a great big demon with energy crackling out of its translucent green body that was bound by white bone-like body structure that formed a torso, arms, and head white yellow bone-like structures bound it together to form wings and a serpentine tail in place of legs (ATK/2900 DEF/1700).

"That monster is weaker than your Hyper Psychic Blaster," Zetsubou pointed out.

"Yes, but his effect makes up for it," Rena explained, "Besides dealing piercing damage, Ultimate Axion Kicker will restore my Life Points equal to the attack points of the monster it destroys regardless of its battle position." Ultimate Axion Kicker roared as its body sparked wildly before unleashing a powerful wave of psychic energy that literally tore Inverz Madith into pieces and shined green light upon Rena.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 1300

**Rena:** 3000

–––––––––––––––––––

"That ends my turn," announced Rena.

"My turn then." Zetsubou drew his card. "I control no Spells or Traps, so I Special Summon from my graveyard Scout of the Inverz." A very small demon possibly resembling a humanoid gnat appeared on the field bearing the Mark of the Inverz on its stomach (ATK/200 DEF/0).

"When did that get into your graveyard?" Rena questioned. Then she suddenly remembered the Foolish Burial her opponent had played earlier.

"I scarifice Scout of the Inverz for a level seven creature that can be summoned by sacrificing an Inverz monster. I summon Inverz Gilafer!" Scout of the Inverz's back split open and its entire body was split apart as a giant tailed demon wearing armor that bore a resemblance to a stag beetle emerged with its left hand glowing and its right hand replaced with a blaster cannon. The Mark of the Inverz was emblazoned on the center of its chest (ATK/2600 DEF/0). "And when my Inverz Gilafer is Tribute Summoned using an Inverz monster as a sacrifice, I can select one card my opponent controls and send it to the graveyard, healing me for one thousand Life Points."

"But then that means..." Rena watched as Inverz Gilafer held out its left hand and began to absorb her monster. Ultimate Axion Kicker roared as it tried to fight back, but it was all for naught as it was quickly taken into the demon

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 2300

**Rena:** 3000

–––––––––––––––––––

"Inverz Gilafer, attack," ordered Zetsubou. Inverz Gilafer pointed its cannon at Rena and fired a burst of energy that exploded on contact with her.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 2300

**Rena:** 400

–––––––––––––––––––

The tendrils tightened around Rena as more ensnared her in their grasp. "You were a fool to challenge me," Zetsubou said before smiling manically again, "but it was very entertaining." Those were the last words she heard before she collapsed, the price of the Shadow Game finally taking its toll on her.

"I may as well finish you off then." Zetsubou prepared to end his opponent there when he suddenly heard voices.

"Guys, this way!" he could hear Mikey's voice call out.

"You are very fortunate, Crone," Zetsubou said as the darkness disappeared.

o o o

Mikey and the others came to the scene, with Zetsubou holding Rena's body in his lap. He looked completely distraught and frantically looked around into the spare wood that lie beyond the field. Mikey walked up to him, and Zetsubou held Rena in his arms and shook his head, "I don't know her personally, but she still lives. She fought a huge hulk of a being, the man called himself Judgement." He looked here and there, noticing that Mikomi was no longer at the docks, he made no effort on his part to announce it, allow this ruse to take root.

He looked over at them all, "He said we were damned! Said that we were the first to be culled! Said something about a Rebirth, though I know not what they mean.", he gave the group a quick scan, he did not see the Telaris boy here, and this was good. Were they still at the Dual Rose? "I would aid you in fighting this threat. I for one would not want to be...'culled' as he so eloquently put it. I suspect that our answers lie within the library, though of course I would need your word that you would assist me if I were to assist you. Tit for tat, as the old saying goes."

Sammie looked to Saito and Mikey, "I think it's crap.", she muttered, "That guy always comes off to me as...creepy.", Hayley piped in, "Well yeah. I mean, I can see why, but that little Mikomi of his he dotes over, that's probably why we wants to help. He doesn't want her to...well...you know.", Wes muttered into the hushed debate, "You know Saito, Mikey. They do say that you should keep your friends close and enemies closer. Even if he is a foe, he couldn't do much against us while allied with us.", Saito then walked over to Zetsubou, "You can help us.", he then looked over to Lindsey laying on the grass.

"You take her back to the dorms, Wes. I shall take Rena, the Telaris family should be properly informed.", he took Rena's body and found the old lady was amazingly lightweight. "I will not let you down. I'll be researching in the libraries after, perhaps history has a few clues to shed on this 'Rebirth'", as he walked away towards the Dual Rose he gave an inaudible chuckle. Did they buy it, perhaps not. Saito seemed to see right through him, but that may be just the Crone's training. She was eliminated, they could strike freely, and none of them could be prepared for it. The Telaris Champion was stripped bare of his weapons to Duel, the family could be eliminated in the coming days. When that happened, what hope did Saito and the others have of survival?

o o o

With the dying bellows of demons in the night air dawn slowly crept up over the island's horizon. Small fingers clutched at ragged blue security blanket before pushing it to the ground haphazardly. Mikomi grumbled a meek little complaint about the unfairness of waking up early as she stumbled to a pile of crumpled clothes, her only set. She put it one and sighed, brushing away the wrinkles with a few strokes of her hand. Mikomi turned the doorknob of the back room slowly and crept out of the library to run off to the coffee shop. Zetsubou would be so happy to wake up to a good breakfast. What a good sister she was.

The cracking dawn sun peeked over the horizon as she skipped daintily to the Dual Rose. She had been there a few times. Recca Telaris would often give her a free muffin when she stopped by; it was something about Mikomi reminding her of her daughter. Mikomi liked her. She was a nice lady. Mikomi also liked talking about books with Rena Telaris. Mikomi called her Gam-Gam because she was like the grandmothers Mikomi had read about in her books. It made her happy to go see them, and even happier to know she could get a good breakfast for her sleepy brother at the same time.

However, the Dual Rose wasn't as welcoming as it usually seemed. Mikomi had expected to find Gam-Gam opening up the shop for the day, a smile on her face and a warm, welcoming aura surrounding the whole shop. That was not the case as she saw destroyed earth, trees, and soil surrounding the area. It was as if a demon had torn through the place, ripping and tearing with fangs and claws that could rend souls. Mikomi shivered with fear as the cold morning air brushed up against her spine like the fingers of a phantom. Her head told her to go, but her feet and heart thought otherwise. In her mind she kept thinking, '_No! No! This is just like the bad place!' _but still she went.

Door after door she opened, her breath getting quicker and shorter. The basement door was soon all that was left. All that she had left to open. She didn't want to. She was screaming at herself not to, but she did and there was Rena.

Rena was hanging upside down, arms extended in an unholy pseudo-crucifixion as he arms were bound to the wall within a pentagram of her own blood. She was not dead, at least not physically; Mikomi could tell that by looking at her shifting and lifting chest as Rena drew breath. What made Mikomi fall to her knees though was the blank stare in Rena's eyes. The look of the soul dead.

Mikomi screamed and a single blood drop fell from above. A message written on the ceiling in a thin layer of pigs blood. "All hail nothing, for he knows the truth. Prepare for the arrival of the UnGod for he is good."

The dawning sun cracked high over the horizon. Blood red morning came.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Gabe gets caught up in scandal that could very well get him expelled from Duel Academy. Mikey does his best to defend his brother, but there's no proof like the facts of a newspaper. Or is there? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	95. Scandal

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-08**

**Scandal**

She stood on the deck of the boat watching the approaching horizon. Duel Academy was just coming into sight. Soon she would arrive at her destination. She was grateful for that. The boat ride had not been the smoothest voyage ever. Choppy waves and bad weather had made the trip very rough and she was not sure how much more her stomach could take. Still, there was something that made her feel uneasy the closer she reached the island.

Mika's hand went to her covered eye. The burning sensation had returned and it was slowly intensifying. Something was causing it to react. She was here to find out what. Though her mind had one hundred questions running through it and none of them were becoming any clearer. Why was she let go at Duelist Kingdom? Why did she dream about that man she travelled with at the Kingdom and countless others? Why did they all seem horrified at her presence? Who were those awful, awful people torturing that same lavender haired man...Reko? Yes, Reko Telaris, the American boy from San Francisco. She shook her head solemnly to get the thoughts out, her eye steadily aching.

_Welcome home, Forsaken One..._

She whirled around, the voice as gone as fast as it came...something horrible was happening, she didn't have to be who she was to figure that out. She forlornly looked out over the sea, when was she ever going to reach her destination?

o o o

Mikey checked his watch. It was four-thirty. He, Sammie, Coltyn, and Max were sitting around a patio table at the Dual Rose. They were supposed to meet at three-thirty, but the fifth member of their group was running late.

"Where is Gabe?" Max asked.

"Has he always been like this, Mikey?" Coltyn inquired.

"Not always," Mikey answered, "Back at home he sometimes ran late, but usually only by fifteen minutes because he missed his train or bus. Thirty minutes tops."

"Freshen your coffee?" Reko inquired.

"Please." Coltyn slid his cup over and the lavender-haired man refilled it. Right around then, Gabe finally arrived out of breath and his hair a mess.

"Sorry...I'm late..." he panted between breaths.

"What the hell kept you?" Sammie demanded.

"Swim team," Gabe answered quickly as he grabbed a seat.

"Then why's your hair a mess?" Mikey inquired.

"No time to comb."

Mikey wanted to ask more questions. It was true that Gabe used to run late a lot in the past, but his recent tardiness was not normal. But before he could say another word his brother had completely absorbed himself into the menu and was deciding out loud what he should have.

Downstairs Recca was quickly finishing cleaning up whatever had done that hideous thing to Rena several nights ago. She was right to take Reko and some other curious students and lead them far away last night, but she never expected to she what she did. Consoling Mikomi was not an easy task, even for her, and repairing the damage to the store made her go the entire evening and morning without any sleep. The most that remained of last night's attack was a broken tree, quickly replanted with another sapling she found at the edge of the forests here and a furrow in the grass she could easily say Reko's Duel Runner accidentally left behind.

Whomever did do this though, they also made it a point to ruin, ransack and defile every implement, tool and material they had that either she or Rena used in their shaping of arms for Crusaders or training them. Replenishing what was lost would take time, and they were incredibly vulnerable, however all the cooking supplies and the kitchen was mostly unscathed aside from some broken dishes here and there, which made her think this person didn't have that large of a time frame after what he did to Rena. Her mother was resting in her bed upstairs, but other than the light breathing she looked to be in a torpor, where did that leave them?

She tossed the blood soaked rag into a bucket of cleaning solution, looking at the now clean basement and hearing the light laughter and clattering of business upstairs. She was successful this time to cover up, but she didn't want to think of the next time that they would attack. Since Rena was out, they would probably attack soon, the poor students. She disposed of the rag and supplies, making her way back upstairs while beaming at her customers.

o o o

Marsha was in the student council office reading the school paper. She knew it was more of a tabloid than anything else. Most of the stories she read were overly exaggerated based around small facts that had little to no information. The journalism club had hit an all-time low in this past month. Thanks to the media club, any news that got out was quickly made public on the school's televisions causing the school paper to lose readers. With their thunder stolen, the journalism club was grasping at straws. Anything they could get their hands on they tried to embellish as best as they could, but oftentimes they ended up overdoing it.

Marsha folded up the paper and tossed it across the meeting table. There was no point in reading fabricated stories when she could do that with a fiction novel. She looked at the clock. It was almost time for the day's Lottery Duel to begin. Walking over to the file cabinet in the corner, she opened the top drawer and removed a gift certificate from a folder, which she placed on the meeting table. She looked over at the paper again. Her Duel Lotteries needed more coverage. She had sent many emails to the newspaper office in the past, but she had yet to receive even one reply.

She looked back at the newspaper she had thrown so cavalierly across the table. It was then a carefully elaborate plan sprung to mind in her head. If the newspaper was so boring, why couldn't she herself control the journalism within the Academy? It was so easy. All she needed was dirt on some students.

Right at that moment, one of her fellow student council members entered. He regarded her with a stiff nod before adjusting his thin glasses. "You look upset about something today, Marsha." She glanced at him, narrowing her eyes in thought as she slowly stood.

"I need to know some information on a few people. You can help me with this, and I'll make sure your year can be fairly lenient to you."

He smirked, taking out several files from his backpack. "I think you'll find what you're looking for here. Courtesy of the school disciplinary committee." Marsha took the files and flipped through them. She was impressed. There was information here that could not be found even in the school records.

"How did you get this, Stan?" she inquired.

"Not easily," the one called Stan replied as he patched himself up with the first aid kit in the corner of the room. His answer went mostly unheard as Marsha looked through all the files. She found quite a few things that surprised her, though many of them were also rather childish. One student had lit a bag of feces on fire and left it in front of the staff room. Another had stolen a teacher's toupée. She groaned. None of this was going to be of any use.

As Marsha continued to go through the files, she came across one that intrigued her immediately. She read it thoroughly, the gears in her head turning. "Stan, take this to the newspaper office," she ordered as she held up the paper. Stan walked over and took it from her.

"You got an idea?"

"I do." Marsha pushed up her glasses. "I do indeed."

o o o

Mikomi walked alongside Zetsubou in silence, the two of them leaving the Ra Yellow Auditorium and down towards the Library where her older brother worked as a humble Librarian. He looked down at her with a small frown, she didn't seem delighted, she seemed to be mourning over Rena still...damned Crone. He smirked, "I found something of interest Mikomi."

She stayed silent, gazing down upon the ground with a sullen look. He held open the door for her, the two of them walking out in the morning sun. "Still missing Lindsey and Rena...?", his question hit home, the small girl nodding before he looked up at him with concern, "She's still sleeping, Lindsey and Rena. Recca seems sad, like shes worried. Like she knows Rena could be...", Mikomi clutched the large storybook about Valhalla in her hand, sniffling as Zetsubou instinctually knelt down to hold the little girl in his arms, "There there, Mikomi... You needn't worry about a thing."

"It was like the bad place Zetsubou! Like the island where...", Mikomi hicupped before dropping the book, clutching the black jacket that he wore, "There was so much blood..."

Zetsubou's eyes widened in shock, she saw...that's why she was silent. She saw his 'Calling Card' to the Crusaders...she trembled for a second, "Come. Let's get you to class." She saw...she may have even allied herself to them! If she did then he...he couldn't bring himself to even think of what they would do, "I'm sure they'll get the villains who did this sister.", he wiped the few tears that remained with his sleeve, propping herself up and handing her the book she had.

Mikomi shook her head, "You get back brother...I can make my own way.", she dashed off towards class, looking back before waving to him...he seemed tense. She wondered why that was.

Zetsubou sat on a bench on the main street before looking towards the sky. She saw...would she also be targeted? He was under an oath...but her happiness. He swore that night when she was still a baby, sealed the pact he made. His life was forfeit, all that mattered was the peace and safety of his sister. Could it be there was a flaw in that pact? He stood, looking towards the mountains in the distance as he got out a cellphone and dialed a number on it, "I can't come in today. I'm rather ill and I believe it's contagious. Yes, I understand sir. I will shoulder the blame yes. I will make this up another day. Good afternoon.", hanging up, he silenced the device before walking towards those mountains, making sure he himself was not seen. He was being summoned by the one commanding them all.

o o o

Reko revved his Duel Runner across the outer roads of the island, yelling out in fury as he drifted across another steep turn going at top speed. He'd been at this for about an hour, the wind in his hair whipping and snapping the wake of his Runner. He'd been trying to clear his mind of all that had been happening, he didn't expect Rena could be taken out of the picture. That left the two of them and the others against who knows how many other forces on this island that wanted to crush them flat.

_Failure!_

_Weakling!_

_Fraud!_

He braked his Runner, that damned nightmare kept running through his mind again and again and although he himself knew it he still checked to make sure his arm was still attached. He checked the slot in his Duel Runner for a deck, nothing. Reign was thorough in his search for his deck and the deck of his sister. Pulling over to the side of the road, he sat on the edge of a steep cliff, imagining Nicky's face grinning and leering back at him he descended towards the rocks below in Duelist Kingdom. He always dueled with those Gemknights, the birthright of his father, even took to his gemmed hair to remember him. Without those Knights at his own side and his father still alive...he could scarce believe it. He couldn't tell Recca but she saw it that night, her look of shock...she knew it was her husband. He posed as his sister to keep her image alive in the public, did Turbo duels to keep his fathers legacy alive...

"Do I have any single thing that's me?", Reko shook his head at the absurity of his question, "Jeez I'll end up a sad sack if I keep thinking like that..."

Something gleamed on his gauntlet arm, bearing another memento from his past. Legacy. A type of duel disk that was supposedly passed down from Telaris to Telaris since the War of the Roses. He gave it a tug, and it wouldn't budge, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"Damn thing must be stuck. Maybe a dip of engine oil can slick it up and over.", tugging on the gauntlet a few times while walking back towards his Runner, he felt his eyes getting heavy. The Turbo Duelist stumbled, falling on the grass before struggling to stand. The final conscious thought he had was that the soft grass felt nice upon his skin.

o o o

Mikey had finished breakfast that morning and was waiting for Sammie and Max in the foyer before they left for class together. He had had eggs benedict with caviar that morning. He had heard so much about the delicacy that when the opportunity came, he just had to try it. He discovered that he wasn't particularly fond of it, which disappointed him.

Sammie joined Mikey soon and then several minutes later, Max came downstairs. The three Obelisk Blues headed out together and made their way to school. Being the closest dorm to the main building, their walk was short. Coltyn had told them he would meet them in class, so the three of them were able to have their own chat with each other.

"Well I think that it was absolutely fabulous!" Max said with a wave of his hand.

"Max, you're the only one here who watches _Glee_," Mikey pointed out, "We have nothing to contribute to a discussion about that show."

"I don't see why you don't watch it with me," Max replied as they entered the school.

"I have homework," Mikey said, reiterating his usual response.

"You say that all the time!" Sammie was quite honestly getting tired of hearing him say it every time. "Just go out and have fun."

"But...but...but..."

"Do it or I'll kick yours."

"Okay..." Mikey turned his eyes away and pretended to be interested in whatever they happened to pass. "Oh hey! The new paper is out!" He grabbed a copy of the newest issue of the school paper.

"Why do they even bother printing that piece of shit anyway?" Sammie wondered, "No one reads it."

"Apparently they are this week," Max pointed out. Sammie looked around. Almost everyone in the hallway had a paper. "What's so interesting about it this week?"

"Headline," answered Mikey, "'Student caught having sex in locker room'."

"Typical. No one cares unless it involves them or sex," was Sammie's response.

"Yeah, I know." Mikey continued to skim the front page. "It's like nothing else ever goes through their heads. Would it kill them just to read up on current events for once? I mean it's not like..." His words stopped as he looked at the photograph underneath the headline. "IS THAT GABE?"

o o o

Gabe was sitting in the headmistress' office. Alexis was sitting behind her desk with a copy of the school paper in front of her. To her left was Dr. Snappe and to her right was the student head of the disciplinary committee while Cassie was in her normal spot on the couch in the corner reading her comic books.

"Gabriel, you know what the consequences are of something like this?" Alexis asked calmly.

"Oh come on! You're really gonna believe something like that?" Gabe protested.

"Sexual contact with another student is strictly forbidden on school grounds," Dr. Snappe said sternly, "You're teetering dangerously on the verge of expulsion, Mr. Angel. The school strongly enforces all of its rules and something like this deserves the maximum punishment."

"Hey, people get laid at this school all the time," Gabe argued.

"And those who do get expelled," the head of the disciplinary committee answered.

"Listen Gabriel," Alexis said calmly, "while Dr. Snappe and Kyouya here strongly enforce discipline at our school, the truth of the matter is we have no evidence."

"We have a photograph!" Kyouya, the head of the disciplinary committee, said pointing to the paper.

"That could've been Photoshopped!" Gabe was starting to turn red now. He had gotten in trouble in the past, but never anything of this magnitude. The arguments continued for a while longer until the door opened and Mikey stepped inside.

"Good morning, Chancellor Rhodes," he greeted politely, "Dr. Snappe, good morning."

"Why are you not in class, Mr. Angel?" Dr. Snappe demanded.

"Listen. You know I've always been a good student," Mikey began, "I go to all my classes, hand in all my assignments on time, study, and follow the rules. But Gabe IS my brother. I at least have a duty to do by standing by him."

"As I said to these gentlemen earlier, Mikey, we have no solid evidence," Alexis explained, "Despite the rules of Duel Academy, I am willing to give your brother a chance to defend himself." She turned back to Gabe. "Gabriel, do you have anything to say?"

Gabe sat there for a while to calm down. When he had finally cooled down his jets, he began to think. He thought long and he thought hard. Eventually, he spoke up. "I would like to speak with the journalist or photographer behind this story," he said.

"Really, Chancellor Rhodes. We don't have time for this nonsense," Kyouya began to protest.

"I think it's a perfectly reasonable request." Alexis looked at the name under the article. "What do you know? The journalist is also the photographer." She picked up her phone and called campus security. Fifteen minutes later, an Osiris Red student with thick shoulder-length green hair walked in. He looked rather sickly and pale and he had a camera around his neck. Upon entering the office, he took off his headphones and tucked his iPod into his pocket.

"Pat Harvey?"

"Yes...that's me," he replied shyly.

"Please, have a seat." Pat sat down. "You're not in any trouble or anything. We just wanted to clear something up." Alexis held up the newspaper. "Do you recognize this article?"

"Yeah... It's the talk of the whole school," Pat answered.

Alexis then indicated toward Gabe. "This is Gabriel Angel. He's the person mentioned in the article. Now we have no solid proof if that is indeed him in the photo, which is why we've brought you in here. We'd like you to please tell us the truth." Pat took the paper and looked at the photograph before reading the article.

"Well, the writing style is similar to mine. But I don't remember taking that photo."

"But your name is on it!" Mikey pointed out.

"Yeah... it is..." Pat looked down at his shoes. "It must have been him."

"Him?" Mikey looked at the green-haired teen. "Who's him?"

Pat looked over to Alexis, "Please get my file." Alexis complied and searched the database for Pat's student file. Once she had it on her screen, she began reading through it.

"Pat Harvey. Age sixteen. Height and weight. No known allergies. Medical conditions... dissociative identity disorder..." Alexis stared at the screen.

"Dissocia...what?" Gabe was confused.

"What's dissociative identity disorder?" Mikey asked. It seemed familiar to him, but he could not remember what it meant.

"It means he has split personalities," Dr. Snappe answered.

"It's true..." Pat confessed, burying his face in his hands, "My other self... He... He's only looking out for himself... He doesn't care who he hurts as long as he gets what he wants. He'll...he'll do anything..."

"Do we have medical proof he has split personalities?" asked Kyouya.

"Enough please, Kyouya," Alexis said.

"So what you're saying is your other self took this picture?" asked Mikey.

"Yeah... And you know what? I'm damn proud of it too!" Pat stood up from his chair and looked up. He was still the same person, but he looked completely different now. The boy who had been there mere moments ago had been a pale sickly fellow who could barely look anybody in the eye. But this one had a face full of color that had been twisted into a wicked grin. "Name's Rick. And yeah, that's my work there."

"Rick, huh?" Mikey put two and two together and then smacked himself in the face with his palm. "Oh dear lord..."

"The paper wasn't doing too hot, so I helped spice it up," Rick explained, "Nothing wrong with that, right? A journalist gets a story and I got a story."

"So you're willing to get a student expelled just so you can get more readers for the paper?" Mikey asked.

Rick shrugged. "Pretty much."

"Noah's done some pretty bad things and I'll bet even he'll find this repulsive," Cassie piped up from her corner.

"Cassie, could you please leave us for a bit?" Alexis asked.

"Fine." Cassie put on her shoes and left the office with an armful of comics.

"Now the question is how we're going to settle this." Alexis looked at the two teenage boys. Gabe and Rick looked at each other. That was a very good question.

Suddenly, the PA system crackled to life as Marsha's voice rang out across the entire school. "Attention students! It's time for the daily Duel Lottery! Today we have Gabriel Angel versus Pat Harvey! Good luck to the both of you!" The announcement ended and both boys continued looking at each other.

"Care to settle this with our duel," Gabe asked.

"Oho. More than you can imagine," Rick chortled.

o o o

Word about the duel's ulterior motif had spread like a virus all across the school. If Gabe won, he would be allowed to stay and the claims of him having sex in the locker room would be dropped. If he lost, he would be expelled from the school. Many people had come to witness it. Gabe was already there with his Duel Disk waiting. It was not long before his opponent arrived. Based on his posture and the way he walked, the younger Angel brother recognized him as Pat.

"Hey Pat. Sorry it had to come down to this."

"I should be sorry," Pat answered meekly, "It's because of Rick that you're..."

"Hey, Pat," Gabe interrupted, causing the other boy to look up, "Are we gonna just flap our gums or are we gonna duel?" He activated his Duel Disk and Pat followed suit.

"Okay..."

"Then let's duel."

––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 8000

**Pat/Rick:** 8000

––––––––––––––––

The two students had decided with a coin flip beforehand that Pat would go first. The young journalist looked incredibly nervous as he drew his first card. "I, uh, set one card facedown and then I summon Dark Valkyria." An angel with wings of steel appeared, her dark garbs and fair hair swaying in the wind as she descended from the skies and landed gracefully in front of her master (ATK/1800 DEF/1050). "That ends my turn."

"She seems a little dull," said Gabe. Pat just shrugged. "Oh well, my move." Gabe drew his card. "And I summon Vairon Soldier in attack mode!" A white mechanical angel appeared with golden armor protecting its back and shoulders and gold gauntleted arms (ATK/1700 DEF/1000). "Next I equip him with Axe of Despair to boost him by another thousand." The demonic axe replaced Vairon Soldier's right hand and its attack points rose to twenty-seven hundred. "Attack Dark Valkyria!" The angelic robot flew over to Dark Valkyria and chopped her in two with ease.

––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 8000

**Pat/Rick:** 7100

––––––––––––––––

"I'm done." Gabe looked at his monster. He was confident having that twenty-seven hundred attack point monster in front of him.

"I activate my Trap Card, Birthright," announced Pat, "This lets me resurrect one Normal Monster from my graveyard."

"You can't do that! Dark Valkyria is an Effect Monster!" Gabe called out.

"She's a Normal Monster when she's in my graveyard or face-up on the field." Dark Valkyria rose up from the ground and stood ready for battle. "Now I draw." Pat drew his card and looked at it. He suddenly grabbed his head in pain and cried out.

"Yo! You okay?" Gabe asked.

"Just fine." The brunet's opponent raised his head and looked at him with a dark grin on his face. "Now lemme show you the power of my Gemini deck!"

"I've heard about those," Mikey said to Sammie from the sidelines, "They're treated as Normal Monster until they're Normal Summoned a second time. Then the become Effect Monsters and gain their effects."

"Mikey, shush. I'm trying to watch," Sammie said in response.

"I Gemini Summon Dark Valkyria!" The light of a Normal Summon surrounded Dark Valkyria and life came to her as her wings turned into a lustrous black as her dark clothes gained color and her hair became silver. "Now I activate her effect and put a Spell Counter on her, boosting her attack points by three hundred!" Rick watched with malice and delight in his eyes as one of the bulbs on his monster's armor lit up, raising her attack points to twenty-one hundred.

"Now I remove that Spell Counter to destroy one monster on the field!" The bulb blinked out and Dark Valkyria began charging up a ball of dark light in her hands. She then let out a cry as she launched it at her target and destroyed Vairon Soldier with ease. The remains of the Axe of Despair dropped to the ground and disintegrated. "Now attack directly!" Swords slid out of Dark Valkyria's wings and she spun around and launched the blades toward Gabe, impaling him badly.

––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 6200

**Pat/Rick:** 7100

––––––––––––––––

Rick cackled like a maniac as he watched Gabe suffer at the hands of his monster. "I'll end with two facedowns. Your go!"

Gabe drew his card. He had heard of Gemini Monsters but he had never seen them in action until now. He looked at his hand. There was a card in his hand he could use, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to use his Monster Reborn for something like this or save it for later. He thought about his situation. If he lost, he would be expelled from the school. Even though he hoped to save his Spell Card for later, the circumstances did not give him that opportunity. "I play Monster Reborn and I'll use it to bring back Vairon Soldier." There was a flash of light and Vairon Soldier appeared on the field.

"Next, since I have no monsters in my graveyard, I can Special Summon Guardian Eatos from my hand!" An angel descended from the skies wearing Native American robes and a headdress made from the head of an enormous bald eagle and landed in front of Gabe (ATK/2500 DEF/2000). "Now I Normal Summon Vairon Cube!" A shining white cube with arms and a foot appeared (ATK/800 DEF/800). "Now I tune Vairon Cube to my Vairon Soldier." Vairon Cube opened up and three starts flew out before its body disappeared. Those stars turned into rings and surrounded Vairon Soldier before a light engulfed them both. "I Synchro Summon Vairon Delta!" At first glance, the creature that appeared bore a strong resemblance to the Synthetic Angels. A second look would reveal that it was more machine-like with several golden rings under its body where legs should have been, large feathered angel wings, and a large golden triangle on its back (ATK/1700 DEF/2800). It appeared on the field in a defensive stance.

"Guardian Eatos, attack Dark Valkyria!" Guardian Eatos flew across the field. As she passed Dark Valkyria, she drew her sword with lightning speed and then placed it back in its scabbard. Behind her, the dark angel's upper half slid off her lower half.

––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 6200

**Pat/Rick:** 6400

––––––––––––––––

"I'm putting down a facedown and ending my turn. And now Vairon Delta's effect activates. On my End Phase, I can take an Equip Spell from my deck and add it to my hand. And I choose United we Stand." His deck spat out his card and he took it before adding it to his hand. After that, his Duel Disk shuffled his deck.

"I draw then..." Pat was back in control now as he drew his card. "I summon Evocator Chevalier." A warrior in armor holding a sword in one hand appeared before him (ATK/1900 DEF/900).

"Now I play the Equip Spell Supervise. With this, Evocator Chevalier becomes an Effect Monster and gains his effect!" Rick cackled as he played his card and Evocator Chevalier became alive with color as his armor changed to a fiery red. "Now Evocator Chevalier, use your effect! By sending an Equip card on him to the graveyard, I can destroy one card my opponent controls." He placed Supervise in his graveyard and flames began to surround Evocator Chevalier's left arm. Then the knight thrust his hand out and launched a powerful jet of fire that incinerated Guardian Eatos.

"Next I activate Kunai with Chain and equip it to Evocator Chevalier, boosting him up by five hundred attack points." An axe head similar to that of a kusurigama attached to a long chain appeared and Evocator Chevalier sheathed his sword as he took up this new weapon, increasing his power to twenty-four hundred attack points. "Now I remove it to destroy your other monster." Kunai with Chain burned away as Evocator Chevalier drew his sword and launched a blast of fire at Vairon Delta and destroying it in a blazing explosion. With the path now clear, Rick ordered his monster to attack and the red-clad warrior rushed in and slashed Gabe with his weapon.

––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 4300

**Pat/Rick:** 6400

––––––––––––––––

"Show me what you've got!"

Gabe drew. He knew that whatever he summoned would just get destroyed by Evocator Chevalier and unfortunately for him, nothing in his hand could destroy it. However, he knew he could prepare for it. He took the middle card he held and placed it on top of his Duel Disk. "I summon Vairon Ohm." A winged mechanical angel appeared with two glowing cannons in place of its hands (ATK/1500 DEF/200). "When he's Normal Summoned, I can remove from play an Equip card from my graveyard. Then it comes back on my next Standby Phase. And I only got one Equip card, Axe of Despair." His Duel Disk ejected the card from his graveyard and he placed it in his pocket. "I'm done."

"I draw." Pat removed the top card from his deck and looked at it. "I, uh, summon Tuned Magician." A Spellcaster dressed in a fashion similar to those who studied the art of Dark Magic (ATK/1800 DEF/1600). "Next I play Double Summon, which lets me Normal Summon again this turn." He winced and cried as he clutched his head with one hand in pain.

"And now I Gemini Summon Tuned Magician!" Rick cackled. Color came quickly to Tuned Magician, revealing her to be dressed very flamboyantly in bright green, yellow, and white. "Now I'm gonna use Foolish Burial to send a monster from my deck to my graveyard!" He took a single card from his deck and placed it in his graveyard slot before his Duel Disk shuffled his cards. "Now Tuned Magician's effect turns her into a Tuner. So I tune level four Tuned Magician with my level four Evocator Chevalier!" Tuned Magician faded into four stars that turned into rings and surrounded Evocator Chevalier, who also turned into four stars. A column of light engulfed them both.

"Synchro Summon! Come on out, Black Brutdrago!" The ground quaked under the weight of the footsteps of a massive pitch-black dragon covered in heavy armor as it emerged and roared (ATK/3000 DEF/2600). "Destroy Vairon Ohm!" Black Brutdrago turned to face its target and opened its mouth to spew two separate streams of blue flames that spiraled toward Vairon Ohm and incinerated it.

––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 3800

**Pat/Rick:** 6400

––––––––––––––––

"I'm sorry!" Pat apologized.

"I'm okay!" Gabe called out.

"I guess I'm done," Pat said quietly.

"My turn then." Gabe drew his card. Then he took Axe of Despair out of his pocket thanks to the effect of Vairon Ohm. "I summon Vairon Charger!" A cylindrical mechanical angel with two arms and several rings surrounding its body appeared (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "And with every Equip card I put on her, all Light monsters I control gain three hundred attack points. So first I'm gonna use Axe of Despair." One of Vairon Charger's hands turned into the demon axe, boosting its attack points to twenty-three hundred. "Now I equip her with United We Stand, which boosts her by eight hundred for every monster on my field." With the additional three hundred points, Vairon Charger's attack points rose up by eleven hundred, totalling thirty-four hundred. "Attack!" Vairon Charger moved in and swung its axe, severing the head of Black Brutdrago from the rest of its body.

––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 3800

**Pat/Rick:** 6000

––––––––––––––––

"You destroyed my Black Brutdrago..." Rick cackled. "If he dies, then I can resurrect a Gemini Monster from my graveyard as an Effect Monster. And guess what I'm bringing back. It's the card I sent with my Foolish Burial. Come out, Phoenix Gearfried!" An explosion of fire erupted from the ground and from it emerged a knight in white and red armor with wings made of flames protruding from his shoulders and armed with a white shield and a majestic sword while a long white cape trimmed with gold hung from his back (ATK/2800 DEF/2200).

"I'll set a card and end my turn," announced Gabe.

"My turn!" Rick ripped the top card off his deck. "I play Monster Reborn and rez Evocator Chevalier and I'll Gemini Summon him!" Evocator Chevalier appeared beside Phoenix Gearfried and exploded into a fiery blaze of color. "Now I'll equip Evocator Chevalier with my own Axe of Despair." The red knight grasped the handle of the weapon and his attack points rose to twenty-nine hundred. "Now I send that Axe to the graveyard to destroy Vairon Charger." Evocator Chevalier engulfed the Axe of Despair in fire and threw it across the field. It struck Vairon Charger and it collapsed.

"Phoenix Gearfried, time to attack!" Phoenix Gearfried picked up his sword and moved in toward Gabe as the blade began to burn.

"I activate Magic Cylinder! This negates your attack and redirects the damage to your Life Points!" Two hollow purple cylinders appeared and as Phoenix Gearfried swung his sword, the flames were absorbed into one tube and then expelled directly toward Rick from the other.

––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 3800

**Pat/Rick:** 3200

––––––––––––––––

"Well Evocator Chevalier can still attack!" Rick gave his monster the order and watched as he slashed Gabe across the chest.

––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 1900

**Pat/Rick:** 3200

––––––––––––––––

"Show me what you've got!"

"With pleasure." Gabe drew his card. "First I summon Vairon Vanguard." A white legless angel appeared with golden arms and shoulders (ATK/1400 DEF/1000). "Next I activate Call of the Haunted and bring back Vairon Cube!" The box-like angel appeared beside Vairon Vanguard. "Now I'm gonna tune them together!" Three rings surrounded Vairon Vanguard and faded its body until four stars remained and a ray of light swallowed them up.

"I Synchro Summon Vairon Sigma!" A white legless mechanical angel appeared floating on two wings with rings covering both arms and a larger one on its back with some kind of laser crystal on each of the shoulder rings (ATK/1800 DEF/1000). "Now I'm gonna equip him with Axe of Despair and Mage Power. You know what Axe already does. Mage Power gives him an extra five hundred for each Spell and Trap card I got out. And since I got two, that makes an extra thousand!" With the power-ups from both Equip Spells, Vairon Sigma's attack points ascended to thirty-eight hundred.

"Since you activated Spell Cards, Phoenix Gearfried's effect kicks in! Each one you played lets him rez a Gemini from my grave." Rick pulled out two cards and placed them on his field. "Dark Valkyria and Tuned Magician!" He cackled. "My Life Points are safe. Whatcha gonna do?"

"Vairon Sigma, attack!" ordered Gabe.

"Who're you attacking?" asked Rick.

"First I'm gonna deal with his effect. If Sigma's my only monster, I can equip him with an Equip card from my deck when I declare an attack. And I know exactly what I want: Shooting Star Bow - Ceal!" Gabe placed the card into his Duel Disk after retrieving it from his deck, arming Vairon Sigma with a bow and arrow.

"Ha! Nice try! That thing just caused your monster to lose a thousand attack points."

"But thanks to Mage Power, he would've gained five hundred anyway so he only lost five hundred." Vairon Sigma's attack points decreased to thirty-three hundred.

"So what else can that bow do?" asked Rick.

"He can attack directly," answered Gabe.

"Wait..." Pat was back in control and he looked at his Life Points. "But I've only got thirty-two hundred and your guy has thirty-three..."

"Yeah, I think you can see where this is going." Gabe gave the order and Vairon Sigma pulled back on the bow. It released its hold and the arrow shot past the line of Gemini Monsters and struck Pat in the heart.

––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 1900

**Pat/Rick:** 0

––––––––––––––––

"Gabriel is the winner!" Gabe waved at everyone and received his prize. However, none of that mattered to him at the moment. In the staff section of the bleachers, Alexis and Dr. Snappe watched.

"I do believe this grants him a full pardon," Alexis reminded the chemistry teacher.

"Very well," Dr. Snappe replied begrudgingly, "But if this happens again..."

"I'll deal with it myself then." Then without another word, Alexis got up and left.

o o o

Mikey walked over to the Osiris Red dorm one sunny afternoon following classes. He was happy his brother got to stay at school and he wanted to show how much he valued being able to spend time with his brother. As he arrived at his very first home on the island, he could see Spencer and Pat playing a game against each other in the common room. He walked inside and greeted them. "Hey guys."

"Oh hey, Mikey," Spencer greeted back. Pat just looked up at him, nodded, and went back to figuring out his next turn.

"Spencer, do you know where my brother is?" Mikey inquired, "The guys and I are gonna play some basketball and we need a fourth guy. I wanted to ask Gabe if he wanted to come."

"He's in our room," Spencer answered, "but I wouldn't go in if I were you."

"Why not?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

Mikey raised an eyebrow and looked at Spencer quizzically. He shrugged it off and proceeded to his brother's room. He arrived and raised his hand to knock on the door when he heard moaning coming from inside the dorm room.

_Oh, I get it. Gabe's masturbating_, Mikey thought, mentally smacking himself in the face.

"Ngh...harder..." he could hear his brother moaning.

"Good lord, do I really have to listen to this?" Mikey muttered as he turned to leave.

"Yeah, you want more doncha?" another voice said.

Mikey froze.

That voice. It sounded...male.

Very slowly, things began to come together. Gabe's constant tardiness. The sweat and the messy hair. The alleged locker room encounter that had been in the school paper. And now the voice.

"Oh my god..." Mikey shut his eyes tight and tried to block out the mental imagery. He certainly didn't need that mental picture and especially if it involved his brother. He quickly started heading back to school, leaving the Osiris Red dorm behind with Spencer's "I told you so!" right behind him.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

In the world of Dreams, nothing is what it seems! Reko finds himself watching Reka have an adventure of her own in the body of an bird. Elsewhere, Miko finally touches down at Duel Academy, witnessing first hand the strange trials that await the Crusader! You won't want to miss next Friday's installment of _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	96. I am the Wind

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-09**

**I am the Wind**

_Say Reko..._

_Remember when we were kids, and we got lost from Dad and Mom?_

_I cried a lot..._

_But you never told me to cry like that, said I looked silly..._

"Reka!" Reko found himself floating in a sea of darkness, his clothes just as tattered as they were from his nightmare, but with his body intact. Though he noticed there were still a lot of bloodstains, and rather savage looking bandages on his bicep, chest, neck and leg. His normally white and lavender lined clothing was ruined, and Reko tore the other leg off his pants midway for aesthetics sake, making a long pair of shorts with the tatters hanging over his knees. He removed what was left of the shirt, just a bloody rag.

He looked at his hands, his exposed, toned arms. They were stained with grime and blood, why was he looking so filthy? More importantly, why was he in a bottomless pit and not freaked out about it? He felt at home, safe.

"Reka!" He knew he heard Reka's voice somewhere, suddenly her tone picked up again, a soft inflection. He heaved a sigh of relief.

_You said, "Cheer up! We'll find them!", sure enough, we did..._

_Though Mom and Dad were relieved, Rena sure let us have it..._

_I don't know if you can hear me Reko..._

_If you can, I feel like I'm a little kid lost again..._

_But I'm not crying, I'm looking forward to when I find you..._

_So don't lose your smile, and I won't lose mine, okay brother...?_

Reko slammed down into a floor of rough stone, bouncing back up as he screamed out in pain. "Holy mother...! Gahhh...KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS THAT HURTS...!" He noticed as he looked around that he was in some kind of craggy mountain range, with thunderstorms wracking over his head and a thin mist as far as the eye could see.

"Okay...when did I start dreaming of Heavy Metal scenery?" He brushed himself off, and as he walked he noticed his legs felt lighter. Almost like he was floating. "Hey now, I'm going pretty fast...you'd think I was some kind of...a..." He looked at his arm that it was not his arm. It was a wing, a white feathered wing with a large span. "WHAT THE CRAP IS THIS!" Flailing a little bit caused him to fall on the ground, on top of his own body. Closer inspection revealed that yes, he was a bird, but he was transparent and he was on top of a Reko that at the moment looked as though he enjoyed the idea of falling unconscious in various locales.

"H-Hey! Wake up!" Reko slapped his human body a few times with his wings. "Waaaakey wakey me! Up and at them Atom Ant!" He pecked at his arm a few times with his beak. "Get your ass up and me back inside you!" After five minutes of flailing, he perched on his own head. "Well...this is splendiferous."

o o o

Mika walked up the road alone as every step took her closer to Duel Academy. She needed some time to settle her stomach from the treacherous charter to the island, so she thought she'd rely on old fashioned footwork to make her way. Wind whipped around her billowing robes of scarlet and black as the winds felt oddly turbulent on the island. It was becoming steadily overcast, and there seemed to be an abundance of gulls in the skies. Also, hawks...sparrows...all sorts of birds seemed upset about something. Was it because of the presence she herself sensed on the island? She looked up and saw that her musing and steady pace had her on campus. An Osiris Red student caught a look of her garb and rose an eyebrow. "Wow, you have a great costume!"

She looked puzzled before she realized that her traditional garb, normally reserved for the those of her order that tracked and eliminated dark spirits, would to anyone else look like a costume. "Why thank you. I made it myself."

He gave a warm smile, adjusting his ball cap before pointing over to an ornate coffee house behind him with his thumb. "Yeah...you may have got talked into Recca's little thing she going on. You put on a costume for her wild themes and help out you get some extra spending cash. She's going with Japanese Folklore today. Good if you're improving a deck like I am. Man, my Beast Warriors are gonna be really something the moment I get a bit more money..."

Mika smiled meekly, holding out a robed sleeve towards the shop. It seemed like as good a place as any to start gathering information, "Well, I better not keep them waiting. Take care."

"See you in class!" As he walked off, Mika laughed quietly to herself, did he honestly think her a student here? She stepped inside the store to be assailed with two people dressed in miko outfits, garb similar to hers. "Hello there! Can I se...oh! You're here to work too?" A voluptuous woman dressed in clothing reminiscent of a Japanese princess, replete with a flowing kimono of pink depicting a misty forest and roses held a small fan. "Welcome, welcome! My name is Recca, dear. We're all full up but..." She remembered something faint...something Reko said back in the old White Wind back in San Francisco, something about an eyepatch. Could it be? "...are...wait. Are you Mika?"

She nodded, causing Recca to give a small huff and regard her with a calm smile, a quiet compassion, though the explosive energy was gone. "Girls and guys, get the others and keep serving things well here! I need to take Miss Mika upstairs for awhile and talk. I'll have your money all squared away too soon enough!"

"Actually Recca that would be just fabulous but I have to get home and study soon! Can I get my pay now? I'll work again for you, you know that!" Max said, dressed as a Kabuki performer. Recca chuckled warmly, Max was always so very sweet like the others back home. He was refreshing like the others that came with him, and with his meek little smile almost as if he was sorry for asking, she couldn't deny that.

She laid one hand on Mika's sleeve, and she could at once feel the stern force in which she tugged. "Not a problem Max, you come along too!"

She followed her to the upstairs, as she had no choice, then unlocked the door to another hallway, homely and in the same old world victorian style as the floor below. Recca then sighed. "Well...Rena is out of commission, so I don't know if you can get through to her." She produced an envelope out of a small metal box on the inside of the door of her room and handed it to Max. "That should be more than enough for you, Max."

"Rena?" Mika questioned. She didn't even know Reko's mother whom she was talking too, only the fact that he had a twin sister. There's more than just his mother?

She rose an eyebrow. "You mean Rena didn't send for you?" Mika shook her head, making Recca tap absentmindedly on a chopstick in her hair made of silver. "Well. This is really unexpected. You're probably here for Reko then, but he's not here. He said he had some crazy nightmare about you a few days ago however. Our real heavyweight has been...um..." She teared up, waving her face with a hand. "I'm sorry, but now Reko's been gone for two days as well and I'm worried that they've..."

Max hugged Recca, and Recca was silent, Mika understood that horrible things happened here. She didn't dare inquire from her though. Max looked up at her with a wide smile, "No need to be sad. Leave it Detective Max!"

"Detective...oh no. Not you too! What if those guys from a few days ago find you! It's taking all I am to hold down the shop!" Recca said and she broke away from the hug, looking down worriedly. "I mean I need to go find him, but who knows what's out there!"

"Aha...but you don't know?" He wagged a finger. "They wouldn't dare try to attack in the light of day, you know that. And if Reko is seriously injured, it would be SO not fabulous if he wasn't without us. So he's missing, we'll get a big party together and look for him!"

Recca nodded to Max, wiping a tear from her eye. "Thank you Max. Mika, I'm assuming you're here for Reko. I think that you might want to come along with us?"

Mika nodded politely, "Yes. I have questions for him, and if there IS something horrible happening here I have a duty to my order to eliminate it."

Max dashed downstairs. "I'll have a search party together in an hour! It'll be just FABULOUS! Like something out of an old Fantasy Anime! You can be the Cleric, and we can go find your son the Fighter!"

In his warmth, Recca couldn't stay down in the dumps for long. "Then you hurry! And get some good tough clothing!" She then regarded Mika, "Alright, let's help close up shop while we're waiting! You can tell me all about how you met my little boy all the while."

o o o

Reko soared on wing for a good while, he figured moping wouldn't do him much good and even if he WAS a bird, he could still find some sort of bearing on where he was. All around him was mountain peaks jutting out of the thick mist that filled the area for miles to the horizon, thick black clouds flashing lightning here and there. Diving down into the mist and towards a rocky path amidst the stone he noticed a sight out of place with the area. A large heavily armored four wheeled transport was making it's way slowly through the haze, floodlights pushing through the fog as best as it could. Intimidating about it was the massive high-caliber assault cannon on top, it's six barrels highly polished and all in all looking very well taken care of.

It skidded to a halt, and a hatch top flipped open to reveal a woman looking very close to Reko in appearance. Though a bit smaller and with a slight curve, the lighter feminine features shown in her. Her lavender hair was tied into a wide ponytail, slatted almost like the leaves of a palm tree and kept in place with a striped tie that looked like it came off of a suit. Multi-lensed goggles hung from her neck, and her gloved hands and thick leather overcoat rose up a pair of strange binoculars as she viewed ahead.

"Yep. Don't see anything on the binoculars either Katasuo. Just see a strange white bird."

An older voice piped up and sounded echoed to him, as it came from inside the vehicle. Rough and deep with the weight of years, it laughed boisterously. "Just a bird? It's no problem then we can keep going."

Reko looked down as he stared wide eyed. His sister, his actual twin and she's alive and well even in a dream of all things. Reka kept looking towards the bird and as a younger voice, sounding like she just hit puberty came from below, "The thing isn't hurt is it?"

_C'mon think Reko! You gotta get on that ride! Hurt. She said hurt._

_Oh yeah, hope this works. Let's roll the dice! C'mon master plan!_

Reko then swooped toward the side of the vehicle, slamming up against the side as he fell unconscious.

The final conscious thought, he didn't calculate the durability of a bird.

"Oh my god, get the derpy bird inside!"

He felt hands cover him as the faces were turning into shadowy blobs, but he knew he was going inside the vehicle, that was good enough for him.

_Do you remember the game we played as kids?_

_We did our hair up the same, go to school and get people to guess which one was Reka?_

_Who would have thought we could still pull it off at nineteen?_

_We really are similar in some regards, must as I'd hate to admit it._

_It's weird brother, but I heard some twins can sense one another._

_You're sad, distressed, but I feel you closer than ever now._

_Reko, you won't go through this alone...I'll find a way back!_

Reko's eyes snapped awake, and he felt like he was swaddled in a soft towel. As he flapped his wings, soft hand cupped the towel carefully as it made a soft cooing noise. He saw the muted steel and dim lighting of what he surmised as the vehicles interior. He felt a finger pet the top of his head, and mentally he scowled. "Okay really. You can NOT make me feel like a pet. That'd be awesome."

"Awww, it's cawing!"

Of course. Of course they can't understand him because he was a bird. Real neat, it really was. Giving up the now fleeting dream of communicating with these people, he took in a healthy view of the surroundings. It looked to be the inside of a standard military transport. In the cockpit or driver's seat, he wasn't what it was called when it was on the ground, was Reka operating the machine and looking out at a rocky rood with mist that cleared up. A rainstorm was happening, but the black skies gave way to grey in the time he was unconscious so there wasn't a high chance of a real hazardous condition. He wasn't sure that his body could smile, what with the beak and all, but he felt happy that his sister was in her natural habitat, operating a random machine.

Across from him was a metal bench, and since he noticed he was on a lap still getting his head petted of all the embarrassing things, there was obviously one on his side as well. On the aforementioned metal bench lay a man who looked to to be in his fifties, yet retained a solid, thin build suited to an acrobat. His gray hair was covered in a bandanna of brown cloth, and his chin boasted a cropped beard close to his face of the same stone colored hair. His skin was tan, and showed a variety of scars the were visible, a man who looked to have been through much. He was asleep, holding what seemed to be a thermal blanket close to his body as he used a bundle of cloth as a makeshift pillow.

The car jostled roughly and Reka's voice called out softly, "Okay, sorry about that. Rough terrain, y'know?"

A more sultry voice rang out, tinged with a hint of a distinctive Russian accent that Reko found himself listening to, "Well of course, we're in mountain. I don't think Overdrive was meant to go in places like this. I'll trade off on bird, hey Amadis... scootch, make sure esteemed pilot does not kills us all, da?"

The girl who emerged from the passengers seat made Reko skip a beat. She had a bouncy waterfall of blonde hair that graced eyes of an ice blue, clear and glimmering yet retaining a tinge of stoniness that gave a foreboding feeling. The hair loosely curled at the bottom, and the woman looked to be only a bit older than Reka or him, maybe a year or so. Wearing a white T-shirt and gray military jacket and rough blue jeans, replete with fierce combat boots of black, she seemed quite powerful in a body that only stood gracing under five foot if that. Her hands neared the towels containing him, and he found the gentleness that she picked him up startling at the least, "Go child, Milena shall care for this now."

An eager 'mmhmm' was heard and Reko caught the glimpse of a girl who looked in her very early teens, wearing what seemed to be a bonnet and soft mint green hair and fair skin. She was the same height as the other woman at least, but nowhere developed as her. Wearing a dress of blue and white with a small cape of the same color over her shoulders, a ribbon of pearly silk holding it fast. He could have sworn that with her little school uniform shoes and grey backpack she was a student from somewhere. Honestly though, this made no sense, who the hell these people? Why the world did he think them up? Was the russian woman like his courage or something...?

He didn't bother to figure it out right at that moment. Hands were holding him softly, and he still felt a dull ache in his right wing. Nestling down to try and get more rest, he heard the voice of the younger girl, Amadis, pipe up to Reka with an accent that sounded French to him, "So Katasuo's asleep finally. Man he fought like a...well...someone who fought a whole lot."

Reka chuckled, and Reko felt the hands on him slack. Wriggling out of his towels, he gazed up to see the Russian woman sleeping soundly, with a snore that rivaled the Japanese man across from him. He stretched his wings, enjoying the silence for a good hour before the french girl pulled out a weathered map and turned to Reka, "I think we're getting close Reka. To the place the old man told us, I remember his story well."

Reka looked at Amadis with a smirk, "You're awfully clever then, that sage spoke in riddles all. The. Time. Let's hear it, just once more."

Amadis spoke in a calm, eloquent voice, a wide smile on her face at Reka's compliment, "And yey, thou shalt stride within the valleys of endless haze, twixt lightning and gale find ye the hand of earth the yearns hardest towards the heavens. Begin ye now thy trial, endurance and spirit tempered by lightning and thunder. Yey, shouldst thou find thyself wanting only a worthy grave await ye. Rejoice if thou art blessed by fates, for thou shalt find truth, thou shalt find a champion for the unseen war atop yon peak of Mist Valley."

Reka stopped the vehicle, causing Katasuo to snap awake and stand almost instantly, wearing hakama of old brown cloth held by a black belt, "Who halts us?", Reka pointed out the window, "I think we found the 'Hand that goes to the heavens.'", surely enough, she saw a spire within a good hundred yards of them, one greatly larger than any other they've crossed. Poking her head out of the opening on top, he looked up at the peak with her binoculars, seeing only mist and a faintly blinking light. She grabbed a toolbelt from the side and stapped it to her waist, "Milena!", the blond haired woman rubbed her eyes, yawning, "Yes? What do you need?"

"I'm going to continue on foot, if you think you can do it pull Overdrive to the foot of the huge spire up ahead.", Reka pulled a length of robe from an overhead compartment, Reko instinctively flying to her side, "Whoa ho, I was going alone. I guess I'll need some kind of witness to help me out though hm?"

Reko happily squawked, getting a chuckle from Reka while Katasuo pulled a sleek and weathered Katana from another compartment, "I cannot let you go through of your wandering alone, I shall accompany you just in case of an ambush. You are still impulsive, Reka. Such energy is good for leading, though one day it shall get you killed."

Reka's voice turned serious, a trait she learned from her Grandmother, "You're still injured from the other week.", Katasuo looked down at his leg, swearing in Japanese before sitting down sullen, "I know you want to help, but I'll be safe. Call it a hunch? Besides, you need to keep an eye on Amadis and Milena just in case of an assault.", Katasuo nodded, regarding her words, "Understandable, Milena can get too focused."

"What did you say?", Milena glared daggers at Katasuo, who gave a laugh while he laid back down on the bench, hands still on the hilt of his weapon, "You heard me. You need to learn to defend while attacking. You could learn from your own deck, hmm?", Milena shook her head while taking the driver's seat, "You sure about this? Not my job to drive, buuut."

"It looks rough, but I saw a way with my specs that look climbable, just have to cross some rough rocks. You guys drive on down to the spire and see what you can see.", she pulled out a Radio from a pouch on her belt. It looked old, from maybe the seventies, "These are old two-ways, radios from back in the day. Everyone remember the frequency to call me?", everyone nodded before she started to climb out, "And I know yours, Milena you're in charge."

Milena saluted crisply, "Good hunting, comrade."

Reka leapt out of the vehicle, and as it slowly drove away she looked towards the narrow rocky path leading to a prime scaling area of the spire. Reko hovered above her, as she affixed her goggles over he eyes and pulled out a small handgun from her coat, "Well...let's get going...uh..."

Reko squawked again, "Yeah. Let's call you Squawk."

They then both began down the path, unbeknown to either of them that they were being followed by something high above the skies. He gazed down upon them, his large red wings spreading out as he gave a slow, steady decent.

o o o

Recca got outside with a rugged set of clothing for exploring the island, a long walking stick in her had as she finished closing up the shop early for her excursion. She had to at least find some evidence of his disappearance, and the security on watch didn't see anything, though they did find some tire skid on the outer roads, but nothing even in the sea. She was grateful that Reko didn't slip and fall to a demise at least. Mika preferred to wear her robes that she brought with her, her eye throbbing no worse than usual since coming here, she'd accustomed herself to the pain. Sure enough Max came as he promised, the fire-haired boy bring in tow people all to familiar to her, regular patrons now and again. Mikey, Sammie, Nellie and Hayley last but certainly not least according to Max.

Nellie was the first to speak, her eyes boring into Recca, "Why didn't you look for Reko days ago?"

Recca shook her head, "I had security look for him, and I myself looked for him a few times, but...I saw nothing. I'm starting to think he'd been taken too, but I'd think they would make a big scene of it like they did with...well."

Hayley winked, "Well, we're on the case, you don't have to worry about a thing, right guys!"

Sammie slammed her fist into her open hand, "And besides, noone is gonna mess with all of us if we stay together."

Nellie was already on her way down the road, "He likes to take his bike out for spins, especially since that attack by the big guy...what's his face. If he's anywhere, I'd say he was running the roads a lot of people don't use often, the ones down by the cliffs. Least that's what I'd do if I had a bike as awesome as his."

Mikey looked at Nellie, nodding, "Sounds like an idea. How about it Recca, have you looked there?", she nodded, "I have...but with all of you, maybe we can find something where I couldn't.", they followed behind Nellie, who looked nonchalant about all of his with her cat like grin, eager for any excuse to bypass her classes for a little while. Mika kept pace well, with the tall Recca hanging behind them all and guiding them to where she was searching.

Mikey looked to his right, seeing Max and Hayley enjoy each others company and happily hold hands and talk excitedly to each other. Something in the back of his mind hung towards Sammie and her relationship with Saito, though he couldn't place his finger as to why. He also couldn't put off the disconcerting presence he felt around Mika, or why she was suddenly here now. Max left that little tidbit out, and he was considering asking questions to her, Sammie's face leaned over into his vision as she whistled a few times, "Mikey. Snap out of it. Reko's gone missing."

"Oh! Right...sorry.", Sammie sighed at Mikey's response, "You've been staring at that girl with Recca for awhile now...", he gave a wistful smirk, "Oh... Oh I get it. You dog you...what'd Umi think?"

Mikey blinked before he turned red, "W-wait! I wasn't thinking of that."

Recca giggled, "Of course you were, she looks quite fetching in that robe!"

Mikey slumped over and sighed, both girls laughing at him before Mika looked back, now ahead of the group, "What's going on back there?", Recca waved a hand dismissively, "Nothing at all Miss Mika! Let's solider on, as Reko'd say!"

o o o

Reko and Reka had been at this whole climbing thing for awhile, and in one the side of the spire they found a small cave as respite from the howling winds and debris wracking the two of them.

"Milena! Milena can you hear me?"

Reka's radio cracked to life as a russian woman was on the other side, "Da, Milena reporting. We're at the side of the Spire. You want us to stay?"

She smiled, they made it okay so far, "That's great to hear. Yes, stay at that location for the moment. With Katasuo still with the hurt leg and Amadis, you're all we got at the moment.", Milena voice echoed with laughter on the other side, "Niet, you doubt Amadis' skill. She is killer, like-wait.", Reka hit the button on the side, "What is it? Milena!"

"Reka climb faster! Something is here! Something big! I have to get Overdrive to safety for all our sakes! We cannot get stranded-", a loud boom was heard, but it didn't sound like an explosion. More like a great sonic boom of sorts, "Milena!"

Nothing. Reka paled and listened intently for a few minutes before Amadis' voice crackled back to life, "I can't see him! Get out! Get out of here! Wait...w...wait...?", she sounded fearful, but a calm elegant voice of a powerful gentleman suddenly came on, "I bid you good day, I shall assume Commander. My name is Raiza, and it is my duty to inform that you trespass upon our haven."

Reka shook her head, "Raiza?", she said to no one in particular, hitting the button on her radio, "My name is Reka Telaris. Have you killed any of my allies? It is a grave trespass against the Kingdom of E-"

"They are not harmed, neither is your vehicle. I...what is the human term...'spooked' them. You vehicle is glanced, but mostly unharmed. It shall still operate at a nominal level. I have traced you for sometime before making my presence known, allowed to scale partway up my haven. Your travels upon the spire shall cease now.", Reka voice came onto the other side, "Who are you to say that! We're trying to find our way h-"

Raiza's voice came on, a bit firmer, "I mean that my haven is not for you. The Court of Skies wishes for only your companion. So you do not guess too much. It is the bird." Reka looked towards Reko, who stared at the radio as dumbfounded as an avian could as Raiza continued, "Rejoice if thou art blessed by fates, for thou shalt find truth, thou shalt find a champion for the unseen war atop yon peak of Mist Valley. The bird is the Champion. His body rests atop yon temple upon the spire. If you allow me to finish, I shall guide you and the bird to the top."

Reka responded immediately, "If you were tracing me, why reveal yourself now?"

"I had to await a verdict from the Court."

"Regarding?"

"Whether or not I eviscerate the lot of you. I shall approach you in seconds."

Reka was startled at his words, but sure enough she heard a distant boom before a man clad in pale green plate and a resplendent deep green cape flew to the mouth of the niche they were in within moments, floating upon a tornado. His face was clad in a menacing helm, silently eyeing the two within the niche, "I have arrived. Take my hand. Reko, to my shoulder." Reka snapped towards the bird in shock, and Reko at that moment was fairly sure that at this point it was no longer a dream, he was...he was somewhere. Doing as they were told, they all vanished in the wake of a large gust of wind.

o o o

Mikey and the others walked down towards the sparse fields with a single road cut like a snake into the tall grasses near the edge of the island, grey clouds added to the depressing mood of the area, Recca pointing towards the roads, "Reko loved to do speed runs through these roads. I searched all across these paths but I didn't see a thing."

Mika looked around, her eyes pulsing as she grimaced for a moment, something powerful was here. Some kind of a great and terrible presence, "Over there. Over that large hill. I feel something."

Nellie was already on her way charging up the hill, stopping as she reached the top and looking back to the others who doubled their pace, "Um...what do we make of this?", Recca rose a thin eyebrow before standing next to her and looking out, "Holy...gee, that's not natural."

The group bore witness to a great amount of birds, flocking and resting upon the grass in such numbers that you couldn't even see the road or grass anymore. They filled the air with their cries and cawing, but they didn't seem to regard them in the least bit. Sammie scowled while looking to Mikey, "Well, guess we have to go through all these birds, see if we can find Reko's body."

Recca shook her head, "Well...that's not possible. I've searched here high and low, I even saw tire skids that looked like Reko's! All these gulls and other birds just weren't here the other day."

Hayley surveyed the massive amount of avians before looking to Max, "There's gotta be every single last little bird on the island here on this spot.", Max stepped forward a bit, and the birds shuffled out of the way, "Well, that's really fabulous though. They seem to be letting us through."

Mika pointed towards a spare grouping of trees near the edge of the island, "Over there.", she could sense the same powerful presence that Reko had back on the Kingdom. It seemed more...wild, as if it was unrestrained this time. Lifting up her robe by the smallest of margins, she waded through the birds. Sure enough, as the rest of the group followed behind they looked down upon the pavement on the roads, seeing a large tire skid that looked like it belonged to a motorcycle just as Recca said. Looking at the end of the street, she saw a body laying next to a tipped over motorbike, lavender hair billowing softly in the breeze.

She gasped at the sight, thinking this was in some terrible accident, "Reko!"

She covered her eye at the massive crack of lightning and the sudden freak downpour of rain that happened almost instantly after calling out his name. The wind kicked up dramatically, and the birds cawed and chirped while flocking in such numbers that it blurred her sight of him! She trudged towards Reko, holding one hand out in front of her eyes as a few fowl even beat up against her body, denying her passage. She yelped at the feeling, but otherwise kept calling out for him.

Recca and the others shielded their eyes as Mikey called out, "Mika! Mika!"

Nellie clutched onto a shrub into the ground, yelling out to Mikey, "I think she saw Reko! I couldn't see a damn thing!"

Within the storm Mika kept trudging towards the Turbo Duelist, against the lightning and gale force that was denying her.

o o o

_Reko..._

_Are you really that little bird?_

_I don't even know what's happening anymore..._

_However, I'm not giving up..._

_They took you somewhere, told me I could bear witness..._

_What's going to happen to you Reko...?_

Reko snapped awake, finding himself in an ancient temple that seemed Grecian in nature. Small orbs of light thrummed and filled the area with a pale white light, illuminating the runic pillars and a floor of etched green marble. He realized he was in a bed, a really comfy one with silk sheets and a fluffy pillow. He put a hand to his face, then realized he had a hand. "Holy crap! Yes! Thank you fate! Thank you glorious fate!"

"Reko!" Reka burst through the metal door into the room he found himself in and hugged him tightly. "Oh holy damn I'm glad you're A-okay! I'm glad you're here! Well...kinda, I don't even know where this place is really but oh my..." Her eyes filled with tears. "Brother I'm so happy!"

Reko wrapped an arm around his twin, chuckling. "Heh, you don't have to cry Reka. I'm A-okay now...and thank god I'm not a bird anymore. When you came here were you a bird?"

She shook her head, Reko provided a blank stare as he rubbed his temples. "Well that's distressing, Reka. That really is."

Raiza's deep, eloquent voice rang out down the hallway as he stood in the doorway. "T'was your Gauntlet. Legacy, if I understand what your Noble House had declared it."

"Wait..." Reko started, pointing at his arm, puzzled at the fact it was no longer there. "You mean the odd Duel Disk looking thingy? The thing Gramma gave me?"

Raiza nodded, "The very same. It begins a trial if you are chosen to do so. You were. Your first was survival, thrust into a body reflective of your soul. You are carefree, yet have a strong sense of personal honor to those around you. Thus the form of a white bird of prey is what you assumed, your body taken by us as soon as you left to scout out your 'arena'." He held out his hands to his sides. "Mist Valley, a place that desperately needs a champion. We have selected you to be that champion, should you have survived your time as a bird."

Reka looked at Reko, Raiza giving a firm nod. "Excatly Miss Telaris. You are truly similar in that regard as you both are now in this world. I must admit that at first I thought it was you and not he, but the second trial begins. Come."

They stood, and Reko realized he wasn't wearing his shorts. Rather, a tribal looking top and pants covered in odd patterns, like thunderbolts. "So...when did I get the new...?"

Reka turned red. "You needed new clothing they said...so...um... You were bushed from your soul getting back into your body and were down for the count so I-"

"Oh geez. Say no more sis. Just...uhm...lead on."

The two of them shook their heads simultaneously before following Raiza for a good five minutes. The temple was quiet, incredibly so other than the sound of rushing wind on occasion and a gentle breeze. "So...if this is a temple...where are the monks and others?"

Raiza was silent about that question. "We are here."

They stepped outside the temple to what looked like a sheer dropoff into the mist. Reko looked at Raiza with a puzzled look, "I don't under-"

The armored knight then stiffly struck Reko in his chest, knocking him off the temple and down the sheer cliff face. Reka screamed in anguish and fury, and Raiza held her fast. "If he is our Champion...he will be back in his own realm. Child...it is not your time to join him."

o o o

Mika made it to the eye of the storm, seeing Reko writhing on the grass. She didn't sense anything evil. But Reko screamed and clutched the ground in pain. Mika did the only thing she could at that point. She carefully paced Reko's body upon her lap and began to chant softly and gently to Reko. Inside the massive mini hurricane that formed, her chants steadily reached him and surely his body stopped convulsing. He looked worn out, but he was resting carefully. Belying her own strength, she picked him up without so much as a grunt. Yet the wind protested, the thunder boomed and the wall of wind grew more furious. Something wanted Reko in here, and it wouldn't leave until it was done. Mika complied, resting Reko down upon her lap as she knelt in prayer. "I hope you will not defile his soul, whomever you are."

A gentle gust of wind graced her cheek.

o o o

Reko was once again floating in darkness, seeing an off yellow bird with a black beak waddle up to him. It's crest, tail feathers and even on the side of it's body resembled thunderbolts, wild and erratic. "Well well welly welly well... Someone had a wacky time in our realm, didn't they? Legacy gave you a trial, and here you are at the end."

Reko just wanted this dream to end, for him to wake up. "So...why haven't I woke up yet?" A zap of lightning hit Reko's leg, causing him to yell out and clutch his leg. "That hurt you little Volt Chicken!"

The bird laughed, a whimsical voice following soon after like earlier. "Well, I DID try to wake you from your dream. But if that didn't work you must not be dreaming. You must truly be in a different place. You must truly be in a life or death situation as you plummet towards the rocks below."

Reko shrugged, "So that's it then? One Reko Pancake?"

The bird shook his head. "Not particularly. You have one shot for life. Winning gets you back to Earth, where a Priestess is tending to your body. Funny how the immutable winds of fate bend both parties together. Anyway, you are a Crusader of the Rose. You are signed to do combat with the supernatural forces, quell the darkness and maintain the peace. Here's your trial."

The darkness peeled back to reveal himself standing on clouds, black skies roiling above him. Away from him stood Mika, her black hair wildly dancing in the wind and making a black robe she wore billow slightly. He could smell and see the blood spattered all over it, and her eye poured out that pale and fearful light that caused Reko to tremble slightly. The small chubby bird waddled over to his side. "Hold out your hand. We of the Court of Skies choose you Reko to honor our cause to your world. You are the Wind! You are Change and Freedom! You wield lightning and cyclone as your weapons! Ahhh...I'm not much for speeches. Kick her ass Telaris, do it and save her from herself!"

Reko held out his hand, and he could have sword the bird high fived him with his wing. Legacy appeared on his arm, unfurling into a shape a shape that resembled a Duel Disk. Oddly the gauntlet now looked like to was made from polished lightweight emerald metal etched with many tribal designs, the orb on the back of the hand now a clear crystal. Another orb on his palm slid out in front of the glove, branching out to form the zones made from the same metal that seemed to unfurl from the orb. A deck was already loaded into the Gauntlet, and as he looked ahead Mika held her hand already drawn from a Duel Disk made from bone and tattered skin.

Reko drew his hand and although he never saw these cards in his life, he felt as through he used them since he was a child, "Let's do it!"

Mika was silent, pointing a finger towards Reko, "Your soul will suffuse our go-"

Reko waved a hand nonchalantly, "Yeah yeah yeah. Let's get it goin'!"

**Reko : 8000**

**Mika? : 8000**

Reko drew, smiling a little bit as he held out his gauntlet. "Alrighty, come on out Mist Valley Falcon!" A winged man with white hair wearing what appeared to be traditional tribal wear (ATK/2000 DEF/1200) "And I'll shake things up with this Field Spell here, Mist Valley Divine Wind." He placed his card into his field tray and watched as walls of stone rose up around them and a golden shimmer started to blow through as though a shining holy wind suffused the land. "This baby'll let me summon a level four or lower Wind monster from my deck once per turn if I return a Wind monster from my field to my hand." He spun one more card in between his fingers and placed it in his backfield. "And I'll place this little guy facedown. Your move."

Mika said nothing as she drew her first card. "I discard one card to Special Summon The Tricky." A black and yellow harlequin in a blue cape with question marks on his chest and face appeared (ATK/2000 DEF/1200). "Next I play Monster Reborn to resurrect the monster I sent to the graveyard, Defender, the Magical Knight in defense mode." She played her card and from the ground, a wizard of the Dark Magic school appeared in blue armor holding a shortsword in one hand an an enormous shield in the other (ATK/1600 DEF/2000).

"Now I Normal Summon Night's End Sorcerer." A young boy in dark robes with tattered bunny ears holding a scythe appeared on Mika's field (ATK/1300 DEF/400). "Now I tune him to my Defender, the Magicial Knight." Night's End Sorcerer faded away, leaving behind two shining stars. Those stars turned into synchro rings that surrounded Defender and turned his body into four stars before engulfing them in a column of light.

Mika hissed. "I Synchro Summon Tempest Magician!" A scythe sliced through the light, revealing a black-haired woman in a dark dress (ATK/2200 DEF/1400). "When she's summoned, she automatically gets a Spell Counter." A black bat appeared and hovered around Tempest Magician. "And once per turn, I can discard as many cards from my hand as I desire to add another Spell Counter for each card." She discarded her last two cards and two more bats appeared around Tempest Magician. "Now if I remove all those Spell Counters, Tempest Magician can deal five hundred points of damage for each of them." The dark sorceress sliced the bats in half with her scythe and the blood on the blade began to cause it to glow red. She then raised her weapon and swung it at Reko, sending a crimson wave of energy at him.

**Reko : 6500**

**Mika? : 8000**

"Now attack that bird man." With the spell cast, Tempest Magician flew in and slashed Mist Valley Falcon with her scythe, cleaving him cleanly in two.

**Reko : 6300**

**Mika? : 8000**

"Now Tricky, attack!" The Tricky produced a dagger from his sleeve and launched it at Reko, burying its blade deep in his chest.

**Reko : 4300**

**Mika? : 8000**

"I end my turn," hissed Mika.

Reko drew his card. In one short move, his opponent had depleted nearly half of his Life Points. He needed to clear his opponent's field quickly so he could launch a fast attack. Pulling out the dagger from his chest and tossing it to one side, he grinned through the pain. "C'mon, that's ALL you got? Who the HELL do you think I am!" He looked at his hand, smirking. "I play Monster Reborn! Come on back, Mist Valley Falcon!" Brown feathers fluttered all around the field as Mist Valley Falcon reappeared. "Then I return him to my hand so I can Special Summon Mist Condor!" Mist Valley Falcon spread his wings and flew away before being replaced by a blue-feathered condor (ATK/1400 DEF/400). "And when he's summoned this way, his attack points become seventeen hundred!" Right on cue, Mist Condor cawed as its attack points rose up by three hundred.

"Alrighty then, time for a facedown to activate!" Reko revealed the card he had set last time. "Icarus Attack! I just gotta tribute one Winged Beast and I can blow up two cards." Mist Condor spread its wings and flew high toward the sky. It soared and banked in the air before coming back around and dive-bombing Mika's field. There was a very large explosion of feathers that followed but once the down had settled, the priestess' field was clear. "Hah! Showed you, come on out Mist Valley Thunderbird!" A yellow bird with many feathers shaped like lightning bolts emerged and cawed (ATK/1100 DEF/700). "Have at you!" Mist Valley Thunderbird's body sparked wildly and then it fired off a great number of lightning bolts at Mika.

**Reko : 4300**

**Mika? : 6900**

_A Crusader's Duty is to purge evil where he finds it. To enforce peace!_

_This is the darkness you have been fearing. Conquer it! Save her and yourself!_

Reko set a facedown card and ended his turn.

Mika drew her card. "Rapid-Fire Magician, I summon you." A man in purple robes emerged wielding two claw-shaped rods with twelve multicolored orbs surrounding him (ATK/1600 DEF/1200). "Magic Gatling." One-by-one, the orbs passed into the staffs and a burst of magic was fired, which accumulated into one massive barrage of spells.

"Compulsory Evac!" Reko revealed his facedown Compulsory Evacuation Device and a large cannon appeared that grabbed Rapid-Fire Magician and pulled him inside. After carefully taking aim, it fired and the wizard was projected back into Mika's hand.

"Kshhhhh. I end."

Reko smiled and drew his card with a flourish. "Guess who's back! It's Mist Valley Falcon!" The winged warrior appeared on the field once again and brandished his sword. "Thunderbird, you first!" Just like last time, Mist Valley Thunderbird blasted Mika with lightning.

**Reko : 4300**

**Mika? : 5800**

"Man, I'm making this look easy! Mist Valley Falcon, have at it! But first, gotta send a card back to my hand. Toodles, Thunderbird!" Mist Valley Falcon turned toward Mist Valley Thunderbird and then swung his sword at it like a baseball bat, knocking it clear off the field. "Now here's an awesome little tidbit. If Thunderbird goes to my hand, he gets Special Summoned!" No sooner had Mist Valley Thunderbird vanished, it reapppeared on the field with its wings covering its head defensively. Mist Valley Falcon then rushed towards Mika, swinging swiftly with his sword across her torso.

**Reko : 4300**

**Mika? : 3800**

"Hoo boy! Now my Divine Wind kicks in!" If a Wind monster gets sent back to my hand, I can bring out a level four or lower one from my deck! How about Mist Valley Soldier?" A winged man covered in blue tribal garbs appeared carrying two short swords appeared (ATK/1700 DEF/300). "Also, tis still my Battle Phase!" No more words needed to be said as Mist Valley Soldier flew across the field and jabbed his weapons into Mika.

**Reko : 4300**

**Mika? : 2100**

"Now I just gotta ask you one thing. What the hell are you?" Reko said, pointing the finger that wasn't covered in a gauntlet towards Mika. Or rather...the strange aberration that looked like Mika.

Mika scowled, pointing towards her heart. "Do you know what I am? Do you know what our order does?" Reko was going to answer, but crossed his arms instead, his monsters still battle ready and closing closer toward their master defensively. "Our order is one that goes further back than yours. I am one of the more unfortunate ones of this order. Tasked with sealing away evil within my own body. This damned eye that causes me to see horrid nightmares every waking moment. Eventually it overcomes me, and I must be killed."

Reko spat out a laugh, "Pah, that's a crock."

"Silence you damned idiot."

"Oho! I got her riled guys. You don't gotta carry the burden by yourself!" Mika was silent as Reko snapped his fingers, the monsters moving back to their positions. "Fine. Don't believe me. My duty as a Crusader means I'm gonna purify you. You're just the evil in her. She'd never act like this."

Mika drew her card. "You'll see," she seethed. "I summon Rapid-Fire Magician again and play Swords of Revealing Light!" Three shining swords of light rained down from the sky and formed a barrier in front of Reko's monsters. "You are now unable to attack for three turns." She laughed. "I'd attack your Thunderbird, but seems like a waste right now."

"Oh, don't underestimate the little guy," Reko warned as he drew his card, "Mist Valley Soldier, how about a tune-up for Thunderbird?" As if the words reached his ears, Mist Valley Soldier's body changed into four stars that morphed into synchro rings and surrounded Mist Valley Thunderbird. A flash of light later, a great big green man with black wings emerged with tattoos covering his chest and holding a large staff in one hand (ATK/2600 DEF/2400). "Mist Valley Thunder Lord, glad you could join us!"

"Have you forgotten about my Swords already?" Mika asked.

"Oh no no no," Reko replied with a hearty giggle. "I'm just getting started. Winds be at your back, my big friend," he said to his monster as he played a Spell Card. "Giant Trunade'll clear the field of all Spells and Traps!" A great big hurricane blew across the field and blasted away Swords of Revealing Light and Mist Valley Divine Wind.

"Gotta love all the wind-oriented cards I swing around, don't ya?" Reko was in a state of pure gleefulness now. "But it's not done yet. You haven't even met his majesty yet."

"What are you babbling on about, you fool?" Mika demanded. Reko smiled and held up the other card in his hand.

"Thanks for your help, Falcon. Go _roost_ up." The man with lavender hair chuckled at his own little joke as he tributed Mist Valley Falcon to bring out another monster. He placed his free hand over his mouth and made a trumpeting noise. "Presenting his royal majesty, Raiza the Storm Monarch!" A great tornado touched down and the winds dispersed, revealing the green-armored emperor of the wind with his cape of emerald (ATK/2400 DEF/1000).

"Reko, you need to focus on the task at hand." Raiza's voice rang out.

Reko laughed, "Oh please, against Miss Black and Bloody over there? We got this in the bag."

"I shall clear you a path." Raiza's hands moved as if to guide the air itself and a powerful wind swept through and blew Rapid-Fire Magician toward the heavens.

"Ready, Thunder Lord? Hit her fast and hit her hard! Just like I do!" Reko's amusement over himself caused him to giggle yet again as Mist Valley Thunder Lord summoned a powerful thunder storm and slammed his staff against the ground, causing a single massive bolt of lightning to shoot down and strike Mika.

**Reko : 4300**

**Mika? : 0**

Mika cried out in fury as her body faded away in the wake of black fire, "We are coming Telaris... He'll awaken. When he does, you'll-" She blinked as Reko grabbed a sword from Mist Valley Falcon as the monster saluted him proudly. The point came to her eye.

"You're not Mika, I told you. You're something that she absorbed that wants to kill everyone. I'm not one for all the hymnals and the like. So I'll make this fast. I win, you lost." Reko swung the blade in both hands, decapitating her as the field cleared away, the Turbo Duelist tossing the blade to one side as she knelt down at the body turning to ash. Mist Valley Thunderbird looked over at him. "Like I said kid, you got the Court of Skies over you now."

Raiza nodded, "We are here to aid you, all of us who hold power within the Mist Valley."

His monsters faded one by one, before Thunderbird glowed with a light, morphing into a massive bird that more the same appearance as the bird before, but was much more powerful and graceful looking. "You can come to now, though I bet you'll be exhausted from all this."

Reko noticed he was still standing on the clouds, the avian giving a bellowing laughter, "Don't worry. Your sis will be okay, turn around. I'll send you back." Reko did as he was told before a swift strike hit him in the back of his head, "That's for having your ally hit me like a baseball!"

o o o

Reko stirred in Mika's lap, and she smiled softly as the blinding wall of wind and avians died down. A gentle rain drizzled on his face, and he knew, somehow as many more people were coming into his vision that he was home. He looked at the arm Legacy was on, replaced by only a simple signet ring with a red rose in the center. Mika's hands graced the side of his cheek softly. "Rest now...you've been through so very, very much..."

Recca and the others surrounded the two of them, helping Reko back to the Dual Rose. Somehow, Mika felt as though something miraculous happened. Almost as a great weight was lifted from her body...though she couldn't place how it was caused.

o o o

Recca poked Reko's head as he came to in his own room, back in Duel Academy. Back in the Dual Rose, back on Earth...

...Away from Reka.

Recca hugged Reko while sobbing loudly. "Oh my goooood! Missed my little prince soooo much!"

"I'm fine now, mom! You don't need to worry!"

Recca crushed Reko in her arms. "I THOUGHT YOU DIIIIIEEEEED!"

"I'm...gonna...if you keep...squeezing!"

"Oh. Yeah, sorry." Recca let her grip loosen on her son as he gasped for air, "How long was I out?"

Recca sighed, "Well, you've been in bed for about a week. You're up now though! That's really, really, really good!" Reko heard the sounds of clattering plates and pouring coffee downstairs and he smirked, "How've you been getting by?"

Mikey's voice rang upstairs, "Recca, where do you keep the strawberries?"

Reko paused before laughing, "Oh that's choice! You've hired them on to help you?"

Recca shrugged, "Well, if they aren't too busy they help out and I give them some money. It's something I started after you went missing. I DO have a full time employee now though."

"Oh awesome! Who is it? Is it Hayley, or Max? Maybe Mikomi? Man would Mikomi bring in customers just through a cute factor alone."

Recca shook her head. "No, it was a Priestess that knew you who came to the island to find something. She's working here as a cover, and I happily agreed. We seem to be on the same side." Mika poked her head through the door, wearing a medical eyepatch instead of her normal leather one.

"Miss Recca I cannot find the chocolate anywhere."

Reko fainted.

Recca looked at him, poking his chest with a finger, "Well, wonder what's eating him?"

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Promises with dark powers to protect what was dear to him, the only thing he had left. Zetsubou Tenjinashi gave much including his very being to safeguard his sister. Though what happens when what he strives to protect stands against him? You don't want to miss the next exciting installment of _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	97. Descent

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

**NOTE:** The Inverz monsters have recently been renamed to Steelswarm for the TCG. As such, we shall begin using the name Steelswarm as well.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-10**

**Descent**

Zetsubou noticed it was around midday as he pushed aside some dense foliage at of the forest surrounding the mountain base that he came to for another summons. After a few minutes of walking across the rocky face, he came to face the biker clad in what looked like a mix of a biker's outfit and armor. The Black Rose Card in a barbed frame that hung around his neck with a knotted length of leather made it obvious even with his menacing helm on that this was Reign.

"Oh jubilance, the Golem of all things welcomes my presence." Reign stood to one side to allow Zetsubou past him as the two of them walked further up the mountain. The sun slowly started to set the time they reached their destination, a large cave within the mountain that seemed to go down. One of the Duel Runners they had was out...he knew it belonged the crazed man they had with them, the one with a penchant for fire. Reign stood outside while Zetsubou walked inside the cave face. A deep indigo light from an unknown source illuminated the sparse furnishing of the entrance, and a man with often hung around with the crazy pyromaniac, the calmed of the two and a hulk compared to the former regarded Zetsubou with a stoic look on his face.

"Kage has news, Zetsu." He took a seat as Zetsubou leaned against the cliff face. "News I have stayed behind to relay to you before I move out."

"Terrence." Terry seethed when he said that, Zetsu found it overly humorous and savored the moment before he continued. "Where is Nicky? It seems silent in here." He heard a large roar of an engine as he ran outside, Reign and his hulk of a Runner rocketed down the mountainside, Terry stepping out the cavern with Zetsubou while chuckling.

"Kage's news was that your pact swore Mikomi's happiness. We've started mobilizing and placing our 'pieces' so to speak. We've lost a good amount of time since Reko and Mika are back in the swing." He walked outside onto his own Runner, revving it as he pulled to the side next to him, "No one is in the holdout at the moment save Judgement. Doubt he'd be good company, always on about his God. Now you have to play nice with the others and get them nice and weak, destroying them from the inside. Do that, and Mikomi's still going to be happy."

Zetsubou glared, "You never said this place was going to be destroyed."

Terry laughed, "I never did, and it won't. She'll be safe. We're taking over this town, Reign's going to spearhead. How quaint is it that Reign is going to take out his own family?" He waved a hand to the back of his Runner as the two of them sped off down the mountain. "You're being given a great honor Zetsubou, you're going to take the head off the beast. We're giving you Mikey."

He smirked, "You honor me."

"You don't do this by tomorrow night, and we'll kill Mikomi."

Zetsubou felt himself tense his hands as Terry drove towards the cliff. "Wouldn't kill me. Do that, you're gonna die from the crash and then she'll die anyway. You're getting far too complacent, though offing Rena was the best thing you could have done for us. However we need you unlike the others to be on the highest watch. You aren't a nice person, you were never meant for that life you pretend to live, but your sister can enjoy a life she never had. In exchange, that pact you swore bound you to us. Break it, and...well, you know."

"I'm aware."

"Then do it. We want Mikey's head. Bring it to us.", Terry stopped at the edges of the forest, "Get going. You got twenty four from the moment you step off the bike. Kage's orders. Get the 'You know what', Kage wants to pull every trick you have."

Zetsubou stepped off, and as Terry left he looked at the deck of black cards that rested within his jacket pocket. Those inky, shadowy cards that offered nothing but death. He was their assassin, they were right. It was never meant in his mind to be like this though. Did he err in making that pact? He was young, desperate, and at death's door, did he have to do what he did to ensure the life of his sister? He gripped the cards, smiling softly. No, there was no other way.

Terry looked back, to make sure noone was following him, a nervous twitch he picked up on back in England. Zetsubou had a Wicked Artifact on him, Kage let him and the others know that. He was beyond dangerous, but as long as that pact held they were safe. However if he didn't have that pact and that artifact, would he still be that same subordinate that he was now? Or would he be following Zetsubou's orders instead? He didn't know him personally, but he saw the way he dueled, it was even more sadistically than Kage. He relish agony and pain, wielding them like two swords as he mercilessly hacked down opponents and jeered them the entire way. In short, Zetsubou was incredibly unnerving to them all, and he was damn glad that he was kept under check by the most narrow of margins.

o o o

He dreamt that same horrible nightmare again...

Corpses...piles upon piles of horrid bodies, covered in boils and blood caked upon their mouths. Rotted, pallid flesh host to a variety of diseases. Like something from a nightmare, he was plunged into a world with only a wailing baby girl in his arms he desperately tried to keep alive. It was not always this way though...

He was once the son of an illustrious bio-engineer and chemist. Upon a small island out in the pacific, a dot upon the globe and owned by a powerful company. He never quite did get the name, but he believed in the immutable power of Science and what it could do to improve lives. He lived in a small village of other like minded geniuses from around the world, ran for the pure joy of creating a substance to advance the growth of life, to regrow what had once been lost. Rainforests, natural habitat for endangered animals...these places could never be brought back to normal, but as his mother Maemi told him when he was only thirteen, "We can do our part to help the world heal. It's our right as people who took to give as well."

His father Kyosuke was of an incredible mind, and often until his sister was born a week before the accident, they would often talk about complex theories of creationism that even impressed his father and exceeded his expectations. The boy who was only eleven would grow to be a great and powerful man with his intellect. A bold, rising mind of Science was their beloved son Yukia Tejinashi. However, he would have wished for none of it if he knew then what would happen to his home.

All of the Scientists were deceived, lied to, making a complex agent indeed, but one that was a highly potent bioweapon. Within one hour it killed everyone on the island until Zetsubou woke to find himself alone in a rotted wasteland. The vibrant tropical life was replaced by sickening death rife with disease, the animals became feral and frenzied, hunting for fresh blood. And Yukia was alone, holding the wailing infant they named Mikomi.

For close to two years they survived in the fetid hell that was at one point so full of promise and life. He fended off predators, scrimped and gave the best food and water he could find and salvage to her, even going full weeks without sleep, food or water. However fate was not kind, as he had grown accustomed. Mikomi fell ill, rashes and bleeding from her mouth, the beginning of the horrible symptoms he witnessed that started this chaos. He wept, pleaded with anything to end her suffering, make her well, he would do anything to took. He wanted her to live, grow, enjoy a beautiful life far, far from this nightmare.

_I bestow upon you a boon, our chosen knight. Thy kin shall ne'er suffer again, your spirit is coin for our services. Rise, and serve the shadows as none ever could._

Zetsubou snapped awake, the light of dawn peering through his small window. He rose, sliding on a pair of thin black reading glasses as he saw this as the day he had to do what needed to be done. He got a plain black belt, tightening the jeans he slept in and a plain black long sleeve shirt. He looked towards his reading desk, a tiny stand next to the bed that he found himself almost subconsciously making up. Terry voice ran through his head, reminding him that Kage wanted him to pull his greatest weapon and take out Michael. He grabbed a pitch-black book, its cover and pages made of an unknown material, but clearly not paper. He weighed it in his hands. It was a very heavy book, that much was certain, and it was much bigger than most other books. Its pages were held in place by ancient hinges. He placed it in a large satchel before slinging it over his shoulder.

"Time to take a life, Yukia." Zetsubou said to himself, what was going through all this seeming so damn difficult. Rena was nothing, an insect. Why did he feel strained to end Michael? This is what he did. He was the Herald of Night, offering nothing but death and tragedy to any who sought him out. They were making their move, he could not stand to wait any further, if not then Mikomi would be... He scowled towards nothing in particular, getting a small cord to tie up his hair, a simple black ribbon Mikomi offered him. He tied it near the end of his long black hair, making it into a small bow as she would do quite often. People that he made a pact so strong with could not possibly sever it and kill his sister. Though he could not take that risk.

He looked out towards the Ra Yellow dorm, Mikomi had finally become an exemplary student and well on her way to living a decent and normal life. Could he take it away from her with only one swift movement? Could he himself be the instrument of her destruction? This internal monologuing wasn't going to help his case at all, and he thanked whatever powers felt necessary to watch over him there was a knock at his door.

"Who's there?"

Mikomi's voice was on the other side. "It's me brother! I thought we could get some of Recca's cooking at the Dual Rose then walk to my classes!"

The Dual Rose and to face those people again was not what we wanted. "How about I just walk you to classes. I'm not that hungry this morning."

His eyes widened when he heard Mikey's voice on the other side. "Are you sure? Recca said she had a place set up for you two."

He opened the door, seeing Mikomi in her golden uniform, all clean and pressed. He rose an eyebrow. "Who did your...?"

"Recca did it for me, I got to wear one her small dresses she made for me and help out the other day too! She's making me several more to take the pressure off of you. She says I can go there whenever I want if you're too tired from working in the Academy."

Zetsubou gave a reluctant smirk, "You don't say." He looked up from her smiling, pig-tailed self to see Mikey, Wes and Nellie meeting his gaze. It seemed as though Saito and Sammie were off in one corner discussing something, he couldn't care much for what. "Very well. I suppose if this many people want my company, I can't very well deny them can I?"

Mikomi giggled, and as she took her brother's hand he laughed lightheartedly along with Mikey and Nellie as they made their way towards the Dual Rose. Bless their hearts for taking care of his sister. Bless them for making his job that much harder when he brings Michael's still beating heart to Kage to honor his end of the pact. He'll count those blessings, each and every one, when blood runs so thick throughout the Academy that debris will float. Sammie and Saito looked towards the four walking, then looked back towards Wes that remained. Saito shrugged, following behind Sammie. When they left his gaze drifted over towards the open door that led to a spare room where Zetsubou slept. He scowled and closed it, following on ahead behind the lot of them.

o o o

Recca wore an outfit that seemed...strange to them. As they entered the quaint store to her shop, they were greeted by Mika who was setting out a few cupcakes and various sweets for the day. Recca was wearing a black pair of goggles over her face, and a thick leather apron with gloves to match. Her hair was bunched up under a large bandanna of white while Mika wore a sundress and a medical eyepatch over her afflicted eye. Her hair was tied up with a large white bow and fell into a loosely knit braid went the whole way down, several bangs framing her face, "Now Mika, I'm going to go work on a few things down in the shop. I want to thank you again so very, very much for helping me purify the...uh...sink." She finished rather awkwardly as she noticed Mikey and his company come in. "Uh...welcome! Miss Mika here will be helping you guys out when you're ready. Mikomi-princess!"

"Recca!" Mikomi dashed towards Recca and leapt into her arms. "Well look at you, bet you want some strawberries and all kinds of good things hmm?" Mikomi nodded happily as Recca laughed. "No worries, no worries! Mika, go help them out! I need to get back to work, Reko I need a whole load of yummy things all loaded up, you ready to man the bar?"

Reko came downstairs in an elegant tunic of white with silk pants to match. "You got it. Took forever to tie this damn braid."

She laughed, "You should have let mommy do it then sweetie." Reko sighed, flushing a little bit in color before walking to the bar, Recca spinning her hammer while walking downstairs. Within moments of Mika taking their order and bowing politely she disappeared into the back as Reko started pouring juices, teas and coffee for everyone. Saito looked at Reko.

"Just make mine to go. I have a lot to do this morning Reko."

"You got it." The sounds of metal striking metal could be heard downstairs as Reko placed an elaborate cup on the bar with a lid, "Stride on over Saito, house blend here for ya." He did so and thanked him, before Reko handed him a newspaper. "The paper."

He rose an eyebrow, "How did you..."

"You're a friggin' Kaiba, I figured you'd be a business buff. Enjoy yourself out there.", Saito scowled while Reko laughed, and various scones, fruits and the like were placed in front of those who stayed, as well as the wide variety of elaborate drinks Reko made before he smirked, "Just ring the bell on the bar when you're ready. I need to take care of some of the more legal issues since Rena can't really do that at the moment. Calculating cost, ordering product."

Wes spoke, "She's getting better?"

Reko nodded, a half smirk on his face, "She's better now than then, yes. We've gotten your infirmary to take a look at her, she's comatose from what they say. Though they don't know the cause, she seems perfectly healthy...god damn that Judgement. If I get my hands..." Reko clenched his fists before stopping, "I'm sorry. ...Thanks for asking Wes."

Zetsubou mentally smirked. They still firmly believed Judgement was the reason for Rena's condition, them blindly leading Mikomi along. He'd prove them wrong within the day. He couldn't help but notice Wes however, he seemed to be watching him, as if peering into him. It was a bit disconcerting, but nothing he did not shrug off as he kept up his sociable facade. After all was said and done, and dishes were taken away and all of them paid Reko. He placed a beautifully wrapped box on the bar, complete with a pearled ribbon with a cute Naturia monster binding it. Reko chuckled. "Happy day before your birthday Mikomi! Seven almost right? Cripes I was never as bright as you at that age. Good jolly you stump folks three times your age! "

Mikomi blushed as Zetsubou paled, did he actually forget? He was so caught up in everything that he completely had forgotten. Insult was added to the growing injury as Reko nudged Zetsubou's shoulder. "Hey, but our thing probably PALES in comparison to what your brother got for you. We'll get a cake and everything all loaded up tomorrow too! It'll be neat. Open it up, see what you get!" Mikomi happily undid the wrapping as she pulled out a long, beautiful white scarf of thick cotton of such a high thread count it felt more like silk. The ends went into two fluffy balls of fleece, and beautiful embroidery made look almost magical. It truly was a work of art, and Mikomi slung it around her neck as Reko gave a thumbs up. "Lookin' good Mikomi! Take care you guys."

Charity. Kindness. Mikomi's upbeat laughter. As they walked outside as Mikomi walked to classes with Zetsubou in tow his eyes gazed at none other but Michael Angel. Nearly six years ago she was at death's door in the worst possible biohazard anyone could imagine. Now she was as wise as any student here, had friends and happiness. Good lord...he had it the pact, it was fulfilled. He looked at Mikomi who happily hugged him and waved as she adjusted her scarf. He took Rena from her, and now he had to take something else from her to keep his pact...it became more of a burden than a blessing now. He tugged on the strap of the rucksack, looking towards Michael Angel as he became a dot in his vision.

"Oi, pretty boy. Ain't ya gonna take the shot."

He looked to his left, seeing a man in torn jeans and a hooded sweatshirt covered in graffiti and flame iconography. A bandanna was over his face, but Zetsubou scowled. "Oi'd take the shot unless you're thinking of breakin' ya pact mate. Else Oi'm gonna have a g'day when I take yer tot from ya."

Zetsubou spun around, but the man slid out of his vision. "Oi'm not a lunkhead mate. Wasn't in me loife. Ya know yer pact, do it." He patted the pouch on his front. "Else Oi will."

"You're in position then, Nicky."

Nicky sniggered, "Yeah."

Zetsubou pulled out the ancient tome, feeling the massive energy pent up inside. "Very well then."

"Do the right thing, mate." Nicky then became a blur in the crowds as Zetsubou walked forwards, unknowingly to him Wes also bore witness to him sending off Mikomi and watching him talk to a hooded figure. He made his way back to his dorm, walking at a steady pace. He needed assistance, Michael's life was in danger.

o o o

"Wes is missing class? Well, that's no good. Let's begin our lesson, shall we?" As their teacher wrote and droned on with the lesson Mikey had no idea that he was being watched. As the class finished Zetsubou blended in perfectly in a crowd, holding a copy of Mikey's class schedules he procured before he stalked him carefully from afar. Always just out of his vision, always ducking behind a column just in time. He'd stalked many a person before, carefully waiting for the right moment. Very soon Kage would have what he wanted.

Elsewhere in his dorm room, Wes was busy finishing up a phone call as he talked with urgency, "With everything that's been going on lately I think it'd be best if you come. I know. Alright."

He looked across from his to see Nellie sitting on his bed reading a comic book idly. "So...when you said 'My Room' I thought...ah..."

Wes gave a half smirk, looking out his window. "I need you to get Mikomi to your dorm, be a friend for awhile. I think Zetsubou's the one causing all this. I'm going to find out for myself. You have to keep him away from her." Nellie followed behind him looking at the sturdiness in which he carried himself.

"So...you're serious aren't you?" Wes didn't say a thing as Nellie walked out with him, making her way towards the Ra Yellow dormitories.

o o o

The day's lottery duel had been between Hayley and a student named Keigan who used a Masked Knights deck. It was taking place beside the path heading back toward the Obelisk Blue dorm from school. It was a perfect opportunity for Mikey to observe some more of his fellow students dueling and examine their technique. It certainly did not take him out of his way and it would not take too much time. And yet, Mikey was not present.

Mikey was among the last to leave class today. He had stayed behind afterwards to ask some questions regarding the lesson. Shakespeare had never been his strong suit and this year was no exception. Fortunately, Mr. Thulin was able to give him a breakdown of what they had gone over that day and Mikey was able to leave with a feeling of satisfaction.

As he walked out of the classroom, he accidentally bumped into somebody. "Oh, sorry," he quickly apologized.

"Michael?" At the moment of his name, Mikey looked at the face of the person he had walked into.

"Oh! Zetsubou. Hi. I didn't realize it was you."

"Ah, Michael. Just the person I wanted to see. Would you come with me to the library? There's something of the utmost important you must see." Zetsubou spoke with a dark tone in his voice, but Mikey didn't seem to notice.

"Sure. I guess I got time. Lead the way." Mikey followed as Zetsubou took him down to the library.

o o o

Marsha was just coming out of the student council office with the prize for today's Duel Lottery winner when she got a glimpse of some movement out of the corner of her eye. She did not get a good look at it. All she managed to see was a worn plain black cloak disappear around a corner with the tails of an Obelisk Blue coat right alongside it. She merely shrugged it off and continued on her way.

o o o

Max was playing with Noah in the games room at the Obelisk Blue dorm that night. "I attack Crass Clown with my Vampire Lord."

"I activate Zero Gravity, changing the Battle Positions of all our monsters," Max declared upon flipping his Trap Card over.

"Guys, have you seen Mikey?" Sammie inquired as she walked in on the boys' game.

"No. I've been with Scotty all afternoon," was Noah's response.

"And I haven't seen him since the end of class today," Max answered, "He went toward the library after school."

"Since when does Mikey go to the library after class?" Sammie wondered.

"Seems like his thing," Noah piped up.

"He goes straight back to his room after class and does his homework," Sammie corrected the young boy.

"Mikey has a very routine life," Max added, "If he breaks that routine, it usually means something totally unfabulous has happened to him." Noah gave a small high-pitched "Meep!", but then the ginger sitting across from him reach out and touseled his hair. "Oh, don't worry your little head off. I'm sure Mikey's absolutely _fantabulous_!" Noah closed his eyes smiling and purred while Max looked over at Sammie with a facial expression that said "I think he's in trouble."

"I'll keep looking for him then," the blonde said, choosing her words carefully.

"Can I help?" the British boy asked.

Sammie and Max looked at each other. They didn't want Noah getting involved. "Tell you what, squirt," the former said. Noah frowned at being called "squirt". "We'll go and you stay here. If he comes back while we're gone, you'll be the first to say hi to him."

"I can do that," Noah replied.

"Good boy. Max, move your ass." And with that, Sammie and Max headed out, first to gather Coltyn and Gabe and then to find Mikey.

o o o

Wes swore as he underestimated the ability that Zetsubou could move around. He was lost in a sea of people, and mentioned something about...the library! Yet he was on the clear other side of the island, he had to make it there quickly!

Elsewhere, Nellie was in Mikomi's room with her. "So why are you here? I thought you had lots to study about Miss Nellie, I heard the teachers talking about your grades. Um...I could help you if you want."

"Well...yeah...about that. Also, you don't HAVE to call me miss if you don't want to." Nellie took a look around the room. It seemed...sparse. Empty except with what seemed to be a few old pieces of technology. "What are all of these?"

Mikomi picked up a cobbled together disc. "This is a CD player. See I popped out the side case here, made a volume wheel there, and found a still working laser rig here! It was almost impossible to find, but I did it. It works too. Here, try it!"

Nellie did, to her amazement it did, almost as good as her music player. After putting down a CD by Umi, she looked back over to her and grinned. "So Mikomi..." She eyed the other appliances and knick knacks. "Did you make all of these things?"

She nodded happily, "Yep. Anything broken can be fixed if you don't give up on it. Brother and I had to scrounge for anything and everything for almost seven years now! Speaking of which, have you seen him? He missed me at Choir."

Nellie's eye drifted to the worn picture on her desk of a beautiful woman and man cradling a small baby in a stark white laboratory. A boy that looked like a much younger Zetsubou was next to them, smiling widely. A stark contrast to the dour and intelligent man she knew him as. "Hey Nellie?"

"Huh? Oh...yes?"

"I asked about Zetsu, I don't know where he is."

"Oh...um..."

"You know where he is," Mikomi said smiling, "I bet he's finding me a nice cake or something. He's always managed to find a cake! A nice big one every year! I never knew how he did it."

Nellie shook her head. "Wes is..." She covered her mouth. She almost blurted it out. Mikomi looked at her. "What about Wes?"

Nellie sighed. It no use hiding it. "Mikomi, Wes thinks that Zetsubou is the one doing these horrible things." Mikomi paled, shaking her head furiously.

"No! No Zetsu would never do something like that! He's very nice and smart! He's looked after me and helped me get to here, a place where I can actually be a scholar while he slaves for me... I wish there was something I could for him, but that just shows how selfless he is!"

Nellie was silent, was Zetsubou really the caring and loving guardian to her? "I'm going to his room at the Library right now! I'll show you!" She then ducked under Nellie's arm, dashing towards the doors of the dorm as Nellie gave chase.

"Mikomi don't! It's too dangerous! Mikomi please!"

o o o

"Here we are..." Zetsubou waved Mikey into a back room of the library, closed for the night. "I found an interesting document Michael."

Mikey looked up at him. "Is it about what happened to Rena? About all the weird things happening?"

_Do it now Yukia._

_Do not fail me, rip him apart._

_Kage demands it, utilize me! Our pact is binding._

"Of course. But first, Michael!" Zetsubou dashed towards Mikey at a stride he couldn't have thought possible as he ran into a dead end within the library, "I can sense your fear, Michael. You're not the first I've dispatched." Zetsubou looked eerily calm in all of this, holding out his tome. "It gives so much history...so much knowledge. You think I didn't know what was going on?" Mikey took a step forward, Zetsubou chuckling, "And what do you expect to do you little mewling. You're no Crusader. Just a freak Kage wants dead. Nothing personal...but Mikomi's safety is paramount."

Mikey held out his hands, he wasn't sure what he was doing but he had to try to talk to Zetsubou, "You don't have to-" A sharp kick into his ribs with Mikey with such devastating force that he smashed into the wall and caused several books to tumble.

"Cut it! Stop reasoning with me! It won't save you..." To his surprise Michael stumbled to his feet, staggering against the wall. "Impossible. I know where I kicked and how hard. Five cracked ribs, you shouldn't be able to breathe." It was then he felt it, like a surging tide of power exuding from the boy. "Ahh...no wonder the Crone didn't train you. You're quite powerful enough on your own. She was easy prey, you'll be as well even if I'm not empowered."

"Wait...you killed...? You're the one who killed Rena!"

"I nearly did, I can't go and finish the job since the Telaris family somehow recovered. However she's in torpor, it's good enough for me at current. You however..." Zetsubou lifted up Michael by his shirt, tossing him to one side. "You see I made a pact long ago. A pact I cannot break else Mikomi will suffer and perish. My life is forfeit, the only thing that matters is hers."

Mikey staggered, gasping of air while looking at Zetsubou with anger on his face. "Why would you do such a stupid thing!" A fierce backhand knocked Mikey to the ground, yet Mikey charged and tackled him, sending them both to the ground before Mikey got up to his feet. Zetsubou rose, chuckling.

"Got a bit of fight in you I see. That is good." Zetsubou struck Mikey's knee, collapsing him and sending him writhing onto the floor.

"Why would I do such a thing!" He repeatedly kicked him again and again in his chest, stomping on his leg. Causing injury and pain and drawing out the moment with a glinting smile on his face. "Imagine if YOUR brother Gabriel was at Death's Door. Imagine this entire island was a cesspool of disease! No God, no amount of faith could EVER bring your brother back. He was ill with the very infection that claimed the island and you were somehow 'spared' its touch. Imagine Gabriel covered in pustules and bleeding black blood from EVERY PORE IN HIS BODY." He stomped on Mikey's head, and he growled in defiance but held fast as Zetsubou's shoe slid to his neck and pinned him with the heel.

His voice sounded like it was quavering. "Everyone...turned to a putrid rotted mush... I would let that HAPPEN to HER!" He glared down at the man he pinned with molten fury in his eyes and ferocity in his heart. "I prayed to anyone to save me. The darkness answered in kind. We were rescued by a leisure craft the next day... She was somehow cured. My pact was as thus, Michael Angel. Know why I do this. Know why I take your life."

He held the tome in both hands, using Mikey as a pedestal as he held it toward the heavens. "Hear me, anyone who cares! Take my life instead! Let me die! Save her! Please any just and loving creature in this Earth save her!" Tears streamed down Mikey's face and intermingled with the blood from the various cuts and scratched he incurred from Zetsubou beating him senseless, he understood the desperation in those words. He had literally nothing. No family, friends, and yet he tried so hard to protect her and survive in such an awful environment. "She has an entire life to lead! Please will anyone give me aid! ...Then something answered. My spirit was coin for its services, and Mikomi became well the next day. The quickest recovery I had ever seen from that damned experiment. A chosen knight of the Darkness is what it declared me. I serve it, and Mikomi becomes happy, healthy and free from the torment I must live."

A rising pressure was placed on Mikey's neck. "You must die as the darkness commands...as Kage commands. This book is what he gave me, this pact binds me..."

Mikey choked out in pain. "But...what if...he's using you..." He felt as though he whole body as one fire as Zetsubou threw him up against the wall by the back of his shirt. "SILENCE YOU INSECT! He had saved us, sent out those boats."

The fatigue steadily faded from Michael as he stepped forward, making Zetsubou take a step back and ready himself. How in the world was he still moving after all of that abuse he laid upon him! He held his hands out to the sides. "You don't have to kill me Zetsubou! If what you're saying is true then that Darkness never made a pact! It genuinely wanted to help you! Kage may have made up the pact!"

Shadows crept around Zetsubou, obscuring his features as a Duel Disk made from pitch black rose from the congealed shade on his arm as he loaded the same deck that silenced Rena. His eyes became black as night before pointing a finger at Mikey and smirking in a way that filled him with an icy dread. There was no reaching him now, he was actually going to die. "Enough of this idling banter Angel... In your state this Shadow Game will end you as it did Rena, then I'll have my pact stabilized another-"

"B...Brother?" A timid voice said from the doorway. Zetsubou spun around to see Mikomi holding back tears. What was she witnessing was something she could hardly comprehend. "What...what are you?"

"Mikomi..."

"You monster! You're not my brother!" She screamed at him, throwing a book from a shelf at him, "You...you couldn't have killed Rena! You're the kindest person I...I...no! It's not you!"

Zetsubou's shadows shuddered for a second, making her slide back as Nellie ran towards the door, however it shut, blocking Mikomi's escape as she whirled behind her and slammer her small fists against the door. Something was holding it closed, and she saw Nellie's face full of horror as the small window covered with shadows. She took out her little aluminum hairpin, battered and worn, and held it tight to her chest. "You made this for me...no killer can do that..."

Zetsubou was in shock. She saw him like this, did he undo whatever pact was made? It was then he heard something strange behind him...it was Mikey, he knew it. Yet it was more...malevolent, darker as he stood as if he was never harmed, though blood streaked down his face and his grinned just as he. "Well...not so much the exemplary brother are you?" Mikey then passed out, the vigor leaving his body as Mikomi ran in front of him.

"I won't let you. Whatever Shadow Game you were doing to kill him, you're doing it to me!"

Zetsubou screamed out to stop her, yet a baleful radiance shone from the book and the man gave a maddening cackle. "Very well then Maiden...shall we then!" The library felt...wrong as she could almost see everything in the library become even darker from the moonlight, gilded with a purple light. The darkness crept from Zetsubou primarily as he drew his hand. Mikomi threw on her Duel Disk she had in her backpack, and in her amazement it actually worked here of all places. "I will feast on your radiance as well, child. You'll get no quarter from your dear brother..."

––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou : 8000**

**Mikomi : 8000**

––––––––––––––––

Mikomi was fearful, but kept her courage strong. She kept the picture she had in the small deck box in her bag at the forefront of her memories. She would stop Zetsubou, or give Mikey the chance to escape. "Mikey, wherever you are...I don't know what's happening! RUN AWAY, MIKEY!"

"DUEL OR DIE, POPPET!" Zetsubou screamed at his sister, holding his head in anguish afterwards.

"I...I..." She looked at her hand. Was this actually a duel? Keeping her face stern towards him she called out, "I summon Scrap Shark!" A wall of steam erupted in front of her as a massive great white shark made from scrap metal emerged (ATK/2100 DEF/0). "Then I'll put a facedown and end my turn."

"Foolish girl, you have no idea what you've brought upon yourself." The black tome seemed to seep darkness as Zetsubou drew his first card. "I Special Summon Steelswarm Cell." He played his card and summoned out a small insectoid creature bearing the Mark of the Steelswarm on its carapace (ATK/0 DEF/0). "Now I tribute it to summon Steelswarm Mantis!" Steelswarm Cell's carapace cracked and exploded and in its place appeared a humanoid mantis-like demon with the Mark of the Steelswarm emblazoned on its forehead (ATK/2200 DEF/0). "If I Tribute Summoned him using a Steelswarm monster as the tribute, I can sacrifice one thousand Life Points to resurrect one Steelswarm monster in my graveyard."

––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou : 7000**

**Mikomi : 8000**

––––––––––––––––

Steelswarm Mantis dug its claws into the ground and exhumed the body of Steelswarm Cell, which buzzed vibrantly upon being returned to the land of the living, huddled up defensively. At that moment, Scrap Shark groaned and its body suddenly exploded into a pile of scrap metal.

"Scrap Shark!" Mikomi was devastated, but Zetsubou laughed.

"I know your deck's strengths and weaknesses, child. I know your Scrap Shark dies the moment any effect is activated. And I also know when it does as a result of any Scrap effect, you can send one Scrap card from your deck to your graveyard." Mikomi nodded and searched her deck. She chose Scrap Goblin and placed it into her graveyard before putting her cards back into her deck slot where they were reshuffled.

"We were all we had for the longest time. Do not think I know nothing about you. Now Steelswarm Mantis, strike!" Steelswarm Mantis flew toward Mikomi and slashed her with its claws.

––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou : 7000**

**Mikomi : 5800**

––––––––––––––––

"And now I place a facedown. Your move."

Mikomi was scared. But she also felt brave at the same time. That was not her brother. The brother she grew up with was a kind soul. The man standing before her now had his face and his body, but it was not him. And that gave her courage.

"I draw!" With newfound determination burning in her soul, she drew her card. "I play Scrap Lube to resurrect my Scrap Shark." The scrap metal that had once been her creature convened and reassembled into the mighty Scrap Shark. "By playing this card, my Scrap Shark's effect is negated but I can't conduct my Battle Phase this turn. So now I summon Scrap Beast!" A large mechanical wild feline appeared on the field and roared (ATK/1600 DEF/1300). "I tune Scrap Beast to Scrap Shark!" Scrap Beast's body faded into four stars that turned into synchro rings and surrounded Scrap Shark, turning its body into four stars in turn before being engulfed in white light.

"I Synchro Summon Scrap Dragon!" A great amalgamation of scrap metal emerged in the form a big black dragon with glowing purple eyes. Steam burst from several pipes hanging from the base of its neck as it let out a mechanized roar (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). "Now I activate Call of the Haunted and bring back Scrap Goblin." A small creature with an old camera for a body, a discarded dinner fork for an arm, two metal clips for feet, and an old faucet for a head appeared (ATK/0 DEF/500). "Now I activate Scrap Dragon's effect and destroy one card on my side and one card on your side." Scrap Dragon's eyes flashed once before firing pink lasers first at Scrap Goblin and then at Steelswarm Mantis, killing them both. "And if Scrap Goblin dies from a Scrap effect, I can take a Scrap from my graveyard and put it in my hand." She took Scrap Beast out of her graveyard and placed it in her hand.

"Impressive." Zetsubou drew his card. "But not impressive enough! I summon Steelswarm Sharp!" This time a humanoird hornet demon appeared bearing the Mark of the Steelswarm on its chest (ATK/1850 DEF/0). "Steelswarm Sharp, when sent to the graveyard, will destroy any Ritual, Fusion, or Synchro Monster on the field." Mikomi looked at her monster. Scrap Dragon was a Synchro Monster. If she used its effect to destroy that creature, it would mean the end of her own monster. She had to think of some way to get around it. She still had Scrap Beast in her hand and Scrap Shark and Scrap Goblin in her graveyard. She re-read her Scrap Dragon's effect. Perhaps there was a way around it.

"I draw!" Mikomi drew her card and proceeded with her turn. "I summon Scrap Beast again!" The feral mechanical monster appeared on the field again and roared. "Scrap Dragon, attack Steelswarm Sharp!" Scrap Dragon opened its mouth and fired a pink laser that blasted apart Steelswarm Sharp.

––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou : 6050**

**Mikomi : 5800**

––––––––––––––––

Following the destruction of the hornet demon, it stinger flew out and pierced Scrap Dragon's core, causing the great beast to collapse. However, Mikomi was not worried. "When Scrap Dragon is destroyed by one of my opponent's cards, I can bring back a non-Synchro Scrap Monster from my graveyard and I choose Scrap Shark!" Scrap Shark returned from the grave and roared. "Scrap Beast, attack Steelswarm Cell!" Scrap Beast obeyed its master's orders and pounced before tearing Scrap Cell to pieces. "Now Scrap Shark, attack directly!" Scrap Shark sank underground and swam toward Zetsubou with its dorsal fin remaining above the surface. As soon as it neared its target, the great mechanical fish burst out and closed its jaws around Zetsubou.

––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou : 3950**

**Mikomi : 5800**

––––––––––––––––

"Now on my second Main Phase, I tune Scrap Beast to Scrap Shark and summon another Scrap Dragon!" Exactly as it had happened before, Scrap Beast attuned itself to Scrap Shark and a second Scrap Dragon emerged and roared.

"Most impressive," Zetsubou complimented, "You sacrificed your monster and you still got it back. Not bad, little sister."

"I am not your sister!" Mikomi screamed, "You're not Zetsu!"

"Really now, that just hurts." Zetsubou drew his card as the tome at his side continued seeping with clouds of darkness. "I activate the spell Double Summon. Now I can Normal Summon twice this turn, so I'll begin with Steelswarm All-Purpose Form." A demon in the form of a black larva appeared bearing the Mark of the Steelswarm on its head (ATK/1000 DEF/0). "A creature who acts as two tributes is always useful for now I can summon one of my strongest creatures. I sacrifice Steelswarm All-Purpose Form and summon Steelswarm Horn!" Steelswarm All-Purpose Form vanished from the field and in its place appeared a humanoid demon resembling a giant black tick with the Mark of the Steelswarm on its chest (ATK/3000 DEF/0). "Now by paying one thousand Life Points once each turn, I can destroy one monster on the field."

––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou : 2950**

**Mikomi : 5800**

––––––––––––––––

Steelswarm Horn grabbed Scrap Dragon in its claws and tore it asunder with ease. Mikomi then used the effect of her monster to resurrect her Scrap Beast in defense position. Zetsubou then ordered Steelswarm Horn to attack. The massive demon grabbed the mechanical beast in its claws and tore it apart just as easily as it had the last creature.

"I'll end with this facedown card."

"Then I draw." Mikomi looked at what she had in her hand.

"And I activate Solemn Wishes." Zetsubou revealed his facedown. "Each time I draw, I gain five hundred Life Points. That means I'll always have Life Points to sacrifice for my monster's effect."

Mikomi cringed. That was not a good sign. If Zetsubou could replenish his Life Points by at least five hundred Life Points every turn, he could continue to use Steelswarm Horn's effect every turn. Nothing she had could destroy that monstrosity. However, she could defend against it for the time being. Taking a card from her hand, she placed it onto her Duel Disk. "I summon Scrap Worm." An amalgamation of wires and tubes appeared before her, taking on the shape of a leech (ATK/500 DEF/100). "This guy can attack directly. So go for it, Scrap Worm!" Scrap Worm launched itself past Steelswarm Horn and sank its teeth into Zetsubou.

––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou : 2450**

**Mikomi : 5800**

––––––––––––––––

"I end my Battle Phase and since my Scrap Worm attacked, it dies and I can bring a Scrap monster from my graveyard to my hand." She returned Scrap Shark to her hand. "I'll set one card and end my turn."

"I draw then." Zetsubou cackled as he looked at the field while Solemn Wishes' effect activated and a gentle rain washed over him.

––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou : 2950**

**Mikomi : 5800**

––––––––––––––––

"I summon Steelswarm Caller!" A black moth-like demon appeared and hissed (ATK/1700 DEF/0). "Steelswarm Horn, attack directly!" Steelswarm Horn raised its claws and lunged at Mikomi.

"Not so fast!" Mikomi revealed her facedown card. "I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! It negates your attack and then I set it facedown again!" A scarecrow literally made of scrap metal appeared and intercepted Steelswarm Horn's attack. Then the massive demon realized it could not break the structure, it gave up and returned to its spot before the card was set again.

"I can still attack with Steelswarm Caller." Zetsubou pointed forward and Steelswarm Caller flew across the field. A powder was emitted from its wings as it fluttered over Mikomi, bathing her in the toxic substance.

––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou : 2950**

**Mikomi : 4100**

––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn."

"Then I draw." Mikomi was in another pickle. Her Scrap-Iron Scarecrow would defend her for sure, but only worked against one attack. If her opponent had more than one monster, her card would only slow down her demise. "I set one monster and then end my turn with a second facedown."

"My turn." Zetsubou drew his card and Solemn Wishes sprinkled him again.

––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou : 3450**

**Mikomi : 4100**

––––––––––––––––

"I sacrifice Steelswarm Caller to summon Steelswarm Moth!" The black moth vanished and in its place a bigger moth arose with poisonous powder constantly coming off its wings (ATK/2400 DEF/0). "And since Steelswarm Caller was used as a sacrifice, I can Special Summon a Steelswarm from my deck." A single card was ejected from Zetsubou's Duel Disk and he placed it sideways on the field, bringing out a second Steelswarm All-Purpose Form in defense position. "And now for Steelswarm Moth's effect. Since he was summoned with a Steelswarm monster as the tribute, I can pay one thousand Life Points to return two cards to their owner's hands.

––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou : 2450**

**Mikomi : 4100**

––––––––––––––––

Steelswarm Moth flapped its wings and Mikomi's entire backfield was blown into her hand.

"And now there is my Steelswarm Horn's effect." Mikomi paled. She had forgotten about that monster. Zetsubou's grin widened as he paid his Life Points.

––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou : 1450**

**Mikomi : 4100**

––––––––––––––––

Steelswarm Horn grabbed Mikomi's card and tore it with ease, leaving the young girl with no defense whatsoever.

"Your defenses are gone. Nothing can stop me now. Steelswarm Moth, attack!" Steelswarm Moth flew over Mikomi and released its poisonous powder all over her.

––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou : 1450**

**Mikomi : 1700**

––––––––––––––––

"Now Steelswarm Horn, it's your turn." Mikomi shut her eyes and covered her head. This was it. This was the end. She could hear the voice of her brother issuing the order to end her life. "Destroy the rest of her Life Points. Attack..." There was a long pause. Mikomi slowly uncovered her head and looked over at Zetsubou. The man was clutching his head and crying out loudly in pain.

"You can't do this!" Mikomi gasped. That was her brother's voice! "No! I won't destroy my own sister!"

"She brought this on herself!" Zetsubou said in his dark tone, "You must end her."

"We made a pact!" Zetsubou roared as he fought back, "Mikomi remains unharmed if I do what you say."

"You're in no position to be giving ME commands!" Zetsubou looked at Mikomi. Half of his face was in pain and crying for his sister while the other half was twisted into a face of evil. "Steelswarm Horn, destroy the girl!" Steelswarm Horn raised its arm and slammed its claws down on Mikomi.

––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou : 1450**

**Mikomi : 0**

––––––––––––––––

Mikomi's body fell lifeless to the ground, the spirit writhing as Zetsubou threw the book against the wall. "No...no! MIKOMI!" He picked up the battered girl in his arms, weeping as his body trembled, looking as though he was shielding her. Nellie busted in the door with a loud cracking noise as the library slowly reverted back to normal. Zetsubou was quiet, holding a small girl in his arms. "Mikomi ...please open your eyes... No no no no no no...oh god..."

Yet Mikomi did no such thing. She looked as though she was sleeping, her breathing labored yet steady while he looked out the window to see Kage on the horizon, his face full of glee as he walked away. It filled him with an icy rage and yet it caused him to look down at Mikomi who laid practically lifeless in his arms. "You cannot halt my advance Zetsubou! You're damned with me forever! Gaze now at the reality of your situation!" He then cackled madly before he let Mikomi fall off of his lap, rushing to lift up the book.

"I...won't let you..." He then yelled fiercely, "YOU CANNOT COMMAND ME!" He then felt a large pain though his heart. He then screamed in fury clutching his head as a black light poured from his eyes. "What have you done...!"

"Our pact...is...broken..."

"Yukia Tejinashi...I shall see you in Hell... I OWN you. The pact is never broken..."

The book fell to the floor and Zetsubou stood slowly. He looked at the destruction he had wrought, and looked forward to see Wes and Nellie looking at him before Wes charged into him spitting fury. As his world spun and his vision blurred, he kept keep thinking only that this was his fault. This damned book that commanded his life for so long.

"B...burn it..." Zetsubou sputtered out before he fell unconscious.

o o o

Wes looked at Recca as he looked at some forms signed by the infirmary. "Why the hell would you do such a stupid thing, Recca?"

"Look at them, those put those two Tejinashi's under my responsibility. I'm NOT letting these student get worked up over this whole Shadow Game jargon. I just won't. Reko's tending to them for now, but for awhile I think it's best if we laid low. I'm gonna say we're doing renovations, maybe spruce the place up a little bit. Reko agreed to it, and we're going to work on what we need to combat this. Let's see those evil ding dongs try to bust into a fortified Crusader Hold slash Coffee Shop once Recca Telaris is done with it."

"How long?" It was only her and Wes in the main serving area in their shop, Recca was covered in soot and grime, but he didn't ask why. "Is it months?"

"Not months, I'd say three weeks. In that time I should finish everything Rena wanted to complete myself. I'm pretty nifty in the rituals myself, I'm not all giggle and boobs thank you." Recca made a small laugh, making Wes crack a weak smile. "You're a good person Wes. Rena knows a White Card is Saito's. That's all she knew. You two keep that Red Card safe until it's owner is found. With all that's happening, I'm sure that going to be on the island."

Recca made a bow and turned to leave as Wes spoke up. "Recca. His book. I found this in the inside." He laid a beautiful card resplendent with White Roses on the table, making her eyes widen in shock. "He had that?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure what the book is, I'm keeping it in my room until then. If it's in here, they may stop at nothing trying to get it. From what Nellie told me she heard it drove Zetsubou insane."

Recca closed her eyes, a pained expression evident on her face as she looked upstairs, "This card was in that evil book. Was...hm... Wes, I'll hold on to this one for you. I think it may be one of theirs."

"Is that premonition?" Wes then turned to leave. "Three weeks I better see that closed sign taken down, otherwise I'm pretty sure we're all doomed. Be safe Recca." The door shut as Recca put up a notice and closed the blinds and shades. Reko came down the stairs, seething as he sat in a chair.

"I know you're angry with Zetsubou." Reko said nothing. She shook her head as she patted his back. "Get some tea, sweetie."

She walked upstairs, opening the door two a room with two single beds, a small table between then. A small girl lay in one, a man in his late teens in the other. Both were in a motionless state, yet still living. She placed the card on the tiny table. "This belongs to one of you. If you can hear me, please...please come and aid us. Mercy and Redemption can easily be found." She then left and shut the door quietly, the two Tejinashi's resting in a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Not all is as it seems on the surface at Duel Academy. Something is happening right under the noses of the students and some people will do anything to keep that secret from getting leaked out. What is going to happen? And what could this secret be? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	98. Dead Space

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-11**

**Dead Space**

Saito honestly didn't know what was more annoying, the monsters his opponent kept pumping out or his opponent himself and his entourage. Before the game began, all five of them took out one fifth of a complete deck and shuffled them together. Then as soon as the duel started, his opponent and his friends shed their school jackets to reveal matching shirts of varying colors - red, blue, yellow, black, and pink - before taking up ridiculous poses and singing the _Super Sentai_ theme song.

_These lottery duels are stupid_, he thought to himself.

Saito's opponent - a boy his age named Geki wearing a red shirt - had somehow managed to summon V-Tiger Jet, W-Wing Catapult, X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank all in one turn. And now he and his friends were doing their stupid dances and singing as they fused into VW-Tiger Catapult and XYZ-Dragon Cannon and then further into VWXWZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon, who quickly removed Dragunity Arms Laevatein from play and destroyed Dragunity Knight - Trident.

"Sai, can you _please_ win this and shut these guys up?" Nellie begged.

"This is over already." Saito drew his card. "I play Future Fusion and from my deck I send three cards to my graveyard." His deck ejected his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons and he placed them in his graveyard. "Now I play Dragon's Mirror and remove from play my three Blue-Eyes to Fusion Summon the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" The massive three-headed dragon appeared (ATK/4500 DEF/3800) and let out a roar that shook the field. "End this." The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon fired three Burst Streams that spiraled into a single powerful Blue-Eyes Ultimate Burst and obliterated VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon and reduced Geki's Life Points to zero.

"Next time, don't waste my time with your idiotic dances and poses." Saito flipped his coat tails and turned as he walked off.

o o o

Mikey's face was covered with bandages. He had more coverings his arms, legs, and midsection, his left arm was in a sling, and he had also been given a brace to help him walk. Several days had passed since he had been assaulted in the library and his wounds had been healing steadily. He currently had a spare with Sammie, who had agreed to help him walk. They had been on their way to the infirmary so the nurse could have a look at his injuries, but they decided to stop by one of the bulletin boards and read up on any news while Mikey took a rest on the nearby bench. "You know, I really don't think this sling is even necessary. I can move my arm without pain just fine."

"Just keep it on until the nurse says you can take it off," replied Sammie.

"Looks like someone lost their iPod Touch," the brunet thought out loud as he read somebody's advertisement.

"Looks like someone's selling an iPod Touch," Sammie said in response as she read another ad.

"Hey, the new movie list is out." Mikey's eyes moved over to the list of movies that would be shown that month and glazed over them.

"What've we got?" Sammie inquired.

"I think the student council's having some kind of science fiction horror month or something," Mikey answered, "Look at these movies. We got _Species_ first. Then after that there's _Event Horizon_ and the following week we've got _Starship Troopers_. And on the last week, there's a big _Alien_ marathon."

"Looks like no movies for you for the next month," Sammie responded.

"What do you mean?" asked Mikey.

"Oh come on, Mikey. You should know this easy. You scare way too easily."

"I do not scare way too easily!"

"You hid behind the couch at the end of _Raiders of the Lost Ark_."

"I was FIVE!"

"So? We were the same age and I watched the whole thing."

Mikey opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped. He just turned his gaze away and muttered, "I'm gonna get started on my homework." before he re-slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked off.

_Mikey's come a long way, but sometimes he's still gotta man up_, thought Sammie before she went after him.

o o o

Marsha was seated behind her desk in the student council office filling out some paperwork when somebody knocked on the door. "Enter," she said without looking up. A third-year male student in an Obelisk Elite coat stepped in with black hair that had been slicked back, black gloves, and a pair of horn-rimmed glasses.

"Hello Marsha."

"Hello Issac. I assume the movie list was your idea?"

"Was it that obvious?" Issac inquired.

"No on else on this council shares your enthusiasm for that genre," Marsha answered flatly.

"Anyway, you called me here for a reason so tell," Issac said getting straight to business.

"Someone's been snooping around in our business. We need to throw them off the trail."

"And you called me just for this reason?"

"Yes I did, my brother."

Issac looked at his sister. He studied her carefully, his eyes meticulously going over her as he tried to figure out exactly what she was thinking. "What will you have me do?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Marsha looked up from her work at Issac. "And do it discretely."

"What about today's lottery?" the older boy inquired.

"I'll have both of your names removed for the day so you can work covertly," was the student council president's answer, "I leave you to your devices."

"So be it. Who is it I'm looking for?" Marsha pointed to a file on the meeting table and Issac walked across the room and opened it. He studied the picture carefully, taking in every single detail. Once he was done, he closed it back up and exited the room.

"Oh and Issac, try to be on time for the next council meeting," Marsha reminded him.

"Come now, Marsha. What kind of secretary would I be if I was late for our meetings?" Issac asked before he left.

o o o

Mikey sat at the bar of the Dual Rose stirring his Cherry Coke with his straw. His arm was free of the sling now and he no longer needed the brace, though it was highly recommended that he still sit as long and as often as possible. He was deep in thought. The recent string of events could not have been mere coincidence. First there was the attack on Rena. Then Zetsubou assaulted him in the library which was immediately followed up by both Zetsubou and Mikomi falling unconscious.

And then there was that book.

Mikey remembered the book Zetsubou had in his possession. It was definitely not made out of paper. It bore a metallic sheen and yet no light reflected off its surface. It must have possessed some kind of dark secret. Mikey had no idea what was in it, but he could tell that it was important. What was strange to him was that the book was nowhere to be found. It wasn't among Zetsubou's possessions and it was not anywhere in the library.

"Something bothering you, hon?" Recca asked. Seeing Mikey in such a condition worried her. She understood exactly what Zetsubou put him through in the delusion that he was protecting his sister by obeying Kage's orders. Loud banging was heard down in the basement while Recca gave her best uplifting smile to his. Reko and her began their 'renovations' a few days ago, but she couldn't help but offer Mikey inside and offer him something despite her being closed up for awhile.

"Everything," Mikey answered, "Just trying to make sense out of everything that's happened is maddening."

"Anything you've found out?"

"Just more about the obvious." He brushed his fingers against his bandaged cheek. "Zetsubou and Judgement are connected. The two attacks are related. But I need proof. Hey Recca, do you know what happened to that book Zetsubou had?"

Recca looked around shiftily. "What book?"

"You know, the black one?" Mikey looked at her. "I saw Zetsubou holding it. It's gone missing. It wasn't on him and it wasn't in the library when it was searched."

Recca looked around uncomfortably again. "Right...the book..." She turned towards the back room. "You wait for a little while. You'll need your bandages changed up."

o o o

Wes had never seen anything like it. The black book that shined, but reflected no light. Its material completely unknown yet still somehow metallic. He stood in his room looking at the evil object as it sat on his desk staring back at him. He had opened it before and perused its contents. The words were engraved into the pages in a language he had never seen before. He researched it and found nothing. Whatever language the book had been written in, it clearly did not exist anymore.

Wes put on his gloves and opened the book again. There had to be a clue somewhere. He had tried dusting the tome for fingerprints, but surprisingly none showed up. He scratched his head pondering this. Zetsubou clearly had his hands all over it and he had not been wearing gloves. Even if had been, surely he would have left something in the book.

"What are your secrets?" Wes asked the tome.

o o o

Mikey had finished his beverage at the Dual Rose and headed back to the dorms. He arrived at the Obelisk Blue building without any trouble and proceeded up the elegant foyer stairs. He stopped when he reached the top and looked up at the enormous statue of Obelisk in the middle of the room. "I bet you'd have all the answers, wouldn't you?" he asked. Mikey laughed at himself. He was talking to a statue. He shook his head and proceeded to the elevators.

"Michael Angel?" Mikey stopped upon hearing his name and turned to see an Obelisk Elite student with black hair and glasses standing there with his hands behind his back.

"Yes?"

"May I have a moment of your time?"

"Um, sure?"

"Come with me please."

Mikey followed the stranger outside of the door and around to the back where the dorm overlooked the lake. "Michael Angel."

"It's just Mikey."

"I'd rather not use nicknames. It's very...unprofessional."

_Who is this guy?_ Mikey wondered.

"My name is Issac Ripley."

"Ripley... Are you related to the student council president?" Mikey asked.

"I am not obligated to answer that," Issac answered.

"So why did you want to talk to me?"

"Michael, we of the student council have the best interests of all the students at heart. Now, we are aware of the attack on you a few nights ago in the library. Zetsubou has been taken into custody and he's currently under surveillance right now. What we need from you is some information. So if you would kindly answer some questions, that would be appreciated."

"I guess," Mikey responded apprehensively. He gave Issac an odd look. Zetsubou was currently at the Duel Rose under Recca's care. Nobody but him and the Telarises knew about this. How then could this person claim that the man in question was in custody? He decided that he would have to choose his words carefully.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Now first of all, how did you end up in the library with Zetsubou in the first place?"

"I remember I was leaving class and I ran into him just outside the classroom," Mikey began, "He said he had something he wanted to show me, so I thought I'd go see what it was. It didn't seem to cut into my homework time."

"I see." Issac's gaze was locked with Mikey's as if trying to pierce his soul to see the truth, which made the brunet very uncomfortable.

"Um, shouldn't you be writing this down?"

"I don't need to. Moving on. What happened afterwards?"

"Well, he took me to this secret room. Honestly, I had no idea it was even there. Anyway, he got me inside and next thing I knew he was beating me up."

"Did he say anything during this physical assault?" asked Issac.

"He was talking a lot about protecting his sister. I honestly don't remember much about that." Mikey scratched his head. "It...starts getting fuzzy around there. Last thing I remember was Mikomi coming in and then I made some kind of comment before blacking out."

"Do you remember anything after that?"

"Not really."

"What about during the beatings? Did anything strange pop up?"

Mikey thought hard. There was the book that seemed to be resonating with dark energies. The same book that nobody had found yet. He looked at Issac. Something about him just clicked inside his head. He could not trust him. "No. Nothing."

"I think that covers everything then." Issac pulled his glove tighter over his hand. "You have nothing to worry about. The student council will conduct an investigation of its own. You just resume your routine."

"What about Chancellor Rhodes and the teachers?" Mikey inquired, "Shouldn't they get involved in this investigation too?"

"The staff have enough to deal with as it is. The student council will take it from here," Issac assured him.

Mikey looked at taller boy suspiciously. After all that had happened, why was the student council going to investigate? Why wasn't the faculty going to get involved?

"I appreciate what you're doing. But honestly, I think it would better if the staff were let in on this as well," he replied. "In fact, maybe I can help out."

"Please let us handle it," Issac insisted, "The student council will get to the bottom of this."

Now Mikey was really suspicious. Issac didn't want anyone other than the student council getting involved. His intuition was right. This person could not be trusted.

"Thanks, but seriously I'm going to Chancellor Rhodes." Mikey then gave his thanks one more time and began to walk away.

"I'm afraid this is not a request, Michael." Issac brought his left arm out from behind his back and activated the Duel Disk strapped to it. Mikey turned around the moment he heard the all-too-familiar hum and looked at him.

"You're not serious, are you?" The look Issac gave him said otherwise.

"Okay, now I know something's up. No one challenges anyone to a duel for no reason."

"I gave you fair warning, Michael. You refused to listen."

Mikey put on his Duel Disk and activated it. "You're hiding something and it has to do with Zetsubou and Rena."

–––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Issac:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

"The first move is mine." Issac drew his card and held it in his gloved hand as he meticulously examined its effect. "I'll begin by setting one monster." He placed a monster on his Duel Disk in defense position. "That ends my turn."

"My turn." Mikey drew his card. He wondered why his opponent set a monster in defense mode, but then guessed that he was just testing the waters first. He decided to see what it was. "I'll set a card facedown and then Special Summon Cyber Dragon." He played his card and summoned out his silver serpentine mechanical dragon (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "Attack with Evolution Burst!" Cyber Dragon opened its mouth and fired off a bright flare that blasted Issac's facedown. What it revealed was a skinny grotesque creature lacking skin with long tendrils in place of arms (ATK/300 DEF/200).

"You've activate the Flip Effect of my Worm Apocalypse," Issac announced, "It can destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field. And since there's only one..." Nothing else needed to be said as the dying Worm Apocalypse's tendrils shot out and lashed Mikey's facedown.

"Skill Drain!"

"Fortunate I was able to destroy that."

"I end my turn," Mikey concluded.

"I draw." Issac drew his next card. "I activate the Continuous Spell Card Worm Call. As long as my opponent controls a monster while I do not, I can Special Summon one Reptile-type Worm monster from my hand in facedown defense position. So I Special Summon this card." He placed the card on his Duel Disk facedown. "Next I summon Worm Xex." A circular creature with four tentacles spreading out in different directions, giving it the appearance of the letter X, appeared on the field with an eye on each one and a circular mouth in the middle lined with countless sharp teeth (ATK/1800 DEF/1000). "When he is Normal Summon, I may select a Worm from my deck and send it to the graveyard. I believe Worm Yagan shall suffice." His Duel Disk ejected the card from his deck and he placed it into his graveyard before watching his cards get shuffled. "I set a card and end my turn."

"I draw." Mikey drew his card. "I summon Majestic Mech - Ohka!" A mechanical beast-like angel with wings appeared and roared (ATK/2400 DEF/1400). "I can summon this guy without a tribute. But if I do, he dies at the end of the turn. Which is why I'm keeping him on the field with this: Forbidden Chalice. This boosts his attack points by four hundred, but negates his effect." A golden goblet appeared in front of Majestic Mech - Ohka and the beast drank from it. Immediately, its attack points rose to twenty-eight hundred while its brittle body suddenly hardened. "Cyber Dragon, attack the facedown!" Cyber Dragon opened its mouth and fired an Evolution Burst at Issac's facedown monster, flipping it up in the process.

"You attacked my Worm Hope." Issac looked at his crystal humanoid alien as it crouched defensively (ATK/800 DEF/1500). Its shell was starting to crack as a result of its defeat from Cyber Dragon's blast. "His Flip Effect allows me to draw one card. But if he's sent to the graveyard, I have to discard a card." He drew his card and then Worm Hope's body shattered and he placed a card in his graveyard.

"Ohka, attack Worm Xex!" ordered Mikey. "Majestic Ray!" Majestic Mech - Ohka opened its mouth and fired a solid beam of white light that pierced through Worm Xex's mouth and obliterated it.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Issac:** 7000

–––––––––––––––––––

"I'm gonna end with a facedown." Mikey placed a card in his backfield and ended his turn.

"Then it's my turn." Issac drew his card. He examined his graveyard. He had enough cards now. "With the effect of my Worm Call, I Special Summon this card in facedown defense mode." He placed a card on his Duel Disk facedown. "Then I'll set this monster facedown. Your turn."

"I draw." Mikey drew and played another card. "I summon Mist Archfiend." A cold mist gathered and it began to solidify into the upper body of a black and red winged demon (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "Alright, Mist Archfiend. Attack the one on the left with Hell's Cold Grip!" Mist Archfiend vanished into the mist and wafted across the field. A hand suddenly formed out of the mist and grabbed onto the card, which revealed itself to be purple alien with wing-like fins protruding from its back (ATK/1200 DEF/500).

"You've activated the Flip Effect of Worm Cartaros. This lets me bring a level four or lower Worm from my deck to my hand," Issac explained, "I'll choose Worm Linx for this." He received the card and his deck was shuffled before Worm Cartaros went to his graveyard.

"Cyber Dragon, attack the other one now!" Cyber Dragon opened its mouth and fired a laser at the other facedown card. What it turned out to be was not something Mikey had expected.

"You've flipped by Worm Victory," Issac announced as an enormous grotesque red alien with six arms appeared (ATK/0 DEF/2500). With its higher defense points, Cyber Dragon's attack was rendered ineffective and the impact created a shockwave that hit Mikey.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 7600

**Issac:** 7000

–––––––––––––––––––

"And now Worm Victory's Flip Effect activates. All face-up monsters are destroyed save for face-up Reptile Worm monsters." Worm Victory hissed as it reached out and grabbed each of Mikey's monsters with two hands before stuffing them all inside its mouth. "Additionally, it gains five hundred attack points for every Worm in my graveyard. Presently, my graveyard holds Worm Apocalypse, Worm Yagan, Worm Hope, Worm Falco, Worm Xex, and Worm Cartaros. That's six Worms, making its attack points three thousand." Worm Victory made some kind of cry as its attack points suddenly skyrocketted to three thousand.

"Oh this is not good," Mikey thought out loud.

"Not for you, anyway." Issac pushed up his glasses.

Mikey looked at his hand. Nothing he held would be able to save him from Worm Victory in the next turn. The facedown he had only ever served to save his own monsters, but not himself. He was going to take some heavy damage next turn.

Issact drew his card. "I switch Worm Victory into attack mode." He turned his card into an upright position and his monster stood up on its legs and brought its arms down from its defense stance. He then looked at his hand. An idea formed in his head. "Next I play the Spell Card Snake Rain. By discarding one card from my hand, I can send four Reptile monsters from my deck to my graveyard." He discarded another Worm Victory from his hand and then sent to his graveyard a Worm Yagan, a Worm King, a Worm Queen, and a Worm Falco. With eleven Worm monsters in Issac's graveyard now, Worm Victory's attack points rose up to fifty-five hundred.

"I'll set another monster facedown. Now Worm Victory, attack Michael directly." Worm Victory bellowed and began to expel acid from its mouth. A jet of corrosive liquid flew straight toward Mikey and hit him dead-on.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2100

**Issac:** 7000

–––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn."

Mikey drew his card. He looked at it and smiled. This could help. "First, I summon Beast King Barbaros without a tribute." He summoned his monster and his massive lance-wielding liontaur appeared (ATK/3000 DEF/1200). "When he's summoned like this, his original attack points become nineteen hundred instead." He looked up and watched as his monster's attack points were reduced. "Now I activate Forbidden Chalice."

"Your Beast King Barbaros will still be no match for my Worm Victory if you negate its effect to return its original attack points," Issac pointed out.

"I'm not using it on Barbaros," Mikey corrected, "I'm targetting Worm Victory." A golden chalice poured sweet nectar down Worm Victory's throat and the great beast roared as its attack points dropped down to a measly four hundred.

"Barbaros, attack!" ordered Mikey, "Death Sentence!" Beast King Barbaros charged and thrust the lance down Worm Victory's mouth until the tip pierced out through its bottom.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2100

**Issac:** 5500

–––––––––––––––––––

"Now I activate my facedown, Interdimensional Matter Transporter. It removes my monster from play and then returns it on my End Phase." A strange interdimensional ship appeared and Beast King Barbaros stepped inside before being teleported away. "I end my turn." As soon as Mikey's End Phase came, the Interdimensional Matter Transporter returned and out stepped Beast King Barbaros with his original three thousand attack points restored.

"I draw." Issac calmly drew his card. "I Flip Summon Worm Linx." He flipped his facedown card over and revealed it to be a red two-headed alien lice (ATK/300 DEF/1000). "And by its Flip Effect, during each of my End Phases while it remains face-up, I can draw a card. I end my turn." He drew his card as a result of his monster's effect and the duel was turned over to Mikey.

"I draw." The brunet drew his card and looked at it. "I summon Majestic Mech - Senku." A humanoid mechanical angel with wings appeared (ATK/1000 DEF/500). "Barbaros, attack Worm Linx!" Beast King Barbaros' lance impaled Worm Linx easily and the alien lice died instantly.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2100

**Issac:** 2800

–––––––––––––––––––

"Senku, attack with Majestic Spear!" Majestic Mech - Senku folded its hand into a spearhead and thrust it directly into Issac's chest.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2100

**Issac:** 1800

–––––––––––––––––––

"And with Senku's effect, I can draw a card." Mikey drew and added the card to his hand. "Your move." At that moment, Majestic Mech - Senku shattered into a million pieces, sent to the graveyard by its own effect.

"I draw." Issac drew and looked at the card in his hand. "First I activate my facedown, Viper's Rebirth. This card can only be activated if all the monsters in my graveyard are Reptiles. I can then Special Summon one non-Tuner from my graveyard. Then at the end of the turn, it is destroyed."

"Are you bringing back Worm Victory?" Mikey asked as he shuddered remembering its effect.

"No. Worm Victory needs to be flipped for its effect. I'm summoning Worm King." The ground seemed to shake as an enormous golden quadrupedal centaur-like alien emerged with four muscular arms, four spikes jutting out of its back like an X, and a pair of horns adorning its head. In the center of where its groin would have been were two menacing eyes and a vertically-split mouth lined with sharp teeth (ATK/2700 DEF/1100). "Next I Normal Summon Worm Apocalypse." A second Worm Apocalypse appeared wiggling its tendrils.

"Don't you need to set that to use its effect?" Mikey questioned.

"I don't need it for its effect," Issac answered, "I need it for Worm King's effect. By tributing a Worm, I can destroy one card my opponent controls." Worm King grabbed Worm Apocalypse and feasted upon the squealing creature. Then the creature's lower mouth opened up and blasted acid at Beast King Barbaros, disintegrating the mighty Beast-Warrior.

"Barbaros!"

"Worm King, end this duel," commanded Issac. Worm King smashed its tail against the ground and expelled acidic bile from its main head's mouth, raining it down upon Mikey.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 0

**Issac:** 1800

–––––––––––––––––––

His task complete and the duel finished, Issac deactivated his Duel Disk and began to walk away. As he passed by Mikey, he paused in his steps behind him and spoke. "Resume your routine, Michael. You don't need to get involved." And then he left. Mikey turned around and look at Issac as he disappeared around the corner of the building.

_Something's definitely up. And after what just happened, I think the student council may be in on it_, he thought. He got up and started heading toward the Dual Rose. Recca needed to know.

o o o

"Welcome back, Issac," Marsha greeted as her brother re-entered the student council office, "Were you successful?"

"I was," Issac replied.

"And what have you to report?"

"I delivered him a message about his investigation. I think it will draw his attention towards us, though. In fact, losing the duel may reinvigorate him."

"Good, then we'll just have to step up our game." Marsha went to the filing cabinet and took out a gift certificate for the card shop. "Take this down to the Ra Yellow dorm's front steps. That's where today's Lottery Duel is taking place."

"Right away." Issac took the gift certificate and left the room. Marsha returned to her desk and sat down. The sunlight reflected off the lenses of her glasses as she pushed them up.

"Things are all going according to plan. When all is said and done this school won't know what hit it."

* * *

**Next Week on**_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

It's the annual school duel! A top student from another Duel Academy comes to visit to challenge the island's number one ranked Duelist. Who will reign supreme? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	99. The School Duel

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

**NOTE:** Attention all readers! Next week will be our 100th chapter. So to commemorate this, we are requesting everybody to ask any questions they may have in their reviews. Then next week we will include in-depth Q&A right before the chapter.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF OUR LOYAL READERS!

* * *

**EPISODE 3-12**

**The School Duel**

The school assembly had brought many questions into the heads of all the first year students. Noah was sitting with his fellow first year Blues scratching his head wondering what was going on. Two sections behind him however, Mikey, Sammie, Max, Saito, Hayley, and Wes knew exactly what was this was about as did Coltyn and Nellie in the Ra Yellow section and Gabe and Spencer in the Osiris Red section.

"Welcome, everyone," Alexis greeted as she stood behind the podium on the stage, "As most of you know, the annual school duel is coming up. For the first year students, the school duel is a special exhibition duel held once every year. One student from a different Duel Academy comes to our school to duel one of our students. Last year's school duel put West Academy's Jeremy Law against our own Samantha Korangar, who won that duel.

"This year, we have a student coming to us from New Domino Duel Academy. They will be here tomorrow and the duel will take place at one o'clock in the Dragon Arena. Every single one of you is highly encouraged to come and watch."

"Dragon Arena... Why does that name sound so familiar?" Mikey asked.

"It's where you had your first duel with _him_," Max reminded him, stressing the word "him".

"Oh yeah." Mikey looked two rows behind him and saw Saito sitting there, his face like a mask frozen with his undeterred expression.

"See you all at the school duel. That concludes this assembly." And with that, Alexis walked off the stage and the students began to file out of the assembly hall.

"Who do you think's gonna duel?" asked Gabe as the group reconvened outside.

"Only the top ranked Duelist in the school is going to participate, so it's a toss-up between Sammie and Kaiba," Coltyn said.

"It's not me this year," Sammie confirmed. "It's Saito for sure."

"MIKEY!" Mikey turned his head and saw Noah trying to squeeze his way past the students to reach him.

"Hey, Noah." Mikey crouched down and patted the boy's head before lightly ruffling his soft white hair.

"How exactly does the school duel work?" the prepubescent prodigy inquired.

"Well, every year all the Duel Academies go through an evaluation and the one with the best GPA gets to host that year's school duel," Mikey explained, "After that, the staff of the host school and the staff of the visiting school decide on who is the best student to represent the entire student body. Our school has hosted the school duel almost every year since it stopped being a bet between our school and North Academy."

"Could I ever duel in the school duel?" Noah asked.

"Maybe someday," answered Mikey. "First years haven't participated since Jaden Yuki."

"Boo."

"Anyway, we're heading to lunch. Wanna come with us?"

"No thanks. I'm spending lunch with Cassie. Thanks, though." The little British boy bid his friend farewell and then ran off to meet with Cassie.

"Isn't that just adorable! The little guy's already got himself a girlfriend!" Max exclaimed.

"She's not my girlfriend! She's just my friend who happens to be a girl!" the boy's voice called out.

"He totally likes her," Gabe said bluntly.

"He's eight," Coltyn pointed out.

"Anyway, what're we having today?" Mikey asked, "The Dual Rose is closed for renovations, so we're in the caf for the next while."

"I don't know. I'm used to Recca's cooking. I don't know if I want to go back to cafeteria food," Gabe stated as he crossed his hands behind his head.

o o o

"So who are our candidates for this year's School Duel?" Chancellor Rhodes said, her fingers interwoven as she sat in the staff room. She was surrounded by the various instructors at Duel Academy, looking at her intently.

"Well," Dr. Snappe began, "we could use Samantha Korangar again this year. She did so well in last year's duel with West Academy."

Miss Marina shook her head at the suggestion and looked up to Chancellor Rhodes. "I think that is a bad idea. She has seemed kind of off since last year's fiasco at Duelist Kingdom. I think that duel with West Academy was a fluke. She has only just been getting back on her feet and I don't think we need to rock her confidence with a possible loss."

"That's right," Hassleberry piped in, "she's good but I reckon she ain't in the right mind set for this kind of duel."

Chancellor Rhodes nodded and placed her palms down on the table. "Well then who do we have on our list?" she said calmly, trying to concentrate on the task at hand so she wouldn't drift off to thoughts of the loss of the Sacred Beasts last year. The School Duel meeting always helped get her mind off of thing. It reminded her of her husband and his freshman year, the year he proved rank didn't matter in a duel, only skill.

"Well," Mr. Higsby spoke up, adjusting his glasses as he looked over a spread sheet, "the best duelists in the school, besides Samantha, are: Wesley N. Remington, Nellie Lazarus, Hayley Maxine, Saito Kaiba and... This has to be a mistake."

"What is, Higsby?" asked Chancellor Rhodes.

"My spread sheet says that Michael Angel is on our list for best Duelists, but that can't be. I remember just two years ago we almost had to expel him for his poor dueling skills. Sure he is an Obelisk now, but the improvement couldn't have been that staggering."

Miss Marina smirked to herself, a single tear streaming down her cheek that she quickly wiped away. "I suggest Mikey be our school representative in the duel." She blurted out in excitement.

"I'd have to agree with that statement," Hassleberry added. "Mikey is a bit timid, but I think he's shown what hard work and determination can get you. He would be a good representative here, though I would also have to say Wes Remington would be a good choice too. Considering who Neo Domino City Academy chose Remington would be able to put a stop to all of her plans."

"While I think Mikey is a great Duelist I don't think he is ready for a duel against someone like Neo Domino Academy's rep," said Mr. Thulin. "You all saw her at the Fortune Cup. I think we need a Duelist with a lot more personal confidence. I will back Wes Remington or Saito Kaiba for this duel. They are definitely the best choices. Wes for his ability to assess situations with great accuracy and then counter and Saito for his raw talent at dueling."

"I agree with Mr. Thulin," added Mr. Snappe.

"So do I," said Mr. Higsby.

Chancellor Rhodes nodded and looked around the room, thinking about what had been said. The room was silent with all eyes on Chancellor Rhodes, only a few suggestions and statements made intermittently as she contemplated on the matter at hand. Finally she came to a decision and said, "The representative of our annual school duel is..."

o o o

Saito was in the simulator room practicing against different decks. No information on his opponent had been released, so he had to be ready for any possibility. He had played against Blackwings, Gadgets, Morphtronics, Twilight, Zombies, Exodia, Six Samurai, and Naturia, but he was far from finished his training. Wes, Nellie, and Hayley were on the side keeping watch over the simulator controls.

"He's dueling top tier decks," Hayley noted as she looked at the list.

"He puts out his best and so he expects others to put out their best," Wes explained, "He expects nothing less."

"Sai's already got a lot of natural talent, so why does he keep practicing?" Nellie inquired.

"You know him. He's a perfectionist." An explosion signalled the end of the duel and all three of them turned their heads to see Saito standing there with Dragunity Knight - Trident on his left side and a Blue-Eyes White Dragon on his right.

"Sai, ready to call it a day?" asked Nellie.

"I can keep going," Saito responded as he shuffled his deck back together and ordered Wes to start the next duel. He turned to face the duel robot as it loaded an Infernity deck.

"Do we know _anything_ about his opponent's deck whatsoever?" Hayley inquired.

"Just that it has a card that nobody else in the world has." Wes looked on as Saito engaged his opponent.

o o o

Recca stood quietly in a small circle of chains, chanting something in an old Gaelic dialect whilst holding a longsword against her chest. Spiritually guarding the place against whatever was out there was paramount, Physically it would raise suspicion if the entire store was made up like a Bastille, that and it would hardly be aesthetically pleasing to their eyes. So the erection of various wards and unseen little tricks were the best she could do. She gave a quick blessing to the ancestral druids who preceded her and made her way back upstairs. Reko was hard at work adding silver filigree into the woodwork, and she beamed at the beautiful marriage of art and form to the area. Soon, maybe a week more this place would become a veritable stronghold, a true base of operations that even surpassed what her own mother wanted.

o o o

The lottery duel between Scott and Spencer had ended in a draw, so Marsha was forced to give both boys a gift certificate. Upon returning to her office, she saw Issac was already there. "I assume tomorrow's lottery is cancelled because of the school duel?"

"Yes," Marsha answered as she stood by the window and looked outside, "As much as I would love to engage another lottery, we have to follow the school's scheduling or else people may get suspicious."

"You needn't worry about Michael," Issac assured her, "He's got no leads to follow. He'll be down for a while longer."

"I would certainly hope so." Marsha took off her glasses and slowly began wiping the lenses with a cloth. "Issac?"

"Yes?"

Marsha put her glasses back on. "As members of the student council, it is our duty to attend that duel. We shall take our place in the front most row. We are the Student Council, you understand. If we were not to attend with our full numbers, would that not raise suspicion? Zetsubou's lost, Mikey's wounded, and Recca and that insufferable brood of hers has holed back up in her shop. Already there are others aside from Zetsubou in wait out there, probably taking people here and there, making our job easier. Now brother, you heard me last week when I said this school won't know what hit it. I am holding true to my words, after this duel, perhaps during, we can finally let the hammer fall."

o o o

The boat ferrying the student from the other school arrived early in the morning. Not only did it bring them, but it also seemed to have also brought along others from that school. Mikey was rather surprised. He had expected more teenagers to arrive, but instead there were also students from elementary and junior high. Not only that, but it seemed like the other school did not class their students by hierarchical ranks. There were different colors of school uniforms, but it only divided between genders. Boys wore blue while girls wore red. He could see Noah and Cassie in a corner chatting excitedly with a pair of aqua-haired twins - one boy and one girl - trying to get acquainted with them.

"A lot of them sure came," Mikey noted.

"It's not uncommon for the entire school to accompany the student," Sammie answered.

"Has anything been said yet about who's dueling from our school?" Gabe asked.

"No. The staff's being tight-lipped about it this year."

"Well, we might as well mingle while the mingling's good." Those were Max's last words before he disappeared into the crowd.

"I'm with him on this one," Gabe said as he walked after a boy around his age.

"Try not to go after this one too quickly!" Sammie called after him.

"Har har," muttered Gabe before he disappeared into the sea of humans.

"MIKEY!" Mikey yelped out in surprise as he suddenly felt an extra weight latch onto his back and wrap its arms around his neck.

"Hey, Noah."

"Mikey! Look! New friends!" Noah hopped off Mikey and stood beside Cassie as they introduced the twins they had been speaking to earlier. "This is Leo."

"And this is Luna," Cassie introduced.

"Hello. It's nice to meet you all," Luna greeted politely.

"Hey, all. What's up?" Leo said with a very cheesy grin.

"Hi there," Mikey greeted back. "I'm Mikey."

"My name's Sammie."

"Coltyn."

"The ginger is Max and the last one is Mikey's brother Gabe," Noah finished. "So Mikey, who's dueling for us?"

"We don't know," Mikey answered as he scratched behind his head.

"Well, our school is being represented by Akiza Izinski," Luna said, "Have you heard of her?"

"She dueled in the Fortune Cup, I believe," Coltyn replied.

"That's her."

"Eh, she's good. But I bet I could do better if I had the chance," Leo blurted out.

"They'd never let you, Leo," Luna said with a sigh, "These are high school guys and you and I are just in elementary. Besides, with your winning streak, I don't think you'd ever make it."

"How bad is it?" Cassie inquired curiously.

"He never wins."

"I do SO win!"

"On flukes, Leo!"

"Yeah well, I'm sure Akiza'll mop the floor with whoever these guys got dueling for them." Leo put his arms behind his head. "Seriously, what could these guys do?"

"Okay Leo, that's enough. We better get going. Nice talking to all of you." Luna bowed toward the teens, Noah, and Cassie and dragged her brother away.

"Nice kids," Sammie observed.

"He's got spirit at least," Coltyn noted.

"Yeah, but she's the level-headed one," Mikey added. "Let's find my brother and Max and then head to the arena. I don't want to be stuck standing."

o o o

"Thank you for coming to meet with us prior to the school duel, Principal Langford," Alexis greeted as she met with the principal of the visiting school in her office, "I hope your commute was satisfying."

"Thank you so much for allowing us to come, Chancellor Rhodes. The trip was an enjoyable one, though I cannot say that all of our students enjoyed the boat ride," Principal Langford said in response, "I've left my vice principal, Mr. Heitmann, in charge of my school in my absence. I'm sure he won't do too much harm while I'm gone."

"By all means, please have a seat." Principal Langford took Alexis' invitation and sat down on the couch in the corner of the office. She served him some coffee and then sat down across from him with her own cup.

"I must say I'm very much looking forward to this afternoon's school duel. Many of our students are excited to see their schoolmate compete against a skilled opponent from another school. Our staff are just as excited to see how she will fare. How about your students?"

"Well, our students don't know which one of them is dueling yet," Alexis answered.

"Oho. A secret? That's sure to make things interesting."

"It certainly will, Principal Langford."

o o o

The Dragon Arena was just as Mikey remembered it. Three towering Blue-Eyes White Dragon statues surrounded the room meeting in the center of the ceiling. The students from the other school were certainly impressed by it. Looking around it felt as if the room had been split in two. On one half, all the Duel Academy students sat in a mishmash of red, yellow, and blue. On the other side sat the New Domino Academy students. Mikey looked around and noticed that the teachers and the student council had occupied the frontmost row of their section. Alexis and Principal Langford soon came out and stood on the dueling stage.

"Thank you everyone for coming!" Alexis spoke in the microphone. "The school duel has always been a symbol of good will and respect to our fellow Duel Academies. Only one select student from each school ever participates. To be able to duel against another school's student is a great honor. So from our school, please welcome our top-ranked Duelist, Saito Kaiba!" Cheers erupted from the Duel Academy side as Saito stepped out from the shadows while the students from New Domino Academy watched in awe at the realization that this boy was the son of Seto Kaiba.

"And now, representing New Domino Academy," Principal Langford announced, "please welcome our very own Akiza Izinski!" All eyes turned as a teenage girl with ruby red hair with the bangs curled around an ornamental hairpiece, leaving two long locks flowing on either side of her face. She wore on her arm a standard issue non-school issued Duel Disk with a rose red custom color scheme.

"Saito."

"Akiza."

"You may begin." The school principals stepped off the stage and retreated to their schools' respective sides of the arena.

"Do not assume I am afraid of you because you are the heir of Seto Kaiba," Akiza said.

"Do not assume I will go easy on you because you are a girl," Saito replied. He activated his Blue-Eyes White Dragon themed Duel Disk. "I duel to win."

"As do I." Akiza activated her Duel Disk.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 8000

**Akiza:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

Akiza won the coin toss, which allowed her the first turn. "I draw!" She drew her first card. "I'll begin by summoning Botanical Girl in attack mode." She placed a card on her Duel Disk and summoned out a girl wearing an outfit that bore a resemblance to a Venus fly trap and a headdress consisting of a blooming flower and a pitcher plant (ATK/1300 DEF/1100). "Then I will set one card facedown and end my turn."

"I draw." Saito drew his first card of the duel. "I play Future Fusion. Now by sending Fusion Material cards from my deck to my graveyard, I can summon a Fusion Monster in two turns." He selected both copies of Dragunity Phalanx, Dragunity Brandistock, Dragunity Partisan, and Dragunity Javalin and sent them all to his graveyard. "Next I summon Dragunity Dux." A winged birdman in a white tunic appeared wielding a slave driver's whip in one hand (ATK/1500 DEF/1000). "And when he's Normal Summoned, I can equip him with one level three or lower Dragunity Dragon from my graveyard and I choose Dragunity Phalanx." A navy-blue skinned dragon wearing bronze armor appeared with a buckler on each arm and two diamond-tipped spears equipped to its helmet (ATK/500 DEF/1100). As soon as it appeared, Dragunity Dux jumped onto its back. "Dragunity Dux gains two hundred attack points for every Dragunity card I control." The birdman cracked his whip as his attack points went up to nineteen hundred.

"Next I use Dragunity Phalanx's effect to Special Summon him." Dragunity Phalanx bounced Dragunity Dux off his back and stood beside him ready to fight.

"Now watch as I tune them together." Dragunity Phalanx faded away until two stars remained that turned into synchro rings that surrounded Dragunity Dux and faded his body until four stars were left before a column of light engulfed them all. "I Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana!" A dark-skinned dragon in bright red armor emerged from the light with a birdman with matching armor riding on its back wielding a long spear (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). "Upon being Synchro Summoned, I can select a Dragunity Dragon from my graveyard and equip it to him. I choose Dragunity Brandistock." A tiny purple dragon with cyan armor appeared with a large spike on its head (ATK/600 DEF/400) and was placed in front of the rider. "Any monster equipped with Dragunity Brandistock can attack twice. Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana, attack!" Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana flew across the field and the rider swung his spear and impaled Botanical Girl.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 8000

**Akiza:** 7400

–––––––––––––––––

"When Botanical Girl is sent to the graveyard, I can select a Plant monster with one thousand or fewer defense points from my deck and add it to my hand." Akiza pulled out Copy Plant and placed it in her hand.

"Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana, attack her directly now." On Saito's orders, Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana flew in and the rider stabbed Akiza through the chest with his spear.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 8000

**Akiza:** 5500

–––––––––––––––––

"You can do it, Akiza!" the twins from New Domino Academy cheered.

"Nice move, Sai!" Nellie cried.

"Get her, babe!" Sammie cried out in excitement for her boyfriend

"I set two cards facedown and end my turn," Saito declared.

"I draw then." Akiza drew her card. "First I activate my facedown card, Call of the Haunted and use it to bring back Botanical Girl." Her Botanical Girl reappeared on the field. "Next I activate the Spell Card Seed of Deception, which lets me Special Summon one level two or lower Plant monster from my hand, so I Special Summon Copy Plant in defense mode." A very strange assortment of dead plants twisted together appeared on the field (ATK/0 DEF/0). "Next I Normal Summon Gigantic Cephalotus." A enormous cephalotus rose up on two legs and stepped toward the front line (ATK/1850 DEF/700). "Now I activate the effect of my Copy Plant, which lets it copy the level of one Plant monster on the field. I'll use it to copy Botanical Girl." Copy Plant changed from a level one creature into a level three creature. "Now I tune Copy Plant to Botanical Girl." Copy Plant's body faded away until three stars remained. The stars turned into synchro rings and surrounded Botanical Girl, whose body faded away until three stars remained.

"I Synchro Summon Splendid Rose!" A column of light engulfed the stars and from the radiance an effeminate man appeared in a green bodysuit split down the middle into two shades of green with two pairs of thorn-covered vines growing out of his back with rose petals surrounding his ankles (ATK/2200 DEF/2000). "And now for the effect of my Gigantic Cephalotus. For each Plant that was sent to the graveyard, he gains two hundred attack points." Gigantic Cephalotus grew larger as four hundred points were added to its base attack points, bringing it up to twenty-two fifty. "And then with the effect of my Botanical Girl, I bring Lord Poison to my hand."

"GO AKIZA!" Leo shouted at the top of his lungs before letting out a series of whoops.

"Leo, settle down," Luna begged. But before she could say another word, other students joined the overexcited Leo in his cheers.

"Now I remove from play Botanical Girl to halve the attack of your monster, Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana." As Akiza placed the card into her pocket, Splendid Rose lashed out with his vines and wrapped them around Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana, decreasing his attack points to a mere nine hundred and fifty. "Now Splendid Rose, attack him!" With his target still ensnared, Splendid Rose leapt into the air and began spinning around before launching himself toward him with a flowery kick.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 6750

**Akiza:** 5500

–––––––––––––––––

"Now I use my Splendid Rose's other effect. By removing from play one Plant from my graveyard, I can halve his attack points and have him attack again." Akiza took Copy Plant from her graveyard and placed it in her pocket. Splendid Rose put his vines against the ground to keep himself airborne before launching another spinning kick at Saito.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 5650

**Akiza:** 5500

–––––––––––––––––

"It's your turn now, Gigantic Cephalotus." The great big carnivorous plant stood up and lunged to bite Saito.

"I activate Defense Draw." Saito revealed one of his facedown cards. "My Battle Damage is reduced to zero and I draw one card." A barrier erected itself around him and blocked the attack, causing Gigantic Cephalotus to retreat.

"I will set a card and end my turn," Akiza announced.

"Then I draw." Saito drew his card and proceeded with his turn. "I summon another Dragnuity Dux and with his effect, I equip him with Dragunity Phalanx." Another birdman slave driver appeared and jumped onto the back of a dragon in bronze armor. By his own effect, Dragunity Dux's attack points went up to nineteen hundred. "Now with the effect of Dragunity Phalanx, I Special Summon him in attack mode." Dragunity Dux dismounted from Dragunity Phalanx and the two monsters stood together. "Now watch as I tune them together." Just as he had done in the previous turn, Dragunity Phalanx was tuned to Dragunity Dux. However, the resulting Synchro Monster was not another Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana. What appeared was a dragon with dark skin wearing crimson armor with a helmet armed with a sharp blade running down the center while a dark-feathered birdman wearing matching armor road on its back wielding a spear (ATK/2400 DEF/800).

"I Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg. Now I play from my hand Dragon Control Technique. Once per turn, I can select a Dragon-type Dragunity monster in my hand and treat it as an Equip Card and equip it to a monster I control. Plus any monster equipped with a Dragunity card gets a five hundred attack point boost. So I'll equip Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg with Dragunity Brandistock, granting it the power to attack twice in the same Battle Phase." Dragunity Brandistock appeared in front of the rider and Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg rose up to twenty-nine hundred attack points.

"Destroy Gigantic Cephalotus!" The armored dragon swooped down on the field and dragged its nose along the ground. As it neared Gigantic Cephalotus, it snapped its head back and slashed upwards, cutting the plant cleanly in two.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 5650

**Akiza:** 4850

–––––––––––––––––

"Now Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg, destroy Splendid Rose!" As Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg rose up, it turned and stopped in front of Splendid Rose before swinging its head down and cutting him in two.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 5650

**Akiza:** 4150

–––––––––––––––––

"Your move," Saito announced.

Akiza drew her card. She thought carefully. Here her opponent had a monster with twenty-nine hundred attack points that could attack twice. Then on his next turn he would be able to summon out Five God Dragon, giving her another difficult challenge. However, the card she just drew could fix that.

"I set one monster. After that, I activate my Field Spell, Black Garden." She placed the card inside her field tray and a cage of thorns rose up and surrounded the arena. "When a monster is Normal or Special Summoned, except by the effect of "Black Garden", its attack points are halved and a Rose Token is summoned to the opponent's side of the field in Attack Position. I can also destroy this card and all face-up Plant-Type monsters on the field and Special Summon one monster with attack points equal to the total attack points of those monsters from my Graveyard. That ends my turn."

"I draw." Saito drew his card. "And now my Future Fusion kicks in on my Standby Phase, bringing out my Five God Dragon!" A great big tan dragon with five heads each representing the attributes of Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Darkness appeared and roared (ATK/5000 DEF/5000). The thorns of Black Garden suddenly began choking the great dragon, forcing its attack points to drop to twenty-five hundred. At the same time, a rose appeared in front of Akiza as a level two Dark Plant with eight hundred attack and defense points in attack position. "Your little garden card won't stop my onslaught. Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg, attack the token." Dragunity Knight Gae Dearg flew over the field and slashed Akiza's Rose Token.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 5650

**Akiza:** 2050

–––––––––––––––––

"Now Gae Dearg, destroy her facedown." Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg flew across the field again and slashed apart Akiza's facedown, which turned out to be her Lord Poison (ATK/1500 DEF/1000).

"When Lord Poison is destroyed, I can resurrect one Plant monster from my graveyard as long as it isn't Lord Poison. I summon Splendid Rose in defense mode." Splendid Rose appeared on the field crouching in a defensive position. His attack points were immediately cut down to eleven hundred and a Rose Token grew out of the ground on Saito's side of the field.

"Clever choice, making use of your monster's high defense points. But it won't save you. Five God Dragon, destroy Splendid Rose!" Five God Dragon opened its mouths and unleashed five beams of fire, earth energy, water, darkness, and lightning that spiraled into a single blast and obliterated Splendid Rose. "I may as well make use of this token you gave me. Attack her directly." The Rose Token complied and fired thorns at Akiza.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 5650

**Akiza:** 1250

–––––––––––––––––

"And that ends my turn," announced Saito.

"I draw then." Akiza drew her card. She liked her hand, but she needed just one more card to make it work. And her facedown would giver the chance to make it happen. However her chances of getting a card were slim. Still, she had little choice. "I activate my facedown card, Jar of Greed, so that I may draw an extra card." She drew her card. Now she had three and those three were exactly what she needed. "I summon Twilight Rose Knight." A young woman with blue hair appeared in black armor and a white cape holding a sword in hier hand (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "When she is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a level four or lower Plant from my hand. I summon Cactus Fighter." A cactus with arms, legs, and a face appeared (ATK/1900 DEF/400). The stage was now set. "I tune Twilight Rose Knight to my Cactus Fighter."

As the two monsters synchronized, Akiza began to chant. "Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon!" A white light engulfed the three synchro rings and four stars. "Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!" Rose petals flew all over the field as a massive dragon covered in large red rose petals emerged with sharp thorn-covered vines trailing behind it with the largest one of all serving as its tail (ATK/2400 DEF/1800).

"What is THAT thing?" Mikey asked.

"Dunno," Sammie answered.

"I saw it on TV during the Fortune Cup," Coltyn said. Meanwhile, the students on the other side of the room were cheering.

"Way to go, Akiza!" Leo screamed as he stood up on his seat. Even Luna was excited at seeing the great dragon.

"And now I activate my Black Rose Dragon's effect. When she's Synchro Summoned, I can use her to destroy every single card on the field. Black Rose Dragon, use Black Rose Gale!" Black Rose Dragon raised her head and let out a roar as a great flurry of rose petals blasted around the field and destroyed everything leaving not a single card on the field.

"And now I activate Monster Reborn and resurrect Black Rose Dragon!" Black Rose Dragon rose up back onto the field, her tails whipping around wildly, as she raised her head and roared. "Black Rose Dragon, attack him directly. Black Rose Flare!" Black Rose Dragon opened her mouth and fired a twister of black rose petals directly at Saito.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 3250

**Akiza:** 1250

–––––––––––––––––

"That will end my turn," announced Akiza.

Saito drew his card. This couldn't be happening. He had seen it on television, but he never imagined he would fight it himself. Black Rose Dragon was an extremely rare card, only one copy of it existed in the whole world, and here he was facing it in front of two different schools. There was very little he could do. His hand had cards that could save him, but he was short two to make his combo complete. He took his third card and set it in defense mode before ending his turn.

"I draw." Akiza drew her card. "Now I activate Black Rose Dragon's other effect. By removing from play a monster, she can turn one monster you control in defense position into face-up attack position and reduce its attack points to zero. So I'll remove from play Lord Poison." The poisonous plant creature levitated into the air and Black Rose Dragon lunged forward with her mouth and closed her jaws around it. "Rose Restruction!" Several vines shot out and ensnared Saito's facedown, which turned out to be Dragunity Militum. With her limbs bound, her attack points instantly dropped to zero.

"Attack! Black Rose Flare!" Black Rose Dragon unleashed another twister of black rose petal and blasted apart Saito's monster with ease.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 850

**Akiza:** 1250

–––––––––––––––––

"WAHOO! Akiza's gonna win!" Leo was excited.

"I can't lose..." Saito muttered.

"It's your turn now," Akiza declared. Saito looked at his deck. The cards in his hand were useless by themselves. Without something to make them work, he was done for.

"Sai, you can do it!" Nellie called out.

"Believe in yourself, Kay-Kay!" Hayley cheered.

Wes said nothing, but he did cross his fingers while giving Saito an affirming nod.

"You can with this, Saito!" Sammie yelled.

Mikey sat there watching Sammie as she cheered on her boyfriend. He looked over at Saito. He then stood up and shouted. "Kaiba! If you lose, you're gonna be the laughing stock of the whole school!"

Saito felt something stab his heart. He turned his head and glared at Mikey. The other boy looked back at him with the same look in his eyes. Saito turned back to Akiza and placed his fingers on top of his deck. "I draw." He drew his card with new found confidence, as if it were a destiny draw. "I play Pot of Avarice. From my graveyard, I return Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg, Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana, both Dragunity Duxes, and Dragunity Javelin to my deck." He placed his Synchros into his Extra Deck and the rest into his deck. His Duel Disk automatically shuffled his cards and the LCD screen displaying his Life Points began to flash with the words "DRAW TWO". He grabbed the top tow cards of his deck and pulled them out.

"Come on..." Mikey whispered.

"I play Polymerization!" Saito placed his Spell Card. "And I'll fuse from my hand three Blue-Eyes White Dragons!" All three Blue-Eyes White Dragons appeared overhead as they merged together into a massive three-headed Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "Behold, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Three deafening simultaneous roars shook the arena as the massive beast turned his attention its would-be target (ATK/4500 DEF/3800).

"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, annihilate that Black Rose Dragon!" ordered Saito, "BLUE-EYES ULTIMATE BURST!" Each head began charging up a Burst Stream of Destruction and they fired them all at once, merging them together into a single high-powered attack that blasted Black Rose Dragon and completely destroyed her.

–––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 850

**Akiza:** 0

–––––––––––––––––

Saito closed his eyes as he raised his left arm and held his Duel Disk toward the sky as the three statues erupted into a great big light show. Cheers erupted from the Duel Academy students while mixed feelings permeated around the New Domino Academy students. Leo was completely devastated while Luna tried to snap him out of it.

"Saito." Saito looked at Akiza as she walked toward him. "That was an excellent duel. I would have not expected any less from the son of Seto Kaiba."

"Akiza." Saito looked straight into her eyes. "You have been one of the best challenges I have ever had. Perhaps someday we may be able to duel again." Everyone just stared at him. Saito was acknowledging a Duelist's strength?

"Perhaps we will." And with that, Akiza turned and left.

o o o

The New Domino Academy students were allowed to stay on the island overnight. All of them had managed to arrange some kind of accommodations. Akiza was allowed an empty dorm room in the Obelisk Blue building. Gabe had found someone with whom to share his bunk. Noah had invited Leo into his room for a sleepover while Cassie and Luna slept in the teacher's dormitory. Almost everybody was asleep.

All save for one. Alexis was in her office. She sat in her chair looking out at the moon as she twisted the phone cord with her other hand. "Stolen, you say?" the person on the other end of the line asked.

"Yes," Alexis confirmed, "We have no idea what they have planned, but we know it is not good. The Sacred Beasts were sealed beneath the school for a reason. Whoever stole them has some kind of scheme planned."

"You know I don't work free, right?"

"Money is no object. What's important is that the Sacred Beasts are returned."

"Then we have a deal."

o o o

A cloud of smoke wafted through the air as as Sako took another puff from his cigarette.

"The Duel Sniper is on the hunt."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The Duel Lottery bows to no one. All are at its mercy. Friend against friend. Brother against brother. Lover against lover. Two unlucky students find themselves forced into a duel against one another. See this unfold next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	100. Duel Between Lovers

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

**Anime Master ZERO:** Hello there. I am Anime Master ZERO, or AMZ for short. Some people call me the Sky, Tuna, Jyuudaime, or even Boss. I am the main writer of this story. Most of the words you have read were written by me. I'm the guy behind characters such as Coltyn, Omen, Kel'aral, and Noah. Mikey was a character that a good chunk of us designed together, but I can relate to him the most since his experiences are very similar to my own.

**Comic Master Alpha:** I am Comic Master Alpha. CMA for short. Chance for better. The guy hiding in your closet, for terror. I am the storyboarder, editor, co-writer, deck designer, character creator, etc. I design the story and let AMZ write it in a more...GX style. I am the creator of characters such as the Duel Sniper, Max, Sammie, and...well 80-90% of the cast in general as well as their accompanying decks. Fun stuff, huh?

**Strawberry Bunny: **I'm Strawberry Bunny, also Rabbit. I aid in character creation, and storyboard. The Telaris family and Tejinashis were my doing, as well as few others neato bits here and there. I was a very assertive beta reader in the past and...it steamrolled from there, by jove.

**Anime Master ZERO:** Now last week, we invited all of you to ask any questions you had for us and we would answer them for you the following week. Well, now it's the following week. Yay! Let's start with our first reviewer for chapter 3-12. **Aldamonburst **asks, _"I know Cassie is Alexis and Jaden's kid, but do you plan to have any other famous duelist's kids appear?"_

**Comic Master Alpha:** Truthfully, we tend to sway from using the children of canon characters when we can. It seems like a standard in these OC fics. We try to put them in when we feel they are necessary for the story. Saito is an example of this. We thought he would contribute to the story, but it's not impossible for us to consider more. Keep an eye out. You never know who'll show up. Thanks for the question, Aldamonburst.

**Anime Master ZERO:** Our next question comes from **Cardog 24** and they ask, "_My question is does Noah still have Light and Darkness Dragon in his deck?"_ The short answer is yes. If you can recall in the previous season, Noah's use of a Chaos deck reflected his immaturity and naivete as a child. As season 3 progresses, you will read as he matures over time not only as a Duelist but as a person overall. Light and Darkness Dragon is sort of a cornerstone in his development from his time as a Traditional Format Chaos Duelist to an Advanced Format Chaos Duelist. Thank you for your question, Cardog 24. It may have been a simple question, but it does go into some of the deeper aspects of the story.

**Comic Master Alpha:** Moving on, **Fenikkusumaru **asks, _"Saito and Sammie are dating?"_ ….Seriously?

**Strawberry Bunny:** Let me have a crack at it~

**Anime Master ZERO:** Sure, Rabbit. Go hard.

**Strawberry Bunny: **Saito and Sammie have been dating for QUITE a good long while. Since Season 2 in fact! It's a very strange relationship to be sure, but the love is there and deep seated, explained in a flashback no less in an old game store. Though Sammie is a firecracker and Saito is very cold and business oriented, the relationship just goes to show that somewhere deep in Saito there's a guy who loves and cares just like anyone else.

**Anime Master ZERO:** Thanks for that, Bunny.

**Strawberry Bunny:** Yupperdoodles!

**Anime Master ZERO:** Okay, next question. **Juicebox4 **asks, _"In chapter 6 Max duels Damien, who uses a Skull Servant deck. Can you recommend for the Skull Servant deck I run on YVD and DMG? Preferably no Spell or Traps?"_ Oh, a deck building question. CMA, wanna take this one?

**Comic Master Alpha:** Do I have to?

**Anime Master ZERO:** Not really. You're just the best person to ask this sort of thing about.

**Strawberry Bunny: **Why are we transcribing everything we're talking about?

**Comic Master Alpha:** Because we're fucking geniuses, Rabbit!

**Noah Kaiyou:** What about me?

**Anime Master ZERO:** Noah, get back in the story now.

**Comic Master Alpha:** I CAN build the deck, but I'm not sure I have the time in my personal life. I wish I could help, but I have a lot of stuff to do with student teaching and this and my job.

**Anime Master ZERO:** Next question. **Greyfox **asks, _"Will the main Hero Mikey get an new deck or an upgrade to his current deck anytime soon. His current deck seems to be very weak in comparison to mainstreme deck and even the other characters in your own story."_

**Strawberry Bunny: **That's a topic of debate for quite some time now. That skinny of it is that YES he will be getting a deck change. His deck has actually been evolving for quite some time since Season 2, what WILL it become however? Well, that's a whole new story. You can just tell that those two dragons of his are going to play a big part in it though.

**Anime Master ZERO:** Next question comes from **Eltoro **who asks, _"Will Mikey meet some of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's and Yu-Gi-Oh! cast? Plus how long are you going to keep this story up since I like it?"_ I would certainly hope you like it. Otherwise, why would you still be reading it? Haha. But seriously, thanks for the compliment. But the short answer is yes, Mikey and the rest of our cast will be meeting more of the canon characters.

**Comic Master Alpha:** In fact, Team Ragnarok will be playing a big role in the future of this story.

**Anime Master ZERO:** And as for how long, this is our last season. We had only planned three seasons, one for each year of high school. But this final season is most definitely our longest season; even longer than either of the previous seasons. Combined. Thanks for your question, though. NEXT QUESTION!

**Strawberry Bunny:** I'll take a swing at the next one.

**Anime Master ZERO:** Be my guest. –turns my laptop toward Strawberry Bunny–

**Strawberry Bunny:** This one comes from **RedRangerBelt**, who asks, _"Will any other 5D's characters, such as the Signers, be making an appearance besides in this chapter? Who stole the Sacred Beasts (again), and why? Who will be in the Duel Lotteries next? Has Mikey gone yet?"_

**Comic Master Alpha:** We're considering putting in another one of the Signers. But we can't tell you who. It would ruin the surprise.

**Anime Master ZERO:** As for who stole the Sacred Beasts, it was explicitly stated in the final chapter of season 2. It was Kel'aral. And regarding the Duel Lotteries, you'll just have to wait and see. And no, Mikey has not gone yet. We should really do something about that.

**Comic Master Alpha:** Yes we should.

**Strawberry Bunny:** Yupperdoodles!

**Anime Master ZERO:** Next we have a question I received through a private message. **Inhuman X** asks, _"I just wanted to ask you (Though I know it's too late but doesn't hurt to try and ask right?) if I could send in an OC for the story? I understand if not."_

**Comic Master Alpha:** Basically, we try not to take any OC characters from other writers because it tends to impose upon our story and we want to reflect our own ideas through this story. We've already taken enough of a jump by allowing our beta readers to use their OC characters. We actually had an incident during season 1 with one of our more positive reviewers name Blue-Eyes White Knight where he proposed an original character idea to us, but when we respectfully declined he got very agitated. We really do appreciate all of our readers and the fact that we've inspired them to create these characters, but we believe that these characters can be used to further develop your own stories. You don't need us to write these stories for you. These are your mind babies. Birth them.

**Anime Master ZERO:** Our last review is quite a lengthy and detailed one sent to us by **IrysGundam005 **with a great deal of questions. I think we need to break this thing up one question at a time. Their first question is, _"Is Saito a little nod to Hub Hikari from Megaman: Battle Network's Japanese name?"_ The short answer is no, but kudos on noticing it being a big MegaMan fan myself. We chose the name Saito because it comes close to his father's name Seto. The next question they ask is, _"My only gripe with Saito's Deck is that, does he run two different decks or one whole deck?"_

**Comic Master Alpha:** Saito only runs one deck, a Dragunity deck with Blue-Eyes White Dragons in it. He ran a pure Dragon deck before, but his current one is all Dragunity. The Blue-Eyes White Dragons are there to symbolize his inheritance of the Kaiba family legacy. Hey, Rabbit, answer the next one.

**Strawberry Bunny : ** "_Will the Skill Drain deck be ditched?" _Perhaps, it may be looking that way in the story, but if you wanted to run one in real life, go for it! Those decks are cheap and effective, and one of the things I've noticed is how many different ideas for strategies there are. Bypassing Mist Archfiends effect entirely with Skill Drain is a real neat prospect for example. However Mikey's catchline in Season 1, the meek shall inherit the earth, really hints at a normal type deck or something doesn't it? Just keep tuned, it's really going to be something neato.

**Anime Master ZERO:** _"Are you accepting anyone elses OC's for this story, even just as cameos ore_

_one-chapter only characters?"_ Wait, we already answered this one. Please reference the same question asked earlier. _"Is there any way for me to speak with you on ? Either through PMs or on forum chats? I've been following you for a while and I would actually love the chance to speak with you sometime, if you don't mind."_ We really don't like giving out personal contact information. However you are most definitely welcome to send us private messages. The story is on my account, but any questions pertaining to GNext are shared with my colleagues here.

**Comic Master Alpha:** Is that it?

**Anime Master ZERO:** Yeah, that's the last of the questions.

**Comic Master Alpha:** Well we thank everyone for their questions and I guess we're gonna give them a little "behind the scenes" on what the creators prefer. Like what are our favorite moments, favorite characters, and so on. I personally like Sammie and Sako. I like the badass Duel Sniper and also he was one of my characters. And I like Sammie for being the straightforward female lead. As for my favorite moments, I liked the battle between War and Sako. That...was BADASS! Rabbit! Your turn!

**Strawberry Bunny:** Well my personal favorite scene... Well, I personally like anything I made. But I have to say my favorite scene was the duel between Reko and Saito. The description of Rubys taking out that Dragunity was just awesome. And the scary thing is that wasn't even Reko's deck. You can only wonder what he's gonna do with Mist Valley. Hey, it's not selfish to say that, right?

**Anime Master ZERO:** Not really. One of my favorite characters is most definitely Mikey. His development throughout the story reminds me of myself when I was his age and it just makes it easier for me to relate to him. I also really like Noah. Believe or not, Noah is actually my own self-insert into the story. He is in essence my younger clone.

**Comic Master Alpha:** Well Mr. Thulin is my self-insert. He's me. Literally. Well, I guess that's the end of the Q and A. Rabbit, you can go to bed now.

**Strawberry Bunny:** Thank you~

**Comic Master Alpha: **This is by far our longest chapter yet, which is good. So please enjoy the fic.

**Anime Master ZERO:** And thanks to all our readers for sticking with us for one hundred chapters. We hope you'll continue to stick with us until the very end.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-13**

**Duel Between Lovers**

Once upon a time there were great gods wielded by the Pharaoh of Egypt. These gods could rend the skies, shake the earth, and boil the seas. Each was mighty, but together they were able to destroy the Darkness. They were not alone, though, as beasts one day walked the earth in the shape of the old gods of Egypt. These sacred beasts were so deadly and powerful that they were locked away, to never be seen again. That did not last.

One of these beasts was named Uria, Lord of Searing Flames. Its body ensnared and entangled the world. Its mouth exhaled fire as easily as a man does air. It mocked the power of the form of Osiris, the god renamed Slifer. The mere thought of this beast being released to this world gave the eternal fires the bubble in this Earth cause to rejoice and dance, quaking the world above in shivering tremors.

The mysterious box that he had found at the opening of the tomb slowly opened. He knew not what was inside. He didn't know the power. Odion became Uria's slave that day.

o o o

Marsha stood in front of the Osiris Red dorm with Issac at her side waiting for the end of the day's lottery duel. Two Osiris Red students were nearing the end of the game. Each was only down to only five hundred Life Points. The next move would determine the winner.

"Crab Turtle, attack Hungry Burger!"

"I activate my Quickplay Spell, Offerings to the Doomed! I destroy one face-up monster and skip my next Draw Phase." Crab Turtle suddenly doubled over and died, leaving its master wide open.

"Hungry Burger, attack!" The giant hamburger rushed over and bit down on the defenseless Duelist.

"Congratulations on your victory." Marsha stepped up to the winner and handed him his prize.

"You have no shame in what you do, do you?" Issac asked as they walked away from the Osiris Red dorm.

"What makes you say that?" Marsha said in response.

"Those two were best friends and you turned them against each other."

"The Duel Lottery chooses indiscriminately."

"Indiscriminately or 'indiscriminately'?" Issac inquired.

"It really doesn't matter," Marsha explained, "The plan will come to fruition in time. We just need a little more patience and then..." She suddenly stopped in her speech and in her steps. She pounded her chest several times.

"Everything alright?" Issac asked.

"Fine," was all Marsha said.

"Are they acting up again?"

"It's nothing serious. I'll be fine." Marsha regained her composure and straightened her glasses. "Let's get back to the office. We need to prepare for tomorrow."

o o o

The Dual Rose had become the group's new hangout, but with the cafe closed the group had go somewhere else. Their old spot outside by the side door that lead toward the card shop had been taken over by some first year students, which left Mikey, Max, Coltyn, and Gabe looking for another place. They eventually settled for a corner in the library where the "big comfy reading chairs", as Gabe often put it, were.

"That last lottery duel was really disappointing," Mikey said.

"Well they were just first year Reds," Coltyn pointed out.

"I was a first year Red too, you know," Mikey reminded him.

"You were just as bad as they were."

"It's true," Max agreed.

"Hey!"

"Mikey, you didn't even want to come to this school, remember?" Gabe asked.

"Yeah well... Things change..." Mikey's voice slowly trailed off. Ever since he came to Duel Academy, things had been getting much better for him. He had made friends and he never suffered the bullying he used to go through back home. He was happy here.

Mikey suddenly noticed something. Or rather, the lack of something. "Guys, where's Sammie?"

"She went on another date with you-know-who," answered Gabe.

"Oh..." Mikey fell silent. "Uh, okay. Just making sure..."

"He still hasn't gotten over it, has he?" Max whispered to Gabe.

"You have no idea," the younger Angel replied. He, Max, and Coltyn excused themselves and walked past a bookshelf to speak privately.

"You know Mikey better than the rest of us. How bad is it?" asked Coltyn.

"He still can't let her go," answered Gabe, "You really can't blame him. He really loves Sammie. He poured everything he had just for a chance to be with her."

"So you know he needs to move on, but why don't you try to help him?" Coltyn questioned.

"Like I didn't try? He's hooked. Look, Sammie's my friend too but Mikey's my brother and I want him to be happy. And knowing him, he won't be truly happy without her."

"What about Umi? She and Mikey looked like they totally had something fabulous together," Max pointed out.

"That's totally one-sided," Coltyn responded. Gabe nodded in agreement.

"Well we can't do anything about it. Unless Sammie and Kaiba break up, there's no way she's gonna date Mikey," the young brunet stated, "And Mikey's kinda losing it a bit. He's taking the tiniest little things and turning it into some kind of sign that they're close to breaking up."

"Try talking to him," Max suggested.

"Believe me, I have tried. He won't take anyone else."

"I can tell this is gonna be fun," Coltyn muttered sarcastically before they returned to Mikey. As the four of them resumed their earlier conversation, Sammie came into the library to join them. Accompanying her were Saito and his group.

"Hi, Maxie!" Hayley greeted.

"Hey, Hay-Hay!" Max greeted back. The two flamboyant teenagers shared a kiss before sharing a seat.

"So what's everyone been up to?" Sammie asked, wanting to get filled in. Everyone fell silent. They realized then that everybody was there.

"Looks like everyone in the Rose Destiny is here," Gabe observed, finally breaking the silence.

Wes looked at him. "Rose Destiny?"

"It's a name he came up with," Mikey explained, "Everything the Telarises have been preparing us for he's pretty much summed up called the Rose Destiny." Wes nodded in understanding.

"Wait. Why Rose Destiny? Why not some other name?" Max wondered.

"You know. Cuz of what they use to represent themselves and stuff," Gabe answered.

_He really has no idea_, thought Saito. His hand moved to the pocket where he kept his Rose Cards.

"I'm sure Recca will let us know everything in time," Mikey assured his brother.

This much was true, Saito was certain. However, with Rena out of commission he felt that something had to be done in order to pick up the pace. "She may have had plans to tell everybody, but we can't wait any longer." He pulled out his White Rose Card and showed it to everyone. "Rena gave me this over the summer. It's one of sixteen Rose Cards. There are eight white ones and eight red ones. I don't know the full story, but somehow these are tied to a single destiny as are those who hold the cards."

"And she thinks we're those people?" Mikey asked.

"I'm certain those are her reasons for training us," Wes said.

"So how come Sai's got one but we don't?" Nellie inquired, looking enviously at the white card in Saito's hand.

"He's probably already proven himself to warrant him one," Coltyn surmised, "That just means the Telarises don't think the rest of us are ready yet. Whatever's going to happen, they want us to be ready for it."

Saito put his card away. The others did not need to know that he had two. He excused himself and left the library. He needed some time alone to think.

o o o

Marsha had been taken to her dorm room and left by herself. In her absence, Issac had taken charge. He sat behind his sister's desk filling out paperwork while also making notes. As he worked, a second year boy in a Ra Yellow jacket walked in. He had medium length blond hair that swept across his face covering part of his left eye, which gave him a very attractive appearance.

"Where's the boss?" he asked upon entry.

"Marsha's dealing with her chest pains," Issac answered.

"Geez, again?"

"Don't look so surprised, Stan. She's had these problems for a while." The student called Stan nodded. He remembered quite clearly. As they were discussing this, a third boy entered. He was a second year as well, with messy ruby-red hair and bandages plastered all over his face. He wore a Ra Yellow jacket, but kept it unzipped as he wore a maroon hoodie underneath it with the hood tossed over the collar behind his head.

"You're late, Tobias," Issac said sternly.

"I'm really sorry." Tobias scratched his head and reached into his bag to pull out some papers. "Here's the stuff you asked for."

Issac said nothing in response. He just took the documents and placed them on the side of the desk before finishing his current task. After that, he checked the agenda for the next item of business. "Next we have to draw names for the Duel Lottery."

"Ugh, again? Those things BORE me!" Tobias complained.

"He's right. There's not a lot of excitement for the lotteries. Too many of the students just aren't good enough," Stan agreed.

"Perhaps we can make a change today then," Issac suggested as he walked over to the box of names.

"You mean fix the lottery?" asked Tobias.

"It wouldn't be the first time we've done it," Issac pointed out.

"Yeah, but still..."

"Tobias, we've got this." Stan sat down at the computer and began to poke around the student files. "We need two really good Duelists. Maybe with something between them going on."

"You ARE the information digger," Issac said in response.

"I still don't like this," Tobias muttered.

"Hey Issac, how about these guys?" Stan called. Issac walked over and looked at the students the blond had brought up on the screen.

"Max Harley and Hayley Maxine? Definitely not. Yes they are good, but their overly flamboyant natures will drive away everyone."

"Well how about Saito Kaiba and Sammie Korangar?" Stan suggested.

"Too obvious and too overdone. The two best Duelists in school against each other is expected by everyone and quite frankly it gets quite tiresome."

"How about these two?" Stan brought up Noah and Spencer.

"Who are they?" asked Tobias.

"One of them is Red. Nobody's interested in them," Issac pointed out.

"How about these guys then?" Stan brought up Wes' and Nellie's profiles.

"Aren't these two dating?" Tobias inquired.

"They are," Issac answered, "Both of them are quite powerful Duelists. Miss Lazarus is very close to qualifying for Obelisk Blue and Mr. Remington is among the top ten ranked Duelists at the school."

"So yes?" Stan looked up at Issac.

"Yes."

o o o

A faint flicker of a shadow scurried across the walls of a cliff-side cave on the island as a haunting cackle echoed through the area. Nicky kicked his feet in delight as he watched his favorite movie: Black Sun: The Nanking Massacre. He loved watching the Japanese troops slaughter those Chinese fucks, especially the baby killing moment.

"Lookit dat fucker!" Nicky screamed uproariously as he watched the movie on his iPad, "'e's tossin dat baby in da soup while 'is parents watch! 'e is a right bloody genius!" Nicky slapped his knees in his jovial laughs at the horrific massacre. Judgment and Terry glared at him in annoyance, having to watch the same movie three times over. Terry was about to speak up, but noticed the gathering shadows and smiled as Kage formed before them. Judgment bowed to his master as always, which Kage dismissed quickly.

"Rise," Kage said as he flicked his wrist quickly and turned off Nicky's movie.

"Oi!" Nicky protested.

"I have much to discuss. I require your full attention." Kage clapped his hands tight and opened them again to reveal a massive diagram of shadows that depicted Duel Academy Island floating above an unfamiliar plane. An otherworldly plane. "I have spoken with Kel'aral. The Telaris child and her allies are causing issues in the other world. I require the strength of one of you to make a shadow copy to aide in the warfront." Kage's hand reached out and grasped at the essence of Nicky's soul and ripped a shadowy copy of him. Nicky fell to his knees and cursed.

"Wot da 'ell! Oi didn't even volunteer!" Nicky protested yet again.

"I volunteered you Nicky. Your powers would be well suited in the other war. Besides, you have plenty of duel energy to perform our hunt in a few days."

"Hunt?" Terry spoke up.

"Yes, Terry, a hunt. As you know Zetsubou went off the radar and failed to defeat Michael Angel. Without that brat out of the way I am hesitant to continue our plans for a full scale assault. You know Omen's warnings. So, the plan has changed. I am sending you and Nicky after Zetsubou. We must find out where he went and what he did with the Archive. After that, you kill him." Kage's shadows swirled around him and formed a series of shifting tattoos on his body as Terry smiled in anticipation.

"Sounds like fun, boss. I didn't like that dick anyways." Terry cracked his knuckles and nodded to Nicky. They were gonna light some shit on fire.

"But you won't go alone." Kage added and Terry groaned.

"Not her, boss!"

"Yes, her. She is a far better tracker and killer then both of you combined."

"Allegedly." Terry scoffed and sighed. Nicky nodded in agreement. Kage almost spoke when his eyes flickered to the entrance of the cave. Judgment stood up on guard, ready to destroy any intruder, but then let his guard down when he realized it was Reign.

Judgment was stoic as Reign strode into the chamber and presented Kage with a letter. "What now. Ah...I see. Your observances?" Reign nodded and soon left to maintain his vigil over the cavern. "Hmm...interesting. Our favorite family of Crusaders have been off the radar as well, it would seem."

"They mean to lure us?"

"No, I think they're readying for us."

Judgement scoffed, "Rena only saw fit to champion Saito and Wes. And Recca, though her blood, is nowhere near as talented as her."

Kage looked towards Judgment,"No Judgment...I believe that like Recca's children, that entire family wants you to think them beaten and lowly. They even have the Priestess in their employ, and that damned boy of hers Reko undid all the catalytic power gathering within her. Nicky and Terry are going with Reign to fetch our tracking expert before they go on their hunt."

Judgment crossed his arms. "The Priestess, if I am not mistaken."

Kage shook his head. "There's a Duel Lottery going to today, as Reign has relayed to me, Nellie and our dearest Wes. The loser you shall personally take back to me. Rather then making a shadowy apparition to heckle Reka and the denizens of the other realm, or let them continue with this Rose Prophecy, I'll completely shatter their being and comission the broken pile of filth to bring me her head. The fates design it to be necessary."

Judgment bowed. "By your leave." Leaving the chamber Kage turned to an elegant being in the corner, "See that Kel'aral? Reka will soon be dealt with, and that world will be utterly scoured and ripe for picking."

Kel'aral smirked, stepping out from shadows created by Kage himself. "In exchange Kage, I shall relay unto you more of his dark secrets. Secrets and power that Judgement himself wouldn't be privy to. To a glorious accord in his name, my friend."

Kage was silent, striding out purposefully out of the cavern. Nicky and Terry stayed behind and sighed. They didn't know which one would have to call her. The Duel Guerilla.

o o o

Reko wiped his brow as he finished tuning up his bike. It wasn't easy making it even faster and more stream lined than it was with Reka's help, but he somehow found a way. He took off more panelling from the sides to make it lighter, and added several arcing lightning bolts running through Ogham Runes reading as 'Victory', 'Thunder', 'Power' and other related words of wind, lightning and strength. Mika admired the now black, cobalt, pearl and golden tribal designs that adorned his Runner and the small black helm with a red rose on the side, giving the appearance of roiling thunderstorms all around.

"Reko do you want a... Oh my...this is..."

Reko laughed, "INCREDIBLY Kick ass, I know Mika. I know, read a Mechanics Mag figured what the hey I can give it a shot.", he clapped his hands together as he slung an arm around Mika in the small garage that housed his small little workshop, "Hoo! It was NOT easy getting the little bastard supercharged to go three hundred plus, but I got it with some additional tiny electric generators."

"Oh dear."

"Some high performance fuel injectors and a more durable coating for the the cylinders and intake."

"Wow...um..."

"NOT to mention the it's practically fifty percent lighter with all the stuff I worked around and made some cross titanium webbing throughout the entire paneling so the thing does not SHATTER the exact moment I hit the gas pedal."

"R...Reko, is that-"

"I know! That button on the underside of the throttle when you REALLY crank it activates enough Nitrous that there would be NO possible way I could get away with this back home!"

"...S...so..."

"Also it's got Yellow LED's on the digital dash."

"...Oh. Well that part isn't so-"

"AND all-terrain tires that could cut through razor sharp mountain ranges and come out unharmed. And they're performance too! I mean it's amazing how I could find that!"

Mika sighed, "The store is up and running now, I wanted to know if you wanted a strawberry shake to celebrate."

"Huh? Oh...oh yeah! That'd be awesome. Let's go see mom."

In the shop, Reko marvelled with Mika that changes that occurred to their humble shop. Silver was inlaid into the woodwork, everything was cleaned and polished, a few new portraits and paintings were hung and even a few kite shields with their family seal adorned the walls. However they could feel an air of calm and peace, brought about by the endless rituals and labor they performed throughout the week. Recca smiled, wearing a tight tee shirt and jeans while sipping some tea and taking off the closed sign.

"It's all done. We can finally start getting some progress here! Cheers, kids!" As Reko lifted his shake to his lips he heard a loud clunking from below followed by a definitive pop. Reko cringed and looked up to his mother whose arms were akimbo and her foot tapping. "Or not. Sounds like someone tried to add too much to his D-Wheel."

"...WELP! I think I should hit the dusty trail. See ya mom!" Reko said quickly as he grabbed Mika and ran out the door, ignoring the smoke billowing out of the garage from his D-Wheel. At least he had that panelling, he'd add what Reka had later.

Recca sighed and placed her face in her hand, "What am I going to do with that boy?"

o o o

The news of the Lottery Duel between Wes and Nellie was up on the announcement televisions before anyone could realize it. Needless to say, the two parties involved were not happy.

"Shall we just get this over with?" Wes asked as he and Nellie walked through the hallway.

"Sure," Nellie agreed. She moved ahead ten more feet before turning around and facing her boyfriend. The two students activated their Duel Disks and loaded their decks.

–––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 8000

**Nellie:** 8000

–––––––––––––––

"You first," Wes offered.

"Here goes!" Nellie drew her card. "I set one monster and end my turn."

"A very simple starting move. I draw." Wes drew his card and looked at his hand. "I summon Koa'ki Meiru Urnight." A centaur in bronze armor appeared wielding a shield in one hand and a sword in the other with the Mark of the Iron Core appearing on its breastplate and shield (ATK/2000 DEF/1500). "I now reveal Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru in my hand to use Urnight's effect and summon Koa'ki Meiru Boulder from my deck." A mountain-shaped rock appeared with arms, legs, and a face with the Mark of the Iron Core emblazoned on its forehead (ATK/1200 DEF/1000).

"Koa'ki Meiru Boulder, attack first." On Wes' command, Koa'ki Meiru Boulder fired a rock from its head and smashed it against Nellie's facedown, which turned out to be Treeborn Frog. "Koa'ki Meiru Urnight, direct attack." Koa'ki Meiru Urnight galloped toward Nellie and slashed her with its blade.

–––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 8000

**Nellie:** 6000

–––––––––––––––

"I set one card facedown and end my turn. To keep Koa'ki Meiru Urnight on the field, I discard the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru." Wes sent his card to the graveyard and turned the duel over to Nellie, who drew her card with enthusiasm.

"I got no cards in my backfield, so I bring back Treeborn Frog." A small winged frog rose up from the ground and croaked (ATK/100 DEF/100). "I summon Hand of Nephthys!" A young woman in golden armor and orange robes appeared representing the order of the Sacred Phoenix (ATK/600 DEF/600). "Now I'm gonna sack her an' Treeborn to bring out Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys from my deck!" The two monsters were engulfed in a wave of golden fire and from the flames emerged the majestic golden phoenix (ATK/2400 DEF/1600). "Attack Koa'ki Meiru Boulder!" Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys spewed golden flames from its mouth and incinerated Koa'ki Meiru Boulder.

–––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 6800

**Nellie:** 6000

–––––––––––––––

"With the effect of Koa'ki Meiru Boulder, I bring one level four or lower Koa'ki Meiru monster to my hand. I choose Koa'ki Meiru Guardian."

"I'm gonna set and end." Nellie placed a card facedown before concluding her turn.

"Instead of drawing, I return Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru from my graveyard to my hand." Wes retrieved his card from his graveyard and placed it in his hand. "I now reveal the Iron Core to activate Urnight's effect, Special Summoning Koa'ki Meiru Sandman." A six-eyed creature made entirely out of white sand appeared with the Mark of the Iron Core glowing on its chest (ATK/1900 DEF/1200).

"I activate Torrential Tribute in response to your summon!" Nellie announced, "This will destroy all our monsters!"

"Exactly as I had predicted," Wes muttered as water washed across the entire field and destroyed every single monster. "Now I summon Koa'ki Meiru Guardian." A statue of a great warrior made of white stone appeared on the field with the Mark of the Iron Core emblazoned on its shield, chest, and gauntlet (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). "Direct attack." Koa'ki Meiru Guardian lumbered over to Nellie and smashed its great stone sword against her.

–––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 6800

**Nellie:** 4100

–––––––––––––––

"I end my turn and reveal Koa'ki Meiru Wall in my hand to maintain my Guardian on my field." Wes finished his turn and the duel proceeded to Nellie, who had a cocky smile on her face as she drew. "Since my phoenix was destroyed by an effect, she comes back and when she does, she blows all Spells and Traps." A torrent of golden fire erupted from the floor and Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys reappeared.

"I anticipated this," Wes said, "I activate the effect of my Koa'ki Meiru Guardian. By sacrificing it, I can negate your monster's effect and destroy it." Koa'ki Meiru Guardian crumbled and the rubble flew toward Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys and bounds its wings down, preventing it from incinerating the backfield. The stones then tightened their bind around the sacred bird until they squeezed the life from it and it died.

"Feenie just died from an effect. She'll still come back," Nellie pointed out.

"I'll end this quickly then," Wes said as he drew his card. "I summon Koa'ki Meiru Wall in attack mode." A large golem riddled with bullet holes rose up with a large chain embedded in its chest. Each shoulder glowed with the Mark of the Iron Core (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). "Direct attack." Koa'ki Meiru Wall grabbed the end of its chain attached to its chest and swung the iron links into Nellie.

–––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 6800

**Nellie:** 2200

–––––––––––––––

"I end my turn and reveal Koa'ki Meiru Sandman in my hand to maintain Koa'ki Meiru Wall on my field." Wes showed the card in his hand and then turned the duel over to Nellie.

"I draw." Nellie drew her card. "And look who's back!" Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys rose from the ashes and let out a loud cry. "And since she's back, she nukes our backfields!" The great golden phoenix flapped its wings and unleashed a blazing wave of fire that destroyed all the Spell and Trap Cards on the field. "And since I got no backfield, here comes Treeborn Frog again!" The winged amphibian reappeared on the field and croaked. "Now look at this, Wes. It's another Hand of Nephthys!" Another servant of the Phoenix appeared on the field and Nellie grinned widely. "Guess what's comin'! I sack Hand of Nephthys and Treeborn Frog to summon another Phoenix from my hand!" No sooner had the words left her mouth, a second Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys appeared on the field in place of Treeborn Frog and Hand of Nephthys.

"Feenie number one, attack Wall!" The first Sacred Phoenix opened its mouth and unleashed a torrent of golden fire that engulfed Koa'ki Meiru Wall and destroyed it.

–––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 6300

**Nellie:** 2200

–––––––––––––––

"Feenie number two, you're up!" The second Sacred Phoenix blasted Wes with golden flames, burning him for twenty-four hundred Life Points.

–––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 3900

**Nellie:** 2200

–––––––––––––––

"I'm done. Your go." Nellie shuffled the cards in her hand and waited as Wes drew his card.

"I activate the Field Spell, Iron Core Specimen Lab." The hallway vanished and in its place Wes and Nellie found themselves in a closed room surrounded by three computer terminals. The two of them were standing on a circular platform with the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru hanging over their heads. "Next I activate Monster Reborn and resurrect Koa'ki Meiru Wall." His bullet-ridden prison wall reappeared on the field. "I sacrifice Koa'ki Meiru Wall to summon Koa'ki Meiru Valafar." Bright flames erupted in front of Wes as a large grey and red demon emerged with flames made of blazing flames. The Mark of the Iron Core burned brightly on his chest, knees, and arms (ATK/3000 DEF/2100). "Attack Sacred Phoenix." Koa'ki Meiru Valafar held out his arms and put the heels of his palms together. He slowly drew his hands back and built up a fireball. Once it was large enough, he thrust his arms forward and launched the blast into one of the Sacred Phoenixes of Nephthys.

–––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 3900

**Nellie:** 1600

–––––––––––––––

"I end my turn and discard the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru to keep Valafar on the field." Wes looked at Nellie. "Your turn."

Nellie drew her card. "Treeborn Frog, come on back!" Treeborn Frog rose out of the grave yet again. "I sack Treeborn Frog for Dark Dust Spirit!" The tiny amphibian vanished and in its place a red and black demon rose from a billowing cloud of dust with horns and long white hair that whipped around is face (ATK/2200 DEF/1800). "When he's summoned, every face-up monster dies!" The violent winds did not stop. The dust clouds spread out and cyclones of dust and sand rose up and destroyed Koa'ki Meiru Valafar and Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys.

"Dark Dust Spirit, you're clear. Attack!" Dark Dust Spirit roared and opened its mouth wide to launch yet another dust tornado that blasted Wes.

–––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 1700

**Nellie:** 1600

–––––––––––––––

"I set two cards and end," Nellie declared. "And Dark Dust Spirit comes back to my hand." Dark Dust Spirit vanished in a cloud of dust, leaving her field completely open.

"I draw." Wes drew his card and looked at his hand. With Nellie's field empty, now was the time to strike. "I summon Koa'ki Meiru Sandman." He played his card and summoned the creature of white sand.

"I activate Phoenix Wing Wind Blast," Nellie declared, "I discard and bounce your monster back to your deck." She discarded Dark Dust Spirit.

"I tribute my Sandman to negate your Trap Card." Koa'ki Meiru Sandman groaned before it collapsed into a pile of two cubic tons of sand.

"Can something like that really produce that much sand?" a spectator inquired.

"Now I activate my other Trap, Call of the Haunted! Come back Feenie!" Nellie revealed her card and resurrected the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys that had died from battle against Koa'ki Meiru Valafar earlier.

"And I activate Koa'ki Ring." A large collar with several plates bearing the Mark of the Iron Core appeared in front of Wes. "With this card, I can destroy one monster on the field and then we both take one thousand damage." He placed the ring around the neck of Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys. The holy bird cried out once before the collar detonated and destroyed it, blasting both Duelists with golden flames from its interiors.

–––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 700

**Nellie:** 600

–––––––––––––––

"I now remove from play the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru to Special Summon Koa'ki Meiru Maximus." A machine-like white dragon appeared on the field and spread its wings, the Mark of the Iron Core glowing on its forehead (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "End this duel. Blast Stream." Koa'ki Meiru Maximus opened its mouth and fired a solid beam of energy directly at Nellie.

–––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 700

**Nellie:** 0

–––––––––––––––

The duel was over and the crowd that had gathered over time to watch began to disperse. Wes deactivated his Duel Disk and walked over to Nellie. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Nellie looked up at him, her eyes sullen. Then suddenly she grabbed him by his face and pressed her lips against his in a fiery kiss. She pulled away two minutes later saying, between breaths, "Best. Duel. Ever."

"Congratulations." Issac stepped forward with Tobias at his side. He approached Wes and handed him his prize. "Spend it well."

"Roger." Wes nodded his acknowledgement and Issac walked away with Tobias in tow.

"So... Where to now?" Nellie asked as she grabbed her boyfriend's arm.

"Wherever," Wes answered, "Don't really care."

"Then let's go spend that prize!" She jerked his arm violently and dragged Wes to the card shop. She didn't feel the peering eyes of Judgment on her back. She would soon.

o o o

The old tomb had long since been abandoned years ago. But it was still the duty of the Ishtar family to keep it maintained. Ishizu Ishtar was the first one to arrive. Since the days of the Pharaoh's passing into the afterlife, she began to work full time as an archaeologist. Eventually, she became the curator of the museum in Cairo. The old wooden doors creaked as she pulled them up and the sand that had accumulated slid off. She propped them open against the remains of the nearby stone wall and looked down the dark stairwell. She had not been to her childhood home for years. She returned to her vehicle and retrieved a kerosene lamp before descending into the darkness. Coming down here brought back so many memories of her childhood. She entered the bedroom she and Marik shared when they were little. The beds were still there, but they were covered with dust and cobwebs and the bedding lay in tatters. A few candles lay strewn across the floor. In the corner was an old ball that Marik used to play with. The desk where her brother used to study was piled high with dust and sand.

Ishizu moved on. Down the corridor was the doorway leading to her parents' room. Beyond that was the ceremonial chamber. The room itself was bare save for a single an altar with two hollows in it. She remembered them very well. This was where the Millennium Rod and the Millennium Tauk rested before they were passed down to the next generation. It was here that the nightmare had begun. It had been in this very room that Marik's darker alterego had been born and murdered their father.

She suddenly heard noises coming from outside and Ishizu went out to investigate. Upon arriving outside, she could see a motorcycle had pulled up. A motorcycle she recognized immediately. The rider pulled off his helmet and let his long white locks drop around his shoulders. "Marik!"

"Ishizu!"

The two siblings walked up to each other and embraced one another. "It is so good to see you again, brother."

"It's good to see you too, Ishizu." The brother and sister released each other and walked back to Marik's motorcycle. "So how have you been?"

"Running the museum has been quite successful. Though it is difficult at times, I am glad that I am able to educate the people with out exhibits. And what of yourself brother? How is that delivery business of yours?"

"It's been really slow lately," Marik admitted as he unloaded the satchels on his motorcycle, "but I should have enough money soon to move to Cairo and continue my business there."

"You're...moving to Cairo?"

"Yes. Which reminds me. Ishizu, what are your current accommodations like?"

Ishizu looked at her brother. "You are asking if you may move in with me."

"Pretty much," was Marik's answer, "It will be like when we were children with you, me, and Odion."

"Odion is coming too?"

"Yes. We could all come out to the old tomb together."

"I shall think about it, but the idea is inviting."

"Excellent! Speaking of Odion, look who just showed up." A jeep suddenly pulled up behind Marik's motorcycle and a familiar tall bald man stepped out.

"Odion, it is good to see you again," Ishizu greeted. Odion nodded his acknowledgement.

"Well, we'd better get started," Marik said as he began moving supplies down into the old tomb.

"Be careful. I still haven't set the lamps up yet," Ishizu warned.

"We'll do that together then," Marik suggested as he went to help his sister unload the lamps.

As the two siblings went about doing their work, Odion watched them. His eyes fixated on Marik as a demonic, fiery red gleam glinted from his eyes.

o o o

Wes was tired. Nellie's energetic and outgoing personality was a very large contrast to his own and it wore him out every day. He returned to his room and took a shower. After that, he dressed in his pyjamas and sat down on his bed, staring out the window. Everything that had happened recently was just one incredible incident after another. It was still fairly early in the evening. He didn't need to sleep just yet. He decided to take that opportunity to study the book further.

Slipping his gloves on, Wes walked over to his desk and opened the drawer where he kept the black artifact hidden.

But it was not there. He dug around for a bit hoping to find it underneath something, but the results turned up with nothing. He turned on all his lights and searched his room carefully. Nothing turned up. He removed his gloves and set them on his desk before lying down on his bed and looking up at the ceiling. A thought struck him and he immediately got back up. He checked around his door and found a broken pencil lead on the carpet. He was too tired to notice it earlier when he came in, but now the realization hit him. Somebody had been in his room.

And that somebody had stolen the black book.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

It had always been the tradition of the Tombkeepers to keep the tomb of the Pharaoh safe. But when one of them is turned against his fellow brethren by a foul force, one must stand to save him from its control. See it unfold next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	101. Pharaonic Guardian

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-14**

**Pharaonic Guardian**

The old tomb hadn't seen any life for decades beyond the company of spiders and snakes. And now those were being cleared out. As an archaeologist, Ishizu had access to many tools with which to help restore ancient structures. Marik, having a delivery business of his own, had the means to transport it all. As the siblings began their work, they each took a different part of the tomb. Ishizu began in her and Marik's old bedroom while her brother started in what was once used as a kitchen. The latter could not remember the last time they had been down here. The cooking stove was covered with layers of dirt and soot. All the old dishes they had used for eating were cracked and broken and the utensils were beyond use.

Cleaning the old kitchen area proved to be a much greater task than Marik had originally anticipated. Once he was done, he proceeded to the next chamber along with Ishizu and Odion. When he came upon the last door, he shuddered. The room beyond was the ritual chamber where Marik had received his Tombkeeper's Initiation. He winced as he put his hand on his shoulder and ran his fingers along a part of his back. The ancient hieroglyphs had literally been carved into his skin that day. Never in his life had he felt anything so excruciatingly painful.

Taking in a deep breath of the tomb's musty air, Marik pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was bare save for several torch scones on the walls, an old wooden table that had suffered the effects of time with several tools strewn on the floor around it, and a single stone altar in the center.

Marik approached the altar. Painful memories flooded his mind once again. He could almost feel the red-hot knife against his back as it cut into his skin and cauterized the flesh. And then there was the surfacing of his dark side. As a child, Marik had never wished to be a Tombkeeper and after his initiation had been completed, his resentment of his heritage began to eat away at him from the inside, eventually forming into an evil alter ego.

Marik heard a noise behind him and he turned around to see Odion in the doorway. "Oh, hello Odion," he greeted. He turned and looked back at the altar. "Can you believe how long it's been? Sometimes the memories of the past can continue to haunt you." Odion said nothing, but slowly approached Marik keeping the knife concealed beneath his robe.

Marik began working on tidying up. "I know it may be a little disrespectful to our ancestors, but some of these tools should really go to a museum. Perhaps Ishizu may be able to organize an exhibit dedicated showing the world the ways of the Tombkeepers. Don't you agree, Odion?" He turned around expecting a response only to see Odion raise the knife over his head. Marik moved quickly and the blade hit the remains of the table, shattering it completely.

"Odion! Have you gone mad?"

"Marik," Odion spoke, his words dripping with venom, "Before you were born, your parents chose me to be the next of the Tombkeepers alongside your sister. It was a great honor for me and I was proud to have been chosen. But when you came into existence, I was forced down into the role of a servant. For years I lived with you like a brother. I protected you. Even after you decided to stray from the path of a Tombkeeper, I still stayed loyal to you."

"Odion..." Marik was touched by his brother's words.

"And I hated it. I resented you since the day you were born. I was to be the next of the Tombkeepers and you stole that from me."

"Odion, you can't mean that. The marks on your face."

"These?" Odion touched the marks on his face. "These marks exist as a sign of my loyalty to you. I regret that I ever carved them into my flesh."

_That's not something Odion would say_, thought Marik.

Odion put on his Duel Disk and activated it. "Face me, Marik. Duel me to determine your fate!"

"If it's a duel you want, I can grant you your request." Marik equipped his own Duel Disk and turned it on. "Let's duel!"

o o o

Wes was deep in thought. The black book he had been studying obviously had some great importance. Otherwise, nobody would have gone to such great lengths to steal it. He considered the possibilities, but all of them seemed highly unlikely. His room was among the most secure in the Obelisk Blue dorm thanks to the additions he made to it himself. He looked over the notes he had managed to take when he was studying the tome earlier, but he hadn't gathered much. Two flimsy pages was not going to get him anywhere. He needed answers and there was only one way to get them.

o o o

––––––––––––––––

**Marik:** 8000

**Odion:** 8000

––––––––––––––––

"I begin." Odion drew his first card. "I shall set five facedown cards and end my turn."

_Odion or not, he's still using Odion's deck_, thought Marik as he drew his card.

"I summon Bowganian!" A creature with a spherical body and a single eye appeared wielding a rather large crossbow in one hand (ATK/1300 DEF/1000). "I shall set two cards facedown and end my turn."

_The best strategy against a deck full of Trap Cards is to do nothing_, thought Marik.

"I draw." Odion drew his card. "I activate the Trap Card Embodiment of Apophis. This is a Trap Monster which I summon in attack mode as a level four Earth Reptile." A black and purple naga wielding a sword and a shield appeared on the field. Its body split into two past its shoulders, branching off into a humanoid head in front and a serpent's head above it (ATK/1600 DEF/1800). "Attack his Bowganian."

"I activate Sakuretsu Armor!" Marik revealed one of his facedowns. "With this card, your attacking monster is destroyed."

"I reveal a Trap Card, Dark Bribe. It negates your trap and lets you draw one card."

"And I activate my Counter Counter, which negates your Counter Trap Card!" Marik revealed his other facedown. Armor covered his Bowganian which blasted away Embodiment of Apophis into oblivion.

"I will set a monster and another facedown and end my turn," announced Odion.

"And I draw." Marik drew is card. "And now the effect of my Bowganian activates, dealing you six hundred points of damage on my Standby Phase." Bowganian took aim and fired a single arrow that pierced Odion's heart.

––––––––––––––––

**Marik:** 8000

**Odion:** 7400

––––––––––––––––

"I summon Gil Garth!" A demon covered in spiked monochrome armor emerged wielding an enormous curved sword in one hand (ATK/1800 DEF/1200). "Bowganian, attack!" Bowganian fired an arrow at Odion's facedown, revealing it to be Mask of Darkness.

"When my Mask of Darkness' Flip Effect activates, I can return one Trap Card from my graveyard to my hand." He chose Embodiment of Apophis and placed it in his hand.

"Now my Bowganian attacks." Marik pointed and Bowganian began to take aim.

"You'll want to rethink your strategy for I activate Zoma the Spirit and summon it as a level-four Dark Zombie." A grotesque winged gargoyle-like creature appeared on the field and snarled (ATK/1800 DEF/500).

"Bowganian, fall back!" ordered Marik. His monster heeded his call immediately and lowered its weapon.

"A wise decision. But you should just let yourself die now." Odion drew his card. "I set two more cards facedown. Now Zoma the Spirit, attack Gil Garth." Zoma the Spirit flew over to Gil Garth and attacked. The demon countered with his sword and claws and blade sank into each other resulting the mutual destruction of both creatures. "And since Zoma the Spirit was just destroyed in battle, you take damage equal to the attack points of the monster that destroyed it." Right on cue, several pieces of shrapnel from Zoma the Spirit's claws flew out and rained down on Marik.

––––––––––––––––

**Marik:** 6200

**Odion:** 7400

––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn."

"I imagined you would," Marik said as he drew. Bowganian's effect activated again and it fired another arrow at Odion.

––––––––––––––––

**Marik:** 6200

**Odion:** 6800

––––––––––––––––

Marik knew that one of those facedowns was Odion's Embodiment of Apophis again. If he attacked with Bowganian, he would just summon it again to block him. Not only that, but Bowganian only had thirteen hundred attack points. Embodiment of Apophis would have no trouble defeating it. He immediately switched it into defense mode, causing his monster to cross its arms in front of its body and close its eye. After that, he set a monster and ended his turn.

"I draw." Odion drew his card. "And I activate three Trap Cards: Embodiment of Apophis, Curse of Statue, and Soul of Statue. And I shall summon the first two in attack mode and the last in defense mode." His naga appeared on the field once again, but now it appeared flanked by two statues. The first was a rather demonic-looking figure wielding two staffs (ATK/1800 DEF/1000). The other had a mask that gave it the resemblance of a Tiki idol armed with a shield and a large sword (ATK/1000 DEF/1800). "Curse of Statue's effect destroys any monster that battles with a Trap Monster. Soul of Statue's effect will allow my Trap Monsters to be set once again rather than sent to the graveyard. Now Embodiment of Apophis, destroy that Bowganian." Embodiment of Apophis slithered across the field and slash Bowganian in two.

"Now Curse of Statue, attack the other card." Curse of Statue sparked with energy between its two staffs before firing a blast of magic at the facedown.

"You've struck my Gravekeeper's Spy." A man in black robes and a black turban partially hidden in the shadows appeared (ATK/1200 DEF/2000).

––––––––––––––––

**Marik:** 6200

**Odion:** 6600

––––––––––––––––

"And when his Flip Effect activates, I can summon a Gravekeeper with fifteen hundred or fewer attack points. So I summon Gravekeeper's Descendant." A blond man in black robes appeared holding a golden staff in one hand (ATK/1500 DEF/1200).

"You use Gravekeepers now," Odion observed.

"I do. And do you know why? Because I'm proud to be a Tombkeeper!" Marik declared.

"Bah. You did not hold such sentiments as a boy," Odion scoffed.

"But I was the one to fulfill the Tombkeepers' duty to the Pharaoh. It was a great honor."

"An honor that should have been mine!"

o o o

Mikey was in class listening to Mr. Thulin's lesson. He had to admit that English had become much easier for him to understand ever since the former student teacher became a full-time teacher at the school. He couldn't help but admire the man. Beside him Sammie admired the handsome teacher as well, but under a different light. Mikey remembered the first time he had met Mr. Thulin back in America at the book signing. Sammie was a complete fangirl in his presence. Obviously now she had mellowed out significantly but he could still see it in her eyes.

Mikey sighed. How he wished she would have anything for him.

o o o

"It's your move!" Odion announced.

"And I draw." Marik drew his card. "And I'll begin by discarding Gravekeeper's Commandant to bring Necrovalley to my hand." His Duel Disk ejected one copy of of Necrovalley from his deck and he took it before his cards were shuffled. "Now I activate my Necrovalley." He placed the card in his field tray and the tomb vanished, replaced by the stone walls of a deep valley. "With Necrovalley in play, the graveyard cannot be targetted and my Gravekeepers gain five hundred attack points." Gravekeeper's Descendant immediately rose up to an even two thousand attack points while Gravekeeper's Spy rose to seventeen hundred.

"Next I summon Gravekeeper's Cannonholder." A man in a black robe holding a large ancient cannon on his shoulder appeared (ATK/1400 DEF/1200) and his attack points rose up to nineteen hundred. "And now I activate the effect of Gravekeeper's Descendant. By sacrificing a Gravekeeper on my field, I can destroy any card you control. So I'll sacrifice Gravekeeper's Cannonholder." Gravekeeper's Cannonholder disappeared and Gravekeeper's Descendant fired a beam of magic from his staff at Soul of Statue, shattering it into rubble. After that, Marik sacrificed Gravekeeper's Spy to destroy Curse of Statue.

"Gravekeeper's Descendant, attack!" Gravekeeper's Descendant charged and flung a bolt of magic at Embodiment of Apophis, destroying it on impact.

––––––––––––––––

**Marik:** 6200

**Odion:** 6200

––––––––––––––––

"I'll set two facedowns and end my turn," announced Marik

"I draw." Odion drew his card. "Another facedown. I end my turn."

"And I draw." Marik drew his card.

"I activate Metal Reflect Slime." An incredible mass of mercury appeared on the field and took the shape of a spiked ball on a foot (ATK/0 DEF/3000).

"I will destroy that with my Gravekeeper's Descendant's effect," Marik said.

"That is why I activate Imperial Customs, preventing any other face-up Continuous Trap Cards from being destroyed," Odion declared as he revealed his other facedown.

"Well played, Odion. I summon Gravekeeper's Recruiter." A bald man in black robes appeared (ATK/1200 DEF/1500) and his attack points rose up to seventeen hundred. However, he would not stay for long as Marik sacrificed him to use Gravekeeper's Descendant's effect to destroy Imperial Customs. "Since Gravekeeper's Recruiter was sent to my graveyard, his effect allows me to select a Gravekeeper with fifteen hundred or less defense points from my deck and add it to my hand. My choice is Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier." Once he retrieved his card, Marik ended his turn.

"Then it is mine now." Odion drew. His Metal Reflect Slime would surely die on the next turn, so he had to make sure he could protect himself. He set a monster and ended his turn."

"I draw and summon Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier." A man in a black robe wielding a long spear appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/1000) and his attack points rose up to two thousand. "I sacrifice my Spear Soldier to destroy Metal Reflect Slime!" Metal Reflect Slime was struck with a beam of magic and exploded into a rain of mercury droplets. "Attack that facedown!" Gravekeeper's Descendant fired a blast of magic and flipped up Odion's facedown, which revealed itself to be Morphing Jar.

"Now we must discard our hands and draw five cards." Odion and Marik both sent whatever cards they hand in their hands to the graveyard and then proceeded to draw a fresh hand of five.

"Well I'll play Gravekeeper's Stele and bring two Gravekeepers back to my hand. I'll chose Gravekeeper's Spy and Gravekeeper's Commandant. That ends my turn."

"And so I draw." Odion drew his card and smiled. "I set four cards facedown and end my turn."

"Again with all the Trap Cards." Marik drew. "I summon Gravekeeper's Commadant and tribute him for Gravekeeper's Descendant's effect."

"I activate Divine Wrath." Odion revealed his Trap Card. "I discard one card to negate an Effect Monster's effect and destroy it." He discarded Cyber Shadow Gardna and a bolt of lightning shot down from above and struck Gravekeeper's Descendant, killing him instantly.

"I'll set two facedowns then." Marik placed two more cards facedown in his backfield.

"I draw." Odion drew his card. "I activate two Embodiments of Apophis and Metal Reflect Slime." Two naga and another mass of mercury appeared on the field. "This is the end for you, Marik," Odion said darkly.

o o o

Alexis felt something stir in the air. She looked out the window of her office and noticed dark clouds gathering in the distance. She felt that something was about to happen. Something great and terrible.

o o o

"I sacrifice both Embodiments of Apophis and Nightmare Wheel." The two naga and the torture wheel vanished from the field. "I summon Uria, Lord of Searing Flames!" A massive eruption of fire exploded up from the field. Behind Odion, a massive red demonic dragon rose up, spread its wings, and roared (ATK/0 DEF/0).

"That thing..." Marik looked up at it. "It looks just like..."

"Yes. Osiris," Odion confirmed. "But unlike Osiris, its attack points are not determined by the number of cards in my hand. It is determined by the number of Continuous Trap Cards in my graveyard. And I have three copies of Embodiment of Apophis, Curse of Statue, Soul of Statue, two Metal Reflect Slimes, Imperial Customs, Zoma the Spirit, and Cyber Shadow Gardna. That's ten Continuous Trap Cards and one thousand attack points for each." Marik swore as Uria's attack points skyrocketted to ten thousand.

"And once per turn, Uria can destroy a set card in your backfield and you cannot activate it in response," Odion continued, "I shall use this effect now. Uria, destroy the leftmost card. Trap Destruction!" Uria, Lord of Searing Flames began to spill flames from its mouth before unleashing a torrent of fire upon Marik's card, which turned out to be Mirror Force.

"Good thing that is gone. Now Uria, attack Marik directly with Hyper Blaze!" Uria, Lord of Searing Flames reared back its head and unleashed a blaze like no other upon the Tombkeeper.

"I activate my Trap Card, Threatening Roar! Now you can't attack this turn!" Uria's flame was caught in its throat as the card took its effect.

"You are most fortunate," Odion stated. "I shall end with a facedown."

"Now I draw." Marik knew destroying Uria was top priority, but he needed the right cards for it. He drew his card and was happy to see that he had drawn another Gravekeeper's Descendant. He could sacrifice the monster for its own effect. "I summon Gravekeeper's Descendant!"

"And I activate Bottomless Trap Hole!" A pitfall appeared under Gravekeeper's Descendant as he appeared and he fell through a hole filled with screaming souls as he fell into the other dimension, rendering him removed from play.

"Darn!" Marik took two cards from his hand and placed them facedown. "I end my turn."

"I draw." Odion drew his card. "Uria, destroy the card on the far right." Uria, Lord of Searing Flames shot bright orange flames at the target card and destroyed it, revealing it to be Sakuretsu Armor. "Now attack!"

"I activate Nightmare Wheel!" Marik's Trap Card activated and a giant torture wheel appeared. "This card stops yours from attacking and changing its battle position and on every one of my Standby Phases, you take five hundred damage." Uria, Lord of Searing Flames roared as it was chained to the wheel.

"Luck of the draw," muttered Odion. "Your turn."

"I draw." Marik drew and his Standby Phase came around, causing Nightmare Wheel to grind into Uria, Lord of Searing Flames.

––––––––––––––––

**Marik:** 6200

**Odion:** 5700

––––––––––––––––

"I set one monster and then I end my turn," Marik declared.

"I draw." Odion drew his card and growled. The card he had drawn was useless. "Uria, destroy the left facedown." Uria opened its mouth and blasted Marik's card, revealing it to be Malevolent Catastrophe. "I end my turn."

Marik's turn came up again and on his Standby Phase, Nightmare Wheel took its toll on Odion once again.

––––––––––––––––

**Marik:** 6200

**Odion:** 5200

––––––––––––––––

"I'll set another monster and a facedown and end my turn."

"I draw." Odion drew. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon on Nightmare Wheel." A powerful tornado blasted apart Nightmare Wheel, freeing Uria once again. "Now Uria, blast the left card." Uria's flame incinerated Marik's facedown Shadow Spell. "Nice try, but it won't save you. Uria, attack Marik's left monster!"

"I activate my Trap Card!" Marik revealed his last facedown card. "Draining Shield! This negates your attack and the damage I would have taken gets added to my Life Points instead." A mechanical buckler appeared in front of Marik's monsters and created a barrier which the Hyper Blaze struck. Marik closed his eyes and felt the healing powers of his card. take him.

––––––––––––––––

**Marik:** 16,200

**Odion:** 5200

––––––––––––––––

"You will not be so fortunate next time," Odion swore, "I end my turn."

"We shall see. I draw!" Marik drew his card and looked at it. Suddenly, the room had an entirely different feeling. He looked at Odion. "Odion, all my life I've loved you like my own flesh and blood. And I know that you feel the same way about me. This is not who you are, Odion, and I plan to bring the real you back. I Flip Summon Gravekeeper's Spy and use his effect to Special Summon Gravekeeper's Assailant." He flipped one of his monsters over and used its effect to bring out a woman in a black robe holding a long jagged sword in one hand (ATK/1500 DEF/1500). Her attack points quickly went up to two thousand thanks to Necrovalley. "Now I Flip Summon Gravekeeper's Curse." A man in a black robe appeared wielding a cane-like staff (ATK/800 DEF/800). Upon making his appearance, his attack points rose to thirteen hundred. "And with Curse's effect, you take five hundred points of damage." A green aura from Gravekeeper Curse's staff wafted over to Odion and almost seemed to choke the life from his lungs.

––––––––––––––––

**Marik:** 16,200

**Odion:** 4700

––––––––––––––––

"None of those monsters can match Uria, Lord of Searing Flames," Odion pointed out as the Sacred Beast roared.

"No they can't, Odion. But I know one that can." Marik took in a deep breath. "I sacrifice Gravekeeper's Spy, Gravekeeper's Assailant, and Gravekeeper's Curse."

"It can't be..." Odion was speechless. It couldn't have been true. And yet there was Marik reciting the ancient Hieratic spell.

"Come forth, Sun Dragon of Ra!" The Tombkeeper slapped the card onto his Duel Disk and the massive golden sphere appeared on the field and unfolded into the great winged dragon of the Egyptian God, Ra (ATK/? DEF/?).

"But how?" Odion demanded, "The curse of Ra prohibits counterfeits from being made!"

"This is no counterfeit," Marik explained, "This is a reprint devised by both Maximillion Pegasus and Yugi Moto. Pegasus had made a copy of the original Ra for research several years ago. However, it could not be used so a new copy was made. But Pegasus knew what would happen if he copied the card exactly as it was before. So in order not to incur the wrath of Ra, he reprinted the card with a different effect and handpainted the artwork himself. It was then entrusted to me to guard the Pharaoh's tomb."

Well then, let's see this card's power!" demanded Odion.

"Upon being summoned, I sacrifice all but one hundred of my Life Points and Ra's attack and defense points become the points I just sacrificed."

––––––––––––––––

**Marik:** 100

**Odion:** 4700

––––––––––––––––

Ra let out a mighty roar as his attack points suddenly shot up to 16,100. Uria, Lord of Searing Flames looked toward the Egyptian God and snarled.

"I have no means to defend myself!" Odion cried out.

"Odion, free your mind! Sun Dragon of Ra, attack and destroy Uria, Lord of Searing Flames! God Blaze Cannon!" Ra opened his mouth and launched a massive golden fireball. Uria, Lord of Searing Flames tried to counter with its Hyper Blaze, but the former's attack broke through and slammed into the Sacred Beast. Uria roared and writhed in great pain as the Divine Beast's power overwhelmed it and finally incinerated its body.

––––––––––––––––

**Marik:** 100

**Odion:** 0

––––––––––––––––

Odion let out a cry as the image of Uria's burnt carcass faded away along with the rest of the holograms. He fell to the floor and Marik quickly ran over to him. "Odion!"

"M-M-M-Marik?" Odion groaned as he looked up.

"Odion. Are you alright?" Marik asked.

"Marik... Am I free?"

"Odion, what happened?"

"Marik, it was horrible," Odion groaned, "I felt like a prisoner within my own mind and body. And yet, all my actions felt like they were my own. Forgive me."

"Odion, you are my brother and I love you. I will always forgive you."

o o o

Kage relaxed and let out a breath very slowly. "Ya tired a'ready?" Nicky asked as he walked past.

"To manipulate a man is one thing," Kage said quietly as the tattoos receded under his shirt, "To manipulate a god is an entirely other story."

"I take it you were successful with the ritual," Kel'aral presumed to which Kage nodded.

"That means we're only a few moments away from our objective." Roman pushed up his glasses, letting the light reflect off the lenses.

o o o

About two weeks after the Ishtars finished restoring the old tomb, a mysterious figure came by under the shroud of night. Sako was not only a trained sniper and a geurilla tactician, but also a trained espionage agent. He found the entrance to the tomb and infiltrated his way in. The ancient structure was cleaner now than it had been before. He stepped carefully, turning on his flashlight as he searched each and every room. His intelligence had brought him here on a job.

As he made his way through the tomb, he eventually came upon the Tombkeeper's Initiation chamber. The narrow beam of light swept the floor slowly until it came to rest on a flash of red in the middle. Sako walked over and knelt down. His hand came to rest on a single card depicting a fierce red dragon. He read the name; Uria, Lord of Searing Flames.

Sako nodded to himself. He had what he came for. He placed the card in his pack and left. One down, two more to go. He hoped he would be able to find the next card without trouble.

o o o

Once upon a time there were great gods wielded by the Pharaoh of Egypt. These gods could rend the skies, shake the earth, and boil the seas. Each was mighty, but together they were able to destroy the Darkness. They were not alone, though, as beasts one day walked the earth in the shape of the old gods of Egypt. These sacred beasts were so deadly and powerful that they were locked away, to never be seen again. That did not last.

One of these beasts was named Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder. The world heaved and trembled beneath the shadow of its wings. Its mouth exhaled fire as easily as a man does air. It mocked the power of the form of the Sun Dragon of Ra. Storms raged and thunder crashed at the mere though of this great beast being unleashed upon the world, striking terror amongst those who lived on the ground below.

The mysterious box had no return address, but it was definitely addressed to him. The chest had been sitting on his doorstep when he returned home. He knew not what was inside. He knew not the power it held, but it grabbed him faster than lightning could strike. Jesse Anderson became Hamon's slave that day.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

A mysterious force isn't only affecting Mikey's world. The fate of two worlds hang in the balance as Reka and her comrades finally figure out the link between their realms, and the tenacity one man has against impossible odds in the name of family. Make sure you're here to see it next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	102. The Darkness Within Us All

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-15**

**The Darkness Within Us All**

"Recca, please." Wes begrudgingly forced himself to humble a bit towards the Telaris family and Mika, who all looked confused. Mika herself shook her head, tousling her ebony locks in the morning light.

"I don't understand? The book is gone, and yet you require Zetsubou?"

Wes nodded, making Reko look upstairs. "He's still a lump in the bed, nothing for a week and some change, same with Rena and the others. They're breathing, but nothing else. No biological functions at all, and I'm scared as all hell to try and take a pulse, what if there's nothing there?"

"Oh sweetie don't be crazy. Yet Reko's right, Wes. Qe just can't allow you to go and...you know, talk to Zetsubou. He's completely conked out!"

They guided Wes upstairs, and stood at either side of the door. Reko followed Wes inside, and the two of them regarded Mikomi and Zetsubou resting soundly in separate beds. "See, what'd I tell you Wes? Dead as a doornail. The shop is all good, and today is our slowish day. How about I go scout out some spots on the island, maybe get some clues?" Wes was silent. Reko waved his hand across his face. "Yoohoo, Wes. Want me to rev up the old Duel Runner? I repaired it since the dang thing can't take my upgrades to it."

Wes was still silent.

"Well hell Wes, I personally thought they were good upgrades...till they kinda ruptured...uh...everything," Reko admitted meekly while scratching the back of his head.

"Something isn't right about this."

"What do you mean? You ever seen a soul wounded body before?" he said while wandering about the room, his gaze resting upon the White Rose Card on the small table between the beds.

"Mikomi lost the Shadow Game, right? The one with Zetsubou while that book had control of him?"

"Well...from what I understand yes. Apparently the asshole also tried to do in Gramma, but Mikey and the others were too quick to catch up with him." Reko looked down in thought. "Wes...how come Gramma never mentioned Mikey a Crusader or named him? Gave him a card and everything? I mean hell he's done some fairly amazing things."

"That's not important right now Reko, focus on the Shadow Game. It kills right? Mikomi DID lose it?"

The two of them shared a long pause before answering at the same time. "Mikomi should be dead."

They walked over to Mikomi, who looked to be in the same deep slumber as her brother. "So...why is she still alive?" Wes asked carefully. He reached a hand to touch her forehead, only to recoil it away in agony as if a knife had gone through his limb. "Augh! What the hell!"

Reko looked back towards the door. "THAT'S not normal. I should get Recca." He laid a hand on the door and found it locked, "Oh..."

The lights dimmed.

Wes finished for him, "...shit."

o o o

Reka felt the sea spray batter against her face as she groggily woke up tied to a mast. The first thought to her mind was of her three comrades, a quick glance spotted them all. A small girl named Amadis, who wasn't looking to well with her mint hair sticking unceremoniously to her face. Milena, her Russian companion had just headbutted one of their captors, black cloaked individuals seemingly made of shade. Her icy blue eyes and blond locks made her look weak, but considering they relented in their trying to sedate her and tied her up even more than her older friend Katasuo, she thought they just gave up with her altogether.

As she was spitting curses at them in a thick Russian dialect that did not in anyway, shape, or form sound pleasant and welcome she turned her attention to the final of her loyal companions. Katasuo was maybe fifty years of age, with a thin frame of taut cord-like muscle and deeply tanned scarred skin. Stone colored hair was bloodied and dirt caked, but he met her gaze weakly and smirked. He would live.

She decided to wonder where exactly she was, she noted a strange black island of dark stone, glistening obsidian colored metal and raging magma roiling like the gates of hell in the distance. The whole place looked alien, with spires and dwelling carved into the chaotic landscape. Winged creatures flew around them, ripping each other to bloody shreds. She couldn't quite focus on what was really happening fully yet, but she could tell that was bad just from the appearance. Also the style of the island matched the rather grim and fearsome decor of the ship.

"Hey, you!" A sentry strode over to her calling out, holding a pike of jagged metal menacingly as Reka eyed it warily.

"Oh yes, spears are lovely are they not? So, how did we get here? Where is this anyway?" The sentry was silent. "Oh get on with it already, you can't tell me a word?"

A hand coiled around the mast, stroking Reka's cheek lightly. "Oi'm sorry love, 'fraid he can't.", Nicky came from behind the pole, his skin pallid, eyes sunken and an entire outfit of overlapping leather throngs covering his entire body save his arms and head, which were covered in insane scrawled out symbols. Jagged strips of metal ran through this and that, and he seemed to save more piercings than normal. Blood seeped from the cracks in the leather, but Nicky didn't mind, actually he seemed to enjoy it. "All their tongues been torn out, fact o' it. You're here cause of a simple sleeping spell, amazin' what you can find in this world innit. We blasted yer camp, killed all those other Endymion Magi fucks with ya and took your unsuspecting arses into our own boats. We got plans fer ya, we do."

Reka recoiled from his touch. "My grandma, what big red eyes you have."

Nicky gave a rictus grin, displaying sharpened and blackened teeth. "All the better to make you my personal slave if'n ya keep up the wit." Reka paled as Nicky laughed, "Now don't go wettin' yer little knickers like the little bird over there. You'll be happy as a clam to note me crew didn't do anything...entertainin'. Oh but I would...just to get the fucking rise from ya pissant of a brother."

Reka spat in his face. "Such a spry shit aren't ya." Reka got a backhand from Nicky before she fell silent, "You'll find Oi'm a bit more altered than ya ol' Nicky, ya shrew. Oi'm a roit damn fine example of what fear and pain is."

He pointed towards the island. "That's what these lil' knobbers call Pandemonium. Unnatural as all 'ell, caused by the one and only in charge. Used ta' be where Fiends lived. Archfiends mostly, from what Oi'm 'earin' from ya traitors back from your lil' 'ome base."

Reka and her friends were released from their bindings before being secured again by a heavy contingent of guards, following up the rough metal silt beaches towards the island proper. The silt soon gave way to bones packed and pulverized so tightly it became pavement before stepping upon the chitinous metal of Pandemonium. She felt sick, horrified and to make matters even more distressing countless peoples were impaled, flayed and ruined beyond measure. Then her sickness turned to confusion...

"Wha! Wot's all this! You twelves, go scout out the area!" Nicky quickly commanded as the sentries fanned out into the darkness of Pandemonium, looking back towards the multitudes of impaled and tortured Archfiend corpses hanging from rafters and those impaled on the same pikes Reka was gazing at.

Milena scoffed, giving him a grin, "Well, looks like Punk-Goth wannabe here took himself to the gate of oblivion. I am glad Amadis is not awake for this, though Katasuo, what do you say?"

Nicky spun with blind fury at Katasuo, who only gave a shrug, pointing to a strange beetle branded into the flesh of the corpses. "Seems he doesn't like it here in Hell, whoever is burning the icons."

Twelve ear-splitting screams and horrible gargling noises sounded all around them and the endless sounds of scuttling beetles could be heard fading in the distance. Nicky spun around to his remaining eight soldiers. "Don't let 'annibal or who the fuck eva get to yer 'eads! Take these three sluts and that old codger to fucking Sacrificial Chambers now!"

_So much despair here..._

o o o

_So much despair..._

It was pitch black in the small room housing the bodies of Mikomi and Zetsubou, and Reko and Wes had their backs up against the wall with only a dim light from Reko's cellphone to illuminate the area, "So...I feel I've lived a very full and invigorating life."

Wes scowled at Reko. "You're throwing in the towel? What about your vows to vanquish evil and protect the world from all this!"

Reko laughed. "I'm not throwing in the towel, I'm just saying I've lived an awesomely fulfilling life thus far! This only sweetens the pot, and hey I've got a lot of whimmy wham wham wazzle too you know. Fun, fun times! Oh, that and other than the lights dimming out and the door being locked, nothing has tried to kill us dead. Must be the wards mom set up. Good to know they're working."

Wes gave that some thought as Reko looked smug as all hell in the dim light of the cellphone. He was right, so far nothing had tried to lay their hands on them. "Maybe it's not something here, but something with them?" He waved a hand over the the two resting forms in the beds. Reko loomed over them and shone his light upon them.

"I suppose. Makes no sense though, why seal us in too?"

"Good question, but I'm not sure. So...what now?"

Reko shrugged. "...We could just shoot the breeze till whatever happens happens. Never did get much time to talk one on one with ya."

Reko and Wes sat near the wall farthest from them. "Right then. Let me tell you about...Natalie. Man she was a jewel who blew into San Fransisco..."

Wes sighed.

o o o

An imposing figure of exposed muscles bound together with jagged bones. A blade of bone forged in hellfire and bathed in blood was clutched tightly in one hand. His engorged brain formed a blooming crown as a blood red cape fluttered in the ominous death wind that seemed to come on high in response to his wicked presence. He looked down with contempt at the small trembling girl and the man standing in front of her covered in the black blood of the traitorous demons that stood against him. A grin slowly grew on his face, and he bellowed out laughter. "To see that the Swarms of Steel would have already decided upon a champion. To see that Champion upon my own realm as his own life energy was snuffed out willingly, all to save a child! Ridiculous."

A massive beetle that walked upon two legs as its steel hard shell glistened with a dark black gleam rose from the long shadow the man's body cast. Its herculean beetle horns protruded high and sparked with red lightning as its four arms flexed with imposing spikes to rend and tear. "Our Knight was not chosen for his ability to revel in sin, as yours was Ruler of Pandemonium. The Night Shields those without awareness of being witnessed. It Protects and Conceals, using psychology and when needed overwhelming force to crush it's opponents. Not all who dwell in the night should be mindlessly feared just because they wield powers of shade."

Terrorking bellowed as he swung his sword into the side of Greys, who merely chuckled as the blade was caught. "You must wait for opportunity to strike my liege. Is it not strange that a Ruler such as you must do as such, while I myself am all the night that could be manifested as force and reckoning? Why do your subjects rebel against you? Why did our Champion come here of all places! He should merely be unconscious, I cannot understand."

Mikomi looked up at the two monstrous demons bellowing, "I can explain everything, my...lieges. May I...approach?" She gave a weak curtsy to them both with her filth stained clothing as Zetsubou held himself still, he laid a hand on his leg. Zetsubou had gone unconscious while standing, still trying to defend his sister against whatever hell he damned her to.

Greys and Terrorking stared wide eyed, he did not think the girl had the courage to even speak, "...The Court of Pandemonium recognizes Mikomi Tejinashi, for what good my esteemed council is. Pandemonium is in it's own turmoil, what with whatever force is usurping my control."

Mikomi approached the two of them, "My brother has sworn everything he holds dear, even his very soul to my life. Our Shadow Game should have killed me outright..."

Grey was silent. "Kage perverted his mind, and I could not get to him. It was not our intention to be blind weapons. I am sorry you are here."

Terrorking guffawed, "Had this delightful 'interruption' had not occurred child you would have been quite a fun slave here for eternity! What of your brother? Why does he remain? How did he get here!"

Mikomi glared at Terrorking, and for a brief moment he saw a fierce power and drive wash over her. It was somewhat unsettling, even to a millenia old creature such as he. "I would ask the same for you, Ruler of Pandemonium. You like revelling in souls? They certainly don't see to care much for you anymore. They have all seem to fled! Leaving only your subjects to war against one another. He's killed more than his share."

Greys grinned, and made no effort to hide it from Terrorking.

"My brother Zetsu is here BECAUSE of people like you! All people do is fear all this! It has a right to exist as much as anything else! You torture, brutalize, rape and kill mindlessly and it's fallen back on you! This festering island is hell on earth, and it's because you've given to excess and now it's going to overthrow you!"

"SILENCE, WHELP!" Terrorking lowered his sword. "I WILL NOT SUFFER ANY HUMAN RANTING IN MY PRESENCE."

"You cannot suffer anything. That's why you hide in his chamber now. They will tear you apart, they all given in to a new darker power. They no longer fear you, and they've never respected you."

Terrorking growled, then roared before slamming his sword into the metal flooring, shearing it like a hot blade through ice. "Damn your insufferable soliloquies child. The others have fallen. Empress, Archbishop, Desrook, they all suffered horrible fates. I went along with this plan for my own survival."

Greys calmly viewed out the window, mad slavering archfiends alongside strange shade-like humans, "What are those among your subjects?"

Terrorking's eyes narrowed, "Something I should never have offered a seat at my court. We enjoy power. Thrive upon it, he offered it to us, and backed up his claim with a large swell of souls. Then my court started to vanished, replaced by His heralds and subjects. Soon all of Pandemonium was under his control, and has been made a forward base for His return."

Mikomi looked confused, "Who is He?"

"I know not. They have always called him Un-God, Him, and other such titles. Regardless, our pacts and truces with the rest of Ardent have been ruined. They freely go and spread chaos and suffering. Suffering individuals such as the Archfiend Court and the forces of Ha Des and worse should be causing!"

Zetsubou slowly spasmed before yelling out, Mikomi rushing over to his battered and horribly beaten body, "Brother! Are you okay!"

Zetsubou looked down at her and smiled. Terrorking held out his hand, "Enough. Greys, take your Knight out and have him slay a hundred score more of my subjects, from their bodies I can rebuild my Empire after all this is over."

Greys scoffed, "I will, but only because Ardent would die without a proper kingdom of darkness."

Zetsubou gave a small laugh, following out Greys.

Mikomi was along in the massive, ruined throne room with Terrorking, who lurched back and held his side. Black ichor flooded past his fingers as he laughed, "Child. You do not fear us. In fact you have the courage to tell us our shortcomings. I regret to inform you that you are correct, much as it wounds me to say as such."

Mikomi carefully took a step forward, Terrorking nodded, "You may approach the King."

"Your Highness, what is Ardent?"

"I do not follow."

"Ardent, you were discussing it with Greys? What is it?"

He gave a chuckle. "You truly are from Terra. Amazing. The world of what you call Duel Monsters, Duel Spirits, this is where we hold power. Elves, Fae, Demons and Humans and even more live upon this massive realm under siege."

Mikomi sat near him, looking like a speck to a giant, "Can you tell me about the siege?"

"Look around you child. This was Pandemonium, a world of dark energies that we Archfiends held supreme power in. Even our name Archfiend was sign of our noble heritage. Supreme! Beyond any other power before it! We were lawful to the shadows, and cruel and unrelenting to any who stood in our way. Then a herald of the Un-God came...Kel'aral."

"Kel'aral?"

"Yes. He was a former magician in Endymion, and among the highest of his peers. Then he stole fragments of the Un-God while killing countless Magi. All this atrocity under a glamour did he flee towards Terra around the time of the War of the Roses. The resulting clash of forces nearly ushered in a new dark age, had humanity not proved too tenacious for even the supernatural. The Rose Crusaders were formed soon after, and these artifacts were sent back to our world, at least we thought."

Mikomi listened intently.

"...Kel'aral lived, and said that on an island he has brought nearly all the artifacts, Rose Cards from Terra and the rituals necessary to bring his Un-God to life. He offered endless power to us all and how could we, Fiends who held power above all else, not resist? It was a powerful move for even during our truces with the lands of Warriors and Spellcasters, even with the more sentient Dragons we Fiends are quick to tear each other apart at any given notice, I could finally call Pandemonium a haven for my subjects."

"...You had your people in mind."

Terrorking nodded. "To a fault. I would still remain as the mightiest. However, this...civil war and my bitter end is all the Un-God has brought. My Champion had died within the opening acts of what the Crone of Telaris called 'The Final Play'."

"Champion? Why not get another?"

Terrorking shook his head. "A Champion is a rare soul is in perfect resonance with a type of force here in Ardent. Take Zetsubou. He does anything for you. Risks life and limb and calls his own forfeit. Desperation, Fear, and Beguiling everyone of his true intentions. He walks astride the night, thusly the Steelswarm who do the same were quick to collect him."

"There are other ways though."

"Truly wise for a human so very young. ...Were a soul pledge to willingly fight alongside a force in Ardent then...I suppose. We always find the Human, it has never been the other way around."

"Can you fight as we can? With cards?"

Terrorking shook his head, "I cannot. Those hold force unheard of here.", he grinned as his eyes shone with evil energy, Mikomi felt something in her...twitch.

Mikomi looked up at Terrorking, "I offer you one duel."

Terrorking rose a rigid brow, "One duel...for Pandemonium."

Mikomi nodded.

"Take a knee, Mikomi Tejinashi."

o o o

"Holy hell, you guys took on Grizzlies?"

Wes gave a smug smirk. "Yep, towered over Sako too, but we managed to bag it during our trip."

Reko's eyes lit up. "My lord, you have GOT to give us the hide! I could make a totally bad ass cloak for you out of it!"

"Uh...no thanks Reko. No offense, but I'm really not in tune with fashion sense."

"Something fur-oriented for Nellie?"

"...I'll give it some thought."

Reko laughed, looking about, "You're a good fella Wes. Who would've thought there was a personality past all that stoicism."

"I could say the same for you. Just thought you were some whackjob hornball until recently."

"Oh yeah?"

"Now I can say you're a useful whackjob hornball."

They both laughed aloud. Zetsubou looked down at them, but they did not notice his presence.

"You see? They aren't evil. Evil men would not do this. They do not talk of hunting trips and tirades with lovers." A massive black form rose from behind Zetsubou and laid a large chitinous claw upon his shoulder. Zetsubou looked down at the two of them, then back to his own sleeping form and Mikomi. "I was a fool Caucstag."

"Never. Only twisted from your purpose of defense. Greys has you on autopilot in Ardent, where your soul went willingly to dredge up Mikomi. Though...it is interesting that you have done as such."

Zetsubou looked at the hulking creature. "Why do you say this?"

"She is needed there. The Crone as well is a great boon to those forces. The world reels and suffers...your sister has also suffered greatly, and the sadist Nicky is close to her."

He rushed to the door before Caucstag's arm bore down upon him with force and held him. "She will be saved. You and her shall see to it."

He nodded. "I am ready."

"Awaken."

o o o

Zetsubou came to just as an Archfiend was impaled on a black organic piece of metal the he held in the right hand, he was covered head to toe in black blood and filth and quite frankly whatever hell he came to in smelled of rot and burning skin. Greys roared and swung his arm, ripping as great deal of them to nothing more than pulp. "You're aware of yourself."

"Yes. Where are we?"

"Pandemonium, where Terrorking and Mikomi are going to the pits. He will betray Mikomi's trust and enslave her, cast her into the pits to cement the UnGod's foothold in Ardent."

Zetsubou ran with renewed celerity, looking back towards Greys who kept up despite his hulking appearance, "Why did you leave her to this then?"

"I wanted to assume he wanted redemption, however he used suggestion and his black arts on her mind. She will be enslaved, and the Champion of the Swarms of Steel will come to her aid in this place."

"What must I do?"

"Kill the Terrorking, the Scrap will get the others to safety and you will prove yourself as a Crusader of the White Rose. Sadly, Terrorking is too far gone to be saved in his current state. Wholly defeated, he can be reasoned with."

Greys faded, and he ran down the nightmarish streets towards a massive mockery of the Colosseum. Part of its wall was crumbled and destroyed and faced a churning ocean of black water and roiling black clouds. Lightning pierced the skies, and Terrorking sat nonchalantly in a throne facing a swirling pit of red energies and tortured faces. A black chain was in the hand, wrapped around Mikomi's neck who looked euphoric in Terrorking's lap. Nicky was at his side, and Reka and her companions had their heads resting upon chopping blocks with several other shadowy forms hoisting up axes.

"TERRORKING!" Zetsubou bellowed with a voice that startled even him. Nicky rubbed his ear before stepping up to the plate, one hand immolated in black fire.

"You're just a idiotic Terra Boy who got caught up in this. I'll char yer soul!"

"Finish the ritual. Solidify His presence in my kingdom. I need to thank this mortal personally for my newest toy. She will grow into quite an entertainer in my new kingdom."

Zetsubou retaliated by throwing the blade of metal with enough force to shock Terrorking. He held his own blade to deflect it, however it came upon him to fast. It impaled him right through, knocking him onto the ground, "To think I was bound for this place as a plaything. Sickening."

Several insectoid demons lopped off the heads of Nicky's servants as Reka let out a breath. "Oh thank the makers I can breathe again." She cleared her throat. "I'll handle him."

"You're in no condition, Reka."

Reka nodded, "That may be, however I am-"

"He dominates my sister, he's my problem."

Terrorking reached for Mikomi's chain, holding the girl in one arm who writhed in ecstasy. "You want her?"

"I challenge you."

"Yukia Tejinashi, I accept as the final part of this ritual."

"What!" Mikomi hovered above the red pit, a chain latching onto her legs and Zetsubou's. Terrorking snapped his finger as a hellish and organic disc grew out of his arm. Something resembling cards flooded into the strange unit as Zetsubou found himself reaching towards his arm to find his shadowy disc there on his arm, "I have deceived your sister."

"You don't say."

The King of Pandemonium growled. "Ardent runs on Duel Energy, it is a force similar to what you call Magic. To usher in the UnGod, I need three final components. An area rife with demonic taint."

"Pandemonium...of course," Reka said.

"And two Terran souls rife with Duel Energy. One wholly pure. One wholly tainted beyond measure. One who foolishly seeks redemption. Two Tejinashi souls."

Zetsubou was silent, Terrorking laughing. "The Swarms have betrayed you Yukia! They want the UnGod's arrival as much as I do! Pandemonium will reign supreme among Demonkind once again!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it. If they want the UnGod's power they will have to know that I am in control. Not some damned book and certainly not you. Not anymore."

Reka called out as Amadis and the others came to. "We'll handle Nicky! You defeat him! You must do this Yukia! Don't fail now, or you know...End of Days and all that."

–––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou: **8000

**Terrorking : **8000

–––––––––––––––––

"I'll make the first move." Terrorking looked at his hand. "Brilliant, it is over before it begins. I activate Pandemonium!" As he played the card, the organic metal they stood on shined with hellish life and the skies turned a bloody red, "Now I do not have to pay any Life Points to sustain my own Archfiends. It gets better too, mortal. Should you manage the strength to kill a demon by effects other than battle I can get another one lower than the level of the demon you killed from my deck to my hand. I now summon Infernalqueen Archfiend to the field." A strange Archfiend with large black wings and swaddled in an indigo robe loomed over Zetsubou, bearing a brainy crown similar to Terrorking's (ATK/900 DEF/1500). "End turn."

When Zetsubou drew his card, Infernalqueen surged with black fire, "Did I not mention? During every Standby Phase I can select on Archfiend with her effect, bolstering it's Attack by a thousand points."

"How lovely, King of Nothing."

Terrorking only growled, "I will enjoy casting you into that pit."

Zetsubou looked at his hand, smirking, "The flaw with your strategy is that you only have one monster with no traps to bolster it. I would pity you. However you have turned my sister into a thrall and are going to sacrifice us both to bring about the birth of a so-called UnGod. This idiocy stops here. I special summon Steelswarm Cell." A small bug with Zetsubou's all too familiar icon on one shell buzzed loudly (ATK0 DEF/0). "Here is where you begin to die. Tribute Summoning Steelswarm Girastag."

The Cell shattered like glass, and in a veil of black smoke strode out a humanoid demon with the symbol on his chest, a thick tail and a cannon for one hand. Its body was covered in small blades, a bellowed a challenge towards Terrorking (ATK/2600 DEF/0). "Activating his effect. Since he was Tribute Summoned by a Steelswarm, I may destroy one monster on the field, gaining a thousand life in the process. Take aim and make me proud Girastag."

Girastag braced his cannon arm, charging it with black energy, "As you wish. Midnight's Blast!" As a ray of pitch barrelled towards Infernalqueen, it stopped dead as she seemed to be pushing it back. Terrorking laughed, "Should an effect specifically target certain demons. I roll a dice and leave it to fate. Should this particular demon have it land on a two or five, this effect is negated. What's more it destroys outright whatever caused the effect." Terrorking produced a black dice with blood red pips. "Made from splinters of bones from only the cruelest gamblers, let's see what they say." he threw the dice upon the metal and bone floor, having it land on a four.

Zetsubou grinned as the black cut her through like a ray of heat through ice, Terrorking searching for a lower Archfiend with Pandemonium's effect, "Girastag, cease his rambling." Girastag fired a second time, scorching Terrorking's carapace with another blast of his cannon.

–––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou: **9000

**Terrorking : **5400

–––––––––––––––––

Terrorking reeled from the blast before Zetsubou set two cards and played a third. "Veil of Darkness. When I draw, I will show you if it is a Dark-attribute monster. Should it be so, I will draw another card. I will draw every card in my arsenal to rend you asunder." he held the last card in his hand as the shadows seemed to envelop and caress him further. It didn't seem to control him, rather he seemed to be at one with it. "Go."

Terrorking drew his card as Mikomi's glazed eyes met his own. "If I ordered her to die, she would right now. If I ordered her to do anything, she would. I own her soul completely."

"She wanted to save you from yourself, you're the king of nothing. She was willing to duel Nicky in your stead to cease this presence on your island and redeem it. You deserve no respite from anything, you deserve to have your heart torn out and devoured by carrion."

Terrorking looked towards Mikomi, "You care about her? We will up the stakes. For every number of Life Points you lose, Mikomi will ravage her body as well as let a bit of vitae flow."

Mikomi produced a dagger from under her tattered dress, gods know where she concealed it. Zetsubou glared fire and Hell's unbridled fury towards Terrorking, rushing forward to be stopped half by the chain and half by Girastag, "Yukia halt! I know what he is doing is horrid but if you stop this ritual the results would be..."

He let out a huff, taking his place as Girastag grinned, "The moment he loses, we all will kill him. This I swear."

Reka looked over towards Nicky, who kicked off from the wall, "Well apparantly ya weren't meant to be culled. Ya supposed to witness this shit.", Nicky walked down a ruined street, "He'll want me ta kill ya dead, but not now. This isn't the right place, lighting is off. Somethin' could easily stop me knives too, what with ya mates there.", he waved before vanishing into dust, "Don't worry. You'll be mine in a fortnight."

Reka looked towards the alley with a raised brow, before Katasuo shook her shoulder, "To the shore! I see some kind of vessel approaching fast. It looks...ramshackle."

"Get the others to it, I'll remain in case this one falls. You know what we have to do."

Katasuo nodded, "Hope it doesn't come to that."

Terrorking looked at his hand, "I'll equip your monster with Axe of Despair."

Girastag looked puzzled as the damned weapon came into his hand, "Next I'll play Falling Down. Some Cards are Archfiend in nature, though their naming remains the same. Axe of Despair is one such card. As I fulfill the requirements, Girastag is now mine!", Zetsubou's Steelswarm took on a sickly hue as he coughed up blood, lurching over to Terrorking's side emotionlessly, "Girastag, repay the favor, but not without bolstering my own forces. Archfiend General, serve your liege!" A horrific demon of orange skin emerged from nothingness, bearing wide wings and a half skirt of tattered black skin. It held a warped bastard sword menacingly before standing boldly against Zetsu. (ATK 2100 / DEF 800)

"Attack my minions! Show then the Archfiends hold true power in our court!"

Zetsubou cackled, "Trap Card Activate! Your forces pale, stealing that which is mine. Invasive Ripple! I pay five hundred life, not enough to have Mikomi harm herself."

–––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou: **8500

**Terrorking : **5400

–––––––––––––––––

"Then I Special Summon Steelswarm Cell in defense!" Zetsubou's tiny insect appeared on the field, rising out of a pool of congealed shadow. It buzzed loudly and clamped its body shut before he activated a second card, "Infestation Wave! I return a Tribute Summoned Steelswarm I control to the hand and in exchange I can destroy one card on the field that you control." Steelswarm Girastag faded into shadow, going back to Zetsubou's hand. The Falling Down and Axe of Despait shattered, leaving Zetsubou holding back a baleful force in one hand. "Such...unstable power. The kind I need to do this!", Zetsubou pointed his hand at the floor, "Infest!", a massive wave of darkness and moonlight sundered the 'perfection' of Pandemonium, reveting it to its decrepit state, "With Pandemonium dead...your General cannot survive." The General clutched his chest, looking back to Terrorking with matching horror as Terrorking sat down two more cards and muttered, "I end."

Zetsubou drew his card. "I sacrifice Steelswarm Cell for Steelswarm Girastag." His tiny insectoid demon cracked apart and from its innards emerged the massive stag beetle demon. "And you remember what he does." Steelswarm Girastag lashed out with his tail and destroyed one of Terrorking's facedowns.

"I activate my facedown in response." The demonic king activated the destroyed card in response. "Jar of Greed, allowing me to draw one card." He took a card from the top of his deck and placed it in his hand.

–––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou: **9500

**Terrorking : **5400

–––––––––––––––––

"No matter. You have no defenses, so now Girastag can attack you directly." Steelswarm Girastag brought forth his arm cannon and began unleashing a hailstorm of black cannonfire upon Terrorking.

"You just triggered my Sakuretsu Armor." Terrorking revealed his card and spiky demonic armor appeared on his body that absorbed the blasts before unleashing a deadly and powerful shockwave that effortlessly destroyed Steelswarm Girastag. Zetsubou muttered under his breath. He couldn't use the card in his hand. Looking at his opponent one more time, he reluctantly ended his turn.

"Where's that passion of yours now?" cackled Terrorking as he drew. "I summon Shadowknight Archfiend." A pair of wings opened up and revealed an armored demon with long blue hair. It hissed as it stood up, revealing its left arm resembling a large shield armed with three sharp red claws. The demon clenched its right hand and watched as it formed into a pulsing red sword (ATK/2000 DEF/1600). "Shadowknight, strike now!" Shadowknight spread its wings and flew straight toward Zetsubou. With one swift stroke of its sword, it cut a gash across the man's chest.

–––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou: **8500

**Terrorking : **5400

–––––––––––––––––

The screams of a young girl forced Zetsubou to overcome his pain and turn toward Mikomi only to find the girl already sinking the blade of the dagger into her arm. He begged her to stop, but she cried that it was not her o wn doing. He turned and glared at Terrorking. "You monster."

"Says the man who slew many," Terrorking chortled, " And in case you were wondering, any damage Shadowknight deals is halved, so count yourself fortunate. I'll place this down and end my turn." He cackled as a card appeared at his feet.

Zetsubou drew. His eyes turned to Mikomi, whom he could see was clearly in severe pain. He just knew that he had to save her and the only way to do so was to defeat this demon king. He set a monster on the field and concluded his turn.

"Reveal Trap Card, Battle-Scarred!" announced Terrorking.

"What does that do?" inquired Zetsubou.

"You shall find out soon," Terrorking assured, "For now, I choose my Shadowknight. And now it is my turn." He drew. "And now for the effect of Battle-Scarred. Whenever I pay Life Points for my Archfiend, my opponent does too. And Shadowknight demands nine hundred per turn." There was a shriek and both Duelists felt the effect of Battle-Scarred immediately.

–––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou: **7600

**Terrorking : **4500

–––––––––––––––––

Once again Zetsubou heard more screams as his sister dug the blade in deeper. "Even if you keep this up, your Life Points are lower than mine," he pointed out, "You will lose before I."

"Is that a challenge?" asked Terrorking. "So be it then. I summon Vilepawn Archfiend." A lessser demon with a grey and brown exoskeleton appeared with a clawed shield for its left arm and a short sword for its right (ATK/1200 DEF/200). "When Vilepawn Archfiend is targeted by the effect of a card controlled by my opponent, when resolving the effect I roll a six-sided die. If the result is three, I negate the effect and destroy the opponent's card. And as long as this card remains face-up on the field, my opponent cannot attack any Archfiend on my side of the field except Vilepawn Archfiend."

"So it redirects attacks like Maruading Captain. Your only flaw is that Vilepawn has no means to defend itself from an attack," Zetsubou pointed out.

"Maybe so, but it's enough. Shadowknight Archfiend, attack!" Shadowknight Archfiend flew in and slashed Zetusbou's facedown, which turned out to be a demon in a black insect outfit with large goggles shaped like eyes named Steelswarm Scout (ATK/200 DEF/0).

"And now Vilepawn, attack!" Vilepawn Archfiend rushed in and stabbed Zetsubou.

–––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou: **6400

**Terrorking : **4500

–––––––––––––––––

"I shall conclude with this facedown," Terrorking concluded.

"Then it's my turn!" Zetsubou drew his card. "Since I control no Spells or Traps, Steelswarm Scout returns from my graveyard." The tiny little insectoid space man appeared and crouched down defensively. "I'll set a monster and end my turn."

"I draw." Terrorking drew and his Battle-Scarred kicked in. "I pay nine hundred Life Points for Shadowknight and five hundred for Vilepawn."

–––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou: **5500

**Terrorking : **3100

–––––––––––––––––

"You're going to lose very quickly at this rate," Zetsubou said with a smirk.

"Don't be so quick to judge the outcome," Terrorking replied as more of Mikomi's screams fill the air, causing Zetusbou's smirk to disappear. "Fortunately, I won't need to worry about that much longer as I have drawn a new Pandemonium." He activated his Field Spell and the field changed into Hell once again. "Now Vilepawn, attack Steelswarm Scout!" Vilepawn Archfiend slashed the small demon and split its body in two.

"Shadowknight, attack the other one." Shadowknight Archfiend slashed the facedown monster, which turned out to be a black quadrupedal creature with a thick shell bearing the Mark of the Steelswarm on its forehead named Steelswarm Gatekeeper (ATK/1500 DEF/1900). The black creature groaned as its body was cut and destroyed.

"Your turn."

Zetsubou drew his next card and looked at it. It was an unuseable card. However, it would be useful later on. He set it facedown on the field and Special Summoned Steelswarm Scout in defense mode and ended his turn.

"I draw." Terrorking drew and cackled. "Excellent. Your time is at hand. I summon Terrorking Archfiend." The demonic king sank into the ground.

"You can't summon yourself to the field!" Zetsubou argued.

"I just did!" Terrorking Archfiend suddeny burst out of the ground in between Vilepawn Archfiend and Shadowknight Archfiend and spread his wings (ATK/2000 DEF/1500). "Now Shadowknight, attack that Steelswarm Scout!" Shadowknight Archfiend launched himself forward and cut the creature in two.

"Vilepawn, your turn!" Vilepawn Archfiend marched toward Zetsubou and thrust its blade into his abdomen.

–––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou: **4300

**Terrorking : **3100

–––––––––––––––––

"And now I shall take matters into my own hands. Locust Swarm Barrage!" Terrorking Archfiend's stomach opened wide and and massive swarm of locusts flew out and attacked Zetsubou head-on.

–––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou: **2300

**Terrorking : **3100

–––––––––––––––––

The screams of Mikomi's pain filled the air as Terrorking's stomach closed back up. "On my next turn, you shall be done and your sister shall die."

"Then this last turn will have to count," Zetsubou answered.

"I end my turn."

"And I activate my facedown card, Invasion Ripple. By paying five hundred Life Points, I can resurrect a level four or lower Steelswarm monster from my graveyard."

–––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou: **1800

**Terrorking : **3100

–––––––––––––––––

"Return, Steelswarm Cell." Steelswarm Cell crawled out of the ground and flickered its wings beneath its carapace.

Zetsubou breathed. It all came down to this last draw. If he did not get the card he needed, it was all over. "Here it goes." Putting all of his faith into his deck, he drew his card and hoped for a miracle.

"Did you get the card you need?" Terrorking asked mockingly.

Zetsubou looked at the card in his hand and then looked toward his opponent. "First, I Special Summon Steelswarm Scout from my graveyard." Steelswarm Scout reappeared on the field. "Now I play this, Monster Reborn!" He placed the card he had just drawn into his Duel Disk. "I resurrect Steelswarm Girastag." His giant stag beetle demon appeared in between the two smaller Fiends.

"So what is your plan? Are you planning to destroy my monsters with those three?"

"Not quite. But they are a part of your demise." Zetsubou held the last card in his hand. "I sacrifice Steelswarm Scout, Steelswarm Cell, and Steelswarm Girastag." All three monster vanished from the field. "I summon Steelswarm Greys!" A gigantic demon resembling a massive black Hercules beetle appeared with four large muscular arms with several pale yellow spines growing out of its body (ATK/3300 DEF/0).

"You've summoned a powerful monster. But how do you plan to use it?" questioned Terrorking.

"With his effect," answered Zetsubou, "By paying half of my Life Points, I can destroy every card on the field except for Steelswarm Greys."

–––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou: **900

**Terrorking : **3100

–––––––––––––––––

Steelswarm Greys stood up and slammed his tail against the ground as his spines began to glow. Then with a great loud cry, he fired off the spikes in all directions. Pandemonium collapsed from the massive attack as Terrorking cried out and shielded himself. When the barrage finally end the field was bare save for Steelswarm Greys and Terrorking Archfiend was crouching behind his backfield coughing and covered with many fatal injuries.

"Greys, end this now and free Mikomi," ordered Zetsubou. Steelswarm Greys, with his spines having grown back, clenched his fists and a flew toward Terrorking. He grabbed his head with one hand and held his arms back with another as he placed two more arms against his body and then suddenly extended his spines, impaling the body and ending the life of Terrorking Archfiend once and for all.

–––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou: **900

**Terrorking : **0

–––––––––––––––––

Zetsubou stood over Terrorking smoking body, kicking it in to the pit he wanted Mikomi cast into. At once he heard a hideous shriek and the sound similar to a great storm dying out. He laid Mikomi upon the metal flood of Pandemonium, and at once a small dwarfish Steelswarm went to examining her, he did not know where it came from but regarded the sophisticated headgear it sported. It spoke in an impish tone, "Knight Yukia, the human female has lost blood, however it will not be fatal."

"You have to be kidding, look at her. She is pale! She doesn't move at all..." Zetsubou's voice trailed off sadly, regarding the massive cuts and self inflicted wounds Terrorking made her perform. "Dammit, why! I just wanted her happiness and now..."

Reka knelt close to him, "I know who you are. If it's any consolation, Rena knew all this would happen. She says thank you for making her grandchildren aware. She also says you have to go back, to Terra."

"I don't understand. You hold no ill will for me?"

"...Nahhhh," Reka said jokingly, "You're not a bad guy. Everyone makes mistakes, even if those mistakes are a bit...extreme I admit. However you set the stage, you. You're aware that you're a Crusader right?"

He looked down at the Steelswarm Sentry, now joined by Greys who towered over them all. "I have told him as the Crone directed, Maiden Telaris. Shall I send him back to Mother? Whatever presence here seems to have faded now. The UnGod won't be getting to Terra early."

"Greys, all the others Fiends and Devils sided with the Ungod. Why not you?"

Greys looked at the Sentry who nodded energetically. "It is because we understand there is balance in all things. We are demons borne of Night. Without Day, there can be no hope for any of us. We are silent watchmen. Others strive for power, wealth, we care not. We observe, then step in to maintain order in the most logical sense. Many have joined with the UnGod, however you are in the right siding with the handful to strive for balance astride Endymion, Mist Valley, and the other Nation and Kingdoms dotting Ardent. Sovereign Greys, was I correct in conveying your message?"

"I would have added, we will crush any who side with the UnGod, however I can agree with what you have said, little one." Reka took Mikomi's body. "She's not dead. How is she..."

"Hope." Zetsubou said shakily. "Her name means Hope. She can't die in a war so distraught, that and I'll believe my allies. They won't betray me. Reka..."

"Yes, Zetsubou? Or...should I call you Yukia?"

"No...Zetsubou means Despair. It's become a part of me now. Maybe after all this is over, I'll tell her my actual name, the one our parents gave me. I've only met you for mere moments, but I feel I can trust you."

She laughed. "Well yeah. I'm a fairly likable gal one you get past my rough exterior. Wait a second..." Reka pulled off a small silver tube on her tool belt. "These are official orders from Endymion we've completed. There are a LOT of places the UnGod is affecting. Our job is to stop it. Mikomi will have to fight, but I know she can." Clanking was heard as Zetsubou saw strange shambling Scrap monsters...Mikomi's Scrap Deck. "She's a Champion too, like the rest of us."

"Is she a Cru-"

"Pffft. No. Crusader is a mantle passed on through Fate's invisible hand, you know it or you don't know it. It shows you you're one when the time comes. Amadis thinks it's the will of God, myself? Fate, nice and Neutral. What about you?"

"I don't know what to believe, truly. Just in her."

Reka's smile softened, and he could see Recca's kindness in those eyes. "Then Mikomi always wanted you to not sacrifice yourself in vain, but be something great. A Crusader of the White Rose, there's no real higher honor than that. Now, this messenger tube."

"Yes, what of it?"

"If you're going back to Terra, then I want you to test a theory. If you come to wherever and those orders are still in your hand, get them to Recca. She needs to know what's going on over here." A Scrap Goblin was poking Mikomi lightly with it's fork before it dashed over to a Scrap Golem and got out amazingly sterile looking medical supplies from its refrigerator body. In a blur she was bandaged, cleaned and hooked to a intravenous blood supply, carried off by several Scrap Golems who made not a sound. Reka smirked. "See? Whaddaya know about that? She'll be fit in days."

Greys looked down at the two of them. "Terra awaits, Zetsubou. I can send you back."

"Reka...with Mikomi in your care. What should I do?"

"You're a silly one, smart as you are. Believe in yourself, aid the other Crusaders and their allies in Terra. Live and Survive, for her sake. You want her happiness. You have to fight for it, and you're one damn fine fighter. Give them hell, Rose Crusader." Reka left with the Scraps, and soon it was just the two of them.

"Greys. How do I return?"

"When Reko Telaris was in Mist Valley, he was Championed. Not even Raiza, the last of a mere smattering of Monarchs still in control of themselves knew how he arrived. You are a similar anomaly. He was thrust into a situation where he should have died, endured a trial by the Spirit of Mist Valley and emerged as if he came out of a dream. I witnessed it all. As I said, you two are similar as you were not summoned to Ardent, rather you 'broke in' for lack of a better term."

"So a near death situation..."

"...Should, if theory holds, rout the 'Infiltrator' back to Terra. Mikomi was summoned when she lost her match against you. That is why Reka was so adamant in recruiting her. She would have been a snack for Terrorking, had you not intervened and somehow joined her in Ardent, sharing your life with hers...perhaps that is love?" He rested his palm on Zetsubou's forehead. "I return you to Terra, Noble Crusader. Show them all that Darkness is not something to be feared, it is to be respected. Exact a heavy toll upon those who have perverted the Darkness."

"Believe me Greys...there will be a heavy toll to collect."

A horn impaled Zetsubou's body, and as it hit Zetsubou faded into black mist, "Godspeed...Paymaster."

o o o

"Gooood morning!" Recca called out in her dress and scarf of sky blue and white. Her hair was done up in two heavy set pigtails, and made into spirals. Mika bowed politely towards Mr. Thulin who walked inside.

"Welcome to our store! May I seat you?" Ahe was dressed in something other than something based off of her priestess clothes, much to Recca's glee. She sported a heavy dress of heavy knitted green fabric and leather, her hair done up in a small ponytail. Mr. Thulin chuckled a bit before allowing Mika to seat him at their bar. "I'll get your tea and scones all ready for you." Recca watched her with a half judgemental eye, and to her amazement Mika had finally caught on to running the shop.

The bell chimed gently a second time, and Wes slowed to a stop in front in Recca, "Wow...um. Recca. Interesting hairstyle."

"I was reading a lot of Romance Manga the other day, this hairstyle stuck out. Took four hours dammit but I nailed it. Yes? We like?"

Wes skipped the answer with a cough. "I need to talk with Zetsubou about the book. It's missing."

Reko came down the stair shirtless and only wearing jeans, his hair a large disheveled clump of lavender. "Mornin'. Did I just hear a book go missin'?" He yawned loudly, and Wes nodded, "Yeah. THAT book. Zetsu had it last so...is he?"

Reko looked upstairs. "Still out like a light? Wes, he's been like that for...about...now?"

Everyone looked upstairs to see Zetsubou holding the White Rose Card in one hand and a silver tube in the other, already dressed in what meager clothing he had. "Morning. Recca, I apologize for anything I may have done. Reko, you may punch me this evening. Someone get me a cup of black coffee and an omelet and Wes you just said the Archive is missing?"

Recca walked stunned towards the kitchen, saying something to Mika who nearly spilt Mr. Thulin's tea. Reko punched into his open palm, striding downstairs and Wes stood at the foot of the staircase, nodding, "That's right."

"Then we have quite the day ahead of us. I'll tell you what I know."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

As the search for the book continues, Marsha and the student council continue with their questionable activities, which raises the suspicions of some of the students. What is the president up to? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	103. Passion Beyond the Stars

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-16**

**Passion Beyond the Stars**

The student council office was full. All twelve members of the council were present as well as Marsha. Issac was seated to her immediate left. On her right were Stan and Tobias. The entire council had gathered for their weekly meeting. So far it had all been old business mostly consisting of small things such as revision of event plans, funding, and Duel Lottery reviews.

"Now what about that new proposal the students were supposed to vote on?" Issac inquired as he looked at his notes.

"Voter apathy at this school is at an all-time high this year," council member number nine said, "Nobody voted on that."

"So by default, that means the student council has to decide," council member number five replied. Everybody looked toward Marsha.

"All in favor?" she asked. Everybody raised their hands. "Motion is carried. Is there any more business?"

"Tobias has something he wants to say," Issac said. All heads turned as the bandaged boy stood up and exhaled slowly as he ran a hand through his messy red hair.

"Well, do you?" asked Stan.

"Yes, I certainly do," was Tobias' answer, "but I forgot it." Everybody groaned. "I'm sorry! But don't worry. I wrote it down this time." He fumbled around with his pockets for a while before producing a crumpled piece of loose leaf paper.

"Well, out with it," Marsha demanded.

"Ummm... Starting next week, the Osiris Reds are going to be petitioning for renovations for their dorm. They're looking to get at least four hundred signatures." He then sat back down.

"The school can't afford to renovate a dorm like that," Marsha stated bluntly, "Tell them to stop their pointless petition."

"But they'll hit me!" Tobias protested.

"Just do it," Issac said sternly.

"If there's nothing else, meeting adjured." The council members got out of their seats and began to leave the room one by one. Marsha stayed behind, getting up from her chair and going toward the window. She looked out at the students outside. She could see Wes and Nellie walked around hand-in-hand along with a few other couples spending time together in their own way. She stared at them as a hand went over her heart. As much as she enjoyed being the president of the student council, her busy schedule often prevented her from enjoying some of life's pleasures.

Marsha took offer glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes. This was no time to be thinking about that. She had work to do.

o o o

Coltyn passed the basketball to Gabe, who caught it and dribbled across the court being careful to avoid Sammie. Mikey ran past his brother and stole the ball from him, taking back to the other net. Max was waiting for him, but Noah stood in front of him to bar him allowing Mikey a clear shot. Taking aim, the brunet threw the balls and scored a goal. He pumped his arms into the air in victory just as Noah jumped and hugged him.

"Affectionate little boy, isn't he?" Max observed.

"He just really likes hugs," Mikey replied as he reciprocated the sign of affection.

"Well, that was fun." Coltyn grabbed his water bottle and sat down on the bench beside the court.

"Too bad the kid didn't do much," Sammie muttered just barely audibly.

"Hey, I'm not complaining about that," Gabe joked.

"Leave him alone, guys. Sports just aren't his forte." Mikey looked down at the white haired boy. "Well, we know that now anyway."

"Oh by the way, I baked some cookies in home ec. today." Noah released his hold around Mikey and walked to his bag. He moved his plush out of the way and took out a Ziploc bag of gingersnap cookies. Everybody took one out and bit into them. "Well?"

"These are good!" Mikey exclaimed.

"It's just one fantabulous explosion of flavor!" Max added. Noah smiled at the compliments his friends gave him as he took a cookie himself and ate it.

o o o

The Crystal Beasts were worried. Jesse had not been acting like himself lately. The seven Duel Spirits watched as their master muttered to himself in the next room while occasionally crying out as he grasped his head. Ruby Carbuncle whimpered and hid.

"I agree. This is not normal behavior for him," Sapphire Pegasus said.

"He has not been the same since that card arrived," Amethyst Cat observed. Emerald Tortoise responded by retracting into his shell.

"What can we do?" asked Cobalt Eagle.

"Grrr, I say we find that card and tear it to shreds!" Topaz Tiger snarled, "Jesse wouldn't be like this now if it wasn't for that thing!"

"Can we do it, though?" Amber Mammoth asked.

"You want Jesse back, don't you?" Topaz Tiger was snarling as he eyed Jesse' deck as it sat on the table.

"Topaz Tiger brings up a good point, but do any of us stand a chance against such an entity?" Emerald Tortoise asked.

"We should at least try," said Sapphire Pegasus. Ruby Carbuncle came out of her hiding place and shook her head vigorously before voicing her opinion.

"I don't like it either, but we have little choice, Ruby Carbuncle," Amethyst Cat told the tiny creature, "However, I do believe that we should wake Rainbow Dragon."

"Rainbow Dragon? He only comes at certain times," Colbalt Eagle pointed out.

"Forget Rainbow Dragon! We don't have time to get him!" Topaz Tiger turned. "We go in now." As he let out a roar, a thunderbolt struck the floor in front of them. A massive yellow skeleton with large wings held together by a translucent membrane stood up and looked down at the seven animals. It's teeth ground against each other as it glared down at them, sparks flying out of its wings every now and then. It let out a deafening roar and forced the Crystal Beasts back into their cards. Hamon looked at Jesse's deck and vanished as the blue-haired man came into the room and picked up his cards.

"I got me a date with destiny," he said to himself.

o o o

Marsha was sitting outside by the lake with some paperwork in her hands. She had a binder on her lap which she was using as a writing surface. Being stuck in the student council office all the time would cause her to come outside every once in a while and take in some fresh air. With her work in front of her, a coffee at her side, and the gentle sound of the lake's waves lapping each other, she felt at peace.

"Cassie, lemme show you something!" Gio's voice rang out, breaking Marsha's concentration.

"It's just gonna involve rocks again!" Cassie replied.

"I was gonna skip this rock across the lake."

"You've shown it to me a hundred times. It gets old."

Marsha stood up and looked around. Who would dare interrupt her time? She was finally able to spot the two small children walking along the lake. Cassie was a few good steps ahead of Gio, obviously trying to keep distance between them while the latter was trying to close that distance.

"Cassie, you've been acting really weird since that Noah kid showed up," Gio pointed out as he ran after her.

"FYI Gio, Noah's just a friend," Cassie rebutted, "_And_ he's a really nice guy." She took out some gingersnap cookies from her pocket. "He made these in home ec. and shared them with me."

"He's just trying to win you over with cookies and candy," Gio argued.

"So what if he is?" Cassie asked, "At least he's being nice. I think the one who's really been acting weird is you, Gio."

The boy opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He had no argument for Cassie there. The girl looked at him one last time and walked away. Gio was going to chase after her, but he stopped. He looked at the rock he had brought along in his hand. Frustrated, he threw it into the lake and ran away, passing Marsha in the process and bumping into her. The student council president lost her balance and fell backwards, landing in the lake.

Marsha struggled to the surface with all her might, but it was to no avail. She did not know how to swim and she could feel herself sinking fast. She screamed for help, but her voice seemed to go unheard. As her head disappeared beneath the surface, her mind panicked. She wasn't going to make it. There was no way she could make it out of this.

Suddenly, she felt something grab her and pull her up. Her head broke the surface and she coughed violently. She was pulled up onto land and given a few chest pumps. When she could finally see again, her eyes fell upon a handsome young man with black hair.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I...am," Marsha coughed as she tried to sit up.

"You can't swim, can you?"

"How...could you tell?"

"You were flailing in the water."

"Oh..." Marsha felt a little stupid. Anyone who could swim would have obviously been able to pull themselves out of the water easily.

The boy took off his Ra Yellow jacket and wrapped it around her. He then walked her to the infirmary and let the nurse take over from there. Before he left, Marsha asked him for his name. His answer was, "Coltyn. Coltyn Reproba."

o o o

"Is she okay?" Tobias asked as he poked Marsha. A few days had passed since the incident at the lake and the student council president seemed different.

"Marsha, are you alright?" Issac asked.

"I'm fine," Marsha answered. "Why?"

"You seem distant recently," Issac answered.

"You're just way out there," Stan said.

"Does it concern with the lake incident?" Issac inquired.

Marsha looked at her brother. "How did you know?"

"It was a hypothesis you just proved correct. Does this concern Mr. Reproba?"

_Damnit. Does he know everything?_ Marsha wondered. But then she remembered that Issac was good at reading people.

"Are you...in love with him?" Tobias asked.

"Who told you that?" Marsha demanded, her tone suddenly turning angry.

"No one!" Tobias shrieked cowering.

"You totally do!" Stan laughed.

"Shut up, Stan!" Marsha, her face red, got up from her seat and left the office. She needed some time to cool herself down. She walked around the school trying to calm down. As she walked through the hallways, she heard a familiar voice. It was Coltyn! Her heart started to beat faster as she got closer, but stayed out of sight. She carefully edged herself around a corner and looked. It was definitely Coltyn. But the person she saw him with made her less than thrilled. It was a blonde girl about half a head shorter than him with her hair tied up in two short pigtails. She was wearing an Osiris Red uniform and held her books in her arms. Marsha felt something inside her go off. She watched as the girl then said goodbye and left before Coltyn was caught up by Gabe, who dragged him away.

She had to get that girl out of the way.

o o o

Marsha had learned that the girl's name was Mimi. Thanks to her access to the school files, she was able to find out her entire schedule and plot her course of action. She waited patiently for her in the hallways after class had been let out for the day. She had fixed that day's lottery so that Coltyn would be dueling, keeping him away from this girl. When Mimi finally came down the stairs, Marsha stepped out in front of her.

"Are you Mimi?"

"Um, yes. That's me."

Without saying a word, Marsha activated her Duel Disk. "We'll settle this now and I won't go easy on you."

"Settle what now?" Mimi asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"You know what you did. Now ready your deck!"

Mimi seemed to have absolutely no idea what was going on, but she knew that she would not be able to continue on with her own business if she did not duel. She took out her Duel Disk and activated it.

–––––––––––––––––

**Marsha:** 8000

**Mimi:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

Mimi won the coin toss and chose to go first. She drew her first card and played it immediately. "I summon White Magician Pikeru." A tiny girl in a white dress with long red hair appeared holding a glowing wand and wearing a Sheep hat on her head (ATK/1200 DEF/0). "Next I play the card Double Summon, which lets me Normal Summon again this turn. So I'm going to use it to summon Ebon Magician Curran." Beside White Magician Pikeru, a small girl in a black Gothic Lolita dress appeared wearing a black bunny hat and holding a pink whip in her hand (ATK/1200 DEF/0). "I'll set two facedowns and end my turn."

"It's my turn now." Marsha drew her card. "I'll start by playing Corruption Cell "A"." She played her card and a squirming purple life form appeared with tendrils sticking out in various directions and spots that were questionably thought of as eyes. "With this card, I can place one Alien Counter on one monster on your field so I'll attach it to Ebon Magician Curran." The alien life form launched itself across the field and latched onto Ebon Magician Curran.

"Next I'll play "A" Cell Breeding Device. This lets me place one Alien Counter on one of your monsters on each of my Standby Phases. But I'm not done. I summon Alien Hunter." A green reptilian creature appeared on the field in black armor wielding a large pike in both hands (ATK/1600 DEF/800). "Alien Hunter, attack Ebon Magician Curran!" Alien Hunter held his weapon like a spear and charged. "Now when Alien Hunter destroys a monster with an Alien Counter in battle, he can attack one more time."

"It's not going to happen," Mimi announced, "I activate Waboku." Three women in blue robes appeared in front of her monsters and Alien Hunter's weapon crashed into a barrier they erected. When he could see his attack was not penetrating the shield, he withdrew.

"I'll set one card and end my turn."

"Then I draw." Mimi drew her card. "And now for my monsters' effects. Pikeru heals me by four hundred Life Points for each monster I have on the field. Since I have two, that's eight hundred." White Magician Pikeru raised her wand and showered Mimi with sparkles.

–––––––––––––––––

**Marsha:** 8000

**Mimi:** 8800

–––––––––––––––––

"And now Curran damages you for three hundred Life Points for each monster on your field." Ebon Magician Curran lashed out with her whip and struck Marsha on the arm.

–––––––––––––––––

**Marsha:** 7700

**Mimi:** 8800

–––––––––––––––––

"And now I'll equip Curran with Trial of the Princesses," announced Mimi, "It boosts her by eight hundred." With newfound strength, Ebon Magician Curran rose up to an even two thousand attack points. "Now I Special Summon Grinder Golem to your field in defense mode." Marsha was surprised to find the giant moving torture machine (ATK/3000 DEF/300) appear suddenly on her side of the field while two level one Dark Fiend tokens appeared on Mimi's field with zero attack and defense points in defense position.

"Ebon Magician Curran, attack Grinder Golem." The tiny black lolita girl lashed out with her whip and destroyed Grinder Golem. "Now I can activate the effect of Trial of the Princesses. Since Curran destroyed a level five or higher monster, I can tribute her and the equipped Spell Card to summon Princess Curran." The Ebon Magician suddenly started to grow. Her dress grew proportionate to her change as her hat transformed into a more regal head adornment and her whip changed into a staff. A small rabbit butler appeared behind her holding her new cloak (ATK/2000 DEF/0). Upon her transformation's completion, the Alien Counter that had been clinging onto her fell to the floor and died.

"That's it for my turn."

"I draw now." Marsha drew her card. "And on my Standby Phase, I will use the power of my "A" Cell Breeding Device to put a counter on your Princess Curran." Another pulsing purple organism appeared and attached to Princess Curran. "And now I summon Alien Warrior." A white extraterrestrial creature with large claws appeared and roared (ATK/1800 DEF/1000). "Alien Warrior, attack Princess Curran!"

"Your monster is too weak to destroy my princess," Mimi pointed out.

"That's where you're wrong," Marsha replied. "Any monster that battles with my Aliens loses three hundred attack and defense during damage calculation." The Alien Counter on Princess Curran suddenly inserted its tendrils into her and her attack points dropped to seventeen hundred.

"Not quite. I activate Shrink." Mimi revealed her other facedown. "Now your monster's attack points are halved." Alien Warrior suddenly shrank to half its size as its attack points were lowered to nine hundred. Princess Curran looked down at the tiny thing and blasted it with her magical staff.

–––––––––––––––––

**Marsha:** 6900

**Mimi:** 8800

–––––––––––––––––

"When Alien Warrior is destroyed in battle, I can place two Alien Counters on the monster that destroyed it," Marsha explained. Alien Warrior's body burst open and and two Alien Counters flew out and latched onto Princess Curran. "Now Hunter, attack a Token." The Fiend Token went down significantly easier than the last monster and the damage was dealt to Mimi.

–––––––––––––––––

**Marsha:** 6900

**Mimi:** 7200

–––––––––––––––––

"That ends my turn," announced Marsha.

"I draw." Mimi drew. "And you know what's coming. Pikeru heals me for four hundred times the monsters I have."

–––––––––––––––––

**Marsha:** 6900

**Mimi:** 8400

–––––––––––––––––

"And now Princess Curran's gonna do six hundred damage per monster." Princess Curran launched her attack and blasted Marsha.

–––––––––––––––––

**Marsha:** 6300

**Mimi:** 8400

–––––––––––––––––

"I play Hidden Armory. So at the cost of no more summons this turn, I can bring an Equip Spell from my graveyard or deck to my hand. I choose Trial of the Princesses and equip it to Pikeru." Mimi took the card from her graveyard and attached it to White Magician Pikeru, boosting her up to two thousand attack points. "Curran, attack Alien Hunter." The black Spellcaster fired a magical blast from her wand and hit Alien Hunter dead-on.

–––––––––––––––––

**Marsha:** 5900

**Mimi:** 8400

–––––––––––––––––

"Pikeru, attack now."

"I reveal my Trap Card," announced Marsha, "Call of the Haunted and I resurrect Alien Warrior." Alien Warrior reappeared on the field and roared. His return was short-lived, however, as White Magician Pikeru blasted him with her wand and destroyed him."

–––––––––––––––––

**Marsha:** 5700

**Mimi:** 8400

–––––––––––––––––

Two Alien Counters flew out of the dead alien's body and latched onto Pikeru. "That's all," Mimi stated.

Marsha drew her card. "My Cell Breeding Device puts a counter on your white mage." A third Alien counter attached to White Magician Pikeru. "Next I'll set one card and one monster. Your move."

"I draw." Mimi drew her card. "And now my Pikeru's and Curran's effects activate."

–––––––––––––––––

**Marsha:** 5100

**Mimi:** 9600

–––––––––––––––––

"I summon Magician's Valkyria." A girl of the Dark Magic discipline appeared holding a staff shaped like a hook (ATK/1600 DEF/1800). "Now you can't attack another Spellcaster but her. Now I switch my Fiend Token into defense mode and attack. First Magician's Valkyria." Magician's Valkyria fired a burst of magical fire from her staff and shot Marsha's facedown monster, which turned out to be Alien Grey (ATK/300 DEF/800).

"You've activated Alien Grey's effect. When he's flipped, I can place one Alien Counter on a monster of yours." An Alien Counter latched onto Magician's Valkyria. "And now I can draw a card." Marsha drew and then nodded to Mimi to continue.

"Pikeru, attack!" Sparkling magic flew from White Magician Pikeru's wand and hit Marsha.

–––––––––––––––––

**Marsha:** 3100

**Mimi:** 9600

–––––––––––––––––

"Curran, attack!" Princess Curran fired her own magical attack and dealt damage to Marsha.

–––––––––––––––––

**Marsha:** 1100

**Mimi:** 9600

–––––––––––––––––

"I'm done," announced Mimi.

"I draw." Marsha drew her card. "I begin with my "A" Cell Breeding Device and put an Alien Counter on your token." A counter attached to the Fiend Token. Now every monster on Mimi's field had at least one. "Now I activate my Trap Card, Brainwashing Beam. It lets me control one monster with Alien Counters on it. And I choose Curran." A beam of light shined on Princess Curran and she walked over to Marsha's field as if in a trance.

"Now since I control your monster, I only need to tribute one creature to summon this. I sacrifice Princess Curran for Cosmic Horror Gangi'el!" A giant alien appeared with countless tentacles and spider legs and towered over the field (ATK/2600 DEF/2000). "Attack Magician's Valkyria!" Cosmic Horror Gangi'el wiggled its limbs and fired a powerful laser down upon Magician's Valkyria."

–––––––––––––––––

**Marsha:** 1100

**Mimi:** 8600

–––––––––––––––––

"Now I'll use my Cosmic Horror's effect to put a counter on Pikeru." Cosmic Horror Gangi'el spat a counter out and it attached to White Magician Pikeru. "I now set a card. That will be all."

Mimi drew. The card she had received could not be used this turn. For now, she chose to defend herself and so switched White Magician Pikeru into defense mode before ending her turn.

"I draw and place a counter on Pikeru." Five Alien Counters now covered White Magician Pikeru as Marsha revealed her facedown. "I activate another Brainwashing Beam and I'll take that Pikeru of yours." A beam of light hit White Magician Pikeru and she flew over to Marsha's side. "I summon Alien Hunter." A second Alien Hunter appeared. "Attack the token." Alien Hunter plunged his pike into the Fiend Token and destroyed it.

"Now that he's destroyed a monster with an Alien Token, he can attack again!" And true to Marsha's word, Alien Hunter moved in and stabbed Mimi.

–––––––––––––––––

**Marsha:** 1100

**Mimi:** 7000

–––––––––––––––––

"Now Cosmic Horror Gangi'el, attack!" The horror from beyond the stars stepped forward and unleashed its terrifying beam unto Mimi.

–––––––––––––––––

**Marsha:** 1100

**Mimi:** 4400

–––––––––––––––––

"Now how about a blast from your own monster?" asked Marsha before sending White Magician Pikeru to attack.

–––––––––––––––––

**Marsha:** 1100

**Mimi:** 2400

–––––––––––––––––

"I now end my turn," announced Marsha, "And according to my Brainwashing Beam, I must remove one Alien Counter from the monster I took control of." One of the horrible purple organisms vanished from White Magicain Pikeru.

Mimi gulped. If she could not draw anything this turn, she would lose. She nervously took the top card of her deck and removed it from her Duel Disk. Her heart sank. It was a monster, but it was far too powerful to summon. She was done for.

"You were warned and now you are done," said Marsha as she drew. "Cosmic Horror Gangi'el, attack and end this." Cosmic Horror Gangi'el unleashed its attack on Mimi and blasted away the last of her Life Points.

–––––––––––––––––

**Marsha:** 1100

**Mimi:** 0

–––––––––––––––––

Marsha stood over Mimi as she watched the blonde girl kneel down to get her cards. "Stay away from him if you know what's good for you," she said threateningly before walking off. As she left, Issac and Stan came forward.

_She's learned her lesson_, she thought.

Meanwhile, Mimi could only think of one thing. Why did she do it? All she did was ask Coltyn for math help.

o o o

Alexis had left the island and had left Miss Marina in charge. Dr. Snappe had presented himself, as he had often done in the past, to replace her. But he was denied yet again, this time the position being given to the girls' P.E. teacher. As Miss Marina looked over the papers, her eye caught something interesting. She took the file and read it thoroughly.

o o o

Marsha was happy with her success. The paperwork had been done and now all it needed was her signature. With pen in hand, she scrawled her name in all the relevant blanks and then signed it on the bottom, giving her claim of the Osiris Red dorms.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Alexis and Cassie leave the island for the weekend to go see Jaden compete in one of the biggest Duel Monsters tournaments in the world. But something sinister lurks in the stadium. Can Cassie defend herself against it? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	104. Enemy of Justice

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-17**

**Enemy of Justice**

Cassie was excited. She and her mother had left Duel Academy for the weekend to go see Jaden participate in the upcoming regional tournament in America. The girl had seen her father duel many times in the past, but this was the first time she would be seeing him play in the major leagues in person. She was his biggest admirer and that was not just because he was family. Jaden was one of the greatest Duelists in the world and a very good person. He never let the fame go to his head. Even with all of his fans and competitions, he still put his family first. Cassie always looked forward to the calls on Skype she had with her father every night before bed. No matter where he was in the world, he always put at least one hour aside to talk to his daughter and wife.

"Cassie, keep reading," said Alexis.

"Yes, mom," Cassie sighed. Before they left, Cassie had to agree that she would keep up with her schoolwork during the trip. Since they were travelling, Alexis had only assigned readings. However, having to cross the ocean on a plane for several hours made her restless and unable to focus on her books. Joy nearly exploded from her heart when the announcement that they were landing was finally made.

Approximately two hours later, Cassie and Alexis made it into the the airport, retrieved their luggage, and made it past customs. The young girl looked around eagerly for Jaden, but saw no sign of him. "Where's dad?" she asked her mother.

"He said he'll meet us at the hotel," Alexis answered. They took a taxi to their hotel and checked in. They still had a few more hours to wait until Jaden would arrive, so Alexis put Cassie to work to catch up on her reading. The headmistress herself had brought some work with her and decided to get some of it done.

Cassie yawned. The flight had been long and exhausting. She really did not want to be reading through her boring textbooks. She was tired. She wanted to sleep. However, the agreement with her mother was the reason she was even on this trip so she had little choice in the matter. She looked at the clock on the bedside table. There would be at least another two hours before it was time so she tried to trudge through it as best as she could.

o o o

When Jaden finally arrived, Cassie was beyond thrilled. She leapt into his arms upon seeing her father and he hugged her as he spun her around. "How's my little girl?" he asked.

"I'm doing great, dad!" Cassie said excitedly, "I can't wait! I finally get to watch you duel!" Jaden laughed at his daughter's enthusiasm.

"Easy there, champ. You'll get to watch soon enough. But right now, how about we go out for dinner?" Cassie was delighted at the idea and nodded vigorously. Jaden looked up at Alexis who nodded her agreement.

The family went out for dinner at IHOP. Cassie ordered a large pancake stack and was happily enjoying it as her father watched. "So Jaden, when does your first match begin?"

"They're gonna to determine that during the opening ceremony," Jaden answered, "We're supposed to draw lots and the numbers determine who we duel."

"Is it a bracket tournament?"

"Kinda. We do seven round robin duels first and everyone who wins seven in a row gets to move onto the next round."

"Who's in the tourney?" Cassie asked with her mouth stuffed.

"Cassie, swallow," Alexis said sternly, "Don't talk with your mouth full."

"Sy and Chazz, of course," Jaden answered, "Jesse'll be in it too. Aster and Axel, also. There's a lot of talk about Joey Wheeler, too. Johnathan Angel will supposedly be there too."

"The Lightlord?" Cassie piqued up.

"Cassie. Swallow."

"Sorry, mom."

"Yeah. That's him," Jaden answered.

"What about Zane?" Alexis inquired.

"Zane's a huge maybe," was Jaden's response, "He's been talking about retiring from the pro circuit."

"Really? I thought he'd go on for at least another five years."

"Yeah, well his heart problem have been starting up again. I guess they were worse than we thought."

"I hope he'll be okay."

"Yeah, me too." Jaden suddenly felt a pair of arms around him and he looked down to see Cassie hugging him. "Done so soon?" he asked as he saw the empty plate.

"I ate everything!" Cassie said.

"That's my girl." Jaden smiled. "Now try to do the same with your vegetables next time, okay?"

"Okay, dad," Cassie replied reluctantly.

After dinner, the family spent some time wandering around town, but staying close to the hotel. When Cassie started to feel tired, she and Alexis retired to their room and Jaden went off to where the other Duelists were staying, but not before kissing his wife and daughter good night.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

o o o

The stadium was packed. Everywhere one looked, the stands were occupied. People were hustling around buying snacks and trying to reach their seats. Cassie and Alexis were not among them. Jaden had brought them in through an entrance that only participating Duelists and their guests could enter. Many of the Duelists with whom they had gone to school with greeted Alexis with open arms and when they saw Cassie, they all greeted her.

"Hey Chazz, your kid here too?" Jaden inquired.

"Over in the corner," Chazz said as he pointed with his thumb toward a short boy with black hair wearing a black polo shirt and black skinnies.

"Cassie, go say hi," Jaden said to his daughter.

"No," Cassie answered firmly, "I don't like Jerome."

"Cassie."

"He's a rich snob," Cassie protested.

"You still have to say hi."

"Fine..." Cassie begrudgingly walked over to Jerome and muttered a short "Hi."

"Whatev," Jerome muttered back. Cassie promptly walked back to her parents.

"So when do things start?"

"Soon. We better get to our seats," said Alexis.

"I wanna stay with dad longer," Cassie replied.

"Well, just make sure you make it to your seat in time." Alexis handed Cassie her ticket and kissed her forehead before leaving.

"Hey, anyone seen Jesse?" Jaden asked.

"I think I saw him leave earlier. Said something about getting something from his trailer," Syrus answered.

"I'll get him!" Cassie volunteered. She liked Jesse and before anyone could stop her she was gone. The young girl walked through the corridors of the stadium searching for the blue-haired man. It took her a good ten minutes before she finally found him. He was in a room a ways away from where the others were. She quieted her steps and approached slowly, deciding to sneak in and surprise him.

"Aww, man. I can't do it," she could overhear him saying, "But I gotta. Jaden's gotta go down." Cassie paused. That was definitely Jesse's voice. However something seemed a little off about it.

"I know we're friends an' all," he continued saying, "but he's hogged that there spotlight long 'nough. 'bout time somebody else gotta chance an' that there's gunna be me." Cassie could not believe it. The Jesse she knew didn't have a single competitive bone in his body. She continued to listen in.

"No. No. This ain't me! I ain't gunna do it! If I beat Jaden, then that's how it is but I ain't gunna so somethin' like THAT!"

"_The ritual must be completed if the UnGod is to be awakened."_

Cassie felt her stomach knot. That did not come from the Jesse. It was like a hushed whisper, but it seemed to come from nowhere. Additionally, the sudden mention of an UnGod caused an unsettling feeling in her stomach.

"I know that, but why me?" Jesse said seemingly to no one in particular.

"_You are the vessel I have chosen."_

There it was again. Just whose voice was that?

"I can't do that to my buddy!"

"_You have no choice in this matter!"_

Someone, or something, was definitely speaking with Jesse, Cassie confirmed. The things she had heard before weren't true after all. Whatever Jesse was going to do was because of this mysterious person. She cursed herself to jumping to conclusions.

"_Once Jaden Yuki is gone, the plans for the revival can proceed."_

Common sense dictated that she should return to her father and talk to him, but her gut told her to stop him as soon as possible.

She listened to her gut.

Armed with her Duel Disk Cassie stepped into the room with Jesse immediately noticing her presence. "Whatchu doin' here, Cass?" Jesse asked.

"I heard a buncha weird stuff, Uncle Jesse," Cassie said. She looked around. There was nobody else in the room. "Umm, where's the other guy?"

"What now?"

"The other guy. Weren't you talking to someone? I heard two voices."

"There ain't no one else here," Jesse said. "It's just me."

"_Eliminate the girl."_ Cassie took a step back. It was that voice again.

"What's going on, Uncle Jesse?" asked Cassie.

"I'm sorry little lady, but I can't tell you," was the response.

"_Eliminate the girl."_

"I'm sorry, Cass." Jesse activated his Duel Disk.

"Uncle Jesse, whatever this guys wants you to do, you don't have to do it!"

"I gotta, Cass."

"Well, I'm gonna snap you outa it!" Cassie activated her Duel Disk. "Let's duel!"

–––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 8000

**Jesse:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

"I go first." Cassie drew her first card. "And I start with Polymerization! So I'm gonna fuse Elemental Hero Heat and Elemental Hero Sparkman to summon Elemental Hero Nova Master!" A fusion vortex opened as Elemental Hero Heat and Elemental Hero Sparkman appeared over the field. The two men were pulled in and emerged in the form of a single fiery warrior in flame-themed armor wearing a red cape lined with orange silk (ATK/2600 DEF/2100). "Let's see whatcha got!"

"An' I draw." Jesse drew his first card. "An' I'm gunna set this feller in defense mode and end my turn."

"I draw!" Cassie drew her card with gusto. "And I summon Elemental Hero Stratos!" A blue man in white and blue armor flying on wings with propellers appeared on the field (ATK/1800 DEF/300). "And I'm gonna use his second effect to bring an Elemental Hero to my hand and I pick Elemental Hero Ocean!" She revealed the card she received and resumed her turn. "Now I discard King of the Swamps so I can get Polymerization from my deck." She sent one card to her graveyard and her Duel Disk ejected a card from her deck, which she took and revealed to confirm that it was indeed the card she mentioned. "Now I play Polymerization and I'm gonna fuse Ocean with Stratos to summon Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!" The two heroes were merged and a warrior in all-white armor appeared wearing a white cape and landed beside Elemental Hero Nova Master in a blast of ice (ATK/2500 DEF/2000).

"Nova Master, attack!" Elemental Hero Nova Master's fist began to burn as he flew toward Jesse's monster. Then with a swing of his arm, he smashed it and destroyed it.

"You destroyed my Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise," announced Jesse, "An' with them Crystal Beasts' effect, I'm gunna put him in my backfield." A large rough emerald appeared at Jesse's foot.

"And since Nova Master destroyed a monster in battle, he lets me draw a card." Cassie drew her card and turned to her other monster. "Your turn Absolute Zero! Attack directly!" Elemental Hero Absolute Zero exposed a blade on his left bracer and skated forward. He passed Jesse and slashed him before making his round back to Cassie.

–––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 8000

**Jesse:** 5500

–––––––––––––––––

"And I'm done."

"My move now." Jesse drew his card. "Now I'm gonna summon Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus!" A white Pegasus appeared on the field with a large sapphire embedded in each wing (ATK/1800 DEF/1200). "An' cuz of his effect, I can put a Crystal Beast from my deck into my backfield. Like my Cobalt Eagle!" A crude cobalt appeared beside the emerald. "Next I'm gonna play Crystal Beacon. Cuz I got two Crystal Beasts in my backfield, I can Special Summon another from my deck an' I choose Amber Mammoth in defense mode." A big grey four-tusked mammoth appeared on the field with a large amber set into its forehead (ATK/1700 DEF/1600). "Next I'm gunna equip Pegasus with Crystal Release, boostin' him by eight hundred." Sapphire Pegasus neighed as his attack points rose up to twenty-six hundred. "Attack Absolute Zero!"

"HA! If Absolute Zero leaves the field, every monster on your side gets nuked!" Cassie pointed out.

"Sapphire Pegasus, Sapphire Tornado!"Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus flapped his wings and summoned a cyclone that blew away Elemental Hero Absolute Zero.

–––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 7900

**Jesse:** 5500

–––––––––––––––––

In the wake of Absolute Zero's destruction, a rain of icicles descended upon the field and destroyed Sapphire Pegasus and Amber Mammoth causing them to appear in Jesse's backfield as a crude amber and an unrefined sapphire. "An' cuz Crystal Release got sent to my graveyard, I can dig for a Crystal Beast in my deck and put it in my backfield and this time I choose Ruby Carbuncle!" A rough uncut ruby appeared in Jesse's final backfield slot.

"Ha! Bad move! Now you got not place to play Spells and Traps," Cassie pointed out.

"It ain't over til the last card's played, little lady," Jesse reminded her.

"I'll play the last card." Cassie drew. "Here's Miracle Fusion! So I'll remove Stratos and Heat from play to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Great Tornado!" A green hero in a brown cape appeaerd in a powerful blast of wind (ATK/2800 DEF/2200). "Alrighty! Nova Master, attack!" Elemental Hero Nova Master flew forward and punched Jesse in the face.

–––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 7900

**Jesse:** 2900

–––––––––––––––––

"Now it's Great Tornado's turn!" Elemental Hero Great Tornado twisted his arm over his head and conjured up a twister, which he launched at Jesse directly.

–––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 7900

**Jesse:** 100

–––––––––––––––––

"I'm done! You only got a hundred life left! This is gonna be easy!"

_Don't be too sure just yet_, thought Jesse as he drew. His eyes gleamed when he saw his new card.

"Time ta wipe that cocky smile off yer face. I sacrifice three face-up Continue Spell Cards - Ruby Carbuncle, Cobalt Eagle, an' Emerald Turtle - ta Special Summon Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder!" Storm clouds gathered right over their heads as a giant yellow dragon skeleton appeared with wings held together by a thin membrane (ATK/4000 DEF/4000). "Attack Nova Master with Lost Thunder!" A bolt of lighting shot down from the heavens and blasted apart Elemental Hero Nova Master.

–––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 6500

**Jesse:** 100

–––––––––––––––––

"An' that ain't all, little lady. If Hamon destroys a monster in battle, he burns ya fer another thousand points." Right away, Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder spread his wings and unleashed a torrent of lightning down on Cassie.

–––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 5500

**Jesse:** 100

–––––––––––––––––

"An' I'm done!"

Cassie drew. This was not good. She had not expected such a powerful creature. With very few options left, she set a monster in defense mode and switched Elemental Hero Great Tornado into defense as well.

"I draw." An' I summon Topaz Tiger!" A white tiger with a horn and blades on its legs appeared with topazes embedded in its neck (ATK/1600 DEF/1000). "Next I play Crystal Promise and Special Summon Sapphire Pegasus from my backfield." The sapphire cracked and then shattered, allowing Sapphire Pegasus to fly onto the field. "An' with his effect, I'm bringin' out Amethyst Cat!" An uncut amethyst appeared at Jesse's feet. "Topaz Tiger, attack the facedown! An' he gets four hundred attack on the Damage Step when he attacks a monster!" Topaz Tiger roared as he bit the facedown card and his attack power rose to two thousand. His fangs sank in and destroyed Elemental Hero Lady Heat.

"Yer turn, Hamon!" Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder struck Elemental Hero Great Tornado with lightning and destroyed him with ease while also applying his other effect to her Life Points.

–––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 4500

**Jesse:** 100

–––––––––––––––––

"Yer clear, Pegasus!" Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus blasted Cassie with a tornado from his wings without saying a word.

–––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 2700

**Jesse:** 100

–––––––––––––––––

"An' that's it."

Cassie was panicking as she drew. All she could do was set a monster, but it was not going to do any good as she ended her turn.

"This is the end fer you, little lady." Jesse drew his card and ordered Topaz Tiger to attack the monster, which turned out to be Elemental Hero Prisma." "Now Hamon, attack her directly!" Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder raised his arms to the sky and brought them down hard as a powerful thunderbolt struck Cassie.

–––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 0

**Jesse:** 100

–––––––––––––––––

Cassie fell to her knees. Jesse looked down at her as he slowly stepped out. "Sorry little lady, but I got a tournament to win." And with that he left.

Cassie was devastated. She had never been defeated so badly in her life. Suddenly, she realized that the tournament was starting soon. She got up and ran. She had to warn her father.

She had to warn Jaden.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The tournament begins and the Duelists put everything on the line. When Jaden duels Jesse, the stakes become the fate of the world. Who will win and what will become of the world? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	105. Strike of Neos

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-18**

**Strike of Neos**

Mikey wandered into the Obelisk Blue activities room and found everybody was gathered around a large screen. "What's going on?"

"It's the Olympian Grand Prix," Sammie answered from her spot on one of the couches.

"What's that?" was the question Mikey wanted to ask, but more than likely doing so would earn him a thwack on the head, so he stayed quiet and sat down on the arm rest beside her. Two couches away, Max and Hayley were sitting together cuddled with one another while Noah sat on the carpet with a bag of Gummi Bears in his hands. Mikey turned his attention then to the screen like everyone else.

In the Osiris Red dorm, Gabe was lying on his stomach on the floor with his chin propped up on his arm as he focused on the television with one hand inside a bag of sour cream and onion flavor potato chips. Beside him Spencer sat with his back against the legs of someone on a couch with his own bag of Cajun hot wings flavor potato chips.

In the Ra Yellow dorm, Coltyn sat separate from most of his fellow Yellows. Marsha stood a short ways away, blushing a little bit as she cast occasional glances at him trying her best not to show her feelings too much. Tobias glanced over at her from his spot on the carpet and shook his head as he ate another Ritz.

o o o

"Duelists, welcome to the Olympian Grand Prix!" The MC pointed toward the sky as he unnecessarily shouted into his microphone to welcome everyone to the competition. "This will be a fantastic three days, ladies and gentlemen! All these men and women have gathered here to throw down and face each other in one climactic duel after another! So Duelists, without further ado, let the competition begin!" Fireworks shot up into the sky and erupted into a shower of colors.

"Everyone, your numbers have been randomized and are now up on the screens! Find your opponent and duel like there's no tomorrow!" The Duelists all gathered at their nearest screen to see who their first opponent would be. Jaden walked around holding up his card looking for Duelist number sixty-two. He finally found him, a tall man dressed in a Steampunk fashion holding a brass-tipped cane in one hand.

"I know you. You're Jaden Yuki. To have you as my first opponent is simply astounding."

"Nice to meet you. And you are?"

"McCloosh."

"Well then, Mr. McCloosh, are you ready to get your game on?"

"I most certainly am." McCloosh tapped his cane against the ground. "Shall we get started." He activated his Steampunk-themed Duel Disk. Jaden followed suit and the duel began. "I play Ancient Gear Castle and then summon Ancient Gear Knight." A large castle with several large weapons on its ramparts and behind its portcullis rose up behind him as a robot made of ancient mechanical parts appeared in front of him.

"Cool. You run an Ancient Gear deck. One of my old teachers used to have one," Jaden observed.

"I am glad you like my deck," McCloosh replied with a smile.

Meanwhile, Chazz was already up against his first opponent. Much to his chagrin, that person was Johnathan Angel. The Lightlord could see the look in his face. "Do you withdraw?"

Chazz snapped back into reality and focused his mind. "Back down? Me? Ha! You seem to be forgetting something. I'm the Chazz! And I'm gonna Chazz you up!" He activated his Duel Disk and drew his hand. "I summon V-Tiger Jet!" A green and yellow jet with the head of a tiger appeared on the field (ATK/1600 DEF/1800). "Next I play Frontline Base and I use its effect to summon W-Wing Catapult!" A blue plane that looked more like a pair of booster jets combined into a single aircraft appeared (ATK/1300 DEF/1500). "Now I remove them from play to Fusion Summon VW-Tiger Catapult!" V-Tiger Jet flew into the air as W-Wing Catapult's back opened to reveal a docking station. The former landed right on top of the latter and the two connected, forming a single machine (ATK/2000 DEF/2100). "That's it for now."

"I draw." Johnathan drew his card. "I summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin." A young white-haired woman appeared on the field wearing armor white as snow with a matching cape lined with red silk armed with a shining white shield and a radiant sword (ATK/1800 DEF/1200). "Attack VW-Wing Catapult."

"HA!" Chazz laughed. "This is the power of the legendary Lightlord? You're attacking with a weaker monster!"

"Jain gains three hundred attack points during the Damage Step." As Johnathan said this, Jain's sword glowed brightly as she slashed VW-Tiger Catapult and cut it in two. "I set two cards and end my turn. On my End Phase, by Jain's effect, I send two cards from my deck to my graveyard." Two cards popped out of his deck and he placed them in the graveyard only to have them ejected. "Well what do you know? The two cards I milled are Wulf, Lightsworn Beast. He can't be Normal Summoned or Set and can only be Special Summoned if he was milled directly from my deck." Two muscular humanoid white wolves appeared wielding golden staffs and enormous glowing golden claws (ATK/2100 DEF/300).

_So this is the real power of the Lightlord_, Chazz thought to himself, _I can see why he's one of the best_.

Meanwhile, Aster Phoenix was facing a Pyro Duelist named Peter Fyrus. The latter had just summoned a massive mechanical flaming phoenix named Heavy Bombing Bird Bomb Phoenix and had a Solar Flare Dragon and three Backfires remaining on the field as a result while Aster had Destiny Hero - Doom Lord in attack mode, Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude in defense mode, and Destiny Hero - Captain Tenacious in defense mode equipped with Ring of Magnetism and D - Shield.

"Seeing as I can't attack you for any damage, I'll just burn you for it. First my Heavy Bombing Bird Bomb Phoenix will burn you for three hundred for each card on the field, which is ten, so three thousand. Now I end my turn and Solar Flare Dragon burns you for five hundred."

Aster drew his card. "Remember," Peter said, "you destroy one of my Fire monsters, you get burned for fifteen hundred and I know you can't afford that."

"That's why I'm not going to destroy them," Aster replied, "First my Diamond Dude's effect resolves and Monster Reborn kicks in. Welcome back Destiny Hero - Dasher!" His black mechanical warrior appeared. "Now Destiny Hero - Doom Lord, remove Solar Flare Dragon from play." Destiny Hero - Doom Lord floated across the field and poked Solar Flare Dragon with his claws, banishing him from the field. "Next I sacrifice Doom Lord, Diamond Dude, and Captain Tenacious to summon Destiny Hero - Plasma!" A wave of blood erupted from the ground and a deep crimson demonic warrior with tattered wings appeared with three enormous talons growing out of his back and a dragon's head for his right arm (ATK/1900 DEF/600). "Now I'll have Plasma take your Heavy Bombing Bird Bomb Phoenix!" Destiny Hero - Plasma opened its dragon mouth and swallowed up Heavy Bombing Bird Bomb Phoenix. Shortly after that, a bulge shaped like the creature appeared somewhere inside one of his wings. The demonic warrior roared as his attack points rose up to thirty-three hundred.

"Now Dasher, attack!" Destiny Hero - Dasher skated toward Peter and smashed a wheeled foot into him. "Now Destiny Hero - Plasma. Finish things up!" Destiny Hero - Plasma spread out his wings and a rain of blood came down on his master's opponent, blasting away the remainder of his Life Points.

In another part of the stadium, Jesse was dueling against a blonde woman with a very defined chest. She had already occupied her field with Harpie Lady 1, Harpie Lady 2, and Harpie's Hunting Ground. "I activate Monster Reborn and use it to bring back Harpie Queen. Next I use Elegant Egotist to bring out Harpie Lady Sisters. Now I summon Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon, who can destroy one card you control, has double attack and defense points, and protects all of my Harpies from being attacked. Now Pet Baby Dragon, attack Sapphire Pegasus!"

"I switch yer attack to my defense mode Amber Mammoth!" The flames that spewed out of Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon's mouth curved and crashed into Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth, causing a rough amber to appear in Jesse's backfield. "Anythin' else, Miss Valentine?"

"You better believe it." Mai Valentine pointed toward her trio of Harpies. "The Harpie Lady Sisters will deal with your Pegasus." Harpie Lady Sisters hovered in formation and began to channel a triangle of energy between them before firing a beam that destroyed Sapphire Pegasus, causing a rough sapphire to appear.

"Harpie Lady 1, attack Ruby Carbuncle!" Harpie Lady 1 whipped Ruby Carbuncle with her whip and destroyed the tiny creature, causing a rough ruby to appear.

"Since my Ruby Carbuncle had Crystal Release equipped, I can bring out Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle in my backfield." Jesse placed the card in one of his Spell and Trap Zones and a rough cobalt appeared.

"Harpie Lady 2 and Harpie Queen, attack directly!" The two remaining Harpies flew in and slashed Jesse with their talons.

"Is that all?"

"That's all."

"Well now it's my turn." Jesse drew his card. "And I'm gunna use my Crystal Abundance." Y'see, if I've got four Crystal Beasts in my Spell and Trap Card Zones, I can send 'em all to my graveyard to nuke the field." The ruby, the sapphire, the cobalt, and the amber all shattered and the shards rained down on the entire field, impaling Mai's Harpies and Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon until nothing remained. "And after that, I can Special Summon Crystal Beasts from my graveyard equal to the number of cards you lost. And since you had a full field, I get five. So I'm bringin' out Sapphire Pegasus, Amber Mammoth, Topaz Tiger, Cobalt Eagle, and Amethyst Cat. And with Sapphire Pegasus' effect, I'm gunna take out Emerald Tortoise." Soon, five Crystal Beasts had appeared in front of Jesse and a rough emerald appeared at his feet.

"A'righty, let's go. Everyone, attack!" The entire team of Crystal Beasts charged across the field unopposed and hit Mai with their attacks, depleting her Life Points.

"I...I lost..."

"Don't feel bad, miss. You did good. You should be proud." Jesse shook hands with Mai and then walked off to the side to watch the others duel. His eyes turned to Jaden and a feeling of anxiety began to build up inside him.

o o o

Recca was delighted as she looked around her little shop, packed to the gills with students and faculty who came in to watch the tournaments. Zetsubou was in the back calmly adjusting his thin black glasses at a desk neatly organized, a tiny TV set up at one corner displaying the event, "Say Zetsu...you don't have to be away from everyone." Recca was a bit speechless as she stepped in to see Zetsubou in a fine black shirt and slacks, typing away on a calculator and setting a red envelope aside. He must have raided Reko's clothes, which was understandable considering for the past while the most he did was act in the shadows cleaning and occasionally getting into heated arguments with her son. The whole ordeal even miffed her once she put two and two together, but she knew there was a reason for everything. She possessed a great deal more insight than everyone else would have believed.

He didn't look up from the dim light in the antique appearing room where she did most of the finances. An old style fountain pen scratched furiously against paper while he spoke, "I have no intention. I'm not the sad human being you would have me believe. Nor am I the spineless dog your son accuses me of. I was deceived, and all I can do instead of apologizing is setting right and serve myself to your family as penance. If I may say so with all the subtlety of a hammer Ms. Telaris your financing is atrocious, and you could pull twice as much profit with careful allocation of funds.", he glanced up and handed Recca a piece of paper covered in quick equations and various topics.

"What's all this?"

"I've complied your finances for the next three years, allocated your rents, funds, petty cash and utilities in various color coded envelopes. As I said, I can earn my keep here as payment to your family. I'm great with finance."

Recca blinked as she looked over everything, "O...kay?"

He smiled, standing as he strode to the door, "I'll finish watching a few duels with your son and the assembled rabble. I suggest to pull extra income a delivery service, maybe grinding off some extra beans and selling blends for personal use. Good afternoon, Ms. Telaris.", he shut the door, leaving Recca who let out a small giggle. Maybe he would slowly get used to people after all.

o o o

"Is that my dad?" Mikey asked staring at the screen.

"No, it's the Queen of England," Sammie answered sarcastically.

"Ha ha," Mikey replied drably. He returned his attention to the screen and confirmed to himself that it was indeed his father competing in the tournament. He rarely ever saw Johnathan compete. He remembered seeing it once, but he genuinely could not remember much from that time. Seeing him now in the grandeur of this great tournament only made him even more awe-inducing as he saw how fluidly he played his cards and executed his moves.

Mikey had always admired his father. He was an amazing man. There was never a time where he didn't look at him under some kind of positive light. He was always the image of the perfect father. Mikey had hoped ever since he was three that he could be just like him when he was older. Seeing him duel, however, put him in an entirely new light. He felt another kind of respect for his father on top of that which he already felt.

In the Osiris Red dorm, Gabe was grinning from ear to ear as he pointed to the screen and yelled, "That's my dad!"

o o o

"Cassandra Rhodes, where have you been?" demanded Alexis. Five rounds had already passed and Cassie had finally arrived at her seat. She knew she was in trouble, but she wasn't worried about that.

"Mom... Something bad's gonna happen."

"I don't want any excuses, young lady. You were supposed to be here when the tournament started. I don't..."

"Mom! Dad's in trouble!" Cassie's words caused her mother to stop short. She looked at her daughter and then down at the Duelists in the stadium. Jaden had already finished his Duel and was sitting on a bench resting with a bottle of water in his hands. Even though nothing had happened to Jaden since his battles with Darkness and Paradox seventeen years ago she had still worried that someday something would go after him.

The remainder of the preliminary round robin rounds came to an end shortly and were followed up with a forty-five minute intermission. Alexis and Cassie took that opportunity to talk to Jaden about their concerns. He listened to them carefully, absorbing every word they said. When they finally finished, he closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall.

"Well Jaden?"

"Whatcha gonna do, dad?"

"Right now, nothing," was the response.

"But I saw him, dad! I dueled him! He had this card like it was controlling him or something! Uncle Jesse's gonna do something bad, dad!"

"Cassie, even if it's true there's nothing you can do." Jaden checked his watch. "It's almost time for the next round to begin."

"Jaden. What will you do?" asked Alexis. Jaden turned and looked at his wife.

"I'm going to do what I always do." And with that, he headed out.

o o o

Cassie watched anxiously from her seat as the tournament continued. She was relieved to see that her father and Jesse were a ways apart from each other in the tournament bracket. She hoped and hoped that somewhere along the way, one of Jesse's opponent would defeat him. Her heart sank with each victory. Normally, she would have been cheering for her Uncle Jesse, but given the circumstances she was not enthralled watching him ascend the bracket. She saw Amethyst tear past Jetroid into Syrus. She witnessed Rainbow Dragon obliterate Armed Dragon LV10. She watched as Crystal Abundance annihilated Destiny End Dragoon. All the while she noticed that Jesse had not played that one card. She wondered what he must have been planning.

At long last, it finally came to the semi-finals. In the A bracket, it was Joey Wheeler against Johnathan Angel. In the B bracket, it was Jaden Yuki versus Jesse Anderson. "Why howdy, Jaden. Fancy meetin' you here."

"I could say the same thing for you, Jesse. So, you ready to throw down?"

"I thought ya'd never ask."

Both Duelists activated their Duel Disks and drew their starting hands.

––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 8000

**Jesse:** 8000

––––––––––––––––

"Y'all don't mind if I go first, do ya?" Jesse asked.

"Be my guest."

Jesse drew his first card. "Alrighty I'm gonna set this critter and toss down a facedown. Let's see yer stuff, Jaden. Hope yer not too rusty."

"In your dreams, Jesse!" Jaden drew his card, "I play Polymerization and I fuse Elemental Hero Avian and Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in order to summon Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" An image of the winged man and the fiery heroine appeared on the field before being merged together into a green man with a red dragon tail, a single white wing, and a red dragon's head for his right arm (ATK/2100 DEF/1200). "Flame Wingman, go! Infernal Rage!" Elemental Hero Flame Wingman thrust out his dragon arm and launched a fire blast that incinerated Jesse's facedown.

"You destroyed my Emerald Tortoise and when he goes to the graveyard, I can put him in my backfield instead." As the green turtle disappeared, a rough emerald appeared next to Jesse's foot.

"Well you should know what happens next. Flame Wingman burns you for the attack points of the monster he just destroyed and sent to the graveyard."

"Ain't happenin', Jaden."

"Why not?"

"Cuz my Emerald Tortoise never went to the graveyard."

Jaden took a step back. He was right. Jesse's Crystal Beasts could loophole past Elemental Hero Flame Wingman's effect. "I'm setting two facedowns and ending my turn."

"My move then." Jesse smirked as he drew his next card. "I play Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins." He placed his card inside his field tray and the stadium disappeared to be replaced with a ruin of white stone with a blue sky overhead without a single cloud in sight, but instead adorned with a brilliant rainbow. "Next I summon Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat." A pink panther with golden wing-shaped anklets appeared with a large amethyst on her breast (ATK/1200 DEF/400). "Next I'm gonna equip her with Crystal Release, boostin' her by eight hundred." Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat let out a roar as her attack points suddenly rose to two thousand.

"Just one hundred attack points short of matching my Flame Wingman," Jaden pointed out.

"I know, but I ain't aimin' fer yer Flame Wingman. I'm aimin' fer you! Amethyst Cat, halve yer attack points an' attack Jaden directly! Amethyst Power Pounce!" Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat roared as her attack points dropped to one thousand and she pounced over Elemental Hero Flame Wingman and slashed Jaden with her claws.

––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 7000

**Jesse:** 8000

––––––––––––––––

"That there ends my turn."

"My turn then." Jaden drew his card. "I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart!" A muscular wild man in a loincloth with a large stone sword on his back appeared on the field (ATK/1500 DEF/1600). "Elemental Hero Flame Wingman, attack Amethyst Cat!" Elemental Hero Flame Wingman opened his dragon maw and fired another blast that incinerated Jesse's monster, causing a rough amethyst to appear at his feet.

––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 7000

**Jesse:** 7900

––––––––––––––––

"Since y'all destroyed my Crystal Release, its other effect activates, lettin' me put a Crystal Beast in my backfield from my deck. So here's Cobalt Eagle." An unrefined cobalt appeared to Jesse's far left.

"Alrighty Wildheart, it's your turn! Attack with Wild Slash!"

"I activate the power of my Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins!" declared Jesse, "If I got two or more Crystal Beasts in my backfield, I can halve the damage I take from one attack." Suddenly the rainbow came down in front of Jesse and blocked Elemental Hero Wildheart's blade. It only succeeded in slowing down the swing as it eventually passed through and cut through Jesse.

––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 7000

**Jesse:** 7150

––––––––––––––––

"I'm setting a facedown and ending my turn," Jaden said.

"An' now it's my turn!" Jesse drew his card with enthusiasm. "An' I'm gonna start by activatin' my Crystal Raigeki. By sendin' one Crystal Beat from my backfield to the graveyard, I can destroy one card you control and I pick Flame Wingman!" The cobalt cracked and upon shattering the shards showered Elemental Hero Flame Wingman, destroying him in the process.

"Now since I got me two Crystal Beasts in my backfield, I'm gonna play Crystal Beacon, which lets me bring out one Crystal Beast from my deck. I'm pickin' my Topaz Tiger." A white tiger with blades growing out of its ankles and head emerged with a topaz on either side of its neck and roared (ATK/1600 DEF/1000). "Now I'm gonna Normal Summon Sapphire Pegasus from my hand!" A white winged horse appeared beside Topaz Tiger and spread out its wings to reveal a shimmering sapphire on each (ATK/1800 DEF/1200). "An' since Sapphire Pegasus got summoned, his effect brings another Crystal Beast from my deck and into my backfield. Like my Ruby Carbuncle." A rough ruby appeared where the cobalt had once been.

"Topaz Tiger, attack Wildheart! Topaz Incisor Shred!" Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger launched himself at Elemental Hero Wildheart and lunged for his throat. His fangs sank deep into the flesh as the mauled the wild man.

––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 6500

**Jesse:** 7150

––––––––––––––––

"Now Sapphire Pegasus, it's yer turn! Sapphire Tornado!" Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus flapped his wings and the sapphires flashed briefly before two twisters formed and flew toward Jaden. They spiraled around each other, progressively coming closer until they merged into a single tornado.

"I activate Defense Draw!" Jaden revealed his Trap Card, "I take no damage and I get to draw a card." An orange spherical barrier surrounded him and blocked the tornado. As the winds dispersed, he drew his card.

"I'm done then, Jay."

"It's my move! I draw!" Jaden looked at his hand. There was very little he could do with his current hand, but he could defend himself. "I set a monster and end my turn."

"My move now." Jesse drew his card. "Topaz Tiger, attack!" Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger pounced on Jaden's facedown, which turned out to be the stone warrior Elemental Hero Clayman (ATK/800 DEF/2000). "Thank heaven fer Topaz Tiger's attack point boost. I'll end it then."

Jaden drew his card. There was nothing else he could do so he ended his turn.

Jesse drew his card and also ended his turn. His opponent had a monster that none of his own could destroy. All he could do for now was wait.

Jaden's turn came again and he smiled. "I play Polymerization. Now I'm gonna fuse Elemental Hero Necroshade and Elemental Hero Sparkman in my hand to summon Elemental Hero Darkbright!" His two heroes appeared overhead and were fused together into a man in dark tights with golden wings and armor (ATK/2000 DEF/1000). "Attack Topaz Tiger! Dark Flash!" Elemental Hereo Darkbright charged up a black ball of energy crackling with electricity and he threw it into Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger, blasting him from the field and into a rough topaz in Jesse's backfield.

––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 6500

**Jesse:** 6750

––––––––––––––––

Jaden was pleased with himself, being able to pull off a move like that just in time. He ended his turn and Jesse drew.

"Since I got me four Crystal Beasts in my backfield, I can use the effect of my Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins to draw another card." Jesse drew a second card.

As Jaden waited for his opponent to make his move, he mentally counted all the Crystal Beasts that had appeared. _Sapphire Pegasus, Emerald Tortoise, Amethyst Cat, Ruby Carbuncle, Topaz Tiger, and Cobalt Eagle's in his graveyard. He's got six Crystal Beasts already. One more and he'll have all seven._ He looked at Jesse. He was obviously setting up his field to summon Rainbow Dragon. It had been a while since he and Jesse had last dueled and he had completely forgotten how fast his deck was.

"I got nothin', Jay. Yer move!" Jesse called.

"Then I draw." Jaden drew his card. "I summon Wroughtweiler in attack mode!" A mechanical rottweiler appeared on the field and barked (ATK/800 DEF/1200). "I switch Elemental Hero Clayman in attack mode now." The stone warrior stood up and clenched his fists. "Elemental Hero Darkbright, attack Sapphire Pegasus! Dark Flash!" Elemental Hero Darkbright formed another black energy ball crackling with electricity and shot it at Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus, blasting him into a rough sapphire in Jesse's final free Spell and Trap Card Zone.

––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 6500

**Jesse:** 6550

––––––––––––––––

"Now Wroughtweiler, it's your turn!" Wroughtweiler barked and leapt across the field to bite Jesse's arm.

––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 6500

**Jesse:** 5750

––––––––––––––––

"Clayman, wrap up with Clay Knuckle!" Elemental Hero Clayman approached Jesse and smashed his fist against him.

––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 6500

**Jesse:** 4950

––––––––––––––––

"That ends my turn," announced Jaden.

"My move now." Jesse drew his card and then drew his second because of the effect of Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins. "And since I got five Crystal Beasts in my backfield, my Rainbow Ruins' fifth effect kicks in, lettin' me Special Summon one Crystal Beast from my backfield. I summon Ruby Carbuncle!" The ruby cracked and shattered, revealing a small red-eyed carbuncle with a ruby embedded in its tail (ATK/300 DEF/300). "An' now Ruby's effect activates. Cuz when she's Special Summoned, I can Special Summon as many Crystal Beasts from my backfield as possible. So come on out everyone!" The four remaining gems shattered and Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus, Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger, Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat, and Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise all burst forth into the front line in attack position.

"An cuz Sapphire Pegasus got summoned, his effect lets me bring a Crystal Beast from my deck to my backfield. So here's Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth!" A rough amber appeared at Jesse's feet.

_He's got all seven out now!_ Jaden exclaimed in his head.

"First Sapphire Pegasus, attack Clayman!" Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus flapped his wings and blasted a tornado at Elemental Hero Clayman, blowing him away.

––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 5500

**Jesse:** 4950

––––––––––––––––

"Amethyst Cat, slash Wroughtweiler!" Amethyst Cat roared as she ran up to the metal dog and slashed it with her claws.

––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 5100

**Jesse:** 4950

––––––––––––––––

"If Wroughtweiler is destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard, I can bring one Polymerization and one Elemental Hero from my graveyard back to my hand." Jaden's Duel Disk ejected Elemental Hero Sparkman and a copy of Polymerization and he placed them into his hand.

"Now Topaz Tiger, attack Elemental Hero Darkbright!" Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger roared and pounced. He slammed into Elemental Hero Darkbright and sank his fangs into his throat as his attack points rose to two thousand. Elemental Hero Darkbright fought against him in retaliation, but the tiger was latched on tightly. With his last ounce of strength, he conjured up a Dark Flash and blasted it into Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger's stomach at point-blank range. Both monsters died and the large cat reappeared as a rough topaz in Jesse's backfield.

"Since Elemental Hero Darkbright was destroyed, his special ability destroys one monster you control." A Bolt of black lightning shot out from the place where Elemental Hero Darkbright had once stood and it blasted Sapphire Pegasus, turning him back into a crystal.

"Ruby, attack Jaden! Ruby Flash!" Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle raised its tail and a flash of red light hit Jaden.

––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 4800

**Jesse:** 4950

––––––––––––––––

"Emerald Tortoise, wrap it up with Emerald Cutter!" Emerald Tortoise retreated into his shell and started spinning rapidly. He shot across the field and crashed into Jaden, cutting into him with the emerald protruding out of his shell.

––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 4000

**Jesse:** 4950

––––––––––––––––

"And on my Main Phase two, usin' Emerald Tortoise's effect, I switch Ruby into defense." Ruby Carbuncle crouched down and wrapped her tail around herself defensively. "That's it fer me."

"Then I draw." Jaden drew his card and to his great surprise he got a card that would help him greatly. "I play Polymerization and I'm fusing Sparkman and Bladedge in my hand to summon Elemental Hero Plasma Vice!" In no time at all, a man in blue tights emerged wearing golden armor on his body, arms, and legs (ATK/2600 DEF/2300). "And my guy's got piercing, so attack Ruby Carbuncle! Plasma Pulsation!" Elemental Hero Plasma Vice conjured an electric sphere in his hand and launched it at Ruby Carbuncle, blasting her back into a stone.

––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 4000

**Jesse:** 2650

––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn."

"Here goes!" Jesse drew his card and when he saw it, his heart sank. He had really hoped he would never have to use this card, but there it was in his hand.

"_Summon me!"_

Jesse looked at Jaden. "Fergive me, Jay." He then made his move. "I sacrifice Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth, Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger, and Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus." The three gems shattered and storm clouds gathered over head.

"Oh god, it's coming," Cassie muttered as lightning shot down from the sky.

"I summon Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder!" A large thunderbolt shot down and hit the stadium floor and deposited a giant yellow dragonic skeleton with large membraned wings (ATK/4000 DEF/4000).

"Where did he get that card?" Alexis exclaimed. Ever since the raid last year, she had been searching for the three stolen cards and now one had just been summoned before her eyes.

Jaden looked up at Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder. He could remember when he faced the Sacred Beast the first time. The duel against Kagemaru was one of the most intense game he had ever played. He faced the card again two years later in the other world when Marcel was possessed by Yubel. "Jesse..." Jaden looked at his friend. He could see the pained look in his eyes. It was obvious he did not want to summon this card.

"Hang on, Jesse! We can beat this thing! But I need your help!" Jess looked over at Jaden.

"Y'all really think so?"

"I know so!"

"A'right then. If you say so."

"But I'm gonna need your help. Bring out your strongest guy."

"My...strongest?" Jesse looked at his hand. It was there among his cards. "Jay, ya sure?"

"Do it!"

"A'right then. Since I got one of each Crystal Beast on my field and in my graveyard, I summon Rainbow Dragon!" An enormous white dragon with large feathered wings and gems running along the entire length of its body appeared on the field in a brilliant flash of light and roared (ATK/4000 DEF/0).

"Ya sure 'bout this, Jay?"

"Go hard, Jesse!"

"A'right then."

"_Strike him down!"_

"Hamon, attack Plasma Vice," Jesse said reluctantly, "Cerulean Skyfire." Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder raised his arms and blue bolts of lightning rained down on the field, blasting Elemental Hero Plasma Vice to pieces.

––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 2600

**Jesse:** 2650

––––––––––––––––

"And then Hamon's effect burns you for a thousand when he destroys a monster in battle." The lightning continued to rain down and a bolt struck Jaden.

––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 1600

**Jesse:** 2650

––––––––––––––––

"I'm sorry, Jay!"

"Don't be. I told ya, we'll get through this together!"

"I end my turn!" Jesse announced.

"_What are you doing, you fool?"_

"I draw!" Jaden drew his card. "I set one card and end my turn."

"_Destroy him!"_

"I'm doin' things my way!" Jesse said as he drew. "An' the first thing I'm doin' is putting YOU in defense mode!" He took Hamon and switched the card sideways.

"_You dare order a god, mortal?"_

"You ain't a god. Yer just a card."

"_You shall pay for this!"_ Suddenly Jesse cried out in pain and he staggered back.

"Jesse! You okay?" Jaden watched as his friend clutched his head and screamed, but finally calmed down.

"_That mortal thought he could control me, a god!"_ The words were coming out of Jesse's mouth now. _"Well no longer! I now summon Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle!"_ A bald eagle appeared with cobalts in its wings and on a collar it wore appeared (ATK/1400 DEF/800). _"Now I activate the effect of Rainbow Dragon. I sacrifice these monsters to increase its power by one thousand for each."_ Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat, Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise, and Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle were absorbed into Rainbow Dragon, causing the colored gems on its side to light up, raising its attack points to seven thousand.

"_Next I play Crystal Blessing to return two Crystal Beasts from the graveyard into my Spell and Trap Card Zones. For this task, I choose Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth and Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger."_ A topaz and an amber appeared alongside the ruby on the field. "Now I play Crystal Promise to Special Summon Ruby Carbuncle from the Spell and Trap Card Zone." The ruby shattered and Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle sprang forward. Its tail began to shine and Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger and Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth also appeared. _"And just like the others, they shall be sacrificed too."_ The three Crystal Beasts were absorbed and Rainbow Dragon shot up to ten thousand attack points.

"That's over nine thousand attack points!" Cassie exclaimed.

"_Rainbow Dragon, obliterate him!"_

"NO!" Jesse grabbed his head and cried out. "I END MY TURN!"

"_FOOL! You'll doom us all!"_

_It all comes down to this last draw_, thought Jaden. His eyes changed to orange and green as he took the top card of his deck and pulled it out.

"Since I got Necroshade in my graveyard, I can summon this guy without any tributes. I summon Elemental Hero Neos!" The hero from space appeared and flexed his muscles (ATK/2500 DEF/2000). "And now I activate my facedown, Super Polymerization! I'm fusing Neos with Rainbow Dragon!" A fusion vortex appeared overhead and pulled in Elemental Hero Neos in with Rainbow Dragon. The man that emerged was a hero in shining white armor with large wings covered in white feathers (ATK/4500 DEF/4000).

"I summon Rainbow Neos!"

"_You've doomed us!"_

"Wrong. I ain't the one doomed," replied Jesse.

"Rainbow Neos, destroy Hamon with Rainbow Flare Stream!" Rainbow Neos flew above the field and spread his wings. His feathers began to shimmer and suddenly a rain of all seven colors of the rainbow came down on top of Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder. The Sacred Beast roared in agony as the lights pelted against its body until it could take no more and finally crumpled beneath its own weight.

"That's it."

"My move." Jesse drew his card. "Jay, thanks for everything. This duel belongs to you. Finish it with a bang."

"It'd be my pleasure." Jaden drew his card. "Rainbow Neos, end this duel. Rainbow Flare Stream!"

Jesse held out his arms, tilted his head back, and closed his eyes as he welcomed the rain of lights of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 1600

**Jesse:** 0

––––––––––––––––

o o o

"Here ya go, Lexi. Sorry for the trouble," Jesse apologized as he returned Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder to Alexis.

"I'll be sure to put this under tighter security," the headmistress of Duel Academy said.

"How'd you get that card anyway?" asked Jaden.

"I dunno. I got some weird package in the mail and when I opened it, bam."

"Was there a return address?"

"No. Really weird."

"So we don't know who sent it."

Alexis thought for a moment and she remembered the raid on the vault and the one who was leading it. "I think I might know who."

"Really, Alexis?" Jaden turned to his wife. But before she could speak, a new voice spoke.

"Looks like my job here is done without even needing me here." Everyone turned to see a man with grey eyes standing the hallway with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Mr. Sako!" Cassie shouted. The Duel Sniper stepped forward and approached Alexis.

"I see you already got one of the cards back." He reached into his pocket and produced Uria, Lord of Searing Flames.

"Any news on the third one?" asked Alexis.

"None yet, but I'll find out soon." Before anything else could be said, the announcement for the final match was made.

"Can you hold that thought for a second?" asked Jaden, "I'm needed."

"You go ahead, Jaden," said Alexis, "And good luck."

"Good luck, dad!" Cassie cheered.

"Do yer best, Jay," Jesse wished. Sako merely nodded.

"Thanks, I will."

Jaden took his Duel Disk and stepped out into the stadium. He ascended the stage that had been set up and stood facing his opponent, Johnathan Angel, in the tournament's climactic final duel.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Mikey's investigation into the student council's actions continues. Meanwhile, Marsha makes her move on the Osiris Red Dorm. Gabe and the others can't do anything about it, so it's up to Mikey to save his brother. Find out how it all happens next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	106. Save the Red Dorm

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-19**

**Save the Red Dorm**

The sun streamed down on this bright and sunny day, beaming and illuminating the Obelisk Blue dorm. Sammie, Mikey and Max sat at their table, a large plate of nachos between them. Sammie had ordered it to share and that they did, Mikey glopping up a large glob of the cheesy dip onto the nacho and sloppily crunching down on it. Max and Sammie laughed as the chip snapped in Mikey's hand and dribbled some dip onto his shirt. The Olympian Grand Prix final being announced to be that night on Pay-Per-View and they were all going to watch. It was a good day. Nothing could go wrong this weekend.

That was when Gabe, Gio, and Spencer walked in.

"Mikey!" Gabe shouted anxiously. Something was not right.

"Yes?" Mikey answered with a raised eyebrow.

"They closed us down!" Gabe cried out, slamming his hand on the table, causing the nachos the hop up, as if startled.

"What are you talking about, squirt?" Sammie questions, scooting away from the table as to make sure the nachos would not fall on her if Gabe got violent again.

"The student council came in this morning with a bunch of trucks and they kicked us out," said Gio, bouncing on the balls of his feet in nervous anxiety. "We were just eating breakfast and they showed us some papers that I didn't quite get and kicked us out."

"We tried to fight, but they had a bunch of Blues and Yellows with them and overwhelmed us." Spencer said with a defeated sigh as he was one of the first to get beaten.

"Well, that is just not fabulous. We should do something about that." Max said with concern.

"Yeah," Gabe said, "which is why I came to you guys. We're going to go back there and kick some ass! Get some blues to beat some blues!" Mikey sighed and shook his head in disagreement with his brothers statement. He was unhappy with this recent development, having fond memories of the Red dorm when he first came to the school, but he didn't think violence would solve the problem. He opened his mouth to voice his opinion, but was quickly interrupted.

"I'm game," Sammie said with a smirk on her face, already reaching for her duel disk, a fight song for her duel mantra already thought up. Mikey palmed his face in his hand again. He should have expected that. Before he could voice his opinion Max jumped up. Mikey slamed his head on the table, already predicting Max's words.

"So am I! That is so uncouth. I swear. We're gonna make those council buttheads sorry they messed with our old dorm when we send 'em packing! Right Mikey?" Max's language was a little more colorful than usual. Maybe it was a sign of growing up, but Mikey doubted it. Max probably just watched_ The Sandlot _again; his language always changed a little when he watched that movie.

"I say we be civil and go to the council about this directly," Mikey said, getting up and walking toward the door. "So how about all of you guys stay here and I will deal with this, ok?"

"But bro!" Gabe called out, chasing after his brother.

"No buts. You can come Gabe, but I don't think we need to duel the whole council over this." Mikey said before pausing and looking over to Sammie and Max, "How about you two talk to Saito and the staff to see what is going on with this?"

Sammie smiled and nodded. She wanted to duel, but Mikey seemed confident so she backed him up. "Will do captain." She saluted and grabbed Max's arm as she dashed off with him, Spencer, and Gio. Mikey nodded and took Gabe with him to the student council. Hopefully Isaac would not be there too.

0 0 0

"The council's reasons for taking over the Red Dorm are our own. We are not required to make any statements on why we took it," Marsha said from behind her desk in the student council room. Mikey and Gabe stood in front of her in the empty council room, with Mikey breathing a sigh of relief that her brother was nowhere in sight.

"Well why now? Why any of this? You know this is wrong. I mean I let it slide when you tried to muscle me out of that Zetsubou thing, but you guys are being unreasonable here." Mikey complained.

"We are being perfectly reasonable, Mr. Angel," Marsha replied matter-of-factly, pushing her glasses up for emphasis. "If the Red dorms were so valuable, then why not have any people show up for the numerous student body meetings in which this motion was discussed? This motion went through all the proper channels in the school and has been in open forum on the school's bulletin board for several months."

Mikey paused and looked over at his brother. Gabe looked as confused as Mikey. They both almost declared bullshit when Marsha spoke once more. "I assure you it was posted there, but because of the nature of the bulletin board it is possible it was covered by some of the many announcements, by the student body. As for the meetings, it is not our fault that more people decided to site in for the lottery duels than to participate in student body politics, which coincidentally were occurring at the same time." Mikey and Gabe's jaws dropped. Her entire plot laid before them so nonchalantly, yet with them feeling helpless. They attempted to raise protest but were stopped when Marsha pulled out Mikey's personal records and slapped them on the counter.

"And before you two can say anything I think I should bring your attention to the newly revised rule 17C-9A1 where students are required to participate in a minimum number of duels per semester, which the elder brother has yet to accomplish this year, seemingly repeating his first deplorable year. The staff would not have noticed this issue, since Michael is one of the top ranked duelists in the school thanks to his accomplishments last year, though that would not stop me from passing them this documented evidence of your slacking this year. What would stop me is if you two would get the fuck out of my office and not say another word and have Michael play for this evidence against three duelists from the council." Marsha's wicked smile seemed to ooze with evil and smugness. Gabe and Mikey had barely said anything and had realized in a short span of time that they just got bitch-smacked and had their nuts put in a vice. Mikey and Gabe left without a word and slumped. This was a bad idea.

0 0 0

"Whaaaat?", was all Recca had to add to Mikey and Gabriel's story about the Slifer Red Dorm being shut down. Reko and Mika looked up from the bar curiously, while Zetsubou only shook his head and muttered to himself.

"So...Marsha and those Council People are going to shut down the Red Dorm?", Recca shook her head, looking at Mikey, "What did she say you had to do?"

"I had to fight three people, at the same time. If I lose...well..."

Recca stared at him, then at Reko and the others, "I'm thinking the same thing as you mom. It's weird that Rhodes passed something like this."

"Omen."

All eyes looked to Zetsubou, before he placed a leatherbound pocketbook aside and adjusted his glasses, "I should have seen it, some kind of bad omen. There could be more than one party at work here...why didn't I see it before?"

"What do you mean?"

Mikey paled as Zetsubou rose, he still knew full well what he did to him only weeks before, and Gabe stood in front of his brother defensively, to which Zetsubou only gave a roll of his eyes and a scoff, "If I wanted to fight the poor bastard, Gabriel, I would have. Stand down. I'm with those damned fiends no longer."

Reko glanced from Zetsubou to Mikey, "Go on. Speak up Zet."

Clearing his throat, he looked around to see they had no patrons at the moment, "I'm saying there could be another party other than the one I aligned myself with previously. A damned group of upstart Councilmen hellbent on shutting down an entire dorm for god knows what seems to fit the bill of 'Antagonist' nicely. Either that, or they just need to be shown a bit of force. I still don't trust them at all."

Mika spoke, "All parties that we are against have been too quiet even though they have been on the island for quite some time. Zetsubou, you know who all is on the island with us?"

He nodded, "Like I told you there's Nicky, Terry, Judgement, Kage...I don't understand. We've been vulnerable more than a few times. Even with the defenses Recca set up throughout the shop the institution should be a hell on Earth from all the situations I run through my head. It's...puzzling really. Why show their hand one card every couple weeks?"

Recca bit her lower lip, looking up the staircase, "I can't sit idle any longer waiting for them to move though, with this newest event they're going to pull something. I have to help Mikey in this duel."

Mikey spoke, "There's nothing you can do though. I already agreed to it."

She looked down, "Do you who they are you're playing against?"

Gabe shrugged as spoke the names, "Kazuhiro, Morgan and Ian."

Recca looked at Zetsubou as the names were spoken, and in return Zetsubou only shook his head. These were not people that he recognized, "I understand... Kids, we need to close up shop to watch this match. Bring your decks, and arm yourselves for an incursion.", Recca sounded different from her jolly self. Commanding and with a soft yet firm voice she continued, "We have to be where probably the entire student body is. The protection of innocents is and always will be paramount. Reko!"

Reko saluted nonchalantly, "I'll have the Runner on standby. If Nicky is here, I'm going to make pavement out of him."

"Mika!"

Mika bowed politely, "I'll be in the crowd, I can still feel if anything is amiss and tell you quickly."

"Zetsubou!"

He gave a weak smile to Recca, "If you'll have me."

Mikey and Gabriel regarded Recca as she pulled on a red cap and adjusted her tight t-shirt and jeans, "Alright. Lead the way you two, I'll be behind every step of the way."

As they left the store towards the site Gabe looked back towards the seemingly nonchalant woman, who was now humming a soft tune to herself, "So Recca?"

"Oh, yes? What did you want sweetie?"

"Zetsubou was coming along, right?"

She nodded, looking out towards the rods zig zagging throughout the Academy as Reko and Mika were on his Runner and zooming towards the dueling site, "You're wondering where he is?", she frowned, "You don't have to be afraid of him. He's just..."

Gabe gave a small growl, "Yeah, I know. What he did to Mikey though. I mean bro you're scared of him too right? Doesn't he just unnerve you a bit?"

Mikey thought back to Zetsubou's boot against his neck, and hearing his entire story relayed to him in those desperate moments. The anguish in his voice was almost unreal, yet he thought about the part where he was told to put himself and Gabe in the situation he was in. In a biohazard of an island that they both miraculously came back uninfected by whatever horrific disease spread through it, "I can see why he did what he did. It'll take time to get used to him though."

Recca almost made a squee noise at that, causing Gabe to flush in color, "I'm so glad you think that!", she adjusted her red framed glasses and gave a smirk at Gabe, "He's around, trust me. He's very good at being there just when you need him."

"So Recca, Zetsu was right I think. They are too quiet, the other people. Why is that?"

Recca giggled, "I think we have some friends not even we are aware of boys.", as they walked, she patted on of her pockets, carrying orders from another world, and how her daughter with her own companions were trying to stop any uprisings on their end.

0 0 0

Mikey stood at the steps of the Slifer Red Dorm. He had been told by text message from his blackmailer this was where he would need to duel. Gabe, Gio, and Spencer stood by his side as he looked around at the now barren dorm. The reds were the only support Mikey had in this duel, which Mikey took some solace in as Sammie and Max went off to get help from Saito and the staff. Even knowing that the Dual Rose crew were watching from a distance didn't help ease his nerves. He sighed in discontent with the situation, but realized this wasn't just about him, but the dorm. He had to try and reclaim the dorm somehow. As Mikey turned to his brother he heard a rustling in the bushes and saw his opponents.

Two Ra Yellow students and an Osiris stood there, each one with a grin of self assurance. They were hired by Marsha to beat the blue and that was what they intended to do. The first of the group was known on campus as Kazuhiro. His hair was thick and greasy as splotches of oil seemed to be splattered on his face. His yellow jacket was tied around his waist and a socket wrench rested in his back pocket. Mikey remembered suggesting him to Reko to adjust the runner in lieu of Reka not being there. Reko had declined. A good decision in retrospect.

The second member of the group, named Morgan, had slicked back black hair and darker skin. Mikey remembered hearing about this student as well. She was the half-sister of Melanie from Mikey's first year. Sammie had punched her in the face the first day she met her on campus because she had hit on Mikey. Like sister like sister. Mikey was not surprised.

The final member of the trio was a bald punker named Ian. Mikey didn't know much about him, though he didn't really need to. He simply placed his hand on his deck and breathed in calmly.

"So this punk is gonna be our opponent?" Kazuhiro asked.

"This punk is going to go down quicker than a red dorm guy on me." Morgan joked.

"Pfft, well let's kick his ass and get this over with. Marsha is waiting." Ian added. Mikey breathed again and nodded.

"Well then, pussies," Mikey said with as much confidence as he could muster, "let's duel."

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Kazuhiro:** 8000

**Morgan:** 8000

**Ian:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

"I go first." Kazuhiro drew first and proceeded. "I summon Red Gadget." A red robot with a large gear on its back appeared on the field (ATK/1300 DEF/1500). "And he lets me search my deck for a Yellow Gadget and add it to my hand." His Duel Disk ejected a card from his deck and he took it, revealing it to be Yellow Gadget before his cards were shuffled. "I'll set two facedowns and end my turn."

"My move!" Morgan drew her card. "And I summon Enraged Battle Ox!" A muscular anthropomorphic ox rose up onto the field in red armor wielding a short battle axe (ATK/1700 DEF/1000). "As long as he's out, all Beasts, Beast-Warriors, and Winged-Beasts on my field can deal piercing. I'm gonna end with two facedowns.

"My turn finally." Ian drew his first card. "I play Tribute to the Doomed. By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy one monster on the field. And I choose Enraged Battle Ox."

"What the hell are you doing?" demanded Morgan, "I need that card!"

"Well tough shit." Ian sent a card to his graveyard and watched as mummy bandages rose out of the ground and ensnared Enraged Battle Ox before pulling it down into an early grave. "Now I play Monster Reborn to rez the card I discarded. Come on out, Jinzo!" An android garbed in green rose out of the ground, its head bare of any hair, revealing only pulsing veins beneath the scalp, and its face covered in a mask that covered its eyes with goggles and a mouthpiece that resembled an open mouth (ATK/2400 DEF/1500).

"HEY! I need my Trap Card!" Morgan exclaimed.

"Me too!" Kazuhiro added.

"Again, tough shit. I need this Jinzo so he can't use Traps," was Ian's response.

"He hasn't even gone yet!" Morgan pointed out.

"Actually, your Special Summon kinda triggered one of my cards," Mikey explained, "I Special Summon Dragon Ice by discarding him." He sent his card to his graveyard and then a blue dragon made of ice appeared with a steel mask covering its face and a large pair of black wings unfolded (ATK/1800 DEF/2200).

"I'm done." Ian said.

"You don't need to set anything?" asked Kazuhiro.

"Why should I? I got Jinzo. He's more than enough."

"And what makes you say that?"

"This guy's deck revolves around Skill Drain. What good's it gonna do him now that I got Jinzo out?"

"I draw." Mikey drew his first card. "I summon Fire Ant Ascator." He played his card and a large fire ant appeared in front of him (ATK/700 DEF/1300). "And now I'm gonna tune him to Dragon Ice." Fire Ant Ascator faded away until three stars remained. The stars transformed into synchro rings and surrounded Dragon Ice, whose body faded into five stars. A column of light engulfed them and from it emerged a stone sun shining bright gold with four red dragon heads emerging from it (ATK/3000 DEF/2800).

"I Synchro Summon Sun Dragon Inti."

"You wanna rethink your strategy on negating his Traps?" asked Morgan.

"Inti, attack Morgan directly!" ordered Mikey. Sun Dragon Inti's four heads unleashed a quartet of flame streams which spiraled together into a single solar inferno that blasted Morgan.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Kazuhiro:** 8000

**Morgan:** 5000

**Ian:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

"Fuck it, Ian! Get ridda that Jinzo before you kill us all!" Morgan shouted.

"Hell no! We need him!"

_Some team dynamics_, thought Mikey. He announced the conclusion of his turn.

It was back to Kazuhiro and as he drew, Mikey suspected he would summon another Gadget. No sooner had the thought finished crossing his mind did it actually happen. "I summon Yellow Gadget." A yellow robot with two halves of a gear on its back appeared beside Red Gadget (ATK/1200 DEF/1200). "Yellow Gadge lets me search my deck for Green Gadget and add it to my hand." He took the card that his Duel Disk had spat out and revealed it to be the card he had just said and placed it in his hand before his deck got shuffled.

"Is that all?" Ian scoffed.

"I could do more if your damn Jinzo wasn't in my way," responded Kazuhiro.

"Deal with it. Better than having him use that damn Skill Drain."

"I DO have other cards besides Skill Drain, you know," Mikey pointed out.

"How'd a loser like you get to be a Blue anyway?" demanded Ian.

"This coming from a Red," Morgan muttered.

"Can't do shit all, so Morgan go," said Kazuhiro.

"Thanks." Morgan drew her card. "I'm gonna start with my own Tribute to the Doomed. And by discarding a card, I'm gonna destroy Jinzo!" She placed a card into her graveyard and watched as mummy bandages wrapped around Jinzo and dragged him into an early grave.

"You backstabbing cockbite!"

"How does it feel, Ian?" Morgan then proceeded. "Now I activate Call of the Haunted to bring back the card I just sent to my graveyard. Come on out, Mystical Knight of Jackal!" From the ground an anthropomorphic jackal in Ancient Egyptian garb and armor appeared armed with two large golden katars (ATK/2700 DEF/1200).

"You destroyed my Jinzo for him?" Ian asked.

"My Jackal's way better than your Jinzo."

"These guys have no idea what they're doing, do they?" Gabe asked Spencer.

"No kidding," the electric blond answered, "These guys have no coordination with one another. Their decks are fucking each other over."

"Let's see what you can do, Ian," Morgan said as she ended her turn.

"I draw." Ian drew his card. "Oh this is good. I summon Jinzo - Returner." A severely downgraded version of Jinzo appeared on the field with giant spiky shoulder guards, an oversize cranium, goggles, and a mouth that had been sewn shut (ATK/600 DEF/1400). "Now I activate Share the Pain. Now me and my opponent have to tribute a monster each. I tribute my Jinzo - Returner."

"I guess I tribute Sun Dragon Inti then," said Mikey.

Both monsters vanished from the field, but Ian was far from finished. "Since Jinzo - Returner was sent to the graveyard, his effect brings back Jinzo." Jinzo returned to the field and cracked his cybernetic knuckles.

"That fucking Jinzo again!" Kazuhiro looked over at Ian, who didn't seem to care how he was affecting his teammates.

"Now I send Jinzo back to the graveyard so I can summon Jinzo - Lord!" Jinzo vanished and in his place an upgraded version of Jinzo appeared with more pronounced armor, goggles with three lenses, a scalp devoid of pulsing veins, and six belt straps protruding from its back that resembled tentacles (ATK/2600 DEF/1600).

"Jinzo - Lord, attack with Cyber Energy Impact!" On Ian's command, Jinzo - Lord's tentacles came together in front of him and the buckles created a sparking black energy ball, which was launched directly at Mikey.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 5400

**Kazuhiro:** 8000

**Morgan:** 5000

**Ian:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

"And you guys doubted me," Ian said looking at the other two.

"Shut up," muttered Morgan.

"Well time for Jinzo - Lord's other effect. I can destroy every face-up Trap Card on the field to deal three hundred damage for each one." One of Jinzo - Lord's tentacles smashed Morgan's Call of the Haunted.

"Hey, I need that!"

"No you don't. Since Jinzo came out earlier, it negated your Jackal's lifeline," Ian pointed out. Morgan then realized he had a point. Now her Mystical Knight of Jackal had nothing to rely on for its survival. "Thank me later."

"No thanks."

"I guess it's my turn now." Mikey drew his card. "Since you guys have monsters and I don't, I Special Summon Oracle of the Sun in defense mode." An Inca man in traditional garb appeared wielding a staff (ATK/1000 DEF/2000). "Now I summon Supay." A wooden mask with horns and tusks appeared (ATK/300 DEF/100). "Now I tune Supay to Oracle of the Sun." Supay turned into a single synchro ring and surrounded Oracle of the Sun whose body faded into a line of five stars before a column of light engulfed them both.

"I Synchro Summon Moon Dragon Quilla!" A glowing blue stone moon appeared and from it emerged four blue dragon heads (ATK/2500 DEF/2000). "Attack Yellow Gadget!" Moon Dragon Quilla's four heads each fired a beam of moonlight and they spiraled into a single attack that blasted apart the yellow robot.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 5400

**Kazuhiro:** 6700

**Morgan:** 5000

**Ian:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

"I'll end with one facedown," announced Mikey.

"Didn't I tell you Skill Drain would be useless?" laughed Ian.

It was now Kazuhiro's turn and he drew his card. "Finally. I play Double Summon, which lets me Normal Summon twice this turn. So first I play Green Gadget." A green robot with a gear on each shoulder as well as a third larger gear for its main body appeared (ATK/1400 DEF/600). "And Green Gadget brings Red Gadget from my deck to my hand." His Duel Disk searched out the card and spat it out into his hand before shuffling his deck. "Now I Normal Summon the other Red Gadget and bring another Yellow Gadget to my hand." A second Red Gadget appeared on the field and Kazuhiro retrieved a Yellow Gadget from his deck." "Now I play Limiter Removal, doubling my Machines' attack points and destroying them on my End Phase." All three robots suddenly began to overload as the two Red Gadgets' attack points rose up to twenty-six hundred and Green Gadget rose to twenty-eight hundred.

"Green Gadget, attack Moon Dragon," ordered Kazuhiro. Green Gadget fired up its jets on its back and rocketted toward Moon Dragon Quilla.

"If Moon Dragon Quilla is selected as an attack target, I gain Life Points equal to half of the attacking monster's attack points," Mikey said as he read off his card. Moon Dragon Quilla shined a beam of moonlight onto him from her back and restored fourteen hundred Life Points unto him.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 7800

**Kazuhiro:** 6700

**Morgan:** 5000

**Ian:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

When the beam of moonlight subsided, Green Gadget collided with its target and the four-headed lunar dragon fell.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 7500

**Kazuhiro:** 6700

**Morgan:** 5000

**Ian:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

"And now Quilla's other effect activates," announced Mikey, "When she dies, Sun Dragon Inti comes back from the graveyard." No sooner had the shattered remains of Moon Dragon Quilla's body vanished from the field, Sun Dragon Inti rose up in her place and roared.

"Wow. Way to go, Kazu," Ian muttered.

"Hey, I did something at least," Kazuhiro argued.

"Yeah and it helped him instead of us."

"Well I could do more if it wasn't for your damn Jinzo deck."

"Are you done?" asked Mikey.

"Yeah, I guess," muttered Kazuhiro. As he said this, his Gadgets' overload took its toll and the three robots exploded into a rain of scrap.

"I'll get it," said Morgan as she drew, "Consider your Sun Dragon dead! I equip Mystical Knight of Jackal with Megamorph! Since my Life Points are lower than yours, this card doubles my monster's attack points." Mystical Knight of Jackal let out a loud prolonged howl as his attack points rose to fifty-four hundred. "Attack Sun Dragon Inti!" Brandishing his katars, the jackal knight tossed back its clock and launched himself at Sun Dragon Inti.

"If you target Inti for an attack, his effect destroys it and deals damage to you equal to half of your attacking monster's attack points," Mikey pointed out.

"Original attack or total attack?" asked Morgan.

"Total attack," was Mikey's answer.

"FUCK!" Morgan had just doubled her monster's attack points. Just as Mystical Knight of Jackal plunged its katars into Sun Dragon Inti, the great Inca god grabbed it in its jaws and tore it apart.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 7500

**Kazuhiro:** 6700

**Morgan:** 2300

**Ian:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

However, the blow to its body had been fatal and Sun Dragon Inti quickly fell.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 5100

**Kazuhiro:** 6700

**Morgan:** 2300

**Ian:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

"Now for my Jackal's effect. Any monster he kills in battle goes back to the deck." Mikey found himself sending Sun Dragon Inti back to his Extra Deck as Morgan ended her turn.

"My turn! And I got a clear shot!" Ian drew his card.

"Not quite," Mikey interjected, "Since Sun Dragon Inti was destroyed, Moon Dragon Quilla resurrects on the next Standby Phase."

"But Sun Dragon Inti never got sent to the grave!" Ian argued.

"He doesn't have to!" At that moment, Moon Dragon Quilla rose from the dead and roared.

"Ha. I'll just beat him down with Jinzo - Lord," Ian sneered.

"You're just gonna give him more Life Points," said Morgan.

"I know, but it's better than letting him rez his monsters over and over again," replied Ian as Jinzo - Lord fired a Cyber Energy Impact into Moon Dragon Quilla.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6400

**Kazuhiro:** 6700

**Morgan:** 2300

**Ian:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

Following Mikey's Life Point gain, the attack broke through and Moon Dragon Quilla fell.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6300

**Kazuhiro:** 6700

**Morgan:** 2300

**Ian:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

"And I'm done," Ian said smugly.

Mikey drew his card. "I Special Summon Cyber Dragon." His silver mechanical dragon appeared on the field and roared (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "Now I sacrifice him for Kuraz the Light Monarch!" Cyber Dragon disappeared and in its place arose the golden emperor (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "And since Kuraz was summoned, his effect destroys two cards on the field and the owners of those cards draw one for each. First, Morgan's facedown."A beam of golden light shot from Kuraz's hand and destroyed the card in Morgan's backfield, letting her draw a new one.

"Next, Jinzo - Lord!" Another beam of light pierced through the chest of Jinzo - Lord and destroyed him, permitting Ian to draw.

"Now I activate Forbidden Chalice, boosting Kuraz by four hundred attack points and negating his effect, letting him attack this turn." As Mikey spoke, a chalice appeared in Kuraz's hands and he drank the sweet nectar it contained, raising his attack power to twenty-eight hundred.

"Attack Morgan directly!" ordered Mikey, "Excalibur's Light!"

"It shall be done!" Kuraz drew his sword and the blade began to shine with a golden radiance. He held his weapon in one hand and stood ready. Then he thrust his arm forward and fired a beam of light into Morgan's chest.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6300

**Kazuhiro:** 6700

**Morgan:** 0

**Ian:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

"Damn it!" Morgan shouted as she was thrown out the duel.

"One down, two to go!" cheererd Gio.

"Nice bro!" Gabe shouted.

Despite the cheers, Mikey did not look toward his spectators. His mind was focused on the duel. He pointed to Kazuhiro and a single word escaped his lips, "Go."

"I draw." He drew his card. "I summon Yellow Gadget." His second Yellow Gadget appeared on the field. "And that brings a Green Gadget to my hand. Next I activate Ultimate Offering. For five hundred Life Points, I get an extra Normal Summon or Set this turn."

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6300

**Kazuhiro:** 6200

**Ian:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

Kazuhiro summoned Green Gadget and used its effect to bring his third and final Red Gadget to his hand.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6300

**Kazuhiro:** 5700

**Ian:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

Another five hundred Life Points later, he summoned Red Gadget and used to bring Yellow Gadget to his hand.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6300

**Kazuhiro:** 5200

**Ian:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

Using Ultimate Offering once again, Kazuhiro summoned Yellow Gadget and used it to bring Green Gadget to his hand.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6300

**Kazuhiro:** 4700

**Ian:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

Paying his last five hundred Life Points that turn Kazuhiro summoned his third and final Green Gadget, giving him a grand total of five monsters on his field. "Now if only I had Limiter Removal."

"My turn," said Ian as he drew. He scowled at his hand. He had a Jinzo, a Limiter Removal, and an Amplifier, none of which could help him. He placed so much confidence in his Jinzos and Jinzo - Lords that he neglected to include any Trap Cards in his deck, including those that could save him.

Mikey's turn came up and he drew. "I summon Majestic Mech - Senku." He played his card and summoned the winged humanoid mechanical angel (ATK/1000 DEF/500). "Senku, attack Ian! Majestic Spear!" Majestic Mech - Senku transformed its arm into a spear head and thrust it into Ian's chest.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6300

**Kazuhiro:** 4700

**Ian:** 7000

–––––––––––––––––

"Since Senku attacked you directly, his effect lets me draw a card." Mikey drew his card and resumed his Battle Phase. "Kuraz, attack Ian! Excalibur's Light!" Kuraz the Light Monarch grasped the hilt of his sword and slashed it across Ian's chest.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6300

**Kazuhiro:** 4700

**Ian:** 4600

–––––––––––––––––

Mikey looked at the card in his hand and smiled. "I set one card and end my turn." At that moment, Majestic Mech - Senku shattered into a million pieces and went to the graveyard by its own effect.

"My turn now." Kazuhiro drew his card. It was Stronghold the Moving Fortress. However, his monster zones were all full so he would have to wait until one of his Gadgets was removed from the field. He set it in his backfield and switched all of his Gadgets into defense mode before ending his turn.

Ian drew his card. It was useless in this situation, but given his options it was all he had. "I summon Jinzo #7." A very deformed Jinzo appeared with a crystal dome cranium and broken armor with the number seven on its shoulder and breastplate (ATK/500 DEF/400). "He can attack directly, so yeah. He attacks directly."

"And that's where I activate my facedown." Mikey revealed his Trap Card. "Skill Drain! At the cost of one thousand Life Points, it negates all Monster effects on the field."

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 5300

**Kazuhiro:** 4700

**Ian:** 4600

–––––––––––––––––

"Jinzo #7, pull back!" Ian withdrew his monster's attack and Jinzo #7 halted and returned to its post.

"My turn." Mikey drew his card. "I summon Beast King Barbaros! Normally if I summon him without any tributes, his attack points become nineteen hundred. But thanks to Skill Drain, he gets his whopping three thousand instead." The massive armored liontaur emerged onto the field wielding his lance and shield (ATK/3000 DEF/1200).

"Barbaros, attack Jinzo #7! Death Sentence!" Beast King Barbaros let out an earth-shuddering roar and pounced onto Jinzo #7 before thrusting his lance into it.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 5300

**Kazuhiro:** 4700

**Ian:** 2100

–––––––––––––––––

"Now Kuraz, finish up with Excalibur's Light!" Kuraz's shining sword cut through the air and the blade emitted a golden light that sliced through Ian.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 5300

**Kazuhiro:** 4700

**Ian:** 0

–––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," announced Mikey. It was now down to just him and Kazuhiro now and the latter had barricaded himself behind a front line of Gadgets. As Kazuhiro drew, he gazed at the field. Skill Drain would render his monster's effect useless but at least he would have a powerhouse on the field.

"I sacrifice Green Gadget and Yellow Gadget and summon Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon!" The two Gadgets vanished and in their place arose a giant mechanical steampunk dragon (ATK/3000 DEF/2000). "Attack Kuraz the Light Monarch!" Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon opened its mouth and fired an energy blast that obliterated Kuraz the Light Monarch.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4700

**Kazuhiro:** 4700

–––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," declared Kazuhiro.

Mikey drew his card. "All for naught. I play Monster Reborn. Come back Kuraz!" Kuraz returned to the field in a blaze of light. "And with his effect, I target Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon and your left facedown!" Kuraz the Light Monarch drew his sword and swung it twice, firing a wave of light from the blade at each of the targetted cards,destroying Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon and the facedown Stronghold the Moving Fortress.

"Beast King Barbaros, attack Green Gadget!" Beast King Barbaros thrust his lance into Green Gadget and the tiny robot exploded. "I end my turn."

Kazuhiro drew his card and ended his turn. His hand had nothing to help him.

Mikey drew his next card. "I summon Majestic Mech - Ohka!" His quadrupedal winged mechanical angel appeared (ATK/2400 DEF/1400) and the effects of Skill Drain sealed its body into a solid entity. "Majestic Mecha - Ohka, attack Red Gadget with Majestic Ray!" Majestic Mech - Ohka opened its mouth and fired a beam of white light into Red Gadget, blasting it into pieces.

"Kuraz, take out Yellow Gadget!" Kuraz the Light Monarch's blade passed through Yellow Gadget like a knife through soft butter and destroyed it with ease.

"Barbaros, attack directly!" Beast King Barbaros thrust his lance into Kazuhiro's chest.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4700

**Kazuhiro:** 1700

–––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," announced Mikey.

Kazuhiro drew his card. He was out of Gadgets and for the most part those were the only monsters he had that could be summoned without tributes. "I set a monster and end my turn."

"My turn." Mikey drew his final card. "Ohka, destroy that monster with Majestic Ray!" Majestic Mech - Ohka opened its mouth and fired a beam of light directly into Kazuhiro's facedown, which turned out to be Boot-Up Soldier Dread Dynamo (ATK/0 DEF/2000), and destroyed it.

"Kuraz, would you like to have the honors?" Mikey asked.

"It would be my pleasure." Raising Excalibur over his head, Kuraz the Light Monarch empowered the blade with his own radiance and swung it.

"Excalibur's Light!" The shining sword cut through Kazuhiro and ended the duel with the remainder of his Life Points.

–––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4700

**Kazuhiro:** 0

–––––––––––––––––

"That's game," declared Mikey.

"You heard him!" Gabe called out, "Duel's over! You guys lost. Get outta here!"

"Kch. This ain't over," Ian grumbled as he fled.

"What he said," said Morgan before she followed.

"The boss isn't going to be happy," Kazuhiro said as he left.

"What's the matter guys? Didn't you know? The meek will always inherit the Earth!" Mikey called out at his retreating foes before sighing in exhaustion. "So, Kuraz, do you think that this has anything to do with what Isaac did to me?"

"Possibly. It may be connected," Kuraz surmised, "It is worth investigating." It was then that Mikey's phone began to ring. He retrieved it from his pocket and answered it.

"Hello?" He waited for a moment and smiled. It was Sammie with good news.

0 0 0

Reko looked across the field towards Mika, who shrugged as she left with the other students to join him walking calmly, "Nothing at all?", Reko regarded her forlorn look with a bit of surprise, "It happens you know, maybe there wasn't anything too odd about what happened. They could just be a bunch of jackwagons with power issues."

"Reko, where is Mikey going?", Mika pointed to Mikey, who rushed out from the area while Reko chuckled, "Beats me. Maybe he knows something we don't. If he does, it'd be good to give him a good following."

"For that matter, where is Recca? Or Zetsubou?"

Reko sighed, rubbing one temple softly, "Oh, you have got to be kidding me. Does everyone else know something we don't?", rushing to catch up with Mikey, he turned around and smirked. Reko gave a whistle, clapping lightly, "Good job schooling those smegheads Mikey. Heh, to think I thought you were a...um..."

Mikey looked puzzled, "What did you think?"

Mika shook her head, "You're better off not hearing, but you look pleased. What's going on?"

He pointed down the road as Saito slowly came into view, he had his jacket billowing around him in the wind and as the radiance of the light caught him Mika could see the resemblance and hardened features of Seto within him. With a dire glare he looked past Mikey at the dorm, "You get them?"

Reko opened his mouth, but Saito cut him off, "Not you Telaris. I want the answer from Mikey."

Reko gave a scowl, taking a step forward only to feel the soft brush of Mika's robe sleeve against his chest. He gave a huff and stood his ground as Mikey spoke, "I did. They weren't a challenge at all."

They both shared a long, long staredown with each other. Reko heard and even witnessed a few times the tension between them, it didn't help the situation that Mikey pined for Sammie who was currently dating the intimidating man sizing him up. His mind drifted over to Umi and her feeling on the situation, and he pushed such memories away. Saito reached within his jacket and placed something in his hand, "Let's get going Mikey."

Reko and Mika walked back towards the Dual Rose while Mikey walked with Saito towards the Council's Chambers in the main building, looking at the large card in his hand. On it's front was strange red script with a red rose, and he knew full well what it was.

"A Rose Card. Why?"

"You're keeping it safe. If something happens to me they only have one of of two Rena had."

Mikey saw Saito quiet, raging fury beneath his deceptively calm exterior, "So they have the law at their control. What are we going to do? What are you going to do?"

Saito, for one of the rare times that Mikey had witnessed gave a laugh, "I'm going to show them that they don't have any power that a Kaiba can't take away."

* * *

**Next week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Mikey's investigation encounters a very large obstacle when two of the student council's elite members step in to stop him. In order for him to progress, he must defeat them both in a tag team duel. But his partner, as it turns out, is one who is not too keen on teamwork. See it unfold next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	107. Soul of the Duelist

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

More names have been changed to match their English names.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-20**

**Soul of the Duelist**

Mikey was in his room staring at the Red Rose Card in his hand. Mikey sighed and placed his face into his hand. He was supposed to meet Saito in an hour to discuss dealing with the student council's take over of the Red Drom. Sammie had come through for him and gotten help, which was good, but Mikey was still concerned about the information Marsha had. He had won the duel and dealt with the blackmail issue, but he wasn't sure what else Marsha had been planning while the lottery duels distracted the student body, nor did he know what else she was capable of. What Mikey did know was that now he had this Rose Card that Saito gave him and he didn't know why.

Mikey knew about the Rose Crusaders and their mission to defeat the UnGod, whatever that was, but he didn't understand why Saito thought it was a good idea to give him the Red Rose Card. Mikey would have thought more on the matter, but that was when his phone rang. Mikey placed the card on the table, next to his deck and went to get his phone. Kuraz hummed and glowed faintly.

"Hello?" Mikey answered.

"I got the contracts to fix this mess," replied Saito through the phone. "Meet me at the Red Dorm and we'll take care of them. I am going to call Samantha, Hayley, Nellie, and Wes out here. Bring Coltyn and Max if you can." There was a definitive click as Saito pressed the end call button. Mikey didn't get a chance to respond. He simply sighed once more. Working with that jerk Saito Kaiba? Mikey couldn't believe it. He grabbed his deck and the Rose Card and went off to the meeting.

o o o

Reko and Mika looked at the large ornate clock in the main room of the Dual Rose. Business was slow with the evening rush coming to a close, but his mother and Zetsubou was nowhere to be seen. Mika fidgeted with her eyepatch as she got out another one from the small box they had. Reko thought there was something strange with the leather one she had, even after Mika told him there wasn't anything to be afraid of with it. When the last few patrons thanked Reko for his kind hospitality, they both found themselves in the strange silence found only after a great number of people leave. He looked at the clock, it was nearing ten in the evening...where was Recca? Mika looked over at him as Reko snapped back to reality, "Oh yeah. You need your eye cleaned up a bit? Gimme a minute."

Mika smiled warmly and walked upstairs, and Reko got out a small medical kit while she sat at a small table with a nicely decorated den on the second floor. It was mostly for show, and Reko though maybe it was a parlor or something to that effect. It didn't see much use, but when the students were swarming the first floor and his room was a bit confining, it was definitely a nice retreat. the walls were the same beautiful dark wood as the rest of the home, with subtle pleasing arrangements of flowers on a small table next to an electric fireplace. A large tapestry of his family crest, a rose of ivory and scarlet petals was emblazoned proudly over it. he could nearly feel the history of the artifacts in the room, and to this day Reko was stunned that he and the others were able to build all of this so quickly.

He tossed on a pair of vinyl gloves in the box while Mika put her head back on his lap. He didn't question why Mika didn't know basic medical procedures. She explained to him at one point in time, her eye was a portal to absorb the darkness in people and malignant creatures in her culture. That damned order of hers used her like a damn puppet, and a few questions still came to his mind as he started applying saline to a small gauze sponge and looked to her affected area. It looked like a small scar with a cloudy eye, nothing too serious. He started cleaning it, and Mika winced, she said it acted like this ever since Reko banished whatever pent up force was in her body when he was championed by Mist Valley. He still didn't fully understand all of that strange trip. Almost like it was a fuzzy dream after he put on Legacy, an artifact passed down through his family and for a brief time given to Michael to keep safe in Duelist Kingdom.

He tossed the soiled item in a bin while he carefully placed another gauze sponge over the eye and slowly started wrapping it in a decent bandage. He saw what Legacy became in the transparent vinyl glove, a red signet ring with a rose symbol. What did it all mean? What is Mika's true intention on the island...he honestly hadn't a clue. He was overwhelmed and felt obligated to give her shelter since they were on the same side. She was a decent worker too to keep the cover up, and Reko was surprised she didn't know quite a few things. Cooking, basic treatment, and even the things were took for granted like his Runner, Television, phones and the basics of Urban Life were just simply alien concepts to her. It was amusing at first, but Reko soon felt as though he had to integrate her into life here eventually. It had been slow, but progressive.

"Say Reko...", Mika started as Reko was nearly finished, "Where did you learn First Aid?"

Reko save a soft chuckle, "I just watched other people in San Francisco, really...", Mika looked curious as he explained further, affixing the bandage in pace, "When Reign died, it was kind of a shock, and Rena and Recca did their best to fill in the gaps. Now as you've noticed, everyone has skills aside from being incredibly good with people. I mean Reka's a great mechanic...Gramma always got things done litigation wise. Mom is stupidly creative with all her clothes and cooking, believe me I think it's a bit stereotypical mom but...it somehow fits for her."

They both gave gentle laughter as Mika sat up, her eye covered by a bandage that Reko put on for her every night. Mika looked interested in what Reko had to say, and at that he rose a lavender brow, "You...are incredibly bored with the store all closed up for the night aren't you.", she nodded and gave a laugh shrug. A woman of few words, Mika.

"I just want to know about you. You're worried about Recca and Zetsubou, so I felt that this could take your mind off of it.", Reko responded to Mika's statement with a half smirk as his crystal blue eyes drifted towards the plush carpet, "You care about both of them very deeply...even Zetsubou, you two used to be decent enough friends, and it kept you from chasing the other girls here...as much, from what Recca tells me."

Reko flushed scarlet as Mika gave a knowing smirk, "I've heard much. Apparently you have a thing for Blues, I wonder if it's because of the color of your eyes? to that point, I wonder why they don't report you to Chancellor Rhodes?"

Reko shook his head and held up a hand, "Okay, OKAY, that aside..."

"I've seen a Ra Yellow skirt in your room-"

"That aside, Mika!", Mika laughed as he buried his face in his palm for a second, "Yeah, I'm worried about her, but I know she can take care of herself. Zetsubou...I guess. If only for Mikomi.", he could understand the depths Zetsubou was willing to plunge for his sister. He told him in confidence that she was with Reka in Ardent, and that he shouldn't too concerned for their safety if he was able to lay waste to a damn Archfiend. They were friend, but he couldn't help but look towards Rena's room, where Reko often came to see if his grandmother has come out of her strange slumber. A dormant state? He couldn't say, but he wasn't sure if he could ever fully forgive Zetsubou, even if his sister was the driving factor. How many people beforehand for example had he killed? He though recca was far too forgiving, but then again she had empathy in leaps and bounds, and he had started to change ever so lightly in her presence, but only hers.

He cleared his throat as Mika looked patiently towards him, "Anyway where was I? Oh yeah, skills. I really didn't have one. I'm good at small stuff, delivering, racing, that kind of thing. I really wanted to work with mom though. So I kept asking folks how they did things. A lot can be gained by a folk running a class or just working out in the field."

"Oh? What can you do?"

"Well...hunt, survive in the wilderness for weeks on end as you saw. First aid, pathfinding, mining, music, dancing, the list goes on and on and on."

Mika smiled, "You're very blessed then."

"What the hell do you mean? I'm no one real important, you know that.", Mika laid a finger on his chest, causing him to meet her gaze, which was caring and soft.

"You know so much. Even if you don't master it, isn't the skill of learning skills a gift in itself?"

Reko was without words, causing her to laugh, "So the great Reko Telaris is speechless?"

He met her remark with a wide smirk, "You win this round princess. You get to bed now, maybe your eye will feel better. Painkillers are in my nightstand, top drawer if you need them.", he bowed politely as they both heard the bell of the shop door ring.

"Crap. Forgot to lock up. I'll handle it Mika."

"Thank you again for letting me use your room. However, where do you sleep?"

Reko smiled, "I always have a warm bed wherever I go, don't worry about that. Night Mika."

She bowed politely as Reka took the medical kit downstairs, "Sorry about the delay. I can get whatever ya need. Last order though, luck you!", Mika heard his cheery voice upstairs, and in his thick covers she happily dreamed away.

o o o

"Where are Max and Coltyn?" demanded Saito. He was sitting on a bench just a few doors down the hallway from the student council office where he and Mikey had agreed to meet.

"Seeing as you don't have Hayley here, she and Max must be in one of their hiding spots," Mikey answered, "And I honestly don't know where Coltyn is. He disappears mysteriously sometimes. What about you? Where are Sammie and the others?"

"Samantha is tied up with a lottery duel, Nellie is missing, and Wes has gone to look for her," was the rich boy's response.

"So it's just us then?" asked Mikey.

"Apparently," Saito said as he got up and walked toward the student council office, "Don't get in my way."

"Hey, this was my investigation first." Mikey followed and the two entered the office at the same time. Marsha was nowhere to be found. They needed her for answers. As they searched, they could hear the faint sound of electronic beeping and music and they followed it into a far corner. They could see a Ra Yellow boy with ruby-red hair wearing a hoodie under his school jacket with several bandages plastered all over his face playing with a Nintendo DSi. The loner looked up upon sensing newcomers and quickly jumped back, dropping his DSi in the process.

"Who are you?" demanded Saito.

"T-T-Tobias..." he stammered, "Tobias Kozato..."

"Where's Marsha?"

"Umm... Uhh..."

"Answer me."

"Kaiba, stop! You're scaring him," Mikey interjected.

"He's not a five-year-old. He can take it." Saito grabbed Tobias by the collar of his hoodie and lifted him up. "Where's Marsha?"

"You lookin' for the boss?" Saito and Mikey turned around to see an attractive male Ra Yellow student with blond hair walk in.

"And you are?" Saito asked.

"Stan's the name. Stan Peatus."

"Then you can tell us about Marsha."

"Sorry, but the boss is out. She's not comin' back til later."

"Then maybe you two can answer some questions for us." Saito threw Tobias into Stan, who stepped out of the way and let his classmate hit the floor face-first.

"Owwww..."

"Whaddya wanna know?"

"The Osiris Red dorm," Saito began, "It's come to my attention that you've somehow gotten your hands on it."

"So what?" asked Stan.

"This school was founded and sponsored by my father," Saito explained, "He created three dorms and it will stay as three dorms."

"I dunno what the boss plans, but it doesn't matter. The Red dorm's hers now."

"That does not explain why she was able to do so without any support from the students."

"Marsha...has her ways," Tobias said as he came back from the first aid cupboard struggling to open a bandage from his package.

"What ways?" Saito asked.

"Toby, shut up," Stan growled.

"It's not Toby..." Tobias muttered quietly as he finally tore open the packaging and placed the bandage over the bridge of his nose.

"Show the documents that give her ownership of the Red Dorms," Saito demanded.

"Can't do it," said Stan, "Boss forbids anyone near her desk."

"You will show me those documents!"

"Or what?"

"Kaiba, now's not the time," Mikey pleaded.

Saito said nothing else, but instead activated his Duel Disk.

"Are you serious?" Stan asked incredulously.

"Are you frightened?"

"Fuck no! But since there's four of us, let's make it a tag duel. Toby, get your ass in gear!"

"I'm not Toby!" Tobias said in a whiny tone as he grabbed his Duel Disk.

"You can't be serious," Mikey muttered.

"We don't have a choice. They're not talking." Saito shoved Mikey's Duel Disk into the boy's chest and stepped forward. Realizing he had no choice, Mikey strapped on the device and joined him.

"LET'S DUEL!"

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey & Saito:** 8000

**Stan & Tobias:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I'll go first." Stan had a cocky grin on his face as he drew his first card. "I'll start by summoning Doomcaliber Knight in attack mode!" A demonic knight on a black horse burst onto the field waving a large jagged sword in one hand and holding a wicked looking shield in the other (ATK/1900 DEF/1800). "After that, I'm setting three facedowns. Your go."

"My turn!" Mikey drew his card. "I set a facedown and summon Majestic Mech - Ohka." His mechanical quadrupedal beast-like angel appeared and roared (ATK/2400 DEF/1400). "Next I play Dimensionhole to remove Ohka from play." A hole to the Different Dimension opened up and swallowed up Majestic Mech - Ohka. "He comes back on my next Standby Phase. I'm done now."

"I draw." Tobias looked nervous as he drew. "I set a monster. And then I guess I'll end with two facedowns."

"My move then." Saito drew his card. "First I play Cards of Consonance. By discarding one Dragon-type Tuner from my hand, I'm allowed to draw two cards." He discarded Dragunity Phalanx and then drew two new cards from his deck. "Next I summon Dragunity Dux." A birdman in a white tunic appeared holding a slave driver's whip in one hand (ATK/1500 DEF/1000). "When he is summoned, I can select a Dragon-type Dragunity monster in my graveyard and equip it to him."

"Not so fast!" Stan interjected, "I activate the power of my Doomcaliber Knight! When a Monster Effect activates, I must tribute my Doomcaliber Knight. The monster's effect is negated and the monster is destroyed." Doomcaliber Knight vanished from the field and a surge of energy shot through Dragunity Dux's body, causing him to quiver in pain before collapsing to the ground dead.

"Fine. Then I'll end with these two facedowns." Saito placed two cards in his backfield and concluded his turn.

"Back to me." Stan drew his card and proceeded with his turn. "Pfff. This is a no-brainer. I summon King Tiger Wanghu!" A sabertooth white tiger encased in armor leapt onto the field and roared (ATK/1700 DEF/1000). "As long as this dude stays face-up on my field, all monsters with fourteen hundred or less attack points'll automatically die when they're Normal or Special Summoned. But right now, King Tiger attack!" King Tiger Wanghu pounced and slashed Mikey and Saito with his claws as he passed.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey & Saito:** 6300

**Stan & Tobias:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Ngh!"

"You better have a plan, Mikey," Saito muttered as he recovered from the direct attack.

"I hope so," was Mikey's response.

"I'm done this turn," announced Stan.

Mikey swallowed and drew his card. "Because of my Dimensionhole's effect, my Majestic Mech - Ohka returns on my Standby Phase." A portal to the Different Dimension opened up and Majestic Mech - Ohka flew out and landed on the field. "Next I summon Mist Archfiend." He played his card and a cold mist gathered and formed into a black and red winged demon (ATK/2400 DEF/0). "Mist Archfiend, attack King Tiger Wanghu with Hell's Cold Grip!" Mist Archfiend vanished and the mist wafted across the field over the large cat before a claw shot out, grabbed King Tiger Wanghu's throat, and squeezed until it died.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey & Saito:** 6300

**Stan & Tobias:** 7300

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Majestic Mech - Ohka, attack the facedown monster with Majestic Ray!" Majestic Mech - Ohka opened its mouth and fired a solid beam of white light.

"I activate No Entry!" Tobias revealed his facedown. "This changes all Attack Position monsters into Defense Position." The beam suddenly ceased and both Majestic Mech - Ohka and Mist Archfiend crouched down defensively.

"Alright then. I activate my facedown, Ultimate Offering. For every five hundred Life Points I pay, I get an extra Normal Summon or Set this turn." Mikey turned to Mist Archfiend and reached for a card in his hand.

"I activate Trap Stun!" announced Stan, "For this turn, the effects of all Trap Cards are negated. So you can't use Ultimate Offering." He grinned widely as Mikey backed off.

"I end my turn and my Mist Archfiend dies, resulting in one thousand points of damage to me." The brunet watched as his Mist Archfiend disintegrated into a faint mist and the screech it emitted hit him hard.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey & Saito:** 5300

**Stan & Tobias:** 7300

–––––––––––––––––––––

"You're clear, Toby," Stan said.

"My name's not Toby," Tobias mumbled quietly as he drew. "I summon Pinch Hopper." A green winged insect appeared on the field and buzzed loudly (ATK/1000 DEF/1200). "And by sending it to the graveyard from my field, I can Special Summon an Insect from my hand. So goodbye Pinch Hopper. Come out, Mother Spider." Pinch Hopper's exoskeleton cracked open and eight spider legs tipped with saber blades tore out from inside. A massive purple spider with strange glowing bumps on its abdomen pulled itself from the shredded remains of Pinch Hopper and rose over the field (ATK/2300 DEF/1200).

"Mother Spider, attack Majestic Mech - Ohka." On Tobias' orders, Mother Spider fired a thread and ensnared Majestic Mech - Ohka. She pulled her prey closer to her and devoured it.

"That's it for me."

"I draw!" Saito drew his card. "And I summon Dragunity Partisan." A blue dragon with a massive spearhead on its nose burst onto the field and roared (ATK/1200 DEF/800). "When Dragunity Partisan is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Winged-Beast Dragunity monster from my hand and equip Partisan to it. In doing so, the equipped monster becomes a Tuner. I Special Summon Dragunity Tribus." A birdman with soft white wings in a white tunic and dark blue armor appeared with a case full of feather-like throwing knives at his side (ATK/500 DEF/300). "And when Dragunity Tribus is Normal or Special Summoned, I can send a level three or lower Dragunity Dragon monster from my deck to my graveyard such as my Dragunity Brandistock." He placed the card in his deck and then proceeded to equip Dragunity Partisan onto Dragunity Tribus. The birdman flew up and landed on the dragon's back.

"Now since I have a Dragunity monster equipped with another, I can remove the equipped monster from play to Special Summon Dragunity Arma Leyvaten!" Dragunity Tribus and Dragunity Partisan vanished and in their place a massive orange dragon with two large feathery wings and and two smaller leathery wings swooped down from the sky wielding a large black jagged sword (ATK/2600 DEF/1200).

"And his effect activates, letting me equip him with one Dragon monster from my graveyard. So I choose Dragunity Brandistock." Saito placed the card into his backfield and watched as a light blue and purple aura surrounded Dragunity Arma Leyvaten's blade. "As long as my monster is equipped with Dragunity Brandistock, he can attack twice per turn. Now Dragunity Arma Leyvaten, attack! Slay Mother Spider!" Dragunity Arma Leyvaten flew in and swung his sword, cleaving Mother Spider in half.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey & Saito:** 5300

**Stan & Tobias:** 7000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Now attack the facedown monster!" Dragunity Arma Leyvaten turned around in the air and came back for another attack. His sword dragged along the floor as he flew up and cut through Tobias' monster, which turned out to be a spider will all sorts of spy equipment attached to it called Informer Spider (ATK/500 DEF/1800).

"I end my turn," announced Saito.

"So you managed to get a strong monster on the field," Stan said as he drew, "Don't get cocky. We're still ahead of you by seventeen hundred Life Points."

"I wouldn't brag about that," Saito replied, "Many standard level for monsters have seventeen hundred attack points. It wouldn't take much for us to take the lead."

"Then we'll just have to widen that gap."

"Go ahead and try."

o o o

Nicky and Terry were sitting around a table with a map of the island spread out in front of them while the Duel Guerilla sat opposite from them.

"'ow come we can't just blaze on in?" Nicky demanded, "It ain't no fun doin' all dis sneakin' 'round."

"Guerilla warfare needs time and careful planning," was the answer, "You should worry about your prime target."

"Zetsubou." Terry looked at the map and the pin that had been placed on the Dual Rose. "He rarely moves from the same position."

"'e's dead! Let 'im rot a'ready!" Nicky said, cavalierly waving a hand.

"Don't dismiss your target just yet. He's a strong-willed one. He won't give up so easily."

"'ow come you know all dis?"

"Because I study my enemies."

"Hmph!" Nicky got up and walked off to use the bathroom, leaving Terry alone with the Duel Guerilla.

"What's the plan so far?"

"You just leave that to me."

o o o

Stan looked at his hand. "I end my turn."

"That was it?" Saito asked, "All that talk and you produced nothing? Disappointing. Mikey, show them what it means to underestimate a Kaiba."

"I'm not a Kaiba, though. But I'll do it." Mikey drew his card. "I summon Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast!" A tank in the form of a great dragon with two cannons on its head and two more on its sides rolled onto the field (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). "If I summon him without a tribute, his attack and defense points are halved." The motors of Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast seemed to slow down as its stats dropped down to fourteen hundred attack points and one thousand defense points.

"Next I play Forbidden Chalice, which boosts a target by four hundred attack points and negates its effect." A golden chalice appeared in Mikey's hand and he poured its contents down Fusilier Dragon's gas cap. Its motors started running at peak efficiency again and its attack and defense points rose up to thirty-two hundred and two thousand respectfully. "Attack then directly!" Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast roared and fired all four of its cannons at Stan and Tobias.

"I chain your direct attack with the Special Summon of my Battle Fader, which ends the Battle Phase!" Stan slapped a card sideways onto his Duel Disk and summoned out a demonic pendulum (ATK/0 DEF/0). It released its bob and it swung slowly to the other side, releasing a disrupting wave that stopped the shells in midair. As soon as it reached the other end, the missiles fell harmlessly to the floor defused and rendered completely harmless.

"Thanks," Tobias sighed.

"Don't fuck this up," was all Stan said.

"S-sorry..." Tobias quietly drew his card. "I um, play Earthquake. This changes all monsters into defense mode." The ground suddenly shuddered violently, knocking all the monsters off their feet and forcing them to crouch defensively in order to maintain their balance.

"Now I summon Spyder Spider." A spider appeared on the field wearing a spy camera on its head (ATK/1500 DEF/1000). "Attack Dragunity Arma Layvetan." Spyder Spider scurried across the field and climbed onto its target before sinking its fangs into it and injecting venom into its body. Dragunity Arma Layvetan struggled for a while and then collapsed. "When Spyder Spider destroys a defense position monster in battle, I can bring back one Insect from my graveyard that's level four or lower." Tobias pulled Pinch Hopper from his graveyard and placed it on his field.

"On my second Main Phase, I sacrifice Pinch Hopper to summon Infernity Beetle." Pinch Hopper's exoskeleton split right open and from inside it a dark colored Hercules beetle crawled out. "I tune Infernity Beetle to Spyder Spider." Infernity Beetle faded away and formed two synchro rings that surrounded Spyder Spider, whose body faded until four stars remained. A column of light engulfed them at once.

"I Synchro Summon Underground Arachnid." A dark spider emerged from the radiance, its lower abdomen covered with red swelling eggs. Coming up erect from the middle of its cephalothorax was a female humanoid torso with long arms and grey skin, its head covered by some kind of head wrapping with two long antennae flowing from it (ATK/2400 DEF/1200). "Once per turn, she can equip one monster my opponent controls, but she can only equip one." Underground Arachnid shot several threads at Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast and pulled it in. Once she had brought it close, she wrapped it up completely in her web and clung onto it. "I'm done..."

"Hm. I draw." Saito drew his card. "In my experience, monsters with the power to equip an opponent's monster are able to save themselves from destruction as long as they hold onto that monster. So first I'm going to Dust Tornado your equip card." Saito revealed one of his facedowns and a twister shot out and destroyed Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast. "Next I summon Dragunity Dux." Another Dragunity Dux appeared on the field. "And with his effect, I equip him with Dragunity Phalanx from my graveyard." A blue dragon with bronze armor equipped with two bucklers and two diamond-tipped spears on its helmet appeared and was mounted by Dragunity Dux.

"Now I unequip Dragunity Phalanx from Dragunity Dux." Dragunity Dux leapt off his mount and Dragunity Phalanx stepped forward (ATK/500 DEF/1100). "Now I tune them together." Dragunity Phalanx faded away until two stars remained where the diamonds were. They turned into synchro rings and encircled Dragunity Dux, whose body faded into four stars before a light consumed them.

"I Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana!" A dragon in red armor emerged with a birdman in matching armor riding on its back wielding a long pike (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). "And with his effect, I'll equip with with Dragunity Partisan." Dragunity Partisan appeared and took a seat in front of the birdman rider. "Now I activate his other effect. By sending an Equip Card to the graveyard, I can double Vajrayana's attack points." The birdman picked up Dragunity Partisan and threw it. The dragon reached out and closed its maw over it and devoured the smaller creature. It let out a roar as Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana's attack points rose up to thirty-eight hundred.

"Attack Underground Arachnid!" Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana flew forward. The dragon unleashed a blast of fire as the rider fired off a gust of wind that spiraled with the flames and collided into the large spider.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey & Saito:** 5300

**Stan & Tobias:** 5600

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn!" announced Saito, causing Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana to return to nineteen hundred attack points.

"I draw." Stan drew his card. "I summon Cyber Valley and end my turn." He called out a creature that appeared to be a lesser version of Cyber Dragon with several red bulbs running down its sides (ATK/0 DEF/0).

Mikey drew his card. "I set a facedown and Special Summon Cyber Dragon." His serpentine robotic dragon appeared on the field and roared (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "Next I Normal Summon Majestic Mech - Ohka." A second Majestic Mech - Ohka appeared on the field. "And lastly, since I have two Light monsters on the field, I can Special Summon Guardian of Order." A golden light shined onto the field and down the beam of radiance descended an angel in white and gold armor with large spikes protruding from his shoulder blades (ATK/2500 DEF/1200).

"Cyber Dragon, attack Cyber Valley!" ordered Mikey.

"Not happening!" laughed Stan, "I remove Cyber Valley from play to draw a card and end the Battle Phase." Cyber Valley unleashed a disrupting energy wave from its mouth as it vanished into a portal to the Different Dimension. Stan drew his card and watched grinning.

"Fine, I end my turn," announced Mikey. Majestic Mech - Ohka groaned and its brittle body shattered.

"My move." Tobias said little else as he drew his card. "I play the Field Spell Spider Web. Now whenever a monster attacks, it changes into defense mode afterwards and can't be changed back until after that person's next End Phase." He placed the card inside his field tray and a massive spider web covered the entire room. "I'm done."

"My turn." Saito drew his card. "Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana, attack Battle Fader!"

"I negate your attack and end your Battle Phase with another Battle Fader!" Stan placed a second Battle Fader on the field and its pendulum swung to give off a disrupting energy wave that negated the attack.

"Then I end my turn," announced Saito.

"Perfect!" Stan drew his card. "And even better. This is my trump card. I sacifice my two Battle Faders to summon Angel 07!" The two demonic pendulums vanished and in their place a pure white entity arose standing tall over the field looking very much like a statue made of white steel (ATK/2500 DEF/1500). "Attack Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana." Angel 07 turned toward Saito's monster and fired two beams of light from its eyes and destroyed it.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey & Saito:** 4700

**Stan & Tobias:** 5600

–––––––––––––––––––––

Angel 07 got caught in the webs and was forced to fold into a defensive position.

"That's it for me," announced Stan. "Best of all, my Angel 07 negates all monster effects. Your Dragunities are useless, Kaiba!"

"It's my turn first, though," Mikey said as he drew. "Since your Angel 07 is in defense mode, that means it shouldn't be hard to get rid of it. Cyber Dragon, attack Angel 07 with Evolution Burst!"

"Trap Card activate, Lair Wire," announced Tobias, "By removing an Insect in my graveyard from play, I can destroy one monster my opponent controls. And I choose Cyber Dragon." He removed Informer Spider and a mouth opened beneath Cyber Dragon, causing it to fall into a pit and getting caught in the web inside. Informer Spider could be seen inside the pit approaching its prey as the mouth closed.

"Well I still have Guardian of Order." As Mikey ordered his other monster to attack, Stan activated one of his facedowns.

"Dimensional Prison," he said grinning. A portal to the Different Dimension opened up and swallowed Guardian of Order as he attacked, removing him from play.

"I end my turn," announced Mikey.

"I draw." Tobias drew his card. "I summon Shield Worm and when it's summoned it goes into defense mode." A black armored caterpillar appeared (ATK/800 DEF/2000) and immediately curled itself up. "And when it does that, my opponent mills one card from their deck for every Insect on the field." Tobias was going to pick Saito, but the Obelisk Elite's cold stare drove him back in fear and he quickly changed his strategy. "I...ummm... pick you..." Tobias pointed to Mikey, who took the top card of his deck and placed it in his graveyard. "I'm done."

"I draw." Saito drew his card. "Let me ask you something. Did you really think that I'd need effects to defeat you? Well you seem to be forgetting something."

"And what's that?" asked Stan.

"I'm Saito Kaiba." Saito played his card. "I activate Ancient Rules. Now I can Special Summon a level five or higher Normal Monster."

"This isn't good," Tobias squeaked.

"Come forth, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The Kaiba family signature monster burst onto the field and let out and ear-splitting roar (ATK/3000 DEF/2500).

"And if you thought one was terrifying enough, why don't you try two?" Saito played a second Ancient Rules and summoned his second Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "Blue-Eyes, attack Angel 07! Burst Stream of Destruction!" A sparking energy ball gathered up inside the first dragon's mouth before a powerful beam erupted from its maw and blasted Angel 07 to pieces. As soon as it had done so, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon got tangled in the web and fell into a defensive position.

"Blue-Eyes, attack Shield Worm!" The second dragon destroyed the larva and it too was forced into defense mode.

"I end my turn."

"You'll pay for this," Stan swore as he drew. "I summon Skull Meister!" A man with long black hair with a scar on his face appeared sitting on a throne made of skulls with more skulls holding his clothing in place (ATK/1700 DEF/400). "That's it."

"I draw." Mikey drew his card. "I play Monster Reborn. And guess what? I'm bringing out the monster your friend over there sent to my graveyard. Kuraz, come out!" Kuraz the Light Monarch burst out from the graveyard and the golden king's radiance shined and illuminated the entire student council office (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "And now he'll destroy Spider Web and Tobias' facedown." Rays of light rained down from the sky and pierced through both cards, returning the room to its original state.

"Now I free Kuraz of his bonds with Forbidden Chalice." Kuraz drank from the chalice that appeared and could feel himself renewed to fight as his attack points rose to twenty-eight hundred. "Attack Skull Meister!"

"Excalibur's Light!" The Monarch swung his sword and a blade of light shot forth and cleaved the demon in two.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey & Saito:** 4700

**Stan & Tobias:** 4500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Your turn."

Tobias could feel Stan glaring at him and he knew he was in for another beating if he couldn't turn this duel around. He drew his card and set it. _My No Entry! should buy us some time_, he thought. But before he could end his turn, Saito revealed his facedown Mystical Space Typhoon and destroyed Tobias' card, much to his horror.

"Looks like it's over." Saito drew his card and switched his dragons into attack mode. "Blue-Eyes, attack!" The first dragon unleashed its fury and blasted both members of the student council.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey & Saito:** 4700

**Stan & Tobias:** 1500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"End this! Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Burst Stream of Destruction!" Saito pointed forward and his Blue-Eyes White Dragon fired its attack and obliterated the remainder of Stan's and Tobias' Life Points.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey & Saito:** 4700

**Stan & Tobias:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Now about the Red Dorm," Saito said looming over the two defeated Duelists. Stan glared up at them angrily while Tobias scurried back until he hit a wall and then cowered in fear. Mikey looked over him and felt sorry for him. He knew what it was like to have to suffer getting beaten by the other students. He wanted to go over to console him, but Saito stopped him.

"Leave him."

"Just take the damn papers," growled Stan as he pointed to Marsha's desk. Saito walked over and flipped the sole manila folder sitting on its surface. He found the documents and took them.

"I'll see what my father has to say about these," he said before leaving. Mikey looked over at Tobias one more time and then followed. He could only hope that things would work out for the ruby-haired teen.

o o o

Once upon a time there were great gods wielded by the Pharaoh of Egypt. These gods could rend the skies, shake the earth, and boil the seas. Each was mighty, but together they were able to destroy the Darkness. They were not alone, though, as beasts one day walked the earth in the shape of the old gods of Egypt. These sacred beasts were so deadly and powerful that they were locked away, to never be seen again. That did not last.

The mightiest of these beasts was named Raviel, Lord of Phantasms. Its shuddering strength crumbled mountains and sank islands. Its claws could tear through reality and wound even the gods themselves. Demons and fiends bowed before him, knowing that he was their patron God and that his power was absoulte. Raviel took the form and mocked the great god of Obelisk, but was far greater. The mere thought of being released brought laughter to the demons and spirits of the world, for their God was returned. Yet, despite all of Raviel's dark power there was a beast in the abstract darkness that surpassed his own.

The mysterious box laid opened and emptied across his bed, discarded in madness that he knew all too well. A madness of wickedness. A madness made now of a beast and a mask. This was the day Ryou Bakura became Raviel's slave. This was the day Ryou Bakura became the new Nightshroud.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Mikey re-watches his father's duel on Pay-per-View and reminisces about the past. It's the obligatory recap episode next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	108. Recap

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-21**

**Recap**

"Mikey, what are you doing?" asked Sammie.

"I'm trying to find my dad's match from that last tournament," Mikey answered as he fumbled with the remote.

"What have you looked under?"

"I've been using the search function."

"We're here!" Coltyn's voice announced as he entered with Max, Gabe, and Spencer.

"Hey Spencer," Mikey greeted, not expecting the electric blond to join them. It was Saturday night and none of the events planned for the evening interested them. They decided instead to just stay in and watch some television on Pay-per-View. It was a casual event, so Mikey was dressed in a plain green polo shirt and blue jeans while Sammie wore blue jeans with a black and white frilly blouse. Max had a long-sleeved pink shirt with white pants, Gabe a white tank top with red sports pants, and Spencer in a yellow shirt with grey skinnies.

"You don't mind if I invited Hayley, do you?" Max asked.

"I don't see why not," Mikey said shrugging.

"Fabulous!"

"Hey, I brought popcorn from the Red dorm." Gabe reached into his pants and pulled out two bags of microwave popcorn. As he left to go prepare them, Hayley came into the room wearing a colorful top with clean khaki pants. Behind her were Wes, Nellie, and Saito the first of whom had a turtleneck underneath a double-breasted coat while his girlfriend wore her favorite skater top and a vest to match her pants. Saito had always gone for a classy look, opting for black slacks and a plain black dress shirt.

"Why'd they come?" asked Mikey.

"No reason for us not to come," Saito answered as he took a seat in a large armchair. Much to Mikey's dismay, Sammie went to sit with him rather than on the spot beside him on the couch he had saved for her. Max and Hayley got the two-seater all to themselves while Wes and Nellie sat down on the couch with Mikey. When Gabe returned, he handed out the popcorn and laid down on the floor.

"Wouldn't you rather sit on a couch?" Mikey asked.

"Hey, you guys have a comfy floor," Gabe answered as he fingered the carpet, "We just got hardwood. If there's no room on the couch, we pile on the rug and sometimes we even just lie on top of someone else."

"You of all people shouldn't have any problems with someone topping you," Spencer retorted.

"Hey bro, pass me a pillow," Gabe said. Mikey handed him a cushion which Gabe immediately threw at Spencer's head.

"What are you guys doing in here?" Noah asked.

"We're rewatching the final duel of the Olympian Grand Prix on Pay-per-View," answered Mikey.

"May I join you?"

"Sure!" Noah smiled and plopped himself right beside Mikey. "Is that all you ever wear?"

"It's the only outfit I've got," answered Noah, who was wearing his usual black slacks and blue and grey hoodie.

"I still can't figure out how someone like you managed to make his way all the way into Obelisk Blue," Saito said to Mikey.

"I'm kinda surprised too. Before I didn't even want to come, but Sammie dragged my butt to the entrance exam."

"Oh yeah. I remember that day," Sammie replied.

_**FLASHBACK**_

Mikey was eating breakfast when the doorbell rang. His mom went to answer it as he and his younger brother Gabriel fought over the last piece of toast.

"Mikey, it's Sammie!" Immediately, Mikey scooted his chair closer to the table as the blonde girl entered the kitchen wearing blue jeans, white shoes, and a black blouse with white frills. She was holding an envelope in her hands.

"Morning, Mikey!" she greeted cheerfully, "Guess what?"

"Umm... What?" asked Mikey.

"You know I applied to Duel Academy this year, right? Well, I just got accepted!" Sammie answered. Mikey blinked. He had heard of Duel Academy, but it never crossed his mind that anyone he knew would ever actually go.

"You should come, too!" Sammie suddenly said.

"Sammie, I don't play Duel Monsters, remember?" replied Mikey, "I just collect the cards. Besides, I never even applied."

"You don't have to," said Sammie, "All you need to do is pass the entrance exam."

"Entrance exam?"

"Yeah, they begin today and end tomorrow night. Come on, Mikey! You should come!"

"Sammie, I told you. I don't play. Heck, I don't even have enough cards to build my own deck."

"Then we'll just have to go out and buy you your own deck!" Now Mikey was truly confused.

"Mom? Help me here? Gabe?"

"I think you should at least give it a try," said Mrs. Angel, "After all, I've heard that Duel Academy is not only a school of card games, but it also excels in other aspects. Despite its original intent, it's become one of the top elite schools in the world." Mikey still wasn't convinced.

"Lemme put it this way, Mikey," Gabriel interjected with a big grin, "If you go, you won't have to put up with the guys who stripped you naked and shoved you into the girl's locker room in junior high." Mikey immediately buried his blushing face in his arms against the table as Sammie giggled at his embarrassment.

"Come on, Mikey. At least take the entrance exam," she said. Mikey took this moment to weigh his options. Finally, he managed to bring himself to sit up.

"Alright, I'll give it a shot. Just let me get dressed first."

A few minutes later, Mikey was out the door in blue jeans, a maroon tank top, and his bright orange sneakers. He and Sammie went to a local card shop and looked around.

"There they are," she said as she pointed to a shelf behind the counter. Mikey looked and saw several booster sets as well as starter decks and structure decks beside them. Until now, he had only ever purchased the booster packs, but he never had enough money to buy even a single starter.

"Pick any one, Mikey," urged Sammie, "Don't worry about it. I'll pay for it."

"No, Sammie! Please, I don't want you to have to go to all that trouble."

"Mikey, stop trying to put it off. You're going to have to face up to it sooner or later."

"But I..."

"Get a deck or I swear that you will be in a scrotal cast for two weeks," Sammie threatened, her voice growing darker and deeper ever so slightly as she gave him a glare that would frighten even the bravest men in the world. Mikey gulped and immediately pointed to a random deck on the shelf.

"I'll take that one!" he quickly told the clerk.

"Glad to see you went for it!" Sammie said cheerfully. Once they had bought the deck, Mikey opened the box lest Sammie threaten him again and examined the cards.

"Okay, so now what?" he asked.

"We go take the entrance exam!" declared Sammie and off she went dragging Mikey by his bare arm.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"And that's how it all started," Mikey concluded.

"So you were a hopeless wuss even back then?" Nellie asked.

"Oh yeah," Sammie and Gabe answered simultaneously.

"You didn't have to put it like that," Mikey muttered.

"From what I heard, totally a wuss," called out Reko, who wore a sleeveless shirt and jeans slightly stained with oil. A white bandanna topped his head as he leaned over Mikey. "You should hear all the effed up stories I heard about you."

"How did you get in?" Sammie inquired, but noticed he held a tray of coffee cups, "Oh...you working?"

Reko shrugged. "Recca and Zetsu are just doing money work, Mika went to go check up on some of the more magical things we got going on, so I said I'm going to enjoy the evening." He sat the coffee on a small table and leaned next to wall. "Seems to be quite a scuff I heard with you folks in Death-T."

"Oh yeah. I remember that too well," Mikey said, "There were five death traps and we had to survive them all somehow."

_**FLASHBACK**_

The elevator finally stopped and everybody got out. "What floor are we on?" Mikey inquired.

"Fifty," answered Coltyn, "There are fewer guards up here, but I'm sure security is even tighter." Everyone looked around. There was nothing else in the room except a large reinforced door on the other side. What made them even leerier was when it suddenly slid open as if to invite them in.

"Trap," the boys said simultaneously.

"I don't care," Sammie said in return as she moved forward with the other three hesitantly in tow. The moment they stepped through the door, it slammed shut behind them and locked. "No other way to go now but forward."

"Great," muttered Coltyn, "Trapped in a metal hallway painted gunmetal grey illuminated an endless chain of flickering fluorescent lights." The group proceeded forward. As they made their way down the corridor, their eyes adjusted to the darkness and they were finally able to make out the details of their surroundings. The hallway looked like a space station from a bad sci-fi film with the corridor in complete disarray but still looking preposterously sci-fi. Upon reaching the end of the hall, they were greeted by racks of laser tag vests and a large door, several toy guns scattered along the ground.

"One of you. Put on a vest." The voice had unexpectedly come over a speaker, which startled everyone.

"Sammie, you better hang back," Max insisted, "They're after you, so it's best if you stay out of as much danger as possible. But the question now is which of us is going to do it?"

"I will." Mikey grabbed a vest and slipped it over his head. He snapped the buckle in place and the door opened. Everybody else hung back in the hallway as he proceeded into a maze-like room. The brunet made his way through and soon came to a clearing in the center. Lots of deep gashes and scuff marks as well as pieces of various building materials covered the floor. It was clear that this area used to be filled with more walls but had long since been removed.

"Welcome." Mikey turned toward the sound of the voice and saw a young man with red hair approaching. It was Alister. He strode in casually wearing a green business suit and carrying a nine-iron golf club in his hand. Like Mikey, he too wore a vest.

"Welcome," he repeated, "to the first challenge of Death T. Originally a series of death challenges set up by Seto Kaiba for Yugi Mutou to get revenge for his first defeat at the hands of Yugi's Blue Eyes White Dragon, they have long since been forgotten. But we, the Big Five, have not. We have reactivated all five death traps and if you wish to see the captives again, you must face them all. Starting with me: Gansley of the Big Five!"

"Wait!" Coltyn interjected quickly in confusion, "I thought Yugi and Kaiba didn't duel until just before Duelist Kingdom and that Yugi never had a Blue Eyes. What the hell are you talking about?"

"All those reports are lies that Yugi agreed to so that Kaiba would not have his career sullied beyond what it was. All reports of the event were destroyed quickly after it happened and edited to a somewhat less shameful version. The truth is that Seto faced Yugi twice before Duelist Kingdom. The first time was a secret duel that Yugi won with his grandfather's Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Kaiba was scarred for some reason after that duel, claiming to be suffering through an experience of death. He spent months making this addition to the building as one of the deadly game attractions of Kaiba land. Yugi and his friends won all the games and defeated both Mokuba and Seto. The duel that has always been recorded was the one that took place in this very building. We were planning on having young Saito or his father go through this hellish labyrinth. You kids will be a good test run though."

"Bring it on then!" shouted Mikey only to realize a few minutes later that doing so just didn't suit him like it did Sammie.

"Here's how it works," Gansley explained, "this was once Death T-1, the laser tag of death. The original idea of the game was that the vests would be signaled to shock the wearer to death when the lasers struck them. Yugi was given useless guns and set up to face three trained killers in this arena and only won through good luck. We have redesigned this for dueling so our vests are equipped with a series of electrodes that are synced with our duel disks. Every time you lose Life Points, you will be shocked. Is that clear?" Mikey gulped. He wasn't prepared for this, but he knew he couldn't back down now.

"I accept your challenge!" He activated his Duel Disk, the vest humming to life at the same time as if the remind Mikey that death was gripping at his heart.

"Excellent." Gansley activated his own Duel Disk with his own vest activating and the duel commenced.

o o o

After a few minutes of travelling down the hallway, Mikey and Coltyn came upon the remains of a doorway leading into a dimly-lit chamber illuminated by two torches. The room was small and circular with walls made of stone. The floor was covered knee-deep in oil with a single cylindrical pedestal in the center. Attached to that pedestal was a ring through which a chain had been threaded. Coltyn peered inside and looked up to see a number of sharp tools and weapons suspended from the ceiling. The remains of a heavy door lay in the oil. Coltyn turned to look at the other side and saw a large corpse. The body of the corpse was nothing more than charred bones with dried and jerky like flesh dangling off in strips, a chainsaw lying next to the ranking body as a rat scurried from the eye socket nest it had made. Had Mikey known better it looked like the Chopman from those old Funland Chainsaw Massacre movies that everyone always said was based on a real serial killer; but that was impossible, right? Why would a serial killer even be in a park but to scare? Mikey had propped himself against a wall and slumped down on the floor watching his friend.

"Coltyn, I have a bad feeling about this."

"I know what you mean." Coltyn took off his jacket and threw it over to Mikey along with his arm's artificial skin. "Y'know, just in case." With one hand gripping onto the broken door frame, he carefully stepped into the oil-filled chamber and sloshed his way to one of the torches.

Outside the chamber, Mikey continued to sit out in the hallway. He started to feel a little cold, so he covered himself with the leather jacket he had been given. As he sat there, a figure approached the room. Immediately, he sensed something was wrong and called out to Coltyn. "Coltyn! Watch out!" Unfortunately, his cry was too late as the figure stepped into the oil-filled chamber. Coltyn turned around and gasp.

"Axel Brodie?" The man standing before the teen was indeed Axel Brodie, but he seemed different. He was wearing a green business suit and spoke with a voice that sounded stout and boisterous, as if he were a large but short man trying to act as if he were more important than he was. His lips curled at the corners in a sly smile that seemed to make everyone who looked at it feel like a film of slim was on their flesh.

"Axel Brodie is only the name of this body," Axel said in a voice that wasn't his own, "I am Adrian Rudolf Crump III."

"Crump…" Mikey thought for a moment before the memories of the night of the Duel Sniper returned.

"So you're one of them, then," Coltyn presumed.

"Yes, I am a member of the Big Five. And by my calculations, I am the one who shall win this duel.

"'By my calculations'? Who says that anymore?"

"Mock me all you want. It's just going to get you killed." Crump snapped his fingers and a pair of shackles suddenly shot forward under the oil and clamped onto Coltyn's legs. At the same time, the torches unhinged themselves from the walls and revealed a short mechanical arm holding each one. "Welcome to Death-T2, where Joey Wheeler defeated the legendary serial killer Chopman in this very room by burning him to death to conclude a series of horror themed games. This was the longest Death-T game and almost cut of the hand of Yugi and his friends and electrocuted them."

"I don't need the history lesson. Just tell me the rules for this game."

"Fine. This is how it works," Crump explained, "Both of us are now chained to this room. As you lose Life Points, your torch grows closer to the oil. Once you hit zero, your opponent's shackles will be released and he will have sixty seconds to get out before your torch sets the oil on fire."

"You're planning to incinerate Coltyn?" Mikey shouted from outside.

"You just picked the wrong guy with whom to play with fire!" Coltyn transformed his arm into his Duel Disk and slotted his shuffled deck into place.

o o o

Everyone ran up to where the redhead was and they saw, just beyond a doorway, an empty white room. The walls and floors were smooth, covered lightly with dust from age. A grid-work of grooves criss-crossed in a seamless pattern along the room's sides. The ceiling was nonexistent as a void loomed over them and stared down with the uncaring eyes of god, or the all too attentive eyes of a specter. It was a room of sterile and cold death.

"The third challenge of Death T," Coltyn reiterated. As everybody entered the chamber, none of them were surprised to find the door suddenly lock behind them.

"Welcome," a deep voice greeted them. The four teens turned around and saw a man they had never seen before. He had long blue hair that had been tied back into a thin ponytail and wore a mask and a dark blue suit. The man was none other than the magician Arkana. However, the man inside him was a completely different individual.

"My name is Johnson and I was once Kaiba Corp.'s legal advisor," he introduced, "If you wish to proceed, you must duel me."

"I'll do it!" Max announced, his voice peaking at an octave that surprised everyone with his cheeriness. Before the others could say anything else, Johnson agreed. Max stepped forward with a smile on his face and laughter in his heart.

"So be it. Now here's how the duel works. There is an exit hole about ten meters above us. If there is no winner by the time we get to that hole, it will seal and everybody shall be trapped."

"What about the falling blocks?" Max questioned as he put his Duel Disk on and grabbed something from his pocket.

"Oh so you do know about those." Johnson was surprised, but it was almost hard to tell with his deep monotone. "Well as we duel, the blocks will fall. But we've added a new feature." Suddenly, the tiles he and Max stood on rose above the floor and stopped ten meters up. They were now at the same height as the exit. "Blocks WILL fall, but that will happen whenever a card on the field is sent to the graveyard. And that applies to any card whether it be a monster, a spell, or a trap." Max sucked in a sharp breath. It was definitely going to be tricky and he hoped his friends would be okay, but he agreed nonetheless. He took the item he had removed from his pocket and removed the cloth wrapping, revealing his signature ceramic half-mask. He smiled as he put it on and activated his Duel Disk.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen!" he greeted with enthusiasm and showmanship, "I am le clown des rêves heureux and I shall be your entertainment on this fine glorious day! You may call me Clown Reves!" He bowed deeply. Mikey, Sammie, and Coltyn clapped their hands, already being used to their friend's style of dueling, while Johnson just stared.

"Oh, so you think this is all just a game?" he asked, "Just a show? Well, I'll show you that dueling is serious business. Just like a court of law!"

o o o

After climbing the stairs for several more minutes, the group finally made it to the next area. What they saw was a large open arena overlooking a pit with a floor that looked like a giant seven-by-seven chess board. Catwalks from either side of the ring led to a glass box suspended over the center of the pit. Inside it was a table and two chairs.

"Glad to see you made it." All eyes turned to the other side of the arena, where they saw Bandit Keith approaching them wearing a black business suit. "My name is Nesbitt. I am the fourth member of the Big Five." He stepped inside the box and the door closed behind him. "Now who's going to face my challenge?" The teens all huddled together to discuss this.

"Mikey, can you duel yet?" asked Coltyn.

"No, not yet," was the answer, "Max just finished his, so he's out."

"Sammie should go since she hasn't gone yet," Max chimed up.

After a few more minutes, Sammie broke away from the group and walked across the catwalk and into the glass box. The door closed behind her and Nesbitt grinned.

"Excellent." He sat down on one of the chairs and invited her to do the same. "Now listen carefully. This is how the duel is going to work. We are going to be playing by the Perfect Rule. This was a form of gameplay that, according to legend, was used in England prior to the ascension of Henry VII to the throne. It was called the War of the Roses where the Lancastrians and the Yorkists did battle against one another."

"Cut the bullshit and play!" Sammie demanded impatiently as the others walked over to the stands and sat down.

"Very well, then. First we each pick a Deck Leader. Then the game works just like any ordinary duel. But as you can see, there are differences." Nesbitt pointed to the table, which had a seven-by-seven chess board built into it. "We'll be playing on a chessboard-like field. When you place a card onto the field, it must be placed anywhere within the area immediately surrounding your Deck Leader. Then once per turn, you can move your cards one square left, right, forward, or back. If you have a monster face-up on terrain that boosts its power, it can move two squares. While on the subject of movement, only cards in attack position can move. If a defense position monster needs to move, it must switch into attack mode. This includes facedowns. You can also feel free to move your Deck Leader one space each turn. But an attack on the Deck Leader counts as a Direct Attack."

"And what are the stakes?" asked Sammie, "You guys always have some life-threatening stakes."

"Sit down and I shall tell you." She did as he said and the moment she sat down, shackles bound her legs to the chair and a seatbelt buckled her in. "Don't struggle, girl. I'm bound to my chair as well. Now for the main part." Without warning, two ropes dropped down in front of them, each tied into a noose.

"I don't like where this is going," mumbled Mikey.

"We wear these during the duel," Nesbitt continued as he put his noose around his neck, "When your Life Points drop to zero, your chair will drop into the pit below and the rope… Well, that part is self-explanatory."

"What the hell?" Coltyn interjected in confused anger and surprise, "The original challenge had the experience of death as the punishment for defeat! Wasn't driving someone insane enough?"

"When it involves Seto and his ilk? Not by a long shot," replied Nesbitt, his steely eyes penetrating like a blade into Coltyn's chest. One couldn't tell if that was because he was in Keith's body or if it was because it was his true nature, but he felt a chill down his spine that made his skin bubble and his vocal cords stiffen, confining all his words into his mind. The duel was to begin.

"I'll do it." Sammie grabbed the noose and put it over her head. She felt death's cold fingers tickling her throat in a massage of dire nature. A death's head kissed upon her lips and she nodded. She was ready for combat as an image of her etching a skull onto her favorite guitar with a Phillip's head screwdriver.

"Excellent." Nesbitt grinned, "Oh and one more thing. Your Deck Leader can't attack or defend. Now let's pick our Deck Leaders.

"I choose Ruin, Queen of Oblivion," Sammie declared as she held her card up. The white haired queen of the end times stood, red robes flowing in the wind with carefree abandon. Her staff glimmered darkly in the light of the florescent sun in the concrete sky.

"And for mine, I choose Robotic Knight." Nesbitt placed his card onto the center square of the row closest to him and a holographic image of a robotic Naval General armed with a rapier in one hand and a Gatling gun in the other appeared on the field below them. Sammie placed her card on the same spot on her side of the board and Ruin appeared on the field opposite Robotic Knight.

"Let the Duel of the Roses begin!" declared Nesbitt.

o o o

Soon they emerged into another arena. There was nothing particularly special about this one, though. It was a mere box that seemed the cage them in and entrap them. Suddenly, the door closed behind them and a man stepped out from the other side.

"Glad y'all could make it," he greeted. It was the same bald man as on the helicopter, but his piercings and make-up had been removed and his clothes had been swapped for a purple business suit. "I am the last member of the Big Five. My name is Lector. I was the personal assistant of Mr. Kaiba."

"So then you must be the leader," Sammie presumed.

"No, Gansley was our leader, I was simply the strongest. Truthfully, I was also the smartest, I just let them make Gansley in the leader since I was closest to Master Kaiba himself. Regardless, you are now here in Death T-5, where Yugi Mutou and Seto Kaiba had the legendary duel that we all know of. It didn't happen in an arena, it happened in this room with the experience of death as the punishment. So now let's get this duel underway."

"Fine then!" Sammie activated her Duel Disk, but her opponent held up a hand in a stop gesture.

"Not yet. You see, we're going to duel using the Deck Master rule." Lector began to explain the Deck Master rules. "It's simple. We each pick one monster from our decks to be our Deck Master. Then that Deck Master stays in a special place called the Deck Master Zone. The Deck Master is not technically on the field, but it will stay face-up during the duel. You are free to Special Summon your Deck Master to the field at any time. But if your Deck Master is destroyed, you automatically lose the duel. If your Deck Master is tributed or used in a Fusion Summon, the new monster that is brought out becomes your new Deck Master. And also, your Deck Master will have a special Deck Master ability that you may use at any time in the duel. Is that understood?"

"Yeah, it is," Sammie answered, "Mikey, what are you doing?" Mikey, who had been standing with his back against the wall, had his hands out in front of him with his fingers sticking up.

"Counting how many times he said 'Deck Master' in that one paragraph," was his answer. Sammie ignored him and searched her deck.

"Fine then. My Deck Master will be Demise, King of Armageddon!" She brought out her card and the massive form of her axe-wielding demon appeared behind her (ATK/2400 DEF/2000).

"And this'll be mine!" Lector grinned as a mechanical monster in a green robe and a mask with several veins protruding from its head. "My Deck Master is…Jinzo!" The world's most famous trap-negating creature (ATK/2400 DEF/1500) let out its trademarked monster cry and crossed its arms in front of its chest. "And his Deck Master ability negates only your traps!"

"Oh, that's bullshit!" yelled Sammie. She balled up her fist in protest and prepared to lash out in rage when her Deck Master spoke.

"Samantha," Demise said in a deep threatening voice, "Since I am your Deck Master, you can activate my trigger effect whenever you wish." This seemed to calm her down enough for her to stay put and draw her starting hand. Both Lector and Mikey looked at the apocalyptic giant with surprise. What was this? A glitch in the program? No matter, the game had begun.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"I don't remember my father mentioning all of that. All he said was that Gozaburo Kaiba was the man responsible for the takeover of Kaiba Corp.," Saito remarked.

"Hey shush. The match is starting," Gabe said as he tossed the remote aside. Mikey looked down at his hand and his eyes widened when he saw the remote was missing from his hand.

"Gabe, when did you take the remote?" he asked.

"While you guys were reminiscing about the past," was the younger Angel's answer as the match started.

o o o

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Johnathan:** 8000

**Jaden:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I'll take the first turn!" Jaden drew his first card. "And let's start with Polymerization! I fuse Avian and Burstinatrix to summon Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" A green hero emerged with a red dragon's head for his right arm, a red dragon tail, and a white angel wing (ATK/2100 DEF/1200). "Next I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman!" A man in blue tights and gold armor with blue wings appeared (ATK/1600 DEF/1400). "That's all for now."

"My turn." Johnathan drew his card. "I set one monster card and then activate the Field Spell, Realm of Light." He placed his card into his field tray and suddenly a shining heavenly city rose up with two enormous pillars that rose to the sky as light shined down from above. "I'll end with two facedowns."

"My turn." Jaden drew his card. "Flame Wingman, attack that monster! Infernal Rage!" Elemental Hero Flame Wingman opened his dragon arm's mouth and unleashed a powerful jet of fire that incinerated Johnathan's facedown, which turned out to be a shimmering white wolf (ATK/200 DEF/100).

"You just attacked Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter," announced Johnathan, "and thanks to his Flip Effect, I can destroy one monster on the field."

"But first my Flame Wingman's burn effect kicks in!"

"To which I chain the activation of my Light Spira Trap Card!" As Johnathan revealed his Trap Card, the flames from Elemental Hero Flame Wingman's attack shot past the backfield and scorched him.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Johnathan:** 7800

**Jaden:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

After the flames died down, the remains of Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter dragged Elemental Hero Flame Wingman down and destroyed him. "And now the other effect of Ryko activates. I send the top three cards of my deck to my graveyard." He milled the top three cards of his deck, which turned out to be Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon, Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress, and a second copy of Realm of Light. As this happened, a sphere of light appeared on one of the giant pillars.

"What's that?" asked Jaden.

"A Shine Counter," explained Johnathan, "Each time cards are sent from my deck to the graveyard, my Field Spell gains one. And for every Shine Counter it has, all of my Lightsworn monsters gain one hundred attack points. Additionally, I can remove two Shine Counters to prevent Realm of Light from being destroyed. And now the effect of Light Spiral activates. Since cards were went from my deck to my graveyard by the effect of a Lightsworn monster, the top card on your deck is removed from play." A beam of light surrounded by a second ray of radiance spiraling around it shot out from Johnathan's Trap Card and struck Jaden's deck, removing Fusion Gate from play.

"You're still open for another attack! Go Sparkman! Static Shockwave!" Elemental Hero Sparkman charged up electricity in his hands and fired a bolt at Johnathan.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Johnathan:** 6200

**Jaden:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn!" announaced Jaden

o o o

"Which game is this?" asked Mikey.

"Third one of the match," answered Gabe, "Dad lost the first one and then he won the second one, so now it's time to break the tie."

"How come I missed this part?" Noah inquired.

"You fell asleep," was Mikey's answer, "I had to carry you back to your room."

"But this is so intense! How could I have fallen asleep?"

"You want to know what else was intense?" asked Max, "Mikey's first duel with you-know-who." Noah blinked and tilted his head curiously.

"He wasn't there," Sammie reminded the ginger.

"Oh, right."

"They're talking about his duel with me," answered Saito.

"Yeah, I remember that," Mikey muttered, "too easily."

_**FLASHBACK**_

"Five God Dragon, destroy his Beast King Barbaros and the rest of his Life Points!" ordered Saito as he clenched his fist and held it out toward his opponent, "Penta-Dragon Blaze!" Five God Dragon roared and all five of its heads opened their mouths. The Fire head unleashed a powerful searing flame. The Water head let loose with a massive blast of water. The Earth head fired a giant yellow beam infused with the power of the Earth attribute. The Dark head's eyes flashed briefly before a blast of dark energy erupted from its maw. The Wind head snarled as it released a blue bolt of lightning. The five attacks spiraled across the field and merged into a massive helix of power that struck Beast King Barbaros with maximum force.

"Barbaros!" Mikey watched in horror as his monster was destroyed so easily. But it didn't stop there. The attack continued and struck him hard before dispersing into its five parts that destroyed his other monsters. Mikey cried as he was thrown back and his cards were scattered all over the field.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 0

**Saito:** 1850

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Looks like Samantha was wrong," said Saito as the holographic projectors deactivated and the holograms vanished, "You're pathetic! Turns out you weren't worth my time after all." And with those words, he deactivated his Duel Disk, turned around, and walked away with his coat tails flapping in his wake.

"Mikey, you okay?" Coltyn asked as he, Max, and Sammie ran over to their friend.

"That was so NOT fabulous!" Max said to Saito, "Whatever happened to good sportsmanship?"

"I have money," replied Saito.

"Having money doesn't excuse you from showing your opponent respect, Kaiba!" Sammie said harshly.

"Wait," Mikey looked up, "Sammie, did you just call him Kaiba?"

"So? That's his name, after all."

"Wait a second." Mikey got up and looked at Saito, "You mean you're..." Saito was silent, but then a laugh ripped from his throat and he held up his arm with his Duel Disk.

"That's right! My name is Saito Kaiba!" he announced, "I am the son of Seto Kaiba!"

"NO WAY!" gasped Mikey. Even Coltyn was surprised by this announcement.

"Remember this day well, Michael Angel. There's no way you can even begin to compare to me. You're trash and you'll always be trash. I only bothered dueling you because Samantha has faith in you. I can see now that her faith has been misplaced. You should just stick to playing go fish." And with those words, Saito left.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"You thought that was intense?" Coltyn asked as he looked at Max, "Remember when Mikey dueled that guy at Industrial Illusions?"

_**FLASHBACK**_

"No matter," said Kel'aral as he drew his card when his turn came up, "I have plenty more Monarchs in my deck. First I play Double Summon. This lets me Normal Summon twice this turn. So now I summon Samsara Kaiser in attack mode." He brought out a small silver soldier with a cape that looked like a one-foot-tall monarch (ATK/200 DEF/100). "If I sacrifice him to summon a monster, he returns to my hand. Now watch as I tribute my Samsara Kaiser to summon Raiza the Storm Monarch in attack mode!" Samsara Kaiser bounced back into Kel'aral's hand before a powerful hurricane blew in and from the winds rose a giant Monarch in green armor with an emerald green cape draped around his shoulders. (ATK/2400 DEF/1000)

"Oh this isn't good," muttered Max.

"Raiza's effect lets me return one card on the field to the top of the owner's deck and I pick your facedown."

"I activate my facedown!" announced Mikey, "Waboku!" Three women in blue robes appeared before Mikey and stood in front of him, ready to protect him against the might of Raiza.

"You're lucky this time," muttered Kel'aral as he set a card facedown, "I end me turn."

_Please deck, don't let me down_, thought Mikey as he drew. The card he received caused his eyes to widen. "This is it! I play Monster Reborn! Now I use it to bring back a monster from your graveyard!"

"My graveyard?" repeated Kel'aral, "What good will that do you? Nothing I have can save you."

"Nothing but one." Mikey turned to the sky and suddenly the clouds all cleared away, bathing the entire building in brilliant sunlight, "I summon Kuraz the Light Monarch!" In a brilliant flash of light, Kuraz the Light Monarch appeared on the field once again, this time on Mikey's side. "Now to destroy YOUR cards! Go Kuraz! Divine Justice!"

"It would be my pleasure!" Kuraz bellowed as he fired two beams of light and destroyed Kel'aral's facedown and Raiza the Storm Monarch.

"Did that monster just talk?" asked Sammie.

"This is why that card is so special," explained Pegasus, "Kuraz the Light Monarch is a duel spirit. And as you know, all duel spirits share a connection with somebody in this world. The fact that he spoke when Mikey ordered him to use his effect is proof that Kuraz's duelist is Mikey."

"I had a feeling one of my boys would have what it takes to wield the Monarch of light," Jonathan said with pride as he watched Kel'aral draw his two cards thanks to Kuraz's effect. Mikey smiling confidently as a bead of sweat rolled down his face in the excitement.

"I set two cards facedown and end my turn," the young brunet concluded.

"My move." Kel'aral drew his card and smiled darkly, "I play another Double Summon. Now I summon Samsara Kaiser and sacrifice him to summon Caius the Shadow Monarch!" The sky, once bright and sunny, suddenly darkened and from the darkness stepped forth a Monarch in black armor with a tattered black cape over his shoulders and a facemask with a fearsome expression etched into it along with two horns on his helmet (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "When I summon Caius the Shadow Monarch, his effect lets me remove one card on the field from play. And if that card is a Dark monster, you take one thousand points of damage to your Life Points. I won't need to remove any dark monster from play to win this, only Kuraz. Use Dark Void Caius!" Caius began to form a black and all-consuming orb of incredible gravity drawing in Kuraz.

"Not so fast!" Mikey revealed his facedown, "I activate Skill Drain!" Caius was stopped from completing his spell and froze in place.

"Fine then. I don't need to use his effect to win. Caius, attack Kuraz!" Caius the Shadow Monarch tossed back his cape and pulled out a long wicked sword. Its blade was as black as obsidian with runes covering the flat sides and edges jagged which gave the weapon an even more fearsome appearance. The cross guard bore the skull of a horned demon. Caius gripped his sword in both hands and ran towards Mikey's monster.

"Kuraz, defend!" ordered Mikey. Kuraz threw back his cape and unsheathed his own sword, a majestic weapon with a hilt of pure gold and a blade made of steel so fine adorned with magical runes and polished that it radiated with sunlight. The two swords clashed and the Monarchs of light and darkness struggled to overpower one another.

"Hey Mikey! See if your Duel Disk has a really cool animation setting!" Max called.

"What?"

"Actually, there is," Pegasus piped up. Kuraz suddenly pushed Caius back and the two Monarchs engaged one another in a mighty clash of swords.

"Okay, this is weird," commented Coltyn, "But I like it."

"I activate my other facedown now," Mikey announced. "Compulsory Evacuation Device! This card lets me return one monster on the field to the owner's hand. And I choose Caius the Shadow Monarch!" The Monarchs' swords clashed again and their blades locked together.

"Be gone from here, Caius!" bellowed Kuraz as he pushed Caius the Shadow Monarch back. He slid his sword free and swung it with enough power to blow the Dark-element Monarch back into Kel'aral's hand.

_Damn! I don't have anything left in my hand!_ Kel'aral exclaimed mentally.

"My move." Mikey drew his card, "Kuraz the Light Monarch, finish it! Excalibur's Light!"

"It shall be done!" Kuraz grasped the hilt in both hands and held his sword up to the sky. The darkness that Caius brought with him vanished and sunlight bathed the tower once again. He brought his sword around and swung. A brilliant wave of light shot out and struck Kel'aral with such power that it forced him over the edge of the building.

––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 1200

**Kel'aral:** 0

––––––––––––––

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"That was when I got Kuraz." Mikey reached into his deck box and pulled the Light Monarch out.

"Hey, speaking of our trip, remember that fortune teller we ran into on our free day?" Sammie asked.

"How could we forget?" Mikey shuddered at the memory as he put his card away.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"Omen. My name is Omen." The man said with a humble bow of his head as his bony and greasy hand groped the table and clutched at the bill with a fierce need and depositing it in his cloak. He began to wave the teens closer to him as they hesitantly made their way. "Please come. I do not bite. I just wish to do as I have been paid." As they moved forward with heavy and cautious steps into the alley he placed his hands on the table cloth and wiped away all the wrinkles with one swift and arcing motion of his hands. He then began to tap the table with his brittle and bony finger, thin and frail like the rest of his hungered and skeletal frame. "Place your primary hands here and I shall give you each a reading."

Coltyn placed his real hand on the bale, followed by Sammie, then Max, then Mikey. The shaking hand of the homeless fortune teller wavered in the air as it rested on Coltyn's hand first, his other hand grasping roughly at his wrist as he traced the lines of the boy's palm, the unkempt nail scraping and digging as it went along in its rough shapes. Omen's face grew stony and cold as he entered a trance behind his blindfold and his raspy voice grew raspier and dark. His breath smelled of pickles and mold as he hissed a fiery hiss at them.

"I see for you, young man…" As Omen began to speak Coltyn's vision began to blur and his hearing began to fade. The words entered his mind without him knowing and in his eyes flashed before him an image. He saw in front of him a raging inferno that sparked to life from the tiniest spark, illuminating the pitch-blackness that preceded it. In front of the flames stood a silhouetted figure, piercing eyes that drilled a hole into his soul. Behind the figure stood three demonic Goliaths: one serpentine and stretching out for eternity, one snarling as his head reached above the clouds and looked down in rage, and the final and most horrific one holding infinite shapes and names yet only capable of being seen through one. The figure in front of these demons spread his lips and spoke in the voice of Omen, "… a meeting with three devils."

Coltyn's vision barely began to come back when Omen clutched at Sammie's hand in much the same manner. His voice bellowed as the gurgling of phlegm could be heard in the back of his throat and spitting out liberally, much to her disgust. She had little time to think on this as her vision blurred as he said, "For you, young lady…" The world grew dim as she found herself in a windowless room with no doors. In the corner of this room she heard the sobbing of a small boy who shivered in the darkness, taking comfort against the breast of a mighty dragon, half angelic and half demonic. Her heart sang out in hurt as she reached out for him, only to have him turn to her with a face that was non-existent. Words began to emanate from him despite his lack of mouth in the voice of Omen, "…the crowning of a new Chaos Master."

And so the pattern continued as the blind man reached from her still overwhelmed form to Max. His grasping hand holding Max's smoothed wrist that smelt of lotion and lavender. "For you…" he said as Max began his own vision, still unaware of what was going on with his friends who seemed blank after their readings but without having time to react. Max was now, not in an alley surrounded by friends and a homeless fortuneteller with the smell of the piss stained walls assaulting his nostrils, but in a circus tent surrounded by Kuribohs and Watapons with the smell of peanuts and flowers caressing his nostrils. Across from him was a woman who wore a half mask like his own with the face of tragedy. He reached his hand to her before she spoke in Omen's voice, "…will find what you have been searching for."

Mikey watched in bewilderment as all his friends stood frozen in their places with a distance gaze but having no time to react as he felt the greasy hand of Omen clutch at his wrist and trace along his palm. "Finally, young man…" The universe erupted before Mikey as he lost account of his senses and found himself on a rocky cliff. In front of him stood two men locked in a duel with spiked collars upon their necks. A man shrouded in darkness against a man basking in light as they clashed in explosions that sounded like the bellowing of giants that erupted with fires that made dragons frightened. As the duel ended the spiked collar pierced through the neck of the man of the light, signifying his defeat. Blood flowed in scarlet rivers down his body but he refused to fall. He stood there defiant of the reaper as his eyes dulled. The man in dark stood there and nodded in respect as he moved to his opponent and placed his corrupted lips upon the fallen one's brow in a kiss. Mikey didn't know these people but he cried. He cried harder than he ever had before and he didn't know why. When the man in dark spoke all he heard was Omen's voice saying, "…you will become a man the day a good one dies."

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"I still don't know what mine meant," Mikey said.

"I know mine," Max replied as he turned his head and looked lovingly into Hayley's eyes. Sammie could only look toward Noah as she thought about her fortune.

"Hey Sai, I'm curious about the whole Kaiba Corp. thing. I wanna hear more!" Nellie said eagerly.

"Yes, I'm also intrigued by this," Wes added.

"Like I said, my father gave me a mission and I carried it out," answered Saito.

_**FLASHBACK**_

Saito drew his card and glared at Gozaburo with a gaze of pure ice. "Grandfather, it's time to show you that I'm more than just some kid. I'm a true Kaiba! I sacrifice Troop Dragon and Twin-Headed Behemoth." The two dragons vanished from the field and Saito selected a single card from his hand and placed it onto his duel terminal.

"I summon…the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" A column of light shot up from Saito's field and the form of an enormous dragon appeared. Its scales were as white as snow and its eyes like sapphires as the creature of majesty and magnificence spread out its wings and let out a bloodcurdling roar that shook the heavens (ATK/3000 DEF/2500).

"Kaiba has a Blue-Eyes White Dragon?" Mikey gasped. He had never seen one before in his entire life and now he could only stare up on awe with his jaw hanging open as the sight before him.

"Is this some kind of joke?" laughed Gozaburo, "Your dragon is no match for my Exodia Necross!"

"My dragon is more than a match," replied Saito, "And you're about to find out why. I now activate a trap card. Behold the power of Skill Drain!"

"Skill Drain?" Gozaburo gasped.

"Hey, that's my card!" Mikey realized.

"I give up one thousand Life Points to negate the effects of all monsters on the field!" Saito announced.

––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 100

**Gozaburo:** 900

––––––––––––––

Exodia Necross moaned loudly as its body began to smoke. The dark aura that surrounded it faded and it collapsed onto one knee. Slowly, the black color of its body faded away until it had turned a dull blue.

"NO! This can't be happening!" Gozaburo shouted.

"You know, 'grandfather'," Saito said, "you think you know me. You think I am a punk like my father used to be. You think that because I grew up in the lap of luxury I never had to work for anything. But you are wrong. I had to work for one thing. I worked to break free of the shackles of my father! He is the only man I will ever admire and I shall surpass him to honor his legacy!"

"Legacy?" Gozaburo scoffed, "Don't make me laugh! That fool took over my empire. The empire that _I_ created!"

"You are the fool! You never worked for anything like my father did! Like I did! I will show you the strength of the blood that runs in my veins! THE BLOOD OF SETO KAIBA! Blue-Eyes White Dragon, show this fool the true power of my father's legacy! _My_ legacy! _**BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!**_"

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon stepped forward and snarled as it looked down on the crippled Exodia Necross. It was almost as if the prey that had been laid out before it was not even worth the effort to kill it. It sneered in a Kaiba-esque fashion and spread its wings. A loud roar ripped from its throat as energy gathered up in its mouth in the form of a sphere. It shone brightly and crackled with life as it built up. The majestic beast flapped its wings and took flight. It flew high into the air and then, with another roar, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon fired a massive energy beam straight down. Exodia Necross was engulfed by the attack and its body crumbled into a pile of rubble under its power.

––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 100

**Gozaburo:** 0

––––––––––––––

But it did not stop there. The Burst Stream of Destruction continued on and engulfed Gozaburo, as well. The man let out a scream as the overwhelming power of the dragon consumed him.

"NO! ….MY…COMPANY…MY…LEGACY…" His face suddenly changed to a much younger look and his short grey hair and moustache disappeared only to be replaced by long silky purple hair as the soul and mind of Gozaburo Kaiba were purged from the body of Siegfried von Schroeder.

The Burst Stream of Destruction subsided and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon landed back on the ground with a thunderous crash and let out a deafening prolonged roar.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"How DID you get those Blue-Eyes White Dragons anyway?" Mikey questioned, "I thought there were only four in the whole world."

"That's not something that's any of your concern," answered Saito. As he turned his attention back to the television, his thoughts went back to that day when he underwent the Kaiba family rite of passage.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"Well done, Saito. You have proven yourself worthy to inherit the Kaiba legacy," Seto congratulated, "Mokuba."

"Right, big brother." Mokuba lifted the briefcase in his hand and unlocked it. As he opened it, Seto continued addressing his son.

"Saito, from this point on you shall be trusted with the very symbol of our family. You shall use them responsibly and with pride." Mokuba turned the briefcase around and Saito gasped.

"Are those what I think they are?"

"Yes. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Saito just stared at the cards. They were just like his father's cards, but featured a different artwork. Instead of the art depicted on Seto's cards, these showed the image of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon perched up on a tower against the night sky with its wings spread out as it roared.

"But…how? I thought you had the only ones in existence?" the teen gasped as he slowly ran his fingers across their surfaces.

"I commissioned Pegasus to make these cards especially for you," Seto explained, "He seemed very enthralled when I first came to him with the idea. The artwork was painted by Pegasus himself."

"They're beautiful, father."

"Take them." Saito slowly reached in and carefully took the cards from the briefcase. All his life he had dreamed of one day inheriting his father's Blue-Eyes White Dragons. And now here he stood not with the cards of Seto Kaiba, but his own. Three custom-printed cards made just for him.

"Power through conquest, conquest through determination, determination through strength, strength through family." Seto looked at his son, "The motto of our family is the very same creed by which the way of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon lives. Their power comes from dominating their foe, but to conquer them one must have the will and heart to do so. Our determination is drawn from a bond that runs so deep that it gives us strength. A strength that can only be attained with the help of one's own blood."

"I understand now," Saito said thoughtfully as he gazed at his new cards, "The Kaiba family isn't just like the Blue-Eyes White Dragons; we ARE the Blue-Eyes White Dragons. Individually we are strong, but together we are truly unstoppable."

"I'm glad you fully understand, son. You deserve these cards." Seto then reached into his coat and pulled out a small box. "You'll also deserve these." Saito took the box and opened it. Inside were three Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon cards. He looked at his father and gave him a nod before pocketing the box himself.

"Now Saito, I have a mission for you." While Seto spoke, Mokuba brought out a laptop, "You're going to reclaim Kaiba Corp. Gozaburo Kaiba is the man behind this takeover and you're going to end it. You'll take the helicopter to the office and land on the roof upon arrival. Once you get there, you will head to my office. This company used to be his, so that's the most likely place you'll find him. Once you find him, challenge him to a duel. If you rely on your Five God Dragons, you WILL lose. You're a true Kaiba now, Saito. Your weapons are the Blue-Eyes White Dragons. Use them and use them well."

Saito looked at his new Blue-Eyes White Dragons one more time and then shuffled them into his deck. "I'll take back Kaiba Corp., father. I swear it on my Kaiba lineage." Seto nodded and then called his assistant Roland over. His most trusted right-hand man ran over and escorted Saito to the waiting helicopter outside. He crossed his arms as he sat in the back and the pilot took off.

"My name is Saito Kaiba. I am the son of Seto Kaiba. The family legacy, his legacy, has been passed onto me. This is my legacy now; the legend of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"Hey, we gonna keep watching this thing or what?" asked Gabe.

"Right, sorry," Mikey apologized as he returned to watching the match.

o o o

"I draw!" Johnathan Angel drew his card. "I summon Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid." An elderly man in a long white robe appeared holding a large tome in his arm (ATK/1200 DEF/1000). With the Shine Counter on Realm of Light, his attack points rose to thirteen hundred. "As long as he remains face-up on the field, Lightsworns cannot be targetted by effects. I end my turn and by Aurkus' effect, I send the top two cards of my deck to the graveyard." He placed two cards - Lightsworn Sabre and Wulf, Lightsworn Beast - into his graveyard and Realm of light gained another Shine Counter, raising the attack points of Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid to fourteen hundred.

"And now for some interesting effects. Since Wulf, Lightsworn Beast was milled from my deck, he gets Special Summoned." A great big white bipedal wolfman appeared wearing a white loincloth holding a large halberd with three shining claws on his right hand (ATK/2100 DEF/300). His attack points immediately rose to twenty-three hundred. "Next, Lightsworn Sabre can be equipped to a Lightsworn monster when it's been milled from my deck, boosting that monster by seven hundred attack points." A sword with a golden winged crossguard inside a white scabbard appeared and was secured to the waist of Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid, bringing his attack power up to twenty-one hundred.

"Lastly, because cards were milled from my deck by the effect of a Lightsworn monster, Light Spiral removes a card from your deck." Another spiral of light hit Jaden's deck and removed his Hero Signal from play.

"It's my move finally." Jaden drew his card. "I play Polymerization! And I'll fuse Sparkman with Bladedge in my hand to bring out Elemental Hero Plasma Vice!" The resulting hero that emerged bore a resemblance to Elemental Hero Sparkman, but he wore large golden gauntlet, enormous golden boots, and wore oversize golden armor on his torso as if Elemental Hero Sparkman himself had donned the armor of Elemental Hero Bladedge (ATK/2600 DEF/2300). "Now if I discard a card, I can destroy a monster in attack mode."

"However, because of Aurkus, my Lightsworns can't be targetted by effects," Johnathan reminded his opponent.

"True, but that doesn't mean I can't attack and Plasma Vice can deal trample. Go attack with Plasma Pulsation!" Elemental Hero Plasma Vice began to spark as he balled up an electrified fist and charged toward Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid.

"I activate the Continuous Trap Card Lightsworn Barrier!" announced Johnathan, "By sending two cards from my deck to the graveyard, I can negate your attack." This time the cards were Jain, Lightsworn Paladin and a second Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid. Realm of Light gained another Shine Counter and boosted the attack points of Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid to twenty-two hundred and Wulf, Lightsworn Beast to twenty-four hundred. Light Spiral hit Jaden's deck again and removed Elemental Hero Prisma from play. When all that was done, a crystal barrier was erected around Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid and the attack bounced harmlessly off its surface.

"I'm gonna set down a facedown and end my turn," Jaden announced.

"And so I draw." Johnathan drew his card and proceeded with his turn. "I set a monster and end my turn." By the effect of Aurkus, Lightswornd Druid, two more cards were sent from his deck to his graveyard, this time they were Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner and Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior. Realm of Light gained its fourth Shine Counter and the attack power of Aurkus, Lightsword Druid rose to twenty-three hundred while Wulf, Lightsworn Beast's became twenty-five hundred. Another card was removed from Jaden's deck, this time Neo-Specian Aqua Dolphin.

Jaden drew his card. "I summon Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird!" A red birdman with white wings and a long beak appeared (ATK/800 DEF/600). "And his effect lets me gain five hundred Life Points for every card in your hand!" Two large pink flowers grew out of the cards in Johnathan's hand and Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird flew over and drank the nectar from each one.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Johnathan:** 6200

**Jaden:** 9000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Elemental Hero Plasma Vice, attack Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid!"

"I activate the effect of Lightsworn Barrier!" announced Johnathan. He sent Celestia, Lightsworn Angel, and Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress to his graveyard and Realm of Light gained a fifth Shine Counter resulting in Aurkus's and Wulf's attack points becoming twenty-four hundred and twenty-six hundred respectively and Light Spiral sending Elemental Hero Bubbleman to the removed from play zone.

"I'm done then," announced Jaden.

"I draw." Johnathan drew his card. "I Flip Summon Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter and use his effect to destroy Elemental Hero Plasma Vice!" As Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter appeared on the field, it leapt at Elemental Hero Plasma Vice and mauled it to death. After that, Johnathan complied with its effect and sent the top three cards of his deck to the graveyard, which turned out to be Wulf, Lightsworn Beast, Solar Recharge, and another Light Spiral. As a result, Wulf got summoned and Realm of Light gained a sixth Shine Counter. Aurkus' attack points rose to twenty-five hundred and the two Wulfs became twenty-seven hundred. "Now I sacrifice Ryko to summon Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon!" The tiny wolf vanished and in its place a white dragon appeared with angel wings and a long golden mane that gave it an almost horse-like appearance (ATK/2000 DEF/1600). With six Shine counters on the Field Spell, its attack points became twenty-six hundred.

"Now aside from dealing piercing damage, Gragonith, also gains three hundred attack points for every Lightsworn in my graveyard with a different name," Johnathan continued, "I've got Ryko, Lyla, Gragonith, Jain, Aurkus, Lumina, Garoth, and Celestia. That's eight, so Gragonith gains an extra twenty-four hundred attack points." Everybody seemed to go blind as Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon's attack points rose up to five thousand."

"Attack Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird!"

"Not happening!" Jaden declared, "I activate Negate Attack!" As Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon spewed fire from its mouth, a vortex appeared and swallowed it up.

"I set a card and end my turn. Once again, Aurkus mills my deck for two cards and Gragonith mills it for three." Aurkus sent two copies of Lightsworn Barrier to the graveyard while Gragonith sent Glorious Illusion, Monster Reincarnation, and Charge of the Light Brigade. These effects added two Shine Counters to Realm of Light, making Gragonith's attack points fifty-two hundred, Aurkus twenty-seven hundred and the two Wulfs twenty-nine hundred. Finally, Light Spiral removed Elemental Hero Wildheart and Cyclone Boomerang from Jaden's deck.

o o o

"Impressive deck, Lightsworns," Saito mused.

"Not as impressive Mikey getting his first kiss," Gabe snickered, which caused Mikey to red.

"H-h-hey!"

"What? it's true!"

_**FLASHBACK**_

With the duel finished, the holograms vanished. Gabe looked around and saw the fans getting incredibly riled up. They were out for blood now and he had to stop them. He was about to step forward when Umi raised her hand, silencing the fans. She stepped off her rock into the water, not caring about her outfit getting wet, and walked straight toward Mikey.

"No one ever beats me," she said as she approached him, "No one treats me like an equal. Everyone who goes to my shows, they let me win. They put on a show but they let me win. I beat some on my own merit but a lot of them let me win. You..." She stopped in front of the young teen, "You are the first in a long time to play fair. I really really like you. You know what? Screw it! I love you!" And with that, she grabbed Mikey's shoulders and kissed him firmly on the lips, slipping her tongue into his mouth for a deep and loving kiss. Everybody's jaws dropped at the sight. When Umi finally pulled away, she smacked him lightly on the cheek after placing a piece of paper with her private cell number in his hand, turned, and left mouthing "call me" back at him. All eyes watched as she got into her helicopter and flew off before turning to Mikey as he climbed out of the water and onto dry land.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"You got kissed by Umi!" Gabe laughed, causing his brother to turn even redder.

"Umi? The duel pop star?" Noah asked. As Gabe continued to laugh, his mirth was cut short when Sammie threw a pillow at his had.

"Don't forget about when you first came to Duel Academy," Mikey reminded his brother.

"Meh, a school's a school," was all Gabe had to say.

"Hey Sai, what about when you brought us all together?" Nellie asked.

"That was really something, Kay-Kay!" Hayley concurred.

"Don't call me Kay-Kay," muttered Saito.

_**FLASHBACK**_

Hayley walked across the Obelisk Blue dorm's extravagant foyer. As she passed the enormous statue of Obelisk, a brown-haired second year student in a sleeveless Obelisk Elite coat spoke to her. "I watched your duel from my room. Impressive work."

"Um, thank you," said Hayley, "Who are you?"

"The best Duelist here at Duel Academy. I've been looking for some new Duelists to add to my inner circle, but I only permit the strongest. I've seen you duel and I can say that you show great promise. So I'll make this simple: I'd like you to join me."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"Well, I still haven't made a lot of friends. I guess this'll be a good way to meet new people," Hayley said.

"Excellent."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Saito Kaiba."

o o o

"Grats on winning," the younger Duelist said, not really caring that he had lost.

"I've seen many Duelists in my life, but you're among the strongest," Saito commented, "Your Koa'ki Meiru deck interests me. What sort of strategy does it run?"

"The Koa'ki Meiru are an anti-meta deck," Wes explained, "Only a few people can use them effectively. The purpose is to negate the meta-game's strategies. It is the bane of light and dark decks, having effects mostly designed to disrupt those and special summons."

"Interesting." Saito crossed his arms over his chest. "May I see them?"

"Sure." Wes handed over his deck and Saito looked through the cards. He was clearly impressed with their effects. He could see why only a few people could play a deck like this effectively. A lot of them revolved heavily around the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru. Once he was finished, he handed the deck back.

"I better get going." Wes stuck his cards into his coat and and started to walk off.

"Hold on a moment," Saito said, "You said your name was Wes, right?"

"Wes Remington."

"Wes Remington. I believe I should I introduce myself. I am Saito Kaiba."

"''kay."

"And I have an offer for you."

o o o

Nellie hopped up the steps to the Obelisk Blue dorm and landed just inside the door. She kicked up her skateboard into her hand and carried it under her arm as she ascended the stairs.

"Nellie Lazarus?" She turned at the mention of her name and saw a young man wearing a sleeveless Obelisk Elite coat with a flamboyant-looking girl to his left and a grey-haired boy to his right.

"Yeah. Wassup?"

"My name is Saito Kaiba and I've heard quite a bit about your dueling skills."

"What's it to ya?"

"He says only the best duelists are allowed into his little club," Wes answered.

"Only the best, eh?" Nellie repeated intrigued.

"Care to prove your skills?" Saito asked as he activated his Duel Disk. Nellie only grinned.

"Sure!"

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"Why didn't you accept the promotion to Obelisk Blue?" Wes asked his girlfriend.

"Aww, lotsa Blues are a buncha stiffs. I'm happier being free like the Yellows," Nellie answered.

"Anyone still remember what happened after that?" Wes inquired.

"How could we forget?" muttered Spencer.

"Duel Royale..." Everyone fell silent, especially Noah, who pulled his legs up and buried his face in his knees.

_**FLASHBACK**_

Several men in dark suits were there to guild everybody up to the castle. Before long, a multitude of people stood outside the front gates. It was then that Mikey took the opportunity to look around. His eyes scanned the faces of everyone around him as he tried to find the people who were not from Duel Academy. Among them, he was able to spot a number of professional Duelists. Chazz Princeton was present as was Syrus Truesdale. His heart nearly skipped a beat when he saw Joey Wheeler.

"What's going on?" he asked his friends his answer soon came when a loud noise was heard coming over several hidden speakers. All eyes turned to the balcony as a man with brown average length hair and glasses wearing a purple business suit stepped out and stood erect with his hands behind his back.

"On behalf of Kaiba Corp., I welcome you to Duelist Kingdom," he greeted, "I am Roman. Marcus Antonius Roman. A personal assistant of Mr. Kaiba himself. Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Maximillion Pegasus, we have been given the great honor of holding this tournament right here on Duelist Kingdom. A tournament that we like to call Duel Royale. Now then, I shall begin explaining the rules. First and foremost, every duel in this tournament shall be an elimination duel. Should you lose your duel, you will automatically be removed from the competition. To stay in this contest, you must win all your duels. The last one standing will have an opportunity to enter the castle to compete for his or her prize. Next, we have a little piece of equipment for each and every one of you." One of the dark-suited men came forward and presented a bracelet that looked very much like modified versions of Professor Viper's Bio-Bands. Roman picked it up and showed it to all the Duelists below him.

"These are Duel Bands. You will each wear one of these on your arm," he explained, "This will allow us to monitor your location and movements. It will be connected to your Duel Disk wirelessly, as it will scan the first one that it comes in contact with. This shall permit us to know who you are. If you lose a duel, it will send out a signal that will disable your Duel Disk for the remainder of the tournament and notify the authorities. You are to stay where you are until they come get you and escort you off the island."

"What if we refuse to duel?" asked one student.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," Roman answered, "If you come within ten feet of another Duel Disk, your Duel Bands will immediately lock on to one another and you will be forced into a duel."

"If that's the case, what if you want to participate in this tournament in a group?" one of the professional Duelists inquired.

"An excellent question," Roman remarked, "Fortunately, the Duel Bands have two settings. The first setting activates when it is first turned on. This is considered it's Standby Mode. During the Standby Mode, you are free to mingle with others and register them as friends. Once you have them registered, your Duel Bands will not view these people as hostile targets. However, they will only remain in Standby Mode for a set amount of time. Once that time runs out, they will automatically be set into Active Mode and anyone who is not registered in your Duel Band will be detected as hostile."

"What are we dueling for?" another pro asked.

"We have a cash prize of four million dollars," answered Roman. Immediately, countless heads perked up. "Now if there are no further questions, let us equip you with the proper gear." At that moment, the gates to the castle opened and more dark-suited men stepped out. They were bringing out the Duel Bands. Another group of men also brought out trolleys of backpacks.

"What are those backpacks for?" another student inquired.

"Those are your survival kits," answered Roman, "You're all going to be here for several days without any provisions. Each backpack has been packed with the items necessary for survival. You will each be issued a three-day supply of food and water, a map of the island, a compass, a blanket, a knife, a rope, a flashlight, a small matchbook, and a small medical kit. You are also free to use whatever items you happen to have on hand. Once you have everything, your Duel Bands have a Standby Mode time limit of ten minutes, so you better move quickly. Now then, come get your Duel Bands and survival packs."

The crowd started to move forward. First they would each go to the left side of the gate, where they would have a Duel Band strapped to their left wrist. Afterwards, they were required to put their Duel Disk on immediately. As soon as they had done so, the Duel Band beeped signifying that it had registered the device. Following that, each individual proceeded to the right side of the gate where they were given a survival pack before being directed down the stairs. Mikey watched as Coltyn received his gear first. "I'll see you guys at the bottom of the stairs." He slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed down the enormous flight of stairs. Gabe received his Duel Band and survival pack next. He bid his brother and friends farewell and then followed Coltyn.

Mikey was right after his brother. The Duel Band felt very much like his father's wristwatch. It seemed to be made of the same type of metal and the band snapped into place like it, too. Once he had it on, he was ordered to put on his Duel Disk. Mikey did as he was told and the Duel Band immediately registered the machine's IP number. The suited man nodded at him and he was given a survival pack. He slung it over both of his shoulders and went downstairs to join Gabe and Coltyn. The three of them waited together until both Sammie and Max finally joined them.

"Ready to register one another?" asked Gabe.

"Let's do it." Mikey, Sammie, Max, Coltyn, and Gabe input one another's friend codes into their Duel Bands and before long the five of them were registered with each other. "And done."

"Where's Saito?" asked Sammie.

"Who cares?" Gabe replied. "Let's get the hell outta here." And with that, he picked up his bag and started heading out.

"Hey, wait for us!" Mikey called after him.

"Sammie, let's go," Coltyn said to the blonde. "If we stay here, we'll be targetted for sure." Sammie eventually came along reluctantly. She had hoped to register Saito in her Duel Band as well, however there had been no sign of him. She now hoped that she would not run into him during the competition.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"I also remember the very first match was between Kaiba and Samantha," Wes thought out loud. All eyes turned to Saito and Sammie, who said nothing in response.

"We did what had to be done," Saito said after a long awkward silence.

"Your duel caused actual destruction to the island!" exclaimed Nellie. "Fuck, it was so intense!"

_**FLASHBACK**_

"End this now, my loyal dragon!" Saito ordered his other dragon. The second Blue-Eyes White Dragon roared as it spread its wings and flew up to the sky. It stopped several meters overhead and opened its mouth. "Burst Stream of Destruction!" A solid stream of energy shot out and struck Sammie.

–––––––––––––––––––

**ROUND 3**

**Sammie:** 0

**Saito:** 100

–––––––––––––––––––

An entire path of destruction had been left in the wake of the Burst Stream of Destruction. Behind Sammie, the trees and rocks had been obliterated, leaving a straight path leading toward the mountain on which the castle stood. Everyone just stood there looking at the destruction. Many of them failed to notice when Sammie's and Saito's Duel Bands suddenly flashed vigorously until the two young Duelists collapsed to the ground.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"I still don't know how I got taken out," Hayley said, her memory a little fuzzy. Max and Wes said nothing. They wanted to tell her, but they knew that it was for the best that she did not know the truth about what had happened on the island that night. And about Dogma.

_**FLASHBACK**_

Max collapsed to his knees and his mask fell to the ground. This wasn't the Hayley he knew. But at the same time, he could not bring himself to attack her. As he sat there on the forest floor, Dogma tossed her cloak back and pointed at him.

"Darklord Asmodeus, end him." Chains suddenly wrapped themselves around Max and bound him to his place. Darklord Asmodeus held out his arm and gently waved his hand as sharp blades suddenly protruded from the links. He then whipped his arm back and the chains pulled back, causing the razors to cut deep into the redhead.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Max: **0

**Dogma: **2400

–––––––––––––––––––

"This duel is over." Those cold words were the last thing Max head as his Duel Band drained him completely and he fell unconscious upon the ground. As darkness fell upon the woods again, Dogma took a few steps over to her fallen opponent. She looked at him as he laid facedown in the dirt. She gently prodded him with her foot and then pushed him over so that he lay face-up. Her gaze turned to his mask. She stood there in silence for a moment before pushing it closer to him and then walking off.

o o o

"Ngh!" Wes grunted as he felt the Duel Band drain him of his energy and he slowly made his way to the fallen Hayley. He leaned over her and watched as the darkness faded from her body in a pool of shadowy markings like scurrying insects. He just looked at her with his unchanged expression and simply muttered a few words. "I don't give anyone an easy win. That isn't who I am." He deactivated his Duel Disk and walked off.

Unbeknownst to Wes, he was being followed. A man in white trailed behind him riding on the back of a white steed.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"I do remember something else," Wes suddenly realized, "After a certain duel, I found myself against one of the island's Player Killers."

"Do you remember anything about him?" Reko asked.

"He was dressed in all white, rode a white horse, and ran a Virus deck," answered Wes.

"The Four Horsemen," Mikey thought out loud.

"You know about them?" asked Sammie.

"Not really, but Sako told me about them."

"My father?" Wes looked at Mikey.

"Yeah. He defeated one of them."

_**FLASHBACK**_

Four Duelists lay unconscious on the ground. Standing over them were four horses, each carrying a rider. The first was a man wearing pitch black armor. His face was obscured by matching helmet with a bone-white plume. A Duel Disk was clearly built into his left gauntlet. In his right hand, he held a pair of scales as he sat atop his black steed.

The second was a man dressed in white armor. His head bore no coverings save for a long white scarf that obscured the lower half of his face, which left his long silver hair exposed to the elements. Strapped to his back was a quiver of arrows. His eyes were black like the darkest night as he sat upon his white horse with a matching Duel Disk on his left arm and holding a bow in his right hand.

The third was an even more fearsome man as he sat on a brown horse that had been covered from head to toe in blood-red armor. His own armor matched that of his steed with enormous shoulder guards studded with spikes. Atop his head he wore a horned helm red as blood. In one hand he wielded an enormous claymore with runes etched into the blade. Upon closer inspection, however, one would come to the realization that those runes were actually the Monster Zones of a Duel Disk.

The last one frightened Cassie and Gio to the bone. The horse was adorned with old yellowed bones up to the point that it wore the skull of another horse upon its head. Under the right light, it looked like an equine reanimated skeleton. Its rider wore pale armor that also followed the bone theme with horned skulls as his shoulder and knee guards and something appearing to be the head of a Summoned Skull serving as a helmet. In his hand he wielded a long and deadly scythe.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"Hey, you guys met me at that tourney too," Reko reminded Mikey.

"Hey yeah, you're right!" Mikey exclaimed. He and Coltyn had met Reko and Mika while Reko was still disguised as his sister Reka.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"Interesting." Reka looked at the SD card. "So your friend programmed a code to override the Duel Bands' lock-on system into this?"

"Pretty much," answered Mikey. The initial hostilities were now over and the two women had lowered their guard in his presence. He watched as Reka slid the SD card into her Duel Band and forced it into standby mode. Clearly impressed, she passed it to Mika, who did the same thing and reset her band as well. The two of them then added Mikey to their friends lists and he did the same for them. He also provided them with Coltyn's code in case they ran into him and Umi.

"Sorry for our rudeness before," Mika apologized as she bowed, "but we had to be careful. We have been trying very hard to avoid as much confrontation as possible."

"To be honest, I really don't want to be here, either," Mikey admitted, "The only reason I'm here is because my school implemented a new program into the curriculum. But this is WAY beyond a school program."

"Somebody wants us here and whoever it us wants us to duel," Reka said as she looked outside the cave at the ocean. "Oh, I just remember, we haven't even introduced ourselves. I'm Reka."

"My name is Mika."

"Nice to meet you. Mikey Angel." The young brunet shook hands with both women and leaned back against the cave wall. He looked around. It was obvious this was their base camp. A fire pit had been set up near the entrance. Closer toward the inside was one sleeping bag and thick pile of large leaves. Their survival packs were leaning against the cave wall near the back. As Mikey stared into the darker corner of the cave, he noticed a large object covered in a camouflage net hidden in the shadows.

"What's that thing?" he asked.

"It's just something Reka brought along," Mika answered.

"It took a while to get it down here, but we managed it," Reka added.

"So what is it?" Mikey questioned.

"I'm afraid we can't tell you," replied Reka. Mikey nodded in understanding. "So you said you got separated from your friends?"

"That's the gist of it," was the Ra Yellow boy's answer.

"Well why don't we help you find them?" the taller woman offered. Mikey thought about it. He really did need to get back to Coltyn and Umi, but it was too dangerous to travel alone. Additionally, once they did meet up, the two parties could join together.

"I'd appreciate that," he finally answered, "Thank you."

"Then let's go." Reka slung on her survival pack and helped Mika put on hers before they exited the cave with Mikey in tow.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"You know you guys are always talking about what happened on the outside," Sammie said, "I was..."

"Can we please get back to watching the telly?" Noah interrupted, not wanting Sammie to finish.

"I agree," Mikey said as Noah let out a sigh of relief.

o o o

"My move!" Jaden drew. "Darn, I got nothing!"

"Then it's my turn." Johnathan drew his card. "Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon, attack!" Gragonith opened its mouth and fired a jet of fire at Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Johnathan:** 6200

**Jaden:** 4600

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Hey John, wouldn't it be better for the crowd if we dragged this on a bit longer?" asked Jaden.

"You just don't want me to OTK you right now," Johnathan said. Jaden chuckled in response.

"Guilty as charged." Johnathan laughed.

"Well alright. It's for the good of the audience. I end my turn." Two more Shine Counters were added to Realm of Light as Jenice, Lightsworn Mender, Pot of Avarice, Ehren, Lightsworn Monk, Call of the Haunted, and another Glorious Illusion were milled from Johnathan's deck With ten Shine Counters, the two Wulfs had thirty-one hundred attack points, Aurkus had twenty-nine hundred, and Gragonith, along with the addition of Jenice and and Ehren to the graveyard, had a total of six thousand attack points. Light Spiral also kicked in and removed from play Jaden's Fake Hero and Dark Hole."

"I draw." Jaden drew his card. "And first I'm going play Lightning Vortex and discard Elemental Hero Necroshade to use it!" After discarding his monster, a rain of lightning poured onto the field and destroyed Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon, Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid, and both Wulf, Lightsworn Beasts.

"Next I play Miracle Fusion and I remove from play Elemental Hero Sparkman and Elemental Hero Flame Wingman from my graveyard to fuse them together into Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman!" The two heroes appeared briefly overhead before merging into a silver-amored winged hero (ATK/2500 DEF/2100). "And he gains three hundred attack points for every Elemental Hero in my graveyard! Since I got five, that's fifteen hundred!" Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman began to glow as his attack points rose up to four thousand. "Attack with Solar Flare!" The shining hero unleashed a brilliant blast that hit Johnathan hard.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Johnathan:** 2200

**Jaden:** 4600

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Nice move," Johnathan complimented.

"Thanks."

o o o

Mikey was thinking to himself. He was thinking about that fateful duel where he had dueled the Inca god Inti, who had taken the form of the sun itself.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"Your trial awaits, Mikey," Kuraz said as he started pushing Mikey up the stairs. "We mustn't keep Inti waiting."

"Okay okay. You don't need to push." Mikey began his ascent up the temple. Kuraz stayed behind him.

It seemed like an hour had passed before they finally reached the top. When they got there, they could see a decrepit old man sitting on a stone chair. In front of him was an altar. He looked drained of life.

"You are the sun god Inti?" asked Kuraz. The man responded in a language completely unknown to Mikey.

"What did he say?"

"He said yes," the monarch answered.

"He looks so..." Mikey tried to find the words he needed. "He isn't... He's not... He's really not quite what I had pictured." Inti spoke again. "What'd he say this time?"

"He said that his powers have been greatly weakened," Kuraz translated, "Recently, dark immortals, bound within the earth by the Crimson Dragon and the five servant dragons of the Signer warriors, have risen and drained the power of his Pantheon."

"His pantheon?"

"Yes, each God has a pantheon that they belong to. When chaos occurs because of trouble within the pantheon the gods can become drained. However..."

Inti spoke again.

"He says enough on that. Your trial begins now. Step forward onto the seal."

"What seal?" Mikey asked.

"That circle that looks like a sun." Kuraz pointed toward a stone carving of a sun in the floor.

"Oh." Mikey stepped forward. As soon as both feet touched the carving, everything disappeared around him. "Huh? What's going on?" A bright light suddenly blinded him and he quickly shielded his eyes.

"Open your eyes, young one, and look unto the form of my first story, like my brothers who are not my brothers took," a heavenly voice said gently. Mikey did so and his eyes went wide. He was still standing on the top of the temple, however that was all that was left of the temple. The platform was in space orbiting the sun. He looked around at his more immediate surroundings. The old man wasn't there nor was the altar behind which he was sitting.

"What! I...What! The sun! Space! What!" Mikey gasped, spinning wildly, clasping his hand over his eyes and mouth to hold in the air and block out the light.

"Now young one," the voice boomed, echoing deep inside Mikey and around him in every direction. There was no point of origin to be heard, only a point that could be felt. "Do not fear, for you are safe. Listen me as I speak the language of the soul that knows no language. Listen to me as I speak the language of the soul that knows no lie. I am Inti, the sun and the highest of Apu. I burn bright and am praised, but shall protect you as I did my people. Look unto me and feel no broiled eyes nor crushed lungs. Like Ra and Helios, this is my first form. I am stripped naked before you, a courtesy my brothers who are not my brothers would do for you."

Mikey shook nervously, biting his lip and listening to the voice as he looked around, noticing the air could be breathed and the sun could be looked at. "O...okay..." He said timidly to the voice.

"I am Inti, great Apu of the Sun and your trial begins now." The voice had spoken again and Mikey still could not find where it was coming from. It seemed to be coming from all around him yet at the same time from a single point elsewhere.

_Is it...coming from the sun?_ Mikey thought as he looked toward the blazing star.

"Let your companions fight for you." Now it seemed for sure like the sun was talking, though without a mouth or a face, just a voice. Mikey looked at it and nodded, unsure how he could look into the heart of the blazing ball of fire without straining his eyes. He switched on his Duel Disk and his deck was shuffled.

"Let's duel...Inti."

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Thanks to that duel, Mikey had received some brand new cards. Oracle of the Sun, Fire Ant Ascator, Supay, Sun Dragon Inti, and Moon Dragon Quilla. They had all proven to be fine additions to his deck and he promised to make good use of them.

"I remember hearing a bunch of maniacal laughing during the tournament," Saito said as they continued to reminisce about last year.

"That was probably Nicky," Reko answered.

"Oh dear lord, I remember when he sprang up on us unexpectedly," Mikey groaned.

"And I revealed myself to you," Reko added.

"Wait. You did WHAT?" asked Nellie.

"He showed us who he was," Mikey said.

"Oh."

"Geez, some people..."

_**FLASHBACK**_

Reka, Mika, Mikey, and Umi had finally finished packing up and were getting ready to move. Mikey was still wondering about the object under the camouflage net, but he was quickly hustled out of the cave. Reka went out first to make sure the coast was clear. She looked around carefully for a very long time, but no one was near. She then looked down the steep and narrow path and beckoned the others to come one at a time. Mikey took Umi's hand and helped her get up to where Reka was. The pop star was able to get up and onto a grassy patch just above where she watched the others. As she observed the rest of the group, she could hear a sound in the distance. A sound that was approaching fast.

"Guys, hurry!" she urged, "Someone's coming." No sooner had those words left her mouth, the sounds got even louder.

"He's found us," Reka muttered as he pulled Mikey up. Her Duel Band suddenly started to go off. At that very instant, a motorcycle burst out of the woods and screeched to a halt on the cliff. It was an old-fashioned chopper, but it had several modifications added to it. The entire bike was a fiery red with enormous exhaust pipes on the back and laden with chains and wheels like fire. Flame-shaped protrusions jutted out from the sides giving the vehicle the image of being on fire. Skull decals with long trails of ghost fire emblazoned both sides of the front wheel and ran up to the handlebars. The rider looked toward Reka and reached up to remove his flame-design helmet.

"Long time no see."

"Nicky."

"You still wearin' that old thing?"

"How'd you know it was really me?" Reka demanded.

"Oi, it wasn't hard," Nicky answered, "Oi recognoized you when Oi saw those goggles ye wear." Reka looked at her goggles and groaned.

"I took the wrong pair again..."

Mikey was confused, so he approached Reka. "What's going on here?"

"I guess it's time you knew the truth." Reka stood straight and reached up. In one fluid motion, she removed her clothes revealing an entirely different outfit underneath as well as some other features.

Mikey stammered as he spoke while looking at Reka. Or rather, whom he thought was Reka. "Y-y-you're a...g-g-guy?" The man who had called himself Reka nodded. He still had the goggles, but now wore a skintight black tank top with fishnet arm warmers attached to a leather harness. Overtop was a black vest with a pair of short coattails and two straps attached by chains. His pants were also black and were separated at the knees with the lower legs held in place by a series of straps and buckles. On his feet he wore sleek riding boots, on his left wrist a very wide wristband, and around his neck a white bandana. He reached up behind his head and pulled his hair out of its ponytail, letting his long lavender locks drop down around his shoulders. Numerous colors glittered among the silky strands as sunlight reflected off the many gems that lay embedded in hair pieces worn all through his magnificent hair.

"My real name is Rek_**o**_ Telaris. Reka is my twin sister." He took the Genex deck out of the Duel Disk on his arm and placed the cards safely in a case before setting the dueling machine aside.

"Well y'ain't gunna escape this time!" Nicky said as he revved his engine. "If ye run, Oi'm gunna outrun ya!"

"That's how you wanna do it then?" Reko asked.

"Ya betcha!"

"Alright then." Reko jumped down onto the narrow path and into the cave. Curiously, Mikey followed being careful not to fall. He watched as the lavender-haired man approached the camouflage net and pulled it off. The young teenager could not believe his eyes. Standing before him was an '09 Kawasaki Ninja painted with vibrant shades of red and white. Several modifications had been made to it, giving it the appearance that it was brand new. Subtle red lines in the detailing ran along the bike and gradually changed into the design of butterflies. Resting on the seat was a very aerodynamic open-faced helmet with the same color scheme as the motorcycle and the name Telaris emblazoned on the right side near the ridge. Reko put on the protective headgear and threw his leg over the bike. He started the motor and revved his engine. At that moment, Mikey took his cue and quickly ran out of the way as Reko gunned it and drove out. He made a hard left and rode up the narrow ridge onto the top of the cliff.

Reko scowled at Nicky, spitting on the groud and he tossed his false bra into the saddlebags of his bike, "Fine, Limey Leeroy. I'll take you on, just leave these folks out of it. I'll take you to town, and then I want some freakin' answers."

Tossing an object wrapped in silk of all things into his hands, he place into Mikey's hands. "Listen...say I don't make it out of this alive. Say he wins. Say I don't find what I'm lookin' for. Take that back to San Francisco, there's a shop called the White Wind, near Lombard Street. Give that do a lady with my hair and big hoo hahs. She'll know what's going on, maybe."

Reko then took the Duel Disk he had used while in disguise and attached it to his dash. He revved his bike again, the displays chiming to life and he placed an entirely new deck inside the receiver in front of him. "I'm being a huge riddlebox Mikey. ...I'll explain everything if I make it through this." As he drove to meet Nicky at his designated starting line. Mikey slowly unraveled the silk, morso out of sheer curiousity.

...It looked like something that came from Heaven itself.

It was a Duel Disk, at least Mikey though it was since it WAS Duelist Kingdom, a strange device that looked like a large ornate gauntlet. It was covered in wrappings of what seemed to be golden rope chain, with bits and interlocking crystal...no. It sparkles brilliantly. Diamond! Unrolling one end caused it to snap forward. Monster and Spell Card Zones! Each one was a made of small, somehow interlocking piece of diamond, topaz, ruby, sapphire, the coloring of the gauntlet was crushed garnet made into a gleaming lacquer and tooled with intricate lace designs and butterflies, fleur de lis, and braced with elegant bindings of platinum. Let alone that, but made into each zone on the disk was the design of a different person in a suit of armor. The detail of the jewelcrafting, let alone how in the world something like this could ever work is fully remarkable! Every bit seemed to have come from something else, no two parts looked truly alike. But on the palm, over a central core of alexandrite and wrapped in a border of pure silver and spots of emerald was an inscription.

"You are never truly alone."

"Oi've been waitin' for this!" Nicky grinned manically as he put his helmet back on and attached his Duel Disk to his dashboard. He pressed a few buttons and the display was activated. He twisted his deck slot around so that it was in a more comfortable position to draw from and revved his engine.

"We should get out of here while he deals with Nicky," Mika said to Mikey and Umi. The two teens nodded in agreement and started to follow Mika away with Mikey keeping the precious item close to his chest with both arms.

Two engines roared with life as the two bikers gripped their handlebars.

"Y'ain't gunna win this time," Nicky snarled as he shut his visor. Reko pulled his bandana up and covered the lower half of his face before pulling his racing goggles over his eyes.

"It hasn't begun yet," he replied. The two Duelists looked at the road in front of them. Their path was clear. Their goal was obvious. All that remained now was to wait.

Three.

Two.

One.

"Turbo Duel! _**ACCELERATION!**_"

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"You actually Turbo Dueled?" asked Sammie. "How the fuck do I miss shit like this?"

"I'm sorry..." Noah whispered. Everyone turned to Noah.

"It's because of me," the boy continued.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"Miss Korangar, I understand there's an issue regarding a certain small child."

"You're damn fucking right there is! You sick fucks kidnap kids to duel. And for what?"

"We're letting him go," Roman said bluntly. Sammie just stopped.

"You're what now?"

"We're letting him go."

"...Oh. I see."

"Well then Miss Korangar, are you ready to proceed with your first challenger today?" Roman questioned.

"Yeah, let's get this over with," Sammie replied as she strapped on her Duel Disk.

"Then meet your opponent." The door opened and from the shadows emerged a small white-haired boy.

"N-Noah?" Sammie became angry once again and looked up at Roman. "What's going on? You told me you let him go!"

"Oh, I was never a prisoner to begin with, Sammie," Noah said. He seemed very different now. He was not the same crying boy she had met earlier that morning. "Now then, shall we proceed?" A suited man came forth with a white child-sized Duel Disk. It seemed very odd to Sammie. Something about it just seemed off. However she could not pinpoint exactly what it was. Noah lifted up the bottom of his hoodie and tied his pushie to his belt by its scarf and took the device from the man and proceeded to strap it to his right arm.

"Wait a sec. You wear your Duel Disk on your right arm?" she asked.

"Of course, I do," Noah answered, "It's a left-handed Duel Disk, after all."

"There's no such thing as a left-handed Duel Disk."

"That's why mine was custom made." Noah switched on his Duel Disk and his field slid out, revealing five blue Monster Zones surrounded with a red border. He then reached into his hoodie pocket and produced a deck of Duel Monster cards. He looked across the room toward Sammie and placed it into his Duel Disk, where his deck was automatically shuffled.

Sammie wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but she did know one thing. Noah was not what he had seemed. Here he was about to duel against her under Roman of all people. She didn't want to have to do it, but she felt she had little choice. She activated her Duel Disk and her deck was shuffled.

o o o

"So then it's my turn." Sammie drew her next card and smiled when she saw it. She thought she could attack with Chaos Sorcerer now, but the card she received would effectively grant her the chance to deal more damage. It would seem like a waste at first, but in the end it would worth it. "I summon Sonic Bird in attack mode." A bald eagle with a jet pack appeared beside Chaos Sorcerer (ATK/1400 DEF/1000). "And with Sonic Bird's effect, I can bring a Ritual Spell Card from my deck to my hand." Another pulse was emitted from Light and Darkness Dragon and the bird' effect was cancelled, lowering the dragon's attack points down to thirteen hundred.

"I activate a facedown!" Noah revealed his second facedown card. "Shrink and I'm targetting Chaos Sorcerer." His Spell Card was suddenly interrupted by another pulse from Light and Darkness Dragon that brought it down to eight hundred attack points.

"Guess you don't know that much about your own monster. It negates your cards, too," Sammie said. "Now this is going to be easy. Chaos Sorcerer, attack!"

"I reveal my Trap Card." Noah's facedown flipped up and Sammie's jaw dropped. "Crush Card Virus! And I'll sacrifice Light and Darkness Dragon to use it." Light and Darkness Dragon's body suddenly gained a purple tinge to it as Chaos Sorcerer's spell blasted it into bits. The pieces of flesh and bone vaporized, leaving only a hazy purple cloud to cover the field. As soon as it came, Chaos Sorcerer clutched his throat and died.

"TIME OUT!" Sammie looked into Noah's eyes. "What the hell? Crush Card Virus is banned! You can't use it. You shouldn't even be able to use it. Every Duel Disk is programmed with the newest ban list.

"There's a funny story behind that." Noah looked at his Duel Disk as he began to retell its story. "As you know, this is a left-handed Duel Disk. These things are not mass produced, so I had mine custom made. Now I know custom manufactured Duel Disks are all the rage among various Duelists, but this is the very first and currently only left-handed Duel Disk in the world."

"What does your Duel Disk being a left-handed model have anything to do with this?" Sammie demanded.

"Plenty." Noah resumed his explanation. "You see, I commissioned a private contractor to make it for me. At least that's what he claimed to be. He let me sit in while he worked. He found a schematic on the internet and got right to work. But there was a complication. No matter how hard he tried, he somehow always managed to build right-handed features into my Duel Disk. After a few months, he finally completed it. Now this is the funny part. Building a left-handed Duel Disk was an incredibly difficult job considering how little he had to work with. The work was so frustrating, when he finally finished building it he completely forgot to program in the ban list."

Sammie stood there in silence for a moment before she finally opened her mouth and spoke the words, "You're kidding."

"That's what I said when I first tried it out," Noah replied. "However I've grown use to it and I can duel with it extremely well."

"But some of those cards are forbidden," Sammie repeated.

"Not according to my Duel Disk."

o o o

"Samantha Korangar. That's your full name, isn't it Sammie?" asked Noah.

"How do you know?" she demanded.

"The Chaos Queen? Who doesn't?" Noah toyed with the last card in his hand. "But now you're about to be dethroned. I remove from play Light and Darkness Dragon and Dark Strike Fighter to Special Summon this monster."

"No..." Sammie took a step back. "It can't be..."

"Annihilate! I summon you, Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End!" Streams of light and darkness spiraled down from above and struck the floor in front of Noah, depositing an enormous green and silver dragon with long flowing orange hair (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "Now Chaos Emperor Dragon, it's time to activate your effect! By paying one thousand Life Points, I can destroy every single card on the field and in our hands and inflict three hundred points of damage to you for each card destroyed."

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 2100

**Noah:** 2500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Chaos Emperor Dragon, destroy everything!" ordered Noah. "Chaotic End!" A loud roar filled the air as Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End took a step forward and exploded in a blast of pure chaos energy. It spread out and covered the entire field. Divine Grace - Northwemko, Senju of the Thousand Hands, and Witch of the Black Forest were caught in the explosion and were swiftly destroyed. "Four cards. Three hundred points each. That's twelve hundred points of damage."

–––––––––––––––––––––

S**ammie:** 900

**Noah:** 2500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"And now for the finale. Since Witch of the Black Forest was sent from my field to my graveyard, I can choose a monster with fifteen hundred or less defense points." A single card was ejected from Noah's deck and he picked it up before his deck was shuffled. "I Normal Summon the Spirit Monster, Yata-Garasu!" Feathers slowly fluttered to the stone floor of the castle dungeon as a purple three-legged raven appeared before boy (ATK/200 DEF/100). "Yata-Garasu, attack." The tiny bird cawed as it flew over to Sammie and pecked at her.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 700

**Noah:** 2500

–––––––––––––––––––––

Yata-Garasu then returned to its master and perched itself on his shoulder. "And now for Yata-Garasu's effect. If he inflicts Battle Damage to your Life Points, you skip your next Draw Phase." Sammie was devastated when the LCD display on her Duel Disk began to flash with the word "LOCKED".

"I end my turn and Yata-Garasu returns to my hand." Yata-Garasu's body changed into a stream of white light and flew back into Noah's hand. "Your move."

Sammie's Duel Disk was still reading "LOCKED". When her Draw Phase came, her deck slot was closed off. She had an empty hand and no way to draw cards. All she could do was end her turn. As soon as she had done so, her LCD display returned to normal.

"I draw." Noah drew a card and added it to his hand. "I summon Yata-Garasu." The purple three-legged raven appeared once again. "Attack!" Yata-Garasu flew over to Sammie and pecked her again.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 500

**Noah:** 2500

–––––––––––––––––––––

Once again, the word "LOCKED" took possession of Sammie's LCD screen. When Noah ended his turn, Yata-Garasu returned to his hand and her deck was shut off from her again.

"Face it, Sammie. There's nothing you can do." Noah giggled a little as he drew his card and summoned Yata-Garasu again. "Yata-Garasu, Attack!"

–––––––––––––––––––––

S**ammie:** 300

**Noah:** 2500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"You. Are. Yata Locked!" Noah smiled triumphantly. "I end my turn." Yata-Garasu returned to his hand.

No hand. No draw. Sammie passed her turn.

"I summon Yata-Garasu." Noah summoned his creature immediately after drawing his card. "Attack!"

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 100

**Noah:** 2500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn."

This was it. Sammie was going to lose for sure. She just fell to her knees in defeat with a look on her face that showed her despair.

Noah drew his card and looked down at his fallen opponent. "You've been beaten, Sammie. Your throne is mine." He summoned Yata-Garasu one last time. "All hail the Chaos King!" The avian spirit flew straight at Sammie and pecked her with one final attack.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 0

**Noah:** 2500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Victory is mine." Sammie's Duel Band flashed like it never had before and an immense flow of energy was sapped from her body, illuminating the entire room like the sun. Noah had to raise his arm to shield his eyes from the light. When the radiance finally died down, Sammie lay facedown on the floor.

"Excellent duel, Mr. Kaiyou," Roman congratulated from the observation deck, "That was the biggest energy spike we've ever received."

"I might go so far as to say she's literally been drained completely." Noah crouched down beside Sammie and poked her gently. "A small price to pay in the name of justice, however." As Noah began to walk off he heard a rustling behind him. He turned slowly and saw Sammie, standing tall on shaky legs and glazed over eyes. "Fascinating," the young genius said as he watched he reach for her deck once again to duel before falling over. "Scratch what I said Mr. Roman. I think she may have more Duel Energy in her than anyone on this planet. She could singlehandedly power the device. Let her rest and we shall see how much more we can drain from her." The young one turned once more and exited the duel area with a slight grin.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"I'm sorry..." Noah was crying now, but Sammie came over and hugged him comfortingly. Noah sniffled in her arms as Nellie moved over so she could sit down and comfort the young boy.

"Hey, you guys remember what happened during the finals?" asked Mikey trying to change the subject.

"It was different," Reko answered, "Like really different."

"I'm more concerned about what happened after the finals," muttered Saito. He didn't say anything else. There was no need for anybody to know anything else.

_**FLASHBACK**_

Saito stood in the office facing Roman, who had Gladiator Beast Heraklinos (ATK/3000 DEF/2800) on the field while he had nothing. Both Duelists held one card each and the latter had just recently completed his Battle Phase.

"That will be all for now," Roman announced.

"Then it's my turn again." Saito drew his card. This was not looking good. Roman's Life Points were completely untouched and he had his strongest monster on the field. Saito only had two cards. Nothing he had would be able to destroy it. Nothing yet anyway. He took the card he just drew and set it. "I set one card and end my turn."

"My turn now." Roman drew his card. "Gladiator Beast Heraklinos, attack."

"I activate Defense Draw!" Saito revealed his facedown and a barrier rose up and blocked Gladiator Beast Heraklinos' halberd.

"And I activate Gladiator Beast Heraklinos' effect." Roman took a card from his hand. "By discarding one card, I can negate the activation of a Spell or Trap Card during either player's turn." He placed Gladiator Beast Beastiari in his graveyard and watched as Gladiator Beast Heraklinos withdrew his halberd, brought his shield forward, and began blasting the barrier with the cannons. The protective dome shattered and Saito was left wide open. The great gladiator swung his halberd once again and chopped down on Saito.

––––––––––––

**Saito:** 0

**Roman:** 8000

––––––––––––

The images slowly vanished as Saito collapsed onto his knees in complete and utter defeat.

_I...I lost..._, he thought to himself,_ And Roman doesn't even have a scratch on his Life Points... How could this have happened?_

"It doesn't matter how skilled you are, young Mr. Kaiba," Roman said as he stood over Saito, "there are just some foes you can't beat." He pushed up his glasses. "Now then, I have a helicopter waiting for me. And tell your father that I officially submit my resignation from the Kaiba Corporation." He placed an envelope containing his letter of resignation on the floor in front of Saito and walked away with his hands clasped behind his back.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Saito clenched his fist. How could he have lost? And to Roman of all people? As the Kaiba heir continued to brood, Mikey had his arm around Noah and thought back to their final duel on Duelist Kingdom. And as he thought more on it, words began to form in his head and he began to recite those words to the boy.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"I draw then." Mikey drew his card. "Now Sun Dragon Inti, attack Dark Magician of..."

"I activate my Trap Card!" Noah interrupted.

"What?" Mikey looked and watched as his opponent flipped up a Trap Card depicting a muscular naked red-haired man wrestling with a nine-headed serpent.

"This Trap is called Last Turn," Noah explained, "and here's how it works. I can only activate it during my opponent's turn if I have one thousand or less Life Points. Then I choose one monster on my side of the field and we both send all other cards on the field and in our hands to our graveyards. After that, you pick a monster from your deck and Special Summon it. Then our monsters fight and whoever remains standing wins the duel. I choose Dark Magician of Chaos." At that moment, Sun Dragon Inti was swallowed up by the ground as Noah and Mikey placed their hands into their graveyards.

"Pick your monster, Mikey."

Mikey's Duel Disk unlocked his deck and the young teen took it out and sifted through his remaining cards. He had to choose something that could defeat his opponent's monster. Something that could be Special Summoned. He finally came to rest his thumb on something and he pulled it out. He quickly jammed his deck back into his Duel Disk, which shuffled it immediately, and placed his card on the field. "I summon Majestic Mech - Goryu." The sky brightened but quickly darkened again as a white angelic mechanical dragon descended from the heavens with its body segments connected by golden flames and roared (ATK/2900 DEF/1800).

"This is it, Mikey." Noah was now hugging his plush toy as his hands were finally free. "Whoever's monster is left standing wins. Are you ready?"

"I am definitely ready, Noah," Mikey answered, "This madness ends now. Goryu, attack!"

"Dark Magician of Chaos, wipe him out!" ordered Noah. Dark Magician of Chaos spun his staff rapidly and fired a blast of chaotic magic. At the same time, Majestic Mech - Goryu fired a stream of golden flames. The two attacks met halfway, but the latter began to push the former back. It quickly broke through and headed straight for the leather-clad sorcerer. Dark Magician of Chaos spun his staff and used it as a shield against the incoming inferno from Heaven. When the fires ceased, he stood alone surrounded by a circle of charred earth.

"Don't think Dark Magician of Chaos will be defeated so easily." Noah brushed his bangs away from his eyes and wiped his forehead on his sleeve. "This is the Last Turn, after all. And the Last Turn always demands an epic battle. Dark Magician of Chaos, show no mercy!" The dark wizard leapt high toward the sky and spun across the field through the air while firing short bursts of magic from his staff at Majestic Mech - Goryu. He landed back on the ground and spun around to face his opponent only to find the dragon's tail coming down on him. He quickly leapt away and dodged it as it slammed into the surface of the castle ramparts.

As Majestic Mech - Goryu began to raise its tail back up, Dark Magician of Chaos pointed his staff the other way and fired a blast of magic fire that propelled him back down. He landed on the great angelic drake and began running up the length of its body. As he moved along its tail he fired one blast of magic after another from his free hand into the joints held together by the shining inferno within. Majestic Mech - Goryu roared and flew into the air trying to shake off its attacker. It reached a high point in the sky and began to circle itself, keeping a close eye on Dark Magician of Chaos. As soon as he reached its back, the great dragon began to flap its wings wildly. The strong winds they generated made it difficult for the chaos mage to stay on. Then with one barrel roll, Majestic Mech - Goryu threw him off and sent a blast of golden fire after him.

Dark Magician of Chaos was falling. Below him the ground was approaching fast. Above him, the shining heavenly inferno was bearing down on him. Not wanting to die by either means, he closed his eyes and chanted a spell. When he finished, the soles of his boots began to burn with black and purple fire. He increased their output and pushed himself out of the way of the fire. He watched as Majestic Mech - Goryu's attack flew to the ground before flying back up into the sky and facing the gargantuan creature.

Majestic Mech – Goryu fired another Majestic Blaze, which was avoided as Dark Magician of Chaos flew to the side. As he continued to move, he fired a Chaos Scepter Blast from his staff. His opponent dove beneath the clouds, avoiding the blast, and rose up from them again. The pair of monsters flew in circles around each other, exchanging and dodging attacks from one another. The Dark Magician of Chaos' flight spell gave him great manuverability and his small size compared to that of his enemy allowed him to easily dodge attacks. However, Majestic Mech - Goryu was far more powerful. Though not quite as agile as the dark wizard, it possessed great and terrifying power in its Majestic Blazes. Not only were they strong, but they were also very large fire blasts capable of covering a wide range. Additionally, they also seemed to be able to cover a long range. Despite their differences, the two monsters were very closely matched.

Dark Magician of Chaos withdrew from the fight and hovered facing his enemy for a good while. He gripped his staff tightly and focused his magical energies into it. The bulb at the top began to glow and a sphere of chaos started to build up. Majestic Mech - Goryu launched another fire blast, which the chaos mage avoided and flew to the side, circle strafing the big monster. Against such an opponent, this strategy seemed like a logical choice. As the great dragon continued to fire blast after blast at its foe, Dark Magician of Chaos flew around dodging them to the best of his abilities while the chaos sphere around his staff continued to grow.

Realizing its breath attacks were proving ineffective, Majestic Mech - Goryu rushed in toward the leather-clad sorcerer. This was it. The chaos sphere was now almost big enough to consume Dark Magician of Chaos himself. As soon as the great dragon came within range, he flew up over it and rocketed back down, slamming his staff into Majestic Mech - Goryu's head and unleashing a powerful chaos blast. The resulting impact sent the giant beast crashing to the ground and landing somewhere in the forest. Dark Magician of Chaos stood up and jumped off onto the grass.

"And that's game over," Noah announced.

"It's not over yet," said Mikey, "Goryu, get up!"

Those words seemed to reach Majestic Mech - Goryu as its eyes opened up and it reached out a began snapping its jaws at its opponent. Dark Magician of Chaos jumped back, surprised by the sudden jump in the dragon's stamina. He tried to fight it back, but then Majestic Mech - Goryu raised itself up over the treetops and blasted them with a Majestic Blaze, setting the entire forest on fire. This did not look good. The dark wizard's cover had been destroyed. He was being forced out into the open. Finding himself pressed against the island's only mountain, he quickly flew up and landed back on the castle ramparts. Majestic Mech - Goryu flew up and grabbed onto the walls as it continued snapping at its foe. It forced the sorcerer to the edge of the castle walls right over the burning forest. With nowhere else to run, Dark Magician of Chaos braced himself as Majestic Mech - Goryu blasted him with a charged up Majestic Blaze.

"Game set and match," Mikey announced as the holograms disappeared, including the impressive forest fire display.

"I...I lost..." Noah looked at his Duel Disk. "But I ran an undefeatable Chaos deck! I had the most powerful cards in all of Duel Monsters!"

"Noah." Mikey spoke calmly. "It's not about the cards in the deck that makes a person a great Duelist. It's the skills they use to play those cards."

"I guess it doesn't matter anymore," Noah suddenly said as he deactivated his Duel Disk and shoved his deck back into his pocket. "My ride is here anyway. Finally, justice will be served." A helicopter suddenly appeared with Roman sitting in the back seat. "Roman! Toss me the rope ladder!"

"I do apologize, Mr. Kaiyou, but I can't do that," Roman replied.

"Roman! Throw me the ladder!" Noah repeated. As he said these words, a cargo aircraft flew past.

"Looks like I have to go now. You did wonderfully Mr. Kaiyou. However, your usefulness has ended."

"My usefulness has... What?"

"What the hell is going on here?" Sammie demanded as she and the others stepped forward.

"It was quite simple," Roman explained, "The master plan required Duel Energy and we needed a way to harvest it. And what better way than a tournament."

"That doesn't explain where the kid comes in!" Gabe shouted over the noise from the helicopter blades.

"We needed someone who had the drive to go to any lengths to get what he wanted," Roman answered, "And what better person than a naive little child with a vendetta against the world?"

"You told me that Duel Energy was going to be used to save the world!" Noah shouted. "You told me it was mine! That I could use it to save millions from their tormentors!"

"The way I see it, there's nothing more malleable than the mind of a child, especially a 'genius.'" Roman pushed up his glasses. "You were but a desperate boy when I found you. You believed anything I told you and carried it through without question. I acted as your advisor, letting you make all the decisions yourself. I made you think that you were the one in control. It was made all the easier with you thinking you were smarter than me. But now that we've gathered all the Duel Energy we need, there's no need to keep up this charade."

"You...you used me?" Noah looked up at Roman.

"You were just a tool for our master plan." The businessman pushed up his glasses again. "Well, I can't stay any longer. I have a meeting to get to." And with that, he closed the door and the helicopter flew off.

Noah fell onto his knees staring at the helicopter as it flew away and disappeared beyond the horizon. He then tilted his head back and screamed loudly before collapsing into his hands and crying.

"N-Noah?" Mikey slowly approached the boy.

"I-I thought he was different... Th-that he u-understood me... But h-h-he's just like...e-everyone...else..." He clenched his fist. "Using me... Betraying me... This world is disgusting..."

"Noah, please..." Sammie placed her hand on Noah's arm and tried to pull him up, but he pulled away.

"Don't touch me! You're just going to hurt me like everyone else."

"Noah, we're not gonna hurt you," Mikey pleaded.

"Liar."

"Oh for God's sake." Sammie grabbed Noah's arm, pulled him up, and slapped him across the face. "Listen, I don't know how you've been treated in your past but you gotta let that go! Nobody's the same. Sure you ran into the wrong people at the wrong time when you were little, but those guys were assholes. Whatever they did to you is just what they do and you can't change that. So stop being a fucking pussy and man up already!" She then let him go and watched as Noah just sat there. Then he suddenly started crying loudly.

"Oh for fuck's... NOTHING gets through to this kid! I swear not even you were even this bad, Mikey."

"Maybe that's the thing," Mikey said, "Maybe you're doing it wrong. Let me try."

"Be my guest." Sammie stepped back as Mikey came forward. He knelt down and placed a hand on Noah's shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay," he said gently. When he got no reaction, he swallowed and made the next move. He placed his arms around Noah and pulled him close. Immediately, the boy's cries quieted down. "If you need to cry, just let it out." The young child sniffled a few times before he finally spoke.

"You and I are the same, Mikey. How come you're not seeking justice?"

"I admit, Noah, I was bullied a lot as a kid. But I got through it all because I had my friends and family there. They helped me get through it all," Mikey explained as he stroked Noah's soft white hair, "What about you? Did your family or friends do anything?"

The boy sniffled again. "I have neither."

Mikey felt his muscles stiffen. The boy he held in his arms had neither friends nor family. Suddenly, he felt great pity for him and hugged him tighter. "It must have been tough going through it all alone."

"I...I had no one to turn to..."

Now it all made sense. Growing up, Mikey had had Sammie and his family to help him with his problems. But Noah had nobody to turn to. Nobody to comfort him. In turn, his own feelings got a hold of him and it developed into a thirst for revenge.

"I'm really sorry, Noah."

"No you're not..."

"I can't completely understand exactly how you feel or what you went through, but I can help you out now."

"No you can't..."

"Not if you won't let me help you." Mikey let go of Noah and held his shoulders at arm's length and looked straight into his eyes. "Noah, you don't have to go through this alone anymore. Because I'm going to be here for you from now on. I'm going to be your first friend."

There was silence for a moment. "You're lying."

"No, I'm not."

"Why would you want to be my friend when nobody else ever has?" Noah demanded.

"Because you've never opened up to anyone. You've been afraid that people will hurt you. But I'm going to change that. I know that you probably don't feel like opening up anytime soon, but..." Mikey patted boy's shoulder. "...I'll be willing to open up to you."

Noah was silent. This was entirely new to him. All his life he had been shunned and bullied by the world and now here was a person who was willing to be his friend. He looked away. "But..." he finally said, "but I don't know how to deal with stuff like this."

"Then I'm here to help you," was Mikey's response. "So what do you say, Noah? Do you want to be me to be your friend?"

Noah was silent again. He remained silent for a long time. Finally, he looked back at Mikey. "Can I...have another hug? It felt really nice."

The brunet smiled. "Of course you can." And he pulled Noah in for another hug.

Off to the side, the others were watching with smiles appearing on their faces. "Hey guys, everyone's safe now," Reko said as he joined them accompanied by Mika. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Mikey's just made a new friend," replied Max.

"Let me guess. It's 'totally _fabulous_'?" Gabe asked while making jazz hands.

"Nope. I was going to say it was sweet," the redhead answered.

After several minutes, Mikey got up and offered Noah his hand. The child genius took it and rose to his feet as the sun began to peek out from behind the clouds. He wiped his tears off on his sleeve and followed Mikey and the other back inside the castle and then out the main gate with all the other Duelists. Everybody piled onto the ship that was docked on the pier where Reko and Mika walked up to the bridge.

"Can you drive a boat like this?" the latter inquired.

"Oh yeah," Reko answered confidently as he started flipping switches, "My sister did this sort of thing all the time."

"She drove boats?"

"Nah. She dismantled them."

"Wow. That's really reassuring." Mika turned around and stared out the side window. She placed her hand over her new eyepatch. It felt soft, smooth, and cool to the touch of the fingers. But the feeling underneath it burned. It burned like nothing before. She was normally used to this sensation, but for some reason the feeling had intensified immensely since her loss against Judgement. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying out in pain.

"Hey, you okay?" Reko asked. Mika slowly regained her composure and turned toward him.

"I'm fine," she replied while hiding her pain.

When everybody was aboard, Reko started the ship and pulled out. On the deck right below the bridge, Mikey stood with his hand on Noah's shoulder as they watched the prow cut through the water. The sea air felt refreshing against the boy's face as he turned his gaze skyward and met Mikey's who was looking down at him. The boy returned his gaze to the horizon and then, for the first time in his life, Noah genuinely smiled.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"...and in the end, I offered to be your first friend."

Noah seemed to have calmed down and as he looked up at Mikey with his mismatched-colored eyes, he put his arms around the brunet and hugged him comfortingly.

"Awwww, that's adorable!" Hayley squealed. Meanwhile, everyone returned to the television.

o o o

Johnathan drew his card. "I play Solar Recharge! First I discard a Lightsworn and then I draw two cards and mill two cards." He discarded Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior and drew two cards. After that he sent two cards from his deck to his graveyard, which turned out to be Vanquishing Light and his other Pot of Avarice. "And now I have thirty-one cards in my graveyard. That's plenty for me to activate my Trap, Blasting the Ruins! It deals three thousand points of damage to you." An explosion rocked the Realm of Light and a rain of rubble came showering down on Jaden.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Johnathan:** 2200

**Jaden:** 1600

–––––––––––––––––––––

"And now, since I have four or more Lightsworn in my graveyard with different names, I can now Special Summon this card! Say hello to Judgment Dragon!" A majestic white dragon covered completely in feathers appeared and spread out its wings as its long moustache flapped in the wind (ATK/3000 DEF/2600). "Now I activate Judgment Dragon's effect. By paying one thousand Life Points, I can destroy every other card on the field."

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Johnathan:** 1200

**Jaden:** 1600

–––––––––––––––––––––

As soon as Johnathan paid his Life Points, Judgment Dragon spread his wings and rained a massive hailstorm of light onto the field, destroying every single card. When the smoke cleared, it was the only thing left.

"Time to end things here, Judgment Dragon!" Johnathan announced, "Heaven's Radiance!" Judgment Dragon shined brightly as a radiant beam of light shot from its mouth and blasted Jaden.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Johnathan:** 1200

**Jaden:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––

o o o

"That was awesome!" Gabe cheered.

"It was," Mikey said with a smile. That was his father all right.

"I'm sleepy..." Noah muttered as he let out a yawn.

"It IS getting pretty late," Sammie noted.

"Hay-Hay and I can take him upstairs," Max offered. Mikey gave his thanks and handed the boy over to the redhead, who helped him upstairs. After everyone had left, all that remained were Mikey, Sammie, and Saito.

"It's been a long night, but an even longer three years. And I'm sure we're nowhere near done yet," Mikey thought out loud.

"Remember before school started?" asked Sammie.

"How could I forget?" was Mikey's answer.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"Dark Armed Dragon, end this duel! Dark Armed Punisher!" The drills on Dark Armed Dragon spun rapidly and were fired at once like missiles directly at Mikey.

–––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 0

**Dark Man:** 5800

–––––––––––––––

The shockwave from the last attack shook the car so badly, Sammie had to pull over before anything happened. As soon as they stopped, Mikey threw himself against the back of his seat and gasped for air. He had never seen such a powerful deck before. As he took in several deep breaths, the dark man pulled up beside them and gazed over at the two teenagers. He was about to say something to them until his phone rang. He placed his hands on his helmet and pulled it off. The man had medium length black hair with light stubble on his chin. His crimson eyes seemed to pierce Mikey's soul as he looked at him. However, what drew the teenager's gaze the most was a notably large scar that ran down the right side of the dark man's face from his temple, past his eyes, all the way down past his chin. On the left side, he had what looked like three black tendrils tattooed on his face that went down his neck and disappeared under his clothes. Mikey blinked and scratched his head. For a very brief moment, he could have sworn he saw them move.

The dark man took out his phone and put it against his ear. "What is it, Roman?"

"Did you succeed in your mission?" Roman's voice could be heard saying.

"No. It wasn't at the stadium."

"Then return to home base. There's no need for you to stay there, Kage."

"I'll be there soon." The dark man shut off his phone and put it away. He took one more glance at Mikey and Sammie before putting his helmet back on and driving away. As he turned a corner, the boy just stared at the spot he had vanished.

"Kage... Why does that sound so familiar?"

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"Kage... Just who is he?" Mikey wondered.

"We can worry about that later," Saito said, "We have other things to worry about. Like these." He brought out his White Rose Card. Mikey reached into his pocket and produced his Red Rose Card.

_**FLASHBACK**_

Saito looked at the pendant. "I'll hear you out, the final decision is still mine."

She nodded. "Always cautious, at one point in time it was not always so, you were formerly so impetuous, then you met an opponent, and you also had a brush with the supernatural far too soon. I'll be brief for time's sake.", she placed her hourglass upon the table, the red sands pouring like a river, "Your former ancestor gave us that pendant through The Duelist. We can ask for one favor from the family that is now the Kaiba family, an ancient boon I now invoke for this bargain. Do you accept?"

Saito nodded, "I think at this point I don't even have a choice."

Rena smirked, "He thought the same way. You always have a choice, all of you. Now, the terms of the bargain." She pulled the silk from her hand, revealing two cards the size for occult reading, Tarot. They were covered in endless red and white script respectfully, with billowing roses of their proper color upon their faces, their backs covered in a symbol of a moon, sun, and star.

"Are those?"

"These are two of the sixteen Rose Cards, passed down through generations, now I offer them to you for guarding, if they ever unite, this dark presence would gain a boon unlike which has never been witnessed in ages. Full mastery over the creatures and might the Shadows hold, full control of the Perfect Rule, horrendous evils."

Saito looked at the cards she placed on the table, they definitely looked old enough. "Why us?"

"You are one of the major players in this play, and our power will be used in other ends, simply listen."

Saito growled at that, "Hurry then..."

"Rena. Rena Telaris, Saito. Now, the second part is you will protect our White Wind in San Francisco, you will banish these mewling corporate dogs that seek to throw us out. Make it so and in exchange for this, I give you those items. The White Wind is now much more than a shop and an apartment complex for the budding artists that live there, it is my base of operation, and I myself have a great deal of-"

"Speed it up, Rena."

"Make the White Wind sound, I can take it from there, secondly we want the full power of Kaiba Corporation to help find Reka Telaris. All of it, all surveillance, recon you may have, anything you can aid Reko with."

"In exchange?"

Rena smiled, "How do you feel about putting a cafe in the Academy, it'd be a discreet method for us to keep an eye on the 'Stage' and also be in close contact of the Kaibas. I have some dear friends who can help me run the store back in San Fancisco. I'll give you Reko and Recca to work there and make for a good cover. Also, our drinks and various little dishes and cakes are to die for."

Saito thought about what Rena offered, her eyes lighting up and a sly smirk gracing her face, "I can also help you out so Roman cannot hold a card to you, so to speak. Bolster your mind against the supernatural maladies he will use. The coward." Rena finished, pouring another glass. "Yet...of course, this is merely our bargain, my terms are laid before you. The final call is yours Saito, what say you?"

o o o

Recca gave a battle cry, smashing down a wall with a large mallet and dusting herself off. "It will be now with the big sad wall out of the way! Sweetie pumpkins, be a cutie and carry out this rubble and vacuum there?" Reko gave a unimpressed expression, muttering something about building integrity as he put on thick leather gloves and walked back inside to cleanup. His mother on the other hand, set about placing lovely hanging plants and other foliage to the area.

"Reko, is that you?" The lavender-haired man turned his head to see an all-too-familiar brunet standing there with his mouth open in awe.

"Heeey! Mikey! Good to see ya!"

"Mikey, what's taking so long?" Sammie came up behind Mikey and poked him in the shoulder.

"Sammie, it's Reko!"

"Yo," Reko greeted the blonde.

"Reko sweetie, could you help mommy..." Recca stopped her sentence short when she saw Mikey. "Why if it isn't little Mikey!"

"Um, hello Ms. Telaris."

"Oh come on now. I'm not some old lady." Recca smiled. "You can call me Recca." Mikey responded by scratching the back of his head. Recca then turned her attention back to her son. "Reko sweetie, could you help mommy move a couch?" Reko, blushing lightly with embarrassment with the way his mother was treating him in front of his friends, obliged and began to follow her inside.

"Hey Reko, what exactly are you guys doing?" Mikey asked out of curiosity.

"Gramma's opening a franchise here," Reko answered cheerfully before disappearing inside.

"I wonder what they're building," Mikey thought out loud, not quite remembering whether or not Reko had actually told him about his family's business last year.

"We'll find out later. We need to get to registration." Sammie impatiently grabbed the hood of Mikey's sweater and dragged him along.

o o o

Rena shook Seto's hand, the signing of her contract complete. "We will work for the Kaibas as long as it takes. As for Reka and everything..."

Seto looked down at Rena. "We've held our end of the bargain for you Ms. Telaris. That shop of yours back in the states is completely immune to any hostile takeover. Also, we're actively hunting down your granddaughter down, we're hoping for results soon." Rena nodded.

"I see. Thank you, Mr. Kaiba, may fortune smile upon you and yours for your benevolence." Seto swiftly left in no hurry with Mokuba at his side, leaving Saito with Rena. "Strange, is it not?"

"What are you going on about now, Rena..."

Rena chuckled at Saito. "Contracts. It used to be that oaths, and the power those words carried were binding enough. Nowadays we can hardly trust one another to hold to their oaths so we write down the meanings on paper, sealing it with something a simple as a signature. A sad, sordid, state we've become, Humanity."

Saito looked at Rena with a puzzled expression. She was still amazingly enigmatic to him. "Saito. After your classes, seek me out at the Dual Rose, the shop my daughter and my grandson are furiously constructing. We will begin your enhancements there, and swiftly, for the night moving upon us swiftly."

"Enhancement?"

Rena walked outside the room, looking back at him before the doors shut, "Does a true Kaiba need training?"

o o o

"You're early, Mr. Tejinashi." Professor Snappe looked at the other end of the Duel Arena, while Zetsubou stood in his well worn garb and bowed politely.

"I pride myself on courtesy, Professor. Shall we begin the lesson and employ myself? I find my time to be in haste to catch my sisters examination."

"Who is that?" a student mumbled.

"Some hobo looking for a job?"

"He looks like a total wuss."

Snappe gave a sneer. "Your haste will be your down fall Tejinashi, ready yourself. You will have first move."

"I'd be delighted." And with that Zetsubou drew his first card.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

The coming of the Telarises, the presence of Zetsubou, and the Rose Cards. They were all linked. Whether they liked it or not, the teenagers knew one thing for certain. They were linked together in the Rose Destiny.

"That aside, something sinister also lurks within the school itself," Saito said.

"The student council." Mikey crossed his arms over his chest. He could still remember Marsha's speech at the assembly on the first day of school.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"Everyone, my name is Marsha Ripley. I'm your student council president. And as your student council president, it's my job to make sure the student council makes your time here at Duel Academy the best! That being said, we've got a whole bunch of events scheduled. Every Saturday night is movie night in room 201. Check the schedule outside the student council office to find out what's showing. Next we have a freshmen barbecue happening tomorrow at lunch. Free barbecue for all our new first years. This Friday we're holding a welcome back dance from eight to two in the evening. Everyone's invited to come. Lastly, we of the student council have begun a Duel Lottery. Every day, two students will be chosen at random and they'll have to duel before the day's over. The winner receives a prize put together by the student council."

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"This is merely speculation, but it might be tied to why Zetsubou attacked you in the library," Saito said. Mikey grimaced as he remembered the painful incident.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"Here we are..." Zetsubou waved Mikey into a back room of the library, closed for the night. "I found an interesting document Michael."

Mikey looked up at him. "Is it about what happened to Rena? About all the weird things happening?"

_Do it now Yukia._

_Do not fail me, rip him apart._

_Kage demands it, utilize me! Our pact is binding._

"Of course. But first, Michael!" Zetsubou dashed towards Mikey at a stride he couldn't have thought possible as he ran into a dead end within the library, "I can sense your fear, Michael. You're not the first I've dispatched." Zetsubou looked eerily calm in all of this, holding out his tome. "It gives so much history...so much knowledge. You think I didn't know what was going on?" Mikey took a step forward, Zetsubou chuckling, "And what do you expect to do you little mewling. You're no Crusader. Just a freak Kage wants dead. Nothing personal...but Mikomi's safety is paramount."

Mikey held out his hands, he wasn't sure what he was doing but he had to try to talk to Zetsubou, "You don't have to-" A sharp kick into his ribs with Mikey with such devastating force that he smashed into the wall and caused several books to tumble.

"Cut it! Stop reasoning with me! It won't save you..." To his surprise Michael stumbled to his feet, staggering against the wall. "Impossible. I know where I kicked and how hard. Five cracked ribs, you shouldn't be able to breathe." It was then he felt it, like a surging tide of power exuding from the boy. "Ahh...no wonder the Crone didn't train you. You're quite powerful enough on your own. She was easy prey, you'll be as well even if I'm not empowered."

"Wait...you killed...? You're the one who killed Rena!"

"I nearly did, I can't go and finish the job since the Telaris family somehow recovered. However she's in torpor, it's good enough for me at current. You however..." Zetsubou lifted up Michael by his shirt, tossing him to one side. "You see I made a pact long ago. A pact I cannot break else Mikomi will suffer and perish. My life is forfeit, the only thing that matters is hers."

Mikey staggered, gasping of air while looking at Zetsubou with anger on his face. "Why would you do such a stupid thing!" A fierce backhand knocked Mikey to the ground, yet Mikey charged and tackled him, sending them both to the ground before Mikey got up to his feet. Zetsubou rose, chuckling.

"Got a bit of fight in you I see. That is good." Zetsubou struck Mikey's knee, collapsing him and sending him writhing onto the floor.

"Why would I do such a thing!" He repeatedly kicked him again and again in his chest, stomping on his leg. Causing injury and pain and drawing out the moment with a glinting smile on his face. "Imagine if YOUR brother Gabriel was at Death's Door. Imagine this entire island was a cesspool of disease! No God, no amount of faith could EVER bring your brother back. He was ill with the very infection that claimed the island and you were somehow 'spared' its touch. Imagine Gabriel covered in pustules and bleeding black blood from EVERY PORE IN HIS BODY." He stomped on Mikey's head, and he growled in defiance but held fast as Zetsubou's shoe slid to his neck and pinned him with the heel.

His voice sounded like it was quavering. "Everyone...turned to a putrid rotted mush... I would let that HAPPEN to HER!" He glared down at the man he pinned with molten fury in his eyes and ferocity in his heart. "I prayed to anyone to save me. The darkness answered in kind. We were rescued by a leisure craft the next day... She was somehow cured. My pact was as thus, Michael Angel. Know why I do this. Know why I take your life."

He held the tome in both hands, using Mikey as a pedestal as he held it toward the heavens. "Hear me, anyone who cares! Take my life instead! Let me die! Save her! Please any just and loving creature in this Earth save her!" Tears streamed down Mikey's face and intermingled with the blood from the various cuts and scratched he incurred from Zetsubou beating him senseless, he understood the desperation in those words. He had literally nothing. No family, friends, and yet he tried so hard to protect her and survive in such an awful environment. "She has an entire life to lead! Please will anyone give me aid! ...Then something answered. My spirit was coin for its services, and Mikomi became well the next day. The quickest recovery I had ever seen from that damned experiment. A chosen knight of the Darkness is what it declared me. I serve it, and Mikomi becomes happy, healthy and free from the torment I must live."

A rising pressure was placed on Mikey's neck. "You must die as the darkness commands...as Kage commands. This book is what he gave me, this pact binds me..."

Mikey choked out in pain. "But...what if...he's using you..." He felt as though he whole body as one fire as Zetsubou threw him up against the wall by the back of his shirt. "SILENCE YOU INSECT! He had saved us, sent out those boats."

The fatigue steadily faded from Michael as he stepped forward, making Zetsubou take a step back and ready himself. How in the world was he still moving after all of that abuse he laid upon him! He held his hands out to the sides. "You don't have to kill me Zetsubou! If what you're saying is true then that Darkness never made a pact! It genuinely wanted to help you! Kage may have made up the pact!"

Shadows crept around Zetsubou, obscuring his features as a Duel Disk made from pitch black rose from the congealed shade on his arm as he loaded the same deck that silenced Rena. His eyes became black as night before pointing a finger at Mikey and smirking in a way that filled him with an icy dread. There was no reaching him now, he was actually going to die. "Enough of this idling banter Angel... In your state this Shadow Game will end you as it did Rena, then I'll have my pact stabilized another-"

"B...Brother?" A timid voice said from the doorway. Zetsubou spun around to see Mikomi holding back tears. What was she witnessing was something she could hardly comprehend. "What...what are you?"

"Mikomi..."

"You monster! You're not my brother!" She screamed at him, throwing a book from a shelf at him, "You...you couldn't have killed Rena! You're the kindest person I...I...no! It's not you!"

Zetsubou's shadows shuddered for a second, making her slide back as Nellie ran towards the door, however it shut, blocking Mikomi's escape as she whirled behind her and slammer her small fists against the door. Something was holding it closed, and she saw Nellie's face full of horror as the small window covered with shadows. She took out her little aluminum hairpin, battered and worn, and held it tight to her chest. "You made this for me...no killer can do that..."

Zetsubou was in shock. She saw him like this, did he undo whatever pact was made? It was then he heard something strange behind him...it was Mikey, he knew it. Yet it was more...malevolent, darker as he stood as if he was never harmed, though blood streaked down his face and his grinned just as he. "Well...not so much the exemplary brother are you?" Mikey then passed out, the vigor leaving his body as Mikomi ran in front of him.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"Including our most recent reclamation of the Red dorm." Mikey scratched his head. A lot had happened, but there were still pieces missing to the puzzle.

"We're getting nowhere right now," Saito said, "I suggest we just turn in."

"You're right," Mikey said, "Night Sammie. Kaiba." He left and the others returned to their rooms.

o o o

Nellie was going back to the Ra Yellow dorm on her own. She didn't accompany Coltyn, insisting she go get some Blue dorm food before she left. As she made her way up the steps of the front door, she did not notice she was being watched. In the distance, a man in white robes observed her, his face obscured by a mask.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Nellie finds herself in more trouble than she realizes when someone attempts to capture her. She knows not the reason, but will do anything to avoid being caught. It's a game of cat and mouse next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	109. Judgment of Ash

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-22**

**Judgment of Ash**

Zetsubou ran through the forests at breakneck speed, the sounds of revving motorbikes behind him. Nicky's maniacal laughter echoed behind him as he crouched low in the shade of the moonless night, slowing down his breathing as he waited for them both. He knew Terry would be there, he always was. Recca couldn't understand that he had to leave the Dual Rose for a time, he couldn't put anyone else in danger after his sister, that was no longer an option for him. He reached in the pocket of his mottled leggings, getting out a strong black cord while affixing his face mask.

Zetsubou had been astonished that they had found him as soon as they did. He had assumed that hiding at the Dual Rose, right in plain sight, was the safest bet. He had not been tracked down there yet, and he had assumed Kage had moved his search farther. He didn't expect them to have been waiting for him to step his foot out the door. For the entire day Zetsubou had been on the run, the roar of revving motorcycles behind him at every turn. He would dive into a river, slip behind some bushes, or climb along the beachside cliffs and perform every elusive tactic he had learned as an assassin, but still he felt their presence on him. Zetsubou cursed his luck every moment and knew that running was not the option. Not now, as he slumped in some brush with his pursuers drawing near.

"Oi' Terry! A round for who finds the blighter first?" Nicky said while getting out several bottles with cloth protruding out of the necks. Terry chuckled and tossed Nicky a lighter, "Much obliged, mate. Scoot over!" He lit two of the bottles holding them in either hand, "Ya know ol' friend, that cheap gutterslut Kage set us w' taught me a valuable lesson!"

Terry looked at Nicky with bleary eyes, it was clear he was drinking, "Oh yeah! What was that!"

Zetsubou grabbed two stones and eyed the bottles carefully as Nicky took a step forward, "No forest, no place for Brian Molko to 'ide!" he threw the bottles high up in the air, but before they entered the woods Zetsubou let the stones fly out, shattering both bottles and stopping an environmental disaster, "Ha! Told you 'e's 'ere, love!"

Zetsubou had a puzzled look as he felt a dart hit him in the back of the neck, "I found our little 'Ninja'..." a female voice said before he felt himself hit the oddly warm ground. He felt himself being dragged way out of the forest, two days of evading them ruined by a foolish mistake.

o o o

Reko stretched while working the Dual Rose, his little home away from home. "Alrighty. Eight fifty, angels," he cherrily said to the Slifer Red girls he catered to, happily giving him their money and giggling amongst one another while he dreamily stared out at them. It was morning, and the patrons slowed to a crawl as many were already in their classes.

"You know if you stare real hard at them their skirts may just evaporate," Saito said from the corner of the store in a cold tone, glaring at Reko. Of course much to Saito's dismay his comment had the equivalent of throwing a feather in front of a moving car, Reko making a comment about what else would fall off if he looked harder, he really wasn't listening too hard to his idiotic ranting. There was honestly so much of the Telaris teen Saito could take, he reminded him of another Duelist around the island who gave himself off as a ladies man and had libido far surpassing his intelligence. However in Reko's case he had a certain charm and wit to him, as was being demonstrated by him leaning over and just talking and getting to know some girls from Obelisk Blue. Wes was next to him, doing some homework as he noticed Saito had stopped reading his newspaper.

"What's up?" Wes said curiously as he noticed Saito was just...watching Reko.

"Observing Reko's...charm. Look at that, that's never going to work. I think he's trying to woo three girls. The ones from the fourth floor."

"Oh, I've heard about them, the ones great with Pseudomathematics. Never really got their names. Actually, don't think they'd have much of an interest...for..."

Saito held up a hand, silencing Wes as Reko walked out of the store with the three redheads Wes was talking about, Recca manning the shop as Mika came downstairs dressed like a French maid alongside Recca as she went to helping with patrons. That would have been interesting to Wes had he and his friend not just seen Reko swoop up three girls like a bird of prey. Saito was red in the face, "I...don't...believe that!"

Recca looked towards Saito curiously, "Believe what?"

Saito tossed his newspaper on top of Wes, who calmly refolded it and set it on Saito's part of the table, "You're honestly going to tell me you just didn't see Reko walk out of this shop with those three!"

Recca polished a glass, smiling, "...Oh...I get it. Man jealousy."

Saito was stunned, making a low growl as Wes looked up and responded to his ire with a nonchalant shrug and stating simply, "Oh god Ms. Telaris, you did it." Saito gave an icy glare towards Recca, the older woman laughing a bit.

"I. Am NOT jealous. To...that. You've seen what he does! Does he do it more back in San Francisco!" Saito picked up his newspaper as Recca stopped him with an arm.

"Well now, you just wait a second. I know Reko's...charming. However I know why you're a bit jealous. You think you're not charming! That Sammie might just...up and skedaddle! Did I hit the nail on the noodle?" Recca nodded solidly while Mika went behind her to make something consisting of many fruits. Saito shook his head and expelled a long sigh.

"What kind of comment is that? I'm incredibly charming."

Wes coughed once, making Saito glare at him, "What? Just something in my throat."

"Well. I've seen the things you and Sammie do at times, it looks...bland, no offense to you Mr. Kaiba... Why not ask Reko for some moves? I think you'll be pleasantly surprised how a different view and perspective can be."

Saito was silent for a good while before speaking, "Let me be a blunt as I can. I am not asking your son, Reko Telaris, for anything of the sort involving Love Advice. That is out of the question."

Mika spoke, "Why? He is quite good at what he does."

Saito turned red, shaking his head before placing a twenty on the bar, "Keep the change, Miss Telaris. Come on Wes." The two of them left as Recca gave a smirk.

Mika, who was curious, looked towards her and asked, "Why did he look all flustered when I told him Reko was good at doing what he does?"

Recca gave a boisterous fit of laughter before walking over to greet a teacher who had walked in, "Welcome Mr. Hassleberry! Finally lured you in, hm? Take a seat, I'll be on my way to see you in just a minute!", Mr. Hassleberry stammered at Recca's gossamer outfit, and merely slid over to sit where Saito and Wes sat moments before.

o o o

"Hm? What's that Nellie?" Wes was in his dorm quickly searching through his drawers for a textbook. Finding it, he placed it in his bag and walked back out into the hallways and towards the elevators, "You feel like you're being watched? ...There? Okay, calm down," he stepped into the elevators and hit the ground floor as Nellie was on the other line speaking quickly. "That's crazy. if something was stalking you it wouldn't attack in broad daylight," stepping outside he checked his watch, it was ten in the morning and certainly not anytime he heard of that the people they are currently skirmishing with do any sort of movement, "Okay, okay. I'll come get you in your classroom. Of course. I love you too, Nellie.", he shook his head as he ended the phone call with her, and behind him he heard Reko's voice.

"Of course. Bye Anastasia! Bye Luann! And goood bye my lovely Tina!", he was walking backwards, waving at the three redheads Wes saw hours earlier as they walked towards the main building. He spun on his heel to face Wes, "Oh...howdy Wes. What brings you...", Reko noticed Wes uniform and shrugged, "Right. Uniform. Dumb question."

Wes noticed Reko's proud expression, and rose a solitary eyebrow, "So what happened in there?"

Reko grinned like a dog, striding past him and down towards the main building as he waved towards a Ra Yellow teacher who waved back happily. Wes kept his distance, but couldn't help but listen in to the conversation. Reko had a real flair for what he called 'Love and Passion' and apparently he had it to point he could probably outclass an Incubus.

"Well, well, if it isn't Reko Telaris!" a woman had hair a coppery blonde, kept short with eyes like emeralds. She wore a golden outfit lined with white, the standard for many faculty teaching in the Ra Yellow student body. A leather case was kept to one side, and her arms hugged around Reko as the lavender haired man exchanged the favor, "I haven't seen you for a week sugar dumplin'!" her voice had a southern accent, and Reko took a step back from the thin woman.

"Ms. Bellflower as I live and breathe. How have things been?" Wes remembered hearing something of a Ra Yellow teacher being with Reko romantically for a time. Was that the woman? Before he could finish his thought the teacher spoke "It's been mighty quiet since Mikomi hasn't been coming around. It sure is awful nice of y'all to take her in though. I'm mighty proud of ya."

"Oh..." Reko turned a little red as he scratched the back of his head and then adjusted his lavender sunglasses, "You know me. I'm always doin' what I can."

Wes couldn't believe it. He was acting embarrassed by the whole event? the teacher ruffled his hair and pulled by the front of his fishnet shirt a little, "Maybe you come down to my office? I got something real nice to give you for all you've done for that little dumpling and her brother!"

Reko laughed, shrugging, "Uh...sure thing Ms. Bellflower!" the two of them walked into the Ra Yellow dorm. Wes was as stunned as Saito was as the three Obelisk Blue girls strode past him on their way to classes.

"Isn't that Reko such a cutie?"

"I wonder if he's seeing anyone?"

"Oh god he's sooooo smart too! Brains and Body!"

Wes, for a rare moment in his life, was speechless. He normally had a thought he kept to himself, but not now. As he drew a blank on how to class the entire situation, he made his way on where Nellie was waiting for him.

o o o

Zetsubou felt the dripping of water tapping against his cheek as he slowly came to out of the tranquilizers. He felt his arms bound and a sunshaft warming his hair. He stood, scarping his fingernail against the...chain bound to his arms, that was a new one. Where was he exactly? He looked out at the natural cave walls, probably somewhere out in the woods, maybe in the mountains. Either way once he got his bearings he could figure out exactly where the Dual Rose was and how far away to get from it. He shook his arms lightly...the chains felt loose, in fact he wiggled out of them in less than five seconds. As the useless lump of metal fell to the ground, he noticed a small note attached to one of the bars.

_It'd be no fun if you couldn't get out._

_I gave you one freebie._

_Don't let me down, I hear such lovely things about you._

_- C_

Zetsubou cursed to himself, that unseemly upstart was on to him even now. Nicky and Terry were loud hooting thugs in his eyes, barely worth notice and certainly easy to evade. He brushed off his clothing, took the chain that bound him, and wrapped it around his waist. He looked around one final time, taking the scarf around his neck and pulling it close to his face before dashing out of the small cave into the woods once more.

Elsewhere, a young woman was watching him through binoculars, grinning slyly as she tapped lightly on a tree trunk. Terry came out, from behind the tree, hoisting a hunting rifle as he slid in several high powered cartridges. Nicky came from a direction she wasn't aware of or perhaps didn't bother to acknowledge, carrying a similar firearm. He went out of range, and she said simply with a sly smirk, "Go get his head." She may have laughed when they happily advanced forward while she went her own way. This day would be quite eventful indeed, her quarry needed all the power he could get.

o o o

Judgement knelt in the darkness of the cave. With Terry and Nicky out hunting Zetsubou, he had been left behind to his thoughts and his prayers. Kage sat in the shadows watching him, listening to his chants as they slowly and silently escaped his unseen lips and seemed to seep out through his mask. This was what the robed man was like when he was in deep meditation. Judgement always said this prayer many times over and over before every mission. A low, simple chant at first that rose into a roaring cacophony of syllables and energies that tore at the soul and resonated within your every bone. Standing, he strode out of the cavern hideout with nothing more than the wind parting in his wake, steadily walking towards the Academy. His God required a fresh body, the other force aligned with Him had supplied one.

Kage watched as Judgement faded in the dusty crags of the mountain rage they made home in, giving an introspective look towards all the endless sigil and scrawls there where he gave tribute. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something odd that always happened was the fresh smell of blood though the blood itself was missing. As much as Kage wanted to visit the Academy personally in his own way, he knew that they had to wait. Prepare. Observe. He nearly wept with joy when he finally got the order to advance, slowly. Two people needed to be claimed first off.

He strode back into the pitch hell of the cavern, indigo fire lighting the cavern walls by a small spell taught to him by Kel'aral. The first soul that was required was Zetsubou Tejinashi. Oh how he reviled that man for seeing through his carefully concealed ruses. His 'pacts' and 'oaths' reduced to the nothingness that the lies contained therein. The man shared many of the traits that he did, ruthlessness and a savage cunning, a singular drive to claim whatever he wished and to destroy any that got in his way. None of that concerned him, he wasn't jealous that Zetsubou and him may have been one and the same had Mikomi succumbed to the disease on that testing site. He was concerned of the information compromised by his defection over to the Rose Crusaders, over to the insufferable Maiden, Recca Telaris. The White Rose card he had was theirs now, but they still held the Black Rose in Reign. All would be fine for the time being, but Kage had bigger fish to fry. As long as Reign drew breath, they could not lose.

He walked into the main chambers at the bottom of their lair, as much as he hated and despised the term. A large gate of black metal covered in insane scrawls lined two columns, a distortion in the air between them. This was their way to Ardent, the world of the Duel Monsters. A few weeks back, he made a effigy of pure sin in Nicky, and cast him through the harry Reka and the others with her. It worked to an extent, they finally slowed things down on her end to the point where they could even concieve this assault, rather than hold back and lurk as they normally would. Damned Council only wants the Academy and the power it holds, why can't they see the true extent of the power offered to them.

In that comment, he gave pause...and smiled.

Why can't he simply show them the power they could have.

He laughed. Yes, that would be grand.

In Nellie, he would have the perfect means of persuasion.

o o o

"Well...I don't know too much about that." Wes was talking to Nellie as they walked through the hallways to their next class. She was quaking, and walking slowly, a stark contrast to her normally energetic and carefree self. She looked behind her shoulder suddenly, hearing Reko talking to the same teacher Wes saw moment before. Wes picked up a bit of a conversation between them.

"That was just what I needed, darlin'."

He heard Reko laugh, "Told ya. Magic hands."

Wes couldn't get this nagging feeling in the back of his head to go away, he had to know. Thankfully, they stood in front of Nellie's next class, "Nellie. You're overreacting about all of this."

She looked up at him with dewy eyes, hugging him, "I keep seeing him. That creepy big guy in the robe... The mask.", she shook in his arms, and Reko walked back to the both of them.

"Oh...sorry, just remembered that Nell... Bad time," he waved back to Ms. Bellflower, who strode into a faculty lounge with a smile and a wink. He gave a small laugh, pocketing some money in his hand. Both he and Wes heard Nellie quietly saying something.

Wes nodded, nodding to Reko as he joined the two of them. They walked from the classroom, in minutes they were back outside as the lavender haired one checked the time with a sleek silver phone. It was nearly noon, "So...I notice classes aren't done. You not feeling good Nellie?"

They were all silent. Reko never really liked the awkward silence, it foretold thing that were going to be rough for them all in the near future. Nellie was normally a ball of energy that they all could rely on for some positive reinforcement. He guessed though, that everyone must buckle under sometime. In what seemed like a few moments time to him, mostly due to the large headphone on his head playing various chiptunes, they were at the Blue Dorm. He stood in the lobby for a time before Wes came down alone. They stood outside, sitting on a comfortable bench in the commons outside. Reko reached into his bag and grabbed an orange and a bottle of tea, biting into the peel and removing most of it with his teeth alone, "So...Wes."

"Reko, are you a prostitute or something?" Wes said bluntly.

There was an awkward pause, and Reko adjusted his glasses, "...What?" Wes was quiet, making Reko laugh, "No. What make you think that?"

Wes reached into Reko's bag, pulling out a bottle of lotion that halfway stuck out of the bag, "Oh...come on Reko."

Reko turned red, "No no no no no...you got it... Okay, jiminy I'll tell you."

"Do you know what the hell would happen if Chancellor Rhodes found out about what you do?"

"What do you mean? She's one of my customers, nothin' wrong with that."

Wes coughed, already in the middle of a bottle of water, "...W...what. She's a married woman, Reko. That's sick!" to his horror Reko only rose an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't know about that. I mean, I do up Cassie pretty well too."

Wes was mortified, paling a shade as Reko's alarm beeped with a happy Vocaloid sound, "Oh geez! There's my next appointment I have to go see Mr. Hassleberry in minute, I'll catch ya later!" he sprinted down the road towards the Gymnasium. Wes' water bottle clattered against the pavement, as he slowly stood and walked back towards the Dual Rose with a blank expression.

o o o

Tobias was sitting in the nurse's office in only his pants as Miss Frost tended to his latest set of wounds. He winced as she cleaned them with rubbing alcohol before applying a healing ointment and then covering them with bandages. "Honestly, I don't know how you wind up here every day, Mr. Kozato," the nurse and religion teacher said as she rubbed some cream over some dark bruises on his back.

"I wonder that myself," Tobias muttered. He turned his head and looked in a nearby mirror. He looked pathetic. Three new scratches had appeared on right cheek, the left side of his jawline was throbbing, several bruises covered his right ribs, his hands were badly scraped when he was thrown onto a gravel pathway, and he had a black eye. He couldn't remember the last time he hadn't gone through a single school day without getting beaten up.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you never suffer any broken bones," said Miss Frost.

"That makes two of us," Tobias answered quietly. That was a lie. He had his right arm broken once three years ago and his right leg in his final month of ninth grade. He was thankful that nothing he endured was life-threatening, but it certainly hurt like hell. He honestly never knew a day when he wasn't bullied.

When he was told to remove his pants, Tobias quietly obliged so Miss Frost could treat any injuries he sustained on his legs. Luckily he had worn jeans that day, so he had received no scrapes, scratches, or cuts. However, even denim failed to protect him against the blunt blows of kicks and punches. "How many times were you kicked in the groin today, Mr. Kozato?"

"Four..." Miss Frost handed Tobias a tube of ointment before she tended to the bruises on his legs. He knew what this was for and placed it in his hoodie pocket. Half an hour later, the school nurse pulled away and announced he was free to go. Tobias quietly slipped his pants back on and walked over to the coat hook where the rest of his clothes hung.

"Sometimes I wish I wasn't on the student council," he thought out loud, "I must be the lousiest public relations rep in school history."

"I'm sure things will get better over time," Miss Frost assured him. Tobias slipped his undershirt on and then pulled his hoodie over his head.

"Doubt it," he muttered. After putting on his school jacket, he said his farewells and left. Tobias returned to the Ra Yellow dorm and went straight to his room. Upon entering he locked his door tight. He got enough abuse from his fellow students in school; he didn't need them harassing him while he slept. Tobias sighed and walked to his dresser to stare at himself in the mirror. He was a complete and utter mess. He gingerly brushed his fingers against his black eye and winced as the pain shot through him at the slightest touch. He lowered his hand and dropped onto his bed. He raised his head and looked at the photos he had on his dresser.

Tobias reached up and grabbed one. It showed a man with hair like his wearing glasses standing next to a woman with green eyes. In front of them was a young boy with ruby red hair and a big smile holding hands with a girl about two years younger than him smiling happily at the camera. He could feel tears starting to well up in his eyes. He buried his face in his pillow and wiped them off on his pillow case.

The familiar tune of the refrain of _Boom Boom Boom Boom_ by the Vengaboys reached his ears and Tobias grabbed his cellphone. He didn't bother checking the caller ID. He already knew who it was. _I really need to change that ringtone_, he thought as he flipped his phone open and brought it up to his ear.

"Toby boy!"

"Hi Uncle Cliff," he said monotonously.

"How's it going, champ?"

"Great," Tobias replied unenthusiastically.

"You doing good in school?"

"Same old, same old."

"Get any girls?"

"Uncle Cliff!"

"I'm just saying. At this rate, people'll start thinking you're..."

"I get it," Tobias interrupted, "Did you want something, Uncle Cliff?"

"Oh you know. Same stuff."

"Is Auntie Rose there?"

"Sure is. One sec." Tobias waited. After a minute had passed, he could finally hear movement on the other side. "Hi Toby."

"Hi Auntie Rose," Tobias said warmly. He liked talking to his aunt. She was the one person in the world he felt understood him.

"How are you doing, dear? Are you alright? Are you eating properly? How are your grades? Are those kids beating you again?"

"One question at a time, Auntie Rose."

"I'm sorry, dear. I get a little carried away."

"Yeah, I noticed. But yeah, my grades are good and yeah I'm doing well in school, but I'm not okay." Tobias recounted the injuries he had received since he had last spoken to his aunt while she listened patiently. When he finished, he could tell automatically what was going through her head.

"I wish I could be there for you, Toby."

"I know, auntie. I know. But just talking to you really helps."

"I know it's been hard for you ever since your mom, dad, and sister..."

"Auntie, please stop," Tobias pleaded. He clutched the photo closer to his chest.

"Sorry, dear."

"It's okay..." Tobias held the photo tighter, "Look auntie, I gotta get going. I have homework to do."

"Okay, Toby. You take care now."

"Bye, Auntie Rose." Tobias hung up and turned off his phone. He set it on the dresser and looked at the photo again. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes again. This time, he let them out.

o o o

Recca blinked a few times at Wes' accusation, "You think my son is a... Wowzie. Really?", the store was full to bursting, and somehow her and Mika were handling the entire situation at the store with almost zero waiting between customers. Wes envied this kind of efficiency, and he could tell that Recca had been plying this trade for years. He could understand why, the Telaris family was very charismatic. He just didn't think its son was...oddly Charismatic.

"No doubt in my mind, Ms. Telaris."

"Well Wes dear, believe me when I say that-"

"Miss Recca? Are the smoothies up yet! I need to get more apricots!", Mika said as she ran back into the kitchen. Recca looked back and sighed, "Oh man, we are busier than beavers in here today. Wes you have nothing to worry about. Reko isn't a horrible person like that."

"What do you mean?", Wes found this a cop out if he ever heard one. If his accusation held clout then Reko was some kind of sex fiend who had his strange way with eight people so far this day alone.

Recca gave her best cheery smile before disappearing in the back ,"He does his thing to me all the time too! Feels great! See ya sweetie!"

Wes felt sick, walking out of the store. He looked towards his phone and called Saito, this day finally had a grievous toll on him.

o o o

Zetsubou heard only the sounds of birds and the rustling of plantlife in full concert as he stalked the forest floor like a jungle cat. He saw him, Terry, head shaved and trying to see him within the foliage he wasn't even hiding in. He threw his voice, tripped him up with some chains, trying to put the fear in him. Terry fired off seven rounds so far, that gun only had seven. He laughed, finally leaping up out of the tall ferns in the forest as Terry whirled around and his rifle made an audible click.

Sometimes Zetsubou loved his talents.

His foot hit Terry's forehead with audible force, sending Terry tumbling backwards as Zetsubou kept up the moment, kicking from him to a tree and then back to his chest. A sharp crack was heard and the rattle of chain as Terry lurched forward and then was pressed against the forest floor. Cold iron was felt on his neck before he froze up to a voice in his ear belonging to the black haired man who tricked him so easily, "Sleep." The chain suddenly jerked back, Terry foaming and spitting as his vision got blurry. Several gunshots rang out, scaring him off as a woman suddenly gave chase, the two of them disappearing in the underbrush.

He sprinted as fast as he could, but was stunned to see that she was keeping pace with him. A knife grazed his arm to clatter against a rock wall. He turned and faced her, knife in hand but she was gone. Her voice rang out across the trees, "So Tejinashi! You want to run away so fast my friend?"

Zetsubou spat on the ground, "What the hell makes you think I'm running?"

A blur dashed out from a tree, firing several darts at him before leaping back towards a bush in the forest floor. Zetsubou evaded them with a quick sidestep, but dived towards the bush blade in hand, stunned to see that no one was in it. He heard mocking laughter, and he closed his eyes as she spoke.

"Don't think you can leave Kage so easily. Orders are to bring you to him with a girl. I order Terry and Nicky to kill you instead, gives them reason to come out in the sun."

Zetsubou threw the knife, disappearing in the foliage as she made a shocked shriek for a split second. He picked up a rock with a sharp point, "I throw my voice too. It won't work," he saw blood trickling the side of a tree and kept his comments to himself, "We are now matched up one for one Charlie," he pointed to the cut on his arm, "I'm going to kill your comrades, I'll see you later."

Charlie cursed her underestimating of Zetsubou Tejinashi. He wasn't rusty a single bit. He vanished in the brush, no doubt to eliminate those bumbling decoys she laid out.

o o o

Nellie woke up weary and worn in the dorm room. She couldn't sleep, even though she heard Wes say so himself that everything in this facility was secure and top of the line. Getting up, she stepped over to her bathroom and with a few button presses started up the shower. She was never going to get used to a push button shower at all, no matter how many times she operated it. Getting out of her clothes and inside the shower was nearly a relief as the hot water soother her muscles, the vapor helped her breathe easier. For ten minutes she stood there, just enjoying it and letting her mind drift. A smile almost crossed her lips before his turned it off and stood outside.

Right into a leather gloved hand that looked more like a crushing arm. Her breathing was instantly cut off as her nude frame was slammed against the wall of her bathroom. She blearily saw Judgement's mask clamly watch as she started to cough up blood. She was then tossed to the floor, right into her...bed? She heard something, an alarm clock.

She blinked, did she have a nightmare? Looking at the time on her clock it was seven in the evening. She rose up slowly, hearing a knock on the door. After a moment, she heard Saito's voice on the other side.

"I know you're there Nellie."

Nellie slowly opened the door, smirking softly to Saito as he let himself in. He never really did bother to ask permission, much to her dismay. Then again, she wouldn't either if she wasn't in this funk. They both shared an awkward silence as Nellie spoke first, "I had a dream where that big guy was killing me. The one in the robe. I...I was...I couldn't..."

Saito sat across from where she sat on her bed. He was a fair distance away, in a computer chair and looking out at the students mingling with each other outside. He didn't look towards Nellie. He didn't want to admit it, but seeing her like that brought him down a great deal, "Judgement?"

The longing silence, along with her rapid breathing already confirmed it, "Get somewhere safe. Dual Rose. Get Recca."

Nellie shook her head, with caused him to furrow his brow, "Why not." Saito was beyond discussion for this. He witnessed Judgements relentless strategy, and yet only Mikey was able to barely etch out a victory. He wondered constantly whether it was only because Mikey found a flaw, or only because Judgement had allowed himself to be beaten as part of a higher plan. Rena had him consider that angle in many previous matches, and if Judgement was truly on the offensive. He rose, grabbing Nellie's wrist as she looked up in fear into his piercing glare.

"As long as we're alive, we won't let you be taken by him. Or anyone."

"S...Saito."

Saito wondered how this happened, why he and a few others were chosen. Why his family history was intertwined in Reko's, and apparently in a bizarre chain that everyone he knew on an island had a part to play in all of this. He pulled Nellie up onto her feet, and saw the look of terror in her eyes. He remembered what Rena told him, that he and fifteen others have to protect all they hold dear against a coming storm. His chest tightened, he knew that even he himself felt hesitant about all of this.

Tragically for Judgement, he only felt stronger from the fear. In time, he would have to lead the Crusaders of White with Wes, as she said.

"Get there," Saito said as the two of them left her dorm.

o o o

Judgement strode through the woods towards the Dual Rose, his eyes peering at the shop in a way no one else could quite perceive. He saw flickering auras and lights dancing across it as people strode into the shop. He noticed the tell tale white and red auras of the Telaris family, those two colors shaping the family after His first arrival. Something else caught his eye in subtle flickers of arcing gray light, almost masterful in its execution. Where Recca's wards were meant to repel, those were meant to severely harm anyone such as he. It may have been the work of the priestess Mika. If everything was to fall into place, he could not leave Nellie enter that area. The sun gave way into twilight, Nellie running as fast as she could towards the Dual Rose.

It was then he made his appearance, blocking her way on the road and terrifying several students. He bowed politely, in his deep voice stating, "You have one chance to come peacefully."

Nellie froze, shaking her head lightly.

"Tragic. He desires you." He then strode towards her as he gave chase across the island.

o o o

Wes quickly moved across campus as soon as he received Saito's call to get him back into the Dual Rose. He was wondering why they were all going there so frequently in these times. Reko sprinted past him at full speed, spinning around to wave to Wes before slowing to a stop towards a pigtailed woman, bowing and getting a ring on his cell phone. The woman looked crestfallen as he ran with a more serious look on his face. It looks like Reko's exploits got cut short, it makes sense if Judgement is stalking Nellie. Yet why Nellie, what did she have to contribute to their insane plans?

He thought about that as he neared the shop, he noticed a more disturbing trend as well. The Student Council was throwing its weight around more than usual recently, ever since Marsha took up the lead. The Duel Lotteries often included those that concerned his friends, or people he had known pitted against old rivals or each other. Could it be that event and Judgement were related? How could they be, how did it connect? It seemed to match up nicely though. The Council would tie up them with various events and buy the true enemy time to gather. Recca couldn't cause a big scene with a Crusade with the students here, especially if she wanted such matters to remain a secret, with good reason. He rested a hand on his deck box hanging from his belt. If everyone what true power these cards could have, it'd be devastating on levels that he couldn't fathom.

Yet while Recca was bolstering up her defenses and the council was busy stalling them, until recently Zetsubou was moving within the shadows. He was aiding them furthering their plans by eliminating targets one by one, yet he now aided Recca by being a source of information about their mutual enemy. He had managed to take out Rena, the one who taught he and Saito to combat these supernatural forces. Though that also had a flaw, if Rena had the powers of precognition and was able to steep herself in an ocean of 'magic' for lack of a better term, then why couldn't she train all them as Rose Crusaders? Why only two?

Reko and he walked into the store at around the same time, Saito looking at them both, "Nellie."

Reko blinked a few time, "...Sorry?"

"Where's Nellie!"

He looked at Wes, and then Saito, "Oh...oh man.", it was then Wes' phone vibrated. He glanced over at Saito and then to Recca, who shared their concern, "Boys, what's wrong with Nellie?"

o o o

Zetsubou felt himself burning with exertion, sliding down a small bank onto a river bed as he caught his breath. His long raven colored hair stuck to his face, with Nicky hooting behind him and firing several shots dangerously close to him, "Run run as fast as ya can! Don't give a shit, I'm the one with a high powered rifle!"

He didn't understand how they kept catching up to him. Nicky especially, he knew Terry was out for the count after he dived out from a treetop and proceeded to smash his head into a nicely placed boulder for several minutes. He had ran into Charlie about sixteen times, each ending in the two on them trading blows. He had dismantled all of her weaponry as she brandished it accordingly, but he failed to catch how well she caught onto unarmed combat as well. They kept trading blows, and he was fairly certain they did an entire lap across the terrain of the island giving each other cracked ribs and debilitated limbs. He ran to the farthest point from the shop, woudned and exhausted as the quarry Charlie tried to make him out as. Nicky grabbed a small sphere from his belt and pulled out a pin on top with a cackle, tossing it into the riverbed.

He paled as he noticed that Charlie had given them grenades as well, kicking off with legs that felt more like lead as the explosion knocked him forwards and into the shallow stream. Nicky slid down, knocking a shot off into his leg, "That's about as far as you go, ya insufferibly mangy wank."

Charlie lifted up his head lightly, "Let him live Nicky. Death is too good for him, how about Kage gives him a firm talking to?"

Zetsubou had a battle plan on how to break her arm, but Nicky's rifle butt in the back of his head put a sharp stop to that.

o o o

Nellie dashed into her dorm room. Judgement's voice echoing throughout the area, "You deal with power you cannot possibly understand."

The doors locked all around her, trapping her in her room as the shadow seemed to writhe with life and blot out all traces of light. Judgement stood in front of her, with Nellie falling on her backside and crawling away from him, "No one escapes Judgment Nellie. Not a soul. No one can contact you here. We are in His Realm now."

Nellie looked to her phone in horror and screamed as Judgement strode to her and pinned her to the floor with one hand, "Rejoice..."

Nellie screamed as he realized she was sinking into the floor as Judgement gave a deep bellowing laughter, "Rejoice..."

Nellie saw fading glimmers and felt cold, icy nothingness around her as she finally passed out, the floor swallowing her and leaving a bloody carpet stain the size of her body. He closed his eyes as felt the world revert to normalcy. She would live, her body and mind tasted and savored by Him as he made his way back to the mountains. She would be deposited upon the altar, conditioned and shattered. How fortuitous for her, he was only able to commune with His Almighty, she was able to actually witness him firsthand.

o o o

Wes and Saito walked into Nellie's room at night, looking around as it looked completely unharmed. Wes and Saito shared glances while Wes punched the wall, "I should have believed her earlier Saito. If I knew it until now."

His friend was quiet, "They aren't going to get away with this Wes. You know that."

He nodded briefly, "I know."

The left her room, locking it behind them.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The disappearance of Nellie has not gone unnoticed. As everyone in the school searches for her, Recca decides to take the opportunity to do some investigating of her own. Taking Hayley as her assistant, they embark together on a quest to find the missing girl. But something else seems to be on Recca's mind. Watch the suspense unfold next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	110. Saving Nellie

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

March 2011 ban rules effective as of this chapter.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-23**

**Saving Nellie**

Mikey sat in the Red dorm's mess hall tapping the glass of water in front of him with his finger. He could hear Gabe and Spencer in the kitchen area talking as they cleaned.

"Fuck, they couldn't have cleaned this place on their own?" Gabe asked.

"Hey, it's your fault we're back here," Spencer replied, "If you hadn't gotten caught, we wouldn't be here."

"A man's got needs."

"You do it in our room! Not outside behind the girls' dorm!"

"You hate it when I do it in our room."

"They use a stall in the bathroom I don't know!"

"Can you guys hurry up?" Mikey yelled from his table, "Wes needs us to help him find Nellie so finish up so we can get out of here!"

"Right. Sorry bro," Gabe apologized, "I just gotta finish wiping this counter and I'm done." He took a spray bottle and sprized some of the solution onto the countertop before sweeping it with his rag. What he saw caused him to take a step back in surprise.

"Damn! This counter's not black! It's white!" Spencer looked over at it.

"Must be soot," he thought out loud. He took Gabe's rag and gave it another wipe, revealing a green surface. "Huh. So the counter's green. That must've been lard."

"You sure it isn't anything else?" Gabe asked.

"We're in a kitchen," Spencer said, knowing exactly what Gabe meant, "A lot of grease travels in the air." He gave it another wipe and exposed a brown surface. "Holy... That green stuff must've been some kind of weird algae."

At this point, Gabe's surprise turned into disgust and he pleaded to his roommate, "Please tell me that brown stuff is wood."

"Oh good grief," moaned Mikey. He was about to bang his head against the table, but then stopped when the realization that the surface might not have been as clean as he had hoped hit him. "Just leave it and go!" he yelled, abandoning his glass of water and heading outside.

o o o

Reko was calm, polietly directly patrons this way and that and serving them in a red suit with a white rose, his hair tied in a loose braid, ragged as it strained to be. Mika was down in the basement, observing the red glow of Recca's forge. She saw a face in Recca that she didn't even know existed since this morning, like a switch was turned on. Hayley had come in earlier with Max, both of them frightened and telling her that Nellie was kidnapped by Judgement. Reko offered to watch the store and keep up the scene, while Recca pulled her forcefully into the basement and placed a large leather bound tome full of words she did not recognize into her hands. Since that morning she had been placing pieces of beautiful steel armor in her forge for an instant, taking it out while rubbling a type of oil into it as she kept saying some sort of chant. Recca looked completely angry, was it at Judgement and the others for attacking when they did? They had to play defensively lest they alarm the entire school, but this is not what she had in mind. Recca didn't think for a second that they would have the gall to perform so blatant an act.

Zetsubou didn't return from his personal investigation either, that meant in her duty as a Crusader that she had to believe he was dead. All the better to vindicate her hatred for her Order's antagonist. Finishing an beautifully etched helm of steel and mail, she sat the entire outfit to one side on top of a folded mass of red leather. She then looked at Mika, calmly pointing to a large flanged mace about five feet long, with an intimidating head comprising a fifth of that. Mika calmly handed it to her, and she held the weapon with a sort of hallowed pride that couldn't quite be put into words. She splashed more oil onto the head, chanting alongside with Mika before setting it too to one side, all next to a crossbow of cherry wood, complete with a quiver of formidable looking bolts.

"Ms. Telaris...I had heard Zetsubou tell you that Kage knows you're an important individual. The Maiden of Telaris. ...what does that mean, excatly?"

Recca laughed, glacing over at Mika, "Kage thinks I am a Maiden? Mika...there's more to our history than what Rena said. Lots, really...I don't have time to explain now though."

"I have heard them say Maiden, Crone...if I am to guess...", Mika looked over at Recca who was donning padded linen, "This is referring to a legend?"

Recca giggled again, somewhat breaking her anger for a time, "No, they use Maiden and Crone because it relates perfectly. Rena who would be the Crone, I the Mother and Reka my daughter the Maiden. I guess that tale relates nicely though, hm."

Mika's eyes widened, "So...what are you?"

Recca winked, holding out her arms, "I'll tell you after you arm me. Next page, the phases to the right of the picture of the flaming sword. Chant that Canticle while you do it."

Mika's eyes scanned the tome, noting the scriptures within before looking up at her, "Why can't I go with you? I want to fight these people, and I know Reko does too. They manipulated Zetsubou, they took Nellie as a direct challenge to us! We can't stay idle!"

Recca clutched her fists white knuckled as she gave a firm nod, "You will guard my son. He is paramount to all of this along with the others. I have another in mind for guarding my side, she doesn't even know it yet either."

o o o

Screams. Zetsubou woke from his long sleep to the sounds of screams echoing through cavernous mountain caves. The walls were slick with the watery residue of the Earth. Zetsubou's eyes cringed and his ears felt like they would split as he heard each scream piercing his heart with their deafening strength. He had been dreaming of a picnic in a happier time with Mikomi by his side. He would have never woken from that dream had it not been for the screams that came from...

It was only then that Zetsubou realized that he was the one screaming. His mind snapping back to his body, having been raked with pain for several hours. The shadows hook and pierced his flesh, though they left no marks and drew no blood. He felt the darkness of every corner creep over him and burn him like fire and cut him like steel. Zetsubou was familiar with this creeping, living, killing shadow, though only as a witness and not as a victim. His eyes roamed the room and in his peripheral, always in the peripheral, Kage loomed. The dark man's rune marks danced along his skin as if tiny beetles decided to feast upon his flesh. Zetsubou attempted to stand only to feel a phantom blade of darkness slash at his achiles tendon and bring him to his knees. When Zetsubou felt the cut he found no wound.

"Why have you not killed me?" Zetsubou asked, sucking in air through gnashed teeth to compose himself for even a moment.

"Because you have not suffered yet," Kage replied coldly. Zetubou attempted to rise again in anger only to be impaled through both eyes by a non-existant pike of void that left him writhing without inflicting harm.

"This is not suffering!" Zetsubou screamed in agony, clutching his eyes on instinct. "I have not stopped suffering since I began working for this damned cult! Since I took my first life in the name of your damned god! You promised me peace, but you delivered me greater suffering and the pain of Mikomi! She lies in a living death because of you!" The shadows pierced him with scalding spike across him body and he screamed, "!" Every synapse was erupting in Zetsubou's body as the screaming continued, autonomous of his will.

"No. It is not. Failure to our god deserves nothing less than this. Betrayal? Oh that warrants a whole different kind of hell; one I will leave to Roman's Horsemen when they arrive." Kage's lips cracked into a twisted smile as he said the last segment, knowledge of future tortures playing out in his head. He opened his mouth as if to say something more, but paused as Zetsubou let loose another agonizing scream. Kage simply shrugged lightly and turned, leaving the assassin to his shadowy torture.

It was a few moments of torture that seemed like hours and days before Zetsubou heard anything other than his own screaming. Standing in front of him, as he clutched his non-bleeding sides was a smiling Latino woman. She wore camo pants and combat boots. Her skin was dark with her black hair was tied in a bun. She wore a black tank top with a combat knife strapped to her forearm. Zetsubou had come to know her by her full name, Charlie Saratoga, but the dueling underworld and the mercenary world knew her as the Duel Geurilla. To many it would seem a wonder that this woman, who by all accounts was considered incredibly beautiful, and even sultry, was a soldier. It was impossible to imagine this woman, whose silken skin and long, luscious legs could kill anyone. But she did.

Moving her hips from side to side, swaying lightly as she took one step at a time toward Zetsubou, Charlie the Duel Geurilla smiled. "What is the matter?" she said mockingly, "does our little assassin have trouble with torture?"

"Away with you harlot!" Zetsubou spat back before clutching at a slash across his ribs.

"Look, pal," Charlie said as she pulled a cigarette from her pocket that she quickly lit and took a slow drag of, "it wasn't anything personal. It was just a job. If it makes you feel better, you did better than most guys would have."

"Were this an assassination I would have killed you!" Zetsubou screamed once more in his agony.

"There is the problem. Assassination is a different art than guerilla warfare. That is why I caught you. You aim for the target and find a way to get to them. I aim for the target and find a way to make him come to me. Fear. Chaos. Panic. Anything that will work to catch the enemy off guard and bring them where I need them is fair game." Charlie took another drag of her cigarette and sighed.

"It is better to kill the head of beast quickly than to lop off all of its legs!" Zetsubou managed to retort. "That is why I was chosen to perform so many missions, you harlot!"

Charlie took and extra long drag of her cigarette and tossed it aside with another sigh. "You sound just like a good friend of mine. I might take them apart, but my style of combat is what allows me to take out a bigger power. You take out a single unit by bypassing their defenses. I destroy their defenses and the whole. Whatever, I'm not the one that is locked up here. I'll see you later loser." Charlie waved again at Zetsubou who growled and snarled as she walked gracefully, but with purpose out of his dark room.

"Harlot! I'll kill you next time!" he called out on last time before succumbing to the hurting dark once more.

o o o

Recca held her mace tightly with armored gauntlets, her body clad in a complete suit of plate and chain, with a long skirt of red embroidered leather gracing to her knees. Mika affixed her helm then looked at the woman through her eye. Her hair was tucked away within the chain coif, her chin slightly obscured by the gorget. Her red framed glasses replaced with contacts, covered by a steel visor. Recca swung the mace a few times with an effortless ease that honestly startled her, the armor moving fluidly without even a single plate scraping. Recca was too good an artisan to let that happen, she surmised while spying the crossbow hanging from a thick belt at her side with a quiver opposite.

"Ms. Telaris. Why not use...well, it's not my place. However Reko wanted to know why don't we just 'Bust a cap', I think he said?"

Recca smirked, "In these sorts of things we have to fight as our ancestors did Mika. these arms are the same ones we used to beat back the forces that plagued our world long ago. I could use guns, but it's really hard to bless a bullet, you know."

Mika held up a finger as Recca interjected, "Despite what you see on Reko's anime, it's really hard."

They both walked up the stairs into the first floor, where Reko was awaiting them with Hayley. They both seemed to be talking about something interesting, Reko being the first to wave at his mother, "Come on back now, okay? I... I'm worried."

Recca ruffled Reko's hair, patting the haft of her mace, "Believe me, it will be easier the you think. I'll get back Nellie in one piece, confirm Zetsubou, get back and finish my flower arrangement. Then...I'm going to go on the offensive about this. They want the Rose Cards?", she grinned as her armored boot kicked open her door, "I'll give them a Crusaders welcome before that happens, I'm getting to the Blue Dorm, I'll be right outside. Reko sent out the call to Wes that I'll be there shortly.", Reko nodded to her before she charged out into the night.

Hayley and the others were stunned at Recca's turn of attitude, Reko stretching his neck, "Man, I am SO glad the students are dormbound for the moment. Chancellor Rhodes did not want to keep this private. We just said a student was unaccounted for, we all know who though. I gotta say though, It's hard keeping up this charade. My mom's battle fury has a good point though...the longer we play on the defense, they'll gonna keep building up. Soon it'll be possible to keep up appearances."

Hayley gold streaked hair swirled at Reko as she narrowed her eyes into slits. Mika slowly scooted away from this, muttering about how she should make sure every measure was prepared, "One of my best friends just got abducted! Why can't you go out and help!"

Reko looked at her, not meeting her gaze as he took a deep breath, "I want to. I really do. If Judgement is here that means it's alot worse than I expected. the guy that kinda looks like Reign is there too...I want to make sure mom gets back okay."

"Why don't you then! I saw your mother looking like a Paladin for goodness sakes! Please...please Reko!", Hayley held back a sob, "Please get Nellie back with her! Grab a sword or something! Get on your Runner, do anything...!", to her surprise Reko leaned forward and wiped her cheek with his hand. She blushed, composing herself, "S...sorry."

Reko patted her shoulder, "I know how you feel. I felt the same way when my sister went missing."

Hayley looked at him with shock, covering her mouth, "I'm sorry...I...I'd nearly forgotten, that's why all of you are here on top of this 'Final Play', right? To find Reka..."

He nodded once, pouring himself a glass of strawberry tea, "Yeah. I think I know where she is."

Hayley tilted her head slightly, "Where? Saito and the other Kaiba's got her?"

"No...it's really hard to explain now though. I just...had an odd dream about her. She seemed well enough.", Reko didn't tell anyone about the dream she had about Ardent and Mist Valley, how he was deigned its Champion and wielded it's power for the protection of both worlds. He wondered sometimes if that is how it always worked, being Championed by areas in Ardent. Though if he told Hayley that, she...might him a loony. Hayley smiled softly, they both knew that somewhere his sister was probably safe.

"How did you cope with this sort of stuff? What made you disguise yourself as your twin and get to Duelist kingdom in the first place?"

Reko stood and downed his tea in one pull before leaping over the bar and grinning, "A hunch."

Hayley walked with him, with Mika carrying a large satchel as they walked on either side of her. Reko locked the door, and rummaged through a bag hanging from his Runner, to Hayley's surprise it seemed to be a simple unadorned sword. Reko bowed lightly, "See? I got a sword for ya, but yes...a hunch. I didn't know if Reka was even alive, but something just told me she had to be. I could feel it."

Mika spoke, "It's probably a aura twins have for each other, I've heard about it."

He shrugged, "All I knew is that she was heading to the Kingdom though. Gramma must have known tons more though, since she gave me that dang gauntlet."

Hayley chuckled at Reko's carefree demeanor, even in the face of all of this. She figured it may have been something to calm her down, and she spoke to him to the topic fresh, "I remember now, Legacy. What happened to it?"

Reko held up the red petaled rose ring on his right hand, which puzzled Hayley, "Uh...Reko, that's not a gauntlet. I don't understand."

They all stopped to look at the Blue Dorm in the full moonlight. Recca stood outside it's doors, clad in full armor as Mikey and the others stood around her, "Yeah...I don't understand much of it either Hayley. We just gotta do what I do."

"What's that?"

"Wander aimlessly, hope for the best."

Mika gave a chuckle.

o o o

Recca looked at the assembled masses in front of her, "Good, you're all here. I'll be brief, we need to obtain Nellie at any and all costs. Judgement has taken her with him, and thanks to Zetsubou...we can finally strike back," she paced back and forth as he glanced at Mikey and the others, "Those who know...you enemy is highly trained and merciless. They would rather abduct you, however they are bound by the power these cards contain. If you see them, and you cannot stop them in single combat. Challenge them, to refuse is to invite oblivion."

She pointed at Mikey, "Mikey, take your companions and patrol this area. Their base of operations according to Zetsubou's information is the peninsula seen north from the docks. Reko, you and Mika...since I can't drag you two away from this shall act as the Rearguard. Guard the pass and pick out the ones I miss," her iron clad hand waved to Saito, "Take your companions Saito, head through out the woods. Delay any who are still travelling withing it and use your pull to close off some of the roads to hinder those damned Runners of theirs for the good it may do."

"I myself will be the Hammer. I'll shatter their front line myself while a Lance charges through the foe's black heart and takes Nellie. Hayley, you are my lance. Come on now, moonlight doesn't last forever."

All eyes looked to Hayley as she stiffened her lip and ran behind Recca into the woods, taking the sword Reko calmly offered her. It was the same one he took earlier from his Runner, while Reko strode behind her with Mika in close tow. Mika looked over at him with a look of concern, "Reko...you aren't arme-" She was cut short as Reko ripped a low lying branch off of a tree. Saito looked over to Mikey and nodded, "Don't let us down. They'll want at the Dorms. I'd guard those."

As Saito walked away with his friends in tow, their Duel Disks out and readied, Mikey and his friends did the same, "Gabe, you and Spencer take Coltyn and guard the Red Dorm. We'll watch the Blue. Max, take Sammie and watch over the Yellow one!"

Max was puzzled at why Recca took Hayley of all people, but bowed in an exagerrated fashion and Sammie rolled her eyes, loading her duel disk and punching her palm in anticipation while jogging towards the dorms. Marsha was silent in her office in the main building, looking down at Recca and the rest of them quickly dashing into forests and breaking down pathways. She couldn't help but show a knowing smirk towards the situation.

o o o

Lethargy is an overwhelming sensation that leaves the body numb to all other feelings except extreme exhaustion in its greatest cases. It was a feeling Nellie Lazarus had known before and hated. She always lived with energy in abundance to do anything she wanted. Lethargy and exhaustion were the banes of her existence, yet that is all she felt now as tendrils of shadow dug deep into her body like invisible fingers and grasped at something that was essentially her. She couldn't quite describe the sensation, though she knew it was wrong. Nellie could feel each worming shadow dig deep into her mind and pull at a different, bringing up a different feeling each time, all of which were negative. She didn't like those feelings, or to remember them, but there they were, worming there way to the front of her mind, dragged kicking and screaming by phantom hands in the darkness as she listlessly bobbed her head up and down, unable to sleep, but desperately wanting to.

She whispered softly to the darkness, "why are you doing this to me?"

It spoke back, "To wage war." And she saw, despite her blurred vision, a shadowy figure emerge from the darkness. A dark looking girl formed of shadow and hate that stared at her with a wicked smile. A blackened mistress of night and rage, that laughed a sinister laugh. A dark Nellie formed from the shadows of her very mind that swiftly vanished.

"Wage war where?" she asked, almost pleadingly.

"Ardent," responded the darkness before she drifted, finally, to sleep.

o o o

Recca crashed through the brush of the forests, dashing up the craggy mountain rages with Hayley surprisingly keeping pace with her. Then again, she was in about a hundred pounds of metal, she may have be a little encumbered. Hayley ran a hand through her hair as Recca looked down at her, "You need to rest?", she smiled as the teen shook her head in defiance, they had been dashing almost non stop throughout the forests for about twenty minutes it seemed. Recca made so many shortcuts that what should have been a maze was nothing more than a long exercise. Hayley was used to the conditioning though, looking at Recca with a puzzled look.

"I...thought...you were...a really sweet person..."

Recca blinked a few times, "What do you mean? Keep your voice down here by the way, keep to the shadows.", they both crouched as Recca held her mace tightly, spying a cloaked man as she laid on the stone and held her crossbow against a jutting stone, "I'm still the sweet lovely person that serves Macchiatoes, I just do this first. Charming Coffee House Hostess second.", Hayley nearly gasped as she heard the telltale twang and thwip of a bolt being unleashed, barreling through his neck as he faded into black smoke. Recca made a hmm noise, clearly oblivious to the fact she just slaughtered a ghost or something.

"Well...that's weird. Little bastard isn't human. That's a good thing...also bad."

Hayley carefully followed Recca as she poked the pile of cloak with her mace, plucking up her bolt and reloading her bow in the quiet moment they had. Hayley carefully whispered, "Why...why is that bad?"

"Because...well, they aren't enslaving students or something silly like that. I couldn't bring myself to smite down slaves. However, they are bringing in reinforcements from elsewhere."

"Where is elesewhere?", Hayley hushed towards Recca. recca spun on her hell, smashing another cloaked individual creeping up upon them into the stone wall with her hammer with a grim look on her face. As the fiend faded into mist, she shook her head, "I don't want to know. We have to get Nellie, and we have to get her now."

"Why me though Recca. Why did you want me to be your assistant?"

There was a long pause as they saw a dimly lit cave by one solitary lamp ran against the cliff face, Recca gave the field a quick scan. It looked like the dark cave was the only way inside, probably where Nellie was too, she could feel it in her heart, "Why wouldn't I want you as my assistant Dogma?"

Hayley froze, and Recca placed a hand on her shoulder, "That's right. I know everything about what went on there in the Kingdom. Rena and I had our little ways of knowing, that and Reko's wonderful at getting information. It's still in you as well, and they want it back again, much like whatever dark power is in Nellie's soul."

Hayley gulped, "I'm a lure to you!", she fell backward as Recca's finger pointed firmly at her nose.

"I'm not using you as bait. The reason I didn't arm you is because you have a flair for the supernatural that rides a little heavier than the others. You can't be afraid of her."

Hayley started to quake as Recca affixed her crossbow to her belt and wrapped one arm around her, the other one still held her mace, "You can't Hayley. Dogma is as much part of you as you are to her. Learn to control it...unless it takes you for a ride."

She held on to those words, looking at Recca's eyes through her visor, "So...they fear it?"

Recca smirked slyly, standing as he held her mace in both hands, "These guys fear what they can't control Hayley. That's why they carefully pluck when they think we aren't looking."

Hayley stood next to her, smiling weakly, "You sound like you know a lot about this situation."

Recca nodded, hefting her mace, "Let's just say that before I was blessed with my little angels and Reign, I really loved to fight. We'll leave it at that. I'm going to cause a distraction. When they all get out, you run on in and find Nellie. Kay?"

Hayley beamed, matching Recca's grin, "Kay!"

Recca stepped into the opened bellowing, "Hear me now, servants of the UnGod! I am Recca Telaris, Mother of Empathy, Keeper of the Watch and Champion of the Forests! I issue a challenge to you now! Come out and face me in honorable combat, lest you be found wanting! lest I go in and kill every last one of you not through the power vested by these cards! Yet on the business end of seventy pounds of honest steel!"

To Hayley's surprise, a heavily tattooed man stood out in front of the doorway, looking towards Recca with a scowl. Terry was out checking things in the far north of the island, near the volcano on the island. He said something about stoking the furnace or something...all he really knew was he was sleeping, and Recca. Reko's mother of all people.

Nicky spat on the ground and revved a chainsaw he stole from the storage, charging towards Recca as she ran with him far from the field. Hayley looked at the cave entrance, and for Nellie's sake dashed inside. She got something out hanging from a bag slung over the shoulder, something she didn't think she'd use for awhile. She thought about Recca's words as she stepped inside the blasphemous caverns, covered in bloody symbols and strange carvings, indigo light pouring out from strange sconces of black glass. She wandered the halls carefully, seeing various depictions of people and places she did not recognize. She made it to the deepest area, an elaborate room covered in stonework so elegant and bizarre it evoked both euphoria and migraines. Nellie was sprawled out over an altar of some kind, black tendrils coiling around the pedestal. Columns soiled in odd ways towards the ceiling, vanishing into the darkness.

"You are too late, Dogma."

She saw Judgement stride from some kind as Hayley winced upon recalling the atrocities she once caused. he waved he hand over to Zetsubou, who was passed out in a heap on one side of the strange temple, as if he was a discarded trinket, "So eager to be next thrust into Ardent Dogma? I was nearly ready preparing Zetsubou."

Hayley glared at Judgement, pointing toward Nellie, "I'm taking Nellie back with me! Zetsubou too!"

Judgement was silent, "Zetsubou you can have. I care not for him. However her...I will keep her."

"I won't let that happen!"

"Her mind is already gone, Dogma. She shares the same fate as the Crone and the Assassin's kin."

Hayley could feel tears welling up, blurring her vision, "You...bastard!"

Judgement held out his arm, "You have been found wanting, Dogma. Return to His Design."

0 0 0

The chainsaw cut through the air as the motor revved. Recca side stepped the slash effortlessly before bringing her mace down hard on the cutting tool, smashing the motor to bits. Nicky snarled and dove towards the crusader only to be met with a swift knee to the jaw that sent him rolling back. Recca laughed to herself as Nicky rubbed his aching jaw before quickly spinning around in time to catch a lunging Terry in the side with the hilt of her mace. The biker cursed and hit the ground, a knife still in his hand. He clamored to his feet quickly and slashed at the older women who didn't bat an eye as her chainmail took the hit, letting the blade shrug off easily. Recca simply pushed forward and retaliated with a well placed kick to the jewel and a follow up headbutt that sent Terry to the ground, dropping his knife to clutch at his hurt head and pride.

Nicky got up once more and swung with a rock at Recca's head, heat waves rippling off him as his rage increased. Recca laughed as she brought her hand up to block, catching the British punker at the wrist before she kneed him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. With a single motion she put away her mace and drew her crossbow as she began to back away from the pair of attackers, both of whom were rippling with waves of heat that were beginning to effect her, though she didn't let on. Their duel energy was truly immense. She notched a bolt and aimed it at the pair and fired, reloading automatically before she even saw the results of her first shot. Nicky howled and dropped to the ground as he felt the bolt pierce his foot, his heat diffusing as he was now preoccupied with his pain. Terry turned to his comrade in concern before hitting the ground and yelping out in a similar fashion thanks to a bolt in the shoulder. Recca notched another bolt and looked over to the last two combatants with a bit of fear in her eyes.

Across from her was the scowling image of the many tatooed Kage, who simply shot a look of hatred that could frighten the dead. She aimed at his head, but did not fire as she looked over to the woman standing next to him, a cigarette in her hand. Recca watched them both carefully, not wanting to make another move just yet. She had to buy Haylie some time. That was when the woman spoke.

"Want me to take care of her?" the smoking woman said.

"Why haven't you, Ms. Saratoga?" the rune riddle man asked, turning to her.

Charlie took a drag of her cigarette and smiled at him, her her thumb rubbing the tips of her fingers in a circular motion. "You didn't pay me to fight her, boss man. That is a different job."

Kage growled at the Duel Geurilla with narrowed eyes and spat on the ground. "Nevermind then. I shall take care of this myself." He clenched his fist tightly and looked back to the armed crusader with a solemn expression. Recca cursed and released her bolt at his head, only to watch as the shadows snagged it from the air. The Telaris mother took a moment of pause and swallowed dryly. This was going to hurt.

0 0 0

Hayley put on her mask and faced her opponent, smirking mockingly at him. Recca was right, she had to embrace who she was, but she was the one in control, "L'ange Noir is here to defeat you and take back Nellie-Nell back!"

"No man escapes Judgement."

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 8000

**Judgement:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––

Judgement's mask obscured any chance of reading his emotions as he drew his first card. He observed his hand and proceeded with his turn. "Three facedowns. One monster." Three cards appeared at his feet and another appeared in his Monster Zone in facedown defense position. "Proceed."

Hayley drew her card with flair. "First I play Allure of Darkness. I draw two cards and then remove from play a Dark monster." She drew two cards from her deck and then placed one card from her hand into her pocket. "Next I play Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen. With this card in play, I can Special Summon a Fairy when I don't have any monsters on the field while you do." A grand temple made of white stone appeared behind her. "Stand and deliver, Darklord Superbia!" A clawed black cauldron with a demonic face and wings appeared on the field in a flurry of hellfire orange feathers (ATK/2900 DEF/2400).

"Next I play D.D.R. - Different Dimension Reincarnation. By discarding one card from my hand, I can bring back a monster that was removed from play. I discard Marie the Fallen One. Stand and deliver, Darklord Asmodeus!" A black-winged angel appeared with a long white robe beneath black armor (ATK/3000 DEF/2500).

"Lastly, I Normal Summon Armageddon Knight. Stand and deliver!" A dark knight with a blood red scarf and a long sword appeared (ATK/1400 DEF/1200). "And when he is summoned, I can send a Dark monster from my deck to my graveyard. So I pick my other Marie the Fallen One!" She placed her card into her graveyard and turned to Judgement.

"Armageddon Knight, attack!" Armageddon Knight rushed the field and thrust his sword into Judgement's facedown.

"I activate a Trap Card, DNA Transplant." Judgement revealed one of his facedown cards. "All Attributes change to an Attribute of my choice and I choose Light." The card flashed and suddenly all the monsters began to radiate with a bright white light. Armageddon Knight's attack then continued and his blade pierced through a spherical explosive. "That is my Ally Salvo. When it is destroyed by a Light monster and sent to the graveyard, I can destroy two cards you control. My choices are Darklord Asmodeus and Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen." Ally Salvo exploded as Armageddon Knight's blade cut through it and the temple crumbled and the debris crushed Darklord Asmodeus.

"When Asmodeus is destroyed, I can summon an Asmo Token and a Deus Token in its place. The Asmos Token can't be destroyed by effects and the Deus Token can't be destroyed by battle." As Darklord Asmodeus' feathers gently fell onto the field, two clones of his body appeared. The first was a blue colored level five Dark Fairy with eighteen hundred attack points and thirteen hundred defense points, the Asmo Token. The other was a red colored level three Dark Fairy with twelve hundred attack and defense points.

"Now that the tokens are on the field, they'll avenge Asmodeus! Asmo, attack first!" The Asmo Token unleashed a storm of feathers from its wings on Judgement.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 8000

**Judgement:** 6200

––––––––––––––––––

"Now Deus attacks!" The Deus Token spread its wings and flapped them once to unleash its own rain of feathers onto the man in white.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 8000

**Judgement:** 5000

––––––––––––––––––

"Now Superbia, attack!" Darklord Superbia spread out its wings and unleashed two beams of dark light from its eyes that pierced through Judgement's chest.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 8000

**Judgement:** 2900

––––––––––––––––––

"This will be done soon!" Hayley said enthusiastically, "Your move."

"On your End Phase, I activate Fires of Doomsday, summoning two Doomsday Tokens." Judgement activated his facedown Quickplay Spell Card and called forth two small one-eyed demons made of black fire, each a level one Dark Fiend with zero attack and defense points.

The large man then drew his card. "First I play the Field Spell Savage Colosseum." He placed his card inside his field tray and a massive ancient coliseum rose up around them. "Now I summon Ally of Justice Cycle Reader." A black, white, and red mechanical spider with golden legs appeared (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "Now I tune it to my Doomsday Tokens." Ally of Justice Cycle Reader faded away until three stars remained. They turned into synchro rings and surrounded the two tokens, each of which faded until a single star was left where their eyes had been before being engulfed in a column of light.

"I Synchro Summon Ally of Justice Catastor!" A long white robot emerged from the light standing on four spider legs with a face that resembled Judgement's mask (ATK/2200 DEF/1200).

"And with the effect of Savage Colosseum, all monsters are forced to attack and we each gain three hundred Life Points for each attack. Any that fail to attack shall be destroyed. Ally of Justice Catastor, attack Darklord Superbia."

"But Superbia has more attack points than Ally of Justice Catastor," Hayley pointed out.

"Irrelevant. Ally of Justice Catastor automatically destroys any non-Dark monster it battles," said Judgement.

"But Superbia IS a Dark..." Hayley stopped in her sentence upon remembering that DNA Transplant was still active on the field. "Oh."

"Destroy." Ally of Justice Catastor turned its head toward Darklord Superbia and fired a laser from its eye that effortlessly destroyed its target.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 8000

**Judgement:** 3200

––––––––––––––––––

"Proceed."

Hayley drew her card. As her Standby Phase came around, two ghostly apparitions of Marie the Fallen One appeared before her. They placed their hands upon her head and a wave of soothing light washed over her, giving her a total of four hundred Life Points.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 8400

**Judgement:** 3200

––––––––––––––––––

Hayley was in a pickle. With DNA Transplant on the field, her monsters were all at the mercy of Ally of Justice Catastor. Additionally, Savage Colosseum would force her monsters to attack it, leaving her with no defense. It was a brilliant strategy. For now all she could do was defend and prevent as many of her monsters from dying as possible. She switched Armageddon Knight, Asmo Token, and Deus Token into defense mode and ended her turn.

Judgement drew his card. "Ally of Justice Catastor, destroy Armageddon Knight." Ally of Justice Catastor turned toward Armageddon Knight and fired a laser from its eye that blasted the warrior into oblivion.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 8400

**Judgement:** 3600

––––––––––––––––––

"Proceed."

Hayley drew and her pair of Marie the Fallen Ones activated once again.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 8800

**Judgement:** 3600

––––––––––––––––––

There was still not much she could do and so she ended her turn.

Judgement drew his card and ordered Ally of Justice Catastor to attack the Deus Token this time. The massive machine turned its gaze upon the red fallen angel and fired its laser.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 8800

**Judgement:** 4000

––––––––––––––––––

"Proceed."

Hayley drew and her Maries restored her Life Points yet again.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 9200

**Judgement:** 4000

––––––––––––––––––

She looked over at her Asmo Token and smiled. Its effect prevented its destruction by an effect and since Ally of Justice Catastor could only destroy it by its own effect, the creature was safe. She ended her turn.

Judgement drew his card. "I activate Light-Imprisoning Mirror. This negates the effects of Light monsters on the field or in the graveyard." Hayley felt her heart stop for a beat. Her only defense was now gone. But it did not seem like Judgement was finished just yet. "I summon Ally of Justice Thousand Arms." A lethal-looking bipedal robot with multiple arms, each one holding a different melee weapon, appeared on the field (ATK/1700 DEF/0). "As long as Thousand Arms does not attack a non-Light monster, he can attack as many monsters as he wants." As if right on cue, Ally of Justice Thousand Arms launched itself at the Asmo Token and cleaved it in two with an axe before beating the corpse into a pulp with its mace.

"Now Ally of Justice Catastor, attack." Ally of Justice Catastor now took aim at Hayley and the laser that shot out of its eye struck her hard.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 7000

**Judgement:** 4000

––––––––––––––––––

"Proceed."

Hayley drew her card. As she pulled the card out, her Marie ghosts came out once again and bathed her on light.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 7400

**Judgement:** 4000

––––––––––––––––––

With the addition of a second monster on Judgement's field, Hayley knew she was in trouble. When it was just Ally of Justice Catastor, it just destroyed one monster without applying damage calculation. But now that Ally of Justice Thousand Arms had joined the fray, the duel had just gotten more difficult especially now that she was down to one monster on the field at any time unless she could Special Summon something. Even so, Ally of Justice Catastor could easily destroy it. She looked at her hand and saw she had a card that could reduce the damage she took this turn, but that was it.

"I end my turn."

"I draw." Judgement drew his card. "Ally of Justice Thousand Arms, attack." Ally of Justice Thousand Arms rushed Hayley and attacked her with its mace, slamming the blunt weapon into her side.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 5700

**Judgement:** 4300

––––––––––––––––––

"Now Ally of Justice Catastor, attack." Ally of Justice Catastor turned to Hayley and fired its laser from its eye.

"I discard Kuriboh to negate your attack!" declared Hayley. A wall of Kuribohs suddenly burst out in front of Hayley and blocked the laser beam. "And since your attack was negated, there was no damage step. Therefore, you cannot gain Life Points.

"A moment's solace," said Judgement. "Proceed."

Hayley drew her card and the effects of her Marie cards activated once again.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 6100

**Judgement:** 4300

––––––––––––––––––

She looked at her card and her face lit up. Finally she had something. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon and with this I destroy DNA Transplant." A powerful whirlwind blew out from Hayley's Spell Card and blasted Judgement's key Trap Card into oblivion. "Now that the creatures of the field are no longer monsters of Light, your Ally of Justice Catastor has no advantage." She held up a card. "And your Light-Imprisoning Mirror has nothing to negate. I Special Summon The Dark Creator in defense mode." She placed the card sideways on her Duel Disk and summoned the great behemoth of resurrection, but unlike its original counterpart this one was completely black (ATK/2300 DEF/3000). "Now I can remove from play a Dark monster to Special Summon a Dark monster from my graveyard. I remove from play Darklord Asmodeus and Special Summon Marie the Fallen One." She placed the fallen angel into her pocket and summoned a black-skinned angel with black wings wearing a pink dress (ATK/1700 DEF/1200).

"Now I sacrifice Marie the Fallen One to summon Darklord Zerato. Stand and deliver!" Marie the Fallen One returned to her place in the graveyard and in her place the corrupted form of the once great angel Archlord Zerato appeared, his body now flowing with the power of darkness shown by his black skin, blood red demonic wings, and the long jagged sword in his hand (ATK/2800 DEF/2300).

"I now activate the effect of Darklord Zerato. By discarding one card, I can destroy all the monsters on your side of the field. And I'll discard Darklord Edeh Arae." After she placed the card in her graveyard, Darklord Zerato's sword began to resonate with the power of darkness as a black misty aura surrounded its blade. He grasped the hilt with both hands and swung his weapon, unleashing a powerful energy wave that cut through Ally of Justice Catastor and Ally of Justice Thousand Arms. Both machines collapsed into large piles of scrap metal, leaving Judgement completely unprotected.

"Now Darklord Zerato, attack!" Darklord Zerato flew in and slashed Judgement with his sword.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 6100

**Judgement:** 1500

––––––––––––––––––

"And now your own Savage Colosseum restores my Life Points."

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 6400

**Judgement:** 1500

––––––––––––––––––

"I will set a facedown and end my turn," declared Hayley, "Now my Darklord Zerato's other effect activates. Since I activated his destruction effect, he must die at the end of my turn." Darklord Zerato suddenly screamed in agony. The power of darkness had proven too much for his body and he was quickly engulfed in shadows which closed around him and left nothing behind upon dissipation.

"I draw." Judgement drew his card. "Two cards facedown. Proceed."

"I draw!" Hayley drew her card with gusto and the effects of her Marie the Fallen Ones activated.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 6800

**Judgement:** 1500

––––––––––––––––––

"I activate Dark Creator's effect. I remove Kuriboh from play and resurrect Darklord Superbia!" Hayley placed the tiny furball's card in her pocket and placed Darklord Superbia back onto her field. "And since Darklord Superbia was Special Summoned from the graveyard, his effect lets me resurrect another Fairy as long as it's not another Superbia. Stand and deliver, Zerato!" A black light erupted from Darklord Superbia and from its cauldron body Darklord Zerato flew out and landed on the field.

"Next I activate my facedown card, Escape from the Dark Dimension. It lets me choose a removed from play Dark monster and Special Summon it. So I choose Darklord Asmodeus." A flurry of black feathers covered the field as a portal to the Different Dimension opened up and Darklord Asmodeus returned to fight once again.

"I've assembled an army of the fallen for this final attack," Hayley announced in a display of grandeur, "to shake the heavens with unholy..." She paused and then spoke in a snide and mocking tone. "...judgment." She then gave the word and her army of fallen angels attacked.

"Mirror Force." Judgement's tone was monotonous and unmoving as he activated his Trap Card. An invisible wall formed in front of him as Darklord Asmodeus unleashed a storm of feathers from his wings, which collided with the barrier only to be reflected back. It struck Darklord Asmodeus, Darklord Superbia, and Darklord Zerato and they were wiped out in a single blast. Additionally, since Darklord Asmodeus was removed from play as a result of Escape from the Dark Dimension, Hayley did not get her tokens. She looked on in horror as feathers of midnight black and hellfire orange fluttered around her to the ground.

"Do you proceed?" Judgement inquired.

"I...end..." Hayley looked around. Her offense had been shattered. Thankfully she still had The Dark Creator with its three thousand defense points.

Judgement drew his card. "I activate my Trap Card, Call of the Haunted. Rise, Ally of Justice Catastor." The giant machine that Hayley had worked so hard to destroy returned to the field completely free of any damage. "Next I activate the Spell Card Scroll of Bewitchment and equip it to your Dark Creator. This lets me change the Attribute of the equipped monster to any Attribute I desire and I desire Light." The Dark Creator suddenly began to glow with a white light despite its body being completely infused with darkness.

"Ally of Justice Catastor, attack." Ally of Justice Catator turned its eye toward The Dark Creator and a single power beam shot out and pierced its chest. The behemoth collapsed and Judgement was rewarded with three hundred Life Points thanks to Savage Colosseum.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 6800

**Judgement:** 1800

––––––––––––––––––

Judgement turned to face Hayley. "Proceed."

The girl drew her card and Marie the Fallen One restored her Life Points.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 7200

**Judgement:** 1800

––––––––––––––––––

Nothing in her hand could defend her for this turn so Hayley proceeded to her End Phase.

Judgement drew his card and played it immediately. "I summon Ally of Justice Unlimiter." A blue spacecraft with two large discs on its wings appeared on the field (ATK/600 DEF/200). "And now I activate its effect. By sacrificing it, I can double the attack points of one Ally of Justice on the field until the End Phase." The spacecraft docked onto Ally of Justice Catastor and dropped off its discs, which attached themselves to the larger machine, before flying off. The massive white robot fed off its new power cells and its attack points rose up to forty-four hundred.

"Attack." Ally of Justice Catastor took aim and fired a laser into Hayley.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 2800

**Judgement:** 2100

––––––––––––––––––

"Proceed." As Judgement ended his turn, Ally of Justice Catastor returned to its original twenty-two hundred attack points.

Hayley drew her card. Once again, her two Marie the Fallen Ones came to her aid and restored another two hundred Life Points each.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 2800

**Judgement:** 2100

––––––––––––––––––

She cringed. Once again, nothing. With no other choice, Hayley ended her turn and Judgement drew his card.

"Ally of Justice Catastor, attack." Hayley braced herself and braved the blast as Ally of Justice Catastor shot her with its laser.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 600

**Judgement:** 2400

––––––––––––––––––

"Proceed."

Hayley looked at her deck. This was the last draw. If she failed to get a card she needed, she was done for. Taking in a deep breath, she placed her hand on her deck and drew her card.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 1000

**Judgement:** 2400

––––––––––––––––––

Hayley looked at her card. Her draw had given her hope. However, the chances of its success were slim. However, she had no other choice. It was do or die. "I activate Allure of Darkness! Just like before, I draw two cards and remove from play a Dark monster or else I discard my entire hand." She drew two cards from her deck and looked at them. What she saw brought a smile to her face. She placed them in her hand and then removed Darklord Desire from her hand from play.

"I summon Nurse Reficule the Fallen One. Stand and deliver!" A demonic angel with four leathery wings dressed from neck to toe in bandages appeared on the field with a shriek of agony (ATK/1400 DEF/600). "Next I activate the Spell Card Soul Taker! First it destroys a face-up monster my opponent controls and then gives them one thousand Life Points." Nurse Reficule held out her hand and began pulling out energy from Ally of Justice Catastor. The massive machine staggered on its legs for a bit before crashing down and fading from the field.

"However," Hayley continued, "Nurse Reficule reverses all Life Point recovery on my opponent and turns it into burn damage." Just as a healing light began to shine down on Judgement, Nurse Reficule the Fallen One raised a hand and slowly clenched her fist, turning the light into a poisonous miasma.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 1000

**Judgement:** 1400

––––––––––––––––––

"Now attack, Nurse Reficule! Infectious Wrath!" Nurse Reficule the Fallen One screamed as bandages from her arms shot out and ensnared Judgement. He stood unmoving as the fallen angel squeezed his remaining Life Points from his body.

––––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 1000

**Judgement:** 0

––––––––––––––––––

Judgement staggered backward after his defeat. Even with his mask obscuring his face, it was obvious he was glaring at Hayley. As he backed up against the wall, the shadows around him seemed to swallow him up. "Forgive me, Master. Forgive me...God..." The blackness took him completely and when the shadows returned to normal, Judgement had vanished.

Hayley took off her mask and and put it away. She walked over to where Nellie lay and knelt down. She checked her vitals and was relieved to find she was still alive.

"Nellie, are you okay?" she whispered. There was a moan and Nellie turned her head to look at her friend.

"Hayley?"

"I'm here."

"Where am I? Last thing I remember was this big guy in white."

"You were kidnapped."

"Why?"

"Recca'll explain later if she's still alive." Hayley sat Nellie up and put her arm over her shoulder. She slowly helped her onto her feet and acted as her crutch as they made their escape.

o o o

Recca's armor laid shattered on the mountain stone as she tore out she crushed remains of her breastplate and roared in defiance of Kage, blood seeping out from her chain shirt. Kage stood over Recca with a grin on his face, "If only your children were this easy to eliminate." Before Kage could end Recca's life then and there however, a blur of black tackled him against a wall. Kage was shocked, and even Charlie widened her eyes a small bit while giving a sharp whistle. Recca looked up to see a man with silvery-lavender hair like a wild storm placing Kage in a chocking grip. He was covered in a black motorbiking outfit, reinforced with metal here and there. Recca couldn't deny it any longer, that was her husband Reign.

"R...Reign!"

Reign looked to be in a lot of pain, "Judgement's...ag...Recca... R...run..."

"But!"

Kage's eyes glew black with fury, "DUELIST! OBEY ME NOW AND CRUSH HER SKULL!"

Reign fell to his knee in pain as Recca retreated, all the while Reign was screaming 'Run' over and over, then silence as he put on his racing helmet once again. She nearly died this day, but she knew that Hayley was successful. Nellie was safe and they had won, but that was not the thought foremost in her mind. She had been saved by her husband from certain death. He had been gone for so long, why did he appear now? Why was he in so much pain? She remembered what Reko had told her about how Reign's Gem Knight had vanished. He had to have taken it. back. Recca knew it.

She hissed as she dashed through the woods as fast as she could. She had to get back to the Dual Rose quickly, because more than likely, after this attack the hornets would be stirred and the Rose Crusaders had to be ready. Duel Academy was going to war.

o o o

A black dragonic mask remained plastered on his face, hiding his eyes from the world, though his mane of white hair revealed his identity to all that knew him. Ryou Bakura had spent most of his teenage years under the sway of darker beings. His life since then was a hell of mental institutions and medicine that only numbed memories of his own atrocities in the name of Zorc, a god that wasn't a god. He had done too much to forget or forgive. Bakura remained trapped in a white walled prison of his own creation, long isolated from his so called friends who stopped even visiting years ago, having moved on with their lives. Sure they would arrive for pity visits on anniversaries, but never truly cared. He knew that, and it made his self-torture that much worse. It was no wonder why he clutched at the mysterious box that reeked of evil when it came. An escape back to a hell he knew was better than this fresh hell of Earth. He knew that now.

The box held so much power, calling to him with a wicked power that Zorc only promised, but never delivered. He heard the whisperings of a godling speaking lowly in his ear, giving a perverse delight up Bakura's spine as it demanded death and hatred. Bakura could oblige the demon Raviel's urges alone, but there was something more that made the box irresistible rather than tempting. The power of abstract and personified Darkness came packaged in the box, as if hand delivered to grant Bakura a respite from the nightmare of his life. The Darkness hid him away from the world with a mask and stripped him of his name. Bakura was known only as Nightshroud now and he liked that.

Nightshroud sat within the shadows, his mission in mind, not thinking of the hissing whispers of Raviel or Darkness's prodding. They had drilled in the idea all too well. Find someone who caused you great pain or happiness and destroy them. Find someone with great power and rend them. To the one known as Nightshroud there was no one that suited that ideal more than Yugi Motou. It was why the former Bakura, now Nightshroud, smiled as he sat perched in the dark night trees overlooking a small Neo Domino City game shop. He had a mission in mind and he would complete it. Yugi Motou would die this night.

Meanwhile, the sniper brought down his scope and took a drag of a cigarette. The Duel Sniper had found the final Sacred Beast card holder. Now he just had to get it before he used it to hurt someone.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Bakura is possessed by two demons. Raviel, Lord of Phantasms, and Darkness, the Infinite Abyss. With a common goal, they use their host to seek out Yugi Mutou. However, the Duel Sniper has other plans. Find out how it all happens next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	111. Shadow of Infinity

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-24**

**Shadow of Infinity**

The street was dark save for a few lights pouring out from the windows of the game shop. Not even the streetlights were illuminated on this particular night as the man sat in the shadows watching and waiting patiently, tightly clutching the box against his chest. Finally the lights went out and he made his move. The sleeves of the straitjacket flapped behind him as he dashed across the street and pressed his back against the store's wall. The straps hung loosely around him as he peered through the window of the front door. Without hesitation, he broke through the glass and unlatched the door.

o o o

An aged Solomon Mutou mumbled as he hefted himself out of bed. "Now what could that have been?" he muttered as he fumbled around his bedroom. His hands came to rest on his cane and he slowly made his way downstairs to investigate the cause of the disturbance.

o o o

The game shop was exactly as he remembered. Nothing had changed since Bakura had last stepped into this place. Not since his last days of freedom. He remembered it clear as day when they came to his doorstep. He remembered the expressions on his parents' faces as he was dragged away. He could see the fear in their eyes from years of living with a monster.

A monster. That was all he had ever been to them.

He took a few steps further into the store. Everything was exactly as he remembered. The shelves lined with all sorts of games and the glass counter displaying all sorts of rare Duel Monsters cards. The table that was brought out to play on was in its usual spot tucked behind the back shelf. He turned his head and looked at the wall just beside the cash register. Photos from all the old days hung from there. Yugi, Joey, Tea, and Tristan with the smiles and their laughs. Bakura was in some of the photos, but there was not a one where he was part of the group; he always stood a ways away from the others.

He was never a part of the main group. He was nothing but a tag-along. Whenever he received an invitation to join the others, it had always been as an afterthought. All the other times, Bakura was forgotten. The years of loneliness and being forgotten had created an empty void in his soul. A void that was filled that day he received the Millennium Ring.

He heard some noise coming from upstairs and he turned around to see an old man slowly making his way down the stairs with a flashlight in his hands. "Who's there?" he demanded. He shined his light around and cast it upon the lone figure standing in the middle of the store. "Oh. It's you, Bakura. It IS Bakura, isn't it? It's been so long. Can I help you with something? Are you looking for Yugi?"

Solomon's flashlight suddenly died and a dark aura rose up around Bakura. "Yugi..." A large demon's claw suddenly reached out of the darkness and grabbed the old man, pinning him against the wall. The white-haired man slowly inched toward him as a black mask appeared over his face.

"Where is Yugi?" he demanded. When Solomon failed to answer the demon's claw tightened its grip, causing the man to cry out. "Where is Yugi?" he repeated.

"Y-Yugi...moved out...years ago..." Solomon gasped out.

"Where is he, old man?"

"He... His address... I keep... on the fridge..." The white-haired man strode up the stairs to the family living space and headed straight to the kitchen. The information he desired had been scrawled onto an orange post-it note and pasted onto the freezer door. He grabbed it and proceeded to leave, but then stopped for a moment. He turned to the closet and opened it. His hands fell upon a long black coat which he threw over himself and then returned downstairs.

"I will finish with you later." The demon's claw retracted as Nightshroud left the store and disappeared into the night.

o o o

Sako lowered his binoculars and jumped down from his hiding spot on the roof of a nearby house. His mark was on the move. Keeping his Barrett slung over his shoulder, he took one last drag from his cigarette before dropping it onto the ground and extinguishing it under his boot before tightening his headband. It was clear that his target was paying no mind to anyone or anything around him, but he still had to be careful. Making sure he kept his distance but still ensuring that Bakura stayed within his sight, Sako took off after him.

o o o

That dream had come again. Mikey stood on a cliff helpless as he watched two men facing each other locked in combat. One was bathed in a brilliant white light while the other was shrouded in blackest darkness. He could not identify either of the two men as they were too far away. All he could do was watch from where he stood and observe the battle. He could see each figure with a massive army sending wave after wave of troops at one another. Amidst the fighting, he could make out a dragon of light locked into one-on-one combat with a dragon of darkness. As the battle raged on, Mikey could see something forming in the darkness behind the dark man. He squinted his eyes but could not quite make it out. From what he could just barely see of it, it was a tall man in black armor with a long black cape flowing behind him.

Suddenly, the sounds of battle ceased. Mikey turned and looked back at the fight. The army of light had been annihilated and the man of light collapsed. Mikey reached out and cried.

The brunet bolted up in bed breathing heavily. _That dream again..._, he thought as he put his hand to his face and wiped off his cold sweat.

"Is something troubling you?" Kuraz asked as he appeared at Mikey's bedside.

"It's that dream again," Mikey said looking at his duvet, "Kuraz... could it mean something?"

"Possibly," the golden emperor of light responded, "Have you ever had similar visions prior to these dreams?"

"Once," Mikey answered, "It was two years ago. We met this fortuneteller and we saw visions of the future."

"I cannot say whether or not this recurring dream is a premonition." Kuraz crossed his arms over his chest and bowed his head in thought.

"If it is, what is it trying to tell me?" asked Mikey.

"Again, I cannot say. The future is always changing, Mikey. What you see in your dream may not be a vision if what is to come but of what may come. Its meaning may come to you if you can determine what or who these figures are that you see."

"And then what?"

"That is something you must find out on your own. I cannot help you." And with that, Kuraz returned to the deck.

Mikey had to pee. He tossed back his covers and straightened out his boxers before walking into the bathroom. When he was done he immediately returned to bed. However he had trouble getting back to sleep. The questions the dream had brought occupied his mind. Its meaning continued to elude him.

o o o

Sako kept a good distance away, making sure he stayed out of sight. He had been following Bakura for an hour now and so far the man had done nothing but walk. Whatever he was up to, he certainly didn't seem like he was in a hurry to do it. Sako watched as Bakura suddenly stopped and walked down an alley. The Duel Sniper quickly jumped onto a fire escape ladder and ascended to the roof of the building. When he reached the top he followed the direction in which Bakura had been walking and was quickly able to catch up with him. He watched as he approached a shady-looking door. Sako knew these venues well. They were underground dueling arenas, places where all sorts of illegal activities involving dueling took place. He had heard stories about Zane Truesdale taking part in some himself. He did not question why Bakura would come to a place like this. It was not his place to ask; he was only here to retrieve a card and that man had it.

A defeated Duelist suddenly came out from the building and Bakura immediately seized him. There was a short scuffle but the white-haired man easily overpowered him. "Who... No... What the fuck are you?"

"Me?" Bakura seemed to darken as his voice deepened, "I'm... a god." The demon's claw that had immobilized Solomon Mutou shot out of the darkness and grabbed the man while a second one reached out and grabbed his left arm. There was an agonizing scream as the limb was torn from his body and the claw brought it to Bakura. He looked at it for a moment and removed the Duel Disk before tossing the arm carelessly aside. He unloaded the deck and fanned out the cards. "Yes. This will do." He opened the box and took out its contents: a single card. The box fell to the ground as he placed the card in the deck and put it back inside the Duel Disk, which he placed upon his arm. Now that he had a deck, he was ready. He left the man to bleed to death as he sought out his target. As he walked, darkness seeped down his arm and into the deck.

o o o

Alexis unlocked the last Spirit Gate and watched as the vault opened. She entered and took out two cards. Uria, Lord of Searing Flames. Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder. Whenever these cards were brought out, they caused nothing but trouble. She quickly returned them to their resting place and resealed the vault.

"Just one more left," she said to herself as she returned to her office. She had not heard from Sako since they met him at the tournament in which Jaden had dueled against Jesse who had Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder in his possession. She knew that the Duel Sniper always guaranteed a finished job in a timely manner, but she still could not help herself from worrying.

And yet there was still something else that bothered her. She looked at the two framed photographs she had on her desk. One of them showed her, Jaden, and Cassie standing together with a beautiful ocean view behind them. It had been taken on a recent family vacation. The other photograph was a portrait of her brother Atticus. She remembered his mysterious disappearance all those years ago. She remembered when he reappeared as the masked man known as Nightshroud. Darkness had possessed him and after many battles and pains was he finally free. According to Jaden, he had dueled Darkness himself. But the entity he faced was nothing like what had appeared when it controlled Atticus.

As she thought about it now, Alexis realized that Jaden had never specified exactly what happened to Darkness in the end. She clasped her hands together and placed her elbows on her desk. There was nothing she could do now. All she could do was wait.

o o o

The sound of glass shattering was mostly unheard as Nightshroud broke open a car window and unlocked the door. He climbed inside and shut the door behind him. As he placed his hands on the steering wheel, darkness seeped into car and the engine started.

"Next stop, Yugi Mutou's house." He shifted the car into drive and tore down the street.

Meanwhile, Sako lowered his binoculars and growled. He was going to need some wheels to stay on his target.

o o o

Recca was inside the Duel Rose with Reko looking over freshly placed wounds by his hands, "Well. Good news is their really isn't any scarring at all. Like, none. Whatever did mangle you did it stupidly clean."

Mika was next to him, as Recca eyed the two from her bed, "The unfortunate news is that you will have to rest the remainder of the evening, you muscles are strained to the limit, and those muscle relaxers Reko fixed up for you will put you out of commission."

"Also mom...don't...t...", Recca's vision was becoming hazy as she shut her eyes. Reko snapping his fingers in front of her before shrugging.

"Damn, used a bit too much of that sleeping herb. Some root...um...damn, can't remember it," Reko looked at the bottle before chuckling, "Okay...shouldn't have written that in pencil. Good to know."

"Reko! Don't you know that's incredibly dangerous!" Mika fumed at him as he held up his hand in defence, "You could have poisoned Recca like that! And what's more-"

"Whoaaaa, whoa there Mika. I was joking. See? Bottles marked and everything.", Mika snatched a vial and squinted before shaking her head, "I don't get your humor."

He laughed, "You monkey types don't joke a lot do you?" He could feel Mika's glare as he gave a whistle, the two of them walking out of Recca's room, "Yeah. I can see that. But hey, not all bad. You just keep me in line."

Mika tilted her head in confusion, "...what?"

Reko held out his hands while grinning, "Well...say I'm about to do something really stupid. Like...I don't know. Arming myself to the teeth and running into the mountains to kick Nicky's ass and all of them. Just stomp in there and kick face until I find Zetsu!"

Mika gasped. "But...well..." She blushed a bit. "That's...that's honorable yes. Yet...Reko, you can't do that! That's very foolish!"

He gave a wide grin. "See? Right there!"

"What...?"

"You kept me in line! It's slang for...looking out for me! You look out for me!"

Mika blinked, a loss for words, "I...I do?"

"Yeah, oh HELL yes you do! You're great with the people, you work with me on everything, it's been hard but you're getting quite used to urban life."

"Well...um...yes."

"All the while you keep me safe! I'd do the same for you Mika!"

Mika was shocked. "So...you patching everyone up and...you fixing my eye every few days is..."

"Yep, keeping everyone's backs. Because I know you'd do the same for me Mika." He gave a deep breath, seeing Mika's confused and flustered expression, "Hey now, I don't mean that I..."

"Oh...o-oh yes, of course."

"I mean we should give that time."

"Y-yes. Agreeable."

"I mean your order sent you here to find those bad guys and whomp them. Well, we found them."

"Y...Yes."

"So it's all business, and running the shop keeps the charade going to prevent panic."

"Of course Reko. Strictly business."

"After their stomped, you'll be headed back to that monastery."

"First ship out."

They both nodded, Reko raising a finger. "Alright. Good convo. I'm going to bed now. Basement should be lovely. Night." Reko marched downstairs as Mika tilt her head towards his door. He gave a small, heartfelt smile as she stepped inside.

"Thank you...for everything."

o o o

It was a plain black sedan. Nothing special stood out about it, but that exactly what Sako wanted. After all the work was done, he was given the keys and taken out to the lot where the rental was parked. Sako started the vehicle immediately and began to drive. As he moved down the street, he began to think. Where should he go to continue the trail? He remembered Bakura had gone to the old Mutou game shop and left with a coat and a piece of paper. Following that, the man had gone out of his way to steal a Duel Disk and a deck before hijacking a car.

If Bakura had stolen a deck, that meant he was planning to duel the probability of the person he wanted to duel being on that piece of paper was extremely likely. As for what could potentially have been written on that paper, Sako continued to ponder upon. The Duel Sniper knew the game shop well. He had taken Wes to it a few times when the boy was little. He remembered the owner was an old man whose last name was Mutou. He could not quite catch his first name as he was trying to keep an eye on Wes. But thinking about it now, the name Mutou did ring a bell. It was the surname of the legendary King of Games.

Sako pulled up to a gas station and went inside to use the phone book. If his guess was correct, his target was headed to the residence of Yugi Mutou. He found the address he needed and memorized it in an instant before returning to the car and driving off.

He arrived at his destination an hour later. So far there were no signs of Bakura having arrived yet. No signs of any disturbances. This was the perfect time to set up an ambush. After parking his car in an inconspicuous location, Sako set up his Barrett and waited.

Another hour passed before something finally appeared. Sako recognized the car that pulled up and took aim. His first priority was to remove his target's means of escape. He would have killed his mark already had he not been ordered not to take any lives. He had to admit to himself that killing his target would have made his job much easier, but he had to adhere to his employer's orders. He waited until Bakura exited the vehicle and made his way toward the door. He aimed for the rear of the car and pulled the trigger. A single fifty-calibre round shot through the air at twenty-seven hundred feet per second and pierced the car's fuel tank, creating an explosion that caused Bakura to dive for cover.

It _would_ have caused him to dive for cover, but he didn't. As Sako watched through his scope, he could see a large mass of darkness surrounding Bakura, shielding him from the explosion and the shrapnel that flew out from it. "I know you're there, Duel Sniper. There's no point in hiding, so why don't you just come out?" Sako was silent. He stayed in his hiding spot for many minutes before he eventually and reluctantly shouldered his gun and came down from the roof he had been hiding on.

"How did you find me?"

"I can see all where there is darkness," Nightshroud answered, "I know your intentions as well, Duel Sniper. You wish for this." He took out a card from his deck and showed it. It was Raviel, Lord of Phantasms; the final Sacred Beast. "Well you know what you need to do."

"I do." Sako unshouldered his sniper rifle and twisted the safety switch, activating Duel Disk mode.

"After I deal with you, I shall deal with Yugi Mutou." Nightshroud activated his Duel Disk and placed the card back into the deck before it was shuffled. "Let's duel!"

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 8000

**Nightshroud Bakura:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"The first move will be mine!" Nightshroud drew his card. "I summon Headless Knight!" A warrior in a grey suit of armor emerged from the ground wielding a sword and a shield, but between its shoulders was an empty gap (ATK/1450 DEF/1700). "That will be all."

"I draw." Sako drew his card from the butt of his rifle and examined it. "And I summon Twin-Barrel Dragon." A small bipedal dinosaur-shaped robot appeared with a two-shot derringer for a head (ATK/1700 DEF/200). "And his effect activates when he is summoned. First I select one card you control and then flip two coins. If I get two heads as my result, that card is destroyed." He took out two coins and flipped them simultaneously. The results came up as one heads and one tails so Twin-Barrel Dragon's effect did not resolve.

"Well, no big loss. Twin-Barrrel Dragon, attack!" Twin-Barrel Dragon cocked itself and fired two bullets that pierced through Headless Knight's armor.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 8000

**Nightshroud Bakura:** 7750

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I now set two cards facedown. It's your move."

"I draw." Nightshroud looked at his card, "And now I summon The Portrait's Secret." A framed portrait appeared on the field and a ghostly demon suddenly emerged from the painting (ATK/1200 DEF/1500). "I end my turn."

Sako drew his card. Yet another curious move by his opponent. So far all he had done was summon a weak monster in attack mode. He hadn't even set any facedowns. "Twin-Barrel Dragon attack!" Despite all of this, he wasn't going to let an opportunity go to waste. The Derringer head turned toward the haunted painting and fired two bullets that pierced through the canvas.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 8000

**Nightshroud Bakura:** 7250

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," announced Sako.

Nightshroud drew again and just has he had done before, he summoned another weak monster in attack mode, this time The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams, which took the form of a ghostly demon armed with a sword and shield hovering over a girl asleep in a bed (ATK/1300 DEF/1800).

Sako drew his next card. "I summon X-Head Cannon!" A yellow and blue legless robot appeared beside Twin-Barrel Dragon armed with two cannons on its shoulders (ATK/1800 DEF/1500). "X-Head Cannon, destroy The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams!" The newcomer lowered its weapons into ready position, took aim, and fired. The attack blasted the bed into smithereens and the ghost shriekd as it faded away.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 8000

**Nightshroud Bakura:** 6750

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Twin-Barrel Dragon, attack!" Twin-Barrel Dragon pointed its head at Nightshroud and fired.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 8000

**Nightshroud Bakura:** 5050

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"That's it for me."

"And now it's my turn." Nightshroud drew his card. "Now I play..." He suddenly stopped mid-sentence and grabbed his head as he screamed. The black mask vanished from his face and he slumped over. Sako stood unmoving but he wondered what had just happened. Bakura suddenly turned and looked at him, his eyes glowing a blood red and he had his teeth bared like fangs.

"I summon Archfiend Soldier!" He slapped his card hard against the Duel Disk and a demon in purple armor and a large green cape appeared (ATK/1900 DEF/1500). "Next I equip him with Axe of Despair, boosting his attack points by one thousand!" An axe with a shrunken head attached to it rose from the ground and Archfiend Soldier grabbed it, raising its attack points to twenty-nine hundred. "Now attack X-Head Cannon!" The demonic soldier leapt high into the air and swung his weapon down upon X-Head Cannon. The axe head cleaved the robot cleanly in two and the pieces fell to the ground.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 6900

**Nightshroud Bakura:** 5050

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

_What's going on?_ Sako asked himself mentally, _First he was sending monsters to his graveyard and now he's attacking head-on. It's like he's changed his strategy completely._

"Two facedowns and I end my turn!" snarled Bakura.

Sako was back on his toes. This sudden changed forced him to be on alert for anything. He analyzed the situation as he drew his card. "I sacrifice Twin-Barrel Dragon for Blowback Dragon!" A larger dinosaur-like robot appeared in place of the old one with a head like a glock (ATK/2300 DEF/1200). "And his effect lets me toss a coin three times once per turn. If at least two of the results are heads, then I can destroy one card you control. Before I do that, I activate Second Coin Toss. Now Blowback Dragon, let's go!" Sako tossed three coins and the results were two tails and one heads. "I activate the power of Second Coin Toss and I'll re-flip one of the tails." Sako flipped a coin again and the result was heads, changing the outcome of Blowback Dragon's coin toss to two heads and one tails.

"Blowback Dragon, do your thing." Blowback Dragon cocked its head and fired. Archfiend Soldier shrieked as it was blasted into oblivion and Axe of Despair fell harmlessly to the ground before disintegrating. "Now attack." The mechanical beast turned toward Bakura and fired again.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 6900

**Nightshroud Bakura:** 2750

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

Bakura screamed again as darkness began to consume him and the mask of Nightshroud slowly reformed over his face. "Looks like I'll have to take over again." The masked man drew his card. "I'll summon Sangan and end my turn." As soon as his End Phase was over, he began to scream again.

o o o

"_Are you out of your mind?"_

"_Do not question me!"_

"_Our Life Points are so low and you play such a weak monster?"_

"_This is just the beginning."_

o o o

Sako drew his card. "Blowback Dragon, your effect please." Blowback Dragon let out a roar as its owner flipped three coins. The result was three tails. Even with Second Coin Toss it was a loss. However it did not matter terribly. He then gave his monster the order to attack Sangan."

"You fell for it," cackled Nightshroud, "In response to your attack, I sacrifice Sangan and discard Souls of the Forgotten in order to Special Summon Darkness Neosphere." Sangan disappeared and darkness fell over the field. A grotesque creature with long red hair formed from the blackness with a single large claw, a red eye in its chest, a blindfold over its face, and a pair of wings - one a white angel's one and the other a black demon's wing. It's nonexistent gaze swept the field once (ATK/4000 DEF/4000)."

"And with Sangan's effect, I bring one monster with fifteen hundred or fewer attack points to my hand from my deck and I choose Puppet Master." Nightshroud revealed the card that his Duel Disk spat out and placed it in his hand before his deck was shuffled.

"Blowback Dragon, pull back!" ordered Sako. His monster complied and ceased charging its attack. "I end my turn." He looked at the field. His opponent had somehow managed to summon a creature with four thousand attack points with almost no difficulty whatsoever and now it had him backed up in a corner.

"I draw!" Nightshroud drew and suddenly he clutched his head again.

o o o

"_Impressive. But darkness is not all powerful. I am a god!"_

"_A god that was sealed away much too easily."_

Within the darkest recesses of his mind, Bakura sat by himself in the fetal position listening to the two demons fight. Raviel, Lord of Phantasms and the entity known as Darkness had been a part is mind and soul ever since that box came. Since then the man had never been the same. Control of his body shifted constantly between the two demons and it was having great strain on his health. Bakura's own soul was far too weak to stand up to them.

"_Darkness rules all."_

Darkness' latest statement was met with a loud roar from Raviel who drew back his arm and prepared to strike.

"_Enough of this foolishness, all of you!"_ Bakura's blood suddenly froze. He recognized that voice. The two demons turned and watched as a man with white hair came forth. _"You know nothing of true evil."_

"_And who are you?"_ demanded Darkness. The mysterious man only looked at him and grinned demonically.

"_I am He."_

o o o

Many minutes had passed since Nightshroud had started screaming and Sako could only watch. Darkness seeped from Nightshroud as the mask vanished and his body finally relaxed. He expected the other more aggressive persona to take over now, but instead he was met with a maniacal laugh.

"I'm afraid neither fool is in right now," Bakura cackled, "But allow me to show you what I can do that they were not. First I activate Call of the Haunted and raise The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams from the grave. Now I sacrifice it for Puppet Master!" A demonic puppeteer appeared in a harlequinn-like costume sans the pattern with strings coming out of each finger and leading into the ground (ATK/0 DEF/0). "Now when Puppet Master is Tribute summoned, he resurrects two Fiends from my graveyard. So welcome back Sangan and Headless Knight." Puppet Master raised his hands and the strings pulled out Sangan and Headless Knight from their graves.

"Now I sacrifice Sangan, Puppet Master, and Headless Knight in order to Special Summon Raviel, Lord of Phantasms!" Dark blue lightning streaked across the darkened sky and a single bolt came crashing down to deposit an enormous blue and purple demon (ATK/4000 DEF/4000). "And of course Sangan's effect kicks in and we don't want to waste that now, do we?" Bakura cackled as he searched his deck and pulled out Man-Eater Bug. However since he just Normal Summoned, he was unable to set it. However, he would not need to.

"Raviel, attack!" ordered Bakura. Raviel, Lord of Phantasms balled up a fist and thrust it at Blowback Dragon, destroying it with a single blow.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 5200

**Nightshroud Bakura:** 2750

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Darkness Neosphere, attack."

"I activate two facedowns!" announced Sako, "Two copies of Fires of Doomsday." Each card produced a pair of level-one Dark Fiends with zero attack and defense points in the forms of one-eyed black flames in defense position.

"Bah! Fine then. Darkness Neophere can destroy one of them!" Darkness Neosphere's chest eye wandered for a moment before focusing its gaze on one of the tokens and blasting it. "I end my turn."

"I draw!" Sako drew his card. "I sacrifice two tokens to summon Barrel Dragon!" Two demonic flames vanished and in their place a large mechanical dragon with three revolvers for a head and its arms appeared (ATK/2600 DEF/2200). "And now I activate its effect. If I flip three coins, if two of them are heads, I can destroy one card under your control."

"Not if Divine Wrath has anything to say about it," Bakura cackled as he revealed his facedown. He discarded Man-Eater Bug and a lightning bolt struck Barrel Dragon and blew it to bits.

"I end with two facedowns," announced Sako.

"My turn!" Bakura drew and when he saw the card he cackled again. "Oh how I remember this card! I remove from play Headless Knight, The Portrait's Secret, and The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams to summon Dark Necrofear!" A blue female demon appeared on the field carrying a dilapidated doll like a baby (ATK/2200 DEF/2800). "Now my dear, attack that token with your special attack! Nengansatsu!" Dark Necrofear's eyes turned dark and a black aura surrounded her body. The same aura surrounded the Doomsday Token and it squealed loudly as its life was squeezed from its flames.

"Now Raviel, attack!" Raviel, Lord of Phantasms thrust its fist toward Sako once again and struck him dead-on.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 1200

**Nightshroud Bakura:** 2750

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"End this now, Darkness Neosphere!" Bakura cackled.

"I activate my Trap Card," announced Sako, "Defense Draw! The damage I take from this attack is reduced to zero and I draw a card." A barrier surrounded him as Darkness Neosphere fired his attack. It glanced off the surface harmlessly and Sako drew a card.

"Bah, fine then. But you know you cannot hold out forever." Bakura turned to Sako and glared at him darkly. "You face the power of a demon, the darkness, and now the power of a god! It matters not what you play next. Your defeat is guaranteed."

Sako said nothing. He simply drew his card. He took one look at it and then turned to Bakura. "The thing about gods is that they aren't immortal. You just need a big enough gun." He played the card he just drew and the image of Overload Fusion appeared in front of him. He removed Barrel Dragon and Blowback Dragon from his graveyard and fused them into the three-headed gun-turret behemoth called Gatling Dragon (ATK/2800 DEF/1200). Then he activated Limiter Removal and doubled his monster's attack power to fifty-six hundred before using his creature's effect. He tossed three coins and they all landed on heads. He gave his monster the go-ahead and Gatling Dragon unleashed a hailstorm of lead upon Raviel, Lord of Phantasms, Darkness Neosphere, and Dark Necrofear. The three demons' screams filled the darkness as their bodies were torn asunder by the onslaught of bullets.

Sako drew a cigarette from his pack with his mouth and lit it. He took a long drag and exhaled slowly. "Gatling Dragon, end it." Gatling Dragon pointed all of its guns on Bakura and opened fire.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 1200

**Nightshroud Bakura:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

Screams ripped from the man's throat as pain surged through his entire body as his soul and mind were purged of the spirits of Darkness and Raviel. Several minutes of agony passed before he finally collapsed. Sako took another drag from his cigarette and walked over to him. He sifted through the scattered cards and picked up Raviel, Lord of Phantasms.

"Mission completed." He tucked the card into his fatigues, slung his rifle over his shoulder, and walked away.

o o o

Hours passed and Bakura had not moved from where he lay. A figure slowly emerged from the shadows and knelt down beside him. He place a hand against his throat.

"So you survived. Excellent." The shadows swallowed Bakura as Kage stood back up. "Your continued existence is needed for our cause." He disappeared back into the darkness and Bakura vanished with him.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Mikey's affection for Sammie and relationship with Umi may be affecting more people than he had originally thought. What's it really affecting, who does Mikey's heart truly belong to, and who is driven to duel for a matter of honor? Watch the sparks fly next week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	112. Romance of Storm and Sea

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-25**

**Romance of Storm and Sea**

"Miss Umi? We'll reach Duel Academy in twenty minutes."

Umi was listening to a soft chiming song on her headphones in the luxurious helicopter and gave a light wave to the pilot, who simply shrugged and chuckled to himself as they flew over the vast and glimmering ocean towards the slowly encroaching island. She held a letter in her hand, smiling softly as she read it once again. That one always wrote letters even after E-Mail and everything else she told him to do, he always chose the most ancient yet heartfelt ways to let someone know he cared for them. She gave a small deflated huff, looking out towards the sea as she saw the letter again. He was there, he told her at the Castle why he didn't talk to her nearly at all, acted like a complete stranger to her...he apologized for that in the letter as well.

She looked down at the final line, written in elegant flowing script that betrayed his wild outside.

_Come visit me princess, I have so many things to talk to you about. ~Rose_

She knew Mikey was on the island and checked the message he sent to him, it wasn't answered. She ran a hand through her blue hair, letting it cascade like a waterfall as she remembered her old friend who to this day was watching her.

o o o

Mika woke up and wrinkled her face as the sun shone brightly upon the large bed she slept in. She slowly rose to her feet and tossed on a simply fluffy white robe and checked the old fashioned alarm clock her friend had laid out for her. It was seven in the morning, and she heard the sound of a familiar man swearing downstairs and the smell of breakfast being made. He was doing so much to get her used to life outside of a monastery, and even joked about the fact that if was five centuries past he probably would have been in a monastery too. She couldn't understand the shows he hooted and hollered at, especially the one with the eccentric ladies man who was obsessed with business suits. Though she found herself watching that one and many more with him every so often.

She stood out into the hallway, and turned to her left to see Recca exit the small room that Rena was dormant in. She held several vials and trinkets in one hand, smiling softly to Mika. Her soft smile said it all, she was still alive. Recca closed the door to her room, probably to set up whatever outfits they were going to wear for the day. Walking downstairs, she heard Reko singing in the kitchen and the simmering of something that smelled pleasant. He came out shirtless with some kind of omelet with greens and tomatoes on top, looking up the stairs at Mika who smiled back softly in the morning light.

"Just watching some news before the 'fun' begins. You know they aren't gonna like us soon, those jerks in the mountains," Reko said with some light apprehension in his voice, made evident by the light stabbing of a fork against his plate. Mika took an apple, sitting next to him and lending an ear, "You know Mika, I wonder why everyone is going to be running about today."

Mika walked outside and looked at the posting board outside, walking back inside before smiling, "That nice girl from Duelist Kingdom is going to be visiting Reko."

"Which one?", Reko said while flipping through some channels.

"Umi, that singer."

Reko was quiet for a good second as he turned towards Mika and rose a lavender brow, "Umi," her nodding did not work at all to impress him. He finished his meal in record time and walked back into the kitchen, Mika followed him.

"Isn't it strange that so many people we knew back on the Kingdom are coming back again?", Reko gave a shrug before stepping outside, ragged white top in hand before he threw it on and stepped into the shoes, "Some kind of talent show she's appearing for in a few days, though she's coming a day early to set up and the like. You going to see her?"

"Yeah. Mind the shop with Recca for awhile, tell her the Mermaids here? She'll know what you're sayin'. See you in a bit, I got all the wares set up and ready to blast.", Reko hopped on the lightning etched Runner, revving it and throwing his goggles on over his eyes before roaring down the path towards the landing site. Mika stood in the doorway, a bit puzzled by Reko's sudden disappearance before stepping upstairs into Reko's room. A wierd striped and lacy dress with a tail and cat ears was on the bed. Recca was dressed similarly while practicing a cat noise and bounding down the stairs. Nothing ever did phase that woman for long.

o o o

_ I'm leaving you, you know that right?_

_W...why?_

_ It's not I don't love you. I do, but...you're gonna be famous. They can't know about us._

_ We could make it work! C'mon Reks...please. I don't wanna be...you know._

_ Alone? I'll be with ya everyday. Take this._

_ A ring?_

_ Mama gave it to me. We'll see each other again as long as you have it Umi._

_ Are you sure you want to do this? I don't care if it hurts my career if I'm dating a 'nobody'. Who cares!_

_ Sorry Umi...it's what's best for oyu. I'll write you under Rose. I'm sorry love, I'm beat up about it too._

_ Don't go..._

Umi thoughts were cut short as she stepped off of the helicopter onto the docks, seeing Reko smirking slyly with his goggles glinting in the light. He gave a slight nod to Umi before patting the back of his Runner. Umi carefully hopped on, wraping his arms around Reko and giving a light sigh.

"I missed you, Reks. Can we see Mikey now?"

Reko chuckled, "As you command, princess," his Runner gave a roar in response and they sped towards the dorms with a silent peace between them.

o o o

Mikey felt something tapping him on the head as he slept. He flapped open his eyes as he saw Umi perkily smile at him Reko looming over him with a smirk, "Wakey wakey Mikey!", they both said in sing song before Mikey groggily sat up in his bed. His uniform was tossed at him before Mikey finally saw who flung the clothes towards him, "Umi?"

"Yep. Umi. Talent show is tomorrow bud! Gonna be grandy with her here!", Reko chirped in with a raised finger. Umi giggled, patting Reko's back before looking at Mikey with a glowing smile.

"Now you're going to get dressed you! We have sooo much to catch up on! You barely respond to any of my messages you know."

Mikey rubbed the back of his head, "I know, class and all. Sorry."

"Well, why not letters! Oh, those are so romantic!"

"Um, Umi I don't think you understood me..."

"We could do so much here though before I get ready!"

"I have to pee."

"Oh...Well, next time then?"

Mikey said nothing and then Umi leaving the room. Reko simply slid on his goggles and before Mikey to walk past him, Reko's arm gripped his shoulders, "Kid, you know you can make time for Umi right?"

"Reko, why do you care? You're not in any real relationshi-", Reko's hand gripped Mikey's shoulder hard, causing Mikey to wince, "Okay, okay, you probably were."

"Trust me Mikey, She's good people. She's trying for ages for an opportunity to be with you, she really likes you. Like her back for god's sakes. I keep hearing about the crap you're putting her through, and honestly I can't approve."

"You don't have to get involved Reko. I can handle this."

Reko shrugged, walking out of the room, "Well Mikey, you better pull a miracle out of the you-know-where if you want to have a chance at this. It's a rare moment. Even rarer when you're with Umi for...I mean c'mon already Mikey. What's the gorram holdup here?"

Mikey walked past Reko, the lavender haired duelist gritting his teeth and following behind Mikey at a decent pace. Walked into separate elevators, with Umi waiting for them both at the first floor. Umi smirked warmly to Mikey, who gave a nod as strode out the door. She looked crestfallen as Reko lifted up her chin, "Don't look so down."

"I know...it's just. He was naive at first I know, but there was a time his messages were so positive! Where did that go..."

"Well...this year has been interesting. Personally I think you're in danger."

She looked at him and waved her hand, "You can't be serious."

"Mom got thrashed by some rough guys here. She just now got out of it."

"Muggers?"

Reko shrugged, "Remember when we were kids I told you I was a Knight?"

"Yeah. I thought it was cute. We played Knight and Princess alot when I was in San Francisco."

Reko gave a nervous chuckle as they both walked outside, "What if I told you that was all the exact opposite of a tall tale?"

o o o

Mikey was silent as he walked along towards the main building, he felt a bit ill as the morning sun shone overhead. He saw Sammie out the corner of his eye and Saito beside her, and in the back of his mind he heard a faint voice.

_Take her._

Mikey pushed the thought away, yet it could not relent. He moved closer before his brother slapped him on the back, "Man, some morning isn't it Mikey!"

Mikey shook himself out of his trance before looking at his brother, "Oh...y-yeah! It really is."

"That talent show is tomorrow, and Umi's here too! Bet you're gonna give her the-"

"For the last time Gabe, there's NOTHING going on between us!"

Spencer appeared on Mikey's other side, "Sheesh Mikey, you're so in denial! The girl you're dating is here for probably only a few days before he gets on tour! Do somethin' already! You keep looking at Sammie...oh."

"C'mon man, you don't want that kind of drama!" exclaimed Gabe, "Kaiba is probably likely to tear you a fresh one too if you do! Stick with Umi, she's crazy for you too!"

"How do you know anyway, Gabe?" Mikey inquired.

They both grinned, "Blogs."

o o o

"Holy crap. I didn't even know you had a sister! So your disguise at the Kingdom...," Umi stood with Reko in front of the Dual Rose, both of them at one of the outside tables and conversing about the Kingdom and the past.

"All true. I guess since you know, we hung out at YOUR place all the time you wouldn't know Reka. Also Mika's here, she's the...cat...loli thing with my mom over there."

Umi looked over and laughed, "Wow. Your mom still does the outfits? How is she still a bombshell after all these years?"

"Probably that strong ,sexy Celtic blood in our veins, Umi. Sexy blood.", Mika walked outside to slam a cup of coffee in front of Reko and gently place a nice teacup in front of Umi.

"Please excuse me you two. I don't mean to interrupt,", Mika stepped inside with a huff before Umi rose an eyebrow, "She think we're..."

"No, no, probably that...uh...lady thing."

"Oh! Okay...I suppose that could work. Is that a cop out?"

Reko smirked, "Not at all."

"So why were you quiet when we met at the Kingdom?"

"I heard you an Mikey were an item. I couldn't ruin that, you know. Me and my charms usually get me in trouble. Remember the girl at the book store on twelfth and fourth?", Umi laughed as Reko rolled his eyes, "Oh sure. YOU laugh at that. Not like her husband didn't try to wring me like a sponge.

"So...I still have it. That silver rose ring."

"I saw it, nice little necklace," Reko's finger graced the thin silver chain of Umi's necklace, and behind the glass Mika fumed quietly. Recca strode up to her concerned.

"Sweetheart, there are a few people who need caffeine. What's...wrong...oooohhhhh," Recca saw Reko and Umi laughing and talking outside and Recca slung an arm around Mika who flushed scarlet, "So you..."

Mika nodded.

"A lot, hm?", he gave a cat-like smile as Mika nodded again. She gave her best motherly hug and looked down at her, "You don't need to worry. Umi and Reko go way back. We're talking toddlers."

"So...it's not."

"Noooooo...though goodness you know now that I mention it you never got so miffed with the other girls."

"Those were his little massage clients. She's...different I guess. I can sense their feelings, they seem really happy. Though why does Reko seem...enraged?"

"Old friends Mika. She's the little sister to his big brother. I'd confess it up soon though, Reko loves to frolick through the flowerbeds if you catch my meaning. As for the rage...I couldn't say. Anger from me getting thrashed?"

Mika looked back and gulped, "Okay. Mika...you've salin and excorsied all kinds of ghosts and demons. This is nothing! You an do this! You...", she saw Umi and Reko walk off as she sighed, "You are probably going to blow it."

o o o

Sammie and Saito were having lunch together, with the two of them talking about the various classes they had. Neither truly listened to the subjects, but each enjoyed simply engaging in conversation with each other. Sammie broke the monotony with Mikey's name in the conversation. Saito was quick to snap to reality, "I'm sorry. You said Mikey is starting to act awkward lately? That's no surprise. I think Zetsubou did something to him, but I'd have to ask him and he went missing with Recca being unable to find him. Until he comes back, we can only assume death or worse. This talent show is also a horrible idea. It's begging for Kage and the others to attack."

Sammie was quick to interject, "You know Mikey is really starting to lose it I think, but that Zetsubou...I can understand. Damn creepy guy, and with him missing I think he went and rejoined after winning over Recca. She's nice but dammit she's too trusting."

"She's Rena's daughter, I'd hardly think she'd be apart of this if she wasn't smart. I heard from Hayley that Judgement is taken out of the equation, also Recca is a beast of sorts," he chuckled with Sammie before being stoic once more, "In all serious I think we all need to be present for that Talent Show. Recca would probably agree, she's probably planning a strike anyway."

Sammie nodded, "Can we trust Mikey though?"

Saito was silent, "I can't say for sure. I'm starting to wonder if giving him the Red Card was a great idea."

o o o

"Kage, got some information for you. A Talent Show. Tons of students all gathered in one place."

Kage was reading a book Judgement was transcribing, "All from the masses shall He make his power known... Terry."

"Yes."

He grinned, "Where is Zetsubou?"

"North side, farthest tip. He's escaped, killed all the Shades we kept him with. Charlie could-"

"No, we need all of us to stand united to attack this area where the Talent Show shall be held. It wants souls to bring itself into existence. It'll have all the souls it wants. So what if a single assassin escapes. It won't matter in the grand scheme. Call Roman at once, get this plan into his understanding at once."

Terry left as Kage took the book once owned by Zetsubou into his hands, translated by Judgement. It was nearly time, all the pieces were at long last aligning.

o o o

Marsha oversaw the forms for the Talent Show, scowling at her council members, "You will not fail me again. Understand this."

"Ma'am!"

Marsha clutched her chest lightly, "Go... Do as I commanded!"

She looked outside, grinning, "Soon...all of the power will belong to me. Every single last drop of it."

The pain slowly subsided, herself slinking back in her chair and double checking her plans.

o o o

The Dual Rose was fairy quiet around this time of day and yet Reko still found himself being dragged out of bed from his nap to help. As he stood behind the bar cutting limes, Umi came into the cafe. She seemed distraught, a thing which Reko had come to read off of her. Setting down his knife, he wiped off his hands and approached her. "Hey Umi. What's the matter?"

Reko had always been someone Umi felt she could tell anything. She explained to him how Mikey's ignorance of her continued and then she went on to explain how she found out that he was trying to go after Sammie. This last part caused something inside Reko to snap.

"Umi, let's go."

"Where are we going?"

Reko took off his apron. "We're going to find Mikey."

o o o

Mikey was walked around outside the school getting some fresh air. The test he had in his last period had tired him out and he needed to take some fresh sea air into his lungs. His peace was interrupted, however, when Reko suddenly showed up. Or at least who Mikey thought was Reko. The man was not his usual cheery self. In fact he seemed quite enraged, a quality that Mikey had not come to expect of the Telaris man. His heart suddenly stopped a little when he saw Umi was with him. Mika had also come for some reason, but he had no idea why nor was it particularly a high priority in his mind. His attention was too focused right now on the angry Reko.

"I'm sick of your cowardice Mikey! I'm going to quash you for Umi's sake, I refuse you let you drag her down with you!" He activated the green gauntlet that appeared with a flash on his arm, the weapon humming to life as his deck glowed with fury, "If you have ANY honor right now Michael, you're going to accept this duel right now!"

Mikey looked at the the strange gauntlet that suddenly appeared on his arm, Mikey pulling his own Duel Disk out of his pack and affixing it to his arm, hesitant about slotting in his deck. He's never seen Reko so angry before, oftentimes he was curious if he could be anything other than careless and brash. Black thunder clouds began to roll in, and Reko gritted his teeth, "Accept. My. Challenge."

Mikey slotted in his deck, and met Reko's intense glare, "I accept. Let's duel!"

––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Reko:** 8000

––––––––––––––

Reko drew his cards, "I can't freakin' believe you're going to dump my little sis for Sammie. Sammie! This shit cannot fly! Summoning Mist Valley Thunderbird!" A yellow bird with long tail feathers like thunder bolts appeared (ATK/1100 DEF/700). "Two cards set! Get ready to die you little scum sucker!"

Umi looked at Reko as Mika ran to meet with the three of them, "Reko, you don't have to do this for me!"

Reko looked back ,"I'm not letting the haggersnash ignore you like this," he looked back towards Mikey, "Draw!"

Mika was silent as they began their duel, she sensed Reko's anger for awhile now...if only she could have stopped it in time.

"I draw!" Mikey drew his card. "I Special Summon Oracle of the Sun in defense mode." He placed his card sideways on his Duel Disk and summoned out his Inca man in traditional tribal garb (ATK/1000 DEF/2000). "Next I Normal Summon Majestic Mech – Ohka without a tribute." The quadrupedal winged mechanical angel appeared and roared (ATK/2400 DEF/1400). "Now I Special Summon Guardian of Order." A stream of light broke through the clouds and a divine knight in white armor descended from the heavens (ATK/2500 DEF/1200).

"Ohka, attack! Majestic Ray!" Majestic Mech – Ohka opened its mouth and a solid beam of white light shot out and blasted apart Mist Valley Thunderbird.

––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Reko:** 6700

––––––––––––––

"Guardian of Order, it's your turn!" Guardian of Order focused with the gem on his helmet and fired a beam of light at Reko.

––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Reko:** 4200

––––––––––––––

"Next I play Dimensionhole and remove Ohka from play." Mikey played his card and Majestic Mech – Ohka vanished from the field upon being swallowed up by a hole in space. "I set a card and end."

Reko drew his next card. "I activate a facedown, Mystical Space Typhoon!" The whirlwind that blew from the card flew across the field and hit Mikey's facedown, which turned out to be Skill Drain. "I knew you'd set that card, Michael. It's the key card of your deck. Well I'm not playing around! I'm here to defeat you! And here's Mist Valley Divine Wind to help!" A colorful wind began to blow through the field.

"Now I Monster Reborn Thunderbird!" Mist Valley Thunderbird returned to the field. "And here's Soldier!" A blue-garbed man with two daggers and a pair of white wings appeared (ATK/1700 DEF/300). "Now I tune them together to summon Mist Valley Thunder Lord!" Mist Valley Soldier's body faded away until four stars remained which turned into synchro rings that surrounded Mist Valley Thunderbird until its body faded into three stars and a light engulfed them both from which a green-skinned bird man emerged with black wings, taloned feet, and a large staff in one hand (ATK/2600 DEF/2400).

"Now for his effect. I return a card from my field to my hand to boost him by five hundred attack points!" He returned Mist Valley Divine Mist to his hand and Mist Valley Thunder Lord's attack points rose to thirty-one hundred. "Attack Guardian of Order!" Mist Valley Thunder Lord thrust his staff upward and a bolt of lightning came down and struck Guardian of Order, destroying him with a single blast.

––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 7400

**Reko:** 4200

––––––––––––––

"I play Divine Mist again and end my turn." Mist Valley Thunder Lord's attack points then returned to their original twenty-six hundred.

Mikey drew his card and on his Standby Phase, the effect of Dimensionhole kicked in and Majestic Mech – Ohka returned to the field. "I summon Beast King Barbaros and activate Forbidden Chalice on him." The giant lance-wielding liontaur appeared (ATK/3000 DEF/1200) and drank the nectar from the goblet that appeared before it, causing its attack points to go from nineteen hundred up to thirty-four hundred. "Attack!"

"Trap Card activate, Compulsory Evacuation Device!" A large machine appeared and trapped Beast King Barbaros inside. It then took aim and fired, sending the Beast-Warrior back to Mikey's hand.

"I end my turn." There was nothing else Mikey could do.

"I draw." Reko drew his card. "And I summon another Thunderbird!" A second yellow bird appeared. "Now Thunder Lord's effect returns it to my hand!" Thunderbird flew away and into his hand. "And now Mist Valley Divine Wind activates. If a Wind Monster goes back to my hand, once per turn I can Special Summon a level four or lower Wind monster from my deck. So I pick Mist Valley Falcon!" A bird man with brown wings appeared with a sword and shield (ATK/2000 DEF/1200). "And since Thunderbird was bounced, he gets Special Summoned back but can't attack." Mist Valley Thunderbird appeared beside Mist Valley Falcon as Mist Valley Thunder Lord's attack power rose to thirty-one hundred attack points. "Thunder Lord, attack!" Mist Valley Thunder Lord cast another lightning spell and destroyed Majestic Mech – Ohka.

––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6700

**Reko:** 4200

––––––––––––––

"Go!"

"I draw." Mikey set Beast King Barbaros in defense mode and ended his turn. There was little else he could do.

Reko drew his card and bounced Mist Valley Thunderbird to his hand to boost Mist Valley Thunder Lord again. In doing so, he used the effect of Mist Valley Divine Wind to summon Mist Valley Baby Roc, which was a small skull-headed bird (ATK/400 DEF/600). Then by its own effect, Mist Valley Thunderbird was brought back on the field. Reko then tuned his Mist Valley Baby Roc to Mist Valley Thunderbird and Mist Valley Falcon.

"I summon Mist Wurm!" A giant purple centipede appeared and began spewing purple smoke from its back (ATK/2500 DEF/1500). "And now he returns up to three cards you control to your hand!" The mist blew harder and a cyclone blew Beast King Barbaros and Oracle of the Sun back to Mikey's hand.

"Mist Wurm attack!" Mist Worm charged and slammed into Mikey.

––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4200

**Reko:** 4200

––––––––––––––

"Now Thunder Lord, attack!" Mist Valley Thunder Lord raised his staff and struck Mikey with lightning.

––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 1100

**Reko:** 4200

––––––––––––––

"It's almost over, Michael. Once I win, you're gonna give up all this skirt chasing and spend some some real time with your girlfriend!"

"Wait, what?" Mikey was confused, "What do you mean girlfriend? I don't have a girlfriend."

"Don't lie! You know damn well that you're with Umi!"

"Wait. You think I'm dating Umi?"

"Of course! What the hell did you think I was talking about? She's always talking about how you two are an item."

"Reko, I'm not dating Umi!" Mikey protested, "I don't even like her! She's just a friend!"

"Wait, hold on a sec. What do you mean you don't even like her?"

"Reko, Umi's not my girlfriend. I never dated her. She's just a friend, but she's got a HUGE crush on me."

"So wait, you never had feelings for her?"

"No, Reko." Mikey turned and looked at Umi. "I never loved Umi. I've always been in love with Sammie." Umi felt her heart break into a thousand pieces.

"So all this was just a misunderstanding?" Reko inquired.

"Pretty much," answered Mikey turning back to the lavender-haired man.

"But all the things Umi said..."

"Again, HUGE crush. Everything she's said isn't true." The brunet looked back to Umi. "I'm sorry, Umi. You're a really good friend, but that's all you are to me."

"Wow... This is just...wow... I feel so derpy now," Reko thought out loud.

"I have to get going now." Mikey deactivated his Duel Disk and grabbed his bag and then ran off. As Reko did the same with the green device on his arm, Mika turned to Umi.

"Umi... Will you be alright?"

Umi was silent. She couldn't talk. Her mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts. All those E-mails she sent; all those text messages and all those phone calls. Had they really all been for nothing?

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

It's the school talent show and everyone's showing off their best! However, Umi is still trying to cope with the sudden feelings of abandonment. In addition, her feelings toward Sammie begin to grow more hostile. How is Umi going to deal with her feelings? And what will she do to Sammie? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	113. The Talented Miss Korangar

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

Apologies for the late update, but the chapter had to be delayed in order for an April Fool's prank to work effectively.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-26**

**The Talented Miss Korangar**

The school was abuzz with excitement with the upcoming talent show. The line for auditions never seemed to shorten. Every day Mikey passed the auditorium he could see students upon students queued up hoping for a chance to get into one of the available slots. Some of the school's most talented, such as Max and Hayley, had already been accepted.

Inside the auditorium, Marsha, Stan, and Tobias sat in the third row from the front watching each audition as they came onto the stage one at a time to perform. The room was filled with a soothing melody as Noah sat on the stage playing the piano before the panel of judges accompanying his soft voice. When he finished, he got down from the bench and bowed.

"Gentlemen?" Marsha turned to her two fellow council members.

"Kid's got real talent," Stan said.

"It was a really great song. I've never heard anything like it," Tobias complimented.

"Thank you," Noah said as he bowed again, "I wrote it."

"Well I think it's a unanimous vote." Marsha wrote down Noah's name on her list and handed the boy a card. "You're in the show."

"Thank you." Noah bowed again and walked off stage.

"NEXT!" Tobias yelled.

Sammie walked onto stage with her guitar and sat down on the provided stool. She tuned her instrument and began to play. The three council members sat there listening to the beautiful song that came as she played. A few minutes later, Sammie walked out of the auditorium proudly with a ticket in her hand to where her friends were waiting.

"Way to go, Sammie!" Mikey congratulated.

"Heh. I knew you'd make it in," Coltyn said with a smirk.

"Was that before or after you bet five dollars?" Max asked with a cheeky grin.

"We never made a bet," Coltyn replied.

"Thanks, guys," Sammie said warmly, "Hey, where's Gabe? Is he at swim practice?"

"He's got fencing today," Mikey answered, "He'll meet us at four-thirty."

"That would make sense. If he has swim practice, he'd meet us even later."

"Okay, no. Just no, Sammie. Please."

"What's wrong, Mikey?" Max asked coyly.

"Look, I got nothing against Gabe being gay. I just don't want to imagine my brother having sex is all!"

"Correction," Coltyn interjected, "You just don't want to imagine your brother having _gay_ sex."

"Stop that!" Mikey yelled. Everybody else broke out into laughter.

o o o

Nellie was in mechanics class. The teacher had given the students time to work on anything they wanted, so she took the opportunity to tweak her skateboard. She had been trying to outfit it with holographic generators and a card reader so she could duel while riding it. Some people called her crazy, but she didn't care. She was combining two things she loved into one. She looked at the blazing phoenix painted on her board and smiled.

"This is gonna be the best skateboard ever," she said to herself as she proceeded to install a microchip that would allow for wireless communications between her skateboard and her Duel Disk.

o o o

They had come by boat under the cover of night for the past two weeks. Kage watched from the shadows as more troops arrived. The cave in which he and his men had been hiding since the beginning of the school year had since been expanded. The cavern had been excavated into something much bigger; large enough to house an entire army. About two dozen generators provided the energy needed to illuminate the cave. Other parts needed no light as they were already ablaze with the fires of forges and molten metal. Nicky was sitting in the corner drunk playing cards with Terry. Judgement was in a corner in deep meditation while the Duel Guerilla was marking up a map.

"I'm done," Terry said as he threw down his cards and went to go work on his Duel Runner.

"Aww c'mon, mate! Y'ain't gunna even try ta beat me?"

"It's a wasted effort when you're drunk," Terry said matter-of-factly as he picked up a wrench.

Kage's attention turned toward the sea when he heard the sound of a horn approaching. A submarine could be seen in the distance and a boat was coming toward the cove. A man in a purple business suit and glasses was sitting in the front while a submarine crew member manned the motor. When the boat landed, the man in the suit stepped off onto the island.

"Roman, I see you've decided to join us."

"Just making sure my money's been put toward all of its intended purposes," Roman answered. He took a few steps into the cave and immediately staggered back. "What is that awful smell?"

"That would be your money being put toward all of its intended purposes," Kage answered as he led Roman to four identical pits. Each one had its own smelters and blacksmiths working the forges and anvils, but the items they produced were far from identical. Armor was being forged in each pit, but in different styles. One produced armor that bore a strong resemblence to bones while another produced lightweight black armor. The third was making exceptionally heavy armor and the last was creating white armor that was being In the center of each pit was a horse chained down to the floor. The brown horse was chained down exceptionally heavily and with good reason. Unlike the other stallions which were getting fitted for their armor, this one was having its armor forged directly into its flesh. Even Roman had to wince as he heard the equine's neighs of agony.

"Why is that horse undergoing such treatment?" the businessman demanded.

"It was _his_ orders," answered Kage as he looked to another area where a massive greatsword was being forged. A claymore lay nearby, its blade snapped cleanly in two. "He's been ordering our smiths to forge for him new armor and weapons."

"He always did overdo things in his name," Roman muttered. As the two men returned to the first area, they passed what appeared to be various Duel Monsters digging tunnels. "Are these for the attack?"

"Yes," answered Kage as they passed Ally of Justice Omni-Weapon digging into the rock. The dark man picked up two copies of Minefieldriller from a crate and the shadows around him expanded as two subterranean drill modules materialized from the darkness and proceeded to drill more tunnels. He then poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Roman before they sat down at the table with the Duel Guerilla. "The plan is to attack from all sides of the island and advancing toward the school in the middle. With this, our enemies will be completely surrounded."

"What about resistance from the Telaris family?" Roman inquired.

"We're expecting it. So we're sending in one of their own to deal with them, particularly that son of theirs."

"And the son of Kaiba?"

"He's of no threat to us."

"What of him?" Roman indicated toward Judgement. "Last I heard he lost to a little girl."

"He has been dealt with," Kage explained, "His last body suffered serious damage from his previous loss. Had I not salvaged him, he would not be here. He has since gained a new vessel and he meditates now to restore his powers."

"So powerful and yet so brittle." Roman looked at the eye of Judgement's mask. A brief flash of darkness emanated from it, causing the businessman to back away.

"Enough about things on my end. What of you? Did you bring that package?" Kage asked.

"I did." Roman pointed outside as another boat came to shore carrying a short figure shrouded in a cloak. "I also brought along a few others to help us."

"You brought more help?"

"Anyone coin can buy."

"Then preparations are almost complete. All that remains now is to wait."

o o o

Reko was in a pouty mood when he returned to the Dual Rose. As a mother, Recca was the first to know and confronted him about it. "Is something the matter sweetie?"

"Nah, it's nothing. I'm good," Reko assured her.

"Reko..." Recca put her hands on her hips. Reko sighed. He knew nothing escaped his mother.

"Okay, fine. They wouldn't let me audition for the talent show."

"Well it IS just for students," Mika pointed out as she carried a tray of dishes to the kitchen.

"But they're all gonna miss hearing my lovely singing voice." Reko then stood in the middle of the cafe and began to sing, causing several students to turn their heads in confusion.

"Honey, not here please." Recca grabbed Reko and took him to the back leaving the customers to wonder what the heck that was all about.

o o o

A week later, the entire student body had gathered in the auditorium to watch the long-anticipated talent show. Not only them, but several students' parents had also come. Jaden had made time in his dueling schedule to come to see his daughter perform on stage. Johnathan Angel had also showed up to watch his sons. And to the surprise of everyone, even Seto Kaiba had come to visit the school. Fifty acts had been listed on the program, but the one that everyone was most excited about was the first one. "A special opening act by Umi? This is so awesome!"

"I know, right?"

The entire auditorium was abuzz with the performance by Umi save for one person. Mikey was shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He was not sure why, but he suddenly felt like something bad was about to happen. As the curtain rose, Umi appeared on stage. Everybody waited in anticipation for her to do one of her duel performances. But instead, the pop star just sang, tears staining her cheeks as they dripped from the corners of her eyes.

_Baby, can't you see_

_I'm calling_

_A guy like you_

_Should wear a warning_

_It's dangerous_

_I'm fallin'_

_There's no escape_

_I can't wait_

_I need a hit_

_Baby, give me it_

_You're dangerous_

_I'm lovin' it_

_Too high_

_Can't come down_

_Losing my head_

_Spinning 'round and 'round_

_Do you feel me now_

_With a taste of your lips_

_I'm on a ride_

_You're toxic I'm slipping under_

_With a taste of a poison paradise_

_I'm addicted to you_

_Don't you know that you're toxic_

_And I love what you do_

_Don't you know that you're toxic_

_It's getting late_

_To give you up_

_I took a sip_

_From my devil's cup_

_Slowly_

_It's taking over me_

_Too high_

_Can't come down_

_It's in the air_

_And it's all around_

_Can you feel me now_

_With a taste of your lips_

_I'm on a ride_

_You're toxic I'm slipping under_

_With a taste of a poison paradise_

_I'm addicted to you_

_Don't you know that you're toxic_

_And I love what you do_

_Don't you know that you're toxic_

_Don't you know that you're toxic_

_With a taste of your lips_

_I'm on a ride_

_You're toxic I'm slipping under_

_With a taste of a poison paradise_

_I'm addicted to you_

_Don't you know that you're toxic_

_With a taste of your lips_

_I'm on a ride_

_You're toxic I'm slipping under_

_With a taste of a poison paradise_

_I'm addicted to you_

_Don't you know that you're toxic_

_Intoxicate me now_

_With your lovin' now_

_I think I'm ready now_

_I think I'm ready now_

_Intoxicate me now_

_With your lovin' now_

_I think I'm ready now _

Silence filled the auditorium. None of the students had expected something like this. But in the end, applause and cheers erupted from the crowd. Umi bowed tearfully and walked off-stage.

"Wow, bro. That's _really_ gonna put a damper on your song," Gabe said to his brother.

"Sh-shut up, Gabe," Mikey stammered. He decided he should wait for a bit longer before going backstage.

"Why'd you even pick that song anyway?" Coltyn asked.

"Noah thought it'd be a good one to sing to impress Sammie," was Mikey's answer.

"You took courting advice from an eight-year-old?"

"He's smart..."

"He's a kid."

Mikey just shrugged it off as he turned his attention to the next act, which was a group of students performing _We Hate You Please Die_ by Crash and the Boys.

"Next up is Jenny Trinh singing _Passion_ by Utada Hikaru," the MC announced. A young Osiris Red girl with black hair and glasses walked out onto stage with a microphone and began to sing the song. When she was done, the MC came back out onto the stage as the curtain came down behind him.

"And now we have Noah Kaiyou singing _Hallelujah_ by Leonard Cohen with Scott Sculac on guitar." He walked off stage and the curtain rose again to reveal the grand piano from the music room in the middle of the stage. Noah was sitting on the bench, his fingers trembling. He turned to look at Scott, who was sitting on a stool with his acoustic guitar. The older boy gave him an affirming nod and Noah turned back to his music. He took in a deep breath and began to play with Scott accompanying him on guitar.

_I heard there was a secret chord_

_That David played and it pleased the Lord_

_But you don't really care for music, do ya?_

_Well it goes like this_

_The fourth, the fifth_

_The minor fall, and the major lift_

_The baffled king composing Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

In the audience, Cassie sat with her mother watching Noah's performance. His soft angelic voice seemed to capture her heart, much to the chagrin of Gio who was sitting right beside her.

_When your faith was strong but you needed proof_

_You saw her bathing on the roof_

_Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya_

_She tied you to her kitchen chair_

_She broke your throne and she cut your hair_

_And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Well maybe there's a God above_

_But all I've ever learned from love_

_Was how to shoot someone who outdrew ya_

_It's not a cry that you hear at night_

_It's not somebody who's seen the light_

_It's cold, and it's a broken Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

When the song was over, Noah slowly relaxed as he drew back his hands. He got off the bench and bowed toward the audience. His performance was rewarded with a thunderous applause from the crowd, which caused him to blush a bit. When he saw Cassie cheering for him, he smiled and walked off stage with Scott.

o o o

Marsha was in her office looking out the window. "Why aren't you at the talent show?" Tobias inquired as he stood in the student council's main room.

"I don't have to be there. Besides, I've got stuff to do here."

"You're staring out the window."

"I'm thinking."

"About what?"

"Tobias, just go before I throw something at you!"

"Right away!" Tobias quickly slunk away not wanting to get hit by another random object.

o o o

The audience exploded into applause after witnessing a dramatic performance by both Max and Hayley. Their act was followed by a dance routine by a quintet of students to _Lucifer_ by SHINee.

"What song is this?" Gabe asked.

"It's Korean," answered Coltyn.

"Is there anything you don't know?"

"Not really."

"Guys, I'm gonna go get ready." Mikey got up from his seat and began scooting past people in order to get backstage.

"What exactly IS he gonna do anyway?" Gabe asked.

"Honestly, it's embarrassing to even say it," Coltyn moaned.

Fifteen minutes later, Mikey appeared on stage with his hair restyled wearing a baby-blue blazer and a dark purple tie while holding a Guitar Hero preipheral in his hands. He turned his gaze toward Sammie and started singing _Yuri the Only One_ by the L33tStr33t Boys.

o o o

An hour into the talent show, performance number twenty-five finally came up and Sammie came onto the stage. Mikey watched eagerly hoping to see what she would do. Sammie looked out to the audience and began to sing.

_It's been a mystery and still they try to see_

_Why something good can hurt so bad_

_Caught on a one way street the taste of bittersweet_

_Love will survive somehow, some way_

_One love feeds the fire_

_One heart burns desire_

_I wonder who's crying now_

_Two hearts born to run_

_Who'll be the lonely one_

_I wonder who's crying now_

_So many stormy nights, so many wrongs or rights_

_Neither could change their headstrong ways_

_And in a lovers rage they tore another page_

_The fightin is worth the love they save..._

_One love feeds the fire_

_One heart burns desire_

_I wonder who's crying now_

_Two hearts born to run_

_Who'll be the lonely one_

_I wonder who's crying now_

_Only so many tears you can cry_

_Til the heartache is over_

_And now you can say your love_

_Will never die_

_One love feeds the fire_

_One heart burns desire_

_I wonder who's crying now_

_Two hearts born to run_

_Who'll be the lonely one_

_I wonder who's crying now_

Sammie looked out into the audience at Mikey and then turned her gaze toward Umi before taking her leave. As the audience applauded, both Mikey and Umi were left speechless.

o o o

Sako's boat cut through the water like a knife through soft butter. He had finally retreived Raviel, Lord of Phantasms and was on his way back to Duel Academy. He patted his pocket where the card rested inside a hard case sealed within a Ziploc bag. He could see the school just ahead. He was almost there.

o o o

"Unknown craft inbound," a submarine crewmember reported. The sub captain, a woman of African descent, turned and looked at the monitor.

"Orders sir?" she asked turning around to Roman, who was sitting comfortably in a chair with a glass of whiskey in his hand.

"Destroy it."

"Target unknown craft! Fire when ready!" ordered the captain. The submarine turned forty-five degrees to its left and lined itself up with the incoming boat.

"Prepping aft torpedo tube number one."

"Aft torpedo tube number one loaded."

"Target locked. Ready to fire."

"Fire!" ordered Roman. On his command, the torpedo was launched from the submarine.

o o o

Sako could see the dock. He eased up on his speed as he approached the island. The last thing he wanted was to come in too fast and crash into the rocks. As he neared his destination, something about his surroundings seemed amiss. His eyes suddenly went wide and he turned around just in time to see the wake of a torpedo coming toward his boat. A fiery explosion soon erupted as his craft was destroyed.

o o o

"Kage to Roman, we heard an explosion," Kage said through the radio, "Is everything alright. Over."

"All is fine," Roman answered, "Someone was approaching the island. We had to make sure nobody comes in. Or gets out. Over."

"Very well. We'll begin immediately then. Over and out." Kage lowered his earpiece and turned to look at the cave interior. The forges had been shut down and now a massive army had assembled within the cavern. Ranks upon ranks of men in hoodies and baseball caps stood together. In front of them, Nicky was grinning like a madman on his Duel Runner while Terry sat beside him on his own motorcycle revving his engine. Behind them was a white Duel Runner with all sorts of gemstones set into it, its rider wearing a helmet that concealed his face. The sounds of horses neighing filled the cave as Famine, Pestilence, War, and Death stood ready in their new and improved armor and weapons.

"The time has come!" declared Kage as he stepped over to his pitch-black Duel Runner. "Leave no survivors! Tonight we attack and none shall oppose us! Now go forth! Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!"

* * *

**Song Index:**

Britney Spears – Toxic

Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah (Jordan Jansen cover)

Journey – Who's Cryin Now

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Duel Academy is under attack! A massive invasion force has hit the island and plunged it into chaos! With no power and no way off the island, the students and staff are trapped. How will they survive? The invasion of Duel Academy begins next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	114. Invasion of Chaos

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-27**

**Invasion of Chaos**

The talent show's current performer was someone who thought it would be funny to sing Rick Astley's _Never Gonna Give You Up_ to the whole school. It was actually the third person that evening who had that same idea. It was actually getting rather tiresome Mikey thought as he rubbed his temple.

"Three RickRolls and two people singing _Friday_ by Rebecca Black. Do these people not have anything original to do?" Coltyn muttered as he dug into his pocket for his iPod.

"The joke is dead!" Gabe yelled at the stage when the song was over. Meanwhile Sammie was glancing over at the fire extinguisher in the corner. Mikey put his hand on her shoulder, but she turned her glare toward him and he immediately slunk back.

The next student to come up had a dummy that was made to look like Malice Doll of Demise and began to perform a ventriloquist act. "This wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't trying to rip off Chucky," Coltyn thought out loud as he scrolled through his songs. He was about to hit Play when an explosion suddenly rocked the entire auditorium. The ventriloquist looked puzzled wondering what it was that could have interrupted his act.

o o o

An hour before the explosion, Alexis had returned to her office because she had received a text message that Sako would be arriving soon with the final Sacred Beast card in his possession. She had sent a reply saying that she would meet him at the docks at his time of arrival. She had come to retrieve the Spirit Keys from the safe before heading out. However, just as she was taking the box out she heard a dull explosion in the distance and turned to see smoke rising from a single point somewhere out on the ocean. Keeping the box in her hands, Alexis walked toward her window and gazed out into the night at the spot where she could see the billowing column.

A low rumbling could be heard from the distance and Alexis tried to see where it was coming from. However the noise appeared to be coming from all directions. As it grew closer, she realized that it was getting louder at an alarming rate and she could feel her office rumbling. Alexis suddenly clapped her hands over her ears and dropped as a fighter jet shot past her window. As it passed, she got back up and looked at the glow of the flames from its jets.

Alexis quickly turned her attention to the monitors in her office. Each one was connected to a security camera all over the island. What she saw was truly frightening. The entire island was swarming with a massive army of men in baseball caps and hoodies. They came from all directions in droves. As she watched, she saw others that stood out among the rest. A man in heavy red armor wielding a mighty greatsword rode on a brown horse laden with heavy crimson armor that seemed to appear to have been wielded to its skin directly. Another monitor showed a horseman in black armor holding a set of scales in his hand riding a steed that seemed severely malnourished. He seemed to be alone as he rode through the woods. A third screen showed a man on a sickly white horse wearing white armor. A quiver of arrows hung from his back and a bow rested in his hand. The saddle bags of his horse also appeared to be more quivers but they seemed different. Behind the horseman were several carts holding enormous containers filled with a clear green liquid and many mobile catapults. A fourth screen showed a man in pale bone-like armor riding what appeared to be a horse skeleton in the darkness of the night. In his hand he held a long handled scythe with a blade that seemed to be almost three quarters of the length of the handle.

As she pondered what to do, she heard her office door open. She turned and saw Jaden entering the room. His presence made her feel more at ease and she was relieved when he found that he had brought Cassie along. But then she saw who he had brought with him.

"Mr. Kaiba!"

"Chancellor Rhodes. I'm beginning to wonder if I need to reconsider my investments." It sounded like business talk, but everyone in the office knew exactly what he meant. The three adults congregated around Alexis' desk to discuss what was going to be done.

o o o

Kage watched as his army left the cavern via the tunnels that had been dug. They all stretched out to various strategic points all around the perimeter of the island. It was a basic strategy in war: surround the enemy and encroach them from all sides. As the last of the foot troops left the cave, Nicky laughed manically.

"Now it's our turn!" He revved up his Duel Runner and took off. Behind him, Terry sat on his Runner and looked beside him.

"Are you ready?" he asked. Next to the bald biker, Reign nodded slowly as he sat upon a white Duel Runner with several gems embedded into its surface. In actuality they were the holographic projectors, however they had been redesigned to look like precious gemstones to suit his theme.

"Then let's go." Terry pulled his visor down and gunned his engine. Reign said nothing as he donned a white helmet lined with seven shimmering gems, one for each color of the rainbow, with a tinted black visor obscuring his face. The two men revved their Duel Runners and drove out through different tunnels.

With those two gone, that left only one more. Kage turned to look at Judgement still in deep meditation. "Are you prepared?" The masked behemoth raised his head toward his master and nodded slowly. "Then join them." Darkness swallowed Judgement and when the shadows dispersed he was gone.

Kage's communicator beeped and he picked it up. "I trust everything so far is running smoothly," Roman's voice came through.

"The invasion has taken off without complication," Kage reported, "My men have just moved out. Yours went with the first wave. The red one seemed incredibly excited."

"Typical War," muttered Roman.

"I'm certain you didn't call me just to have a report delivered," Kage carried on, "I am not your subordinate and I know you are aware of this."

"I'm concerned about parts of this attack plan. You gave everyone permission to use any means necessary," Roman started.

"And your real concern is?"

"Pestilence has very questionable methods. Methods that can prove fatal toward our own men."

"Those drones are expendable."

"It'll be more than just them if he manages to cover the whole island in his substance!"

"Are you truly concerned about the lives of our men or are you just concerned about the money you paid to hire them?" Roman fell silent for several minutes. "That's what I thought. We're done. I'll contact you later. I'll depart soon myself." Kage cut the transmission and put his communicator away. He closed his eyes and then cleared his mind. He sensed a familiar presence arrive on the island earlier that day. Now that he focused on it, he could tell it was who he suspected.

"So he's here after all." Kage got up and proceeded to start up his Duel Runner.

o o o

"Oi! 'ow come there ain't no one out 'ere?" Nicky yelled.

"Probably because they're all at that talent show," Terry answered as he rode up beside Nicky.

"Bloody 'ell! For real? Where the 'ell's the fun in that? 'ow we gunna terrorize 'em kids if we got no one ta terrorize?"

"You want chaos, don't you?"

"Bloody fuckin' 'ell, yeah!"

"Well then..." Terry reached into his rucksack, produced two molotov cocktails, and tossed one to Nicky. "What say we start some ourselves?"

Nicky's lips curled back into a maniacal grin. Using one hand to hold into both the bottle and the handlebar, he pulled out a zippo lighter and flicked it open. "Now we're gettin' somewhere!"

o o o

"So on that I think we're all in agreement," Jaden concluded to which Alexis nodded.

"This is something we can't hide from the students. Their lives are at risk here. We must prepare them for what's to come."

"Their lives will be at risk either way. But at least they'll be ready," Kaiba agreed.

"I'll make the announcement then." As Alexis reached for her microphone, the deafening roar of a jet engine ripped through the air once again as the same fighter jet passed the office.

"Cassie, run! Go get Gio and Noah and run to Gio's cave! Stay there until you or your mother comes and gets you." Jaden yelled.

"What about you?" Cassie asked, worried.

"We'll be fine, honey." Jaden placed her Duel Disk into her arms. "Go."

"Okay, daddy. I love you and mommy."

"We love you too, sweetie." Jaden kissed his daughter's forehead. "Now hurry." Cassie gave Jaden a hug and ran out the door.

"Attention Duel Academy!" Alexis said into the microphone, "The island is under attack and the situation is dire. Please stay calm. There is no need to panic."

While the headmistress made her announcement, Kaiba looked out the window and watched as the fighter jet banked around and flew straight toward the office. "Oh this isn't good."

"You, the students, must stand and defend our school," Alexis continued, "Only by working together can we save Duel Academy. You must..." Her announcement was suddenly cut off as a missile crashed through the window.

Out in the hallway, the wall suddenly exploded behind Cassie and she was thrown to the floor, her Duel Disk sliding down the corridor. "Mommy? Daddy?" She got up and looked at the destruction behind her. The path had been completely blocked by debris. She coughed as she inhaled dust and quickly covered her mouth with sleeve before attempting to climb over the debris. "Mommy! Daddy!" She hoped her voice would reach her parents, but no reply came. As she struggled to remove some of the fallen pieces, her eyes spotted a card. She reached for it and pulled it out. It had been damaged in the explosion, but she could clearly make it out as Elemental Hero Avian. Tears started to run down her face as she turned back toward the blockage.

"MOMMY! DADDY!"

o o o

Outside the school, the fiery explosion from the headmistress' office could be seen from all over the island. War was grinning widely behind his faceplate. "Now it begins." He spun his greatsword over his head and pointed forward. "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of War!"

Famine looked up when he heard the explosion and continued on his way.

Pestilence halted his advance and ordered his men to do the same. He looked at the fireball as it died down and then looked around. "Units one and two, set up over there," he ordered pointing to his left. On his command, two catapults and a container were moved into position. A group of hooded men began to fill large glass capsules the size of garbage cans with the green liquid and proceeded to load them onto the catapults. "Wait for my orders. The rest of you, continue with me." Pestilence moved on with the rest of his forces in tow, leaving behind the small group.

The explosion has alerted Death as well. Up ahead he could hear some chatter and saw some female students standing together talking amongst themselves as they looked toward the headmistress' office. The horseman rode a few steps forward and made his presence known. Then they saw him they were terrified.

"Just look what I was looking for," he said as he unshouldered his weapon, "victims." He spun his blade and gripped it firmly before kicking his horse hard. His steed charged and Death swung his scythe.

o o o

"Attention Duel Academy!" The announcement came suddenly and penetrated the entire auditorium. "The island is under attack and the situation is dire. Please stay calm. There is no need to panic. You, the students, must stand and defend our school. Only by working together can we save Duel Academy. You must..." An explosion suddenly interrupted the announcement and the PA went dead. A very brief moment of silence filled the air before panic broke out among the students. Mikey, Sammie, Max, Coltyn, and Gabe all managed to stay together amidst the chaos and waited until the crowd had dispersed enough for them to get outside and congregate.

"Well, that explains the explosion earlier," Mikey said.

"Forget about what happened then. What matters is what we do now," Coltyn stated.

"Chancellor Rhodes said we have to defend this school, so that's what we're gonna do." Sammie strapped on her Duel Disk.

"Do you go everywhere with that thing?" Mikey asked.

"And you don't?"

"Uhh..."

"You didn't bring it, did you?"

"It's in my room."

"Mikey, this is your third year here. What the fuck makes you think you'd never need your deck for something?"

"Okay, so we go get Mikey's deck first?" asked Max.

"Like we have a choice," Sammie answered.

Meanwhile, Saito, Wes, Hayley, and Nellie had stayed behind in the auditorium to discuss their own plans with each other.

"Wes, will you be able to find out anything about who's attacking the school?" asked Saito.

"I can," was Wes' answer.

"Hayley, you rally anyone you can find and stand by. If anybody suspicious shows up, you know what to do."

"What about me, Sai?" Nellie inquired.

"You're coming with me. We're going to have a word with Recca. She knows more than she's been letting on and it's time we get some real answers."

"Can do!"

"Wait. What about later? Are we going to meet back up?" Hayley asked.

"We won't have time to meet back up," Wes pointed out.

"When all this is done and we survive, just go wherever the survivors will be gathered. We'll find each other there," Saito instructed.

"Understood," Wes affirmed.

"Okie-dokie," Hayley confirmed.

"I'm with you, Sai," Nellie added.

"Then the best to all of you."

o o o

Reko walked into the garage behind the Dual Rose and pulled the sheet off his Duel Runner. He had spent countless hours working on it over the past few months. It now sported designs of air and wind along with images of aviary beings. The seat had been completely reupholstered with emerald green leather.

"Reko dear, we need you to stay and defend the shop," Recca pleaded to her son.

"Nicky and Terry are out there and I can't just sit here while they're out terrorizing the kids," Reko replied as she checked his motorcycle.

"Reko Telaris, you are staying here and that's final!"

"You can't stop me!"

"I can and I am. Because I'm your mother. We need you here to help us protect Mikomi and grandma until we can get them out of here."

It was around that time that Mika arrived behind Recca. She had changed out of her maid outfit and medical eye patch and into her priestess vestments and original eye patch. She was about to say something when she heard a knock at the door. "Sorry, we're closed!" she yelled, but the knocking continued. She went to answer the door and lo and behold there was Umi.

"Umi?" The mention of the pop star's name caught Reko's attention and he came out from the garage.

"Sis? I thought you were at the school."

"I... I left early," Umi explained in a shaky voice, "so I could come here. I wanted to talk to you, Reko. But on my way here, things started going crazy. Then I saw the explosion at the chancellor's office."

"Alexis' office?" Reko staggered back. "Oh god, I hope she and Cassie are okay..."

"Reko, what's going on?" Umi asked. Recca came over and pulled her into a hug. It was obvious she was scared.

"All hell has broken lose. The island is under attack and the invasion force is HUGE," Reko tried to explain, "Nicky and Terry are out there plus a bunch of other scary people. Oh god, Umi. Please tell me no one saw you."

"I...I saw..." Umi had clearly seen something absolutely horrifying and the memories had come back to her with vivid imagery. "I saw a guy on a horse... He had a big scythe... I saw him... I saw him kill some students..." She started to break down crying and dropped to her knees.

Reko walked over to her and placed his arms over Umi while Mika went to go lock the door. "It's okay, sis. Everything'll be fine. I'm here now and I promise nothing's gonna happen to you. I'm gonna stay right here and protect you."

"A few minutes ago you were raring to leave us to fend for ourselves while you went out to deal with Nicky and Terry," Mika reminded him. The lavender-haired man shot her a look and returned to comforting Umi.

"Umi, I know it's scary, but you have to be brave for us." Reko was trying his best to help Umi stabilize herself. "Sooner or later, we're gonna be under attack and we need everyone to help out. Umi, I know you can help us. You've got what it takes. Please, I need you to be brave."

Umi slowly stopped crying and looked up at Reko. He smiled at her and dried her tears with a napkin. "There ya go. Now what do you say, sis? You think you can give us a hand?" He took Umi's deck from her pocket and held it out to her. The pop star took one look at it, then up at Reko's gentle face, and finally accepted the cards.

"Yes, Reko. I will fight."

"Good to have you on board," Recca said with a smile, "Now come help me in the back. We have a lot to prepare and we're short on time."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Help me boil some oil."

"Okay. Wait, what? Why?"

"We're preparing for a siege, hon."

o o o

Like a long lost puzzle piece finally found and placed, Zetsubou Tejinashi finally understood how true Michael Angel's words rang back in that library. He looked at the scattered notes on the tables in a massive laboratory sluicing sickly green ooze like the diseased filth of the universe given matter and form, expelled from the earth in the most sickening of ways by a series of almost lifelike tubing. He tossed the severed hand of the man guarding the door, then looking to his manacled arm. The other end still had stone hanging from it, such was the strength that he found when the 'troops' were mobilizing. They were attacking, and only a handful of Crusaders could not stop the raging hellstorm coming from seemingly all sides. These Shades were idiots, stating their plans across one another, but stupidity falls into his favor. How easy it was to snap the neck of the Shade who guarded him. He stole his documents, hearing footsteps as he held the rusty blade the clocked man in his lab held and crouched into the shadows.

He stared, this man did not look like the other assembled rabble. He did not come off as dark and vile, bereft of any primal sin. He gave a look down at the strange ooze coming through the pipes and rummaged through his bag, turning to his left as he nodded to an unseen person. He ran back out of the lab, his footsteps becoming silent. Zetsubou marveled at the person, he was strong enough to be in the heart of this hive? Such an ally could be a boon to Reko or the others.

He looked down at the papers with a heavy heart, he could not be his ally. Such a bold person would impede his stealth, no one could know he escaped. He stole the cloak and attire from the man he killed, dumping his body in the liquid and referring to the notes. Michael Angel was correct. they were using him. Looking at the formula for the same bio weapon that killed everyone on his entire island, they were using his parents and his other friends as well. He noted several changes in the formula and walked out and down the hall, shoving a Shade aside. They stupidly thought him some kind of worker in that damn lab, they looked to be wearing hoodies and ball caps, like the Shade that guarded him. Such an appearance disgusted him as he looked back down at the paper and perform more swift calculating, it made them look like some kind of rapper.

His musing stopped as he got outside and witnessed the sheer amount of them walking with all manner of cruel and vicious weapons. They each had an elegant charm, and he knew it must be Kel'aral that was supplying them from Ardent, no doubt. He doubled his pace down a tight pass and started barreling as fast as he could down the mountains towards the Dual Rose. Mikomi was in danger, the bio weapon, that damn Plague, was perfected and going to be used in force. Why in gods name would they bring it back? It couldn't happen again he thought while effortlessly dodging a branch as mountain gave way to forest, it would not happen once more as long as he drew breath!

o o o

It hadn't just been the students who had heard Alexis' announcement get tragically cut short. All the teachers had gathered in the staff room to discuss what they should do next. "The chances of success are not in our favor," Mr. Higsby said to his colleagues.

"Our students are in danger and you're trying to crunch numbers?" Miss Frost asked incredulously.

"It ain't right! We gotta do somethin' or they're gonna be toast!" Hassleberry exclaimed.

"This fucking sucks! We should be out there fucking helping our students instead of fucking sitting around like a fucking committee having a fucking discussion about what the fuck we're going to do!" Mr. Thulin screamed as he paced around the room impatiently. His usually at ease and calm demeanor long since discarded by the events of the invasion.

"Screaming like a child won't help our situation any more," Dr. Snappe said calmly.

"Fuck off, man," Chance replied in his rage, standing up. "We let this shit go on last year at Duelist Kingdom. You weren't there. I was. I am not letting this shit happen again, you hear? I do NOT take shit lying down. So we either get out there and whoop some ass as a group or I roll out there myself and knock a bitch's head off myself!"

"Calm down Mr. Thulin. We should try to organize the students in groups and lead them all to safety as we should do," Mr. Gizmo suggested, being a standard procedures type of person.

"We are completely surrounded and all transportation off the island has been neutralized," Mr. Bibby pointed out. "There are no safe places nor are there any ways off. We're trapped."

"Do you all remember what Chancellor Rhodes said before her announcement was cut off?" Miss Marina asked, "We have to stand and defend our school. If there's no escape, our only choice is to fight."

"Second," a man with a broom said.

"Who the fuck are you?" asked Mr. Thulin.

"Mr. Edwards. The janitor."

"What are you doing here?" Dr. Snappe demanded.

"I'm here to take out the garbage." Mr. Gizmo directed the janitor to the garbage can and within one minute he was gone, leaving the teachers back to what they were doing.

"So what's the plan? We gunna rally up the students in groups to fight these guys?" asked Hassleberry.

"That sounds like a logical plan," the physics teacher, a tall brunet man with glasses named Mr. Blair, stated.

"Oui, oui. I agree!" Monsieur Bonaparte quickly concurred. Mr. Edwards, the biology teacher Mrs. Bones, the new music teacher Ms. Davis, and the school counsellors Mr. Karczewski and Ms. Doncaster agreed equally as quickly.

"Then it's settled," Miss Marina declared. "Everyone is to gather as many students together and assemble them into a unit. Nobody leaves and everyone works together. Everyone understood." The teachers all acknowledged. "Then let's go help our students!"

o o o

A man in soaked fatigues crawled onto the beach and and dropped onto the sand. Sako was exhausted. The torpedo had come unexpectedly. He was surprised that he actually made it out alive. He was glad that he did, though. He double checked his pocket for Raviel, Lord of Phantasms. Sure enough, it was still in its case sealed inside the Ziploc bag. He sighed heavily. "Shit..." He hauled himself up and reached for his cigarettes. He needed one badly. As he pulled one out from the pack, he realized something much to his horror: his cigarettes were completely soaked. He swore again but he was cut off by the roar of a jet engine passing overhead. He immediately looked up and saw the fighter jet rocket past. "Oh fucking hell! They're here? Oh shit just got real on this island!"

"You have no idea, Sako." Sako froze when he heard that female voice coming from behind him. He slowly turned around and came face-to-face with an old acquaintance.

"Hello Sako."

"Hello Charlie."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Duel Academy fights back! As the forces of evil encroach upon the school, students and teachers stand together to fight off this massive wave of enemies. Who shall prevail in this in this great conflict? The Invasion of Chaos continues next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	115. Endgame

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-28**

**Endgame**

The awkward tension between the Duel Sniper and the Duel Guerilla was thick. Sako and Charlie stood there on the beach for several tense minutes in silence. "It's been a long time," Charlie said finally braking the silence.

"Fifteen years." Sako reached for his cigarettes out of habit, but then realized they were soaked.

"Need one?" Charlie held out a pack and offered one. Sako accepted and lit it. He took a long drag and exhaled slowly. As he did so, Charlie took one herself and joined him.

"How's life?"

"Interesting, to say the least. There's not much work out there for someone with my skills these days. Lots of military contract offers, but I turn a lot of them down," Charlie answered.

"Why?"

"They ask me to fight their stupid wars for them. The Americans were really bad. They just won't give up."

"Ah."

"What's going on with you? How's your kid?"

"Wes is doing fine for now."

"What school is he in?"

"The one you're attacking right now."

"...oh."

"Yeah."

"Well this is certainly awkward."

The two mercenaries smoked in silence for a while until the fighter jet passed overhead again. "I can see that asshole Jaeger still hasn't changed," Sako commented.

"He's actually just patrolling the skies right now. His orders were to shoot down any aircraft approaching or leaving the island," replied Charlie.

"And Victoria's making sure that no boats or ships do the same I presume."

"That is correct."

"I should have known she was the one who shot my boat."

"Why are YOU here, anyway?" asked the Duel Guerilla, "You weren't hired by the same group who hired us."

"I'm just here to complete a job and get my pay," Sako answered.

"And after that?"

"I'm going to find my son."

"You should be careful out there, Sako. The other mercs aren't the only ones here. War's on the island too."

Sako stopped. "How do you know War?"

"He's part of the invasion force." This answer caused the Duel Sniper to swear out loud as Charlie continued explaining. "Before we started our attack, I overheard him talking as he was being vested for combat. He was talking about Duelist Kingdom and how he was beaten by a sniper who led him a wild chase all around the island, setting him up with traps and whatnot. He didn't go into details since he was saying this with a lot of disdain, but from what he said it sounded like he was up against guerilla tactics. And there's only one sniper I know who knows guerilla tactics that are worth a damn."

"Everything I learned about guerilla warfare I learned from you," Sako said calmly, "I was good, but I wasn't the best. You changed that. Thanks to your training, I became a better sniper."

"Told you it would help, didn't I? Stubborn mule. You need to listen to me more often."

"If I keep listening to you, we won't get much done tonight," was the response.

"Guess so."

Sako set his rifle aside and rolled up his sleeves. "So are we going to do this or what?"

"You know you have no chance of beating me, so why bother?" asked Charlie.

"You know it and I know it, so what more needs to be said. We may be comrades, but we're enemies on the battlefield. So let's fight." He took a swing at the Duel Guerilla, but missed as she stepped to the side and deflected his punch with a single hand. She then used that same hand to grab his arm and twist it behind him before flipping him onto his back on the sand. She straddled his chest and pinned him down, placing her face two inches from his.

"I told you to listen to me more often," she said with a smirk. The fighter jet passed overhead again and Charlie's expression changed. "I'll let you go this time. But when next we meet, I won't hold back." She leaned in closer and placed a teasing kiss on Sako's lips. "Adios, mi amore." And with that she got up and disappeared from sight leaving Sako alone with his Barrett on the beach.

o o o

"Alright now...oil?"

Recca head appeared from behind a large iron cauldron, "Check and set!"

Reko nodded, looking through a pair of binoculars at the coming hordes approaching from all across the island from their holding on the rooftop, "So...mom? Figured there was more time time before this happened?"

"Evil always outnumbers the just out of cowardice! It's nothin' new! Watch mommy!" Umi made an eep as Recca let loose an arrow from a longbow she kept on her person. A soared through the evening twilight and made a large thunk in the head of a hooded man, who exploded into white light. The Shades around him lost their form and fled. She gave a laugh, "Come back when you manifest spines, bitches!"

"Recca.", Umi said meekly.

She let a cough, adjusting her glasses, "Right. Steady that oil. If my arrow hit that means they are at least one hundred and some yards from our position."

Mika pointed off the side of the roof, "Miss Recca, a Blue and a Yellow approaching! They are not being pursued!"

Recca took Reko's binoculars, "Berries and Nuts, what they doing here! Reko, go open the doors for them! Mika, go with him to reset the wards!"

o o o

The island was in chaos. Students were running back and forth in all manner of panic. Amidst the anarchy, Mikey, Sammie, Coltyn, Gabe, and Max had managed to get outside. Now their challenge was to make it to the Obelisk Blue dorm. Even outside it was difficult to stay together while navigating through a sea of students. "Which way's the Blue dorm?" asked Gabe.

"I think it's that way," Max said pointing in a direction.

"Which way?"

"That way."

"Where? I can't see you."

"Hey, where IS everyone?" Mikey asked.

"Did we lose Max and Gabe?" Coltyn inquired.

"We're right here!" Max called.

The five friends managed to regroup and moved under a tree off the main road. "How are we gonna get to my room from here?" asked Mikey.

"What about the lake?" Sammie suggested after a few minutes of thought.

"That could work," Coltyn thought out loud. "The lake goes behind the Blue dorm and nobody seems to be going that way anyway."

"Whatever it takes to get my deck," Mikey said.

"Then let's go," said Gabe.

o o o

Pestilence was watching through a telescope the action that was happening as he stood on a tall bluff. He scanned the island and could see his catapults all in place while he himself stood with eight more all loaded and ready to fire. He couldn't help but crack a smile. Everything was going according to plan. As he continued surveying the battlefield, one of the hooded men came up to him with a communicator. "Sir, it's Mr. Roman."

Pestilence said nothing as he took the device and brought it up. "What is it, Roman?"

"Making sure everything runs smoothly," the businessman stated.

"We know that's not the reason you called me," the Horseman replied, "This is concerning the Plague."

"You know fully well that I had explicitly banned any use of your biological weapon during this invasion," Roman said sternly, "Effective as it may be, it's still much too powerful. It doesn't just kill our enemies; it kills our own troops as well. Not to mention that no cure was ever made for it. If it spreads, there's no telling how many will die."

"Your concerns are appreciated, but completely unnecessary," Pestilence assured him, "We've ceased all production of the Plague as you've ordered. We wouldn't deploy it without your permission."

"So be it. Carry on." And with that Roman ended the call.

"Sir, should I order the men to stop development of the Plague? Or do we continue as planned?" asked the same hooded man as he took back the communicator.

"What kind of question is that?" Pestilence demanded, "Of course we're deploying the Plague as planned!" He heard some commotion going on below him. He looked through his telescope again and saw a large group of students near the base of the bluff who had decided not to attend the talent show. The cause of the commotion was a rather loud boy with tanned skin and bleached blond hair in an Osiris Red jacket.

"Takeshi, you can't do things for friends and expect something in return," one of the other students tried to explain, "You do things for friends out of the goodness of your heart."

"I do, but people sometimes like to advertise themselves by doing good things for people," the one called Takeshi said, "If I DO a good deed, it's a nice gesture for someone to repay it. Not just taking and taking like a horny motherfucker!"

"Plague launcher is ready!" one of Pestilence's men called out.

"Excellent. Time to test out the Plague in battle." Pestilence pointed down toward Takeshi's group with his bow. By now some more students had left, leaving behind only Takeshi and the people who seemed to be backing him up. "Fire!" The hooded man manning the catapult pulled the trigger lever and the siege weapon launched the glass barrel forward.

"I don't like smartasses like that writing pathetic, boring shit like that, thinking he knows more when he's just a stupid retard," Takeshi kept on ranting, "Besides, I have more life experiences. I'm older than the fool. He started it, I finished. Plain and simple." He opened his mouth to say some more, but no other words came out as a barrel filled with green liquid landed in front of him and shattered, exploding into a massive green cloud. Everyone in the area started coughing violently while some dropped to the ground right away. Takeshi himself could feel the effects immediately. His lungs were burning and his breathing became laboured. His eyes felt like they were being boiled from the inside and intense headaches followed. He felt like he needed to vomit, but nothing came out. He looked at his hand and his eyes went wide when saw he was oozing a strange green goo from his pores. What horrified him even more was that he soon found out it wasn't coming out of his pores; the green substance was coming out of his skin. In fact, it WAS his skin. His flesh and bones were being eaten away. Darkness took over his senses as he felt his eyes rot out of their sockets. Takeshi would have screamed in pain if his vocal cords had not been deteriorated by the virus. All he could do was fall into a heap on the ground as the Plague finished him off.

Back on the bluff, Pestilence watched as the last student fell. "Excellent." He cackled and reared his horse. "Let's move forward!" They turned around and left, leaving behind a wake of destruction shrouded in a green cloud.

o o o

War's greatsword swung with accuracy and precision. Despite its size, the man knew how to wield it with a single hand. His horse neighed loudly as it smashed into a tree and knocked it down. The Horseman beamed. He had trained his steed well, having become as powerful as a tank. Its hooves sank into the ground under the weight of its armor with each step as War continued hacking his way through the woods.

"This is a waste of my training! Bring me enemies!" he shouted. He wanted to fight. He demanded a fight. War did not care if he killed people or not. He just wanted to revel in the rush of victory. Unlike Death, he never killed anyone with the intent of murder. All he desired was the thrill of combat and he was going to be damned if he did not find anyone soon.

o o o

Famine had so far managed to slip past all of the action without being noticed. He had taken one of the lesser populated routes to his destination. Unlike the other Horsemen, he had been given a task that was not meant to cause mass chaos and panic. Not yet anyway. As he rode through the forest, he was thankful that he was doing so on horseback. To traverse this land on foot in full armor would be difficult and no vehicle could make it through this terrain easily.

He could see a wall up ahead past the trees and he kicked his horse into gear. Famine emerged and found himself face-to-face with Duel Academy's outer wall. To the left was a door, just as he had been told. It was a standard side door. There was no way his horse would fit through. Patting his steed gently, Famine dismounted and tied the reigns to a nearby pole. He examined the lock on the door closely and forced it open without much trouble. He looked inside.

"This looks like it." Sticking his scales into his belt, Famine stepped inside, keeping his hand on the short sword he had been given.

o o o

Death's scythe was red with blood both fresh and dried. He had already slain many victims and even his horse's armor was stained with the blood of many. He wanted to hurry and reach the school where the students would be amassed together, but he had been warned to take it slowly. There was someone on the island whom he and the rest of the Four Horsemen had been ordered not to kill. However, amongst great numbers of people had had no idea where to start looking. Death had decided the best thing to do was patrol the island and slay anyone who wasn't the one he sought.

It was a plan he took great pleasure in. As he rode closer to the school, he brought his scythe down ready to slash apart anyone who crossed his path.

o o o

Mikey and his companions were walking along the lake shore amidst the chaos happening all around them. It was non-existent here, with the fog roiling off of the lake and surrounding the area in a light haze. Max shuddered at the sudden silence and looked nervously to Coltyn, "This...is SOOOO not fabulous, guys."

"I would agree.", a calm and eloquent voice rang out across the mists. A man was barely visible on the horizon, a heavy tattered robe concealing his features, Mikey knew the voice well enough and his blood froze upon the realization of it, "I would not take a step further if I were you, the Plague has been deployed in this area."

"Why not, huh? I know that look on my bro's face! You're Zetsu...", Gabe took a step to find his foot make a squelching sound, "...what the hell is...?"

Zetsubou pulled down his hood and strode towards them, adjusting his glasses, "I had hoped to dissuade you from that unpleasantry Gabriel. You've stepped in putrefied human remains, all the Plague leaves behind. I was putting this area to the torch when I heard you coming. They advance upon the Dual Rose now, slowly but surely. This was site for a quick field test." He strode past the gelatinous blood and gore without a look of disgust on his face, his long raven hair blowing softly in the lake breeze, "It's tragic...this is really happening."

"You sound soooo convincing," Sammie said with a roll of her eyes. Mikey glanced nervously towards Zetsubou as the assassin gave a sigh.

"Look you," Zetsubou said pointing a wrapped finger, "This is fortune smiling on me for whatever reason. Your dorm is crawling with Shades and lesser creatures they managed to pull from Ardent. More than enough for the students there, it is quite literally a hellhole. The shades are easy enough to kill, but even the lesser ones have the strength to pulp flesh and bone without a second thought."

"So all the students there...are...," Max started to say, Zetsubou shook his head, "Then...what happened?"

"I killed them, I defended your dorm. Pray Michael, hold out your hand. I have a gift for you." Mikey held out his hand in confusion, and Zetsubou placed something wrapped with a cloth in it. He opened it, revealing his complete deck. "Michael...defend this island. Get to Recca, gather there as I shall. Defend Mikomi should I die before I make it. Tell them all, especially Recca. Tell them I...appreciate them."

Mikey looked up, "What do you mean? Aren't..." Zetsubou was nowhere to be found. The gore he waded through also seemed to be oddly absent.

"Mikey, you got your deck, let's go. This is getting really creepy! Why is the guy always freaky as hell!" Gabe cried out.

o o o

The door of the Dual Rose had been locked and barricaded. No one else was going to get in. As Saito and Nellie sat on what few chairs had not be used to block the entrance, Recca was in the kitchen with Mika boiling oil. The latter had finished resetting the wards as instructed and had gone back to resume her previous duties. Reko, meanwhile, had to tend to their guests as he sat two teacups in front of them, "Drink up guys...may be the last cup for a long time. I mean, what were you thinking! It's really dangerous out there! I don't even wanna see your bodies out there..."

"We're here because we need answers," Saito answered matter-of-factly, "Reko, we know your entire family knows more than you're letting on and it's all pertaining to this current series of events."

"So spill!" Nellie demanded.

Reko stayed silent. He honestly had no idea what to say. Saito was perceiving but the lavender-haired man clearly did not know much. He glanced toward the kitchen and the Kaiba heir caught on immediately. "I see. Then it makes sense." He got up and walked toward the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Reko asked.

"You're coming with me. We're going to have a word with Recca. She knows more than she's been letting on and it's time we get some real answers."

Reko never dared question his mother. Although she always appeared as a sweet, cheerful, and bubbly lady, he had seen the side of her that scared him to the bone. As he entered the kitchen with Saito, his place slowed as the boy stepped forward.

"Recca, it's time you told us everything."

Reko's mother fell silent. She stared at the pot on the stove for many long minutes before finally giving in. "I suppose it was bound to come to this sooner or later. Alright, listen up. You've heard of the War of the Roses, right?"

"I remember Rena mentioning it to me before," Saito responded, "But beyond that, not really."

"Do you know of King Henry VII?"

"I have."

"King Henry Tudor VII," Recca began to explain, "Before he ascended the throne of England, there was a great war between the Lancastrians led by him and the Yorkists lead by Christian Rosenkreuz."

"I remember Rena mentioning that Rosenkreuz was my ancestor," Saito interjected remembering the old woman's words.

"Yes. During the war, Henry Tudor had many fine warriors at his disposal as did the Yorkists. At the time there was a druidic order that watched and observed both sides. This order later came to be known as the Telaris family."

"I was expecting some kinda knight order or something," Nellie said with a shrug.

"After the war ended and Henry was crowned, the sixteen Rose Cards were left to the Telarises for safekeeping. Thus our family was dubbed the Crusaders of the Rose, later shortened to just Rose Crusaders. It was our family's task to ensure that the Rose Cards never be used again for evil or else risk the return of Manawyddan fab Llyr." Saito nodded as he continued to listen to Recca's story.

"Over the course of the centuries, the Rose Crusaders grew. Unlike the Ishtars of the Pharaoh, the Telarises, instead of breeding with each other, married outsiders and brought them into the order and thus our numbers grew. As did our knowledge. In the 1700s, our ancestors came upon a most horrifying discovery. In a distant land many millennia before the start of the War of the Roses, very similar actions had taken place not unlike those that led to the rise of Manawyddan fab Llyr."

"What exactly did your ancestors find?" demanded Saito.

"Ruins with inscriptions written in an ancient language mentioning the rise of an UnGod."

"The same UnGod we're dealing with now?"

"It is still speculation, but there's no doubt in my mind that it's the same UnGod. And there is also no doubt in my mind that that very UnGod attempted to enter our world again in the form of Manawyddan fab Llyr. Whether Christian Rosenkreuz brought him into this world intentionally or not, we are all very fortunate that the legendary hero, the Duelist, was successful in returning him to the abyss from whence he came."

"Is there anything you're trying to tell us other than the fact that this Manawyd-whatever was this UnGod we keep hearing about?" asked Saito.

"Yes there is," Recca answered. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"The Duelist who defeated Manawyddan fab Llyr back then was a Telaris," Reko said interjecting.

"Wait a sec!" Nellied called, "Didn't the Duelist get sent back in time from the future? If he's a Telaris, that that means he must be from..."

Saito looked directly at Recca. "You know who the Duelist is, don't you?" Recca slowly nodded, looking back to make sure Reko wasn't listening to her.

"Yes," she replied quietly with a slight tremble in her voice, "The Duelist was Reign."

o o o

Mikey was not fond of Zetsubou, but he was grateful the man had brought him his deck. Now armed with his cards, he and his friends proceeded to go someplace where large numbers of people did not congregate. After seeing the devastation the Plague had left behind, they decided it would be best to avoid densely populated areas since those seemed like the most likely targets for Plague attacks.

"So what now?" Mikey asked.

"Now that we've got your deck, we need to rally some of these guys to get some groups together to fight these guys off," Sammie answered.

"I'll go find the guys from the drama club!" Max offered, "We stick together really well and getting them shouldn't be any problem!"

"Alright then," Coltyn acknowledged, "I'll grab whoever I can."

"Ditto," Sammie replied.

"Oh shit!" Gabe yelled.

"What's wrong?" Mikey inquired.

"Spencer's still back at our dorm!"

"What? Why wasn't he at the talent show?"

"He said he had a raid or something tonight."

"Gabe, go get Spencer," Mikey said.

"Already gone!" Gabe nodded his acknowledgement and ran off.

"And watch out for Plague clouds! I want my little brother back alive! He's gone now."

"Then let's get started," Sammie said.

"We don't think so." Mikey, Max, Sammie, and Coltyn turned around at once and saw four identical men wearing the exact same hoodies and baseball caps. "Michael. Max. Samantha. Coltyn. So good to see you again." It took a while for it to register, but Mikey was soon able to recognize the men.

"Gene Eric? But we saw you jump off the ship into the sea! And last I checked there was only one of you!"

"We're so glad you remember me," the quartet of Genes replied. They suddenly split up and each one of them faced a different teenager.

"Looks like we've got no choice." Coltyn activated his Duel Disk.

"Agreed," Sammie replied as she turned her device on.

"Totally unfabulous evening!" Max exclaimed as he drew his cards.

Mikey looked at his Gene Eric and activated his Duel Disk. He rammed his deck into the deck slot and his cards were shuffled. "Let's duel." The Gene he faced activated a standard off-the-shelf Duel Disk on his arm instead of the table-like one the first one had used.

––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Gene Eric:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––

"I draw." Mikey drew his first card. "And I summon Majestic Mech - Ohka!" A white quadrupedal angelic machine with wings appeared on the field (ATK/2400 DEF/1400). "Now I play Dimensionhole and remove it from play." A hole in space appeared and swallowed up his monster into the Different Dimension. "I set two facedowns and end my turn."

"My draw." Gene drew his card, "Perfect. I start by playing Advanced Ritual Art, which lets me Ritual Summon by sending Normal Monsters from my deck to my graveyard. So I send six level one Normal Monsters to bring out Lycanthrope." He placed Oppressed People, Petit Moth, Water Spirit, Thousand Eyes Idol, Flamevell Guard, and Volcanic Rat into his graveyard and summoned out a genetically enhanced werewolf (ATK/2400 DEF/2000). "Now here comes Gene-Warped Warwolf." A white four-armed genetically altered wolf man emerged and stood alongside Lycanthrope (ATK/2000 DEF/100). "Gene-Warped Warwolf, attack!" Gene-Warped Warwolf pounced at Mikey and slashed him with four sets of claws.

––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6000

**Gene Eric:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––

"Lycanthrope, your turn." Lycanthrope howled and slashed Mikey with its blade-like claws.

––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3600

**Gene Eric:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––

"And since Lycanthrope hit you, you get two hundred damage for each Normal Monster in my graveyard." Gene cackled as Lycanthope jumped over to Mikey and bit him hard.

––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2400

**Gene Eric:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––

"I'm done," announced Gene.

"My move." Mikey drew. "And now Ohka comes back and I'm gonna sacrifice him for Majestic Mech - Goryu." Majestic Mech - Ohka vanished and in its place appeared Mikey's angelic dragon with golden flames holding its body together (ATK/2900 DEF/1800). "Now I activate my facedown, Call of the Haunted and resurrect Ohka." Majestic Mech - Ohka appeared on the field and roared beside its superior counterpart. "Now I Special Summon Guardian of Order." A heavenly warrior in shining white armor descended from the heavens as Mikey played his card (ATK/2500 DEF/1200).

"Ohka, attack Gene-Warped Warwolf! Majestic Ray!" Majestic Mech - Ohka opened its mouth and fired a white energy beam that killed Gene-Warped Warwolf.

––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2400

**Gene Eric:** 7600

––––––––––––––––––

"Now Guardian of Order, attack Lycanthrope!" The heavenly warrior turned to Lycanthrope and fired a beam from its forehead that destroyed the werewolf with ease.

––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2400

**Gene Eric:** 7500

––––––––––––––––––

"Goryu, it's your turn. Attack directly with Majestic Blaze!" Golden flames spewed out of Majestic Mech - Goryu's mouth and seared away at Gene's Life Points.

––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2400

**Gene Eric:** 4600

––––––––––––––––––

"I now activate Skill Drain!" Mikey revealed his other card and paid the offering of one thousand Life Points to activate it.

––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 1400

**Gene Eric:** 4600

––––––––––––––––––

"I'm done," Mikey announced.

"Skill Drain does nothing to bother me!" Gene called as he drew, "My Normal Monsters don't have effects to negate and I'm gonna prove it. First I play Foolish Burial to send one monster from my deck to my graveyard." He selected his card and moved it to the appropriate pile while his Duel Disk reshuffled his deck. "Now I play Monster Reborn and resurrect Cosmo Queen!" A purple woman in elegant robes and an elaborate golden crown appeared (ATK/2900 DEF/2450). "Attack Majestic Mech - Ohka!" Cosmo Queen placed her hands together and a wave of energy shot out from her crown and shattered the target.

––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 900

**Gene Eric:** 4600

––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn."

"I draw." Mikey drew his card. "And I'll play Monster Reborn to resurrect Ohka!" Majestic Mech - Ohka returned to the field and spread its wings out. "Next I summon Beast King Barbaros without a tribute. Normally, this makes him nineteen hundred attack points. But Skill Drain negates that so he's at full power!" Indeed it was true. When Beast King Barbaros appeared, the giant liontaur had made his presence known to all (ATK/3000 DEF/1200). "Barbaros, attack Cosmo Queen!" Beast King Barbaros approached Cosmo Queen and impaled her on his lance.

––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 900

**Gene Eric:** 4500

––––––––––––––––––

"Goryu, you're up!" Majestic Mech - Goryu opened its mouth and another shower of golden fire rained down on Gene.

––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 900

**Gene Eric:** 1600

––––––––––––––––––

"Finish up, Ohka!" Mikey said enthusiastically. "Majestic Ray!" Majestic Mech - Ohka opened its mouth and a beam of light shot forth and struck Gene.

––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 900

**Gene Eric:** 0

––––––––––––––––––

Mikey's duel ended at the same time as Max's, Sammie's, and Coltyn's. The four friends watched as the Genes staggered back, letting out agonizing screams, and then suddenly just being swallowed up by shadows only never to be seen again.

"Maybe going separately is a bad idea," Mikey thought out loud.

"Yes, it would be," Coltyn concurred, "Let's split up into teams of two then."

"Can I go with Sammie?" asked Mikey.

"I guess it's okay," Sammie said.

"Then I'm with Max," Coltyn declared, "Leave your phones on so we can keep in touch. Good luck."

"Thanks." And with that, Sammie and Mikey walked in a different direction than Coltyn and Max.

o o o

"You're kidding," Nellie said.

"I wish I was. But Reign IS that Duelist," Recca said, "He even showed me the White Rose pendant he received."

"So Reign was the Duelist. That still doesn't explain what else we need to know," Mikey said.

An explosion in the distance caused the conversation to be cut short. Reko looked out the window and saw great big clouds of smoke rising up over the forest. "Damn. it's them. I gotta go take care of them, mom." Reko disappeared into the garage and then reappeared outside on his Duel Runner. Taking his brand spanking new helmet that matched his bike, he slid on his head and secured it. He revved his engine and then closed the visor before driving off.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

It's a bitter reunion. Reko meets up with Nicky and Terry once more and a Turbo Duel of all ages begins. Watch it unfold next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	116. Firestorm

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-29**

**Firestorm**

Reko sped down the roads of Duelist Academy, his eyes quickly scanning across the streets and students leap out of his way. Gene Eric, something the Shades have taken to calling themselves were cast aside before challenges could be laid before him, knocked aside by Reko's boots or ran over by a quick vault of his Duel Runner, the rear tire smiting the foe. As he sped forward, he stopped at the foot of the highway, littered with bodies and countless Shades, their hooded forms looming for as far as he could see over road and plain. The moonlight illuminated their shoulders, and made their shadows stretch on as if they too would come to life as assault him. Reko dismounted and revealed an unadorned dagger out of his bag on the vehicle while clenching his hand, the ring called Legacy glowing with a bloody light. When it died down, the emerald gauntlet replaced it, its deck already loaded. Gene Eric, or at least one of the hundreds present stood forward.

"I've expected you," he started pacing, Reko tossing off his helmet as it clattered onto the pavement. The lavender torrent of hair was ragged and wild, blowing in a wind that slowly gathered. Gene smirked as he viewed Reko's appearance, the wild tribal looking clothing, "I know that style. Mist Valley Priests wore it..."

"How the hell do you know about Mist Valley?"

"I am from there. I am the Darkness within Ardent," Gene smiled with a grin wider than what a human should possess, and it honestly unnerved Reko. He continued as he strode around him, "You're no fool. I can feel its presence, you swiped something from Rena's room in a hurry, that's why you were short with your mom."

"How did-," Reko realized that Gene could probably see everything that was going on the island, "Right."

Gene gave a thumbs up to the duelist, "I wouldn't worry. You already know about Reign from what I can tell. Let me see it."

Reko pulled from under his billowing tribal shirt an aged white pendant of a rose, Gene gave a low whistle, "No kidding mortal knight...you're in this for the long haul," he adjusted his cap while walking around Reko, the other copies of him still as statues. Reko followed him around with his weapon brandished; the hooded men were rolling their eyes in perfect unison and speaking as one, "Should we want to, we could overwhelm and rip you limb from limb," Reko froze but still held his ground, all the Genes laughing, "You're truly the splitting image of Reign, no doubt. Courageous until the end. Think the pendant he got during his travels in old Europe is going to help you?"

"Not really, couldn't hurt. You're blocking my way toward you know who. Quit stalling or I'm going to make you regret stopping my ride," to his surprise the Genes cleared the roads all of them waving a hand towards the large plume of smoke and flame turning the skies red, "The hell? You just wanted to...?"

"Talk...? Yeah, can't hurt can it? Wanted to see if you were who you said you were. I can see it."

"Right. Question. You don't seem...jack zany. Why are you with the crazy parade here?"

Gene gave a smile lined with spiked teeth, "That's...something I can't say. We'll call it boredom for the moment."

Reko seethed inwardly, "You're bored so you kill a bunch of innocent students!"

"I'm a drone man, just a consciousness drifting throughout all these Shades. Not me who calls the shots."

"Who does then?"

The Genes all spoke as one, "The UnGod."

"The crap is that guy here for?"

"Destruction."

"Right. Now I see why you're all here. Why Destruction?"

"Revenge."

"Revenge for what?"

"Everything."

"Right." Reko revved his engine and sped towards the smoke plumes. Gene gave a smirk as he let the Duel Runner pass by him, nonchalantly holding his hands out to his sides. His form lost definition until only the most base trace of any detail remained, looking at another Shade that remained as the other Genes dispersed into the surrounding areas.

"Does he know that this cannot be stopped?"

Gene perceived the other shade with a blank stare, "If he did know, do you think that would stop him?"

"You may be correct, the old fury runs deep within that one. What of his twin? Has she fulfilled her purpose?"

The other Gene gave a smirk, "All in time. All in time."

o o o

The panic finally settled down once the teachers arrived on the scene. Doing exactly as they had discussed, they broke up and each one took several students with them. "Stand back, kids!" Hassleberry yelled to his group as he engaged a Gene Eric in a duel.

"You stand no chance against the awesome might of my Tri-Horned Dragon and four nineteen hundred attack point Normal Monsters!"

"That's what you think! I Special Summon Gilasaurus and play Big Evolution Pill. So now this critter's goin' an' I'm bringin' out Ultimate Tyranno!" Hassleberry's favorite monster hit the field and let out an earth shuddering roar. "Now attack all them monsters!" Ultimate Tyranno roared and stomped over to the other side of the field. Its foot crushed Gemini Elf without much trouble before it swung its tail to destroy Archfiend Soldier. Vorse Raider was crushed inside the dinosaur's massive jaws as it took another step and squashed Luster Dragon beneath its foot before finally turning on Tri-Horned Dragon and sinking its teeth into its neck.

Among Hassleberry's group was none other than the bully Biff. Often he had put on a tough exterior, but this was the first time he felt mildly humbled. His normally cocky self had turned into a shivering teenager trying to hold his own in the face of true danger. However, he found himself taking in several deep breaths and trying to regain his composure as he faced off against his opponent's deadly Summoned Skull. "Summoned Skull, Lightning Strike." The demon general hissed as lightning shot from his horns and rained down on top of Biff's Goblin Attack Force.

Mags had also been corralled into Hassleberry's group. At first he thought he would be able to fight evenly with the Shade who called himself Gene Eric since his Magnet Warriors were also Normal Monsters. However, what he witnessed was nothing like he had ever imagined. In no time at all, his opponent had managed to summon two Lycanthropes with an Advanced Ritual Art and a Synthesis Spell, placing six level one Normal Monsters and three level two Normal Monsters in his graveyard, totalling nine creatures. The resulting burn damage he received was overwhelming with every bite.

Meanwhile, Miss Marina stood in front of the Obelisk Blue dorm's girl's entrance. She and her opponent were standing at the bottom of the sea and she had Levia-Dragon - Daedalus on her field while her opponent had assembled together all of his strongest monsters. "You don't have a chance against me!"

"We'll see." The girl's P.E. teacher drew her card. "I sacrifice Levia-Dragon - Daedalus and summon Ocean Dragon Lord - Neo-Daedalus." The sea serpent vanished and in its place appeared even larger two-headed sea serpent. "Now I sacrifice A Legendary Ocean to activate his effect and destroy every card on the field and in our hands except for him." The sea floor split open and water began to get sucked down as Ocean Dragon Lord - Neo-Daedalus inhaled more water before expelling it in a powerful torrential tribute that wiped out everything except for the Ocean Dragon Lord himself. "Finish him," ordered Miss Marina.

Beside her, Spike looked incredibly nervous. He had successfully managed to create a wall with two Morphtronic Magnen's in defense mode, protecting his Morphtronic Borden and Morphtronic Boomboxen. However, he had no idea how long it would hold up for. He waited for his opponent to make his move. "I summon my third Dark Blade." A third empty suit of black armor wielding two swords appeared in front of the hooded man. "Next I activate Delta Attacker. If I have three Normal Monsters on the field with the same name, they can attack directly. Now attack!" All at once, the three Dark Blade shot past Spike's Morphtronic Magnen defense and slashed him with their swords.

As Spike recovered from the attack, he could overhear one of his classmates from not far away. "C'mon, Machine King! You can beat him! Attack with Jet Punch!" The Morphtronic Duelist looked toward where he had head the voice just in time to see a rocket powered fist hit a Gene-Warped Warwolf. He looked down at the ground and then at his deck. There was no way he could amount to anything the other students had achieved. He cursed his love for _Transformers_. Had he not been such an obsessive fan, he might have chosen a better deck. He was just about to remove his Duel Disk, but Miss Marina placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

"You have a good deck there, Spike. You just need to believe in it. And in yourself." He looked up at the teacher's eyes. "What will you do?" Spike looked at his cards and stared at his Duel Disk for a long hard while before finally standing up.

"Bring it on!" the hooded man challenged.

o o o

Tobias watched the commotion happening on the island through a pair of binoculars from the student council office window. He could see the great clouds of smoke and the orange glow of fire coming from the woods. Great green clouds of deadly micro-organisms were scattered all over the island. He could see trails upon trails of blood all over the ground. He felt himself nearly vomit, but did his best to hold it in. To his left, Marsha was in her office doing some paperwork. Stan was sitting at the meeting eating his dinner while Issac sat across from him reading a book.

"Look at it." The bandaged boy scanned the war zone below. "It's just awful..."

"It's none of our concern," Marsha said.

"How can you say that? These are our classmates!"

"They're nothing more than peons. We've got everything under our thumb."

"They're still people, though..."

"People? They're more like insects," Issac interjected. Stan moved to say something, but his mouth was full of noodles and beef. "Swallow," Issac instructed. Stan took a moment finish chewing and swallowing his food and then spoke.

"Look Toby..."

"Don't call me Toby..." Tobias muttered quietly.

"These guys think you're a loser. You get beat up every day. Do you really think you can keep going with that shit? This is the perfect time for you to get even!"

Tobias fell silent. It was true that deep down he secretly wanted everybody who bullied him gone. But as he watched all the death and destruction from the window, he felt something in his gut. He should feel happy or relieved, but that was not the case. Instead he felt a tight knot in his stomach. A very unsettling feeling. Something about this just did not feel right.

o o o

Noah and Gio were searching for Cassie. The former had been the one to start the search while the latter decided to tag along under the excuse that it was better to have two people than one. "Where could she have gone?" the young British boy wondered.

"Who cares? We gotta find her!" Gio exclaimed as he ran ahead.

"Gio, we need to figure out where she is if we're going to find her," Noah said matter-of-factly.

"Oh yeah? Well... Hey, stop touching me!"

"...What?"

"Yeah, you heard what I said!"

"Okay Gio, if you could please stop being stupid for five minutes and let me think, we can figure this out." Noah sat down and pulled his knees up to his chest while holding his plush toy close. He was thinking. The last time they saw Cassie, she was running out of the auditorium with her mother after the explosion. Chancellor Rhodes was her mother, so it made logical sense that they would retreat to her office. "Let's go, Gio." As Noah got up, two hooded figures blocked both paths of the hallway.

"You're not going anywhere," one of them said as he activated his Duel Disk. Noah and Gio stood back-to-back and took out their child size Duel Disks.

"We've got no choice here. We have to work together," Noah whispered as he strapped his device to his right arm.

"With my Rocks, I'll be fine," Gio replied as he jammed his deck into the deck slot.

"I'll use my Solar deck for this one." Noah took a deck out from his hoodie pocket and slid it into his Duel Disk before drawing five cards and then his sixth. "I set two cards and a monster. Go."

"I summon Gemini Elf." The hooded man summoned two beautiful female elves with their arms draped over each other. "Now attack!"

"I activate Macro Cosmos!" announced Noah, "And I'll use it to summon Helios - The Promordial Sun from my deck." A mummy with a sun for a head appeared on his side of the field. The hooded man's monster continued its attack and destroyed the facedown, which turned out to be Necroface. "Since Necroface was removed from play, we must remove the top five cards of our decks." Once both Duelists had resolved the card's effect, Noah sacrificed Helios - the Primordial Sun for Helios Duos Megistus.

Behind the white-haired boy, Gio had assembled a rock-hard defense with Stone Statue of the Aztecs and Moai Intercept Cannons against his opponent's Archfiend Soldier and Harpie's Brother. "Damn you, kid."

"Told ya can't beat my rocks!" Gio drew his next card. "I play Canyon and then set another monster."

"You can't defend forever!"

"I so can!"

o o o

The forest was ablaze. The fire seemed to rage forever as Terry and Nicky tore through on their Duel Runners, the latter cackling like a maniac. The two of them were holding another pair of molotov cocktails as they ripped through the woods. Terry gave his partner a signal and they threw the bottles at the same time, setting fire to more trees.

"Oi 'aven't 'ad this much fun since that time we burned down 'em orphanages!" Nicky laughed.

"I'm glad you're liking it!" Terry replied with a wide grin. He reached into his saddlebag and produced two more bottles. Nicky's grin widened even further as he caught the one that was passed to him. Just as they were about to light the rags, however, a strong wind blew them from their hands and the bottles fell to the ground. The two bikers turned their heads to see a green motorcycle speeding toward them from behind.

"Who the bloody 'ell is this fucker?" Nicky demanded.

"Forgot me so quickly, Nicky?" an effeminate man's voice asked from behind the visor. Immediately, the pyromaniac's spirits picked up and he grinned even wider than before.

"Oi've been waitin' fer ye, Reko!"

"Been a long time," Terry added.

"I can see you two have been busy," Reko said, "All for naught, I'm afraid!" He slapped a card onto his dash and a strong wind blew through the forest, blowing out several of the fires."

"OI! Ye can't do that!" screamed Nicky.

"I just did," Reko said with a grin.

"Nicky, calm down," Terry said to his partner, "We'll take care of that after we deal with him."

"Ya mean...?" Nicky's eagerness was seeping out.

"Yeah."

"HOT DAMN!"

All three bikers pressed a button on their dash boards and the screens came to life. "Duel Mode engaged! Free-for-all mode activated. Speed World 2 activated." The holographic projectors built into their Duel Runners came to life and the field was set.

"Turbo Duel, ACCELERATION!"

"You know the drill. First to round that first corner," Terry yelled before he gunned his engine and took off with Nicky right beside him.

"You're not getting away that easy!" Reko accelerated and shot forward. Nicky looked back to see him coming close and took out a single molotov cocktail. He lit the rag and then threw it at Reko's front wheel. The young Telaris swerved out of the way to avoid and just barely dodged a fiery end, but in doing so fell behind the other two Turbo Duelists. Nicky cackled as he made the turn first followed by Terry, leaving Reko to be the last.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 8000 / **SPC:** 0

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 0

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Oi got me first turn! Oi draw!" Nicky grinned like a maniac as he drew his first card.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 8000 / **SPC:** 1

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 1

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 1

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Oi summon me Flamvell Grunika!" A winged purple dragon in brown leather pants appeared beside Nicky and roared as it flew along beside him (ATK/1700 DEF/200). "Now Oi'm gunna set these 'ere facedowns an' end me turn!" Two cards appeared briefly beside his Duel Runner and vanished from sight.

"I draw next!" Terry drew his card.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 8000 / **SPC:** 2

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 2

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 2

–––––––––––––––––––––

"And I summon Jurrac Guaiba!" A red and yellow Guaibasaurus with a blue head and feet appeared on the field and roared as its spines ignited on fire (ATK/1700 DEF/400). "I'm setting one facedown and calling it a turn."

"Alrighty, it's my turn now!" Reko reached for his deck and drew his card.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 8000 / **SPC:** 3

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 3

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 3

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I set a card facedown and summon Mist Valley Falcon!" A bird man in Native American dress wielding a shield and a sword appeared and started flying beside Reko (ATK/2000 DEF/1200). "Now this guy can't attack unless I return a card from my field to my hand. Luckily, I do. I return my facedown." Mist Valley Falcon flapped his wings and the resulting wind blew Reko's facedown back into his hand. "Attack Flamvell Grunika!" With his sword raised, Mist Valley Falcon flew toward the purple dragon and swung his blade.

"Oi activate me Backfire!" Nicky shouted. "Now e'ery toime ye kill one o' me Fire monsters, ya take five 'undred damage!" Mist Valley Falcon's sword sliced through Flamvell Grunika, but not without consequence as a fiery explosion erupted from the dragon's carcass and hit Reko.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 7700 / **SPC:** 3

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 3

**Reko:** 7500 / **SPC:** 3

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I'm done with two facedowns!" announced Reko.

Nicky proceeded to draw. But as he reached for his deck, Terry caught his attention and informed him of something up ahead. The pyromaniac looked forward and his eyes went wide when he saw a big green cloud coming up fast. "BLOODY FUCKIN' 'ELL!" He quickly slammed his brake and made a hard turn to the left along with Terry and just narrowly avoided the Plague cloud. Reko came up behind them and followed their path.

"Anyway, Oi draw!" Nicky drew his card.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 7700 / **SPC:** 4

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 4

**Reko:** 7500 / **SPC:** 4

–––––––––––––––––––––

"An Oi summon Neo Flamvell Sabre!" A reptilian man with fiery orange hair appeared beside Nicky's Duel Runner and brandished a large flaming sword (ATK/1500 DEF/200). "An' now 'is effect. It lets 'im gain six 'undred attack points if me opponent's got four our less cards in 'is graveyard. But if it's eight or more, 'e loses three 'undred attack. An' guess what. Me opponent ain't got nothin' in 'is graveyard!" The flames on Neo Famvell Sabre's sword grew brighter and hotter as his attack points rose up to twenty-one hundred. "Attack Mist Valley Falcon!"

"I activate a Trap!" announced Reko. "Icarus Attack! I sack my Falcon so I can destroy two cards on the field." Mist Valley Falcon flew high into the air and dive-bombed Neo Flamvell Sabre. The Pyro monster died instantly and then the birdman proceeded to destroy Jurrac Guaiba in the same manner, which resulted in a kamikaze attack.

"Ha! Ye forget 'bout me Backfire?" Nicky cackled as flames burst into Reko's face.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 7700 / **SPC:** 4

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 4

**Reko:** 7000 / **SPC:** 4

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Guess Oi'm done," Nicky concluded.

"I draw." Terry drew his card.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 7700 / **SPC:** 5

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 5

**Reko:** 7000 / **SPC:** 5

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I activate my facedown, Fossil Excavation, and bring back Jurrac Guaiba!" Jurrac Guaiba appeared on the field and roared, but its spines did not ignite. "Now I summon Jurrac Dino!" An orange and yellow Deinonychus with blue spines appeared and started running alongside Terry's Duel Runner as its feet ignited in flames (ATK/1700 DEF/800). "Guaiba, attack!" Jurrac Guaiba fell back and swung its head at Reko, biting him hard in the arm.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 7700 / **SPC:** 5

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 5

**Reko:** 5300 / **SPC:** 5

–––––––––––––––––––––

As Jurrac Guaiba leapt back to rejoin its master's side, Terry turned to his other dinosaur. "Jurrac Dino, your turn!" Jurrac Dino jumped onto the back of the biker's Duel Runner and waved pleasantly at Reko before jumping off and slamming its burning foot into his chest with reckless ferocity.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 7700 / **SPC:** 5

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 5

**Reko:** 3600 / **SPC:** 5

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Yer lucky this is the new Speed World card," Nicky said tauntingly, "If we'd been using tha old Speed World, ya woulda lost two Speed Counters."

"I'm going to tune Jurrac Dino to Jurrac Guaiba now." Terry tapped his handlebar and Jurrac Dino exploded in a blast of fire, leaving behind three shining stars. The stars turned into synchro rings and surrounded Jurrac Guaiba, whose body faded away until four stars remined. A light engulfed them both. "I Synchro Summon Jurrac Giganoto!" The light turned into fire and from the flames emerged a blue Giganotosaurus with a yellow head and appendages. It roared once before its brow ignited (ATK/2100 DEF/1800). "And for every Jurrac monster in my graveyard, Jurrac Giganoto boosts all Jurracs by two hundred attack points. Including himself." The flames on the big dinosaur started to burn hotter and brighter as its attack points rose to twenty-five hundred. "I'm done now."

"And it's my move now!" Reko drew his card. Already it so quickly came around to his turn and he had half of his life taken. He felt the weight of Reign's necklace around his neck...he wouldn't have given up. Neither would he, a plan quickly formed in his head.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 7700 / **SPC:** 6

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 6

**Reko:** 3600 / **SPC:** 6

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Don't have time for any wit, let's get this done. I bring out Mist Valley Thunderbird." A small yellow bird with long tail feathers shaped like lightning bolts appeared and cawed (ATK/1100 DEF/700). "And now I return him to my hand."

"What? Why that lil' shit?" Nicky asked, curious as to what Reko was up to.

"So I can bring this guy out. Mist Condor!" A big blue condor with a collar of red, white, and black feathers burst onto the field and made its cry (ATK/1400 DEF/400).

"'ow come ye did that for such a weak monster!" Nicky demanded.

"Because if he's Special Summoned like this, his attack becomes seventeen hundred points," was the answer. And sure enough, the big blue bird's attack points changed from fourteen hundred to seventeen hundred. "And what's more, 'cause my Thunderbird got sent back to my hand, he gets Special Summoned back. But he can't attack." Right on cue, Mist Valley Thunderbird appeared on the field once again, this time flying defensively beside its master.

"Mist Condor, enjoy yourself and attack Nicky," Reko ordered charmingly. Mist Condor swept over the three motorcyclists and flew down toward Nicky, striking him hard with its talons, "Yeah...you like that!"

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 6

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 6

**Reko:** 3600 / **SPC:** 6

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Bleedin' 'hell! I'm gunna make roast wit' yer bird!"

"You're always welcome to try," Reko replied with his charming smile. The very same smile that the ladies always fell for, the very same smile that always got on Nicky's nerves. On cue Nicky gave a roar of fury and revved his runner in frustration.

"Da first thing Oi'll do is rip all yer fuckin' teeth out of ya one by one ya little meaningless shitbag!"

"Oh please, I've heard better from the queens that came in through San Fran, Nick."

Nicky growled. "Yer fuckin' dead, mate!" He ripped the next card from his deck.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 7

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 7

**Reko:** 3600 / **SPC:** 7

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Oi use Speed World 2's effect an' sack seven Speed Counters ta draw a card!"

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 0

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 7

**Reko:** 3600 / **SPC:** 7

–––––––––––––––––––––

Nicky drew a second card and added it to his hand. "Oi activate me facedown Call o' the 'aunted an' bring back me Flamvell Grunika!" The purple dragon appeared on the field once again and roared. "Now Oi summon me Flamvell Archer!" A muscular shirtless man with a lion-like mane of fiery orange hair appeared beside the fiery Duel Runner with a brilliant orange bow in one hand (ATK/1000 DEF/200). "Now Oi tune 'em together!" Flamvell Archer disappeared until three stars remained. These stars turned into synchro rings and surrounded Flamvell Grunika until its body had faded, leaving behind four stars. A column of light engulfed them, but soon the radiance turned into an inferno.

"Oi Synchro Summon Exploder Dragonwing!" The column of fire exploded and a black dragon with a torso like a meteor emerged with a pair of leathery orange wings and thin limbs leading out with a very thick tail (ATK/2400 DEF/1600). "Blow up that condor! King's Storm Attack!" Exploder Dragonwing roared and unleashed a high speed stream of fire at Mist Condor, incinerating it beyond recongition.

"An' 'ere's da kicka! Usin' me Exploder Dragonwing's effect, 'e can destroy your monster automatically an' burn ya fer its attack points!" Sure enough, Exploder Dragonwing turned on Reko and unleashed another high speed fire jet toward him. He yelled in anger, tearing the smoldering cloth away and gazing at the monster with hatred. The dragon may have been cackling, but Reko couldn't tell if it was the monster or Nicky doing it.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 0

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 7

**Reko:** 1900 / **SPC:** 7

–––––––––––––––––––––

The maniacal laughter of Nicky filled the burning woods as the pyromaniac and Terry crossed arms with each other. Reko looked up. He only had Mist Valley Thunderbird and two facedowns whereas Nicky had summoned Exploder Dragonwing while Terry had Jurrac Giganoto who had been boosted up to twenty-five hundred attack points. Additionally, his Life Points were reaching critical levels. At most he figured he would have one or two chances left, considering the strength these things boasted.

"Ye can't beat our fire, Reko!" Nicky cackled.

"You're just a small breeze in a raging inferno," Terry said smirking.

"Yer wasted, Telaris!"

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The raging battle of wind and fire continues! Reko tries desperately to save the island from complete incineration, but Terry and Nicky have a special surprise in store for him. Regardless of the outcome, you won't want to miss next Friday's installment of _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	117. Pressure

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-30**

**Pressure**

The smell of burning rubber filled the air as the runners raced down the track, cycling about at incredible speeds, testing out their engines before the big tournament. A girl with lavender hair stood in a mechanic's jump suit, her mechanics goggles covered in grease as she waited in the pit for her star racers to pull up. Her name was Reka Telaris and she was the head mechanic of Team After Burn.

Amidst the roar of the track a low rumble was heard as three early gen duel runners rolled into the pit, finished with their test runs. The first rider of the three pulled off his helmet and smiled as his green mohawk wafted in the wind. The Second rider pulled off his helmet and revealed his bald head with a flaming tattoo on the back of his skull that seemed to have two dinosaur eyes peering out. The final runner was a young man with lavender hair like the mechanic, and even a face similar to hers. Nicky Sussex, Terry Sinclair, and Reko Telaris. Team After Burn. The favorites to win the Helios Cup.

"Hey sis," Reko said as he moved over to his twin with a wide grin, "I love what you did with the Ener-D drive's coolant system. I didn't burn my dandy lads for once."

"Ah, ye were just bein a nancy pussy. Oi loiked the 'eat!" Nicky said enthusiastically as he walked by Reka and gave her a quick peck on the cheek that she returned. An odder couple Reko had never seen, but if his best friend and sister were happy he was happy. Before he could reply, however, Terry patted Reko on the shoulder and laughed lightly.

"Well, what do you expect, Nick. Wimpy here enjoys using his pretty stone monster over getting with the After Burn heat," Terry said as he pulled a flask of whiskey out of his pocket and took a quick slug. Reko could smell the liquor and almost spoke again before his sister chimed in. He lowered his head and hung his arms in frustration.

"Guys, leave him alone. I can agree that those Ener-D heat sinks weren't that great. Besides, Reko likes using Dad's deck. Just because he the weakest doesn't mean you have to pick on him all the time." Reko opened his mouth once more to speak.

"Oh, please babe," Nicky interrupted, "you know we love our mate, but 'e is koind of wimpy."

"That is why we run him first. He cuts out the riff raff of the other team for us to finish off," Terry added.

Reka pouted and crossed her arms. Reko opened his mouth to say something once more, but was cut off by his sister. "That doesn't mean you should be so mean to him. He is a part of this team just like I am."

"Well, you are also the foxy little mechanic for the team, babe," Nicky said with a smile before kissing Reka on the lips, which she returned with a bashful peck.

Reko opened his mouth to say something once more when he noticed Terry begining to speak. He quickly slapped his hand over Terry's mouth and said, "guys! It's ok. I was just complimenting her work. Thanks for defending me sis, but that is just the guys. Now, I am going to go and look over my deck and prepare for the first round. Ok?" Reko let loose a huff and laughed as he walked off, slipping on a puddle of oil and landing on his ass. Everyone in the pit laughed loudly along with Reko. Back in these days, things were perfect. They were friends. When did it all go wrong?

o o o

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 0

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 7

**Reko:** 1900 / **SPC:** 7

–––––––––––––––––––––

Reko was in a very rough situation as he found himself set bestride his old comrades once again. His Duel Runner rode along the island road with his Mist Valley Thunderbird (ATK/1100 DEF/700) in defense mode along with two facedowns. In front of him, his two opponents were staring him down with their terrifying fiery monsters. The maniacal Nicky drove with Backfire and one facedown at his sides while his Exploder Dragonwing (ATK/2400 DEF/1600) flew along beside him. Next to him was Terry armed with a now-useless Fossil Excavation and a Jurrac Giganoto (ATK/2100 DEF/1800) who had been boosted to twenty-five hundred attack points.

"Looks like me turn's over!" Nicky cackled with a meddening glee, "Oi, Terry! Yer up!"

"With pleasure!" Terry grinned evilly as he drew his card, peering back at Reko who swerved sharply to avoid a low lying branch.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 1

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 8

**Reko:** 1900 / **SPC:** 8

–––––––––––––––––––––

Terry was not too thrilled to have no monsters in his hand that could be summoned easily. However, Jurrac Giganoto would be more than sufficient this turn. "Jurrac Giganoto, attack!" The great fiery dinosaur turned toward Mist Valley Thunderbird and swung its tail at it.

"'fraid not. I activate Compulsory Evacuation Device!" Reko revealed one of his facedowns. "This bounces any monster back to its owner's hand."

"So what if you bounce Giganoto back to my Extra Deck? I can always bring him back out again," Terry said.

"Ah, but I'm not targetting Jurrac Giganoto, that'd be stupid. I'm targetting Mist Valley Thunderbird!" The great big man cannon appeared and pulled in Mist Valley Thunderbird. The machine took aim and then launched the yellow avian creature into the air. "And that leaves your monster with nothing to attack." Seeing its prey suddenly vanish, Jurrac Giganoto leapt back to its spot and continued running astride Terry's Duel Runner. "And now Thunderbird's effect kicks in, letting me summon him back." Reko placed the card back on his dashboard and his Mist Valley Thunderbird reappeared with a sharp squwak.

"And now it's my turn!" The lavender-haired man drew his card.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 2

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 9

**Reko:** 1900 / **SPC:** 9

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Next I activate Speed World 2's effect to draw a card!"

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 2

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 9

**Reko:** 1900 / **SPC:** 2

–––––––––––––––––––––

Reko's Duel Runner decelerated significantly as he drew a second card, but it was worth it when he saw it. "I summon Mist Valley Falcon!" He played his card and a new winged warrior man appeared with a longsword brandished (ATK/2000 DEF/1200). "And now I bounce Thunderbird to my hand so Falcon can attack." Reko took Mist Valley Thunderbird off his field and then resummoned it in attack mode its own effect.

"Yer attackin'?" Nicky burst out laughing. "In case ya didn't notice, mate, me Exploder Dragonwing an' Terry's Jurrac Giganoto 'ave stronger 'tack points than yer Falcon!"

"That's why I'm chaining his effect with my Trap Card!" Reko revealed his other facedown with a smirk. "Icarus Attack! By sacrificing a Wind monster, I can destroy two cards on the field." Mist Valley Thunderbird flew high into the air and then dive-bombed. Its body seemed to split into two bolts of white lightning as it crashed into Exploder Dragonwing and Jurrac Giganoto. "And since Exploder Dragonwing wasn't a Fire monster, Nicky, your Backfire doesn't burn! Everyone wins! Well...except you."

"Now that we got those outta the way, Mist Valley Falcon, attack Terry directly!" Mist Valley Falcon flew ahead of Reko and hovered over Terry's Duel Runner. He brandished his sword and then swung down with a warcry, cutting the biker across the back.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 2

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 9

**Reko:** 1900 / **SPC:** 2

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I'll toss this facedown and end my turn." A facedown card appeared beside Reko's Duel Runner and vanished from sight.

"My turn again!" Nicky tore the top card off his deck.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 3

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 10

**Reko:** 1900 / **SPC:** 3

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Kch! Oi throw down a defense monster an' end me turn!" Nicky said frustrated.

Now it was Terry's turn once again. He reached out and drew his card.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 4

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 11

**Reko:** 1900 / **SPC:** 4

–––––––––––––––––––––

"First I activate effect of Speed World 2! By removing ten of my Speed Counters, I can destroy one card on the field."

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 4

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 1

**Reko:** 1900 / **SPC:** 4

–––––––––––––––––––––

Ten shining balls of light rose up around Terry as his speed dropped significantly and circled around him. They spun faster and faster until eventually firing themselves at Mist Valley Falcon, destroying him instantly without the demihuman even having time to scream. "Next I summon Jurrac Ptera!" A green pteradactyl with an orange head appeared and flew alongside Terry as its wings suddenly ignited on fire (ATK/800 DEF/1500). "Jurrac Ptera, attack Reko directly!" Jurrac Ptera screeched as it turned on Reko and flapped its wings to fire a burst of fire at him. Reko's runner shuddered under the abuse, but blackened hands clutched onto the handle bars tighter than eve.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 4

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 1

**Reko:** 1100 / **SPC:** 4

–––––––––––––––––––––

"That's it for this turn," declared Terry.

"My turn now...!" Reko announced a weathered tone, still sounding brave despite the punishment. He reached for his side and drew his card.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 5

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 2

**Reko:** 1100 / **SPC:** 5

–––––––––––––––––––––

"First I remove two Speed Counters to activate Speed Spell - Mystical Space Typhoon!" announced Reko.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 5

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 2

**Reko:** 1100 / **SPC:** 3

–––––––––––––––––––––

"And I'll be targetting that Backfire!" A wind shot from the card and blasted Nicky's Trap Card. "Next I summon Mist Valley Soldier!" A man in blue robes with white angellic wings appeared wielding two curved short swords and flew beside Reko (ATK/1700 DEF/300). "Attack Nicky's monster!" Mist Valley Soldier took aim and threw his weapons at the targetted card. They both cut into the card and destroyed it, revealing it to be a flaming monkey named Flamvell Poun (ATK/200 DEF/200), before returning back to their owner's hands.

"Ye destroyed me Flamvell Poun. An' when 'e gets destroyed in battle, Oi can take a monster with two 'undred defense or less an' add 'im to me 'and!" Nicky's deck spat out a single card and he took it and placed it in his hand. "Oi choose me Flamvell Firedog!"

"Son of a... I'm done!" Reko announced.

"An' thanks a lot mate!" Nicky replied as he drew his card.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 6

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 3

**Reko:** 1100 / **SPC:** 4

–––––––––––––––––––––

"And now Oi summon me Flamvell Firedog!" Nicky slapped his card down and summoned a hound made of lava with two large horns on its shoulders (ATK/1900 DEF/200). "Attack Mist Valley Soldier!" Flamvell Firedog leapt and gored Mist Valley Soldier with its horns.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 6

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 3

**Reko:** 900 / **SPC:** 4

–––––––––––––––––––––

"An' wit' me Flamvell Firedog's effect, Oi summon Flamvell Baby from me deck!" A tiny little live flame with a grin appeared (ATK/800 DEF/200). "Attack 'im!" Famvell Baby giggled and conjured up a tiny fireball, which it launched at Reko.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 6

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 3

**Reko:** 100 / **SPC:** 4

–––––––––––––––––––––

Nicky laughed maniacally. "Yer dead, Reko! On Terry's turn, 'e's gunna anni'ilate ya! Take it away, mate!"

"With pleasure!" Terry drew his card.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 7

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 4

**Reko:** 100 / **SPC:** 5

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I had hoped I'd get to be the one to beat you, Reko. And it's gonna happen. 'cause I got a surprise for you...somethin' you've never seen before. First I summon Jurrac Brachis!" A blue and red Brachiosaurus appeared and its entire body suddenly ignited (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "Now I overlay my level three Jurrac Ptera with my level three Jurrac Brachis!" Terry took one card and placed it on top of the other on his dashboard. The two dinosaurs started to glow and they were suddenly engulfed in fire as a portal to another dimension opened up. The two monsters spiraled into the void.

"Exceed Summon! Gurensaurus!" Taking a black card out from his Extra Deck, Terry placed it on top of the stack of cards he had created. In doing so, he brought out a fiery red Tyrannosaurus Rex with cybernetic enhancements. It let out a loud roar and its eyes burst into flames (ATK/2000 DEF/1900).

Reko eyes widened, "What...what the hell is that thing!"

Terry laughed calmly, "It's your own personal Reaper Reko...before I make sure he kills you and probably devours you in the slowest most agonizing way I think I could make, I have to say Mist Valley suits you fine."

Reko's eyes narrowed, "What the hell are you talking about, if you can bring the pain bring it! You aren't worrying me a bit!"

"Oh I think I am though," he rose a hand as his creature hungrily eyed Reko, "Those damn birds, the skies and storms! Pathetic. Our cards hold power, true power you could've had for yourself, instead you have to relay on your family honor and the weak powers Ardent gives you. I'm no fool you idiot! You even have Reign's pendant around your neck like you're some kind of god damned hero! Your stupid Mist Valley cards are as weak as you are, and that's what makes this so deliciously fitting! It's like I've killed you twice! Gurensaurus, chow down on that motorcycle riding Duelist! Rip through his chest and kill him!"

Terry's monster roared, charging towards Reko.

o o o

Zetsubou had a ragged individual at knifepoint, his hand firmly around his throat, "How do I stop your concoction, there's no time for games," he found one of Pestilence's stragglers in the misty woods leading to the main part of the Academy. It was a trifle to snap one arm and knock the wind out of him, but the unnecessary waste of energy got him a delightful new companion.

"You're far too late traitor...his glorious gifts are upon us," he cackled while Zetsubou noticed he wasn't wearing a mask to ward off the vapors coming from the barrels this particular man was hauling, "I am made bereft from the Curse by my own vitality!"

He smirked and gave a slow and reluctant nod. Finally understanding Pestilence's ingenius mehtod of transporting the barrels, "Innoculation caused by a transfusion of agents within the blood stream isolated and introduced in stages. Genius," Zetsubou ripped open a barrel and beheld the putrid green components within, "The antidote is your blood. Brilliant. A person wouldn't think of taking a life to end a potential biohazard," a flick of his wrist and the man started to bleed profusely out of his arm. He cried in agony as the blood blended seamlessly with the sludge to make a reddish gelatin. Zetsubou knocked over the barrel with his boot. With much joy did he notice the grass didn't shrivel and die, though the gel did harmlessly seep into the ground and made it hard to prove his theory to anyone else.

"You'll find I'm so barred petty morality that I won't get the job done. The Dual Rose is several minutes forced marching to the east, come Antidote. Don't bleed out on me, I don't want to obtain a second of you. Lead."

The cultist was prodded and poked towards the shop, Zetsubou could hear the shudder and rumbling of the catapults after about ten minutes of trudging and hearing the cultist whimper pitifully. He swiftly pulled up his hood as he and his newest discovery made their way with the crowds of people walking towards Recca's shop. What he saw made him proud to even know the woman.

The store frequently burst with radiant energy to send the odd creature flying, Recca shouting commands with her body bandaged and covered in a simple breastplate and skirt. With a loud warcry a woman he did not recognize and Mika kicked over two large cauldrons on the roof, sending slick amber oil cascading down in a hellish anti siege tactic. The stern look on Recca's face as she shouted commands led him to believe she was very used to this sort of thing. Many students seemed to be inside, they must have sought refuge during the chaos. None of this mattered though, he saw around seven massive barrels, probably the choicest lot of this strain affixed to the catapaults. A simple sleight of hand rendered the pulley system ineffective of the catapault he was next to. He had to finish this soon, he identified the major target as Pestilence stepped from his horse and pointed a wrapped finger layered with rusted metal towards Recca, "How long do you think you can hold out? My catapaults are nearly deployed! One word, and all you have strived for will become nothing more than a slurry of blood and bone!"

Umi cried back, "We're going to fight you until our dying breath!"

Recca held out her arm towards the crowds of cultists and Pestilence, "Arrows fire!"

At the sound of her mace thumping against the roof, around twenty students of Red, Blue, and Yellow, the Archery Team let loose a rainstorm of silvery arrows. This action caused Zetsubou to leap behind a tree for cover. Recca was good, very skilled as it looked like students terrified moments before were bolstered by her presence and even took up arms for her. He could see Umi and Mika pulling up new Cauldrons to prolong the siege.

"Second volley...fire!", for once Zetsubou wonder how long the cultists could hold out. And as one lay dying at his feet from arrow wounds he had a most wonderful idea...

o o o

"Giga Jurassic Breaker!" Gurensaurus' roar caused the earth to shudder as its fangs seemed to shimmer with a fiery red aura. It stomped several meters forward and prepared to bite down on Reko.

"I activate Defense Draw!" The young man revealed his facedown card. "With this, the battle damage I take becomes zero and I draw a card!" Gurensaurus closed its maw down upon Reko, but a barrier of cards swiftly erected itself around him and shielded him from the attack. He breathed a sigh of relief as he drew a card.

"You survive. For now." Terry took two cards from his hand and placed them facedown on his dashboard. "I set two cards and end my turn."

"Here it goes for me! I draw!" Reko drew his card.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 8

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 5

**Reko:** 100 / **SPC:** 6

–––––––––––––––––––––

"First I activate the Speed Spell - Angel Baton. If I have two or more Speed Counters, I can draw two cards. Then I discard one." Reko drew two cards from his deck and examined them. He placed them both into the card holder on his arm and then took the card that was already there and placed it in his graveyard. "I'm setting two facedowns and ending my turn!"

"Yer a riot, Reko. It's loike yer tryin' ta prolong yer death!" Nicky laughed as he drew.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 9

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 6

**Reko:** 100 / **SPC:** 7

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Oi summon Flamvell Archer!" A muscular man with a mane of bright fiery orange hair appeared wielding an orange bow carved with flame designs (ATK/1000 DEF/200). "Now Oi activate me facedown, DNA Surgery an' Oi choose Pyro type!"

"HEY!" Terry shouted.

"Relax, mate! It's only for a short time. Now Oi tune me Flamvell Archer wit' my Flamvell Firedog!" Flamvell Archer's body faded until only three stars remained, which turned into synchro rings and surrounded Flamvell Firedog who, in turn, faded until four stars were left. A column of light engulfed them both and a fiery explosion erupted from the middle of the island.

"Oi Synchro Summon Ancient Flamvel Deity!" A gargantuan mass of fire rose up from the island and took on a humanoid form as dark crimson armor appeared on its arms, thighs, torso and head. It let out an earthshaking bellow and the flames started to burn hotter (ATK/2500 DEF/200).

"Where Terry failed, Oi'll finish! Ancient Flamvell Deity, destroy Reko! Nova Destroyer!" Ancient Flamvell Deity held his hands in front of his torso and a sun appeared in between his palms. As he pulled his hands apart, the sun grew in size until finally he had one twice the size of his body being held over his head with a single hand. Then he swung his arm and threw the sun toward Reko.

o o o

"Cyber-Tech Alligator, attack with Trident Arm!" The great biomechanical reptile held out its mechanical claw and fired it toward Mikey's Beast King Barbaros.

"I activate Skill Drain! I sacrifice a thousand Life Points to negate all monster effects on the field, including Barbaros' own effect!" Beast King Barbaros was restored to his original three thousand attack points and he deflected Cyber-Tech Alligator's Trident Arm with his shield before thrusting his lance into its chest and taking out the remainder of Gene Eric's Life Points.

"How many of these guys are there?" Mikey asked.

"That's like the eighth one you've beaten so far," Sammie said.

"Where the hell are they coming from?" asked Gabe.

"They're not genetic clones." The sound of the new voice caused people to turn their heads as Johnathan Angel came toward them.

"Dad!" The Angel boys ran toward their father.

"Dad, what's going on?" asked Mikey.

"It's a pretty long story and we're short on time, so I'm going to give you the abridged version." Johnathan cleared his throat. "Duel Academy is under attack because the person behind it is looking for something."

"What?" Gabe looked at his father for answers.

"That I do not know. We've already confirmed they're not after the Sacred Beasts. If they were, they would have headed straight for the vault."

"So then what's with all these germ clouds and fires and all that?" Mikey inquired.

"Most likely an elaborate distraction," Johnathan surmised, "to hide their real objective."

"Now that you've mentioned it, I've noticed it too," Coltyn stepped in, "Wanton destruction but no attempt to capture the school or obtain what's in it. Obviously whatever they want isn't in the school."

"Then what are they after?" Sammie questioned.

"I'm afraid of the answer," was Johnathan's response.

"Here's another question, Dad," Gabe quipped up, "Where have you been this whole time?"

"After the explosion, I left the talent show in hope of finding Chancellor Rhodes," Johnathan explained, "I wasn't successful, though. And when her announcement got cut off, I knew something had happened but there was nothing I could do about it. It was right then and there that was I attacked by a group of those men who call themselves Gene Eric. I had to lead them away from the students, so I ran into the woods and toward the mountain. Once I got them away, I subdued them with my deck. I've been trying to find my way back ever since."

"You got lost, didn't you?" asked Mikey.

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"What's your plan now?"

"Making sure my boys don't get hurt."

"Dad, we're not eight," Gabe muttered.

"Your dad is a pro Duelist," Max pointed out, "Having him with us would make things better."

"I agree," Coltyn said, nodding.

"Come with us," Sammie urged.

"Well, we're better off in big numbers," Mikey thought out loud, "Alright! We'll do it that way. So what now?"

"For now, we figure out where to go from here."

"What about the student council?" Gabe suggested.

"It's true they've been up to a lot of suspicious activity, but would they really be behind all this?" asked Coltyn.

"There's only one way to find out,"Sammie answered.

"Yeah, I have a few things I want to ask them myself," Mikey added.

"Then you guys lead the way," Johnathan said.

o o o

The sun was hot and the heat was intensifying as it neared, but Reko was ready. When the moment came, he revealed one of his facedown cads. "I activate a Trap Card! Draining Shield! I can negate your attack and gain Life Points equal to your monster's attack points!" A buckler appeared in front of Reko and its edges slid open and formed a protective barrier around him just as the sun made contact. The massive orb of burning gas pushed against it for a few seconds before it was absorbed.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 9

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 6

**Reko:** 2600 / **SPC:** 7

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Fine then," grumbled Nicky, "Oi remove four Speed Counters to deal eight 'undred damage to ya fer each Speed Spell in my 'and!"

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 5

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 6

**Reko:** 2600 / **SPC:** 7

–––––––––––––––––––––

Four orbs of light rose up around Nicky and spun around him before colliding with Reko.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 5

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 6

**Reko:** 1800 / **SPC:** 7

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Then Oi play Speed Spell - Mystical Space Typhoon an' sack two Speed Counters ta destroy me DNA Surgery!"

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 3

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 6

**Reko:** 1800 / **SPC:** 7

–––––––––––––––––––––

A strong twister blasted Nicky's DNA Surgery and everybody's monsters returned to their original Types. "Oi end my turn. Terry, finish 'im!"

"I'll be happy to!" Terry drew his card.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 4

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 7

**Reko:** 1800 / **SPC:** 8

–––––––––––––––––––––

Gurensaurus, attack him again! Giga Jurassic Breaker!" Gurensaurus roared and charged toward Reko. However, the man looked completely unafraid as he revealed his other facedown.

"I activate Call of the Haunted."

"Go ahead. Nothing you have in your graveyard is strong enough to stop my monster. I should know. I sent them there myself," Terry said confidently.

"All except for one," Reko pointed out, "Remember my Angel Baton?"

Terry thought for a moment and then it hit him. "The card you discarded?"

"Oh yeah." Reko raised his hand. "Come on out, Mist Valley Apex Avian!" There was a great and powerful gale that blasted across the field as a massive bird rose up and spread out its wings. It appeared to be the adult form of Mist Valley Thunderbird, but before anybody was able to distinguish its finer features, it flapped its wings and took flight (ATK/2700 DEF/2000).

Not wanting to lose his monster so soon, Terry had no choice but to end his turn after setting an extra mosnter for defense.

Now it was Reko's turn and he drew his card with a beaming smile on his face.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 5

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 8

**Reko:** 1800 / **SPC:** 9

–––––––––––––––––––––

"It's not over until I say it is boys! First I activate Speed World 2 and sacrifice seven Speed Counters to draw a card."

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 5

**Terry:** 6000 / **SPC:** 8

**Reko:** 1800 / **SPC:** 2

–––––––––––––––––––––

Reko's Duel Runner fell behind his opponents' as drew his second card, but he shook it off and proceeded with his turn. "Since Nicky's got two Fire monsters on the field, that lets me Special Summon this guy. Say hello to my good friend Alector, Sovereign of Birds!" In a gust of wind, a bird man encased head to talon in shining silver armor burst onto the field in a flurry of feathers from his crimson wings (ATK/2400 DEF/2000). "Mist Valley Apex Avian, attack Gurensaurus!" Mist Valley Apex Avian screeched and came down from the sky. The great Gurensaurus looked up and growled as the mighty bird swooped down and then let out a cry as it was snatched up in its talons. Mist Valley Apex Avian then took off. Moments passed and the only sound that followed was that of a large reptilian beast crying in pain as its flesh was torn from its bones by sharp talons and beaks. Mist Valley Apex Avian returned shortly and returned to its place right over Reko's head.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 6000 / **SPC:** 5

**Terry:** 5300 / **SPC:** 8

**Reko:** 1800 / **SPC:** 2

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Alrighty, your turn Alector! Attack Flamvell Baby!" Alector, Sovereign of Birds landed on the front of Reko's Duel Runner and folded in his wings as he analyzed his target. Once he confirmed it, he spread his wings again and flew straight toward Flamvell Baby. "Aero Sword!" The winds came together and Alector grabbed where they met, creating a sword made out of wind. He swung his weapon and struck the tiny little flame. As soon as his blade cut through it, it burst into a multitude of winds and sliced up Flamvell Baby until nothing remained.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 4400 / **SPC:** 5

**Terry:** 5300 / **SPC:** 8

**Reko:** 1800 / **SPC:** 2

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I'm setting one more card and ending my turn." A card appeared beside Reko's Duel Runner and vanished from sight. The three motorcyclists turned another corner and resumed their card game.

"Oi draw!" Nicky drew his card.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 4400 / **SPC:** 6

**Terry:** 5300 / **SPC:** 9

**Reko:** 1800 / **SPC:** 3

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Me Ancient Flamvell Deity might not be a match for yer Apex Avian, but that don't mean 'e can't kill yer Sovereign! Ancient Flamvell Deity, attack Alector, Sovereign of Birds! Nova Destroyer!" Ancient Flamvell Deity conjured forth another sun and grew it to twice his size and held it over his head with his right hand. He turned his body to aim at his moving target and then threw the massive ball of burning gas at his target.

"You'll have to do better than that, Nicky!" Reko said as he revealed his facedown card. "I activate Negate Attack!" A vortex appeared at the last minute and swallowed up the sun."

Nicky growled. He thought for sure he had him. "OI! Terry! Ya betta end this on yer turn or we're fucked!"

"Don't worry, Nicky. I've got this covered, he just got a second wind. Nothin' I can't put a stop to," Terry said as he drew.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 4400 / **SPC:** 7

**Terry:** 5300 / **SPC:** 10

**Reko:** 1800 / **SPC:** 4

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Lucky for me, he didn't destroy my facedown monster." Terry flipped over his monster. "I Flip Summon Jurrac Aeolo." A small yellow egg with red flame designs appeared and from it hatched a tiny blue and yellow baby Allosaurus (ATK/200 DEF/200). "Then I sacrifice him to raise one level four or lower Jurrac from my graveyard. I choose my Jurrac Dino!" Jurrac Aeolo vanished and in its place appeared Jurrac Dino running alongside Terry on its flaming feet.

"Next I summon Jurrac Velo!" A green-bodied Velociraptor with a red head and blue hands and feet appeared and roared before the backs of its hands ignited (ATK/1700 DEF/1000). "Now I play Speed Spell - Monster Reborn! First I sacrifice ten Speed Counters..."

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 4400 / **SPC:** 7

**Terry:** 5300 / **SPC:** 0

**Reko:** 1800 / **SPC:** 4

–––––––––––––––––––––

Once in the lead ahead of everybody, now Terry fell behind both Nicky and Reko. "...and I'll resurrect Flamvell Ptera." His flaming Pteradactyl appeared alongside his other two monsters and screeched. "Now I tune Jurrac Dino with Jurrac Velo and Jurrac Ptera."

Reko was silent, viewing the tuning sequence through the tint of his visor. He could feel a wrongness in the air, the gleam in Terry's eyes...he wouldn't. Not now, not he was getting a decent groove back..

"OI! What the bleedin' 'ell are you doin'?" Nicky screamed, "You can't be thinkin' 'bout summonin' 'im!"

"I am," Terry replied as he pointed to the sky where a faint glow of red could be seen. "I Synchro Summon Jurrac Meteor!" High above Duel Academy, a massive meteor infused with a giant carnivorous dinosaur was streaking toward the ground (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). The impact it made upon collision created such a shockwave that every single card was wiped out. Not even Alector, Sovereign of Birds and Mist Valley Apex Avian were safe high above the ground as large pieces of debris flew through the air and slaughtered them. Even the great fiery god, Ancient Flamvell Deity, was no match for the awesome power of Jurrac Meteor. Reko, Nicky, and Terry swerved through the cloud of dust, flames, and smoke that was kicked up, the shockwaves almost knocking them all off their the smoke finally cleared, nothing remained on the field. Only a crater that left a massive scar in the island. Reko' eyes went wide, but not as wide as Nicky's.

"YOU ARSE!" Nicky screamed, "WHAT THE 'ELL WERE YOU THINKIN', EH?"

"I now raise Jurrac Dino and attack directly!" Jurrac Dino rose up from the destruction and charged at Reko, kicking him in the head with its flaming foot.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Nicky:** 4400 / **SPC:** 7

**Terry:** 5300 / **SPC:** 0

**Reko:** 100 / **SPC:** 4

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," Terry announced.

Reko reached for his deck and proceeded to draw, but Nicky's rant continued. "Oi set ya up so we can both take 'im out and then ya blow up my Flamvells!"

"There's nothing he can do anyway," Terry pointed out.

"We were gunna destroy 'im!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" a new voice bellowed.

All three Duel Runners came to a stop and the Turbo Duelists took off their helmets. They looked in the direction from which the voice had come and a pure white Duel Runner studded with precious gemstones pulled up. Its rider wore a tinted helmet that prevented any from seeing inside it, but Reko felt like he had met this person before. Unconsciously, his hand went to the pendant around his neck.

"Nicholas. Terrance. Go and resume your duties. I will deal with this worm myself."

Nicky felt his rage subside, instead now feeling something more akin to fear. He turned and looked at Terry. "Let's go, mate." He pulled on his helmet and revved up his engine before taking off.

Terry slid his helmet back on and followed, but stopped short before disappearing completely. "You may be in Kage's favor, but don't expect us to keep you unwatched." And with that, he drove off after Nicky.

Reko looked at the mysterious newcomer as he shut off his engine and turned toward him. "It's been a long time, Reko." The man brought his hand up and undid his fastenings before raising both hands and removing his helmet. He placed it on his dashboard and shook out his hair. Reko's jaw dropped at the sight.

"Dad?"

* * *

**Next Week on**_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

After many long years, Reko has been reunited with his father. But it is not the reunion he had hoped for as he and Reign must now engage one another in an all-out duel to the finish. Will Reko be able to hold his own or will he succumb to his emotions from finding his long-lost father? It's a bitter family reunion next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	118. Redemption

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-31**

**Redemption**

Reign gave a half smirk at seeing Reko battered and slightly singed from dueling Nicky and Terry, "Looks like you still don't know when to quit. Damn fine trait about you," he casually leaned against his Runner and gave a knowing smirk, "You feel like shit don't you."

Reko nodded.

"Feel like your deck can't even compare to us. A deck Ardent gave ya?"

Reko nodded again.

"Your body is screaming in pain of the aches and whatnot. You're not going to give up though."

Reko nodded a third time, the metal gauntlet on his hand snapping out into a Duel Disk.

Reign shook head, kicking off of his bike and holding his arm up to the heavens. Red and White energy coiled around his arm and at the end turned into a solid black jet that poured out of his palm. A resplendent red and white duel disk made out of shining metal and shimmering stones appeared on his arm, a black rose in a crystal on the back of his hand, "You're doing this because if you don't we're probably just going to kill everyone on this island and bring the UnGod into being here."

Reko gave a deep breath, standing his ground as he drew his hand, "I challenge you."

He held up his hands nonchalantly, "Alright. You're going to challenge your father, The Duelist our family respects so highly and the person who stopped him the first time."

"You're being controlled by it."

"Am I now! Or did I merely just see the light the black card I'm bound to gave me? The one made in his blood?"

"You're lying out your ass."

"How do you know?"

Reko, despite his burns and fatigue managed to let out a grin, "I call it a hunch. Besides, you've always been far to proud to let anything control you."

Reign crossed his arms, "See through me so easy. Too bad you won't have the power to back it up at all son. Mist Valley was the first to fall in Ardent. Do you know why?"

"I couldn't care, but you'll tell me."

"Raiza betrayed it. How easy was it to pervert and turn against the so called Court of Skies in Ardent? He and Caius were the first to turn against the world the Monarchs helped carve. He killed every other Priest who followed him, fueling the forbidden arts to bolster His coming."

"You're lying out your goddamn..."

Reign grinned, "So you ARE listening. Good... We knew you would 'visit' Ardent as Zetsubou did after you. All this was planned from Omen's premonition! His skill at it is leaps and bounds ahead of Rena! We lured Reka to find the kingdoms we already perverted to create Champions we could easily slay! We had Zetsubou fight and kill the Lord of Pandemonium because he was no longer useful to us! For every boon she gains we have gained a hundred, including when you visited in your odd bird shape. We wanted you to reach contact with Reka, wanted Raiza to tease you by transforming you and hoping you got killed."

Reko gritted his teeth, looking at the cards he drew. Raiza, Alector, Apex Avian...most of the Court of Skies.

Reign waved a hand out in front in front of him, continuing his story, "So he lured Reka and you to his temple, where he wove an elaborate illusion to make Reka believe she was on the right path and that you were actually destined for something. A Champion...you. A Crusader of Red...don't make me laugh! You've always hid in my shadow, and your deck had been rigged from the beginning to betray you at this very moment... Even Legacy, the disk I used back in the War is corrupted by Raiza, it even looks like his gauntlet!

Reko looked at his arm...had this all really been set up? Reign followed his gaze to his arm, "That's right son...we knew the entire time."

"You're the thing using my father as a doll."

"Can't blame me for trying to butter you up."

Reko scowled, "I'm sick of getting double crossed..."

"Then take a knee...we won't even have to duel. You can join us. We'll make you powerful enough to even get Umi and Mika and anyone else you want under our fold."

"I can never do that."

Reign grinned, "Then take a knee anyway, so I can break your neck and end this damn nightmare you're living."

"I won't do that either!", Reko held his arm out to the side, and felt a strange power he couldn't place before...it felt warm and heady...right in a way.

Reign scoffed, "You have no Deck to fight us back with! The heat damage to your Runner is extensive! The Duelist, the person responsible for making your family and Order exist in the first place is mere yards from you ready to hack you down and still you defy me!"

"That's right!"

"Why would do that?"

"Because it's what I want to do. I'll stand against your kind and everyone else that wants a fight!"

Reign rose an eyebrow, "You're serious...? I told you, your deck is corrupted form the get go! We set you up and your soul is now bound to an area already under our complete control! With rare exceptions, we-"

"There never were any Champions, were there!"

Reign clapped his hands slowly in the middle of the large street they both stood on, "Well. Well. Well. You're not all stupid. The Champions are just people fighting for Ardent, but we have Reka believing that they're actually recruiting sacred individuals to fight against the UnGod. In reality she's clearing out small holdings we don't care about anymore, we're giving her victories and making sure my little girl activates everything she needs to. Hell, I even had a hand at making sure some of the Legends had a hand in this! The very LEGENDS our entire family follows, Reko, are made just to make sure we usher Him in!

"Oh...oh now I gotta call bullshit on that one."

Reign held out a finger, "All true. When Reka activates the Sixteenth place of power in Ardent, it's all over. The sixteen places that 'Champion' are actually in a way...locks. When she unlocks them, guess who walks among us again?"

Reko was stunned, "So our entire Order was..."

Reign laughed, "Even this body I control now Reko. When he got sent back, I gave him that card to keep him bound to Him. Now your Order, the entire Order was made just to keep the Rose Cards safe and bring them to this area, at this time, so that we could finally summon in the UnGod! The Rose Crusaders are actually the instrument of this world's demise! How beautiful is that!"

Reko was silent for a good minute before Reign sneered, "Cat got your tongue, son?"

Reko shuddered, lost in thought.

_Anyone..._

_Sis..._

_It won't end like this...!_

_Anyone..._

His hand threw off his duel disk as he threw his cards to one side, Reign letting forth a short laugh, "What are you...! Have you finally caved in?"

_No...not anyone..._

_I can do this...!_

_If our Order is a lie, it doesn't stop the fact that I need to stop this!_

_I need power!_

_I need it!_

_I NEED IT!_

Reko felt a huge surge of power rush out from within him, a white wind whipping around his arm and body and cracking with lightning. A man in emerald armor appeared in his mind, standing upon and endless roiling sky of white clouds and light.

"R...Raiza..."

The Knight looked down, "I am shamed."

"It's true then...all of it. C'mon Raiza...lets be honest."

"It is. I betrayed my brothers, we all betrayed the world we helped carve from nothingness. Ardent. It brings simplicity and hope. We turned our backs on it for empty promises...that deck you hold gives power undreamed of. Yet few can grasp it, it behaves oddly as you've seen."

Reko was floating along with Raiza in the clouds, "Believe me, I know how weird the 'pogo' effect is."

"The deck is reckless and risky. Even a single card could render it ineffective. Still I accepted you with ill intent. His tales all ring true. Your order is...Reko, I am sorry," Raiza held his hands out to either side of him, "This place, our Sanctuary...I await my own reckoning. Strike me down Reko...this is all too much for an ancient like me to bear."

Reko seethed, all of this couldn't be as he said, "Lies or none, I'm done. Champions don't exist, I can accept this...but you wanted me to wield your power, why?"

Raiza was silent for a moment, "We Monarchs have done much to pervert that which we created. I wanted someone who could wield my might against what I served, to free me from my mistake," the monarch clasped a hand over Reko's shoulder, "I tried to dominate you into serving me Reko. Instead you resisted me, I couldn't hold your soul at all. Where others fell...you thrived. ...I have wronged you and your family Crusader, will you now finish me?"

Reko punched his fist into his open palm, "No. I'm not. I'm not going to tell you to work for me either. If you want redemption, you're going to give me your power. I'll wield it, all of it in it's entirety. I'll blast everyone into oblivion, you got it?"

Raiza was quiet once more.

"You told me yourself Raiza, I am the Wind. I'll be a goddamn hurricane and a gentle breeze all in one. Fury and Salvation in my hands. Or we'll both die, if you were lying. If we both die though, you WILL get that death you want for your crimes. Win win, right?"

"The Court of Skies-"

"I'll use them too. All or nothing Raiza, you in or do I have to add killing godly architects to my list of things I did in my life?"

Raiza laughed then spoke in a powerful voice, "I serve you Reko. I have no more doubts against you, I shall tarry you no longer. Wield me, rather then I wielding you."

Coming out of his trance, he noticed Reign again giving a raised brow, "You don't look beat up anymore. You look brave. Think you can accept my challenge? Can you fight The Duelist of our family and survive?"

Reko stood in his strange geometric symbolic clothing in the style of Mist Valley, raising a blood red disc to bear with Reign, the entire cryptic apparatus looked like a second skin on Reko's arm, depicting strange runes in white. They arced to the thin panel coming off the arm-length vambrace an arcing crescent where Reko would place his beloved creatures. Reign couldn't put his finger on it, however in the course of a second the boy seemed to change instantly with a flash of lightning.

Or course, in true form he looked to the man mocking his Order seconds before, "Reign, don't you think it's time I started calling the shots? I accept. Believe me, you're toast. No more deceit, I'm in charge now."

Reign gave a sadistic grin, "Then watch as I crumble your confidence a second time. Your Order works for us as puppets."

Reko could feel a debilitating energy coming from Reign's body, and Reign in turn could feel a strong wind fighting him back. The night sky showed fast moving storm clouds and rumbling thunder as his son looked back with only fury, "That was then. It's been centuries past that, I'll show you the Heroes your 'plans' helped make. Believe me, there's fifteen more vicious crushers where that came from."

"Very well."

"Here goes, you lie spewing asshole."

As their engines roared, they both called out simultaneously, "DUEL!"

o o o

As Mikey and company made their way across the island to the student council building they faced several more groups of 'enemy combatants' as Coltyn put it, trying to sound militant. Normal monsters coming at them in waves as they fought on toward their destination. A trying task for them under most circumstances, but it wasn't every day that they had a pro duelist with them to help thin out the heard. In the time it took Mikey to beat one opponent Johnathan had already defeated four of the Genes. Even Sammie wasn't able to keep up with the speed and power Johnathan was displaying as he tore through the Gene Erics. With him at their side the task of dueling their way toward the student council office, which would have taken half a day with the number of enemies they met, took only an hour and a half.

"Demise, King of Armaggedon! World Ender!" Sammie cried out one last time as her giant ritual monster crashed his axe down upon a Neo the Swordmaster, cleaving it in two and depleting the last Gene's life points until it ripped itself apart as a collection of shadows. Sammie let out a sigh and looked over to the others. They had come across this most recent group at the top a hill. Coltyn rubbed his chin in concern with his cybernetic hand as Mikey and Max looked down with concern. Gabe bit his lip as he tried to maintain some kind of false bravado while his father looked down with legitimate confidence. Sammie looked at them with curiosity as she moved over to them.

"What is wrong guys? We are almost there. Why are you looking so..." She cut herself off when she reached the crest of the hill and saw the amassing army of duelists. There were thousands of Gene Erics as well as a large collection of pro-duelists from around the world encircling the main building of the school. She could see monsters being summoned all around as the area erupted into a duel monsters battlefield as the students defended themselves against the overwhelming numbers. Explosions ripped through the area as monsters of all kinds rocked the world in a war that seemed like something out of mythology.

"Well," Mikey said, "I guess we aren't getting to the student council office. There is no way we are going to get through that many of them. We had enough trouble just getting through the small groups that we met along the way. There is no way we can take on a whole army." Mikey plopped down on the ground and let loose a defeated sigh. Sammie opened her mouth to say something encouraging, but nothing came out. She just kicked the dirt and looked down at the ground.

"I could take 'em," Gabe said with a quavering voice as he puffed out his chest before Max placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

"Yeah, the odds don't seem to be playing in our favor," Coltyn said as he scanned the battlefield, tapping his chin lightly. "We need to find a way around this battlefield. This way is a no go for..." Before Coltyn could finish his sentence a flash of light blazed forward and a line formed within the mass of duelists. Coltyn shot his gaze to the others and he realized that Johnathan Angel had left ahead of them two minutes ago, much to their shock. Down below they heard him yelling as he blazed with a glorious light.

"Come on! I'll clear a path! Go!" Johnathan screamed while cast in the shadow of a mighty blue dragon that beat its wings once and tore through a wave of monsters with a blaze of holy light. Johnathan the Lightsworn had given them the opportunity. With a smile on their faces Mikey, Max, Coltyn, Sammie, and Gabe ran forward. Mikey and Gabe were so proud of their Dad.

o o o

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 0

**Reign:** 8000 / **SPC:** 0

––––––––––––––––––––

"First one to round the corner?" Reign asked.

"Always," Reko replied.

Both Duelists gunned their engined and tore ahead. The turn was right along the edge of a cliff. One wrong move could send either of them careening off into sea. Reko wanted to pull ahead and take the turn first, but he was on the inside. If he did as he planned, he risked running his father off the cliff. Reign somehow sensed his anxiety and slowed down his Duel Runner. Reko turned his head and watched as his opponent fell behind him. Reign nodded and watched as his son drove forward and turned the corner and he followed suit.

"Consider that my only act of mercy!" Reign yelled over the roar of their engines.

"Will do!" Reko yelled back. "Alrighty then, here I go." He placed his fingers on top of his deck and drew his first card.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 1

**Reign:** 8000 / **SPC:** 1

––––––––––––––––––––

"I start by summoning Mist Valley Thunderbird!" Reko slapped the card down on top of the Duel Disk attached to his dashboard and called out a green bird with long thunderbolt-shaped feathers (ATK/1100 DEF/700). "Next I return Mist Valley Thunderbird to my hand so I can Special Summon Mist Condor!" Mist Valley Thunderbird flew away from the field and back to Reko's hand as a big blue condor with a colorful array of feathers around its neck appeared (ATK/1400 DEF/400).

"What was the point of that?" asked Reign. "You just returned a level three monster to your hand to summon a level four monster with only three hundred attack points more."

"Ah, but if Mist Condor is summoned this way, his attack points become seventeen hundred, not fourteen hundred!" Reko explained. He checked his dashboard and watched as Mist Condor rose up by three hundred extra attack points to seventeen hundred. "Plus if Mist Valley Thunderbird gets bounced by to my hand, once per turn he comes back!" He placed Mist Valley Thunderbird back onto his Duel Disk and the electric bird reappeared, flying beside Reko opposite of Mist Condor.

"Very clever."

"I'm gonna slap down a facedown and end my turn." A facedown card appeared beside Reko's Duel Runner and vanished from sight.

"Then it's my turn." Reko drew his card. "I draw."

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 2

**Reign:** 8000 / **SPC:** 2

––––––––––––––––––––

"And I start with Gem-Knight Emerald!" The gems on Reign's Duel Runner started to shimmer and knight in green armor appeared with an emerald set into the center of his breastplate armed with a buckler that also had an emerald set into its center (ATK/1800 DEF/800). "Attack Mist Valley Thunderbird!" Gem-Knight Emerald clenched his fist and held up his shield. Shards of energy gathered up inside the gem which started to glow. Once enough power had been gathered, the green knight pointed his weapon at Mist Valley Thunderbird and launched a solid beam of green energy at it, destroying it.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 7300 / **SPC:** 2

**Reign:** 8000 / **SPC:** 2

––––––––––––––––––––

"I set two cards and end my turn, step up your game." Reign placed two cards in his backfield and completed his turn.

"I draw now." Reko drew.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 7300 / **SPC:** 3

**Reign:** 8000 / **SPC:** 3

––––––––––––––––––––

"I release Mist Condor in order to summon Mist Valley Executor!" Mist Condor vanished and in its place a muscular bird man with eagle wings and talons for hands appeared in a tribal garb (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "And when he's summoned, all Spells and Traps go back to our hands. Go Executor! Mist Trunade!" Mist Valley Executor flapped his wings hard and a powerful wind blew everyone's backfield cards back to their hands. "Now attack Gem-Knight Emerald!" The bird man turned around and flew straight toward the green knight. He swung his talons at him and slashed him to ribbons.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 7300 / **SPC:** 3

**Reign:** 7700 / **SPC:** 3

––––––––––––––––––––

"I set a card and end," announcd Reko.

Reign was no fool. He knew that was the same card Reko had set earlier. It was obviously an important part of his game plan. He drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 7300 / **SPC:** 4

**Reign:** 7700 / **SPC:** 4

––––––––––––––––––––

"I set a monster and two facedowns. That's all."

"I draw then." Reko drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 7300 / **SPC:** 5

**Reign:** 7700 / **SPC:** 5

––––––––––––––––––––

"I summon Mist Valley Baby Roc." A small bird with a skull face and two snakes for tails appeared (ATK/400 DEF/600). "Mist Valley Executor, attack!"

"Hasty as ever, my son." Reign activated one of his facedown cards. "I activate Pyroxene Fusion. Think of this as Gem-Knight Fusion in Trap Card form. So now I fuse the facedown Gem-Knight Sapphire on my field with Gem-Knight Garnet in my hand in order to summon Gem-Knight Ruby." A garnet and a sapphire appeared in front of Reign's Duel Runner and he watched as they came together and merged into a ruby, which shattered and from it leapt a knight in bright red armor and a blue cape holding a long cane (ATK/2500 DEF/1300).

"I believe you should know this card quite well, Reko. It's brought your downfall many a time in the past." Gem-Knight Ruby loomed over Reko waiting for his opportunity to attack.

o o o

Roman sat in his chair sipping his bourbon as he watched the submarine crew run about around him. Messages were being passed around constantly and crew members were being sent on orders to various parts of the the craft. He watched as the captain listened to the radio while transcribing all that she heard onto paper. She finally got off the radio and walked up to him. "Reports from Jaeger on the invasion so far," she said handing Roman the papers. The businessman took the report from her and skimmed over them.

"Good to see our troops are doing well. After all, it's what I hired them for." Roman then tossed the report aside. "Resume your duties as normal, Captian Collins." The captain did not seem pleased.

"Sir, I highly encourage you to read these reports as they are quite important for this operation," she explained, "Communication between our units is of the utmost importance and all reports must be read. To neglect them would be to walk into this battle blind."

"The reports are unnecessary," Roman argued, "We have a massive invasion army and a foolproof plan. Our victory is guaranteed."

"Sir," the captain said, "I really think..."

"I didn't pay you to think," Roman interrupted, "I paid you to do your job and that's exactly what I expect from you and your friends and nothing else. Am I clear?" There was a tense silence between the two people before the captain finally nodded her head.

"Understood." She turned around and resumed her duties while Roman leaned back on his chair and took another sip of his bourbon.

o o o

Reko grinned. "I knew you'd bring out someone like Ruby, dad. That's why I set Icarus Attack!" He revealed his facedown. "By sacrificing a Winged Beast, I can destroy two cards on the field and I choose Baby Roc." Mist Valley Baby Roc flew toward Gem-Knight Ruby and dive-bombed him, breaking through his breastplate and causing him to fall on top of Reign's facedown, destroying both cards at once.

"You've improved, my son," Reign observed. "Your grandfather would be proud."

"We can discuss granddad later," Reko said as he turned his Duel Runner around and started driving in reverse. "Mist Valley Executor, attack directly!" Mist Valley Executor flew straight toward Reign and slashed him.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 7300 / **SPC:** 5

**Reign:** 5600 / **SPC:** 5

––––––––––––––––––––

"That'll be it for me this turn." Reko righted himself and continued driving forward.

"Then I draw." Reign drew his next card.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 7300 / **SPC:** 6

**Reign:** 5600 / **SPC:** 6

––––––––––––––––––––

"First I'm going to activate the effect of Speed World 2. By removing four of my Speed Counters, I can burn you for each Speed Spell in my hand."

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 7300 / **SPC:** 6

**Reign:** 5600 / **SPC:** 2

––––––––––––––––––––

Reign's speed decreased, but it would not matter as four orbs appeared and circled him before being launched at Reko.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 6500 / **SPC:** 6

**Reign:** 5600 / **SPC:** 2

––––––––––––––––––––

"Next I play Speed Spell - Double Summon. I can only use this card if I have two or more Speed Counter. So now I can Normal Summon twice this turn and I'll be summoning Gem-Knight Emerald and Gem-Knight Alexandrite." A second Gem-Knight Emerald appeared on the field accompanied by a white knight with a wide variety of gems embedded in his armor (ATK/1800 DEF/1200). "Now I activate Emerald's effect. By removing him and another Gem-Knight on my field from play, I can Special Summon a Gem-Knight Fusion Monster from my graveyard."

"What?"

"You heard me." Reign took Gem-Knight Emerald and Gem-Knight Alexandrite and placed them in a side pocket. On the field it showed the two knights being pulled through a portal into the Different Dimension. "Return, Gem-Knight Ruby!" In a burst of red gemstones, Gem-Knight Ruby reappeared on the field. "Attack Mist Valley Executor!" The red knight grasped his cane and pulled off the head, revealing a sword hidden within. He flew toward Reko's monster and cleanly sliced him in two.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 6200 / **SPC:** 6

**Reign:** 5600 / **SPC:** 2

––––––––––––––––––––

"That's the end of my turn! What is your pitiful storm compared to the might of my warriors?"

"It's my turn now," Reko announced, "I draw!"

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 6200 / **SPC:** 7

**Reign:** 5600 / **SPC:** 3

––––––––––––––––––––

"And I'll start with Speed Spell - Angel Baton. Since I have two or more Speed Counters, I can draw two cards and then discard one." He drew two more cards and then sent one to his graveyard. "The card I sent to my graveyard was Mist Valley Baby Roc and by his effect, he gets summoned. So I'm bringing him out in defense mode." A second Mist Valley Baby Roc appeared on the field and flew alongside Reko.

"Now I use Speed World 2's effect to sack seven Speed Counters and draw a card!"

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 6200 / **SPC:** 0

**Reign:** 5600 / **SPC:** 3

––––––––––––––––––––

Reko's speed dropped immensely and he fell behind Reign, but he kept going forward. "Next I summon Mist Valley Thunderbird." A second electric bird appeared on the field. "And now I bounce him to my hand to summon Mist Condor." Just as he had done on his first turn, Reko brought out Mist Condor and used Mist Valley Thunderbird's effect to summon it back out. "Now I tune Mist Valley Baby Rock to Mist Valley Thunderbird and Mist Condor!" The tiny bird's body faded away until only two shining stars remained. The stars morphed into synchro rings and surrounded the other two monsters, who faded away until a total of seven stars remained. They lined themselves up perfectly and a beam of light engulfed them.

"I Synchro Summon Mist Wurm!" The light subsided and a gargantuan purple centipede burst from the rays with purple mist bursting out of volcano-like vents on its back (ATK/2500 DEF/1500). "And his effect lets me return up to three cards back to my opponent's hand. And since you only have one, guess which one's going back." Mist Wurm unleashed an extremely powerful blast of purple mist upon Gem-Knight Ruby and bounced it back into Reign's Extra Deck. "Now attack!" The giant centipede shot forward and bit down on Reign's shoulder.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 6200 / **SPC:** 0

**Reign:** 3100 / **SPC:** 3

––––––––––––––––––––

"How's that for Winds!," Reko declared.

o o o

Pestilence hissed in defiance of Recca as every time a Catapult was about to be deployed, a volley of arrows and now ammunition for a baroque looking hunting rifle were pinning and ultimately slaying any troopers that dared to rush towards any of the horrific machines. Umi was panting, using her last bits of energy to knock over the last cauldron of blessed and boiling oil over the few scattered troops and endless creatures Pestilence had at his deploy. Else where Zetsubou weaved in and out through the barrels, doing a grisly task of placing the blood of Pestilences own cultists into the barrels. The last barrel had just been sabotaged. He heard a deep bellow and he tossed the Cultists he was using to one side to observe a man in the style of the Grim Reaper himself on a skeletal horse. He simply had to have been from Ardent, from his look and the scythe on his back. Zetsubou slunk through the brush behind his target. The one truly responsible for all of this.

"Pestilence! How much longer does the Custodian of these Crusaders need to take from you before you realize you have been made a fool," he waved a hand to Recca who along with Umi and Mika held off the rampaging creatures and maddened people he had under his control. He pointed a flithy bandaged finger towards Death with a growl, "Do not think you can take my command from me Death! Our words were binding, Recca will fall and the Crusader influence here shall be neutralized..."

Death was silent, still upon his horse. Pestilence walked towards Death, "Why do you remain!"

"Death is here. I shall wait for it, I am a very patient individual I figured her soul, one so pure and flavorful would be it... Though if it is yours it matters not."

"Death, you miserable turncoat! I shall-"

"Answer for what you have done with your life," Zetsubou had the Horseman in a chokehold, and with a spin lodged the dagger he was using since his escape from the mountain in the horseman's heart.

To Zetsubou's horror it did nothing, and Recca and the other students gathered at the roof and windows as such a blow to the horseman made the assault come to a dead halt.

"Well...if it isn't Zetsubou... My, if this won't be a charming evening, "Pestilence said through a raspy voice.

o o o

"My turn..." Reign drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 6200 / **SPC:** 1

**Reign:** 3100 / **SPC:** 4

––––––––––––––––––––

"I set a card. And then I summon Gem-Knight Amber." A yellow knight with an amber set into his breastplate appeared on the field (ATK/1600 DEF/1400). "That ends my turn."

"I draw now!" Reko drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 6200 / **SPC:** 2

**Reign:** 3100 / **SPC:** 5

––––––––––––––––––––

"I'm sorry, dad. But it looks like this'll be over this turn. I summon Mist Valley Falcon." Reko played his card and summoned a white-haired bird man in tribal garb with a shield and a sword (ATK/2000 DEF/1200). "Mist Wurm, attack Gem-Knight Amber! Let's make this quick!"

"You're too predictable, son. I activate Justi-Break!" Reign revealed his facedown. "When an attack is declared against a Normal Monster, this card destroys everything except face-up Attack Position Normal Monsters."

"But Amber's not a Normal Monster," Reko protested.

"He is until I summon him again."

"A Gemini Monster!"

"You got it." A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and Gem-Knight Amber raised his arm and punched it, causing it to split and sending out smaller bolts that hit Mist Wurm and Mist Valley Falcon, killing them instantly.

"I...I... I end my turn," Reko reluctantly announced. Even though he was disappointed he did not get to finish off his opponent like he had hoped, at least he was happy knowing that Reign had more time to live on. His mind drifted to the Rose pendant hanging from his neck again, and all it meant to them, snapping back to the battle when he heard Reign's strong voice.

"I draw, look alive Reko."

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 6200 / **SPC:** 3

**Reign:** 3100 / **SPC:** 6

––––––––––––––––––––

"I summon Gem-Knight Garnet." An orange knight with a garnet set into his breastplate appeared and stood beside Gem-Knight Amber. "Gem-Knight Amber, attack Reko first." Gem-Knight Amber's left palm began to spark wildly and the yellow knight touched it with his other hand and pulled out a dagger made of electricity. He turned around and dashed down the road before striking Reko in the stomach with his weapon.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 4600 / **SPC:** 3

**Reign:** 3100 / **SPC:** 6

––––––––––––––––––––

The dagger faded away and Gem-Knight Amber returned to his place at Reign's side. "Gem-Knight Garnet, it's your turn." Gem-Knight Garnet's arm was engulfed in flames as he launched himself at Reko and slammed his gauntlet into the young lavender-haired man.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 2700 / **SPC:** 3

**Reign:** 3100 / **SPC:** 6

––––––––––––––––––––

"And now onto my second Main Phase." Reign took a card from his Extra Deck. "I construct the Overlay Network with my two monsters." A swirling black cloud appeared overhead as Gem-Knight Amber and Gem-Knight Garnet turned into beams of light of their respective colors and spiraled into the newly formed phenomenon.

"Exceed Summon." Reign placed his two cards on top of one another and placed his new card over them. "Gem-Knight Pearl!" A knight in shining white armor appeared with pearls shimmering from each shoulder (ATK/2600 DEF/1900). "That ends my turn."

"Okay, seriously. WHERE THE HELL DO YOU PEOPLE GET THESE EXCEED CARDS?" Reko asked.

"Gifts from the UnGod," Reign explained, "All that he commands now, then, and to come is within our grasp. You too, could have such intoxicating power Reko! However...you and Raiza are free to make your next move. I will break him utterly when I am finished with you and your combined 'defenses'."

"Fine. I draw."

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 2700 / **SPC:** 4

**Reign:** 3100 / **SPC:** 7

––––––––––––––––––––

"I set a monster and end my turn." There was little else Reko could do, a fleeting hopelessness started to once against creep up on him. A stiff breeze reassured him, as roiling clouds of thunder started to quickly pick up in the skies above him, surging with thunder. He was not alone. Speed, power, grace, Reko was all of these and more, he had to hold hope. His knuckles turned white against his handle bars, and he girded himself for Reign, who unlike the energetic soul he remember as a child was calculating and cold.

"I draw." Reign drew his card and looked at it.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 2700 / **SPC:** 5

**Reign:** 3100 / **SPC:** 8

––––––––––––––––––––

"I pay seven Speed Counters to draw a card."

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 2700 / **SPC:** 5

**Reign:** 3100 / **SPC:** 1

––––––––––––––––––––

Reign drew again and placed both cards in his hand as he fell back behind Reko. "Gem-Knight Pearl, attack!" Gem-Knight Pearl held up his hands and seven shining pearls appeared around him. They spun around his body several times before bombarding Reko's facedown, which turned to be another Mist Valley Falcon.

"I set one card and end my turn."

"I draw." Reko drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 2700 / **SPC:** 6

**Reign:** 3100 / **SPC:** 2

––––––––––––––––––––

"I'm sacrificing four Speed Counters to deal you eight hundred for each Speed Spell in my hand. And guess what? I'm holding two."

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 2700 / **SPC:** 2

**Reign:** 3100 / **SPC:** 2

––––––––––––––––––––

Four spheres appeared around Reko and spun around him as his Duel Runner slowed before launching themselves toward Reign.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 2700 / **SPC:** 2

**Reign:** 1500 / **SPC:** 2

––––––––––––––––––––

Father and son now rode side-by-side once again as the latter proceeded with his turn. "Next I play Speed Spell - Angel Baton." Reko drew his two cards and sent one to his graveyard. "Another monster in defense and that's it for me."

"Then I draw." Reign drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 2700 / **SPC:** 3

**Reign:** 1500 / **SPC:** 3

––––––––––––––––––––

"I summon another Gem-Knight Garnet." A second orange knight appeared beside Gem-Knight Pearl. "Gem-Knight Pearl, attack." The white knight summoned seven more pearls and launched them at Reko's facedown, which turned out to be Mist Valley Soldier (ATK/1700 DEF/300).

"Gem-Knight Garnet, attack!" Gem-Knight Garnet leapt onto the back of Reko's Duel Runner and punched him across the head with his flaming arm. The force of the impact, and the compounded wounds he accrued from Nicky and Terry on top of this made him let go of his Runner for a split second. He snapped to the fore quikly, reaching out and using the hell of his boot to brace himself back on as he followed neck and neck with Reign, wiping the blood dribbling out of his mouth with his forearm and spitting out the remainder.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 800 / **SPC:** 3

**Reign:** 1500 / **SPC:** 3

––––––––––––––––––––

"I'm...not out yet," Reko said, breathing heavily. His vision was blurring, and he heard Reign chuckling to himself, smug possessed or traitorous bastard he was. He was too battered to care...too beaten to fight...not even his combined might with Raiza was enough to stop anyone.

A red light started to shine from his neck just where his jugular was and the mark of a red rose suddenly appeared. Reign saw the blank, seemingly divine white glow of Reko's eyes as he cried in fury and rage. Pure unbridled and reckless Duel Energy emanating off of him in a seemingly endless tide. He knew what was coming, but we would show no fear...a Crusader meets his end with fury in his heart and his soul devoid of any dread.

The winds started to pick up violently and exploded into a powerful hurricane around Reko. Reign held onto his handlebars for dear life as mighty gale blew him away and he forced himself to regain control of his Duel Runner. Once he had stabilized himself, he looked at his son from behind to observe his son throwing his helmet to one side, letting his own lavender mane blow in the roiling storm and with his glare give him the look of some feral beast freshly unchained for the kill.

"Your resolve is strong, but it won't last long...you're beaten. It ends here." Reign activated his facedown. "Pyroxene Fusion. I fuse Gem-Knight Pearl with Gem-Knight Garnet." The two knights morphed into a pearl and a garnet and merged together into a citrine.

"I summon Gem-Knight Citrine!" The gem shattered and a knight in scarlet armor with a blue cape emerged with arms glowing like lava (ATK/2200 DEF/1950). "Citrine, end this duel now." Gem-Knight Citrine poured lava from his arms and formed a large broadsword. He jumped straight toward Reko and swung his blade, cutting through the winds and the remainder of his Life Points.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 0 / **SPC:** 3

**Reign:** 1500 / **SPC:** 3

––––––––––––––––––––

Reko's Duel Runner spun out of control and he quickly threw himself off the seat before his vehicle crashed into a large rock into a charred and fiery pile of metal. He landed on the dirt and rolled to a stop. Reign's motorcycle stopped in front of him and the man pulled off his helmet. "You never could defeat me, Reko... This was a fool's challenge from the start."

"No...I couldn't, but the father I knew...never cared about that," Reko muttered as he rolled over. As he did so, his pendant came into view lying upon a bloodstained and torn shirt. Reign took a quick step back.

"That...that pendant..."

"You remember it." The mark on Reko's neck hadn't faded away. In fact, it was glowing brighter now. Reign reached out for the pendant, but some kind of unseen force was trying to pull him away. But at the same time, the red glow of the Mark of the Rose drew him closer. Reign could hear a voice inside his head. _"The redemption you seek is at hand,"_ was what it said.

At the same time, though, another voice, a much darker voice, penetrated Reign's head. _"You have no hope of redemption. Your will is bound to me. You are mine, Reign."_

"Ngh! No! I..." Reign struggled between two opposing forces. While one was holding back his will, the other was trying to free it. Reign looked at the pendant. At his son. The Mark of the Rose was shining brighter now and a powerful gale erupted around the two men and pulled Reign closer. His hand came to rest on the pendant and suddenly the memories of his past and his family came flooding back. The dark voice faded away and finally Reign was back in control. He gasped deeply and looked down at Reko.

"Reko?"

"Welcome back, dad..." And with those words, Reko passed out. Reign knelt by his son for many long minutes. His soul had been redeemed and his will freed and the first thing he had to see after his emancipation was his son in pain. After a while, he picked up Reko and placed him on the back set of his Duel Runner. He set himself in the driver's seat and put on his helmet before gunning his engine and driving off. Somehow...he knew Recca needed him here, on this island.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Still torn up about losing her mother and father, Noah and Gio must aid Cassie to safety. But against an entire damned army, three small children stand no chance. But perhaps a man best known for being a survivor can aid them. Watch as the story continues to unfold next Friday on_ Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	119. The Hungering Chaos

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-32**

**The Hungering Chaos**

Half a dozen Genes were running through the hallways of the school together searching for more students. One of them had caught a glimpse of one and the rest of them all gave chase. However, their pursuit proved fruitless. "Are you sure they came this way?" one of them asked.

"Of course!" the one leading the way replied, "I swear I saw them!"

"What'd they look like?" another one inquired.

"They were like, I dunno, maybe three feet tall."

"Gene, this is a high school. NOBODY who goes here would be that short," yet another one said.

"But I saw them!"

"Let's just go." The others turned to leave while the last Gene looked back.

"But I swear I saw them come this way."

As the Genes walked away, two pairs of eyes watched from an air vent in the wall. "Looks like they're gone," Noah whispered.

"Bout time," Gio replied.

"Next time I tell you to move faster, don't dawdle."

"What does dawdle mean?"

"Never mind. Come on." Noah shifted himself around and started to crawl through the air duct.

"Do you know where we're going?" Gio asked as he followed.

"Last time we saw Cassie she was heading toward the Chancellor's office. There's a good chance she's still there and it's several floors above our heads, so we're going to climb up through these air ducts," explained the prepubescent prodigy.

"Why the ducts?" Gio asked again.

"If we go out there, we are going to get caught for sure. The only reason we're in here is because we're small enough."

"Oh okay."

"Any other questions?"

"I don't think so."

"Then follow me."

"Do you know where you're going, Noah?"

"I have an educated guess about the office's location."

"Well can you at least hurry up? It stinks in here."

"Sorry."

As the boys made their way through the ducts, they failed to notice the man in black armor calmly strolling down the empty hallways.

o o o

Saito looked at the knife protruding out of Pestilence's chest with horror along with the other students on the roof of the Dual Rose. Some were saying that the Librarian just assassinated the Horseman, but as he spoke in a mocking tone the voices fell flat. Recca slowly covered her mouth with one hand and softly whispered, "Oh...Zetsu..."

"Recca, what's wrong?", Saito question was answered by Mika and several students with empty quivers.

"Miss Telaris, we're out of supplies! We can't stop another assault if they come back!"

Mika was panting, her body dripping with seat, "The wards have nearly fallen Recca...I-I can't keep up the force. Surely you're getting fatigued as well..."

Umi looked worried as did the other students, Saito knew that many had their friends and favorite teachers taken from them in horrific manners. A large muscular Osiris Red stood forward, "Recca, you're not giving up are you!"

Recca looked up and saw a student she always saw jeer the others, call them derogatory names. She figured she could help him if he came into her store, but she never expected his first visit like this. His head was covered by a red bandanna, Recca giving a sharp gasp when she noticed it was previously white...blood covered the entire rag, "Biff...?"

"I saw too many people get their asses handed to them...killed! It's not right! I thought it was a prank you know...but they didn't get up! I'm not going out like this! I'm punching those monsters back to hell!"

"Biff no! If you do that they'll..."

Saito placed a shoulder on Recca, as she calmed herself. Saito saw the aches and strain of the night on her, she looked like she was about to pass out from exhaustion, "Biff is right. Recca would want us to defend this place! Arm yourselves with whatever you can find, if they take this place they'll take us with it. Duel for your lives, and if they can't be stopped that way then...fight bravely."

"Amusing!", Pestilence called out from the streets, "Your troops have endless morale Recca Telaris! Truly splendid! You'd think they would have more common sense than our little Traitor here!"

In one pustule covered arm, exposed from a brief scuffle had with Zetsubou, he held the sable haired assassin with such force that bone popped from his knuckles, flowing with foul humours that turned the grass into a shriveled patch of death. Zetsubou pulled from the grip while making silent screams, the students retching and some covering their eyes as the former member of Kage's crew tore the Horseman's arm from his body and slumped to the pavement gasping for air. Pestilence looked at his arm, writhing on the ground as he popped it back into the socket, "Tejinashi...you could have so many gifts... I perfected your plague... The one your family made..."

A stained boot was placed on his neck and Pestilence leered, "You think I'm not aware of what you were doing...rendering one batch ineffective was a setback. I have rivers upon rivers of it just waiting to be released upon your island."

A Ra Yellow student looked at Recca, "I remember that! I...I saw people melt in green fog..." She was choking back tears. "My friend Penny...melted..."

Zetsubou looked at Pestilence with spite, coughing out the words. "Tell me...!"

"Oh...? Why did I bring the disease that ruined and cursed you for eternity?", Pestilence leaned over Zetsubou and found dirt slung into his eyes, the man kicking onto his feet and slamming one boot squarely into Pestilence's jaw, knocking him down onto the ground with a resounding thud. He knelt over the Horseman, scooping up a pointed rock.

"I won't forgive you..."

"When we saved you and your wailing fleshball of a sister, we took the plans necessary to bring a sure means of His revival. You see...dear Zetsu, you were supposed to be a fetid corpse with baby Mikomi there. You were a resilient...acciden-"

Recca and the others looked on with horror as Zetsubou straddled his chest and made Pestilence's taunting cease. Death took interest, looming over the Horseman with unnatural light coming from his eyes. He lifted the rock and slammed down upon Pestilence's skull, cracking it. Again and again did the rock come down as Zetsubou wasn't even aiming after a moment, only screaming in fury as he used the rock to weight his fist. Right before Zetsubou brought down the rock with both hands, to completly cave in his skull, he heard Death chuckle.

"It was you, turncoat."

Zetsubou felt a sharp pain in his chest as Recca ran outside as Mika and Umi trying to beat her to the door with no avail. She only had her deck attached to her belt to protect her, and as she ran towards the event she cried out his name with one hand extended, ripping Zetsubou from the body of Pestilence and onto the streets outside of her shop. Pestilence rose, covering his destroyed brainpan with his hood while cackling, "Well...seems they know we've sold our services to Him now, wouldn't you say Death..."

"Indeed... We need reinforcements, Pestilence."

"No we do not. Tejinashi...are you aware of a small chemical process I added to the disease?"

Zetsubou was coughing uncontrollably, gasping as Pestilence laughed, "Oh...that right. You aren't aware of it..." He held a spent syringe in his hand, dripping with red blood, "You're the only one who got the dose."

Recca stood to her feet, "What...what have you done, you dishonorable cur!"

Umi looked down from the roof as the students started to panic, Biff was busy passing out anything from kitchen knives to table legs in case it came down to defending themselves, "I don't think I've seen Recca this angry before."

Saito observed the scene unfold in front of their eyes, the woman standing without fear and unarmed against two what have to be undead monstrosities. there was no other explanation for what he was seeing. Some students saw the scene and were weeping quietly, begging to wake up from the nightmare unfolding, "I remember her saying she'd do anything to protect the people on this island. Zetsubou may have done horrible things, but...," His mind drifted to Mikomi and he understood why Zetsubou was doing these things, "He's worth Recca's protection. I believe that."

Recca took another step, "Tell me what you have done!"

Death waved a hand to Pestilence, "I will wait for the child to join His Flock once again. I am not needed in any other method, I trust?"

Pestilence gave a rictus grin, "Nay brother, you are not needed. The disease Recca... I engineered a special disease for him. One that affects mind and body. One without cure...one just for him..."

Recca paled, "What..."

"It is engineered from Pandemonium, a place well in our control till recent. It causes uncontrollable...demonic alterations... Pandemonium's throne is open...it needs to be filled. Who better than the one who killed the Terrorking! Brilliant yes?"

"I will not allow it."

Pestilence saw Recca's hand shift to her deck and pull it from the holding. He wagged a finger as if he was scolding a child, "Now now Recca. You honestly expect me to duel you when you have...no..."

Recca held out her hand towards the roof as the students called out to one another.

"She needs a disk!"

An Osiris Red Duel Disk clattered to the pavement as Recca powered it on and slotted in her deck. The moment she did Zetsubou's breathing seemed to lighten and ease. Pestilence was taken aback by the event, and the calmness Recca exuded, "Pestilence. You tread upon a wayward soul who has been tortured time and time again. The soul knows no peace. You seek to subvert his flesh mind and soul to a demon to rule over a kingdom in the UnGod's name. I as a Crusader cannot let this happen..."

Pestilence brought out his Duel Disk of stretched skin and bone as he gave a cackle, "Your eloquence is delightful Miss Telaris."

Recca went on unhindered, "I have altered the disease using the power granted to me by the blood I carry within my veins, the conviction I hold within my heart and the strength I carry within my soul. Utilizing this power...I challenge you for Zetsubou's humanity, you damnable creature."

Pestilence started with a low chuckle and ended with a maddening cackle, "Oh...Recca. What is a Court in Pandemonium without more people...? We got the concentrated dose...don't you know I made this disease airborne with that? Don't you know I injected him to lure you out here for that purpose? You and everyone else in the shop and in a good distance are infected...when I win you will all become His newest servants! My deck is made for the sole purpose of killing your off slowly Recca..."

Recca was silent, masking her expression as she looked at his eyes. Pestilence gave a nod, "I accept Recca. How tragic will it be when Reko comes back in defeat to see his mother and all he knew reduced to ruin and gibbering demonic filth."

Recca drew her hand...Terra bolster her soul.

o o o

Hayley had gathered quite a fair number of students. Under her instructions, they worked together like well-oiled machine. "Darklord Desire, end it with Black End Galaxy!" A pair of red energy swords extended from Darklord Desire's gauntlets as a black orb of gravity held down Gogiga Gagagigo. The fallen angel flew in and slashed through the sphere with his blades, reappearing behind his target as it exploded behind his back.

"Just what we expect from a member of Kaiba's crew!" the other students cheered.

"L'ange Noir is here to protect you all!" Hayley announced as she turned around to face the others. "But you cannot rely on L'ange Noir for she cannot always be present to help you. Be strong and you can overcome anything!"

"More guys incoming," a student pointed out.

"Then you shall go forth and stand against them! Any volunteers?" A few seconds passed after Hayley said this before four students stepped forward.

"We'll protect our friends!" they said in unison as they activated their Duel Disks.

"That's the spirit!" Hayley watched as the first four Genes played their cards and summoned a quartet of Axe Raiders. The first student summoned Gemini Lancer and attacked his opponent's monster head-on. The second summoned Dark Jeroid, which, while being a weaker monster than Axe Raider, was able to lower his attack points by eight hundred, making him weak enough to kill. The third student started her turn by playing Tribute to the Doomed and discarding Ancient Crimson Ape from her hand to destroy her opponent's monster. Then she activated Monster Reborn and resurrected her monster before attacking directly. The last student was unable to summon a monster and so set a facedown card instead. When his opponent summoned a Neo Bug and attacked with both monsters, he activated his facedown Mirror Force and destroyed them both.

Hayley beamed as she watched her schoolmates duel.

o o o

"Are we there yet?" asked Gio.

"For the eighty-second time, no," replied Noah.

"Why can't I lead?"

"Because it's tight enough down here as it is. There's no way we'd have enough room for you to squeeze through in front of me."

"We won't know until we try."

"Gio, you're a pillock."

"Your mom's a pillock, whatever that means."

"I don't have a mum."

"...oh."

"Jerk."

Noah peered through a vent and looked around. They were over a hallway, but the limited visibility the grate provided made it difficult to determine where exactly the boys were in the school. The white-haired boy carefully removed it and slowly stuck his head down to see if anybody was in sight. There was nobody. The Genes had not yet come this far. Once he could see that it was clear, he began looking for anything that would help him identify which floor they were on.

"See anything?" asked Gio.

"No, just the boys' toilet," answered Noah.

"We're above the bathroom?"

"No, I can see it from here."

"Then why'd you say you could see the toilet?"

"Language barrier aside, I also see some plants and a couch."

"We're close then."

Noah turned around and looked behind him. "How do you know?"

"My dad's a teacher. I know what these hallways are like," Gio answered, "Now let me through."

"No."

"Lemme!"

"I told you, we don't have any room."

"I know where to go."

"Ow! Stop pushing!"

The boys struggled inside the duct for a while before the two of them fell out of the open vent and landed out in the hallway. Tears welled up in Noah's eyes as he turned onto his stomach and gingerly rubbed his bottom. Gio had landed on his head, but thankfully his helmet had protected him. "Aww, phooey. The lamp broke."

Noah looked up at the air vent over their heads. "Looks like we can't get back to the ducts. We'll have to be extra careful now, Gio. Gio?" He looked around. The shirtless boy was gone. "Bloody prat." Moments later, he heard the sound of a urinal flush and Gio came out of the bathroom.

"I was holding that in for almost an hour!" he said as he stretched, "Hey I know where we are! It's this way!" Before Noah could protest, Gio took off. The younger boy got to his feet and slowly walked after him, his bottom still sore from the fall.

"It's just this way!" the rock enthusiast called. He suddenly stopped short and looked in front of him. The path was blocked by a mountain of debris. Noah finally caught up with him and looked at the blockage.

"Looks like our path is blocked."

"But Chancellor Rhodes' office is on the other side," said Gio.

"Gio, you don't think that explosion earlier caused this, do you?"

"I hope not. If Cassie was in there when it happened..."

"I know, Gio. I know."

"We hafta get through!"

"Gio, look at that! There's no way you're going to move all that."

"I'm gonna try!" Gio grabbed onto an enormous piece of rubble and began pulling with all his might. He groaned and he struggled, but that one piece of debris refused to move. After five minutes of trying, he fell backwards and breathed heavily. "Dang it. We're never gonna get through, Noah. Noah?" He looked around. The white-haired boy had disappeared. "Goddamnit." His eyes eventually fell upon an open air vent and it clicked. Gio crawled into the duct and progressed toward the direction of the blockage. As he advanced, he could hear Noah's voice. When he finally made it to the other side, he could see him with kneeling on the floor with his arms wrapped comfortingly around Cassie.

"Cassie!" Gio's head struck the top of the duct in his excitement as he tried to scramble out into the hallway.

"She's okay," Noah assured her, "Well, almost."

"Why is she crying?" Gio demanded.

"Explosion in the office," Cassie said quietly, "Mom and dad were inside."

"Oh god..."

"Cassie, I'm sorry," Noah whispered, "But we aren't safe here. Sooner or later, those guys will be here and we'll be in trouble if they catch us. Listen Cassie, your parents would have wanted you to keep going. Are you really going to let their sacrifice be in vain?" Cassie was silent. Even though she was upset that she had lost her parents, Noah was right. Forcing herself to regain her composure, she wiped her tears on her sleeve.

"I... I think I'll be... Let's just go."

"Follow me then." Noah helped Cassie to her knees and crawled back into the air duct. The young girl followed close and Gio brought up the rear.

"Where do we go now?" Gio inquired.

"Well before...that...happened, my mom and dad told me to go to your cave," answered Cassie.

"I can actually see that," Noah thought out loud, "That's actually a good idea. Now we just need to get downstairs..." His hand descended suddenly and he stopped. He felt around and noticed the duct took a sudden sharp decline. "Guys, come down one at a time, okay?" Turning onto his side, Noah tucked his legs in and attempted to turn himself around. He succeeded, albeit not without difficulty, and pushed himself forward feet first. His tiny body slid down the duct and he landed safely moments later.

"I'm clear!" Noah turned back around and held his ground. When Cassie came, he eased her landing by having his feet make contact with hers. Once she was down, it was Gio's turn. The young rock enthusiast came down the slide eagerly.

And wound up with Cassie's foot in his face. Gio had not turned around first and slid down the duct headfirst.

After giving their friend time to recover, Noah and Cassie proceeded to move on. But as the trio continued to crawl, Gio noticed something from a vent. "Gio, let's keep going," Noah urged.

"But I saw a weirdo walk by," was Gio's response.

"That's to be expected."

"No, this guy was different. He was in all-black and it was armor and he had like this weird scale thing in his hands. I dunno, something like that."

"Wait, wait, wait." Cassie interrupted Gio. "Black armor and a set of scales."

"Yeah."

"You know him?" Noah asked.

"I met him last year at Duelist Kingdom," Cassie explained, "He was one of the player killers."

"Where's he going?" Gio wondered.

"That leads to the school's food storage," Cassie answered.

"So part of their plan was to cut off our supplies," Noah surmised.

"Looks like," Cassie concurred, "We shouldn't go after him, though. I've dueled him. We're best leaving this to the grown-ups."

"I agree. Gio, what about you?" There was no answer. "He's gone, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he is."

"This isn't going to end well. We better go get him." Noah jumped out of the nearest vent and helped Cassie out before running toward the direction of the food storage.

o o o

Noah and Cassie arrived in time to see Exxod, Master of the Guard crumble and collapse as Gio's cards fell from his Duel Disk around his feet. "How...? I lost..."

"Gio! What happaned?" Noah asked.

"His deck mills," Cassie replied.

"Hello again, little girl," Famine greeted. Cassie turned to the Horseman and looked at him.

"You."

"Your friend certainly failed to present any challenge and don't think I'll fall for what you pulled last time."

"Are you really trying to cut off our supplies?" Cassie demanded.

"You're an observant girl, aren't you?"

"Actually, it was our thought," Noah piped up, "and it looks like we were right."

"Well there's no way children like you could hope to stop me."

"Care to make that a wager?"

Famine looked straight into Noah's eyes. "Is that a challenge? Oh, this will be most amusing."

"Noah! What are you doing? I thought we agreed to leave this guy to the adults."

"And we are, but I have to hold him off long enough until one does arrive," Noah answered.

Gio finished gathering up his cards and sat down on the floor. "What deck are you using? Your vampires or your sun deck?"

"Neither." Noah strapped his Duel Disk to his right arm and dug around in his hoodie pocket until he pulled a deck. "I'm using my light and darkness deck." He jammed it into his Duel Disk, which automatically shuffled his cards.

"Be careful, Noah. This guys strategy is all about milling the deck," Cassie warned. Noah turned his head and smiled his thanks.

"I remember you now," Famine finally realized, "You were that kid on Duelist Kingdom. Roman often told us about you. Are you going to use your traditional format deck against me?"

"I will not," answered Noah.

"Ha! You might have stood a chance if you did."

"Let's let our cards decide for us if that's possible." Noah drew his starting hand.

"I concur." Famine drew his first five cards and the duel was on.

––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 8000

**Famine:** 8000

––––––––––––––––

"I will make the first move." Famine drew his card. "Oh what fun is this. I play Card Destruction! First we both discard our hands and then draw that number of cards from our decks." Noah and Famine placed their entire hands into their graveyard slots and both proceeded to draw five cards.

"One facedown monster and a facedown in my backfield. Your move," Famine announced.

"I draw!" Noah drew his card with a flourish.

"And I activate my Trap Card, Drop Off." Famine revealed his facedown. "You must now discard the card you just drew."

"Ah, thank you," Noah replied.

"Did he just thank him for making him discard that card?" asked Gio, "Is he insane?"

"Gio, shush," Cassie answered.

Noah placed his card into his graveyard. "Since you just forced me to discard that card to my graveyard with a card effect, I can Special Summon him. Say hello to Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World." A large muscular horned demon burst out of the ground and stepped onto the field in gold armor with a massive battle axe in one hand (ATK/2300 DEF/1400). "And since he was discarded by my opponent's card effect, his other effect activates, allowing me to destroy up to two cards my opponent controls." Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World turned to Famine's facedown card and opened his mouth to fire off a stream of black mist that destroyed it immediately.

"Now Goldd, attack directly!" The great demon raised his battle axe and trudged across the field toward Famine. He stopped in front of the black Horsemand and swung his weapon, chopping off twenty-three hundred of his Life Points.

––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 8000

**Famine:** 5700

––––––––––––––––

"I'll set two cards and a monster facedown." Noah placed his cards down onto his Duel Disk. "My turn's done."

"I draw." Famine drew his card. "I'll start with Hand Destruction. First we discard two cards from our hands and then we draw two more." As he took two cards from his hand and placed them in his graveyard, Noah took the only two he held and did the same before drawing a fresh pair.

_The boy has two facedown cards. It's too risky to attack him. I'll just place this down_, Famine thought. He took a monster and set it on his field.

"I set a monster and one facedown. Your move."

"Draw!" Noah drew his card. "I summon Shining Angel." He placed the card on his Duel Disk and an angel on four golden wings appeared (ATK/1400 DEF/800). "Now Goldd, attack the facedown!" Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World swung his axe and cleaved through the facedown card, which turned out to be Needle Worm (ATK/750 DEF/600).

"You've activated the Flip Effect of my Needle Worm," Famine cackled, "Now you must send five cards from the top of your deck to the graveyard." Needle Worm's dying remains shot a thread of silk at Noah's deck and pulled out five cards which were quickly sent to his graveyard.

"Shining Angel, attack his Life Points directly," ordered Noah. Shining Angel raised his hands and two orbs of light appeared in his palms. He flapped his wings once to gain altitude and then threw them at Famine.

––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 8000

**Famine:** 4300

––––––––––––––––

"That ends my turn."

"Then I draw." Famine reached for his deck and drew his card. "And the first thing I'm going to do is activate my Cup of Ace." He placed the card into one of his Spell and Trap Card slots and an image of it was projected onto the field where it started spinning. "Now you must call it to stop. If it lands upright, then I get to draw two cards. If it lands inverted, then you draw two cards."

"So this card's effect is up to random chance?"

"Yes."

Noah stared at the card as it spun. On the one hand, receiving the effect for him to draw cards would give him a hand advantage, but would decrease his deck size. On the other hand, the case would apply to his opponent. Neither option was the card had already been played so there was no turning back now. He looked at the card and took in a breath. "Stop!" Cup of Ace began to slow down. Noah's eyes watched as the rotation gradually came to a halt. The card landed upside down.

"Cup of Ace is inverted. You must draw two cards." By Famine's card effect, Noah drew two cards and added them to his hand. "I now summon Chainsaw Insect." The holographic projectors in his Duel Disk hummed and a large stag beetle with chainsaws for pincers appeared (ATK/2400 DEF/0). "Attack Shining Angel." Chainsaw Insect's blades roared as it clamped them around Shining Angel and squeezed. Its chains cut through the angel easily and left nothing but a bloody mess.

––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 7000

**Famine:** 4300

––––––––––––––––

"And now Chainsaw Insect's effect activates. When it attacks or is attacked, my opponent draws a card."

"Bloody hell." Noah drew his card. Over half his deck was already gone. At this point he was almost afraid to draw. Not only that, but since Shining Angel was destroyed by battle, he would have to search his deck for a Light monster with fifteen hundred or less attack points. While this effect was optional, he needed to keep a Light monster on his field. So with great reluctance, he summoned a second Shining Angel.

"I end with this facedown." A second card appeared at Famine's feet as he concluded his turn.

"I draw!" Noah now had seven cards in his hand. He needed some way to deal damage to Famine faster than he could force him to mill his deck. He looked at the new card he had drawn and his heart leapt. This could help him get exactly what he needed. However, first he needed more monsters in his graveyard, which meant doing the undesirable.

"Shining Angel, attack Chainsaw Insect!" Shining Angel flew across to the giant beetle and attempted to kill it, but was caught in its pincers and killed.

––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 6000

**Famine:** 4300

––––––––––––––––

Thanks to the effect of Chainsaw Insect, Noah drew another card and proceeded to summon a third Shining Angel. He ordered this one to attack as well and the results were catastrophic.

––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 5000

**Famine:** 4300

––––––––––––––––

He now had nine cards in his hand and his deck was getting to be very thin. But now things were set up for him to execute his plan. "I remove from play three Shining Angels and Mad Archfiend from my graveyard to Special Summon Sky Scourge Enrise in attack mode." Thee orbs of light appeared overhead surrounding an orb of darkness and they converged to create an angel with snow-white skin with matching wings and eyes wearing tight leather pants and a blindfold, but no shirt (ATK/2400 DEF/1500). "And now I can activate his effect. Once per turn, Enrise can remove from play one face-up monster at the cost of being unable to attack."

"I chain The Gift of Greed to your monster's effect," announced Famine, "This card forces you to draw two cards."

"Gah!" Noah was not happy as he drew two more cards. Then Sky Scourge Enrise created a black hole in between his hands and Chainsaw Insect was swiftly pulled inside. "At least that's one less thing to worry about. I end my turn and now I discard until I only have six cards in my hand." Noah chose carefully. Thanks to the massive number of draws he had received that turn, he wound up with all three of his Giant Germs in his hand so he discarded those along with Majestic Mech - Ohka and Harvest Angel of Wisdom.

"I draw." Famine looked at his cards and smiled behind his face mask. "This is it. I summon Grinder Golem to your side of the field!" A massive machine with all sorts of chains and blades that could be best described as a walking torture device appeared in front of Noah and moaned (ATK/3000 DEF/300).

"Oh shit," Cassie muttered. She knew exactly was Famine had planned.

"You said a bad word!" Gio exclaimed.

"Gio, shut up!" Cassie yelled.

"With Grinder Golem's effect, I gain two Grinder Tokens." Two smaller versions of Grinder Golem appeared in front of Famine, each a level one Dark Fiend with zero attack and defense. "Now Grinder Token, attack Grinder Golem!"

"Noah, watch out!" Cassie yelled, "He's gonna use Inferno Tempest!"

Noah, however, only smiled. "This is exactly what I was waiting for." He pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "I activate Mirror Force!" A reflective barrier was erected in front of Noah's monsters and the Grinder Token struck it. The shield then started to shimmer and then unleashed a powerful blast that blew the token back and smashed it against the second token, killing both in one blow.

"How? How did you know I was going to do that?" demanded Famine.

"On our way here, Cassie told me a little bit about your deck. She actually told me about a few decks she faced on Duelist Kingdom and one of them was yours. When she told me that your deck mills, I remembered she encountered a Grinder Golem. That's why I had Mirror Force prepared.

"Fine. I end my turn," announced Famine.

"I draw!" Noah drew his card. "Thank you for the monster with three thousand attack points. Now Grinder Golem, attack!"

"I activate Gravity Bind! Now none of your monsters that are level four or higher can attack this turn." A powerful gravitational pull suddenly ceased Grinder Golem's attack and the great hulking machine dropped to its knees along with the rest of Noah's monsters.

"I'll set a facedown then." Noah looked at the field and nodded.

Famine drew his card and automatically set the monster facedown before ending his turn. Then Noah drew. He passed his turn and discarded a card

Then it was back to Famine. He drew his card and set it facedown in defense position. "Now I Flip Summon Morphing Jar. And its effect forces us to discard our hands and then draw until we have five again." This caused Noah to let out a little whining noise as he sent his six cards to the graveyard and drew five more. "Your turn."

"I draw." Noah drew his card and cringed. Only six cards remained in his deck. He had a card that could get him past Gravity Bind, but he had yet to draw it. He examined his hand and saw something else that could help. It was a long shot considering the remainder of his deck, but it was a shot nonetheless. "I remove from play three Giant Germs and Majestic Mech - Ohka to Special Summon Sky Scourge Norleras!" An orb of light surrounded by three orbs of darkness appeared and the latter converged on the former to create a black demon with ragged wings and numerous spikes jutting out of its black body. Half of its head was covered with some kind of mask like that worn by a prisoner while the other was exposed to reveal a horned skull (ATK/2400 DEF/1500).

"Now I activate the effect of Sky Scourge Norleras. By paying one thousand Life Points, I can nuke the field and our hands and in doing so draw a card."

––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 5000

**Famine:** 4300

––––––––––––––––

Sky Scourge Norleras clenched his fists and spread his wings before letting out an enormous cry as his body exploded into a powerful chaotic eruption that destroyed every card on the field and in both Duelists' hands. When all was said and done, Noah took in a deep breath and drew his card. "Fortune smiles on me. I remove from play Sky Scourge Enrise and Sky Scourge Norleras to Special Summon Chaos Sorcerer!" After placing the two cards in his pocket, he summoned out a shirless blue man in dark robes and leather straps wearing a hat signifying he studied the art of Dark Magic (ATK/2300 DEF/2000).

"Attack!" Chaos Sorcerer conjured and orb of light and an orb of darkness in each hand and combined them together before launching the mix at Famine.

––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 5000

**Famine:** 2000

––––––––––––––––

"I end!" announced Noah.

"I draw." Famine drew his card. "I set a monster and end my turn."

"I draw." Noah proceeded to draw his card, but his opponent stopped him.

"Be careful," Famine cackled. "Remember that my deck is a mill deck. If my card has an effect to mill out the rest of your deck, such as say Needle Worm, you will lose."

Noah looked at his deck. It was true. This next card would determine the very outcome of this card game. He could hear Cassie cheering for him, but all the applause and moral support in the world would not change his odds.

"Ha. Little boy. You're afraid," Famine chortled. "You stand to risk losing everything or gaining everything. How does it feel?" When he received no answer he laughed again. "Looks like your fears have gotten to you, boy. This duel is as good as over." Suddenly he felt something pierce his body and Famine collapsed onto the ground. Noah turned around and looked down the hallway to see a man in fatigues approaching holding a sniper rifle that had bee recently fired.

"Mr. Sako!" Cassie exclaimed.

"_Mister_ Sako now, am I?" Sako chuckled. "Good to see you, Cass." He was greeted by a big hug from the little girl. Gio just stood there confused while Noah watched.

"Guys, this is Sako. I met him on Duelist Kingdom. He's a really great guy!" Cassie introduced, "Sako, these are my friends Gio and Noah."

"I think I remember you," Sako said thoughtfully as he looked Noah over.

"Yeah... I'd rather not talk about it," the boy genius replied. It was clear that he remembered Sako as well.

"Why are you here?" Cassie asked.

"Well, your mom hired me to retrieve some cards," Sako answered, "I'm here to finish the job. Where's you're mom?" Cassie fell silent.

"She's dead," Gio blurted out, earning him a smack upside the head from Noah.

Cassie clung onto Sako for comfort. The Duel Sniper could do nothing but put his arms around her. "Let out it, Cassie. Just let it out."

"Touching..." All four heads turned at the voice as Famine let out a big cough.

"He's alive!" Gio gasped.

"How? He got shot through the chest with a fifty calibur bullet!" exclaimed Noah.

"Ha. Don't you realize it yet? Famine can never go away. It will linger forever." And with those words, the Horseman vanished upon being consumed by darkness.

o o o

Marsha had taken a break from her work and was sitting in her office looking out the window. Issac was watching a movie on the television in the corner with Stan and Tobias had left to use the bathroom. "I wonder what it must be like down there," she thought to herself out loud.

"Whatever's going on down there, I'm glad we're up here," Stan replied nonchalantly. A knock at the door interrupted their conversation.

"That's probably Tobias. He must have forgotten his key again," said Issac, "Stan, go get him."

"Fine." Stan got up and walked to the door. As he opened it, he expected to see the boy with ruby-red hair with a face covered in bandages. Instead, he was met with an Obelisk Blue with brown hair, a blonde girl with her hair in twin tails, a redheaded Blue, a black-haired Ra Yellow, and a brunet Osiris Red.

"We'd like to speak with the president."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Things heat up for the student body as the invading armies close in. With Mikey and company confronting the student council who will help the other students in their time of need? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	120. I Need a Hero

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-33**

**I Need a Hero**

Alexis' office was in ruins. The missile that had come through the window earlier had literally brought the entire ceiling down and then some. A piece of debris started to move amongst the rubble and Jaden emerged with his eyes changed to orange and green with the spirit of Winged Kuriboh in front of him. "That was unpleasant."

"Agreed," the spirit of Neo-Spacian Grand Mole replied as he uncapped his head. Jaden pushed away more debris and extended a hand behind him as his eyes returned to normal. Alexis took it and pulled herself out followed closely by Seto Kaiba. The three of them walked to the edge of the floor and looked out on the island. They could see fire burning in the woods. In some of the meadows green clouds continued to linger. The fighter jet had not been seen in a while, which was a good sign.

"It's a miracle we survived that," Alexis said. Kaiba just scoffed.

"I call it luck."

"We got out alive and that's what matters. Now the question is what we're going to do next," said Jaden.

"The invaders think we're dead. We should use this to our advantage," Alexis pointed out.

"We'll need a plan of action that does not attract attention toward us," Kaiba responded.

"The students are our primary concern," the headmistress stated, "I'm certain that the teachers have done whatever they can, but it won't be enough."

"If this is anything like Duelist Kingdom, it definitely won't be enough." Jaden looked out at the island. His eyes changed color. He could sense many from the Duel Royale tournament last year bearing ill intent on the island. Two motorcycle-riding pyromaniacs. An elusive soulless figure. An imposing entity shrouded in white. An avaricious man with overwhelming ambitions. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

And a new one. Jaden focused his powers to make it out, but he could not identify it. All he could sense was a deep neverending abyss. Nothing but pure darkness. He pulled back and gasped as his eyes returned to normal.

"Jaden, are you okay?" asked Alexis.

Jaden took a few moments to catch his breath before he was finally able to speak again. "There's something out there. And it's more dangerous than anything we've ever faced."

The three adults looked out at the island. The darkness was unlike anything Jaden had seen before and it terrified him.

o o o

"Get the fuck out of here!" was the cry that seemed to ring out over the sound of countless duels and screams as Mr. Thulin's Van'Dalgyon defeated another Gene Eric. Many students stood behind him, shaking in fear as he stood in front of the other teachers, taking the brunt of the enemy forced. Ms. Marina and Hassleberry had watched with amazement. Despite the fact that all the teachers were trying their hardest Mr. Thulin's unprecedented rage. Since the beginning of the invasion they had seen him transform from the usually incredibly calm man they met a year ago, who seemed unfazed by even the greatest of threats upon his person, to the monster of wrath that was before them. They knew it was because of the danger presented to the students, but it didn't change the fact that he was terrifying everyone.

Mr. Thulin had singlehandedly defeated over twice as many opponents as the entire faculty combined in this wrath. He was never this good of a duelist. Then again, the majority of the Genes he had defeated had had their heads caved in by his own duel disk after he found out they weren't really people. Despite that knowledge, it was still horrible to watch and terrifying to listen to as he screamed, "Didn't you hear me! I said get the fuck out of here!"

As the waves thinned, however, with the Genes becoming fewer and fewer the other teachers wondered how he got such confidence and strength. With the defeat of the last wave they took their chance to ask, moving closer to his quaking body, the students right behind. Carefully Ms. Marina tapped him on the shoulder and he fell to his knees suddenly, in sheer exhaustion.

"Chance, are you..." Ms. Marina began, but was quickly cut off by Mr. Thulin.

"I got em, Captain. I'm not being a pussy. Being a man. You told me that, right broham? I'm through the Oblivion Gate and destroying the demons just like you did. I do work. I do work." Ms. Marina raised and eyebrow and moved to look him in the eyes. He simply stared blankly ahead, barely conscious. She took a step back and shook her head as he continued to yammer on. "Don't worry, Nardo will whoop their ass Captain. Avis, Captain, and Nardo. Can't lose. Can't lose."

o o o

Out in the distance, amongst a crowd of defeated duelists a massive man in red armor sat upon a horse with a large sword in his hand. He loomed over his fallen and beaten foes with a sadistic grin when he looked up with curiosity. "What's this?" he said with curiosity, before looking over at the main building of the school where he knew his forces had been dueling the teachers. Over the past several hours he had been having so much fun with the opponents around him that he had not noticed it until now. A great rage. One that rivaled his own. He had to crush it. Oh what fun. The Horsemen of War's grin widened once more as he kicked the sides of his mighty horse and rode off toward the great rage. Nothing was going to be more wrathful than War. Not today. Not ever.

o o o

Three waves of Genes had been destroyed. That was not expected, but not a surprise either, which was why Roman had hired them: the best pro duelists money could buy. Many of them had not expected such a devastating and dreadful assault, but they were being paid enough money to not care. The collection of duelists was staggering and vast ranging from Seeker the former Rare Hunter to Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood and even the Paradox Brothers. Most of the men had jaded pasts, caused by a series of bad decisions after a particularly jarring defeat.

Normally it would have been a trying task to get such a motley crew to work together, especially considering the reputations many of them had. Luckily Roman had foreseen this problem and had produced a proper solution. Leading this large group of paid men stood a short purple haired figure wrapped in a black cloak. His voice quivered with dark and seething evil that rocked them to their cores. Beneath his cloak there was the chittering of many many insects feasting upon rotting flesh that gave off the stench of the grave. Like many of these duelists this one had made many poor decisions since his youth, where he had much promise. Decisions that had led to not only his demise, but his greatest power in the service of the UnGod. To some he was known as Bonz. To most he was known as the creature from their nightmares.

The nightmares of all, except for two among them. The first of which was a scowling man who had battled with the students of this island not long ago, which lead to a terrible incident. Once upon a time he was a household name and American champion. Once upon a time he was someone to be taken seriously and counted among the top ten duelists in the world. Once upon a time the undead man-thing that led their forces now was this man's bitch. "Bandit" Keith Howard, often erroneously called Steven from an unfunny joke he didn't know the origin of, clutched his fist tightly every time he saw the dark figure that he once and still called Bonz. Every order given added to his rage. "Why did I take that money?" he asked himself. When Roman had come to him there was no mention of Bonz. No mention of the man who had caused that entire incident two years prior. No mention that his former subordinate was going to be bossing him around. Bandit Kieth was not one to take orders from such a loser. Not one at all.

The other man, however, held no grudges or fear of Bonz. Why would he consider Bonz a nightmare when he had already faced his own nightmares and the end of the world? His square jaw remained clenched in solemn silence since he took the money, not speaking a word. It had been almost three decades since he had committed the sins that he still carried. Oh how humorous it was to think that he had redeemed himself from helping bring upon a preempted apocalypse by helping in said preemption. No. Still he was plagued, but this was the way to redeem himself. that was why he took the money. The overbearing feeling of evil sensed from Roman that reminded him of his old "master" from many years ago. He would wait to act, but he would act. His name was Raphael, former minion of Dartz, the Lord of Atlantis, and he was going to save this island...somehow.

o o o

A cool, sterile air brushed up against Mikey's cheek as he stood in the Student Council Office. It was a good feeling, especially when he could feel the sweat upon this brow evaporate into salty nothingness against his flesh. It was a sticky, dirty feeling, but the good kind of sticky, dirty feeling. Mikey almost forgot why he had come to the office. Almost.

"What the hell is going on here!" Sammie demanded, slamming her hand upon the desk of Marsha, causing both Mikey and Tobias to jump in a start. Marsha simply looked at the angry blond with a calm gaze and intertwined her fingers with a simple smile.

"We are being invaded and my brother, Tobias, Stan, and myself have taken refuge in our office for safety," Marsha responded calmly, her glasses falling lightly to the bridge of her nose.

"Why do I have such a hard time believing that?" Gabe chimed in sarcastically.

"Just cut the bullshit," Sammie continued with gritted teeth, "with all the shit you guys have been doing this year, you can't tell me you had nothing to do with this."

"We didn't," Issac said, leaning up against a wall with his arms crossed.

"Yeah, why would we hide this kind of shit from people?" Stan chimed in himself from his desk, a bowl of ramen in his hand that he tentatively slurped at.

"Because..." Sammie said before pausing to think. She opened her mouth a few times to speak before she scratched her head in thought.

"Because you have some nefarious plot!" Gabe said suddenly. Sammie sighed and slapped the young red dorm student upside the head before she began to rub the bridge of her nose in thought and frustration.

"Just, let Coltyn talk to them, guys," Mikey interjected. Sammie and Gabe nodded in agreement as Coltyn stepped up. Suddenly it seemed that Marsha flushed. Her calm gaze seemed to waver as she began to look around the room, almost as if she was searching for some form of distraction, which she was. When addressing Samantha Korangar and Gabriel Angel she was able to be calm. With Coltyn Reproba? That was out the window.

"Well," Coltyn began, which caused her to turn her swivel chair toward the window and bury her head in her hands. Coltyn raised an eyebrow and shrugged. No time to question odd actions during an invasion. "Well, madam president..."

"Marsha..."

"Excuse me?"

"C...call me Marsha, C...Col...Col...erm Mr. Reproba."

"Ooooh kay then. Well, Marsha, we came here because, as you know, this incident that is happening across the island and putting the entire student body in danger. While we understand your safety needs to be taken into account, we were wondering why the student body hasn't done something more to help? In fact, we even wanted to find out if you were involved because recent events has led us to think that some shady activity might be going on behind this administration, such as the recent claims on the red dorm."

Marsha squirmed in her seat, her heart pounding in her chest. She had an answer for him. A good one, but she couldn't say it. She couldn't even speak to him. She simply buried her face deeper into her hands as she continued to face away from him, towards the window. Issac sighed and stepped up to Coltyn, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Look," Issac said, "this is not an ideal situation, and we are all stressed and scared. It is understandable that you would come to this conclusion, but we can assure you that we have had nothing to do with this assault on the island. When the explosion happened we ran here and hid for a reason. We were ensuring our safety. Not only that, but we have been doing our best to come up with a plan of action."

"Well what has your plan of action been then?" Coltyn asked Issac. The obelisk blue sighed and opened his mouth to answer when his sister interrupted.

"Pray we survive," she said with the quivering of fear in her voice as she spun around, tears rolling down her cheek.

o o o

Three children and a man with a gun in the woods. The set up for an after school special on child molestation in many cases, but not this one. Sako Remington walked alongside the three young children, Noah, Cassie, and Gio, as they traversed the woods. His natural survival skills had helped him out substantially in avoiding the enemy, though that didn't mean he didn't take pot shots from cover several hundred yards away every now and then to neutralize some of the enemy. Geurilla warfare at its finest, according to Sako, though Cassie knew fighting the enemy wasn't the only reason they were in the woods.

"Wes is out here, isn't he?" She asked as they walked, breaking a silence that left a heavy and uneasy tension in the air. Sako remained silent. Cassie simply smiled with a shit eating grin, knowing she was right.

"Are we going to take a break soon?" Gio spoke up with a whine, still aching from his defeat at the hands of Famine.

"No." Sako said simply.

"But..."

"No." Sako repeated.

"Buuuuuuut..." before Sako could reply a third time Cassie jabbed Gio in the ribs with her elbow. He yelped in pain, which Noah lightly snickered at, stopping suddenly when the young Hasselberry glared at him. They wandered in the lush green forest for several more minutes in silence, or as close to silence as could be mustered from three pre-teens, stopping suddenly as Sako paused within a clearing by the river. His eyes had narrowed and the world seemed deathly quiet.

"What is it?" Noah asked.

"C4." Sako said quietly before a series of explosions began to rock the island. Across the entirety of Duel Academy Island there was havoc that spread. No one was injured by the erupting explosions, but many students who had maintained themselves during the entire ordeal had begun to flee and panic, separating in terror from the explosions that seemed to erupt in a timely fashion in just the right places. Many students who had found defensible positions suddenly found themselves vulnerable, or were so terrified by the explosions that they made themselves vulnerable.

Cassie, Noah, and Gio looked around in fear. This was the most violent display of destruction since the invasion began. Cassie, particularly, fell to the ground and began to cry in terror as rocks, fire, and smoke was kicked up into the air.

"What the hell is going on!" Cassie cried out between the trembling explosions.

"Charlie is happening," Sako responded.

"Who?" asked Gio.

"The Duel Guerrilla is finally making her move. The explosions are meant to illicit terror and panic among the weaker willed students and herd them where she wishes. This is just phase one though before she starts picking people off."

"Duel Guerilla?" Noah asked.

"She was my C.O., Noah. She taught me everything I know on guerrilla combat." Sako said with a calm to his voice that seemed...forced, somehow. He clenched and unclenched his fist and bit the inside of his lip. "We need to move." He said after several moments of uncomfortable silence, a single thought running through his mind and hiding behind his words: _where is my son?_

o o o

Reign sped down the highway on the outskirts of the island, making a beeline towards the Dual Rose. His head was pounding, he could feel his arms on the bars of his Runner and could even feel pain again. His body was truly his own, a black card encased in a frame around his neck, joining alongside a white rose pendant. Reko was unconscious and strapped to his body with a few clever uses of some belts hanging from his jacket. Why the hell was he even wearing clothing like this? Was He in total control of that too, something so meaningless? His musing was broken as several explosions lit up the horizon, a sad gaze once again became hawkish and predatory, the engines roaring to life as Reign thought of Recca with her calm face steeling his resolve.

At the Dual Rose, the students started to panic, Umi and Mika looking at each other with dread.

"Pestilence...he-"

Biff fell to his kness, "We're gonna become fucking freaks! T...this isn't real!"

Mika felt an odd presence, powerful and dreadful, "Biff, please protect everyone in this facility. Umi, aid him."

Biff looked surprised, "Wait...wait what the hell do you mean! Are you going to go out there too?"

Mika shook her head, "The presence I've been hunting...it's coming. It's approaching incredibly quickly."

Just outside the shop Zetsubou had since given a weak cough, falling over in a pile with pallid colored flesh and unmoving. Recca looked at Pestilence with hot rage, her mind long placing such things as compassion and mercy for her foe to one side. He was the same as the first devils that plagued Terra at the beginning of the war, unclean and offering only damnation and misery. The aforementioned Horseman clenched one fist, his arm tensing as a foul odor filled the air, milky pus and other humours spilling down his arm and slowly revealing a rusted and corroded disk that held tattered and moldering cards. Her stomach turned at the sight, yet Pestilence remained silent...Recca giving a roar of anger towards him, "Begin the Duel Demon!"

The Horseman laughed, "...Can you hear him..."

Recca felt her chest tense up. The power was dark and seemingly endless, just leaving a feeling of emptiness. She fought it before, and it nearly cost her life had...Reign not intervened.

She looked up quickly to see a black form grow behind Mika and engulf her. She didn't have time to scream as she was slammed into the roof, the shadow melting like water as Umi and the other students looked completely petrified with terror. In an instant Mika, a woman that Reko cared deeply about...a woman who genuinely loved the kindness of her son and his family taken. She couldn't take it anymore as he took a step towards Pestilence, stopping only with Umi's voice.

"Recca, if you cancel the duel by trying to fight him we're all going to be...," Umi's voice was silent and quavering, they all reached the limits of their courage. Recca was proud though, they bravely held this bastion from countless hordes of Shades and Pestilence's Cultists, now corpses lying in the outskirts of the woods. this was his plan all along...it was brilliant, she had to admit.

"You leave me no choice. Luring me away so Kage could..."

Pestilence nodded once, "Indeed, whore. In a few short moment I'll have a gibbering army of mutated Terrans, and all the Crusaders and people who would dare hold a card or sword against us will be eliminated. Don't worry, Pandemonium will have Zetsubou as it's head, the King of the Grotesque...you'll all be well taken care of. I am ready to duel Recca...draw and mutate. Embrace what life should be..."

Recca drew her hand, "...Reign..."

Pestilence chuckled as he drew his hand, "Not even The Duelist can save you now... All is His now, forevermore..."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Mika's been captured! Recca is dueling one of the Four Horsemen with the lives of several students on the line! War is on the move, the school is on the ropes, and everything is going to hell! It would take a miracle to turn the tide now. Luckily for the school, miracles are a specialty of the Rose Crusaders. The war for the school continues next friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	121. Earth Mother

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-34**

**Earth Mother**

"I'll have a gibbering army of mutated Terrans, and all the Crusaders and people who would dare hold a card or sword against us will be eliminated. Don't worry, Pandemonium will have Zetsubou as it's head, the King of the Grotesque...you'll all be well taken care of. I am ready to duel Recca...draw and mutate. Embrace what life should be..."

Recca drew her hand. "...Reign..."

Pestilence chuckled as he drew his hand. "Not even The Duelist can save you now... All is His now, forevermore..."

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 8000

**Pestilence:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

"I'll take the first turn..." Pestilence drew his first card. "I'll set two cards and summon Plague Wolf, a harbinger to the nightmare unfolding." He placed two cards facedown and then summoned a living plague-ridden wolf carcass (ATK/1000 DEF/1000).

"Since you Normal Summoned a monster, I can Special Summon Naturia Cosmobeet from my hand." Recca took a card from her hand and placed it on her Duel Disk in defense mode, summoning out a small brown plant bulb with a small number of colorful flowers sprouting from its head (ATK/1000 DEF/700). "Now since the effect of a Naturia monster was activated this turn, I can now Special Summon Naturia Hydrangea from my hand." Taking another card and summoning it in defense mode, she called out a hydrangea plant with two eyes and two stems to form hands, each with a single eye (ATK/1900 DEF/2000).

"And for added measure, I actually had two Hydrangeas in my hand." Recca took her second Naturia Hydrangea and summoned it in defense mode as well.

"I end my turn," announced Pestilence.

"It's my turn now." Recca drew her card. "I summon Naturia Pumpkin in attack mode." She placed the card on her Duel Disk and summoned out a green pumpkin with a rather adorable face (ATK/1400 DEF/800). "When Naturia Pumpkin is summoned and my opponent controls a monster, I can Special Summon another Naturia monster from my hand. So I bring out Naturia Vein." A small green creature made up of leaves appeared on Recca's field (ATK/200 DEF/300).

"Impressive. You've assembled five monsters on the field by your first turn," Pestilence observed, "I presume you're planning to tune some of them."

"You're right. First I tune my level one Naturia Vein to my level four Naturia Pumpkin." The green leafy creature faded away and transformed into a single synchro ring which surrounded Naturia Pumpkin. The latter creature disappeared leaving behind four stars that aligned themselves and were engulfed by a column of light along with the ring. "I Synchro Summon Naturia Beast!" A great roar ripped across the field as a large green tiger with branches coming out of its bark-covered legs leapt out and landed gracefully onto the front line (ATK/2200 DEF/1700).

"Now I tune level two Naturia Cosmobeet with one of my level five Naturia Hydrangeas. I Synchro Summon Naturia Landoise." Two synchro rings encircled five stars and from the light a great turtle made of stone emerged with dense masses of moss growing upon its shell (ATK/2350 DEF/1600).

"Naturia Beast, attack that Plague Wolf," ordered Recca, "Spear Root!" Naturia Beast roared once more as roots grew out of its legs and plunged into the ground. They snaked their way through the soil before shooting up under Plague Wolf and impaling the living carcass.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 8000

**Pestilence:** 6800

–––––––––––––––––––

Recca gave a smirk as she saw the unclean creature fade into a sickly brown mist. She used this deck rarely, normally just to play for fun with the other students. It had a lot of history, herself fighting alongside Reign's Gemknights time and time again. She wanted this to end quickly, and now she was lured out with no other option but to duel for the body of a tortured man at her feet. If she lost...Recca steeled herself and pushed such thoughts aside, there was no time for reminiscing about happier times and consequences. Only a horrible aberration from Ardent kept her and those she was defending from victory. This duel will end in her favor.

"Naturia Landoise, it's your turn now. Attack directly!" Naturia Landoise lumbered slowly over toward Pestilence. It stood over the white Horseman and looked down at him before raising a stone leg and stepping down on him.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 8000

**Pestilence:** 4450

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Yes, this duel was most definitely going to end in her favor.

o o o

High above the sky there was a roar that sounded like something that could scare thunder, rushing to catch up to a machine that knew speed as its second nature. In the cockpit of this marvelous thunder making machine sat a handsome blond man with blue eyes. His hair was gelled and messy and his teeth seemed to sparkle as he grinned from ear to ear with each pass over the island. He had had little action since he had destroyed the head tower, but he didn't mind. Work was not his thing. Flying was.

His name was Jaeger Lockheed, the Duel Ace, and his plane was the Shooting Star. When it came to dueling and flying Jaeger couldn't accept anything, but to be the best, and he was. He was fast. He was strong. He was...a lady's man. One would not believe how much tail a handsome German man could get when they throw out the fact that they are a fighter pilot, and he loved it. Still, the ladies were always far from his mind up here, where the clouds rushed by him and he thought of nothing, but the freedom of the sky. This...was his time...until the crackle of his radio brought him back to Earth.

"Hey Jager? You up there?" A calm and sweet woman's voice came up with a London accent. Normally, when Jaeger was interupted in flight he was annoyed, but never when he heard her voice. Who could?

"Ah, Victoria, it is good to hear your voice," Jaeger said with a smile that seemed to come across in his tone. The woman giggled and gave a light sigh.

"Look, luv, I'm not trying to be social. I am just looking for a report on the situation above," Victoria said.

"You asked 5 minutes ago. It hasn't changed. Still fighting. Still cards. Still blah blah blah. I haven't even gotten a chance to play my own cards yet!" Jaeger said.

"Nothing new has happened?"

"Not if you call Charlie's explosions new."

"How do you know it is Charlie?"

"..."

"Right, it has to be Charlie. Still no sign of him?"

"Who?"

"..."

"Who?"

Victoria remained quiet on her side of the radio. Jaeger tapped his radio and raised an eyebrow. "You there, frauline?"

"Yes I am," Victoria said with a shakier quality to her voice. Jaeger was curious now. Very curious.

"Why are you acting so weird?"

"...Sako is on the island..."

"..."

"Jaeger?"

"..."

"Don't do anything rash now Jaeger."

"..."

"Charlie's down there already. She can take care of him."

"..."

"Look, I am stuck here with my crew taking bitch seat to this Roman asshole on my own damn ship. I'm not complaining. Don't do what I think you are going to do."

"I'm going to fucking kill him."

"Jaeger, no! His kid is on the island and Charlie can deal with it."

"I'm going to find him and kick his ass!"

"Jaeger, don't..." Victoria couldn't even finish her sentence as Jaeger pushed his thrusters forward and ripped across the sky, violently rocketing through the skyline in search of Sako Remington, the Duel Sniper, with a smile and a furrowed brow. Today was going to be a good, fucking day.

Elsewhere, deep below the surface of the ocean off the shore of the island a beautiful black woman with long, wavy hair sat in the communications room of a large submarine she called the Odyssey. She wore a sleeveless wet suit with a belt and thigh knife holster that framed her curvaceous body. He hair was maintained by a stocking cap that also kept her warm. She was Captain Victoria "Black Cat" Collins, the Duel Submariner, and if it moved above or under the water then you didn't want anyone else commanding it. Why was she the black cat to her crew though? When it is said that women on a boat bring bad luck to the ship, a woman would have to work twice as hard and have great talent to gain respect. She worked eight times as hard and had tremendous talent.

She was kind. Smart. Loyal. Among her friends Victoria was the glue that held them together...most of the time. With a sigh and a curse she slammed her radio onto the console and placed her head in her arms. Why was it her best friends always had to fight? Why did Sako and Jaeger always have to do this to each other?

o o o

"Are you done...?" asked Pestilence.

"I am," answered Recca.

"Then I draw." Pestilence drew his card, his gaze obscured by a filthy cloth hood. "You succeeded in summoning two powerful monsters, but it was a waste to do so. I activate Lightning Vortex. And to activate it, I'll discard another Plague Wolf."

"I'm afraid it's not going to happen." Recca pointed to Naturia Beast. "By sending two cards from my deck to my graveyard, Naturia Beast can negate the activation of a Spell Card and destroy it." Recca took the top two cards of her deck and placed them inside her graveyard. Immediately, the leaves on Naturia Beast's body began to rustle. The creature roared as a flurry of leaves burst from its body and shot toward the sky to intercept the incoming rain of lightning.

"You are fortunate," Pestilence muttered. He examined his hand again. Naturia Beast's effect would prove to be very bothersome. He had to destroy it quickly. "For now I set a monster and end my turn."

Recca drew her card. Things were going well for her. "I activate my Field Spell, Naturia Forest." She placed her card inside her field tray and a lush forest filled with life rose up around her and the disease-ridden Horseman. "Now whenever I negate the activation of one of your cards, I can add a level three or lower Naturia monster from my deck to my hand. Naturia Beast, attack that facedown card. Spear Root!" Naturia Beast's roots tore through the earth and impaled the facedown card, which turned out to be the invulnerable Spirit Reaper (ATK/300 DEF/200).

"You know it won't keep you safe forever," Recca pointed out.

"I know, but that's neither here nor there," Pestilence replied as he drew. "I sacrifice Spirit Reaper and call forth Mist Archfiend." Spirit Reaper vanished from the field and in its place arose a black and red winged demon as it emerged from a cold fog that had suddenly appeared (ATK/2400 DEF/0). "Attack Naturia Beast. Hell's Cold Grip." Mist Archfiend vanished back into the mist and the cloud of fog crept across the field until it surrounded Naturia Beast. The great creature swiped at the vapor to no avail until a clawed arm reached out and grabbed its throat. Its grip tightened until Naturia Beast's final breath and then release the carcass.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 7800

**Pestilence:** 4450

–––––––––––––––––––

"That ends my turn," declared Pestilence.

Recca drew her card. "You've played well. However, I can make quick work of your Archfiend with Leodrake's Mane." She played her card and an orange leaf appeared in front of her. "With this card, I can increase one Naturia monster to three thousand attack points, but at the cost of having its effect negated until the End Phase." The leaf surrounded Naturia Hydrangea and the plant began to shiver with excitement as its attack points rose to three thousand. "Now I switch Hydrangea into attack mode and attack Mist Archfiend. Go, Flora Parade!" Naturia Hydrangea began to shake and a storm of beautiful petals floated across the field.

"Unfortunately for you, your Naturia Beast is dead." Pestilence activated a facedown card. "Because it would have saved you from this Shrink card." Naturia Hydrangea suddenly faltered as its original attack points were cut in half, reducing its total attack power to two thousand and fifty, while its body shrank to half its size.

"Mist Archfiend, show what the cold does to flowers," commanded the Horseman. Mist Archfiend broke through the petals and grabbed Naturia Hydrangea with its icy grip. The cold mist seeped through the flower's stems and finally killed it with a sharp shrill coming from the creature.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 7450

**Pestilence:** 4450

–––––––––––––––––––

"So much for your forces, Crusader..." Pestilence cackled as he drew upon he start of his turn. "I summon Dark Resonator." A small robed demon carrying a tuning fork in one hand appeared on the field (ATK/1300 DEF/300). "Mist Archfiend, attack Naturia Landoise! Hell's Cold Grip!" Mist Archfiend faded back into the mist and its arm shot out to grab Naturia Landoise. The stone tortoise struggled against it, but in the end it too succumbed to the deadly cold.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 7400

**Pestilence:** 4450

–––––––––––––––––––

"Dark Reasonator, attack," Pestilence ordered. Dark Resonator tapped its tuning fork and the resulting soundwave was sent toward Recca, sending a chilling feeling down her entire body.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 6100

**Pestilence:** 4450

–––––––––––––––––––

"Now I tune Dark Reasonator to Mist Archfiend." Dark Resonator tapped its tuning fork again and its body faded away until three stars remained, which turned into synchro rings. They surrounded Mist Archfiend whose body turned into five stars before a black light engulfed them all.

"I Synchro Summon Hundred-Eyes Dragon!" An eye opened and looked out from the dark light. Then another eye opened. And another. And another. Soon one hundred eyes had opened up as a black dragon emerged with eyes covering its entire body (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "Behold my deadliest creature. It will be the last thing you ever see."

o o o

Deep in the ocean onboard the Odyssey in his own personal quarters, Roman sat with a sly smile. In his hand was a glass of pinot noir that he sipped at lightly. The invasion had been going swimingly. Was there resistance? Of course there was, but nothing that Roman wasn't prepared for. That was why he had hired so many duelists to fight alongside the shades. That was why he enlisted the assistance of the horsemen once again. It was all to accomplish a single goal and when he saw the shifting shadows, creeping in the corner of his eye, he knew that they were at least one step closer to completing it.

Roman knew not to even attempt to focus upon the shifting shadows, as it was always a fruitless endeavour to try and see into nothingness. He simply waited for the voice to confront him first, and it did. "Hello, Roman," Kage said stepping from the shadow with the bound form of Mika in his hand. She let loose a few muffled grunts into her gag and Roman turned to his shadowy ally with a smile.

"Kage, my friend, how are you today?" Roman said with open arms as he stood up from his chair and moved to him before looking down at Mika. "I see you found her. Well that is good. Very good. Still am not sure why you let her go last time, but oh well, we have her now."

Kage seemed motionless as he stood before the Roman with the shifting shadows moving towards him, like a nexus for all that was darkness. He looked down at the squirming girl and nodded. "I told you before, the fates required us to let her go for then. You know we should not change the fates unless Omen says it will benefit us." Roman shrugged in conceit to Kage's claims knelt down before Mika.

"Yes, that is very true. At least we have her now. Is the ritual ready?"

"It will be by the day's end. We just need to wait for the call from Omen for when the vessel arrives where we need him."

"Good. Then by the day's end our master will be returned to us." Roman smiled with a sinister grin as he began to pet Mika, who tried her best to scream through the gag to no avail.

"Yes," said Kage, "by today's end the UnGod's rebirth shall truly begin."

o o o

"I'll set two cards and end my turn," announced Pestilence. "Your move."

"I draw...!" Recca drew her card with a flourish. She needed a plan. Very few of her monsters had the power to go up against Hundred-Eyes Dragon. Naturia Leodrake in her Extra Deck could match it in attack strength point-for-point, but it was a level nine Synchro monster. Then there was also Naturia Dragonfly. It was a weak monster with only twelve hundred attack points, but it gained two hundred for each Naturia monster in her graveyard. Looking at her hand, she had a thought. However, it was a long shot. Its success depended heavily on her opponent's next move.

"I summon Naturia White Oak!" A large tree appeared on the field. Close to the branches were some holes that made out facial features. It seemed like just an ordinary tree until its mouth opened and it stuck out its tongue at Pestilence (ATK/1800 DEF/1400). "Now I set two cards." Recca had set the stage. Now it was up to her opponent. "I end my turn."

"I draw." Pestilence drew his card. "Well well well, a chance to deal more damage this turn than I had hoped. First I summon Sangan." A small hairy three-eyed creature with sharp claws appeared and cackled (ATK/1000 DEF/600). "Now I play Shrink to halve your tree's attack points." Pestilence activated another facedown.

_Perfect!_ Recca thought.

"I activate my Naturia White Oak's effect!" she announced. "When its targetted by my opponent's card effect, I can send him to the graveyard to resurrect two level four or lower Naturia monsters." Naturia White Oak's leaves shoot vigorously as Naturia Cosmobeet and Naturia Pumpkin rejoined the field.

"You're just making this even easier," Pestilence cackled, "Hundred-Eyes Dragon, attack Naturia Pumpkin!"

"I activate a Trap Card, Urgent Tuning!" Recca revealed her facedown card. "I tune Naturia Cosmobeet to Naturia Pumpkin!" Two synchro rings encircled four stars and a light swallowed them up. "I Synchro Summon Naturia Barkion!" A great long Chinese dragon emerged from the radiance with its back covered with a thick layer of bark (ATK/2500 DEF/1800).

"That creature isn't strong enough!" Pestilence called out as he was given the opportunity to change his attack plan. "Hundred-Eyes Dragon, keep up your attack!"

"I activate Sakuretsu Armor!" announced Recca.

"Fair enough, but it won't be a problem. I sacrifice my Hundred-Eyes Dragon for Eradicator Epidemic Virus!" Pestilence revealed one of his facedown cards. "With this card, I will infect your deck and hand and eradicate all Spell Cards." Hundred-Eyes Dragon roared as its body was infected with the deadly virus.

"Not today," Recca replied, "I activate Barkion's effect. By removing from play two cards in my graveyard, I can negate the activation of a Trap Card and destroy it!" She ejected two cards from her graveyard and placed them in her pocket. A piece of Naturia Barkion's bark broke off its back and sent several splinters into Eradicator Epidemic Virus, effectively destroying it. Hundred-Eyes Dragon groaned as it collapsed to the ground and closed all one hundred of its eyes for eternity.

"Well played," grumbled Pestilence.

"Thank you, sweetie!" Recca replied with a cheerful vigor as she drew. "Now because I negated your card, Naturia Forest lets me bring a monster to my hand and I choose Naturia Mosquito." Once she had retrieved her card, she proceeded with her turn. "Naturia Barkion, attack Sangan! Elemental Cyclone!" Naturia Barkion roared as it flew around in a circle, generating a wind that conjured up a cylindrical wall of leaves around itself. It roared once again before unleashing it upon its foe.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 6100

**Pestilence:** 2950

–––––––––––––––––––

"With Sangan's death, I bring Peten the Dark Clown to my hand." Pestilence's Duel Disk spat out the card he desired and reshuffled his deck once he took it.

"I end my turn," Recca announced.

"I draw." Pestilence drew. "I summon Peten the Dark Clown." A clown in a mask with a large plumed hat appeared on the field (ATK/500 DEF/1200). "Then I activate Torrential Tribute."

"I negate it." Recca removed two more cards from her graveyard and Naturia Barkion's bark stopped the tidal surge of water from destroying all the monsters on the field. "And Naturia Forest activates, so this time I will pick Naturia Stinkbug."

"I equip Peten with the Black Pendant and end my turn." A necklace with a black medallion appeared around Peten's neck and his attack points rose to one thousand.

"I draw and send Barkion to attack again." Naturia Barkion unleashed another Elemental Cyclone and blasted away Peten the Dark Clown.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 6100

**Pestilence:** 1450

–––––––––––––––––––

"Since Black Pendant was destroyed, its curse inflicts five hundred points of damage to you," Pestilence declared.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 5600

**Pestilence:** 1450

–––––––––––––––––––

"Now I remove from play Peten the Dark Clown to Special Summon another one." Pestilence cast his card aside and summoned a second Peten the Dark Clown in defense mode. "My turn ends."

Recca drew her card and sent Naturia Barkion to attack, destroying Peten and effective causing another to take its place. Pestilence drew again and ended his turn. When Recca's turn came up, she sent Barkion to destroy the third Peten.

Pestilence drew and looked at his card. He cackled evilly. "I summon another Plague Wolf and activate its effect, doubling its attack points." Plague Wolf appeared and howled as its attack points doubled to two thousand. "Now I equip it with Axe of Despair, adding an extra one thousand!" A fiendish axe appeared in the carcass' mouth and boosted it to three thousand attack points. "Attack Naturia Barkion!" No words needed to be said as the blade effortlessly cleaved through Naturia Barkion.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 5100

**Pestilence:** 1450

–––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn." With that, Pestilence's Plague Wolf died by its own effect.

Recca drew her card and looked at it. This was perfect...fate was on her side this day. "I activate Miracle Synchro Fusion. By removing from play Fusion Material monsters that are Synchro Monsters, I can perform a Fusion Summon. So I'll remove Barkion and Beast to summon a creature with their combined power." Recca placed the cards in her pocket and summoned a new creature. "Naturia Exterio!" A creature that looked like Naturia Beast appeared, but it had Naturia Barkion's bark covering its legs, back, and tail. It also wore the head of Naturia Barkion over its own head as a helmet (ATK/2800 DEF/2400).

"Naturia Exterio, attack!" A storm of leaves and bark rose up around Naturio Exterio and it came crashing down on Pestilence hard.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 5100

**Pestilence:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––

"Victory is ours!" Recca declared, the students gave a roar of triumph as Recca could feel Pestilence's virus weakening...

"Is it really?" Pestilence cackled. Suddenly two Gene Erics burst from the Dual Rose carrying a small girl. Zetsubou looked up from his spot on the ground and gasped.

"M...Mikomi!"

"Yes, and you know what? I've got a surprise for her specifically, considering you've gone and quashed my reinforcements..." Pestilence grabbed Mikomi from the Genes with one hand and held her close while the other hand reached into his saddle bag and produced a vial of green liquid. Zetsubou's eyes widened.

"That's..."

"You may have destroyed my plague launchers, but I always carry a small sample just in case," Pestilence cackled. "And who better to use it on than on the one you've fought so hard to protect from the very thing that's about to end her life." He kept his grip on Mikomi tight as he held the vial over her head.

"You wouldn't dare..."

"Yes I would. And if I could, I'd do it over and over again. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than seeing others suffer by Pestilence. Actually, there is ONE thing that does. Watching others see their loved ones suffer by Pestilence." As the Horseman laughed, something inside Zetsubou snapped. A rush of adrenaline washed over his already-damaged body as he rose to his feet. Reaching into his footwear, he produced a small knife and threw it. The blade stuck through Pestilence's hand, causing him to drop the vial. That was all Zetsubou needed. With newfound energy, he rushed the Horseman.

"Damn you!" Pestilence dropped Mikomi and pulled out his bow. Loading a plague-ridden arrow, he took aim and fired. It struck Zetsubou in the chest, but he pressed on. He fired another and hit his mark, but again his enemy persevered. He continued firing arrows one after another. "Why...won't...you...just...die?" Finally, Zetsubou reached Pestilence. He grabbed his knife and ripped it from his hand before thrusting it into the Horseman's chest. He pulled it out and thrust it in again. After a third stab, he aimed higher and sunk the blade into his face. As Pestilence writhed in pain, Zetsubou grabbed the vial off the grass and took hold of his opponent's garments.

"Taste your own Plague!" And with that, he smashed the vial into Pestilence's face with enough impact to send the man off his horse. Zetsubou breathed heavily and collapsed. He looked over at the Horseman and could see the Plague already taking its toll on its user.

"At last...it is...over..."

There was a cough. "Not...just...yet..." Pestilence turned himself over and pushed himself up with one hand to look at everyone there. "Your efforts were all in vain. No matter how many cures you develop, disease will always plague this world. Even if I die here and now, I shall return. This world will always have Pestilence..."

"You have no idea the kind of magics my family uses, do you?" Recca asked as she stepped closer to the fallen man in white, "Did you think that the Dual Rose was just a cafe? It is the lode stone for the rune seal we set up within this area. A wellspring of power on this island...it's why your troops were falling left and right, why students felt reinvigorated and could easily use such mundane equipment. It suffuses them all... Life is within us all, and it can aid us in ways never dreamed!"

Pestilence's expression changed and he looked toward Recca with a horrified look on his face. "What!"

"That's right, did you think I picked an out of the way spot just for the atmosphere! There is no coming back for you, who would brazenly sacrifice their most precious gift! Like smallpox, I'm exterminating you. ROSE SEAL!"

A horrific cry filled the air as the ancient runes and the mark of the Rose appeared beneath Pestilence and summoned a swirling vortex that pulled him in. The Horseman gripped onto the ground to try to pull himself out, but it was to no avail. His fingers dug into the soil, but it was all in vain as the sheer force pulled him in steadily.

"This...isn't...OVER!" The seal slammed shut, leaving behind only Pestilence's bow. Zetsubou dragged himself over to the fallen weapon and placed his hand over it.

"Yes...it is..." And he lost consciousness, the toxins and micro-organisms inside his body finally taking their toll. Recca helped Zetsubou's body onto her lap, and softly placed two fingers over his neck. The students all gathered around her, as she looked towards the soil with tears freely falling down her face. Quietly, she began to pull the arrows from his chest. Dawn started to rise upon the mist filled forest, just outside the Dual Rose, and nary a sound was made as all around the Duel Academy under her protection finally saw a small taste of what hope the Crusaders could bring.

o o o

Rumble. Rumble. Rumble. The sounds of horse hooves upon the ground would never make that sound in a sane world. In a safe world. In a peaceful world. This was not that world and this was not a normal horse. With each cracking of fiery hooves upon the Earth the students within the main school building grew more terrified. Ever since they heard the sound of clip-clopping thunder rolling in and saw the thinning of the assaulting shades they felt the grip of death at their chests. The teachers felt it too and stood steadfast with shaking legs, doing their best to hide their fear from the students. Except Mr. Thulin, whose eyes seemed glazed over and he remained kneeling upon the ground.

Closer.

Closer.

Closer still.

The sound of doom was at their door steps, and with a neighing War was upon them. Children screamed. Teachers clenched their teeth. Fear was rampant and the man with heavy red armor let loose a chortle of laughter that could make the devil himself pale. With a swishing of a blade he pointed a blade down at the students and teachers and grinned from ear to ear.

"Gaze upon me and know the face of your ends! I am the wrath! The rage! The WAR!" The red horsemen cried.

"W...Well I ain't afraid of ya, ya varmit!" Hassleberry declared, lying to himself.

"I am not here for you!" War declared and swung his blade once more. "I am not here for any of you. I am here for the rage. The hate. I am here or the anger I felt with such burning tenacity that it made me tremble. Who here has such rage! Tell me so that I may slay them and drink of their blood! Tell me or die!" War slashed his blade and cut deep within a nearby wall. Snappe and Ms. Marina maneuvered around the children and did their best to comfort the children as War moved towards them. Hassleberry stepped forward to duel when a hand placed itself upon his shoulder. The dino Duelist turned around and saw that Mr. Thulin had gotten back to his feet with the same look of rage in his eyes from before.

"Here I am," Mr. Thulin said with a hiss as he moved forward, the ground crackling under his heavy steps. No one even tried to stop him as they felt the pressure of his wrath weighing down on them. It was unreal it was...unholy.

"Ah, I can taste the rage in you. You are indeed the one, and the most War craving man I have ever met. You must have been hiding a fierce demon from all of these fools for a while. Good. It will be wonderful to test my blade on you before I find and destroy the sniper." War chortled once more as he brought his blade up high and slashed downward at Mr. Thulin.

The English teacher looked up with a furrowed brow and watched as the world slowed down with the oncoming blade. His eyes were beet red looking straight ahead. He huffed and puffed in pants of breath and he said only one thing: "BRING IT ON!" as he stared down the embodiment of all war.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The dogs of War have been unleashed. Mr. Thulin faces off against the red Horseman of War. It's a battle of pure unadulterated rage. Watch it next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	122. Raging Battle

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-35**

**Raging Battle**

War's greatsword howled as it cut through the air swinging down on Mr. Thulin. The English teacher rolled to the side, just narrowly missing the massive blade. The red Horseman of the Apocalypse raised his weapon and swung it again, cleaving down an entire row of trees with a single sweep.

"C'mon, y'all! We gotta git movin' ta safety!" Hassleberry proceeded to hustle the students to evacuate the area. As they left, Mr. Thulin stood staring at War while the Horseman planted his blade into the ground.

"Why do you do nothing but evade?" he demanded, "Do you fear War so much?"

Mr. Thulin's fist clenched and he bit his lip, his eyes red with anger still. "I'm not afraid of a faggoty bitch who is probably hung like a baby, fucking carrot."

"Well you don't show it, fool," War chortled in reply, a little annoyed at the comment from Mr. Thulin.

"Hey, Asshole, you know Nan-king? Thermopylae? Little Big Horn? Yes? No? Well I'm going to be coming at you like a ball of piss and fire that tears you up like god damn crocodile, making that shit seem like a fucking red neck spitting contest. I am done having fucking plebs like you coming in here and fucking with my people. You did this shit last year, yeah? I have a fucking score to settle with your ass!"

"Well, I like the fire in y..."

"I'm not fucking finished! You shut your fucking mouth when I am talking! You know who I am? You know who I am! I'm Chance 'mother fucking' Thulin. My friends call me Nardo. Wanna know why? IT DOESN'T FUCKING MATTER WHY! It is me. I learned how to deal with bigger pieces of shit in the bathroom by squeezing my butt cheeks. You are a fucking dick bitter that, if the Captain was here, you would be chokin on some fucking gravy biscuits! You get me? YOU FUCKIN GET ME!" Mr Thulin continued to spit random shots at War, leaving him confused. Mr. Thulin was lost in his own memories of battles past. He was swimming in rage. Before War could really comprehend to what was being said, however, Mr. Thulin had launched himself forward and grabbed the horse by the neck, planting his feet apart on the ground and digging in deep as he began to try and topple the beast.

"Strangling an obviously armored horse? Your rage must cloud your judgment."

"Just shut the fuck up!" And with that, Mr. Thulin pulled a pen from his pocket and stabbed into the one place where War's mount was unprotected: its eye. The warhorse reared back violently in pain and threw its rider off. The Horseman struck the ground hard. However, Mr. Thulin wasn't about to just let him go. With the horse flailing around like mad, he took advantage of the moment to tackle War. However, the man proved to be more agile than he appeared despite wearing a heavy suit of armor and carrying an even heavier sword as he succeeded in getting out of the way.

War lowered his blade until it touched the ground and charged. As he neared his opponent, he brought up his blade and thrust a large amount of dirt at Mr. Thulin's face, who raised his arms to block. However, that moment was all the Horseman needed. He punched him in the face and grabbed his ankle with one hand as he fell backwards before swinging him around and then throwing him into a tree.

"Perhaps I overestimated you," he said as he walked over to where the young man lay. He stuck his blade in the ground and bent down to look at him. Big mistake. Mr. Thulin suddenly got up and grappled him to the ground. War's sword stood exactly where he had stuck it and it was well out of arm's reach.

"I've seen you fight. You're only good when you're on your feet. But the ground is my turf."

"Ha. You expect me incapacitate me so easily? I am War. I am prepared for anything." And with that, the Horseman tightened his fist. It was a very brief moment before Mr. Thulin muttered "Shit!" and jumped off his opponent just narrowly avoiding the spikes that shot out of his belt. War leapt back to his feet and extended a pair of hidden assassin's blades from inside his gauntlets. He rushed Mr. Thulin and thrust his arms at him, but missed when he ducked and slammed his body into his stomach. As War fell over again, he placed his knee against his attacker's stomach and retracted his blades instead grabbing onto his shoulders. As soon as his back touched the dirt, he pulled back and used his leg to push upward, sending Mr. Thulin flying over his head. War got back up and rushed back to his greatsword.

Meanwhile Mr. Thulin recovered and saw the red Horseman retrieve his blade. He moved in and War ran over to his horse. He calmed down his steed and then climbed onto its back. "A half-blind horse isn't going to do you any good."

"Not as a steed anyway," War replied before he swung his weapon and decapitated his warhorse. He then planted his weapon into the ground and lifted himself up, grabbing the carcass of his mount between his legs and swinging it around before throwing it at Mr. Thulin.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? WHAT THE FUCK!" Obviously with no way to grapple this creature down, Mr. Thulin dove to the side and the horse slammed into a large rock. "What the fuck, man!"

"In War, sacrifces must be made," was the answer.

"Bullshit! That was your horse!"

"Again, sacrifices!" And with that, War charged swinging his greatsword.

Mr. Thulin backed away as his opponent swung his weapon trying to find an opening to attack. After a big horizontal sweep, he found one and moved in low. War grinned beneath his helmet and twisted the pommel of his hilt. It came off and a long chain came out from inside his sword.

"Are you fucking kidding me!" Mr. Thulin repeated as he just narrowly avoided the second weapon.

"War. Any situation," War reminded him as he held his sword with one hand and his newly revealed hidden flail in the other. "Your rage has been true to you. Indeed you possess great power when it takes you. A power nearly equal to my own. To continue our battle this way would be pointless."

"Pussy," was all Mr. Thulin said in response.

War said nothing. But instead he took out his deck and opened a slot in the crossguard of his sword. He shoved it in and the runes on his blade lit up, revealing them to actually be card zones with monsters on one side of the blade and Spells and Traps on the other side.

Mr. Thulin activated his own Duel Disk in response and loaded his deck. "Bring it on, you son of a bitch."

–––––––––––––––––

**War:** 8000

**Mr. Thulin:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

"I'm going first!" Mr. Thulin drew his first card. "I summon Red-Eyes Black Chick!" A red dragon egg appeared in front of him and it hatched to reveal a baby black dragon (ATK/800 DEF/500). "Now I activate its effect and sack it for a Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my hand." The baby dragon burst out of the remainder of its eggshell and screeched as it was engulfed in a flurry of crimson fire. When the flames dispersed, the baby had grown up into an adult black dragon (ATK/2400 DEF/2000). "Now I play a Spell Card, Inferno Fire Blast, dealing damage to you equal to my dragon's original attack points." Red-Eyes Black Dragon charged up a ball of dark red fire inside its mouth and fired it directly at War.

–––––––––––––––––

**War:** 5600

**Mr. Thulin:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

"I'll end with two facedowns." Two cards appeared at Mr. Thulin's feet. "Your go."

"I draw!" War reached for his cards in his crossguard and drew his first card. "Too bad you wasted your efforts bringing out that monster. I play Fissure."

"Fuck that! Dark Bribe!" Mr. Thulin revealed his Trap Card and Fissure was instantly interrupted. War shrugged it off and drew his card.

"I summon XX-Saber Emmersblade!" War placed the card on the blade of his sword. Then he grasped the hilt firmly as he raised his weapon up and sank the blade deep into the ground. The earth split apart and from the fissure emerged a human-sized grasshopper in armor appeared on the field wielding a pair of bladed tonfas (ATK/1300 DEF/800). "Next I play Saber Slash. This Spell Card will destroy one card on the field for each face-up X-Saber monster in attack position. I only have one, but one is all I need." War placed the card on the other side of his greatsword and swung the massive weapon over his head. Then without warning, he launched himself forward. Mr. Thulin reacted quickly. With one quick motion, he sidestepped out of the blade's path and War's sword cut through Red-Eyes Black Dragon, cleaving it cleanly in two even halves.

"XX-Saber Emmersblade, attack!" War ordered as he withdraw. Hefting his greatsword onto his shoulder, he walked away from his opponent as XX-Saber Emmersblade ran past him and jumped into the air. He turned around just in time to watch his creature come down on Mr. Thulin with a double bladed tonfa slash.

–––––––––––––––––

**War:** 5600

**Mr. Thulin:** 6700

–––––––––––––––––

"I'll end with two facedowns," War placed two cards on the Spell and Trap side of his blade and concluded his turn.

Mr. Thulin drew his card without a word. "I summon Mirage Dragon." There was a shimmer in the air as if there was a distortion of the light. Then suddenly there appeared a transparent yellow dragon with long blue hair (ATK/1600 DEF/600). "Attack XX-Saber Emmersblade! And during the Battle Phase, Mirage Dragon negates all Traps!" A strange mist seemed to be seeping out from Mirage Dragon's hair and slowly covered the field. The transparent creature snarled and watched as several illusions burst from the mist and attached the grasshopper.

–––––––––––––––––

**War:** 5300

**Mr. Thulin:** 6700

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"With the death of XX-Saber Emmersblade, I can Special Summon a level four or lower X-Saber from my deck. And my monster of choice is XX-Saber Darksoul." A skinny man in dark robes and a red hooded cape emerged from the fissure War had made earlier and brandished a big black scythe (ATK/100 DEF/100).

"Your go."

"I draw." War drew his card. "I summon XX-Saber Boggart Knight." A man in shimmering silver armor with a long red cloak and a horned helmet burst onto the field (ATK/1900 DEF/1000). "When XX-Saber Boggart Knight is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a level four or lower X-Saber from my hand. Such as X-Saber Airbellum." A roar echoed as a man with a lion's head appeared armed with two sets of long sharp claws (ATK/1600 DEF/200). "Now since I have two or more X-Sabers on the field, I can Special Summon XX-Saber Faultroll from my hand!" War plunged his greatsword into the ground again and a white-haired man in futuristic technologically advanced armor appeared with a cloak draped over his shoulders and a visor covering his eyes. In his hand he carried a sword hilt that extended into an energy sword the size of a claymore (ATK/2400 DEF/1800).

"And now I activate the effect of Faultroll. Once per turn, he can resurrect one X-Saber monster." Now it was XX-Saber Faultroll's turn to plunge his blade into the ground. The energy generated by his sword pulled XX-Saber Emmersblade out of the ground and back onto the front line.

"Did you just fill your entire fucking field?" asked Mr. Thulin.

"Get used to it. X-Sabers are powerful in this way." War pointed at his opponent with his sword. "Attack and destroy him!"

"Not if I activate my Negate Attack!" War's army was brought to a halt as X-Saber Faultroll's blade made contact with a vortex that seemed to absorb the impact of his sword. After he withdrew from his attack, his comrades all seemed extremely apathetic all of a sudden as the Battle Phase ended.

"Very well then. I end."

Mr. Thulin drew his card. He had saved himself momentarily from taking serious damage. But if he was going to keep this up, he needed to draw something usable. Looking at the card he just drew, an idea came to his head. "I remove Mirage Dragon from the game to Special Summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" Mirage Dragon was swallowed up by a portal to the Different Dimension and a pair of metallic black wings descended upon the field attached to a massive black metallic dragon (ATK/2800 DEF/2400).

"And I'll use its effect to rez my Red-Eyes from my graveyard." The ground trembled and gave way as Mr. Thulin's deceased Red-Eyes Black Dragon returned from the grave. "Red-Eyes Black Dragon, attack XX-Saber Darksoul! Inferno Fire Blast!" Red-Eyes Black Dragon screeched and unleashed a ball of dark fire that blasted apart the reaper.

–––––––––––––––––

**War:** 3000

**Mr. Thulin:** 6700

–––––––––––––––––

"When XX-Saber Darksoul goes to my graveyard, I can take any X-Saber from my deck and add it to my hand on my End Phase," War explained.

"Darkness Metal, blow that motherfucking lion! Darkness Metal Flare!" Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon spread out its wings and opened its mouth. A dark crimson ball of energy charged up inside its maw before it unleashed a powerful beam that wiped out X-Saber Airbellum.

–––––––––––––––––

**War:** 1800

**Mr. Thulin:** 6700

–––––––––––––––––

"Ya like that, bitch! Huh?" Mr. Thulin then slapped down a facedown card and ended his turn. And with that War searched his deck and pulled out XX-Saber Gardestrike. AFter that, the Horseman drew his card.

"I sacrifice XX-Saber Emmersblade for Commander Gottoms, Swordmaster." The grasshopper disappeared and in its place appeared a decorated man in heavy armor with a helmet that obscured his face with an X-shaped visor, a thick red cape, and holding a sword with his hands (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "Next I use the effect of XX-Saber Faultroll to resurrect X-Saber Airbellum." The lion-headed Beast-Warrior reappeared and roared. "Now I tune X-Saber Airbellum to Commander Gottoms!"

Instead of the usual synchro rings and stars, Gommander Gottoms, Swordmaster had a different animation for his Synchro Summon. X-Saber Airbellum's body still faded and formed thee rings, but instead of fading Gottoms' body it simply extracted six stars that surrounded his body with those rings. One by one, each star rejoined the body from which it came and Gottoms' armor changed. His highly decorated armor was replaced with a much more flexible suit, his cape was traded in for a more lightweight cloak, and his helmet changed into something moer closely resembling a face that allowed him better vision.

"I Synchro Summon XX-Saber Gottoms!" Gottoms grabbed a double-bladed sword that appeared and let out a battle cry (ATK/3100 DEF/2600). "Now XX-Saber Faultroll, attack Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" The futuristic warrior charged with his energy sword toward the black dragon, but Red-Eyes was able to launch a fireball before having its throat severed by the blade just in time for its own attack to strike XX-Saber Faultroll. The two creatures died simultaneously.

"Now Gottoms, attack Darkness Metal Dragon!" ordered War. With an impressive display of swordsmanship, XX-Saber Gottoms carved up Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon with ease.

–––––––––––––––––

**War:** 1800

**Mr. Thulin:** 6400

–––––––––––––––––

"Wrap up, Boggart Knight," ordered War. The silver-armored man charged and produced a sword hidden inside his bracers. He ran up to Mr. Thulin and thrust his blade into the man's stomach.

–––––––––––––––––

**War:** 1800

**Mr. Thulin:** 4500

–––––––––––––––––

"My turn ends there."

Mr. Thulin drew his card and blinked. He looked at War and smiled. "You're fucked, motherfucker." He snapped his fingers at his facedown card. "Call of the Haunted and I rez my Red-Eyes." Red-Eyes Black Dragon rose back onto the field and screeched.

"You brought back that creature of all things?" War asked incredulously. "For what possible reason?" Mr. Thulin responded by showing him the card he drew.

"End it, Red-Eyes." The teacher played his card. "Inferno Fire Blast!" Red-Eyes Black Dragon built up the fireball in its mouth and launched it directly at War.

–––––––––––––––––

**War:** 0

**Mr. Thulin:** 4500

–––––––––––––––––

War collapsed to the ground and his greatsword clattered beside him. He tried to sit up, but Mr. Thulin held him down with his foot. "You're not going anywhere, you fucking motherfucker."

"Ha." War coughed as he looked directly into Mr. Thulin's eyes. "You may have defeated me today, but War will live on so long as there is rage. And there is no other on this plain who possesses rage like your own."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

A reunion of father and son is interrupted when an old rivalry is reignited. Two former comrades separated by their differences must settle their old score once and for all. Watch it unfold next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	123. Gunkata

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-36**

**Gunkata**

Reign's Runner rounded past the cliffsides and into the roads leading into the Academy itself. The Runner hummed down to a purr as he felt Reko stir, his son tied to his back by his and Reko's belts. He groggily looked ahead to see himself moving backwards and he yelled out in horror, alerting his father as to his status. Reign stopped the Runner and with a swift motion undid the buckles and helped Reko up to his feet. His son wasn't looking to well, his skin was pale, bruised and burnt, scraped and cut with blood matting his once vibrant lavender locks that now stuck to his head and face with sweat and grime. He staggered to a standing position as Reign surveyed the devastation, his eyes looking towards the Dual Rose that was now in sight. Students and robed bodies covered the streets in equal measure, blood and smoldering ruins all about with the lone shop standing like the bastion he knew his wife must have kept it. Reko limped towards the store with a hand weakly extended towards the shop, stumbling to his knee with a groan. He had been through much in the past hours, including taking a terrible spill from his Runner.

Reign laid the Runner against a ruined wall, there was no way he could possibly desecrate the dead any further by just driving through the poor students. A green clad knight appeared from the smoke and stood by Reign's side, "He still moves."

"That he does Raiza, you fear for the 'Champion'? The false hopes we Terrans have made for our end?"

"I hold no fear for his health. In a day's rest he'll be as hale and hearty as he ever were. I fear more for you and the Card you safe keep. I know the power within that card, I know you do as well," Raiza held out a hand and he was uncommonly still, "I have felt the winds, there are no problems around this area that need your intrusion. Sir Telaris, Reko, can you yet walk?"

Reko grumbled something about a bat and smashing in a helmet as Reign looked towards his son and laid a hand on his shoulder. Reko smacked it away, and with as little pain shown as he could slowly started to make his way down the road towards the shop, leaving he and Raiza alone.

"He doesn't trust me."

Raiza gave a nod and touched the pavement to stand on equal footing to Reign, though the towering sentinel still stood a good foot above him, "Can you blame him. All he has known has been thrown into turmoil. His motives and mission have been forced into question, he may believe you regaining yourself is some sort of trap."

Reign gave a frown to the Monarch, once again looking towards the students, impaled or riddled with infection so horrid that they died from the pain, "To think that...I... I...aided in this terror..."

The Monarch of Storms held out an emerald arm in a gesture to stay Reign's words, "The Assassin under their employ also saw the error of his ways, as have I. Come, walk with me Duelist. Let us walk the path of Redemption, as seems to follow these Crusaders wherever they go."

The two of them strode quietly, though Raiza could pick up Reign giving quiet apologies to students they passed or stepped over. After a moment, the Dual Rose was within a better distance in the morning fog as Reign could see people huddled around outside the shop, though they weren't identifiable in features just yet. He stopped the monarch, "Is it enough. Redemption. Can Redemption beat the UnGod?"

Raiza chuckled, "You stopped his Herald and bore his taint, yet humanity thrived in the coming centuries. I'd say it has a chance, yet it lacks something. Like a warrior lacking an integral piece of equipment, yet I cannot recall what trait it is."

They strode closer, and Raiza ended the conversation, "I fear for your daughter more. The good Lady Reka and her companions, I wonder if she knows she is being used from within. Good morrow, Sir Reign, Founder of House Telaris," with those words spoken Raiza took flight into the skies and faded into the mists. Reign saw Reko push several students out of the way and walk into the store, a blue haired girl...Umi! Little Umi was here as well, he thought. What hell did she bring herself into... Several students backed away from him, and a larger Slifer Red stood up to him, his body bearing blows and tears from no doubt the battle and horrors ahead. Reign stood his ground, and noted his wife holding a sable haired man in a tattered robe with blood glistening over the chest. Several bloody arrows lay on the grass, gnarled and sickly in appearance bearing barbed heads. He looked peaceful, cradling a child in his arms. He saw him in his enthrallment...Zetsubou Tejinashi, a tragedy of a man if there ever was one. He stepped past the man, patting him on the shoulder, "You did well protecting my wife, son. Guard these people well...they need protection."

Biff was dumbfounded at the words of encouragement as Reign stepped past him. Without a second thought the former bully helped an injured Obelisk Blue stand and taking him inside. His hand came to rest upon Recca's soft, silken hair. It felt like an eternity since he could run his fingers through it. Recca looked up and her eyes widened past her thin red frames, her blue eyes beginning to water as her gaze spun back to Zetsubou, softly stroking his hair. Her body started to quake before began to cry out loud, Reign falling to his knee and holding her shoulders. They stayed that way for many moments as the students looked on in surprise to see Recca, the kind hearted person who ran the store and other the brave commander who kept them safe breakdown all of a sudden. Reign finally gave her a light kiss on the nape of her neck and stood back to his feet.

"I won't tell you to stay Reign... ...I...," Recca gave a loud sniff before her gaze turned back down to Zetsubou, with the unconscious Mikomi laying his his arms. He did not move, and Recca knew deep in her heart the truth, "He's dead...but...why can't I move...?"

Reign was numb to the question, the countless people he saw put to death weighing far heavier than his demise, tragic as it as. He couldn't find an answer to the question, so he remained silent.

"I can't believe it's finally happening, would my mother have...done it differently?"

Reign was quiet, finally answering with, "Their forces are really weak right now."

Recca was silent this time, listening to Reign who continued, "The Shades only have real power in those numbers during the night. You also used the power this place holds to seal away Pestilence, didn't you?"

Recca felt his kevlar covered hand on her shoulder as he continued, "You did very well. These students will defend you. Reko is back, did you see him?"

Recca started to shake as Reign could only smirk and embrace her again, "You've been though a real hell of a situation. You know this was our lot though. Crusaders."

"I missed you so much Reign... I...I can't even explain it... The children...Reka. Oh god, Reka...my little baby..."

"I know milove...believe me, I know..."

o o o

Wes was following someone. He had no idea who she was, but something about her made him uneasy. The Hispanic woman's action had been suspicious the moment his eyes fell upon her. As he followed her, keeping his distance so as not to be detected, he made note of the path she took. It seemed she was walking along the perimeter of the school.

_What is she up to?_ he wondered. His answer came when the woman suddenly stopped. Wes quickly backed up a few steps and lowered his body to conceal himself better. He peered through his cover of foliage and watched as she reached into her satchel and produced a strange object. She dug a small hole near the wall of the school and placed something inside it before covering back up and moving on. Once he was sure she wouldn't be able to see him, Wes came out of his hiding spot and ran over to where the object was buried. The woman had obvious skill for she had concealed the item very well. However, Wes was able to locate it with some educated guessing and very careful digging. What he found caused his heart to stop for a beat. It was a black cylindrical device with a flashing red light and several buttons and switches. No doubt about it; this was a bomb. To defuse such a device was far out of his league as well as that of anybody else on the island. Thus the logical step then would have been to remove the bomb.

At least to anyone else. However, Wes noticed something else. Attached to the bottom of the bomb was a short pole which had been threaded through and attached to the pin of a grenade the rest of which had been half buried and compacted down. It was a clever setup; if anybody who discovered the bomb tried to remove it, it would pull the pin out of the grenade setting off a contingency explosion. Wes had never seen anything like it. It was brilliant.

Covering up the hole lest some random student come by and try to remove the bomb, the grey-haired teen resumed following the woman. She would stop every so often and plant another one of her bombs before moving on. As she planted what Wes counted as her eighteenth bomb, the roar of a jet engine flew past over their heads. The woman looked up and saw the fighter jet flying erratically in the sky.

"Looks like Jaeger found out about Sako from Victoria. Typical reaction." She then turned around. "Hey! You can come out, you know. I'm not gonna hurt you." Wes was taken aback. How long had she known he was there? Slowly he revealed himself. When the woman saw him, she could only help but smirk. "Hey, we should probably meet up with your dad," she said to him, "He's in for some trouble and we will need to break it up."

Wes just stared, but then followed.

o o o

The plane's erratic movements had a reason. For the past while after having received the message, Jaeger had been searching all over for the Duel Sniper. He muttered to himself over and over again, constantly calling the man a coward for hiding. He and Sako had never seen eye to eye; the two men were almost complete opposites of one another. From their personal ideals to the way they were trained. Sako was a sniper trained in the art of stealth for the sake of a quick clean kill. Jaeger was a pilot who was trained in aerial combat designed for full frontal assaults that left a path of destruction and suffering in his wake.

The Duel Ace suddenly had a thought. If hiding was the way his target did it, then he just had to flush him out.

o o o

Mikey, Sammie, Gabe, Coltyn, and Max had not left the student council office. Now that they had an idea of what was going on, the two groups decided to work together to think of a plan. Coltyn and Issac were sitting at the meeting table with a large map of the island in between them and several copies of the school's floor plans beside them. Marsha was in her office with the door closed. Normally she would be out there helping them plan, but unfortunately for her Coltyn was there and the black-haired teen always sent her into an infatuated spiral. Mikey was not too thrilled with Issac being so close to him, so he stayed as close to Sammie as possible. Max was trying to start a conversation with Stan who continued to ignore him as he waited for the coffee maker to finish up. Meanwhile, Gabe was sitting on the couch with Tobias. The two of them seemed to be getting along very well. Tobias' usual shy and quiet demeanor seemed to disappear around the younger Angel.

"So all the normal routes to the Dual Rose are out," Coltyn explained as he marked the map with X's to indicate where the Gene Erics were lurking.

"That leaves only one path." Issac took a pen and drew out a route. "However it's a very treacherous route. And in the dark it's even more dangerous."

"We don't have any other choice. If all the students are amassing there as you and your fellow council members so claim, then we have to go there and rally them together. Then we can form a counter offensive."

"If we all go at once, we will most definitely be spotted."

"Agreed. We should go in groups of two or three. But also leave someone here just in case."

"I'll stay here with Marsha," Issac offered.

"I'll go with Sammie," Mikey said having been listening all this time.

"Ummm... I'll go with Gabe," Tobias said meekly.

"Stan, you go with Max and Coltyn," Issac ordered.

"Why am I going with them?" Stan demanded as he poured himself a cup of long-awaited coffee.

"We're not sending anyone out alone. You're going with them."

Coltyn took a picture of the map with his phone and instructed everyone else to do the same. Once everyone had their maps and their instructions, they proceeded to leave. Mikey and Sammie would be the first to go out. However, as the pair exited the council office, they were stopped. Two men literally leapt in front of them as they performed a wide array of acrobatics despite the limited space of the hallway.

"It seems, big brother, that we have found some prey."

"And it looks like they were just on their way."

o o o

"Are we there yet?" Gio asked.

"Stop asking!" Noah and Cassie yelled simultaneously.

"The grey haired guy told us to be quiet."

"You're one to talk," the pair muttered.

The kids had been accompanying Sako across the island since he rescued them from Famine. They had been walking for a while and Gio's impatience had been evident from the beginning and it was irritating everybody.

"Gio, please be quiet. Do you want to give away our position?" Noah asked quietly. Sako suddenly stopped and turned to look at the three small tykes behind him.

"All of you, just stay quiet. Enemies could be anywhere and even your whispers could alert them." Everybody fell silent after that.

"...I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves..." Gio earned a good smack from both Cassie and Noah. Their sneaking around was suddenly interrupted by a rustling in the bushes. Sako held up a hand and the kids backed off as he carefully unholstered the handgun at his side. At that moment, a familiar Hispanic woman came out.

"So we meet again," she greeted.

"Oh, it's you," Sako replied as he put his weapon away.

"Yes. And I do believe this is yours." At that moment, Wes emerged from the foliage behind her.

"Hello dad."

"Hello son. Doing well?"

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"Yes you are. I see you've met."

"I did. She's planting bombs."

"Is she really now?" Sako looked at Charlie.

"You know the mercs' code," was all she said. Their moment was interrupted when a bomb was dropped somewhere in the forest.

"It's Jaeger," Sako said matter-of-factly.

"No doubt," Charlie agreed, "He's hunting you."

"That figures. Knowing him, he's going to try to flushing me out of this forest by bombing the hell out of it.

"You're not going to let that happen."

"You know me too well, Charlie. Especially with these little guys here." Noah, Cassie, and Gio stayed together a short ways behind Sako. The Duel Sniper tightened his headband and slung his sniper rifle higher on his shoulder. "Look after them. I'm going to draw him away."

"Take this." Charlie took off her earpiece and handed it to Sako. The man nodded and then turned to Wes.

"Son?"

"I understand, dad."

"I'll see you then."

"Sako, wait!" Cassie tugged on Sako's arm, "Please be careful."

"I will, Cassie. I will." Sako took one final drag of his cigarette and ground it under his foot before running off.

o o o

Sako moved well away from the others before he reached into his fatigues and pulled a flare from one of his pockets. As he ran past another tree, he grabbed onto a vine that was hanging down and used it to haul himself up into the branches. Once he was high enough, he scouted the area for some place where he could be seen. He was surprised to find just how close he was to the mountain. That would be enough. Jumping back down he ran toward the mountainside as quickly as he could and ascended the slope until he was above the trees. Once he got there, he ignited the flare and waved it over his head. Just as he had hoped, the jet came around in response.

Though he could not see his face, Sako knew exactly what Jaeger wanted. And he was ready to give it to him as he slung his rifle off his shoulder.

––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 8000

**Jaeger:** 8000

––––––––––––––––

Inside his cockpit, Jaeger's Duel Disk had been set up along his left side so as to not restrict his piloting. The German man reached over to where his deck sat on his right and drew his first card. He placed it upright on his Duel Disk and called out a white, blue, and yellow spaceship called Victory Viper XX03 (ATK/1200 DEF/1000).

"Next I activate ze Spell Card Power Capsule. By selecting one Victory Viper XX03, I can apply one of its effects to zis card und I choose its third effect to summon an Option Token." In that instant, a second ship resembling Victory Viper XX03 appeared and the two spacecrafts went into formation with Jaeger's jet.

"Und now I end with zis facedown."

"You haven't changed, Jaeger," Sako's voice came over the radio.

"Und you still continue to be a thorn in my side," was Jaeger's response.

"Well, here goes. I draw!" Sako drew his card. "And I'll start with Power Bond. And I'll use it to fuse Blowback Dragon and Barrel Dragon in my hand to bring out Gatling Dragon!" He sent his cards to his graveyard and a mighty tank with three minigun turrets for heads emerged (ATK/2600 DEF/1200). "And thanks to the effect of Power Bond, its attack is doubled." Gatling Dragon roared as its attack points rose up to fifty-two hundred. "Now I'll use its effect to flip three coins. For each heads I get, I can destroy that many cards on your field." Sako flipped his lucky coin thrice and two results were heads. He gave his machine the order and Gatling Dragon opened fire and destroyed Victory Ciper XX03 and the Option Token.

"This ends now. I activate Limiter Removal, doubling my Machine monster's attack even further." The shackles were unbound and Gatling Dragon was free with its attack points now risen to ten thousand and four hundred. "Open fire." Gatling Dragon pointed its guns toward the sky and started firing at Jaeger's jet.

"I activate a Trap Card, Videspread Ruin! Zis destroys a monster on your field vith zee highest attack points." Gatling Dragon's gatling guns suddenly ceased and the entire creature's body exploded.

"I'll summon Cannon Soldier and end my turn." Sako summoned out a purple robot with a cannon on its shoulder and ended his turn (ATK/1400 DEF/1300).

"I draw!" Jaeger drew his card. "Und I summon Falchionβ!" A white and blue spacecraft shaped like a fighter jet appeared and flew alongside the jet (ATK/1200 DEF/800). "Next I vill increase its attack points by seven hundred vith 7 Completed." A large red number seven appeared on one of Falchionβ's wings and its attack points shot up to nineteen hundred. "Now attack!" Falchionβ broke out of formation and started firing on Sako's Cannon Soldier.

––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 7500

**Jaeger:** 8000

––––––––––––––––

"Und now I activate one of Falchionβ's effects und summon a Light monster vith tvelve hundred or less attack points from my graveyard. Zat means Victory Viper return!" Victory Viper XX03 reappeared and flew in formation with Jaeger and Falchionβ. "Now attack!" Victory Vper XX03 broke formation and shot Sako with lasers.

––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 6300

**Jaeger:** 8000

––––––––––––––––

"I set one card und end zee turn!"

Sako drew his next card. "I summon X-Head Cannon." A blue and yellow robot with two cannons on its shoulders appeared (ATK/1800 DEF/1500). "Attack Victory Viper XX03!" X-Head Cannon aimed its cannons toward the sky and fired.

"My Trap Card shall not allow you to do zat!" Jaeger announced. "Covering Fire! During ze Damage Step vhen one of my monsters is attacked, my attacked monster gains a boost equal to zee attack power of one of my other monsters." Falchionβ fired its lasers at the same time as Victory Viper XX03, boosting the latter's attack points to thirty-one hundred and completely destroying X-Head Cannon.

––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 5000

**Jaeger:** 8000

––––––––––––––––

"Und since Victory Viper just destroyed a monster in battle, it can now activate one of its effects. For zis, it shall summon an Option Token." A new Option Token appeared, now giving Jaeger three monsters.

"I set a card and end my turn," announced Sako.

"Und now it is my turn." Jaeger drew. "I play another Power Capsule and I vill use it to summon another Option Token." Two Option Tokens now occupied the field along with Victory Viper XX03 and the powered-up, Falchionβ.

"I now summon Jade Knight." Jaeger played his card and summoned out a white and green space fighter (ATK/1000 DEF/1800), "Und vhile Jade Knight is on zee field, all my face-up machines vith tvelve hundred or less attack points cannot be destroyed by Trap Cards." Jade Knight flashed momentary and it emitted a green energy shield that surrounded all of Jaeger's monsters. Sako's jaw dropped. In just a few short turns, his opponent had amassed a whole fleet of fighters.

"I've vaited a long time for zis, Sako," Jaeger gloated, "Und now it is your time to die!"

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Sako Remington, the Duel Sniper. Charlie Saratoga, the Duel Guerilla. Jaeger Lockheed, the Duel Ace. Victoria Collins, the Duel Submariner. Separate, they are each a force to be reckoned. Together, they are the Duel Mercenaries. This is their story. Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	124. What Was Never Seen

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-37**

**What Was Never Seen**

Jet Planes. Sniper rounds. Gun Dragons. War. Monsters. Cards. In the today that we know, two men fight on a battlefield soaked in fear and loathing as children die in a fruitless struggle against foes they never knew they had slighted, or if they ever did. The roar of a jet rattles their bones and the crack of a gun barrel quakes their souls. In the yesterday only they know, this was not the case. This was never the case.

It began twenty years ago with a gun in the hand of a young man. His eyes were grey and his hands were steady. He laid still, his belly covered in dirt, grass, and leaves. At his side sat a young woman with a pair of binoculars. Her hair hung down in a pony tail, tucked tightly under her camo hat. There they sat, his index finger extended across the trigger guard of his dragunov rifle. There they sat for hours in silence. Lieutenant Sako Remington and Captain Charlie Saratoga. Silent. Waiting. Patient. Broken only by the echoing croons of birds in the distance and the rumbling sound of jeeps along a dirt road.

"Tangos inbound at six clicks to the north," Charlie said, gazing through her binoculars.

"I see them. Wind speed?" Sako replied, his hand reaching up and adjusting his scope slowly and methodically.

"Twenty-six miles per hour east to west. Objective is in the third car passenger seat." Charlie's gaze shifted down to the young Sako as he adjusted the scope once more and looked down the long barrel. He saw a man in a jeep, sitting with his arms crossed. Sitting. Staring. The trigger squeezed and a single shot cracked in a low thud. The muzzle flash was almost non-existent and the smell of gun oil permeated the air. Pink mist. Busted window. Panic. Death.

Sako and Charlie had vanished before anyone knew they were even there.

o o o

Florescent bulbs flickered in a sterile conference room deep underground. Sako sat, Charlie across from him, looking at a manilla envelope. This was not the usual debrief. No where close. His eyes looked up to his CO and she looked up to him. They didn't say a word. He had trained with her for too long to not know what she was thinking. He trusted this woman with his life. She taught him how to be a sniper and he surpassed even her expectations. She taught him how to fight with guerrilla tactics. It was the reason why she was his spotter. It was why they worked. Sako knew what she was thinking. Something wasn't right.

The mahogany doors creaked open and General Howser entered. The man commanded attention when he entered a room. In this room he only commanded a plunging adam's apple as Sako swallowed, unsure of what he did, or why he was here. General Howser stood with multiple stars and medals upon his vest. His face was leathery and his hair was greyed. It lent to the quaking feeling one received when they met his steely gaze. Behind him stood two more individuals. One was a blond haired, blue eyed man with a sly grin and a slightly unzipped German flight suit. The other person was a black woman with wavy hair tied back behind her wearing a British royal navy uniform. They all sat down, the blond man next to Charlie and the black woman next to Sako with the General sitting at head of the table, his eyes piercing and glancing around at each person before him. The General looked up to the door and two soldiers came and closed the doors, leaving them locked in the sound proof environment. Alone.

Silence filled the room before the General tapped his fingers on the manilla envelope and Sako looked down, watching each tap. His unease increased each time he saw the General's finger tips tap the envelope. He wanted a cigarette. He needed one. Sako saw Charlie fidget. She needed one too. They resisted the urge and looked up at the sound of the General clearing his throat.

"What did we do General Howser? The mission was a success wasn't it?" Sako blurted out, the grumbling throat of the General adding the last bit of tension. He couldn't take it. The General simply looked at the young sniper and then back to the envelope. Charlie shot Sako a glare and he clasped his hands in silence. The blonde man laughed lightly to himself at the outburst and the black woman bit her lip lightly with furrowed brows.

"No, the mission was a success, Sako," General Howser finally said, "but something came up just recently and we did not have time for a proper debrief of your last mission. My apologies. Still, we have a situation that we must address. 48-hours ago we received Intel about movement near a tiny village in Brazil of the terrorist organization Black Rose. We understand that Alias: Omen may be there setting up for another attack. Now, you all know that we have been keeping his actions secret from the general public, because of the nature of his attacks on world military bases. As you recall Alias: Omen is suspected to have released a chemical agent that left entire outposts barren, except for semi-mummified corpses. We have yet to identify what agent was used, but that is not the point of why I called you here.

"I called you four here because we have good information that says this son of a bitch is here and I want him dead."

Charlie raised her hand and nodded respectfully to the General before interweaving her fingers and sighing. "Sir, I am sorry to interrupt, but who are these guys? I know they are not from the base. This guy next to me is wearing a German flight suit and that girl over there is British navy."

"Yes, Captain Saratoga, that is correct. I suppose I will have to introduce you all. The man sitting next to you is Jaeger Lockheed of the German Airforce. I have it under good authority that he is one of the best pilots in the world."

"I'm _the _best pilot, fool." Jaeger chimed in, kicking his feet up onto the conference table. "I fly planes and choppers almost as well as I make love. It is all about thrust, speed, and power. I have broken the sound barrier so many times that they are thinking of calling the damn thing 'Jaeger's Bitch.' I..." The blond pilot quickly silenced himself at the steely gaze of the General, not noticing the hole being burned into his head from the annoyed gazes of Sako and Charlie. Who was this amateur? Fucking flyboys.

The General cleared his throat once more and began again. "And our other guest is Victoria Collins of the British Royal Navy. Her government has lent her to us for her skills as a capable pilot and Captain for any seafaring vessel as well as her advanced naval operations training."

The black woman nodded and smiled, waving nervously to everyone. "It is a pleasure to meet everyone. I'm a little embarrassed to hear that kind of stuff about me. I just did what I liked doing. The sea is just my place. I'm nothing special."

General Hoswer nodded and looked to Charlie and Sako. The pair nodded in return.

"I'm Sako Remington," Sako said with a quick salute while remaining seated. "I am a field class sniper."

"I'm Captain Charlie Saratoga," Charlie said following suit. "I am a guerilla combat specialist and field demolitions expert."

General Howser tapped a finger on the manilla envelope once more and smiled, which seemed to terrify Sako even more than the glare. "Now that we know each other, we must discuss the mission. This is a joint assault on the base from multiple countries. We are assigning this task to a small number to keep our movements as undetectable as possible, while also assuring our success by getting the best men in the world for the job. Ms. Saratoga here will be the CO for this mission. So, ladies and gentlemen, how are we going to get this bastard?"

And so the meeting went. The four met. The events were disclosed. The best had prepared and they had gone on the move. Their campaign and travel had lasted weeks. They had silently entered the country. They had set up base spied on many patrols. They had remained hidden to the best of their abilities. Humid air and the rumble of the wild. Silent movements through land, air, and the shifting river. They had no way of failing. Then they did.

Omen found them, though they knew not how. Omen took them captive, though they did not go without a fight. Omen tortured them, but they did not give away who they were or why they were there. Why would they? The soldiers were busy playing cards. No matter how bound they were or how far apart they always were playing, always dueling. None of the soldiers had a deck to their name as they lived each day planning and playing. Decks were imagined and created one card at a time in their minds. Games were played vocally and mentally between them. When the hot coals came a new trap would be played. When the whippings began a spell card was played. Charlie's Lavals battled Victoria's Gishkis. Sako's Gun Dragons had dog fights with Jaeger's fighter jets. Pain was the illusion and the game was the reality. It was the sanity. It was their lifeline and communication. Communication. Communication.

The Black Rose never saw it coming.

Explosions that ripped through the village. The gunfire that tore through flesh and bone. The knives that cut and spilled blood. Boats rumbled in escape. Planes rattled in exodus. Death was left in the wake of the four. Death and their pasts. They do not talk about what they saw in that village. They do not say why they left the military after that mission and went into mercenary work. They do not say anything, but they knew. They knew the horror that was between the four of them in that jungle. In that village. The days they spent. The things they saw. The things they did. It brought them together. It kept them together. Eventually, what they shared even tore them apart.

Jaeger was the first to leave. The Duel Ace, he called himself arrogantly. It stuck and reflected on his comrades. He gave them their names too in better times. They all knew why Jaeger left the group that day. They still did not speak of it. Not of what happened to the children. Of what happened to the men. Of what happened to their faith in reality.

Charlie left next. The Duel Geurilla. She vanished into the night. Uncermoniously. Mysteriously. She would appear time and again to Sako, but she was always gone. Always gone.

Victoria left after that. The Duel Submariner. She got her own crew. She got her own life. She didn't need to live this life anymore. She didn't need to remember what she had done and live off of that. She was the kind one. The glue. Sako had fought with Jaeger time and again. When the latter had left things were supposed to be normal. They never were, but she was the reason why they worked. She was the last stand. Sako didn't blame her for leaving. This was not the life her kind heart needed to live.

Then there was him. Sako. Alone. The Duel Sniper.

Now they are here. Twenty years later. Cards laid bare. Death on the battlefield. Fear and loathing and an unspoken reason for hatred between them. There they were and Sako was silent. Sako was ready. Sako squeezed the trigger in his mind and saw Jaeger's head. Pink Mist. Dueling. Death. Just the way he would have wanted it.

Sako just wished he could forget the face of that dying child in Brazil. That dying boy. That dying boy named Reproba.

* * *

**Next Week on**_** Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The duel between Sako and Jaeger continues. A fierce rivalry buried under deep layers of emotion and forgetful attempts heats up more than ever now. See it play out next Friday on _YuiGi-Oh! GNext_!


	125. Hidden Arsenal

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-38**

**Hidden Arsenal**

––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 5000

**Jaeger:** 8000

––––––––––––––––

Sako was in a bind. He had no cards in his hand and only one facedown. His opponent, Jaeger, was flying overhead in his jet with three cards in his hand and had five monsters flying in formation with him: Jade Knight (ATK/1000 DEF/1800), Victory Viper XX03 (ATK/1200 DEF/1000), two Options Tokens (ATK/1200 DEF/1000), and Falchionβ (ATK/1200 DEF/800) that had been boosted up to nineteen hundred attack points thanks to the 7 Completed equipped to it.

"I've waited a long time for this, Sako," Jager gloated, "And now it is your time to die! Attack!" As he pulled up, his five fighters turned down and flew toward Sako with guns blazing.

"I activate my Trap Card!" the Duel Sniper declared.

"I just told you my Jade Knight protects my fighters from being destroyed by Trap Cards!" Jaeger replied.

"I know, but I'm not destroying them. I'm negating your attack." Sako's card was revealed to be Negate Attack and a vortex swallowed up the gunfire the fighters launched. The five ships pulled up and fell back into formation.

"You're lucky this turn." Jaeger ended his turn.

_Hopefully, my luck holds out_, thought Sako. He took in a breath and drew his card.

"Did you get the card you needed?" asked Jaeger. Even though he hated Sako with a burning passion, he knew it was best not to underestimate him.

"As a matter of fact, I did." Sako inserted his card into one of his Spell and Trap Card Zones in his Barrett. "I play Overload Fusion. By removing from play Blowback Dragon and Barrel Dragon from my graveyard, I can Fusion Summon a monster." Taking the two monsters from his graveyard and placing them safely in the pocket of his fatigues, he pulled a purple card from his Extra Deck and placed it onto the field. "It's my second Gatling Dragon!" Guns were blazing as a new mechanical dragon with three large minigun turrets for heads emerged onto the field (ATK/2600 DEF/1200). "Now I activate its effect and flip a coin three times. And for each Heads that comes up, a monster gets destroyed." Taking a coin from his pocket, Sako spun it between his fingers a few times before flipping it. It landed on heads once. Twice. Thrice.

Three times the coin was flipped. Three times it landed on Heads. Things were going well for Sako. On his command, Gatling Dragon opened fire. Its bullets pierced through the hulls of Falchionβ, Jade Knight, and Victory Viper XX03 and all three ships crashed into the island. "Now Gatling Dragon, attack one of those Option Tokens." Gatling Dragon turned its guns onto Jaeger's Option Tokens and opened fire again. The two crafts tried to outmaneuver them, but one moved too slowly and its body was quickly penetrated by a hailstorm of armor-piercing rounds.

––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 5000

**Jaeger:** 6600

––––––––––––––––

The Option Token's remains fell toward the earth, leaving behind its twin to follow Jaeger's jet. "That ends my turn," announced Sako.

"Even in the face of danger, you still pull yourself out from the jaws of defeat," the Duel Ace said as he drew his card. "I set one card in defense mode and switch my Option Token into defense mode. That is all." His Option Token fell back and flew close to his plane as a facedown appeared beside him.

Sako drew his card and flipped his coin. This time no Heads came up and he ordered Gatling Dragon to attack the Option Token before ending his turn.

Jaeger drew his card and proceeded to make his move. "I Flip Summon DUCKER Mobile Cannon." He flipped his facedown up into face-up attack position and a mobile cannon on two chicken legs appeared (ATK/500 DEF/500). "And with his effect, I can bring one level four or lower monster from my graveyard back to my hand. I choose Victory Viper XX03." After returning the card to his hand, he set a backfield card and one card in defense mode before ending his turn.

o o o

Mika awoke to the sounds of a man's voice speaking. She tried to open her eyes and found her wrists and ankles bound in rope. She looked around to get her bearings. It was the strangest place she had ever seen. It was a rather cramped looking space and yet there were at least a dozen people in uniforms moving around with great ease. Others were seated at controls talking to one another over headsets. She looked to see a black woman in a uniform more elegant than the rest talking to all the others. Often she would turn her head towards Mika's direction, stop, and then look away begrudgingly before resuming her duties.

"Even the best well-oiled machine in the world can rust if not maintained properly," a man's voice said near Mika. The priestess turned around and looked up to see a man with glasses and a purple business suit sitting in a large comfortable chair beside her with a glass of whiskey in his hand. "She awakens." The man pushed up his glasses and looked down at Mika. "Look around you. What you see here is but an instrument of destruction. This is the base of operations for the invasion force. Every action that happens on the island, every order that is given out, is issued from here."

"What do you want?" Mika demanded.

"We already have what we came for," Roman answered.

"Then why are you still here?"

"Because, my dear priestess, we have not yet finished using what we came for." Roman looked down at Mika. "But I'm certain we can get that done easily. That is, if you're willing to cooperate."

o o o

Sako drew his card and smiled. "I play Star Blast. By paying Life Points in multiples of five hundred, I can lower the level of one monster in my hand by one for each five hundred."

––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 4500

**Jaeger:** 6600

––––––––––––––––

A row of stars appeared over Sako's head and one exploded as he took the last card in his hand and placed it on his rifle. "I summon Satellite Cannon." Somewhere over their heads, a large orbital lase cannon appeared (ATK/0 DEF/0). "When this card attacks, its attack points are reduced to zero and on my End Phase, it gains one thousand attack. So first I'm going to flip my coin." Sako's coin tosses resulted in two Heads and Gatling Dragon destroyed DUCKER Mobile Cannon and Jaeger's facedown monster, which turned out to be Lord British Space Fighter (ATK/1200 DEF/800). "I end my turn." And with that, Satellite Cannon's attack points rose up to one thousand.

Jaeger drew and set his monster and ended his turn. When Sako's turn came up, he activated Gatling Dragon's effect again but came up with all Tails so he attacked and destroyed a Victory Viper XX03. He concluded his turn and Satellite Cannon rose up to two thousand attack points. When it was Jaeger's turn again, he set another monster and ended his turn. Sako retaliated with his Gatling Dragon's effect and failed again, resulting in attacking the creature with the turretted monster, which turned out to be Blue Thunder T-45 (ATK/1700 DEF/1000). Upon ending his turn, Satellite Cannon rose up to four thousand attack points.

Jaeger drew again. He looked at his hand and grinned. "I summon Falchionβ." A second Falchionβ appeared in formation beside his jet. "Now I remove from play my two Falchionβs, Jade Knight, my two Victory Viper XX03s, Lord Vritis Space Fighter, DUCKER Mobile Cannon, and Blue Thunder T-45 and Special Summon Cyber Eltanin in attack mode." He moved all his cards off to the side and summoned out a massive silver aircraft shaped like a dragon's head. "For each card that was removed from play, Cyber Eltanin gains five hundred attack points. And what I removed was eight." Cyber Eltanin roared and seven disembodied mechanical dragon heads appeared around it (ATK/4000 DEF/4000). "On top of that, when it's summoned all other monsters are sent to the graveyard." Right on cue, Gatling Dragon and Satellite Cannon were blasted by the dragon heads, leaving Sako wide open.

"Cyber Eltanin, attack!" All eight dragon heads opened their mouths and a shower of laser fire shot out and hit Sako every which way.

––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 500

**Jaeger:** 6600

––––––––––––––––

"Your move," Jaeger declared.

Sako drew his card without fear. As he looked at it, the look in his eyes did not change. Rather, it only intensified. "I play Monster Reborn and resurrect X-Head Cannon." The blue and yellow robot reappeared. "Now I summon Y-Dragon Head." A red mechanical dragon appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/1600). "Next I play Double Summon and use it to bring out Z-Metal Tank." A yellow tank with claw-like protrusions in front of its treads appeared beside Y-Dragon Head (ATK/1500 DEF/1300). "Now I contact fuse them together to create XYZ-Dragon Cannon." Z-Metal Tank's back opened up to form a docking station as Y-Dragon Head flew up and detached its wings and folded in its legs. The red machine slid into place and locked on top of Z-Metal Tank as X-Head Cannon's spherical bottom connected and locked with the docking station on Y-Dragon Head's back (ATK/2800 DEF/2600).

"Now I activate XYZ-Dragon Cannon's effect. I discard a card to destroy one card on the field and I choose Cyber Eltanin." Sako sent the last card he held to the graveyard and watched as his creature opened fire with X-Head Cannon's cannons, blasting Cyber Eltanin and watched as the giant silver monstrosity crashed. "Now attack!" XYZ-Dragon Cannon now turned its cannons onto Jaeger's jet as Y-Dragon Head's mouth opened and another pair of cannons came out of Z-Metal Tank's tread guards. Four cannons and a laser stream were fired and struck the plane hard.

––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 500

**Jaeger:** 3800

––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn."

Jaeger drew and growled. He had nothing. Then it was back to Sako. The Duel Sniper drew his final card. "I activate Limiter Removal." With the Spell Card's effect, XYZ-Dragon Cannon's inhibitors were removed and its attack points doubled to fifty-six hundred. "Attack for game." The great machine opened fire and the last of Jaeger's Life Points were depleted.

––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 500

**Jaeger:** 0

––––––––––––––––

Sako put away his deck and watched as a clearly angered Jaeger flew around sporadically for several minutes before disappearing. The man himself showed his face a good hour later after having landed his aircraft.

"You cheated!" the Duel Ace accused.

"I did no such thing," Sako replied calmly.

The two proceeded to get into another one of their fights before Charlie intervened. She knocked Jaeger down and punched Sako hard to the ground.

"You," she turned to the Duel Ace, "Sit down, shut up, and watch." She then turned to Sako. "And you..." She took out her Duel Disk. "You and me, right here." The Duel Sniper looked at the Duel Guerilla and knew she was serious.

"But first..." Charlie took a step back and reached into her pack. "Who's hungry?"

Sako felt his headband slip a bit. Typical Charlie.

o o o

Mikey, Sammie, Max, Coltyn, Gabe, Marsha, Stan, Issac, and Tobias just stood at the door watching the two bald men perform random acrobatics in the hallway.

"Our names are Para and Dox."

"And we shall block you like some rocks."

"If you wish to pass, against us you must duel."

"It will be two on two, that is our rule."

"Duel you guys?" Mikey asked incredulously. These men could not be serious. Especially with the way they spoke and the show they were putting on.

"One, two, three, not it," Stan muttered just audibly for everyone.

"Not it," Tobias replied.

"Not it," Max chimed in.

"Not it," Coltyn added.

"Not it," said Marsha.

"Are you seriously doing the not it thing?" asked Sammie.

"I can't believe it either, but it's how we sometimes divide up the work," Issac answered, "Not it."

Mikey and Gabe looked at each other. The two boys strapped on their Duel Disks and stepped forward. Para and Dox finally stopped their acrobatics and stood properly side by side with their Duel Disks ready.

The tag duel was about to begin.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The Angel Brothers face the Paradox Brothers in a tag team duel. Can the forces of heaven defeat the raging storm? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	126. Storm of Heaven

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-39**

**Storm of Heaven**

Mikey stood beside Gabe in the hallway just outside the student council office. The two of them were opposite two bald men with Kanji tattooed on their foreheads wearing traditional Chinese clothing, one in orange and the other in green. They were Para and Dox, also known as the Paradox Brothers.

"Out of our way, assholes."

"Gabe, are the insults really necessary?"

"Totally. We're in a war zone."

"Still..."

"You dare challenge us to a duel?" Para asked.

"Then we shall use the tag team rule," Dox finished.

"You shall face us two-on-two."

"Each team shares a Life Point pool."

"The last to go gets first attack."

"Once you accept, you can't go back."

"Well we're obviously not getting past these guys without a duel," Mikey said as he activated his Duel Disk.

"Isn't this the first time you and me dueled together?" Gabe inquired as he switched his on as well.

"Now that you mentioned it, yeah." The two brothers looked at each other. Gabe smirked and Mikey nodded.

"Your confidence is to be admired," Para stated.

"In fact many would be inspired," Dox added.

"But in this duel, it has been misplaced."

"For your existence shall be erased."

"Isn't that a little extreme?" asked Mikey.

"It does not matter, it is all the same."

"So never mind that. Let's play a card game."

Mikey and Gabe crossed their arms. "Duel!"

o o o

She heard the clang of metal upon of metal echoing throughout the cavernous temple she found herself in, where were her friends. Amadis, Milena, Mikomi, Katasuo...none of them were to be found, she could hardly remember how she got into this place, maybe a blast charge she had? A small Genex Controller whirred by her side, acting as a guide towards the sound with its chirps and clicks. With a vault over a pillar and her trusty wrench at her side, she climbed over a small hill of rubble and saw the source of the fighting.

Eight statues were carved from the stone, the forms being perfect immobile representations of the Eight Monarchs that Reka had heard much about and seen only one. The Monarchs held a great power than none in Ardent could fully comprehend, and anyone in Terra would dismiss as irrefutable insanity. They each seemed to follow their gaze towards the floor, seeing the two humans fight in a circle of pearl and rubies inlaid in an interweaving pattern with her family crest inside the circle, a silver gauntlet holding a red and white petalled rose. The two humans had wild and bloodied forms, both athletically built and wild lavender hair, looking like clones of one another. Each had blue eyes, yet one was full of hate and blind madness while the other was full of rage and a primal intelligence.

The two fighting were exact copies of her twin brother Reko Telaris. The one looked crazed, wearing tattered and bloodied tribal designed clothing with hands crackling with electricity and holding a menacing falchion in one hand. He gave a menacing cackle and leapt with a maddening cry as he swung his blade into the other one with a savage frenzy again and again. Only instead of the fatality he was hoping for he had his strikes turned again and again by the other Reko. This version of her brother seemed much more like the kind and often carefree brother she knew. He wore a sleeveless longcoat with it's hood down and loose fitting clothing bound with leather cord, all the colors of the earth in its green and browns. The weapon in his hand wasn't the blood caked blade the other Reko had yet a silver polearm, elegantly detailed to dip down into a sloping blade at one end. He gave a fiery grin towards his double, and rushing towards each other they tore into one another again and again with furious blows meant to blast the other apart colliding time and time again. Both summoned lightning that the other dodged, both beckoned the winds to tear the enemy apart to no avail as each matched the other time and time again. The necks of both combatants were exposed, luring Reka's gaze only due to the amount of times one tried to decapitate the other. The Reko with the caked blade and insane look had a black rose branded into his neck and a symbol that twisted and coiled as she looked towards it, filling her with dread. The other was marked similarly, only with a red rose on his neck, the opposite bearing a strange emerald circle with a silver whirlwind inside.

Reka had towards the the two wrench drawn as the opposite end broke apart and whirred with the chainsaw she had installed within it, her weapon of choice against the countless evils within Arden.t The Statues hummed to life and she felt herself dropping to one knee. Struggled as she tried, even with her Controller tugging on her jacket, she could not bring herself to stand as one Reko screamed at the other with molten fury. She heard voices within her head, the eyes of Caius lighting up and glaring down upon her with baleful light.

"Gaze ye now upon the Lost Crusader. Gaze upon he who is continually the pawn of the UnGod."

The insane Reko brought his blade down upon the other more humane appearing Reko, stunning his strike and knocking his weapon out of his hand. Caius' eyes burnt out as the eyes of Delg lit up, Reka feeling the forbidden and tempting wisdom behind those indigo lights.

"The broken half of one child, the successor to the throne of The Duelist. Gaze ye now upon his struggle to to bear to burdens of all upon himself and crumble like all structures built by the civilized masses."

The Calmer Reko rolled to one side from a vertical slash meant to cleave him in twain, pulling his arm up towards his body as a sudden gale lifted the silver polearm towards him in the nick of time to block another strike from the Insane Reko and countering with a series of lightning quick stabs. Delg's eyes dimmed as the steadfast gaze of Granmarg filled the room with an amber light.

"He stands in the guises of many, keeping up the appearance of those lost to Ardent so their memory shall never fade as the stones endure the test of time. Yet though he himself keeps in the shadow of those before and dear to him has he himself lost his identity?"

Each Reko was struggling in a weapon lock, with the Insane Reko winning the lock and attempting to carve his blade into his doubles face. The double was resisting quite well, and as the struggle continued the eyes of Granmarg dies out and the holy stare of Kuraz filled the room with holy radiance.

"He and my charge Michael share similar traits. Both are continually tested...and both are affected and driven by similar goals...each decision offering either salvation or damnation in every stroke."

The Calmer Reko growled and laid his hand against the flat of the other Reko's sword. for an instant it looked as though a different man was the one who sent lightning coursing through the weapon and propelled him into the ground and cracking the stone with a fierce gust from above. Her gaze showed it was the more down to earth reko however that dealt the powerful blow, picking up the poleaxe and striding towards the Insane reko with almost a sadness in his face. The light of Kuraz died out, and the illumination of Mobius replaced it.

"Force betwix these decisions, the brother was swept to the same realm as his sister with the aid of Legacy, an arcane artifact. Here the tale thickens as the UnGod made his move and set into motion the greatest of coups set to unmake the entire Telaris family!"

The Insane Reko spang to life with a shattered arm, screaming over and over while rushing towards the other Reko in a flurry of lightning and the repeated crushing of blade against staff. He bit into the other Reko's arm, as Lightning struck the both of them, knocking them both onto the floor and both laid motionless upon the magnificent stonework. Mobius' eyes burnt out and were soon replaced with a subtle emerald light of Kuras, his voice echoing like all of the other yet sounding quite remorseful.

"I aid only a shell of the former Crusader that once was there. The shell is filled only with the power the UnGod imparts upon it, and what made him whole now rests in Ardent unseen by all."

The two Reko's seemed to trade places, both unharmed and fully recovered from the battle that ensued. Each ran over to collect their weapons and turned to face each other. The now insane Reko cackled maniacally while the now calmer Reko merely gave a smirk and spun his polearm into his hands, spitting towards his double's direction and driving him into a frenzy that made him charge first. The eyes of Raiza slowly and lingered for a moment. Reka watched the battle unfold in silence for a solid minute before the raging fire from Thestalos' statue filled his eyes and bore down upon her.

"Yet all is never lost in the hearts of people dedicated to the defense of Terra! The soul still lives in torpor, seen yet unseen by all would seek his aid like a solider seeks glory."

Both Rekos charged one another and gave and received countless swings and parries before leaping back to the very edge of the circle. Thestalos' eyes burnt out as the final set of eyes crackled into existance, leaving Reka with a great query, "Young child, gaze now upon Reko. Will he become your salvation or your damnation...only you can make him see who he is, lest the UnGod replace his Champion so soon."

All the Monarch Statues spoke as one, "So sayeth the Monarchs of Ardent. So it is decreed, so it shall come to pass. Save this Crusader, lest another Crusader falls toward the UnGod's will in his trail."

Kuraz was silent on the matter.

Reka woke up in her camp in the lush European wood, the scent of rain filling her nostrils and the chill of precipitation upon her body. the other four with her were sleeping soundly, with their assorted monsters were guarding the camp as well as they could. For the life of her, she just couldn't understand the dream she just had. Did the others in Terra need help?

She looked at the map in a tube hanging on her belt, checking her position in the wood. There was a sect of horrid priests guarding the final sixteenth place of power in Ardent. Once she undid the seals there, the champions on Terra would have the strength needed to destroy the UnGod. She felt like something was wrong though. Amadis still hadn't forgiven her for unlocking the fifteenth, they put up resistance, but didn't attack them. Reka had no choice but you take them out. They were evil...why didn't they fight back? For the first time since she started unlocking these seals, Reka was starting to fell that something was amiss. Maybe she'll figure it out once the other seals were undone. The nagging feeling that she was doing something evil first started since they left Mist Valley...when she first met up with her brother.

Standing to her feet and pulling her hair under a simple hat of leather, she started to rouse her companions. Today the final seal would be unlocked. Terra had to prevail against the UnGod, its power was growing with every day. She ached all over and felt terrible, as if she suffered a crash from a vehicle. She and her brother could feel the pain each one felt, did he feel as miserable as she did at the moment? Working a crack out of her stiff neck and nudging Milena with her foot, she looked towards the rainy forest with a feeling of regret.

o o o

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Angel Brothers:** 8000

**Paradox Brothers:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Just as the sun rises in the east," Para declared as he drew, "I begin our duel with this beast. Mother Grizzly, attack mode!" He placed his card on the field and summoned a giant black grizzly bear (ATK/1400 DEF/1000). "And now I set facedowns of two. This duel now I pass to you." Two cards appeared at Para's feet and he handed the duel off to Mikey.

"This rhyming's gonna drive me up the wall when this is done," he mumbled as he drew his card. "I summon Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast." Mikey summoned out his massive dragon-shaped tank (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). "Since he was summoned without a tribute, his attack and defense points get halved." Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast suddenly folded itself up into a more compact form, retracting its head and tail and withdrawing two of its cannon, bringing its stats down to fourteen hundred attack and one thousand defense. "Next I play Dimensionhole. I remove my Fusilier Dragon from play until my next Standby Phase." A wormhole to the Different Dimension opened up and swallowed up Mikey's monster.

"I'll end with two facedowns."

"My turn has come at last." Dox drew his card. "But we'll win this duel and you'll not get past. I summon Flying Kamakiri #1 in attack mode." A large green humanoid dragonfly appeared on the field and buzzed its wings (ATK/1400 DEF/900). "And now two cards face down. My turn is over, it's yours now you clown."

"Max is the ginger behind me," Gabe replied as he drew. "I start off with Vahalla, Hall of the Fallen. Now if my opponent has monsters and I don't, I can Special Summon a Fairy from my hand. So I'll start by Special Summoning Vylon Charger." He played his card and summoned a cylindrical mechanical angel two two disembodied arms floating beside it with its body surrounded by several golden rings ATK/1000 DEF/1000).

"Now I Normal Summon Vylon Cube." Gabe placed another card on top of his Duel Disk and called out a white mechanical cube (ATK/800 DEF/800). "Now I'm gonna tune Cube with Charger." Vylon Cube's body started twisting and turning and then opened up to release three shining stars that morphed into synchro rings as they surrounded Vylon Charger whose body changed into stars before a column of light engulfed them.

"I Synchro Summon Vylon Sigma!" A white angelic robot emerged from the light and spread its wings. Gold rings surrounded its arms and a golden halo had been mounted to its back (ATK/1800 DEF/1000). "And since my Vylon Cube was used to Synchro Summon a Light monster, its effect lets me pick an Equip Spell from my deck and add it to my hand. And I choose Vylon Filament." Gabe watched as his Duel Disk shuffled his deck and then spat out a single card. He took it and revealed it to his opponents. "Now I equip Sigma with Vylon Filament. With this card equipped, my monster gets the Ancient Gear effect so you can't activate Spells or Traps until the end of the Damage Step." Two golden pinball bumpers appeared and attached themselves to Vylon Sigma's shoulders. "Sigma, attack Mother Grizzly! Now Sigma's effect activates. When I declare an attack with him while I have no other monsters on my field, I can bring an Equip Card from my deck and equip it to him and I pick Vylon Material." A three-pronged gold and white weapon appeared and attached itself to Vylong Sigma's right arm. "This boosts his attack points by six hundred." As the weapon began to glow, the angelic machine's attack power rose up to twenty-four hundred. "Now his attack continues." Taking aim with his new weapon, Vylon Sigma opened up Vylon Material and began to charge up. When it had reached maximum power, it fired a white laser beam that cut through Mother Grizzly's heart.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Angel Brothers:** 8000

**Paradox Brothers:** 7000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"A clever move, we will grant you that," Dox commented.

"But my monster's effect will knock it flat," Para finished.

"When Mother Grizzly dies in battle, its owner can Special Summon a Water monster from his or her deck with fifteen hundred or less attack points in attack mode," Coltyn said from the back.

"Unshaven Angler, come out." Para pulled his card from his deck and summoned out an anglerfish with a very long beard (ATK/1500 DEF/1600).

"I end my turn," announced Gabe.

"And so I draw on my turn." Para drew his card.

"The time has come for you to learn," Dox continued.

"Our deck were made to work as one."

"We'll show you why, just for fun."

The Paradox Brothers suddenly engaged in another acrobatics display before Para made his move. "Unshaven Angler, you need not stay. With these pests we will deal away. Go now as I summon my ace. The Water God Suijin, take his place!" Unshaven Angler vanished from the field. As soon as it was gone, a great torrent of water rushed out onto the field from which a pair of clawed hands emerged. They held themselves up and a blue medallion with the Kanji for "water" appeared in between them as a demonic face appeared from the tide (ATK/2500 DEF/2400). "Attack Vylon Sigma with Tidal Surge!" A massive rush of water erupted from Suijin and washed over the field. Vylon Sigma was caught in the blast and was swept away.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Angel Brothers:** 7900

**Paradox Brothers:** 7000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"The effects of my Vylon Filament and Vylon Material activate," announced Gabe, "For each one sent to my graveyard, I can add a new Vylon Equip Spell from my deck to my hand. And I pick Vylon Component and another Vylon Material." He placed the two cards in his hand and his deck was shuffled.

"My turn shall end here," Para declared, "I can see in your eyes your fear."

o o o

Saito was waiting patiently at the Dual Rose for news from anybody. Ever since the attack had begun, he had not moved from his station. He remembered sending Hayley, Wes, and Nellie out on various errands but had so far heard nothing from any of them.

"Somebody's coming dear," Recca called. Saito went up to the balcony where Recca was and looked out. He could see group of students being led by a girl in an Obelisk Blue coat approaching and he recognized her right away.

"It's Hayley," he said. He went downstairs and got the door for her. The girl was a little worse for wear, but otherwise she seemed fine. "Hayley, anything to report?"

"Everyone's safe, Kay-Kay," Hayley answered. She stepped inside and the other students piled in. "I don't know how many more are out there, but this is all I could find."

"It's good enough." Saito shut the door and locked it and then turned to the students. "Everyone, you know that our school is under attack."

"No duh!" someone called out.

"But this is not a time to cower in fear. We must take action." Saito looked at the students in front of him. "We may have lost many of our schoolmates, but we cannot allow their lives to have been lost in vain. We must drive out these invaders!"

"But there's too many of time!" a girl pointed out.

"They attack in numbers because they know they're weak!" All heads turned toward the stairs as Reign came down from the second floor. "They think that they can overwhelm us, but they underestimate our strength. They underestimate the power of real Duelists! No, they don't underestimate us. They _fear_ us! Let us turn that fear against them and use it to bring us courage to face our foe!"

The students cheered as Saito watched. Reign was a born leader. He looked down at his Duel Disk and started to think. What if he wasn't as cut out to be leader as he thought? His thoughts were interrupted when he felt someone standing near him and he looked up to see Reign. "Saito Kaiba, son of Seto Kaiba. I sense much tension in you."

"How did you...?"

"You need not worry. Many doubt their abilities every now and again, but what's important is to believe. If you believe you can do it, you can achieve anything." Reign took out a card and handed it to Saito. "If you ever find yourself in doubt, this card shall help you." The teenager took the card and looked at it. it was black with cosmic images and artwork depicting a white, blue, and black dragon expelling great amounts of electricity.

"Use it well." And before he knew it, Saito was left alone once again.

o o o

Mikey drew his card. "Thanks to Dimensionhole's effect, Fusilier Dragon, comes back to my field." A hole to the Different Dimension opened up and the tank dropped back down. Since it had not been Normal Summoned, it was now back to its original twenty-eight hundred attack points and two thousand defense points. "I summon Majestic Mech - Ohka!" A beam of light shined down from above and a beast-like mechanical angel with wings flew down and roared (ATK/2400 DEF/1400). "Now Fusilier Dragon, attack Suijin!" Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast took aim with its cannons and opened fire.

"The effect of my Suijin activates, so don't be a hero!" Para announced, "During damage calculation this turn, your monster's attack points become zero!" A massive wall of water erupted in front of Suijin and cancelled out Fusilier Dragon's cannonfire.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Angel Brothers:** 5400

**Paradox Brothers:** 7000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"A most excellent move brother!" Dox commended.

"I can assure you that there will be another," Para answered.

"Hey, it's still my turn," Mikey reminded his opponents, "So now I'm gonna send Ohka to attack Flying Kamakiri #1! Go, Majestic Ray!" Majestic Mech - Ohka opened its mouth and fired a beam of white light that penetrated the thorax of Flying Kamakiri #1.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Angel Brothers:** 5400

**Paradox Brothers:** 6000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"My insect has died, and now for its effect. I shall bring out a monster with fifteen hundred or less." Dox searched his deck and found the card he needed. "Whirldwind Prodigy." There was a small tornado and from it burst a a young boy garbed in forest clothing (ATK/1500 DEF/1600).

"I'm done," announced Mikey. At that moment, Majestic Mech - Ohka shattered by its own effect.

Dox then drew his card. "Aha! The time has come! And now you shall be undone. Whirlwind Prodigy, go away. Because for Kazejin, you must make way." Whirlwind Prodigy vanished from the field and in his place a great green god appeared in a blast of wind with the Kanji for "wind" emblazoned upon its head (ATK/2400 DEF/2200). "I am done. Now we just need one."

"I draw!" Gabe drew his card. "First I use Valhalla's effect to Special Summon Vylon Soldier in attack mode!" A white mechanical angel with golden arms appeared in front of him (ATK/1700 DEF/1000). "Then I Normal Summon Vylon Tesseract." A black transparent cube with arms appeared (ATK/800 DEF/600). "Since Tesseract's a Union monster, I can equip him to my Soldier." Vylon Tesseract's body opened up and folded itself into a new shape, taking up the form of a shield before attaching itself to Vylon Soldier's left arm. "Next I equip Soldier with Vylon Material and Vylon Component." Vylon Material was attached to Vylon Soldier's right arm, boosting its attack power to twenty-three hundred, while Vylon Component, which looked like a crown with two large pink crystal spikes, was secured to its head.

"Vylon Component gives my Soldier piercing, so now I'll send him to attack Kazejin! But now his effect activates. When I use him to declare an attack, I can choose as many monsters my opponent controls as there are cards equipped to my Soldier and change their Battle Positions. Since I got three, I can choose three. But you onlu have two." A wave of light burst from Vylon Soldier and switched both Suijin and Kazejin into defense stances. "Now attack Kazejin!" The mechanical angel took aim with his laser and fired.

"A fine attempt you made, but it was all for naught. Kazeijin's effect renders it ineffective, does it not?" Dox laughed, "During damage calculation, your beast's attack goes down. Down to zero to give you a frown."

"Do you guys write your dialogue in advance or do you make it up as you go along?" asked Mikey.

"It's terrible," Gabe added.

A powerful wind blocked the laser and Vylon Soldier buckled as its attack points dropped to zero.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Angel Brothers:** 3200

**Paradox Brothers:** 6000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Your attack has failed and now watch me go. I activate Ultimate Offering, it's not for show." Dox revealed one of his facedown cards. "Five hundred Life Points is the price to summon an extra monster, isn't that nice?"

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Angel Brothers:** 3200

**Paradox Brothers:** 5500

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Kaiser Sea Horse, I choose of course." An armored aquatic man appeared on the field in blue armor wielding a long golden lance in one hand (ATK/1700 DEF/1650).

"I'll set a card and end," Gabe declared.

"It is my turn once more," Para declared as he drew, "And now it is time to close the door. I sacrifice my brother's Kaiser Sea Horse to bring out this monster that will seal the course. Sanga of the Thunder!" Kaiser Sea Horse vanished from the field and several bolts of lightning rained down from above as a giant bronze and red torso descended with a faceless horned head emblazoned with the Kanji for "thunder" (ATK/2600 DEF/2200).

"It seems brother that we are set," Para said.

"Yes and soon we shall have what we get," Dox agreed.

The Paradox Brothers performed another acrobatics display and then stood side-by-side as bolts of lightning surrounded Sanga of the Thunder, a tornado rose up around Kazejin, and a pillar of water engulfed Suijin. The three entities stood separate and then slowly began to come together as the two men began to chant.

"Elements of Thunder, Water, and Wind. Suijin, Sanga, Kazejin begin. Meld your powers in eternal light. Show these fools your unstoppable might. He is pain beyond description. He'll mark the graves with your inscription. Gate Guardian!"

The elements combined and dispersed to reveal a gargantuan behemoth. Its head, arms, and torso were Sanga of the Thunder, its stomach was Kazejin, and its legs were made up of Suijin (ATK/3750 DEF/3400).

"Destroy Fusilier Dragon!" ordered the Paradox Brothers, "Wicked Lord Shockwave!" Gate Guardian's back began to spark and then a powerful lightning bolt shot out from its face and blasted Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Angel Brothers:** 2250

**Paradox Brothers:** 5500

–––––––––––––––––––––––

o o o

Two men looked up at Duel Academy from the forest. One was a big muscular man in a long overcoat. The other was a familiar face with sunglasses wearing a bandanna on his head that was designed after the American flag.

_I can't believe I'm working behind that little runt!_ the latter growled mentally in his head.

_This just doesn't feel right_, the coated man thought. It had been years since anyone had seen him, but Raphael was still known in some parts of the Dueling world. Ever since the end of the Orichalcos incident, he and his fellow former DOMA agents, Alister and Valon, had disappeared from the world. Nobody knew what happened to Valon and Alister had reappeared briefly two years ago during the Kaiba Corp. fiasco. Raphael, however, had only just recently resurfaced. As he looked over the island from his hiding spot, he began to think back to the reason he had been brought here in the first place. He remembered being in a room with many other Duelists whom he had neither met nor seen. It was there that he met the man in the suit. He had explained how they were all hired to help with the invasion and that each of them would be receiving great sums of money as payment. Raphael was not comfortable with the idea of working as a hired goon, but bills were piling up and rent was going through the roof. He needed the money. As he crouched her now, he began to rethink his position. He had seen many things this night and it sickened him.

The man next to him was another hired goon, but his reasons were not the same. When he stood there in that room, he was a man full of great confidence eager to make some quick money. When the man in the suit announced he would appoint a leader, he could only grin even more. After all, who could be better suited to be a leader other than Bandit Keith Howard?

He was met with great disappointment when a short figure wrapped in a hooded cloak stepped out. Keith was furious. Who would dare take the leadership spot from him? His answer came when the hood came of and he recognized the short spiky-haired skull-faced man with the hollow eyes. Never in his life had he been so infuriated.

And as he knelt there in the woods thinking more about it, the more it angered him. It made no sense how such a coward could end up leading him, Bandit Keith Howard, of all people. He could not believe it. No, he would not believe it. He refused to believe it. Without another word, he suddenly got up and started walking toward the school.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Raphael.

"I'm goin' over there," Keith replied as he pointed toward the school. Raphael watched as he walked away, but then came out of the bushes and started walking in the same direction.

o o o

"Against our Gate Guardian, you stand no chance," Para gloated.

"The time has come for the final dance," Dox finished. Together, he and Para did more acrobatics as the latter ended his turn and Mikey drew his card. He was not happy. The card he drew would not help so he set it and ended his turn.

Dox then drew his card and laughed. "Oh dear brother, it seems our luck runs long."

"Then we shall engage our plan like all along?" asked Para. Dox nodded and the two of them laughed.

"I now play Monster Reborn. Sanga of the Thunder, let the sky be torn!" Sanga of the Thunde reappeared on the field and then Para and Dox each activated a facedown.

"Call of the Haunted we now use. To bring back Suijin and Kazejin, as per our cues!" The gods of water and wind reappeared beside the god of thunder.

"Oh you gotta be shitting me!" Gabe yelled.

Dox only grinned like a madman as he sent the three gods back to the graveyards and summoned a second Gate Guardian to the field.

"If you thought one was terrifying enough," Para started.

"Then two Gate Guardians will make it very tough," Dox finished, "Gate Guardian, attack Vylon Soldier!"

"Like hell you are!" Gabe quickly flipped his card over. "Negate Attack!" A helix of lightning, wind, and water shot out of Gate Guardian and was swallowed up by a vortex that appeared in front of Gabe's monster.

"How are we gonna take out two Gate Guardians?" asked Mikey.

"I might have an idea," Gabe thought out loud. His words caught his brother's attention and the two boys' eys met.

"What do you have planned?" asked Mikey.

"Do you trust me, bro?" asked Gabe.

Mikey looked across the field and then back to his brother. Slowly but surely he gave him a nod. "I do."

"Then tell me. Is your guy a level four monster?"

"Yeah."

"That's all I needed to know." Gabe drew his card. "Okay you Brothers Paradox. Me and Mikey are gonna clean your clocks. I play Book of Taiyou and target Mikey's monster." Mikey's monster card was flipped into face-up attack position, revealed to be the white glass angel Majestic Mech - Senku (ATK/1000 DEF/500). "Now I unequip Vylon Tesseract from Vylon Soldier and Special Summon him in attack mode." Vylon Tesseract detached itself from Vylon Soldier and reshaped itself back to its original form beside it.

"Now I have three level four monsters. Everything's set. I overlay Vylon Solder, Vylon Tesseract, and Majestic Mech - Senku. I construct the Overlay Network with my three monsters!" announced Gabe. As he laid the three cards on top of each other on his Duel Disk, swirling vortex into the cosmos opened up in the ground in the middle of the field and Majestic Mech - Senku, Vylon Soldier, and Vylon Tesseract were transformed into streams of light that spiraled into the air and then down into the vortex. "Exceed Summon! Arise, Vylon Disigma!" A golden angel appeared on the field with its face in the center of its chest with black, long, curved, blade-like feathers adorning its arms and floating on black triangles in place of legs. Three golden spheres of light slowly circled its body (ATK/2500 DEF/2100). Gabe then brought Vylon Segment by the effect of Vylon Material and a third Vylon Material to his hand by the effect of Vylon Component.

"Now I activate Disigma's effect. By detaching one Exceed Material monster from my monster, I can choose one face-up attack position Effect Monster on my opponent's side of the field and equip it to my monster." As Gabe removed Vylon Tesseract from under Vylon Disigma and placed it in his graveyard, one of the spheres of light was swallowed up by the angel and the two long arms reached out and grabbed one Gate Guardian before absorbing it into its body. "Now when Disigma battles a monster with the same attribute as the monster I equipped to him, that monster will be destroyed at the beginning of the Damage Step without applying damage calculation. Alright Vylon Disigma, attack Gate Guardian!" Powering its attack on Gate Guardian's Dark attribute, Vylon Disigma conjured up an orb of darkness and fired it at the other Gate Guardian. The titanic god groaned and then collapsed under its own weight.

"UWAH! Gate Guardian!" Para and Dox looked disbelievingly at the scene before them.

"That ends my turn!" Gabe announced proudly.

Para drew his card. "Monster Reborn! Rise Sanga!" Sanga of the Thunder rose once agani.

"I discard Dragon Ice and Special Summon Dragon Ice in defense mode!" announced Mikey. His ice dragon appeared on the field and took up a defensive stance (ATK/1800 DEF/2200).

"Sanga, attack Vylon Disigma!"

"I don't think so." Mikey revealed a facedown. "Magic Cylinder. This negates your attack and redirects the damage back at you." Sanga's lightning shot forth as two cylinders appeared. It went inside one and then shot back out the other directly at Para and Dox.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Angel Brothers:** 2250

**Paradox Brothers:** 2900

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Gah!"

"I guess he's done." Mikey drew his card. "I summon Fire Ant Ascator." His ancient red ant appeared (ATK/800 DEF/1300) and he immediately tuned it to Dragon Ice. Three synchro rings circled the ice dragon until five stars remained and a light engulfed them both. "I Synchro Summon Sun Dragon Inti!" A shining golden sun carving appeared and from it emerged four identical dragon heads (ATK/3000 DEF/2800). "Now I activate my facedown Forbidden Chalice and use it on Sanga, raising its attack by four hundred but negating its effect." A goblet filled with sweet nectar appeared and Sanga of the Thunder drank its contents. Suddenly its body shuddered and its spark died out even though its attack points rose to a solid three thousand. "Inti, attack!" Sun Dragon Inti unleashed a spiral of four fire streams as Sanga fired off a burst of lightning. Their attacks shot past one another and struck the other monster, destroying both in one blow.

"You're all clear, Gabe."

"No so fast! That move was not our last!" Dox drew his next card out of desperation, but he only succeeded in pulling another Suijin.

"Looks like it's my turn." Gabe drew his card. "I equip Vylon Material to Vylon Disigma. Now attack for game!" Vylon Disigma, with its attack points boosted to thirty-one hundred, pointed its weapon at the Paradox Brothers and fired.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Angel Brothers:** 2250

**Paradox Brothers:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Our luck, brother, has finally run out," Para said dejectedly.

"I had not imagined we would lose this bout," Dox concurred.

"Stop doing that!" Gabe exclaimed.

"We won, so let us pass," Mikey demanded.

Para and Dox looked at each other. A deal was a deal and this time they had no tricks they could use. So with great reluctance, they cleared the way.

"Let's go!" ordered Coltyn and together he, Mikey, Sammie, Max, Gabe, Stan, and Tobias left, leaving Issac and Marsha behind in the student council office.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

With their forces assembled, the students are now ready to fight back! Led by Saito, they begin their counterattack against the invasion force. Watch the resistance start next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	127. Viva la Resistance

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-40**

**Viva la Resistance**

Mikomi was puzzled to see such an odd sight. She could not feel the calming presence of her new friends, or her favorite protectors the Scraps anywhere around the area she found herself in. A strange temple of crystal floating aimlessly through the stars, eight statues in the shape of ancient knights gazing at one another in a large semicircle. The strange island was truly a visual feast of the eyes inlaid with marble roads, Grecian pillars and strange and exotic flora that lined the single path to the raised semicircle. Each step caused a metallic chime and illumination of energy from under her feet, which Mikomi did not shy from. Indeed it almost felt as if she herself was some kind of celestial being here.

She quietly and carefully made her way up the steps, pulling up the hood of the golden jacket Amadis found for her. Though she felt silly for doing so, she also tightened the scarf that Miss Recca made for her birthday, though it felt like ancient history now compared with all she had been through in Ardent. Affixing her hairpin , her keepsake of her brother Zetsubou, she took a deep breath and peeped over the final stair.

What she saw was not what she thought at first. Expecting servants of the UnGod defiling such a beautiful place or perhaps even the Nicky fellow setting some sort of trap with his newest allies. Rather she saw a pair of individuals at each Statue, quietly in kneeled supplication as each statue radiated a sort of presence that filled her with a feeling of bravery and strength. A strange man strolled down the main path, and Mikomi froze in her footsteps. The man held up his hand and gave a warm smile towards her, "Strange days ahead for us all child. Won't you have a stroll through this garden and clear your mind?"

Mikomi was puzzled at the gesture. The man wore a cream colored robe, with a length of silver rope bound at the waist. He regarded her with deep emerald pools, a ruffled cascade of amber reaching for the nape of his neck. Both she and the man met each other, the robed individual having a good several feet of height on her.

"What is this place?"

"A place of the Monarch's Design, made form by your subconscious. They reached out to show you something, and your mind made this pure temple to witness their words."

Mikomi regarded each of the statues with the people knelt in front of them. They each did indeed match down to the detail the exact descriptions of each of the Monarchs that she and the others saw in the old tomes and scrolls in Ardent. They created it, and for some reason most are leaving it to wither and die, "Who are you?"

"I have no name, I am merely created as a figment with no other purpose than to guide you. I represent the whole of their wisdom and council. At least, those who the UnGod have not embraced yet."

Mikomi sat on a stone bench, with the man sitting next to her curiously, "I'll know everything the garden has sir. So let's talk here."

"Of course, Lady Mikomi."

"Right, why have the Monarchs left Ardent? If they created it as place for all these creatures to exist outside of Earth, then...wouldn't they be content?"

The man chuckled, patting her head, "Such innocence from you. One day, you will understand the hidden nuances and the silent duels that happen with time. The answer is one of the most straightforward treasures in existence. With the right kind at the right time and place, one can achieve anything, even beyond the lofty heights the Monarchs hold. This treasure dearest Mikomi is Power."

"Power...," the word held for a long moment on the tip of her tongue. Power was a complex, multi faceted thing fueled by many different things with even more outlets for it.

"Yes. A deal was made, and at the end was access to power even more ancient and potent than what the Monarchs themselves held within them. The UnGod's offer was as such. Find the pawns of Terra and slowly bend them to my design. Seek now the chosen House and steal away one of the Twin Stars. This Star has a head for innovation and progress, mixed with the ancient martial blood of her house will make her a fine leader."

"House...wait. Recca told me about the Roses... It's Reka? Why is Reka involved!"

The man laid a hand on her shoulder, and Mikomi soon calmed down, "Allow me to continue. He went on to say that each Monarch in kind shall turn from Ardent and begin to serve the First Betrayer, he who aided His revival within Terra within Stonehenge."

"But he was cast out! The Duelist stopped him! The Telaris family was created to make sure he doesn't come back!"

"Indeed. However we has banished, it would be many ages before he could return to Terra through that venue. The Rose Cards that held such unspeakable magic. The Cards that hold both Salvation and Destruction will sealed away until recently. Crusaders are being made once again. The UnGod's Terran servants are losing those cards that they had, House Telaris seems to be having the upper hand. The UnGod could never resurface, with these odds stacked against him at the appointed place. This island and this Academy will eventually repel him, though it costs the Terrans many lives and brings this fell magic to light within it's realm."

"Please, go on sir. What...what else happens?"

The man was silent and regarded her pleading eyes before continuing, "Nearly all of the Monarchs fell to the UnGod's sway. Barely any survived as they once were with their dedication to the prosperity of Ardent and the silence of both our worlds. The Monarchs decided if this happened, the UnGod would still give them their power. He would still be reborn in that island, just from a different world."

"I...I don't understand. How is that possible...?"

The man slumped in his bench, shaking his head as Mikomi laid a hand upon his back, "The Twin Star would be the instrument of Ardent's death and His rebirth. A plan brought about by the efforts of He and the Monarchs alike, when the UnGod was banished his power was split and divided sixteen times and plunged into Ardent. Sixteen seals were erected to keep the power locked. Several other companions were brought from Terra to aid her. Each one holds a strong tie to one of the 'Players' within the island at this very moment, it would give Lady Reka hope and the drive to perform this mission."

"...no."

"Yes Mikomi. Awaken and know the truth!" the golden gauntlet of Kuras came from a sleeve of the robe and touched her forehead, Mikomi snapping to reality as Reka was just about to wake her up. They were still at the foot of the forest where the final seal was, perfect.

"Miko, you feelin' okay? You look like you had a hell of a nightmare," Reka said with a bit of concern, Mikomi was covered in a cold sweat.

Mikomi held out her hand towards Reka, "We can't open that final seal! Please listen to me!"

o o o

"Where did you get that card?" asked Max. The group was now making their way down the stairs. They had managed to elude a few Gene Erics who were patrolling the hallways, but the mission had only just begun.

"You mean this one?" Gabe took out Vylon Disigma. "Recca gave it to me."

"Where did she get it?" Mikey inquired. "We really should start asking where they get things like these."

"Hey, I'm not complaining." Gabe stuck the card back into his Extra Deck and put it into his pocket.

"We're here," Coltyn said as he stopped everyone. "This is where we split up." The group nodded to each other and paired off. Having decided beforehand when each of them would go, Gabe and Tobias went first. The rest were to remain hidden until thirty minutes had passed, then it would be Mikey's and Sammie's turn. Coltyn, Stan, and Max would be going last after another thirty minutes.

Mikey sat down in the bushes with the rest and watched as his brother and the ruby-haired boy disappeared down the path. "He'll be okay, Mikey," Sammie assured him.

"Yeah. I guess somewhere inside me I feel that he'll always be my little brother."

"Are you guys ALWAYS this sappy?" asked Stan.

"Shut it," Sammie growled, "or you're walking out of this in a scrotal cast."

"She'll do it too," Max assured Stan.

o o o

"You gave him an Exceed," Reign stated bluntly.

Both he and Recca were in her room. Reign didn't think it was right to suddenly just up and call it his room, but looking at the pictures of her and himself as a younger Turbo Duelist with their children, he never truly did leave her heart. Recca chuckled softly, "Well, I did have to pull out all the stops here."

"Exceeds are born from the UnGod's power though, dear. From what I heard, these Exceeds come from a time far, far beyond ours. I do not know where you got it. It...just unnerves me a little."

Recca gave a grunting noise as she tugged a metal crate out from under her warm, fluffy bed. The damned bed had so many frills that Reign honestly wanted to gag, but he shook his head in a passive gesture. Recca spoke again, "I found that particular one on the body of one of the Shades I smashed awhile back with Hayley. You yourself did give Saito an Exceed though, don't think I didn't spot that. It's just power and another weapon Reign, use it against them. Where did you get those anyway? You were some kind of Exceed Delivery guy?"

"I'm...not sure, I was just enslaved under those damn bastards. It's why I've been gone for so long...at least, I think so. After all I've been through... Well, anyway. I had a few Exceeds on me for some reason in my jacket. I think I was supposed to convert Saito and the others and give them those Exceeds to increase their fighting potential. How's the assassin holding up anyway?"

"Zetsubou is...an odd case. He's barely breathing but he's holding on. I can't stop his convulsing, though Reko and Umi are bound and determined to see him through... These odd Exceeds though, from I can just tell by looking at them those things'll pack one hell of a punch." Snapping open the metal case, Recca looked down at the pair of Duel Disks in it. One was white and studded with gemstones, the other was red and covered in cute designs and even had charms hanging off of it, "Our disks. I didn't think you'd be here, but now that you are... Let's help Saito lead a resistance?"

"Recca...of cou-"

The reunited couple's conversation was cut short by an explosion coming from outside. The two of them walked to the window and looked. A large wave of Gene Erics was approaching the Dual Rose and the students were fighting back. Reign could see a trio of majestic white dragons with eyes like sapphires at the head of the resistance forces; their unstoppable power a testament to the willpower and determination of the students behind them. Their shining breath attacks swept the field clearing out every monster that opposed their might.

"Darklord Desire, strike now!" ordered Hayley, "Black End Galaxy!" Her fallen angel unsheathed his blades of energy and trapped his target within a black hole as he swept in and cleaved his weapons through the mass of gravity and into the body of his foe.

"Scared Phoenix of Nephthys, go! Holy Flame!" Nellie's Sacred Phoenix cried out as it flapped its wings and unleashed a great torrent of fire.

"Sea Dragon Lord Gishidolon, go!" Umi snapped her fingers as her monster reached out and blasted a freezing chill from its mouth at several more monsters.

"Morphtronic Boomboxen, go! Heavy Speaker!" Spike watched excitedly as his card rode past enemy lines on the back of Morphtronic Boarden and blasted a Gene Eric until his eardrums blew.

"There's too many of them!" a student yelled.

Saito stood above the others on a rock with his coat tails flapping in the wind as he pointed toward the wave of Genes before them. "Do not let their numbers intimidate you! They fight in droves because they are weak! We stand strong for we are pillars of steel and they are but Skull Servants against the might of a Blue-Eyes."

"Uh, actually," another student started, "Skull Servants are a lot stronger than you..." His words were cut short when a Blue-Eyes turned on him and blasted his face with a Burst Stream of Destruction. The student coughed and wiped the dirt from his eyes, gathering his zombie deck and rushing back towards the battle.

"Anybody else wish to back out?" asked Saito. Everybody shook their heads. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Boy's got charisma, I'll give him that much," Reign admitted, "Think they still need our help?"

"On second thought, I think they're doing just fine," Recca answered with a giggle. Reign couldn't help but smile. It was a sound he hadn't heard for so long. It was a sound he desired to hear for many years. As he reached for Recca's hand, all noise outside ceased. The couple curiously looked out the window to see what was happening. They could see the army of Genes parting like the Red Sea and a lone man, a giant by all human standards, wrapped in flowing white robes, walking past their ranks, his face obscured by a golden mask with a single eye staring deep into pure darkness.

"On the other hand," said Reign, "I think we should go down there after all."

Saito's dragons faded away as the man in white approached. He held up his hand signalling everybody to hold positions and went forward by himself. He and the giant met in the middle of the battlefield and stared each other down. In one instant did Saito hold his deck out towards the robed individual and declare his ultimatum, "I want you off my island."

"Our Lord has made His declaration," the robed man replied, "We stand our ground."

"Then I'll remove you myself." Saito slotted his deck back into his Duel Disk and watched as his cards were shuffled.

"You dare to challenge a servant of the UnGod?"

"I do."

A strong wind suddenly blew across the battlefield causing Saito's coat tails and the masked man's robes to flap wildly. The latter exposed his arm and activated his bizarre Duel Disk.

"Challenge accepted. No man escapes Judgement."

"Then let's duel."

Standing at the open doorway of the Dual Rose was Recca and Reign, both looked over the battlefield of choice, a hill in a meadow outside of the shop's right. They made their way towards it, stepping over the dissipating Genes, the Shades, and viewing the lifeless bodies of the students who fell. Recca spoke calmly as Reign powered up his disk, "Something about this...isn't right."

"I feel it too dear...a strangeness in the air."

Spotting Judgement, Recca felt her heart still, "Hayley told me he was killed."

Reign slotted in his deck, ready to pick up the duel if Saito fell.

––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 8000

**Judgement:** 8000

––––––––––––––––

"I draw." Saito drew his first card. "I play Cards of Consonance. By discarding one Dragon-type Tuner with one thousand attack or less, I can draw two cards." He placed Dragunity Phalanx into his graveyard and then drew two new cards. "Now I summon Dragunity Dux." He summoned out a bird man in a white tunic wielding a cat of nine tails (ATK/1500 DEF/1000). "And with his effect, I can choose one Dragunity Dragon in my grave and equip it to him. Since I only have one on my graveyard, I bring out Dragunity Phalanx." A dragon with dark-blue skin in bronze armor appeared with diamond-tipped spears on its helmet and armed with a pair of shields. Dragunity Dux jumped up and mounted Dragunity Phalanx. "And Dragunity Dux gains two hundred attack points for every Dragunity card I control." The cat of nine tails lengthened as Dragunity Dux's attack points rose up to nineteen hundred.

"Now I activate Dragunity Phalanx's effect. I can unequip it and Special Summon it to the field." Dragunity Dux hopped off and Dragunity Phalanx stood up beside him (ATK/500 DEF/1100). "Now I tune Dragunity Phalanx to Dragunity Dux." Dragunity Phalanx disappeared until only a pair of stars remained where the diamond spearheads had been. The morphed into synchro rings and surrounded Dragunity Dux whose body faded away until four stars remained. A column of light engulfed them and a wind blew Saito's coat tails wildly.

"Synchro Summon! Appear, Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg!" A navy-blue dragon in crimson armor appeared with a large blade equipped to its helmet. Riding on its back was a bird man with a spear wearing matching armor (ATK/2400 DEF/800). "I'll conclude with two facedowns and end my turn."

"Draw." Judgement drew his card. "Three facedown cards." Three cards appeared at his feet. "One monster." A monster appeared facedown in defense position. "End."

"Are you that frightened of my Dragunity Knight?" asked Saito as he drew.

_He's not afraid, Saito_, Reign thought as he watched from the window, _Judgement is a far more powerful opponent than you realize_.

"I summon Dragunity Militum in attack mode." A bird woman with her face covered wielding a sword in one hand and a short knife in the other appeared on the field in a flurry of wind (ATK/1700 DEF/1200). "Dragunity Militum, attack!" Dragunity Militum shot up into the sky and flew toward her target with her main weapon ready.

"Activate Trap." Judgement revealed one of his facedown cards. "DNA Transplant."

"And what Attribute do you choose?" asked Saito. Obviously he was familiar with this card.

"Light," was Judgement's answer. As soon as he said it, the symbol for the Attribute of Light appeared on the card and a shining radiance poured out from it and bathed the field in its golden glow.

Dragunity Militum's sword was shining as she slashed the card,which turned out to be a mechanical elephant called Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher (ATK/1200 DEF/800).

"Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher's effect activates. If it battles with a monster, that monster is removed from play after damage calculation." As the remnants of the mechanical elephant started to fade away, the remains of the head pointed its trunk at Dragunity Militum and blasted her through a portal to the Different Dimension.

"You're still open to my other monster's attack. Go, Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg! Strike him down!" Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg flew across the field and the dragon slashed Judgement with its head blade.

––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 8000

**Judgement:** 5600

––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn."

"Quickplay Spell activate, Fires of Doomsday." Judgement activated another facedown and summoned two Doomsday Tokens, each one a level one Dark Fiend monster with zero attack and defense taking on the appear of a tiny black flame with a single eye. The large drew and summoned out his next monster. "Ally of Justice Cycle Reader." A white, black, and red mechanical spider with golden legs appeared on the field between the tokens (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "I tune Ally of Justice Cycle Reader with my two tokens." Cycle Reader's body faded into three stars which surrounded the Doomsday Tokens upon transforming into synchro rings and a beam of light engulfed them.

"Amidst the shadows the light fades out to reveal a world of utter darkness. Synchro Summon! Rise up, Ally of Justice Catastor!" A large white machine emerged standing on four golden spider legs with a face bearing the same features as Judgement's mask (ATK/2200 DEF/1200). "Attack Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg." Ally of Justice Catastor turned toward its target and a single laser shot out of its eye and pierced through the rider and the mount that made up Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg.

"How did you destroy a monster with two hundred more attack points?" Saito demanded.

"Ally of Justice Catastor automatically destroys any monster it battles with that is not a Dark monster," Judgement answered. After having destroyed its target, Ally of Justice Catastor stepped down. "Turn end."

Saito scowled. A monster that could destroy any creature that was not a Dark monster. Not only that, but his DNA Transplant had rendered every creature on the field a Light monster. Saito looked at his Duel Disk. It didn't matter whether or not that Trap Card was out anyway; his whole deck was comprised of Wind and Light monsters.

Except one.

Saito looked at his Extra Deck. It was a long shot. If he was to pull it out, he was going to need two cards. As things were now, he had neither in his hand. He looked at his deck and drew in a breath. He hoped he would get at least one of them with this draw.

"I draw!" He drew his card and looked at it. "I play another Cards of Consonance. This time I'll discard Dragunity Brandistock to use its effect." He sent his card to the graveyard and drew his two new cards. "I play Future Fusion! Now by sending, Dragunity Javelin, Dragunity Coresca, Dragunity Pilum, Dragunity Partisan, and Dragunity Darkspear to my graveyard, I can Fusion Summon Five God Dragon in two turns." He placed all five cards from his deck into his graveyard and watched as his cards were shuffled. Now he just needed one more card. But for now he needed to protect himself against that monstrosity looming over him. "I set a card and end my turn."

"Draw." Judgement drew his card, "I summon Ally of Justice Thousand Arms." A humanoid robot with countless arms rose onto the field, each limb equipped with a different melee weapon (ATK/1700 DEF/0). "Ally of Justice Thousand Arms, Thousand Strikes." Ally of Justice Thousand Arms ran toward Saito arms flailing and dealt him a blow with each of its weapons.

––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 6300

**Judgement:** 5600

––––––––––––––––

"Ally of Justice Catastor, attack."

"I activate Defense Draw!" Saito activated a facedown card and as Ally of Justice Catastor fired, a wall of cards rose up and blocked the laser. Saito smirked and drew his card. It was not the one he neeed.

"My turn ends," announced Judgement.

Saito drew and again it wasn't the card he needed. He set a monster and ended his turn. Then it was back to Judgement. Fortunately he did not summon this turn. And just as fortunately, he had decided to attack with Ally of Justice Catastor first. The laser completely obliterated Dragunity Tribus. Then Ally of Justice Thousand Arms rushed in and attacked Saito directly.

––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 4600

**Judgement:** 5600

––––––––––––––––

Judgement ended his turn.

This was it. If Saito did not draw the card he needed, then this whole set up was all for naught. Taking in a deep breath, he slowly took the top card off his deck and looked at it.

"Looks like Catastor's about die," he said confidently, "On my Standby Phase, my Future Fusion activates. I Fusion Summon Five God Dragon!" The heavens shuddered as a massive dragon with five heads representing Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Darkness descended from above and landed on the field (ATK/5000 DEF/5000). "And now I play Mystical Space Typhoon on DNA Transplant." A strong wind blew across the field and destroyed Judgement's Trap Card.

"And since my dragon is a Dark monster, your Catastor is finished. Five God Dragon, destroy Ally of Justice Catastor!" Five God Dragon opened its mouths and five breath attacks of different elements spewed out and spiraled into a single helix of power.

"I activate my Trap Card," declared Judgement, "Mirror Force."

"WHAT?"

A reflective barrier was erected in front of Ally of Justice Catastor and as soon as the attack hit it was blasted back at Saito's field, completely wiping out Five God Dragon.

"Oh, and he worked so hard to bring that out," Reign said.

"Poor boy," Recca replied quietly. In reflex, she powered up her own disk as well. Seeing the couple do this several other students powered their disks in turn, quietly lending their strength to Saito in his needed hour.

o o o

"Wait...wait, I am completely lost here," Reka sat with her companions Amadis, Katasuo and Milena as all eyes fell down upon Mikomi. This morning she woke from an odd dream concerning her brother and some clone of him killing one another. It helped nothing that Mikomi and the rest of them had dreams concerning Monarchs talking as well, but this was the first one where something told any of them to stop breaking seals for whatever reason.

Amadis spoke after Reka in a quiet and hushed tone, "I just heard screaming...one of them told me to save them, they're being tortured...! I saw all of us being enslaved too..."

Milena spat on the ground after cuffing Amadis upside the head, the stress of this crusade was getting to her, "Always mix of sad and happy with you, pick damn emotion! I dream too. In dream, Monarch come and says we are already home, that two has become one. I don't know what it means."

Katasuo was finished sharpening his blade, the older gentleman running a hand through his silvered hair, "I also had some sort of vision I suppose. It was too surreal not to be. I was in Amadis' situation, hearing the cries of tortured people, but I saw a bunch of people charge from it. You got nothin' to be afraid of Amadis, I'm thinking the Monarchs are starting to come around."

Amadis smiled lightly at the comment, yet Mikomi still looked with pleading eyes at Reka, "I'm telling you what I saw! We can't break the last seal on this island! If we do the UnGod wins! I think we've been used!"

Reka gave a huff, looking back at her as she tugged her goggles over her eyes, "I know what you're saying. That information just seems far too direct though. All of us got cryptic riddles from the Monarchs, who is to say that something was feeding you false information? Why would it pour this information to you so passively, if these Monarchs weren't working for the UnGod or being tortured by them?"

"But-"

"I'm sorry Mikomi, but I think it's just messing with your head, we'll go ahead with our plan now. Keep together and when you see the seal, let me know. We have to break it wide open. Move out everyone!"

As they moved into the wood, Amadis stayed back with Mikomi as she gave her best smile to her, "Mikomi...you understand why we want the seals broken right?"

"I know Dee, but... I can't help but think that my dream..."

Amadis sighed, "I know...these dreams are incredibly lucid. However before we found you on Pandemonium, Reka and myself were in a place call Endymion, in seems to the seat of civilization here, or a least one of them. We were told by the sages there that the seals were the key. They would be sundered by a handful of Terrans, cutting the UnGod from his power and freeing us all...they would even give us the means to get back home..."

Mikomi saw the sadness in Amadis eyes, "You want to go back home?"

"I am not that selfish Mikomi...I want us all to be home and to be happy."

Mikomi was still apprehensive, yet took Amadis' hand, "I still feel as if this is wrong."

"I have faith that a great change will happen, regardless."

o o o

"My turn." Judgement drew his card. "Ally of Justice Thousand Arms, attack." Ally of Justice Thousand Arms turned on Saito and launched itself at him.

"I activate Call of the Haunted!" Saito activated his card and used it to raise Dragunity Dux, who had seventeen hundred attack points thanks to gaining power from itself.

"Withdraw," ordered Judgement. Ally of Justice Thousand Arms stopped dead in its tracks and returned to its master's side. "Ally of Justice Catastor, attack." A laser was fired from Ally of Justice Catastor's eye and wiped out Dragunity Dux with incredible ease. "My turn ends."

Saito drew his card. When he saw it, his heart skipped a beat. He had forgotten about this card's effect! This would help him out for sure. "I summon Dragunity Legionnaire!" A green parrot-like bird man in a white tunic burst onto the field in a flurry of his own feathers (ATK/1200 DEF/800). "When Dragunity Legionnaire is Normal Summoned, I can equip him with one Dragunity Dragon from my graveyard and I'll choose Darkspear." A black dragon with a spearhead for a nose appeared and Dragnuity Legionnaire mounted it. "Now I activate Legionnaire's other effect. By sending one Dragunity card from my backfield to the graveyard, I can destroy one monster my opponent controls. And my target..." He pointed. "...is Ally of Justice Catastor." Dragunity Legionnaire dismounted from Dragunity Blackspear and grabbed the reptilian creature. It struggled briefly for a moment but then gave in as it was turned into a long black spear. Taking the weapon into his hands, Dragunity Legionnaire cocked back his arm and threw his weapon straight into the eye of Ally of Justice Catastor. The great machine collapsed leaving only a smouldering pile of scrap.

"Now Legionnaire, attack Ally of Justice Thousand Arms!" Dragunity Legionnaire flew toward the weapon of great destruction and punched it firmly in the chest. The machine exploded into a thousand pieces instantly. "Ally of Justice Thousand Arms' greatest weakness is it will be destroyed instantly if it battles any non-Light monster."

"You are observant," Judgement stated as he drew. "Ally of Justice Garadholg." He played his card and summoned a white and orange robot with a long lion's main of energy wielding two energy swords (ATK/1600 DEF/400). "Attack." Ally of Justice Garadholg swung his weapons wildly and cut through Dragunity Legionnaire with ease. Not a drop of blood was spilled as its blades cauterized the wounds on contact.

––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 4200

**Judgement:** 5600

––––––––––––––––

"One facedown. Your turn."

"Draw." Saito drew his card. "I summon Dragunity Dux and equip him with Dragunity Phalanx." Another Dragunity Dux appeared on the field and mounted Dragunity Phalanx. "Now I unequip Phalanx and Special Summon it in defense mode." The former dismounted off the latter, who then stepped forward. "Now I tune them together to Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana." From the light of the Synchros emerged a dragon in bright red armor carrying a bird man in matching armor wielding a very long spear (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). "Now because of Vajrayana's effect, I can take a Dragunity Dragon from my graveyard and equip it to him." Saito took Dragunity Partisan and placed it into his Spell and Trap Zone, which brought out a blue dragon in armor with an enormous spearhead on its nose to sit with the rider.

"Next I sent the equipped monster to the graveyard to double Vajrayana's attack points until the End Phase." As Saito sent his card back to the graveyard, Dragunity Partisan transformed into an enormous spear that was grasped by the dragon as Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana rose up to thirty-eight hundred. "Strike now and attack Ally of Justice Garadholg." Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana threw the spear and then the dragon blasted it with a powerful wind blast from its mouth that sent the spear spiralling forward creating a drill-like attack that bore through Ally of Justice Garadholg and shattered its body into scrap.

––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 4200

**Judgement:** 3400

––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," announced Saito.

"Draw." Judgement drew and looked at his cards. Then he made his move. "Call of the Haunted: Ally of Justice Cycle Reader." His old spider robot appeared. "Monster Reborn: Ally of Justice Thousand Arms." The multi-limbed machine stood tall. "Normal Summon Ally of Justice Searcher." The sound of wheels could be heard approaching as a green planet rover rolled out onto the field (ATK/1400 DEF/100). "I tune my machines together." Ally of Justice Cycle Reader's three stars turned into synchro rings and surrounded Ally of Justice Searcher and Ally of Justice Thousand Arms until a total of seven starts were left. Then a light engulfed them all.

"Amidst the shadows the light fades out to reveal a world of utter darkness. Synchro Summon! Emerge, Ally of Justice Decisive Armor!" Cannons roared loud as the largest Ally of Justice appeared on the field. With reinforced black and gold plating covering its body, it looked down on all the students with a single eye as it swung its two cannon arms around while its largest cannon sat on its back (ATK/3300 DEF/3300).

"I equip Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana with Scroll of Bewitchment, changing its attribute to any I desire," said Judgement as he played his card and a magical scroll appeared and surrounded Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana. "I choose Light." Immediately, the scroll bathed Saito's creature in bright light. "Now I activate Decisive Armor's effect. Since you have a Light monster on your field, I can destroy one set card you control." Judgement's monster targetted Saito's backfield and unleashed a powerful blast of cannonfire that obliterated his card.

"Destroy Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana now. Infinity Cannon." Ally of Justice Decisive Arms charged up all of its cannons and three powerful streams of energy erupted from them and completely destroyed Saito's monster.

––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 2800

**Judgement:** 3400

––––––––––––––––

o o o

Nicky and Terry were still riding through the woods enjoying their time when they received a call.

"Oi, Omen! What's da big idea, eh?" Nicky demanded.

"Judgement is in trouble," the blind fortuneteller said, "You must rescue him."

"Eh? What you talkin' 'bout?" However, it was too late. Omen had already hung up. "Jesus Christ, 'e annoys me!"

"No use worrying about it now." Terry accelerated his Duel Runner and Nicky tore after him.

o o o

"I end my turn."

Saito looked at his field and his hand. There was no way he could defeat this new monstrosity. Even though he was armed with two of his favorite monsters, neither of them had the power to take down Ally of Justice Decisive Armor. He drew his card and looked at it. This was not going to help. But then he remembered something. Digging into his Extra Deck, he pulled out the card Recca had given him. This could end well for him after all."

"I play two Ancient Rules. And with them I will Special Summon two Blue-Eyes White Dragons." Emptying his hand out completely, Saito summoned two of his family's signature monsters and the two majestic beasts roared in beautiful unison (ATK/3000 DEF/2500).

"Not even a Blue-Eyes White Dragon can destroy my Ally of Justice Decisive Armor," Judgement pointed out.

"They're not the ones going to destroy it," Saito replied as he held up his black card, "He is. I overlay my Blue-Eyes White Dragons. I construct an overlay network with these two monsters." A portal into space appeared and the two Blue-Eyes White Dragons spiraled into it as streams of white light as the teen placed one on top of the other. "Exceed Summon! Thunder-End Dragon!" Bolts of lightning shot down from the sky and struck the ground in a circle as a white dragon emerged with blue wings and legs as well as black knees, underbelly, and tail. Electrodes lined its back and neck which sparked wildly as it let out a mighty roar as two white spheres of light appeared and orbited the great dragon (ATK/3000 DEF/2000).

"Next I activate its effect. By detaching one Exceed Material monster, Thunder-End Dragon can destroy every other card on the field." Removing one Blue-Eyes White Dragon from underneath his new monster and placing it into his graveyard, Saito then watched as Thunder-End Dragon ate one of the spheres of light and unleashed a great torrent of lightning that showered the entire field and wiped out everything in sight. Ally of Justice Decisive Armor was struck many times and it was not long before its reinforced armored plating succumbed to its might.

"Where did you get that?" demanded Judgement.

"Thunder-End Dragon, attack! Lightning Stream of Destruction!" With its path now clear, Thunder-End Dragon opened its mouth and unleashed an extremely powerful electrical blast into Judgement.

––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 2800

**Judgement:** 400

––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn."

Judgement drew his card. "I set one monster and conclude my turn." Thunder-End Dragon was a Light monster. So if things went according to plan, then his facedown Ally Salvo's effect would activate and kill it.

However, Saito was not one to fall for such things. He drew. "I activate Thunder-End Dragon's effect again." The Kaiba heir detached his last Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Thunder-End Dragon ate the other sphere before releasing another torrent of lightning that cleared the field for its attack.

"End it," ordered Saito, "Lightning Stream of Destruction!" Thunder-End Dragon opened its mouth and charged up. Before long, an extremely powerful electric blast erupted from its maw and swallowed up Judgement. The giant raised his arms to protect his face as the powerful attack tore away at his robes.

"It's over!" When the attack and the smoke died down, everyone looked to see what had become of Judgement but the man was no longer there.

"Where'd he go?" asked Hayley.

o o o

"Ya couldn't cut it any closer?" asked Nicky. He and Terry were driving away from the Dual Rose and the latter had Judgement's charred remains laid across his Duel Runner.

"His body's taken serious damage," Terry noted ignoring his partner's question. Pulling back the remains of the hood, he reached out and removed the mask. "Luckily, his source of power still remains intact."

"That's a relief," Nicky said.

Terry and Nicky drove on back through the woods. As the bald biker put the mask away, he tossed away the lifeless dummy that had previously worn it to the ground.

o o o

Students were cheering for Saito for his victory.

"He finally got one of them," Recca said happily. She hugged her husband tightly, but Reign was not as thrilled as she was.

"It's not over," he said blankly, "He's still out there and when next we see him, he will be even more powerful than before."

o o o

"Great victory, Sai!" Nellie congratulated with a huge grin.

"You were amazing, Kay-Kay!"

"And all those other guys just ran away as soon as you beat him," Umi added.

Saito was sitting at the bar of the Dual Rose with a large glass of water. Nellie was sitting on the stool to his right while Hayley sat to his left. Umi and the students were all standing around him chatting excitedly and congratulating him.

"Don't celebrate yet," Saito told them all, "We got lucky this time. "They'll be back. We can't let up our counterattack. Everyone finish your break and get back out there." He finished his water and got up from his stool and headed outside with everyone else in tow.

"That's our Sai," Nellie said with a grin before she got up and followed. As she left the Dual Rose, her reflection in the mirror behind the bar watched her exit, her eyes glowing with a tint of red.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Nellie comes face-to-face with the results of her torture. Even the light of the phoenix's flame casts shadows of darkness. What will be her fate? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	128. Mirror of Darkness

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-41**

**Mirror of Darkness**

Saito watched as the students marched forth. With Judgement gone, the Gene Erics that were attacking the Dual Rose earlier had become disoriented and thus easier targets for the Duel Academy students. Recca and Reign dispatched their targets swiftly, a quick swing of a sword from Reign ended the defeated Shade's existence followed by a body flung lifelessly across his vision, black blood dripping off of Recca's mace. Biff and a few other students quickly made a defense around the two of them, the large Osiris Red looking at Reign for any sort of command. He rose his blade in response, shouting above the din of battle, "Dispatch your targets and double back! We must continue to bolster our defenses! We will will not be led so foolishly out into the open! This is our island! We will smite them down on our terms!"

Recca could sense tension in her husband's voice. She understood why, too. She placed a hand on his shoulder and he looked toward her. "Go," she whispered, "We have everything under control here."

Reign knew exactly what his wife was saying. He knew she understood him. He nodded his thanks and pulled her into a warm embrace. They broke apart a few minutes later and he grabbed his helmet. He jammed it onto his head and straddled his Duel Runner. The engine roared to life and he tore off into the woods.

o o o

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Gene Eric. Bandit Keith and Raphael stopped and turned around to look at the hooded man standing there accompanied by a few more of his fellow clones.

"Listen, I ain't takin' orders from that little spiky-haired punk!" Bandit Keith barked.

"You're not done until the mission is over."

"Screw the mission! I ain't takin' orders from that punk!"

"You're not done until the mission is over." Gene activated his Duel Disk and his fellow clones followed suit.

"Ain't happening!" Bandit Keith activated his Duel Disk and drew a card.

Meanwhile, Raphael stood in the back quietly observing. One of the Genes approached him. "What about you?"

"I cannot condone what this army is doing," Raphael answered, "I am a man of honor. The way this army duels is just...not honorable."

"So you're against us then."

"I am." Raphael held up his activated Duel Disk. "Guardian Grarl, attack!" A mighty lizard man appeared before him and swung its axe at the Shade.

o o o

The path was narrow, rocky, and slippery. However, it was the only way to the Dual Rose without getting caught. Tobias was afraid he would slip and dash himself against the rocks bellow. At one point he felt his hand lose its grip on the rock wall, but he was quickly caught by Gabe who nodded at him assuringly. The latter followed behind, keeping a close eye on Tobias in case he fell. From the time he had spent with the ruby-haired boy, he had learned that he was nothing like his other fellow student body members. Stan was confident and egotistical. Issac was cold and constantly dead-serious. Marsha always had an air scheming around her. But Tobias was a very shy and quiet boy. Whenever he tried talking to him, he always seemed to avoid making eye contact.

"So uh, Tobias, how'd you get mixed in with a crowd like the student council?" Gabe asked.

"Umm... well... To be honest, I originally didn't want to be a part of it," Tobias said quietly, "I was always the shy kid in the back of the class. It was the prez who pulled me in. I don't know why she picked me. I was never good at talking to people, but she made me public relations rep."

"Ouch."

"Yeah..." Tobias turned his gaze down to his feet as the pathway started to shrink down to a narrow ledge. He stopped and looked ahead. There wasn't much footing for the next few meters. As he positioned himself to shimmy across, he felt something on his hand. He turned to see Gabe's hand resting on top of his.

"It's cool, dude. Just don't look down."

"Well, okay..." Waves from the ocean had started splashing up the side of the cliff. Tobias pulled his hood up and slowly began making his way across the ledge.

o o o

Nellie had gone off in another direction when the team started to split up. She somehow wound up getting separated from the students who had decided to follow and now found herself at the side of the lake. It had been a long night and she started to feel like she needed a break. Stepping closer to the water, she knelt down, scooped up two handfuls of water, and splashed it in her face.

As she finished trying to refresh herself, she stared at her reflection in the water and began to think. Back at the Duel Rose, she had witnessed the duel between Saito and Judgement. She shuddered remembering him. The white giant with the mask. She didn't want to recall those awful memories, but they were flooding back. She had endured many horrific things when she had been captured. Had it not been for Hayley, who knows what would have happened?

The mask itself was not scary. But the way it looked at her nonstop while she was captured had nearly sent Nellie into a descent into madness. The eye with its swirling void had a very terrifying quality about it. It was as if her own very soul was being looked into.

As she stared at herself in the lake, she began to contemplate what to do next in order to blank her mind of those memories. "What should my next move be?"

"Well you could go find your friends or go find a Duelist. I'm good both ways." Nellie nodded in response, but suddenly snapped into attention.

"Who's there?" she asked.

"Over here."

"Where?"

"Here!"

Nellie looked at her reflection in the water. Nothing out of the ordinary there. But then her reflection suddenly winked, causing her to jump back. The image remained and cackled as it pulled itself from the water's surface, stepping onto the shore as a black and white version of Nellie with glowing red eyes. In addtion, she also had a Duel Disk and a custom skateboard just like hers.

"Who...or what...the hell are you?"

"I'm you. Or I'm a part of you. I 'unno. It gets kinda blurry there," the counterpart said, "I'm really the part of you that you've always been too afraid to face. I'm your dark side, Nell. And it's gonna get good."

Nellie took several steps back. Her dark side? How could this be? Unless... That mask. The memories came back again and she could once again feel Judgement's piercing gaze peering into her soul.

Her soul.

That piercing gaze.

It was starting to make sense.

"I think you got it," the dark Nellie said as she observed her other's actions. "Yup. I'm that darkness in your soul. Judgement put you through all that so that your mind would fragment from all that stress. When you finally snapped, he pulled me out. So here I am. Now I want what's yours."

"You want my body."

"I want your body. Wait. How'd you...?"

"They all want the same thing."

"Well it ain't like yours got much going for it."

"I wouldn't talk if I were you."

"Heh. You already are me."

"You wanna go?"

"Think you can bring it?"

"Can you?"

"You call that a comeback?"

"Talk's cheap. I'm a woman of action."

"Pretty big talk right there for a flat-chested bitch."

"Oh no you didn't."

"Oh ya I did."

"You are so dead."

"Not if I take your body first."

"Wanna kick things up then?"

"What'd you think of?"

"Your board's like mine, right?"

"Yeah."

Nellie tossed her skateboard onto the ground and pulled out a cord from underneath it, which she plugged into her Duel Disk. "A Turbo Duel."

"You think you can bring it on?" Dark Nellie asked as she threw her board down too.

"I know I can bring it on!" Nellie switched her ground deck out and placed her Turbo deck inside her Duel Disk.

"Then let's see whatcha got!" Dark Nellie replied as she pulled out her cord.

Nellie felt her foot settle in nicely into her straps of her board. She could feel the engine running smoothly. As she looked toward her opponent, she could see her connecting her Duel Disk to her board.

Her opponent.

Herself.

Dark Nellie cackled. "You ready?"

"Born ready!" Nellie said with enthusiasm as she turned her cap back.

"Turbo Duel, Acceleration!"

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 8000 / **SPC:** 0

**Dark Nellie:** 8000 / **SPC:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

Small branches broke and tiny critters scurried out of the way as the two Duel Boards raced across the island. The first turn was around a tree. Nellie waited, maintaining her speed so that she was equal to her dark counterpart. She was on the inside, so she had the advantage. Just before they reached the corner, she would pull ahead and take the lead and the first turn. But just as she was about to execute her move, Dark Nellie pulled ahead first and swung inward, cutting her off and taking the turn first.

"Don't be a sore loser. This duel's just started!" Dark Nellie cackled. "I draw!"

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 8000 / **SPC:** 1

**Dark Nellie:** 8000 / **SPC:** 1

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I'm gonna start with Card Destruction!" Dark Nellie made her first move and played her Spell Card.

"Hey, that's not a Speed Spell, though!" Nellie pointed out.

"I know," was Dark Nellie's answer.

"But this is a Turbo Duel. You're gonna take two thousand damgae."

"It's totally worth it." A powerful blast erutped from Dark Nellie's Duel Disk.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 8000 / **SPC:** 1

**Dark Nellie:** 6000 / **SPC:** 1

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Keh. Now we send our hands to the graveyard and draw new ones." Both Nellies discarded their hands and drew five cards. "My last card put five monsters in my grave, so I remove one of 'em to send this to my graveyard." Dark Nellie took out Vengeful Shinobi and Armageddon Knight and sent one card from her hand to her graveyard in their place. "I set a mon and end."

"My turn!" Nellie drew her card.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 8000 / **SPC:** 2

**Dark Nellie:** 6000 / **SPC:** 2

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I summon Marauding Captain!" A man in green armor wielding two swords of different sizes appeared beside her (ATK/1200 DEF/400). "And since he was Normal Summoned, I can bring out a new guy from my hand, like Hand of Nephthys." A beautiful young priestess in gold and orange vestments and an ornate golden headdress appeared beside Marauding Captain (ATK/600 DEF/600). "Now I use her effect and sack her and Marauding Captain to Special Summon my main man from my deck!" Both monsters were swallowed up in fire as Nellie took the card she wanted from her deck and placed it on the field. "Go, Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!" In a flash of fire, a golden phoenix with the same physical build-up as Ra appeared and screeched with searing orange flames pouring out from her wings (ATK/2400 DEF/1600). "Attack that monster!" Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys opened her mouth and a blast of fire shot out and incinerated the facedown.

"Mystic Tomato!" laughed Dark Nellie, "Now I get to bring out a Dark monster with fifteen hundred or less attack. Like, oh I dunno, another one!" A new tomato with a Jack O' Lantern face appeared to replace the old one (ATK/1400 DEF/1100).

"I end with a facedown," Nellie finished.

"My move!" Dark Nellie drew.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 8000 / **SPC:** 3

**Dark Nellie:** 6000 / **SPC:** 3

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now cuz of that card I sent, its effect activates. Come on out, Dark Nephthys! Dark Reincarnation!" In a flash of dark fire, a black version of the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys rose up with crimson flames spewing from her wings (ATK/2400 DEF/1600). "Now let's see Dark Nephthys do her work! If she rezzes this way, I can roast one Spell or Trap! Go, Dark Incineration!" Dark Nephthys opened her beak and a stream of crimson fire shot out and destroyed Nellie's facedown.

"Now I got three Speed Counters, so I can use Speed Spell - Tribute to the Doomed. I discard a card to blow up your monster." Dark Nellie placed a card into her graveyard and a mummified hand tore out of the ground and grabbed Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys as it passed. The gold phoenix struggled against its grip, but failed as it pulled her down into the ground. "Mystic Tomato, attack!" Mystic Tomato bounced over to Nellie and bit her.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 6600 / **SPC:** 3

**Dark Nellie:** 6000 / **SPC:** 3

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Dark Nephthys, attack! Dark Phoenix Flare!" Dark Nephthys spread out her wings and flapped them to unleash a fiery torrent of crimson flames before she shot another stream from her mouth that hit Nellie dead-on.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 4200 / **SPC:** 3

**Dark Nellie:** 6000 / **SPC:** 3

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I set a card and end." A card appeared facedown beside Dark Nellie as she concluded her turn.

"I draw!" Nellie drew her card.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 4200 / **SPC:** 4

**Dark Nellie:** 6000 / **SPC:** 4

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Since you killed Nephthys with an effect, that means she comes back on my Standby Phase. Phoenix Reincarnation!" A wave of fire burst up from the ground and in its wake Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys returned to life. "And since she just rezzed, her effect blows up every backfield card! Go, Phoenix Incineration!" Nellie's phoenix flapped her wings and sent out waves of fire in every direction that incinerated the Spell and Trap Card Zones on both sides of the field.

"Whatcha gonna do now?" asked Dark Nellie, "Your Phoenix is just as strong as mine."

"I know. That's why she's gonna have to sit this turn out. Cuz I got no backfield, I can rez Treeborn Frog!" As Nellie finished speaking, her frog with angel wings appeared beside Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys (ATK/100 DEF/100).

"When'd you get Treeborn Frog in your grave?" asked Dark Nellie.

"Your Card Destruction."

"Oh, right."

"Now I sack Treeborn for Dark Dust Spirit!" A strong wind picked up, kicking up lots of sand, as Treeborn Frog vanished and in its place rose a red and black oni demon with long horns and long white hair (ATK/2200 DEF/1800), "And when he's summoned, everything dies." The winds began to blow even more violently and the dust and sand engulfed Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, Dark Nephthys, and Mystic Tomato, wiping them all out at once.

"Now attack!" Dark Dust Spirit opened its mouth and a tornado of sand and dust flew out and struck Dark Nellie.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 4200 / **SPC:** 4

**Dark Nellie:** 3800 / **SPC:** 4

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I end. And cuz of that, Dust Spirit comes back to my hand." Dark Dust Spirit vanished in a gale of sand and dust as it returned to Nellie's hand

"Draw!" Dark Nellie drew her card.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 4200 / **SPC:** 5

**Dark Nellie:** 3800 / **SPC:** 5

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Cuz I got five or more Darks in my grave, I can Special Summon The Dark Creator." Dark Nellie placed her card on her Duel Disk in defense mode and summoned out the god of creation, except his body was now black having been corrupted by the darkness (ATK/2300 DEF/3000). "Now I'm gonna remove one of my Darks from my grave to rez a Dark from my grave." She removed one of the Mystic Tomatoes. "Dark Creation! Welcome back Dark Nephthys." Raising his arms over his head, The Dark Creator struck the ground with black lightning and summoned Dark Nephthys back from the dead.

"Now I'll summon Dark Grepher." Nellie recognized the card that had been summoned as the once noble warrior called Dai Grepher. Now he had been corrupted by darkness; his skin grey, his hair white, and his clothes turned black (ATK/1700 DEF/1600). "Grepher, attack!" Dark Grepher raised his sword and slashed Nellie.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 2500 / **SPC:** 5

**Dark Nellie:** 3800 / **SPC:** 5

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Dark Phoenix Flare!" On her master's command, Dark Nephthys unleashed her fury and blasted Nellie with a stream of crimson flame.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 100 / **SPC:** 5

**Dark Nellie:** 3800 / **SPC:** 5

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"You're done for. Just give into the darkness!" Dark Nellie goaded, her body now radiating with clouds of darkness.

"I'm not done yet..." Nellie drew her card.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 100 / **SPC:** 6

**Dark Nellie:** 3800 / **SPC:** 6

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Cuz she died by Dark Dust Spirit last turn, my Phoenix comes back! Phoenix Reincarnation!" In a flash of fire, Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys reappeared on the field. "And Treeborn comes back too." Treeborn Frog hopped back onto the field and crouched down defensively. "Now I sack Treeborn for Dark Dust Spirit." The tiny amphibian vanished and in its place rose up the oni once again. With its sand and dust that it whipped up, Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, The Dark Creator, and Dark Nephthys were destroyed.

"It ain't gonna be enough!" Dark Nellie pointed out, "Twenty-two hundred's not gonna kill me!"

"I play Speed Spell - Overboost. Now I gain four Speed Counters."

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 100 / **SPC:** 10

**Dark Nellie:** 3800 / **SPC:** 6

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

Nellie's Duel Board pulled ahead. "Now I play Speed Spell - Monster Reborn! I remove ten Speed Counters to rez a monster."

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 100 / **SPC:** 0

**Dark Nellie:** 3800 / **SPC:** 6

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Come on back, Nephthys!" Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys rejoined the field once again and Nellie's two monsters stared down at her dark counterpart. "Dusty, go on ahead." Dark Dust Spirit unleashed its whirling gale of dust and sand at Dark Nellie.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 100 / **SPC:** 0

**Dark Nellie:** 1600 / **SPC:** 6

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"This is for game," Nellie said.

"You can't!" screamed Dark Nellie.

"I am! Go Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys! Phoenix Flare!" Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys opened her beak and a powerful jet of fire shot out and struck down Dark Nellie.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 100 / **SPC:** 0

**Dark Nellie:** 0 / **SPC:** 6

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

Dark Nellie's Duel Board served and crashed into a tree. Nellie quickly road back around and stopped before the wreckage. After undoing her straps, she ran over to where her dark self lay.

"You can't get rid of me that easy," Dark Nellie swore quietly as she looked up. "Darkness is eternal..." And with that, she faded away.

"Where darkness exists, the light of a phoenix's flame will burn brighter than ever." Nellie closed her eyes and stood in silence for a moment. "Well, time to get back!" She revved up her Duel Board's motor and took off.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Reko's final trial is at hand. At the word of Raiza the Storm Monarch, he must prove himself worthy of accepting his fate or losing it all forever. See it happen next week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	129. The Sixteenth Seal

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-42**

**The Sixteenth Seal**

_Hey sister..._

_Should I die...can you make sure I'm not forgotten?_

_I always felt...weaker than most, don't know why._

_If you can hear me...just, make sure whatever dumb thing I did was not in vain._

Reka stopped upon hearing Reko's voice echo on the wind. She looked down at Mikomi then regarded the others. Milena already brought her combat knife to bear as she stood ahead of Reka, "Da, I feel it too Reka...a chill in the air that shouldn't belong. Amadis strained to hear something in the wood...shaking her head as he tore off her white hood of her school uniform, pulling a mint green lock behind her ear as she strained to hear.

"Miss Reka...I hear voices in the far distance."

Mikomi nodded while following Amadis' example, "I hear it too."

Katasuo brandished his katana towards the darkness of the forest, eyes narrowing, "I'm suggesting that we scout out what may be ambushing us soon. This is the last seal, no doubt in my mind it will be protected."

Reka and her companions walked into a clearing of the rainy wood, roiling grey clouds giving a steady torrent that somewhat obscured their visibility. They came to a cliff face directly ahead, with a gentle water fall pouring out from it and into a small river. Roots and vines coiled up and over a large black crystal, and leaning next to the crystal was her brother, covered in dirt and grime and holding a longsword.

"...Reko!"

Reko heard his sister's concern, and craned his head in a bizarre fashion towards her, "Oh...hello."

Reka held out her hands, "What in...why are you here...?"

Reko gave a soft laugh, pointing his blade toward the baleful crystal, "That. It calls to me. This island...it's what they want."

"Right then, island...what island?"

"Duel Academy, sister. The charnel pit once called Duel Academy."

Reka thought back to what her friends had told her about their dreams hours ago. There was little to no resistance in the forest, and the whole part that she heard was now on the tip of her tongue, "Duel Academy is in Terra...unless."

He smiled, "Allow me to thank you. I can end this, and save everyone. This seal has gotta go. He has a world to rule. Die or serve. I choose servitude."

Reka scoffed and rose a brow, "Oh what the fuck is that nonsense brother. You've gotta be kidding."

Reko grinned a gin that seemed far to sadistic and alien for him, "Doubting me? More students die with each passing moment. It called to me, gave me a chance to save everyone. I'll take the risk."

The rain picked up into a torrential storm as countless other minions she'd witnessed before crawled from the darkness of the forest. The rose mark on his neck was black as night, and the twisted visage of Nicky exploded from the depths, carrying a battered and distraught woman she did not recognize, looked as freakish as him though. The men in macabre armor stepped forward with spears brandished, making her companions surround her in reflex. Even Mikomi and Amadis put on their best efforts to stay brave.

"Whole world's waitin' for you Reka...," Nicky said with malice dripping from his strange split tongue, "Either ya do the deed an' save the world. Or Reko saves it. Which will it be...?"

Reko approached the crystal with a raised sword arm, before bolts of concentrated force rained out from the western side of the forest and laid him low to the ground with Raiza. Nicky, the woman Reka didn't recognize and his minions were made immobile from the energy as a very familiar voice came from the forest.

"O Corrupted Creator. O Twisted Monarch of Storms. Cast ye from this realm of Purity. Get thee hence from where thou has come. Leave thy vessel and champion. Leave the twisted realm of Terra and Ardent."

A small woman clutching a gnarled staff of intricately carved wood and metal, features aged with wisdom and silvery hair hinted with lavender came from the wood, accompanied by a strange futuristic soldier brandishing two large pistols. Chopsticks with glass eyes covering them held her hair in a tight bun, the woman standing proper and defiant against the massive odds in only silken robes and a single companion.

"Grandma!", Reka could hardly believe it, but Mikomi eyes lit up as well.

Rena gave a soft smile, "The reunion can wait. Let us slay the Puppets."

Reka brandished her wrench, "Got it. Milena, take Mikomi and Amadis somewhere safe on this island! Katasuo, let's get a fight underway!"

The elderly man fell into a combat stance before Reka even gave the order, Milena and Amadis quickly scooping up Mikomi and running opposite of the battle. Rena looked back towards her with a bit of admiration on her face, "You've become quite the commander granddaughter, though I can handle these trifles. Get yourself two hundred and fifty yards northeast of me. Lure Reko."

Reka saw the frothing Reko break free of the hold and sprint towards her, Rena yelling out at her to run. Katasuo and her did as they both were told, with Rena looking over last seal the moment to Nicky breaking free of his bonds and spraying fire towards her grandmother.

o o o

Zetsubou clutched one fist in resilient determination, smiling faintly as he slowly and painfully sat up on the bed he laid on. He took a look around and noted he was in Reko's room, filled with all sorts of outfits and posters of various cloudscapes, artists and actors he honestly couldn't recognize. His body was covered in a cold sweat, and his body showed no signs of the very painful and excruciatingly agonizing arrows that went into his body as he defied Pestilence.

Mikomi's body! He stood up on the bed and tore open the door to find an Obelisk Blue student leap of his skin and smack against the wall with a resounding crack while yelping. He slid to the floor, and Zetsubou could only lend him a hand in getting up.

"Y-y-you're the...guy...murdered Pestilence...," the student stammered.

Zetsubou sighed, time flicked by like a skip on a compact disc while he was unconscious, how long had he been out? He wasn't going to ask for time though, "It seems quiet, are we lost?"

"...wha-"

He growled, his eyes becoming black as coals that only made the student run away screaming. He felt Grey's Presence behind him, followed by his deep and rumbling voice, "You should rest still, Pestilence's power is incredibly complex. Thus unconscious, we could work on bolstering your mortal shell unhindred."

"This can wait. I need to know who still lives...," he felt weak, his vision fading the moment he opened the door in front of him.

"The disease spreads still, though it will no longer mutate you it is still a virulent potion indeed. To move is to invite death. I implore once more, rest."

Zetsubou staggered into the room, looming over Mikomi's bed to find the she herself was not in it. Coughing up black liquid from his mouth and despite Grey's protests he dragged his fading body to the end of the hall and checked Rena's room. To his shock, Rena's bed was also vacant.

"Greys...a...," Zetsubou fell to one knee as he felt himself fading fast into unconsciousness once again. A pair of strong arms collected him and drug him back to Reko's room he figured.

"Damn, didn't think skinny guy here would be so heavy," Biff grumbled to himself before tossing him into Reko's bed again. The startled Obelisk Blue stood next to him and hushed his tone, "H-h-his eyes were black...like something from a horror flick."

Biff gave a nervous chuckle, "D-damn. Few weeks back...this would just be another fucking day. Where's the other one that has the lavender hair, the guy. He and Umi should know. ...Shit, figures this would happen when I'm guarding the goddamn shop too!"

"You're talking about Reign?"

"No, younger one. Used to ride a bike? Looks really detached from everything lately?"

Max poked his head up from the bottom of the stairwell, "That's no problem, you're looking for Reko. He left awhile back, didn't say a thing. He's been looking not so fabulous lately..."

The fact that Max, Max of all people was his partner on guarding the shop while the others were out gathering supplies and what else drove him into a seething rage. Recca told him to tolerate everyone and...well, Max did ruin his day every time he fought him in a duel. Deep down, he guessed he was glad to have him around...that personality though. The fact the the Obelisk Blue student, who still didn't bother telling him his name and Max just let their fourth guard to wander outside was honestly a point of concern, "What! Fuuuck. Where'd he go!"

The Obelisk Blue student stammered, "S-s-seal."

Biff rose an eyebrow.

"S-said he was gonna break to the seal. K-k-k-kill everyone in his way...," Biff backed away from the student and made his way down the stairs with Max, "O...okay man, calm down."

The student looked at them both with wide eyes, the irises like dots on a canvas of white ridden with thin red lines, "Y-y-y-you don't see... T-the door."

Biff powered up his disk, "Bro...what the fuck, man..."

Max grabbed his shirt and the two of them came down the lobby. It looked eerie with the lights out and with few people, which is not the thought he wanted at the moment. The student leapt down the stairs in one motion and both saw his legs crack and shatter under the force, yet he still stood, "The door...the door opens...he is bor-"

Both Biff and Max were shocked to see Zetsubou leap down the stairs in the same way the man did, the same knife used to kill Pestilence ran out of his mouth. Black blood dribbled from the body and flowed to the floor, the student quickly losing his form as he became something wholly aberrant and disgusting. The now silvery slime flowed to the floor as nothing, then faded into a black mist. The sable haired man staggered to his feet and let out a few hacking coughs, "Damn...not quite feeling...at my best."

Biff ran over to Zetsubou, his hand flying to grip the baseball bat at his side, "What...what was..."

He was quiet for a moment, listening for any other sounds, "A Phantom of Chaos, by the assumption of what a Phantom of Chaos does, becomes something wholly not human yet looks the same as you or I if it should so desire. I believe the Duel Monsters given form are still rampant in the other dorms as well... Some are getting bold and strengthening their resolve to attack this place, even if it is on a certain place of power."

"So...so what's your deal then! You're with th-," Biff paled as a ichor coated dagger was placed perilously close to his throat, "If I truly was on their side, which I have proven time and time again I am most certainly not, would you have stood for a second more after I ended that monstrosity at the foot of the stairs?"

Max regarded Zetsubou carefully, "Well, Mr. Tejinashi...if I can say so it's my place to say that..."

Zetsubou collapsed on the floor again, leaving Max in an awkward position. Zetsubou voice was raspy but coherent, "I'm getting Pestilence's sickness out of me. It's taking longer than expected. I won't be of much use but for what it's worth...I've returned."

"That does not sound very fabulous, your condition."

"It's honestly a strain Max, I agree...now drag me to that couch over yonder..."

o o o

Recca stood at the top of a small hill overlooking the Slifer Red dorm as the rain picked up in intensity, much to her dismay. Umi approached her with several other students, each of them carrying bags and crates of clothing and supplies. She smiled as she directed them to a still functional supply truck they found during on of their forays. They were just about done searching it through when Saito and a few others came through to watery veil and approached her, "Saito, what's wrong? You all look so worried."

Saito was full of concern as he told Recca, "I need advice. All of the dorms are empty. No Shades, no Monsters, no anything."

Recca rose a thin brow, "Really...?"

He nodded, "I'm not too sure what's going on. I've checked the others at their posts. No Horsemen, no Turbo Duelists, no Shades, no anything after that one large scale battle."

Recca looked at the gathering storm clouds, "That's odd though...the sudden storms I guessed would have..."

A Ra Yellow student shook Recca's arm, "Recca, someone's approaching!"

"Human?", she asked as she laid a hand on her mace. The student nodded, "Yes. But I've never seen her before, it looks like a white school uniform!"

"...white? Saito, this school have any..."

"No."

"Thought so," she walked forward a bit towards an approaching figure, it looked female and was draped in a odd white and blue dress with a small cape of the same color draping her shoulders, kept together by a ribbon of silk. A bonnet graced her head, with short mint green hair poking out from under it. It did look like some kind of school uniform to Recca, especially with the grey backpack on her back. She looked completely confused as to where she was, and spotting Recca she froze and stammered. She knelt down onto the rain slicked pavement of the wrecked street and clasped her hands together tightly.

"Oh mon dieu non! Ne me blesse pas! Oh je ne veux pas d'être lésés par les humains de toutes choses!"

Recca rose an eyebrow at the language she just suddenly spoke. It was French? It was...it was really good French, she had to admit. The girl looked up with pleading eyes, warm tears coming from soft green eyes.

"Je me suis séparé de mes alliés! S'il vous plaît, laissez-moi aller! Je ne veux pas me battre un autre être humain! Oh mon dieu ... ne me faites pas vous battre ... Je ne pouvais pas supporter le fardeau de tuer un autre encore!"

Saito looked to Recca for advice regarding the girl crying in the ruined streets, "Why is she speaking...?"

"She's terrified, probably been though a lot. Some people in rare instances just speak their native language when they get that shook up. Leave it to me...I'll see if I can't get though to her," Recca closed her eyes and tossed her mace to one side, shocking the students looking at them both, "Enfant ... n'ayez pas peur. Vous êtes en sécurité ici, je vais m'assurer aucun dommage vient à vous ... S'il vous plaît enfant ... composer vous-même. Parle un peu anglais si vous le pouvez, dites-moi votre nom."

The small girl, looking no older than maybe twelve or thirteen looked up at her, "M...my name...yes. My name is Amadis Bessette. I had almost forgotten what a conversation felt like, had it not been for Reka and her friends lord keep them close."

"Reka! Reka Telaris...!", Saito looked over at Recca's sudden shock. That was her daughter's name, the person his business was scouring the globe for. She laid her hand on the girl's shoulders, "Please...please you have to tell me where she is! Please Amadis!"

Amadis looked towards the roiling storm hovering over the forest, extending a rain-soaked sleeve towards the phenomenon, "The kind woman...she told us to go deep within the storm while she fought off a horrible looking man and the...oh lord... Those horrible knights that serve the UnGod. Rena... Her name was Rena..."

Saito felt his heart swell with hope alongside Recca, both Reka and Rena were alive and for the moment, were both alive and well. Rena doubly so if the woman could hold up these horrible things Amadis was talking about.

"Our purpose...it is quite...complicated. She told us to flee to find others on the island, Reka did anyway. She ran off in another direction from us I assume...I got separated from the others in my group however."

Recca and Saito exchanged odd looks at one another before it was Saito's turn to ask questions.

"...what world are we in?"

Amadis tilted her head to the side, "Ardent, of course. Though this is the most structurally sound area closest to Terran architecture I've seen however."

"Wait, what the hell do you mean Ardent!"

Hayley emerged from the brush, panting to catch her breath along with several other students, "Saito, I've found out where the other monsters and what not are!"

Amadis quietly muttered that Saito could barely pick up, "They gather at the last seal."

Saito knelt down to be eye to eye contact with the shivering girl, "What do you mean, the last seal."

"Mikomi was right...the Monarchs were trying to help her. Not all of them were fully turned. We were all deceived... Oh mon dieu...pardonne-moi, je ne crois pas que le petit enfant..."

"Amadis, what do you mean."

Amadis was fervently praying in French, Saito's voice not being able to reach her. Recca knelt by the small girl, "I'm thinking her faith is keeping her stable in this situations, odd as that sounds. You and Hayley get to the storm right now...this seal doesn't sound like anything we need," she turned back to Amadis, "Amadis, j'ai un magasin que je possède. Nous y allons pour vous dans un endroit sûr..."

The small french girl shakily stood up on her feet as Recca looked back to the both of them, "I'm counting on you two. Students come with me and leave Saito and Hayley, we need to make sure we're ready just in case. Also, Biff and Max are probably at each others throats with Reko in between them all.

"I still think you should have posted more guards," Saito bluntly stated while facing the swirling storm.

Recca smiled, "I always have all that I need guarding that place. We're fine."

o o o

Reka broke away from the concealing woods to gaze out at a clearing with a single mirror pool in the center. The storm clouds were still roiling overhead and churning with great anger, yet the rain had eased to a drizzle. The grass soil felt soft and loamy under her boots, and with each step she saw the endless rod petals floating still as stones upon the ponds surface. She had no idea what lay within it however, the water was clear just incredibly deep.

"Grandmother...why would you send me here?", Reka's hand reached down to touch the water that was surprisingly mundane and cool to the touch. Katasuo entered the clearing after a moment, sheathing his katana and crossing her arms, "I'm confused. Rena has no reason to send us here. We should be back defending her from those damned monsters."

"Katasuo, you are defending me. Get close and redraw that weapon."

"I don't sense anything watching us," Katasuo muttered as he redrew the weapon, shifting his eyes from left to right. Reka placed her hand into the pond, and reached down as far as she possibly could into the pure water. To her surprise and shock something reached back, making her scream out as Katasuo ran towards her, "You fool!"

Reka composed herself and grabbed on to what felt like a wrist pulling out a human form that laid lifelessly upon the emerald grass. It looked just like Reko to her surprise, however it looked transparent like a ghost. She paled as she gazed for a good while at it, shaking.

"What...what is this Katasuo?"

He ran his hand through the image of Reko, "A ghost. I'm not sure. That would be my first guess though."

Reka wiped a tear from her eye. This was some kind of trick. She just saw Reko a little while ago. Alive but completely insane, it was more than enough proof to give her peace of mind whatever it was worth at the moment. Since they got to this island it was a whirlwind of shock and strife. Her investigation was cut short when a man shrouded in black robes emerged from the forest brush, making not a sound. Katasuo stood between them both, getting a growl from the man that just arrived.

"Looks like I'm not too late. I knew he wasn't dead after his trial, but without his spirit I'm surprised he lasted this long against the UnGod."

Reka pointed her sidearm at the newcomer, "Who are you?"

He laughed, "I'm about to become known as the man brought the UnGod back into power as soon as that last seal breaks, and you want to know my name," he pointed at Reka, and the glint in his eyes made her slightly nervous. It was the gaze of a man fully embraced by the same power she came to despise. The first one she saw who commanded it and not the other way around, "My name is Kage."

"You seem to be a good solid member of the antagonist club. The robe is a dead giveaway. Now why are you here?"

Kage pointed towards the transparent body laying upon the grass in restful slumber, "I am a patient man. I waited until you did my work on Ardent for me. Until you steadily drew this little slice of Terra into Ardent, until Reko's body ran amok. Until the final seal revealed itself on this island. Until that Crusader's soul revealed itself. You know the legend, being in the Telaris family. You safeguard the world from the UnGod. My how you've failed in that regard," something like a shadow writhed in approval to his words upon his neck, but Reka wasn't agitated by it, "I haven't destroyed the last one. I'm not calling it quits yet."

"Ever stubborn like your brother...," his black eyes stared back at her to intimidate but found no weakness with her. Only a warning shot from a beam pistol that made a fine hole at his feet.

"I'd start talking, otherwise it's frontier justice time."

"Reko might be wounded in the battle, after all. You know that dueling in Ardent you can feel every slight your monsters do, and their pain...some duelists here could die before the match is done. Stabbed to death or worse," his words now made her hesitate, perfect, "Do you remember Mist Valley? Natives to that region now call it the Valley of Black Winds. It is where Raiza made his pact with the UnGod, and killed all of his followers...save a scant few. A handful that would not be taken. Raiza's truest followers, that gave him praise for the rains and storms until they perished. Those souls rest within that now. Keeping him alive,' Reka saw that Kage was pointing at Reko.

"Why would they do that?"

"Reko is like them. Carefree, caring only for peace and freedom. The choice to do as one wishes. He would have made a great follower of Raiza, so they themselves decided to save his soul from obliteration from his first time into Ardent. When he was a bird he was meant to wander and die there by Raiza."

Reka sighed, "I figured as much, seems all the Monarchs turned against the world they made for whatever reason."

Kage chuckled, "That they did. Mist Valley was to align itself with Reko, make a slave out of him. But something happened with his final 'trial'. He was supposed to die, the corpse being made a puppet for Raiza and the forces of Mist Valley."

Reka smirked, "He won. Figures. Reko doesn't take much laying down."

Kage smirked back, "You'd think. You see the woman he dueled and defeated harbored a great amount of dark energy, energy I need and require. Mika, the girl, doesn't have all of it. Nearly all of it left her and went to the first living thing it could find."

Katasuo looked down at the spirit, "Reko..."

Kage balked at the man, "Your guardian speaks Reka! Yes. All that evil energy went into Reko, thrusting out his soul. It had Reko's thoughts and ambitions, it was Reko as the darkness manifested ever slowly. Raiza ended up being redeemed by it, and Reko even without his true soul took Reign from us. Manifested a Rose mark even. Now it's gone over to our side, but it needs to die. The soul should have died and deteriorated here but it's still here! In this damned sacred grove. Why would Raiza's priests want to preserve him of all things! When I kill it, Reko's body will be an immobile lump, in it's current state it's far too volatile to collect the energy from, it'd be rendered all but useless. Give me the soul, and you will escape with your lives.'

Reka shook her head and fired another blast at Kage's arm, grazing it with a scorch mark, "You should know by now that's a real load."

Kage looked at his arm, smirking, "You're going to fun to destr-"

The sound of a large tree tumbling echoed as Reko blasted into the forest, covered in a mixture of black a red blood, "...so exhilarating!", he looked like a wreck. He held a blood caked blade in one hand, his hair disheveled and wild, matted with grime and filth. Shirtless and frothing he cackled madly before pointing towards Kage, "Oh man. You should have seen it! I sliced up so many psychics. Rena got away, and the seal has a barrier of some kind around it I can't smash. I kicked the shit out of Nicky for awhile and his damned bitch. Then I went to just slaughtering anything in my way."

"You did well, Reko."

Reka was horrified as Reko licked the blood from his lips, there was no way that insane murdered was her twin brother. She couldn't feel anything from him. No malice or emotion whatsoever, but he clearly was a ball of death and sin, "Reko! Stop this!"

Reko leaned over towards Reka, spitting upon her and making her tear up just on reflex, "Oh what do you know whore. The world's ending. If Reign didn't stop by..."

"Dad!"

"Of course dad. He stopped my fun, made that fucking barrier with the help of his damn knights. That power I had till the fucker took it from me!", A black crystalline disk appeared on his arm, Reko patting the deck upon it, "Now I have the damned power! This world will be torn asunder by the winds! Tearing up Raiza's card was a breeze. No more Monarchs on the good team. You may as well serve us. Or I may as well disembowel you with Kage watching. Kage would you enjoy that? Disembowling?"

Kage laughed at Reka's insane antics, "With great pleasure Mr. Telaris. Don't hesitate to pull out each organ one by one."

"Right. First some electro shock," Reko snapped his fingers, sending a thunderbolt to come crashing on top of Katasuo and incapacitate him instantly. He didn't have any time to scream before he fell to the scorched grass. He kicked the body roughly in the side before moving, "I'd calm down sister. He'll live until I finish the job."

Reko gave a wide grin as he eyed his sister up and down with a wolfish gaze, "First we need to decide what organ to start with...or should I just mutilate all of your skin..."

Reko's soul rested at her feet as it slowly came to rest upon one knee, "If you don't mind me..."

Kage and Reko both looked in shock at the soul, Kage glaring daggers at Reko, "Idiot...your body is to close to the soul. It's being reinvigorated..."

To Reka, the soul looked like a guardian angel. He gave a sweet smile before petting her cheek softly, "Raiza wants me to get my body back. He wants revenge against the other monarchs for being deceived like this. Never seen him pissed, scary. Not sure where I've been, like a long, long nap."

Reka looked at him, and saw that green armor was incredibly transparent on his body, just like Raiza's. Reko turned towards his insane counterpart, "Hey body. Time you learned a goddamn lesson!"

The insane Reko and the Noble one...just like the Monarchs showed her. Reko made a gesture at his insane counterpart, "Now mind you, I just know this trick from Ghost so...here we go. C'mere you palooka," Reko embraced his body, and his body screamed in agony with the emerald light that poured from them both. When it receded Reko's body fell to the floor, leaving Reka to bring Katasuo around and Kage scowling. Shadows came to his aid, but before he could bring them to bear agaisnt Reka he heard the sound of a large motor roaring through the woods. He couldn't risk fighitng the Duelist head on, now that he's freed himself it would be suicide.

"This isn't over, Reka."

Reka gave a half smirk, "That's what they all say."

Kage vanished into the shadows as Katasuo propped himself up with his weapon, "Miss Telaris. If I may say...being with you is the most arduous journey I have even taken in my life..."

Reka chuckled, relieved her friend came around so quickly. She then looked down at Reko's body, "Why is so much being brought agaisnt Reko of all people."

Katasuo smiled, despite his injuries, "Well...your family is marked for greatness. Reko is no different. He must have quite a goal as well as the other ones. The mark on his neck is gone."

"Hey...you're right! Wonder why...," she wiped the dirt from his arm with her thumb, seeing a beautiful red rose on his bicep, "It moved. Changed color too."

"Your grandmother even now is setting things subtly moving everything into place. you'd do well to get that kind of presence."

"Everything with time. Now let me wash up Reko and you keep a watch over us."

"At once, Reka."

o o o

Biff rose up out of his chair, rubbing his eyes. Max and he decided to watch the store in shifts. If any dueling had to be done, they'd tag team. He deck was made for beating down enemies quickly, Max's was built with control in mind. Max would clear the field and he'd wipe out the enemy. Sound reasoning. It may have been the stress of war, but talking with Max instead of just verbally attacking him made him realize that he wasn't a bad person. Annoying at times yes, but definitely not a bad person. That award went to the Horsemen and whatever the hell was outside. Out the phantom Zetsubou impaled before he decided to vomit outside and stumble back in and pass out on the carpet. Grabbing his trusty baseball bat, now embedded with several nails since he found some in Recca's basement, he eyed the world outside the windows. Several students were headed back, and as per Recca's request he made his way outside and grabbed some of the heavier supplies, getting thanks from many of the students.

Max stood on top of the roof, looking towards the growing storm and feeling an unfamiliar sense of deja vu from it. It was too similar to the effect that happened to Reko weeks ago. Looking down at the other students, he smiled happily at Recca playing the rearguard and make his way downstairs.

o o o

Milena's fist cracked into the helm of the last guard pursuing them, her other hand having a firm grip on the spear that was meant to impale her. Mikomi stood behind her, a small dagger held at the ready, though as usual she wasn't able to do much. Milena loved the thrill of the fight too much, as she roughly kicked the guard off the forest trail they were walking on and smacked her hands together, "Well now, little guards weren't a big problem, hm?"

Mikomi noticed Milena's cracked and bleeding knuckles, but the Russian blonde waved her off, "Bah, don't worry. Happens. Little details, child. You say you've been on island, da?"

"Yes, that's right. Um...I think this trail looks familiar! Yeah! That's where Zetsu and I studied, over there! It was near the library...the main building! We're near the main building Milena!'

Milena huffed, "Finally, some civilization that isn't guards and trees. Lead on little one."

Milena nudged another mangled guard aside with her leg as Mikomi pushed forward a few branches, the russian woman keeping a close eye on her charge. Sure enough, after a few moments they came to the ruins of a large building, it looked as though a major war happened here.

"Mikomi, are you afraid."

"Not at all, let's look for any survivors."

Milena chuckled, "You learn well."

o o o

With Gabe and Tobias having already been gone for over a half-hour, it was now Mikey's and Sammie's turn. As they made their way down the treacherous path, the two walked in silence. Mikey wanted to say something to Sammie, but he was more concerned about the sheer drop from the ledge onto the jagged rocks below. Like they had discussed before, it was a very dangerous path but it was the only one they could take to avoid encountering any enemies.

Mikey was terrified. There was no doubt about it. He wasn't used to this; one false step could send him to his death. He looked ahead at Sammie, who seemed to be traversing the path without much trouble. He slapped his face and tried to shake off his fear. This was not the time to be scared. Keeping his eyes on Sammie, he resumed forward hoping that her courage would somehow rub off on him.

o o o

A campfire crackled somewhere in the woods. Sako sat facing the flame on one side while Charlie sat opposite of him. Wes was sitting to the side watching Noah, Cassie, and Gio, who had all fallen asleep. The grey-haired teen had taken off his coat and placed it over the trio as a blanket, but not all of them seemed appreciative. Gio had rolled out from under his coat tails and lay spread eagle on his back snoring. Noah was lying on his left side with his plush toy hugged snuggly against his chest. Cassie had snuggled up close to the white-haired boy for warmth though from the way she was smiling Wes could tell she wasn't just in it for that alone.

Sako was on high alert keeping his hands on his Barrett ready to fire at a moment's notice. Charlie, by contrast, seemed very laid back. She was leaning against a rock staring up at the leaves over their heads while casually using her knife to sharpen some branches she had broken off from the trees.

"Hey," she said to Wes, "You took a dump earlier, right? Where'd you do it?" Wes said nothing, but instead pointed towards the bush behind him. Without saying another word, Charlie got up with her sticks and walked in that direction. When she returned moments later, the sharpened ends were covered with feces. Wes wondered why that was the case, but then just stopped caring about it. Sako, on the other hand, knew exactly why she was doing it.

"Think you've got enough?" he asked semi-sarcastically.

"Not nearly enough," Charlie replied with the exact same tone of voice.

"We shouldn't stay here for too long."

"The kids are tired. Let them sleep. It's _way_ past their bedtime."

"We could be attacked at anytime, Charlie."

"That's why I set traps around us." Charlie stuck the sticks into the ground facing outward and then returned to her rock.

Another awkward silence filled the campsite. Wes was still watching the kids, Sako continued to keep guard, and Charlie resumed her very relaxed method of preparation.

"You know..."

"I'll kick your ass in a bit, Sako," was Charlie's response.

o o o

Reign looked up as the barrier around the black crystal faded, Rena leaning back against a tree in exhaustion. Piles of slain guards and various monsters laid slaughtered around the two of them as one of Reign's knights, Topaz, finished off the last assaulting creature with a swing from his weapon before vanishing in a crack of electricity. Summoning outside of dueling was a difficult task, and one that always left him and other exhausted. Nevertheless it was always a useful trick, especially if every other malicious creature focused all it's energies on killing you and ushering forth a truly powerful evil.

Rena looked towards Reign as the silvery haired man wiped off the blade of his bastard sword with a cloth from his back pocket, "Reign, you age well. Ten years, has it been? Hardly look a day past thirty as Recca. You two are truly gifted in that regard."

Reign furrowed his brow, "Come on now, now's not the time to talk about age of all things Miss Rena. It's been...interesting."

She hopped to her feet, her staff making solid thumps in the earth, "I can imagine, you get pulled through time, slay the UnGod's incarnation, usher in the house we serve then tragically remain a puppet to the force you helped vanquish when the whole ordeal should have sent you right back to where you were when you vanished."

Reign was silent, "I'm surprised you can still joke about my age."

She smiled warmly at Reign, "We both have the same tastes when it comes to losing large tracts of time, dear."

"Right. But on to business. What of Reko? He's gone completly over...should I?"

Rena's features returned to those of a woman in deep thought, "No. The monsters surrounding this island are severely crippled and their power cut off immensely from the pushback the students have mustered. I suppose even these children can fight like conquerors when pushed hard enough. You have a Runner still. I would go back to the island to find my daughter again. Tell her the final seal is revealed. Our little Reka had been deceived and had shattered the other fifteen. We must find a new plan and quickly, otherwise our family will have failed in our sacred duty to our planet. Regarding Reko...that is not your son, something is driving it's body. I sense even now Reko is wrestling his body from the dark power."

Reign has his back turned, walking back towards his Runner when he heard Rena's voice, "Reign."

"Yes Miss Rena."

"Your children have been deceived time and time again, but so have the other Crusaders. In time, they will be our salvation. Reko wasn't even in control of his body, and yet he redeemed you...think for a second the kind of will and power that takes. When he could do that even though his soul laid dormant..."

Reign nodded to Rena, "I want you at the Dual Rose as soon as I bring back help."

Rena grinned as she looked at the seal, "Oh child, you need not worry a bit about that. We're finally awake in Ardent. Now the curtain is drawn, and the play can begin in earnest."

o o o

Reko and his darker counterpart stood upon a barren wasteland, replete with ruined architecture and silt buried statues long since worn smooth. Almost at once, his dark side reached for the sword at his side, "You're flesh here Reko. Time I ruin you forever, make you what you really are."

Reko blinked, sure enough he found himself wearing a plain brown robe with the sleeves torn off, a red rose on his right bicep displayed proudly. An incredibly familiar gauntlet was on his right hand, "Legacy...? Wait...what?"

_It is the weapon your father used ages past. The disk in which he commanded armies and shaped history._

The voice on the wind, Raiza. At once his black counterpart brandished a black disk of solid metal on his hand, emblazoned with a menacing looking symbol. A deck was in it, and Reko knew well what it was.

"Makes sense now...why Legacy was just a tiny ring on my finger, why Raiza and me didn't link up time to time. Why the deck was...off. It was mine, but not mine. That power was mine but not."

The other Reko chuckled, "That's right. It was mine. Mist Valley and all it's beautiful tainted winds were mine all along."

_I was controlled by this, but you yourself makes me hesitate in my decision to join the UnGod. I am a capricious being, let me switch sides to you. Let me show him that my creation, Ardent, is a place worth fighting for. Let me show the other Monarchs how wrong defection is._

Reko was still as stone as his dark counterpart pointed his blade at him, "It's time to die Reko."

_This is my final test Reko. Accept who you are...it's time you wield Legacy as yourself._

Reko felt his dark counterparts sword enter his chest, but it didn't hurt at all. The other Reko looked confused.

_You are an imperfect being. No single person can claim perfection, perfection is not meant for anyone to attain. the hunt for it translates as power. Power will always corrupt, but to incite change it is needed. Why is that?_

Reko yelled out in a bit of shock, "You want me to answer that with a friggin' longsword in my lungs! ...I'm guessing because it's the resposibility of the user how it's used. To aid or harm, speaking of harm this looks really painful!" The dark Reko's sword but into his throat, but didn't bleed him. His darker counterpart cried in fury, hacking Reko's chest again and again.

"JUST. DIE. LET ME IN!"

_The answer is neccescary. We were tempted by the UnGod for power beyond our own. We took it. He stands against you all, and yet you may not be able to fight against him. You could die even now, he's deceived your twin into breaking nearly all the seals keeping his power trapped in Ardent. I was not even aware of this. If I was no aware of it, what makes you think that you are mightier than a Monarch?_

Reko glared back at the darker Reko, Legacy seemingly shining with life "...You have to try. Better fight than keel over."

_You would fight the UnGod alone?_

"All of us would. Mikey too, you can bet on it."

_Even if your twin and others stood against you?_

"I turned by dad back to our side, and I wasn't even piloting me,' the darker Reko spat at him, turning back from him.

_Cut him down, Reko._

"I won't," Reko laid a hand upon his darker half.

_...I wonder why. He is your hate, negativity._

"You don't run from yourself. You embrace would you are first and foremost. No more hidng for anyone."

_A bold claim. You fight with will._

He stood his darker counterpart up, his arm resting on his shoulder. his darker self looked puzzled and let his sword slip from his hand.

_Were you always this strong?_

Reko embraced his darker half, and a red light shone from within his body as the shadowy Reko was absorbed within him. The wasteland turned to a beautiful windswept meadow, lightly littered with proud icons of warriors made from gold.

_You are..._

Reko looked at the beautiful disk upon his arm, shining in resonance with the rose upon his bicep. Within the orb upon the back of his hand, there was an image of a whirlwind of type nestled withing a rose. His very own symbol.

_Humanity...such a stubborn, noble race._

Reko came to with a sharp cough, falling in the pond as Reka pulled him up. His sudden robe was completely soaked, and yet as Reka grabbed him with tears streaming from her eyes, he could only hear her chuckle.

_In time, you yourself will live up to your father's standard. However it will be by your own wits, and your own actions._

o o o

Rena was in quiet meditation with Hyper Psychic Blaster knelt at her side with both firearms holstered. As she saw Reko stumbled out of the woods wearing a brown robe with a tearful Reka at his side and Katasuo looking smug, she knew that all was well.

Casting a gaze upward, she saw the storm clouds quickly disperse, revealing Ardent's blue sky, and sunshafts glittering down upon the black crystal.

Wordlessly, her and her monster led the way back towards the Dual Rose.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

After failing to cut the school of its food supply, Famine resumes his rampage across the island. As he terrorizes the students, he is met by a man whom many thought was dead. Will the black Horseman be victorious or is this the end of the line for him? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	130. Draconic Salvation

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

Apologies for the delay. Animethon was last weekend and there was a lot of stuff that had to get done.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-43**

**Draconic Salvation**

Gabe realized, upon arriving at the Dual Rose, that his and Tobias' help wasn't really needed. Students were pushing back Genes like a plow pushing dirt. Those that got through had to deal with Recca's Naturias and Saito's Blue-Eyes White Dragons.

"Looks like we're late for the party," Gabe said.

"Take care of any stragglers," Saito ordered.

"Who died and made you leader?" asked Gabe.

"Yes sir," Tobias obediently obeyed. Gabe just looked at him and then decided to help out. Even though the tide of the battle had turned in their favor, there was still a lot to be done.

o o o

Roman had left temporarily the bridge to go to the head, leaving Victoria alone for a change. She looked around her. Her crew had been worked hard and they were all tired. They needed a break as did she. However, as long as Roman was still in charge they would not be getting any rest. The Duel Submariner looked at her crew and came to a decision. She did not care about the money; her crew was much more valuable. Without them, there would be no way to run the submarine. No vessel meant no captain.

"All hands face me," Victoria announced. Her crew immediately stopped working and turned to look at her. "You've all been a loyal crew. You follow orders without question and you execute them flawlessly. I appreciate all that you've done. And because of that, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, captain," the navigator said.

"It is my fault because I allowed that man to take over my ship. No, our ship. A captain who lets another take charge of her crew and her ship is not worthy to be captain."

"Now that's not true!" another crew member exclaimed, standing up, "You have every right to be our captain. And damn, you're the best captain we've ever had."

"With all due respect, captain," the navigator said, "we still followed your orders even though they were the orders of that jackass."

"Well, we're not taking any more orders from that jackass anymore," Victoria said with a smirk, "Sorry it took so long. You've all been so patient with me."

"That's because we believe in you, captain! Now what are we gonna do about him?"

"First thing we are going to do is we are going to surface. Once there, I want that man off our ship! Am I clear?"

"Aye-aye, captain!"

As the crew rushed to prepare things, Victoria walked over to wear Mika lay. The priestess looked up at the captain, who helped her up into a sitting position. "Bear with us for now. Once we're done, you'll be free to go."

o o o

Reign's Duel Runner tore across the island. His eyes scanned the passing scenery for any signs of his targets. He was searching for something. Or rather, someone. He knew they were only a distraction, but they were one of the biggest threats on the island. Their presence alone would completely destroy Duel Academy. He revved his engine and speed up. There was not much time. He regretted leaving Rena behind to make her own way back to the Dual Rose, but he didn't feel anyone else could stand up to the forces steadily assailing this small piece of Terra.

_Sir they're breaching the castle gates!_

_Hold damn you! For the sake of our future we must hold the gates! Get Henry to bolster the troops on the western ramparts and give supporting fire from the cover of the woods! I'll make my way to Stonehenge, hold Richard off for an hours time for god's sakes!_

His hand went to the pendant bequeathed to him by Saito's time lost ancestor and clutched it tightly. All he have done led to this, was his life now nothing more than constant battle anymore? He accepted his fate the moment he was pulled back through time, yet he was growing weary of it. Once he finished this...it would end.

_What in the hell are you! It matters not...it's only you standing between myself and my family, I'll scatter you to the winds!_

_Lord Reign, I thank ya from the bottom o' my heart sir._

_Of course Reece, I don't see why a house could not be established here. House Telaris, it almost seems necessary what's happened. I'm going back to my own world now...I won't forget your sacrifices._

_No...noooo...! I won't...I won't bow to you!_

Reign stopped his runner for a second. He did succumb to Him. For ten long years did his body belong to the UnGod as a powerful instrument. He saved the entire world one second. What atrocities had he committed in the decade since? Could he even face his family knowing if he had done some horrible wrong? He shook the thought out of his head. We was only a man trying to make right the wrong that faced him. Speeding off towards the destination he could think of, he could only hope that the same luck and skill from ages past could help him again now.

o o o

Saito continued to observe the battlefield. The students were pressing forward and the Genes were retreating. "Things are going well," Recca observed.

"Like everyone else, all they needed was a competent leader," Saito responded. As he continued to watch, he noticed that the Genes were starting to hold their ground. Before long, the army of clones had formed ranks and files and were starting to push back on the students.

"What the hell's goin' on?" demanded Biff.

"I dunno, but this is totally unfabulous!"

A horse's neigh could be heard coming from the rearmost rank of Genes. The files parted into two units allowing a famished black steed to step forward. Sitting atop it on a saddle of midnight black was a man in black armor holding a set of balance scales in one hand.

Meanwhile, Saito cursed silently to himself. "They've got a leader now."

"Young man, you better not be thinking about going down there," Recca warned.

"I have to," was Saito's answer. He jumped down from the balcony of the Dual Rose and walked forward. Famine clenched his left fist and five panels detached from his gauntlet and slid to the side to align with each other. Saito's Blue-Eyes White Dragon Duel Disk shimmered as he loaded his deck and activated the device. He and Famine stood facing each other ready to engage in a duel.

"Your really expect to defeat me, boy?" Famine laughed.

"I do and I will," Saito replied.

"You've sealed your fate."

"Then let's du..."

"You will do no such thing!" All motion ceased at the sound of the new voice and everyone turned. Saito's eyes widened as he saw his father, Seto Kaiba, step out onto the field.

"Father?"

"Impossible," Famine uttered, "You should be dead. The attack on the headmistress' office..."

"It would have killed us, but you forgot one important thing. I'm Seto Kaiba." Kaiba stopped behind Saito and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "This one's mine." Setting down a briefcase he had brought with him, he opened it and took out his Duel Disk, which he strapped to his arm and activated. Saito nodded at his father and stepped back.

"So the famous Seto Kaiba thinks he has what it takes to duel a Horseman of the Apocalypse?" Famine asked pacing his horse, "Very well then. I will show you our power myself."

"Bring it on."

––––––––––––––––

**Kaiba:** 8000

**Famine:** 8000

––––––––––––––––

"I draw!" Kaiba drew his first card and proceeded with his turn. "And I'll start by summoning Battle Ox in attack mode." A great anthropomorphic ox in red armor wielding a one-handed battle axe appeared an mooed (ATK/1700 DEF/1000). "I'll set two facedown cards and end my turn." Two cards appeared at Kaiba's feet. "Your turn."

"This duel's over before it's begun." Famine cackled as he drew his card. "I Special Summon Grinder Golem to your field in attack mode." A giant mechanical demon with pincer claws, chains, spikes, and a giant circular saw blade in place of its head appeared in front of Kaiba (ATK/3000 DEF/300). "And by his effect I gain two Grinder Tokens." Two smaller versions of Grinder Golem appeared on Famine's side of the field, each a level one Dark Fiend with zero attack and defense points.

"Grinder Token, attack Grinder Golem!"

"I don't think so." Kaiba activated one of his facedowns. "Mirror Force will see to that!" A reflective barrier erected itself in front of Grinder Golem just as one of the Grinder Tokens launched an array of tiny saw blades. They bounced off the mirror and rebounded back at the two Grinder Tokens, slicing them up.

"Bah! I'll set two cards and end my turn."

"I draw!" Kaiba drew his next card. "Now I summon Vorse Raider!" A beast-like warrior wielding a short glaive appeared beside Battle Ox and roared (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). "Vorse Raider, attack directly!" The beastial warrior snarled as he launched himself at Famine and slashed his weapon across his chest.

––––––––––––––––

**Kaiba:** 8000

**Famine:** 6100

––––––––––––––––

"Battle Ox, attack directly!" Battle Ox bellowed as it charged and swung its axe, chopping into Famine's body.

––––––––––––––––

**Kaiba:** 8000

**Famine:** 4400

––––––––––––––––

"I'm not going to attack with Grinder Golem," Kaiba said as he ended his Battle Phase, "You wouldn't have brought it out and attacked it with one of its tokens if you didn't have Inferno Tempest in your hand."

"I see nothing gets past you, Mr. Kaiba."

"Very little does," Kaiba replied, "Famine."

"So you know my name, Mr. Kaiba. It will do you little to save you."

"I wouldn't be one to speak about saving oneself if I was the one facing three high powered monsters armed with no defense."

"You know so little." Famine drew his card. "And this Swords of Revealing Light shall be the start." Three swords of light fell in front of Kaiba's field and paralyzed his monsters. "Now I set a monster and end my turn."

"I draw!"

"And I activate Drop Off." Famine's facedown activated and Kaiba was forced to discard the card he just drew. With his monsters paralyzed, there was nothing more he could do so he ended his turn causing one of the Swords of Revealing Light to vanish.

"I draw now." Famine drew his card and cackled. "I Flip Summon Needle Worm." He flipped his monster over and summoned out a spiky purple caterpillar (ATK/750 DEF/600). "And by his effect, you must now send the top five cards of your deck to your graveyard." Kaiba flipped through his deck until he had the five top cards in between his fingers and pulled them out. He glanced at them once and then sent them straight to his graveyard.

"Now I summon The Bistro Butcher." A demonic chef with a large knife and a hook appeared before Famine (ATK/1800 DEF/1000) and he ordered him to attack Battle Ox. The Bistro Butcher cackled as he closed in on his target and swiftly turned the the bovine warrior into sliced beef.

––––––––––––––––

**Kaiba:** 7900

**Famine:** 4400

––––––––––––––––

"And now The Bistro Butcher's effect activates," announced Famine, "Each time he deals battle damage to you, you must draw two cards." Kaiba was not happy, but he complied with the effect. Hopefully, the cards he drew could help. "Now I activate Card Destruction." The CEO of Kaiba Corp. cursed as he discarded all six cards in his hand and drew another six. By contrast, Famine only had one card left after playing Card Destruction. "I end my turn."

Kaiba drew his next card. It wasn't a bad card. However, it was not safe in his hand so he set it in his backfield before ending his turn and causing a second sword to vanish.

Famine drew his card and set it on the field in defense position before ending his turn. When Kaiba's turn came up, he had no choice but to pass his turn. He discarded his card and the final sword vanished.

"Poor poor Kaiba. You never had a chance." Famine cackled as he drew. "I Flip Summon Morphing Jar. Now we discard our hands and draw until we each have five cards." Both Duelists discarded their hands and drew five cards from their decks. "Now I activate Hand Destruction. First we each send two cards from our hands to the graveyard and then we draw two more." Both Duelists placed two cards from their hands into their graveyards and drew two new ones. Then they did so again when Famine played a second Hand Destruction followed by a third. Kaiba was not liking this. He was down to six cards while his opponent still had half his deck left.

Famine looked at his hand and grinned. There it was. Another Needle Worm. Once that was out, this duel was over. He set it on his field and ended his turn. _Now after Kaiba draws, he'll have exactly five cards left. I'll then get Needle Worm flipped over and get rid of those last five_, he thought to himself, _Then when Kaiba's next Draw Phase comes up, he'll lose the duel. Victory is already mine._

"I end my turn."

_That facedown is most likely another Flip Effect Monster with a milling effect_, thought Kaiba, _ If I can't get a card I need this turn, it's over._ He looked at his deck and his hand. Everything was set up. He just needed one card. He took in a breath and drew.

"Well, looks like this duel is over," he said cockily.

"Yes it is," Famine agreed with equal confidence, "At long last, we finally agree on something."

"Except that the one thing we don't agree on is who comes out the victor."

Famine's expression changed. "You've got five cards left in your deck. You have no chance of winning at this point."

"Try me. First I activate my facedown Mystical Space Typhoon and I'll destroy your facedown with it." A powerful whirlwind shot out of Kaiba's card and destroyed Famine's facedown, which turned out to be Torrential Tribute.

"Glad I got rid of that. Now I sacrifice Vorse Raider and Grinder Golem in order to summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The two creatures disappeared and in their place arose the Kaiba family's signature white dragon with eyes shining like saphhires (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "Next I activate this card." He played the card he had drawn that turn. "Burst Stream of Destruction. At the cost of rendering my Blue-Eyes White Dragon unable to attack, all of your monsters are wiped out." The Blue-Eyes White Dragon opened its mouth and a powerful beam of sparking white light shot out and swept across the field, blowing Morphing Jar, The Bistro Butcher, Needle Worm, and the facedown Needle Worm.

"A wasted effort. Your dragon can't attack!"

"That's where you're wrong. I now activate my facedown, Polymerization!" Kaiba took two cards from his hand and revealed them to be Blue-Eyes White Dragons. His Spell Card fused his three signature monsters together and from the light emerged a dragon thrice the size of each Blue-Eyes with three heads (ATK/4500 DEF/3800).

"I believe the words here are 'You are fucked'," said Gabe from the sidelines.

"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, finish him! Ultimate Burst!" The three dragon heads opened their mouths and started to charge up a Burst Stream of Destruction each. Then they turned on Famine and fired in unison. Their attacks spiraled together into a single concentrated blast and it completely engulfed the Horseman.

––––––––––––––––

**Kaiba:** 7900

**Famine:** 0

––––––––––––––––

From her seat inside the Dual Rose, Rena sat watching the action outside. As she saw the light of the Ultimate Burst die down, she lowered her head and whispered quietly, "Rose Seal."

As Famine's steed staggered back, the mark of the Rose appeared under its hooves. When the Horseman saw it, his eyes widened. A swirling vortex opened up beneath him and his horse was quickly swallowed up. Famine grasped onto the ground trying to pull himself out of its pull. Kaiba, Saito, and Recca walked up and looked down at him.

"You...cannot...win..." the Horseman uttered, "So long as there are those who suffer, Famine will always exist..."

"Oh shut up." Kaiba planted his shoe against Famine's helmet and kicked him off. The black Horseman cried out as the vortex pulled him and the Rose Seal closed. All that remained were the scales the Horseman carried. Recca picked them up and examined them. They were very intricately designed with images of pain and hunger engraved on them.

"What do you plan to do with those?" Saito inquired.

"This artifact is evil. It must be disposed of properly." Recca returned to the Dual Rose and placed the scales beside Pestilence's bow. She would deal with them later.

o o o

Guardian Grarl swung his Gravity Axe and cleaved Rude Kaiser cleanly in two. Beside him, Launcher Spider opened up its silos and unleashed a barrage of missiles that wiped out a Meda Bat. Raphael and Bandit Keith stood among the remains of their opponents and walked off. The former remained silent while the latter muttered incoherently.

As the two men walked off, a short figure watched them from the shadows. A figure with spiky hair and skull-like face.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Two mercenaries defecting against their employer. One a noble man with a noble soul. The other a conceited individual reluctant in his decision. When death stands at the door, there is only one thing to do and that is find out what happens next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	131. The Defection

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-44**

**The Defection**

Mikey and Sammie arrived at the Dual Rose and were quick to join the action. Majestic Mech - Goryu incinerated Gene-Warped Warwolf while Demise, King of Armageddon chopped his axe down and cleaved Sabersaurus in two. Max was estatic to see them join the fight as he switched his Dream Clown's battle position and watched as the comedic creature threw his bouncing ball which grew larger and larger as it approached its target before squashing it beneath its weight. A Lycanthrope tried to climb up the wall of the cafe, but it was blasted into oblivion by a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Tobias watched as his Underground Arachnid crawled over to his opponent's monsters who were entangled helplessly in his Spider Web. Gabe had armed Vylon Sigma to the teeth and was blasting away at anything that came into his path. Naturia Barkion swept down and blasted down an Archfiend Soldier with a cyclone of leaves.

"Are things well, dear?" Rena asked. Recca looked toward her mother and nodded affirmingly.

"The enemy is pressing forward, but we've driven them back for now," she reported, "We should be ok to rest, just as long as another leader doesn't step forward for them." As Recca finished her report Mikey let out a light sigh and flopped into a seat, his muscles and mind drained of all energy and desire to move. He looked around the Dual Rose and saw a similar expression plastered on all the inhabitants. If someone wasn't already injured they were splayed across the ground with all their force of will driven from their bodies. The stresses of battle weighing down on them and the island as a collection of sulphurous craters peppered the island. A smog of hopelessness hung low in the air as the students thought of every moment throughout the day. Each defeated Gene Eric. Each mercenary that ripped the energy out of students like the horror of the Duelist Kingdom battles last year. The poisons, disease, blood, and death. It was a nightmare that left a morbid silence among the exhausted teens. Mikey sat there among his friends and sighed with sullen eyes.

In the anxious silence it was a while before anyone spoke again, but the young Angel boy looked up and broke it with the clearing of his throat and a thought. "You know," Mikey began, "I have been thinking about a few things since this whole thing started. Since all of this crap stated. I thought long and hard about a lot of things and I finally realized that...this isn't normal. This school. This year. These past few years. None of this is normal." Mikey looked around and noticed the attentions of his friends had been drawn to him and he sighed before continuing.

"I mean in my freshman year I didn't even know how to duel and somehow I ended up involved in some kind of conspiracy by a corporation run by a possessed businessman just to save this school from closing down. How plausible? Hell, I met a pop star who started crushing on me that same year and got a rare card and..." Mikey paused as he looked up to Kuraz. He knew not everyone could see him, though he didn't know that Saito and Sammie had followed Mikey's eyes to the emperor of light and knew exactly what he was referring to. Mikey looked back to everyone and continued. "And everything changed. Then last year we had this same kind of crap happen and I almost became champion of the academy? Of the world practically? Holy crap. When did this stuff happen? Heck, I felt pretty confident about myself after last year. Then we have this whole thing about dark gods and rose warriors. This is all too much for me. Heck, I actually was thinking I could do something about all that mystical stuff after what we did last year and the year before, but now? I feel like I have been made a bit player in this story! I feel like all of us have been playing a minor role in something we can't even come close to understanding or overcoming."

Silence followed once more. The quite of wind breezing through dust and smoke outside and filling their nostrils with the scent of burned flesh that had become all too familiar in the span of such a short time. Several people who had heard Mikey didn't know what he was talking about, but his friends did. They knew all too well. The dread seemed to spread like a pathogen across them all, only to be stopped by a smile and a warm thought by Sammie.

"Well," she said with that same warm smile, "So what if it isn't normal? So what if this is dangerous and crazy? Hell, you guys know about my crazy ass dreams of late. You guys helped me save my parents two years ago and saved me last year. And you know who made both those things possible? You did, Mikey. You and Saito and everyone. You all made it possible. I will say this though, you are right about this damn battle. It happened quickly. It made us afraid and confused and unable to think about things. We lost hope and drive. We lost the thing that made us able to tackle the unknown these past two years. And you know what I intend to do, now that I have finally gotten my head on straight and heard you spew that load of half-truth, self-defeating bullshit, Mikey? I am going to get out there and do what we should have been doing this whole god damn time. I am going to be a hero and save this place, and I want you guys with me. What do you say?" With that same warm smile Sammie seemed to glow as she looked Mikey in the eyes. The thick atmosphere that had filled the air seemed to thin out as she spoke and hearts began to brim with excitement. A vaccine to dread had been passed out through the flock of people, even those who had no idea what Sammie had really been talking about. The confidence inspired them.

Then Sammie placed her hand on Mikey's shoulder and things changed.

There was a flash of light that burst from Sammie's chest, burning with a blaze of red. Sammie clutched at her breast and felt a burning fire for a brief moment, yet she was not pained, but rather shocked. It was a warm and fulfilling sensation as a glowing red mark of a rose appeared, illuminated and piercing with light through her Obelisk Blue Elite uniform. Rena looked on and smiled.

"It looks like Reko isn't the only Rose Crusader to awaken their mark of the rose. The Red Vanguard has awakened." Rena spoke and everyone looked at Sammie in amazement as she stood, with renewed vigor. The winds of change were blowing.

o o o

Beans, beans, the magical legume. The more they ate the longer the bombing continued. A simple meal around a campfire in the forest, spooned out of cans thrown into the flames. Noah, Gio, and Cassie didn't think much of the meal, but Charlie, Jager, and Sako cherished every spoonful. Jaeger always made sure he had at least a few weeks worth of cans hidden in his plane, the Shooting Star. Sure they had MREs but they also knew the horror of eating those damned things. Meals ready to eat? They knew better. These were meals rejected by everyone. The terrible taste and blandness. Jaeger saved cans of beans just so he would not have to worry about those damned things unless absolutely necessary. The only young person who understood the significance of this meal was Wes, who ate in silence, spooning each bit of beans into his mouth in sweet enjoyment and revalry.

"So, Wes," Charlie spoke up between bites, "you been doing well in school?"

Wes raised an eyebrow to the guerrilla soldier and took another bite from his can of beans. "Yes'm," he replied.

"Good. You have any girls you interested in?"

"Yes'm. I have a girlfriend."

"Of course you do. Cute young man like you should have no problem getting the girls. What's her name?"

"Nellie."

"Oh, what a pretty name. You like her a lot I bet."

"Yes'm"

"OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! SHUT UP!" Jaeger piped up in annoyance.

"Is there a problem Jaeger?" Charlie said shooting him a deathly glare to the pilot who looked back down to his beans without a word.

"Ms. Charlie is scary huh?" Gio whispered to Noah who nodded to the young digger with a hard gulp.

"What is her interest in Wes, I wonder," Noah commented.

"Quit whispering about her you two," Cassie whispered harshly.

"But I-" Gio began before Cassie shoved a spoonful of beans into his mouth quickly to shut him up. Charlie just smiled and ate her beans and continued small talk with Wes as Sako watched on. His cold, grey eyes watching and his trained ears listening. Charlie's gaze shifted to Sako from time to time and he saw it all. He let loose a sigh and shook his head. Was she going to tell Wes? No. Not after all this time. Right? Before Sako could think too much on the subject the sound of a spoon in an empty aluminum can broke his concentration, leading him only to sigh as Charlie looked him right in the eye with her Duel Disk at the ready.

"So Sako, you ready for me to whoop your ass again?" Charlie said as she stood up, ready to throw down.

o o o

The students standing before the entrance to the school held their ground bravely as mercenaries and Genes continued to advance. Issac had left the student council office to go help, leaving Marsha alone in the the room. He stood leading the students. With his leadership, they had managed to hold on for this long.

"Worm King, kill." Worm King devoured the Worm Apocalypse beside him and then blasted a stream of searing acid into the face of a Tri-Horned Dragon, causing it to die instantly. "Now attack." With the path now clear, Worm King charged and closed its lower mouth over the Gene.

"Game," was all Issac said.

"Issac, two more mercs coming in!" a students reported. Issac grabbed a pair of nearby binoculars and looked. Sure enough, two men were coming. One was a muscular man in a long coat while the other was wearing an American flag bandanna on his head.

"I'll deal with them." Issac threw the binoculars back and walked toward the front lines. He stopped in front of the students and stood waiting. His Obelisk Blue coat blew in the wind as the two men came forward and stopped in front of him.

"You..."

"...shall not pass!" a random student finished.

"Ignore him," Issac said flatly.

"We come not for conflict," Raphael said.

"Least not against you guys," Bandit Keith added.

"Bullshit," Issac said with his duel disk still at the ready.

"Look," Bandit Keith said with a grumble, "we have our reasons and we are done with this shit. So you can either believe us or piss off, kid." Raphael sternly looked over to Bandit Keith and then back to Issac with a solemn nod.

"Then, show your sincerity," Issac demanded. Raphael looked at him. This boy did not beat around the bush and he was dead set and serious. The large man took off his Duel Disk and placed it on the ground in front of Issac's feet before stepping back. Issac then looked at Bandit Keith. The American man grumbled as he fiddled with the strap and then placed his Duel Disk on the ground as well.

"You guys tryin' to start somethin'?" one of the mercenaries asked.

"They're traitors!" a Gene cried out, "Get them!"

Raphael spun around as one mercenary came forward and he smashed his fist into his face. Keith hit another one in the stomach and then curb stomped him when he was down. The two men stood facing their former allies, ready to defend the school against them.

"So... You're turning your back against us now?" The crowd of Genes and mercenaries parted as small hooded figure stepped through and approached Bandit Keith and Raphael.

"I ain't gunna take orders from a little piss-ant like you!"

"You know this man?" Raphael inquired.

"This loser used to work for me and two years ago the little shit fucking threw me to the wolves with some voodoo crap. Still pisses me off to think about it."

"And I must say, it's interesting that we meet like this once again." The figure cackled and pulled his hood back. "To tell you the truth I already figured this would happen with you Keith. You were never one to be led, were you? Although Raphael here I don't know well enough to know that he would do this. Still, I am fine with dispatching you two."

"Bonz, what the hell d'you want?"

"You know the rules. Turn on us and die." Bonz pulled back his robe to expose his left arm. A cockroach crawled out from under his arm and into the hole in his cheek. He bit down and a squeal came from inside his mouth.

Bandit Keith scoffed as he activated his Duel Disk. "You're still just a little loser! I'm gonna beat you down so hard your head's gonna spin!"

"I cannot allow this to continue," Raphael swore as he activated his own Duel Disk, "I shall protect this island from your evil."

"You really think you can defeat me?" Bonz cackled as his rusty old Duel Disk hummed to life.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Bandit Keith:** 8000

**Raphael:** 8000

**Bonz:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––––

"I don't care what anyone says! I'm goin' first!" Bandit Keith drew the first card. "Mechanicalchaser, come out!" A winged sphere armed with five different melee weapons appeared (ATK/1850 DEF/800). "That's it."

"Now it's my turn. I draw." Raphael drew his card. "I shall set one facedown card and summon Maha Vailo." A woman in a long blue dress and an elaborate matching headdress with two red orbs hanging from it appeared in front of him (ATK/1550 DEF/1400). "Now I'll discard a card from my hand to equip her with Twin Swords of Flashing Light - Tryce. This card will lower her attack points by five hundred, but Maha Vailo's effect increases her attack points by five hundred so the two effects cancel out. Additionally, the Equip Spell gives Maha Vailo the power to attack twice." A pair of twin swords appeared in Maha Vailo's hands and she grasped them firmly. "That concludes my turn."

"Keith, so predictably simple. Raphael, do you really think you can stop me from destroying your monsters? They'll be my slaves in death!" Bonz cackled maniacally as he drew his card. "I Play Zombie World, turning everything on the field and in the graveyards into Zombies!" He slapped the card into his field tray and the entire field instantly transformed into a massive charnel pit. At that moment, Mechanicalchaser was transformed into a large rusted hunk of metal while Maha Vailo's beautiful robes turned into tattered rags and her once beautiful orange complexion became a face riddled with maggot holes and rotten flesh. "I play Call of the Mummy. Now watch as I use it to summon Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon!" In a burst of blue flame, the reanimated remains of a Red-Eyes Black Dragon rose onto the field and screeched (ATK/2400 DEF/2000). "Oh, don't think I'm done yet. I summon Pyramid Turtle." A turtle with an Egyptian pyramid for its shell appeared (ATK/1200 DEF/1400).

"Pyramid Turtle, attack Maha Vailo!"

"HA! He must be trying to lose!" Keith laughed.

"Not even close," Raphael answered as Maha Vailo sliced Pyramid Turtle to pieces with Twin Swords of Flashing Light - Tryce.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Bandit Keith:** 8000

**Raphael:** 8000

**Bonz:** 7650

––––––––––––––––––––

"He's right," Bonz cackled, "When Pyramid Turtle dies in battle, I can use its effect to Special Summon a Zombie from my deck with two thousand or less attack points. And the one I've chosen is Il Blud." A large zombie in prisoner's stripes appeared. Its body was seemingly devoid of any color, however.

"This is for you, Keith. Red-Eyes, attack Mechanicalchaser! Undead Fire Blast!" Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon turned on Keith's monster and fired a blast of blue fire from its mouth at the spherical rustbucket.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Bandit Keith:** 7450

**Raphael:** 8000

**Bonz:** 7650

––––––––––––––––––––

"And now I activate my Red-Eyes effect and resurrect the monster he just destroyed." Blue flames poured out of Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon's wings and Mechanicalchaser appeared beside it on Bonz' field. "Now feel the sting of your own monster turned against you! Mechanicalchaser, attack Keith!" Mechanicalchaser readied its rusty weapons and charged. It slashed its former master several times before taking its place back among the rank of undead.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Bandit Keith:** 5600

**Raphael:** 8000

**Bonz:** 7650

––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Il Blud, attack Keith." Il Blud unzipped its prison uniform and half a face came into visibility. Its eye stared at Bandit Keith and a terrifying shriek filled the air.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Bandit Keith:** 3500

**Raphael:** 8000

**Bonz:** 7650

––––––––––––––––––––

"Are you okay?" asked Raphael.

"I'm fine!" Keith snapped, "This ain't nothin'. That little punk ain't got nothin' ta hurt me. He was a loser back then and he's a loser now. Beatin' him's gonna be a cinch."

"Like hell," Bonz replied, "This is payback."

"Payback?"

"Don't pretend like you've forgotten. Remember the humiliation you used put me through? You thought I was just some small guy you could push around. You stripped me of my dignity. I had nothing because of you. No one took me seriously. I was a laughing stock. And wanna know what happened next? I died. That's right. Because of you I died!"

"What the hell you talkin' about?" Keith demanded.

"Battle City was my one and only chance to regain what I lost. But because of what you did to me, I couldn't even get accepted. I had to steal some kid's Duel Disk and hide in a cemetery so I could steal Locator Cards. Then this weird guy with white hair challenged me and I lost. Before I knew it, I was dead. So guess what, Keith? Payback's a bitch. You're going to die here tonight. But not before I'm done with you. Oh no. You're not going to get off easy. You're going to suffer the same way I did. Complete and utter humiliation await you once this duel is done."

"Oh yeah? What about what you did to me you little punk!" Keith barked, now clearly in a fit of tantrum-like rage. "You used me for a fucking puppet! You stick some guy's soul in me and think it's nothing? You little bastard, I'm gonna fucking kill you!"

"This is not about personal vendettas anymore," Raphael interjected, "This duel is about our defection. We turned against you and Roman because our place is not among mercenaries. We will not work as hired guns where cards are used as weapons. And we will especially not attack children."

"We're teenagers," one student pointed out.

"You, I can understand," Bonz said looking at Raphael, "Him? He'll bend over for anyone as long as the money's good. He's a degenerate. The world won't miss him if he goes."

"That is where you are wrong. Every man has a chance at redemption and he is no different. As long as one can turn and start anew before their time is up, they can change."

"If every man has a chance for redemption, then where was mine?"

"You squandered your life on revenge. And now it is too late."

"You'll pay just as dearly as him for this," Bonz swore.

"Keith, I believe it is your move now," Raphael said calmly.

Bandit Keith said nothing as he drew his card. With Zombie World in play, he was forbidden from Tribute Summoning anything that wasn't a Zombie, leaving him with very few options. For now all he could do was set a monster and three facedowns. After that, it was Raphael's turn. "Reveal Trap Card, Call of the Haunted. Welcome home, Guardian Tryce." A man in golden armor and blue hair appeared wielding the Twin Swords of Flashing Light (ATK/1900 DEF/1700). "Attack Mechanicalchaser. Twin Sword Flash!" Guardian Tryce leapt forward and the blades of his swords began to spark with electricity. A loud thunderclap echoed as his blades cut through Mechanicalchaser and the rusted robot fell.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Bandit Keith:** 3500

**Raphael:** 8000

**Bonz:** 7600

––––––––––––––––––––

"I shall set one card now and end my turn."

Bonz drew his card. "As I was saying, Keith's time is up. Malevolent Mech - Goku En, appear!" The blackened reanimated remains of Majestic Mech - Ohka appeared on the field and spewed blue flames from its wings (ATK/2400 DEF/1400). "Now Red-Eyes, make that monster one of us again!" Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon unleashed its attack upon Keith's facedown, but the American man had come prepared.

"You attacked my Blast Sphere! And when my Standby Phase comes up, BOOM! His attack becomes your damage!"

"Your turn will not come. I can still attack with Goku En and Il Blud. It's over for you, Keith." Bonz cackled. "Let me hear it. Let me hear it loud. Scream with your dying breath!"

"Reveal Trap Card," Raphael announced, "Threatening Roar!" A loud roar filled the air and all monsters ceased their aggressions.

"Once again, fortune smiles on those who do not deserve it." Bonz set a card and ended his turn.

Keith drew his card and at that moment, Blast Sphere detonated and Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon was blown to bits.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Bandit Keith:** 3500

**Raphael:** 8000

**Bonz:** 5200

––––––––––––––––––––

"You're done. Raigeki Break!" Keith revealed his facedown. "I discard a card to destroy one on the field and I pick Zombie World!" A bolt of lightning came crashing down and destroyed the enormous mass grave, returning the field to normal and restoring the zombified monsters back to life. "Now here's Monster Reborn. I'm bringin' back the guy I discarded: Perfect Machine King!" A giant white and red robot appeared on the field and punched its fists together (ATK/2700 DEF/1500). "And he gains five hundred attack for every Machine on the field!" Perfect Machine King's power core started to go wild as its attack points became thirty-two hundred.

"I ain't done yet, Bonz. Here comes my Alchemy Cycle." Keith activated one of his facedowns, "All my guys lose all their original attack points this turn." Perfect Machine King's core came to a complete halt as its attack points dropped to five hundred. "But now I can activate Machine Duplication. It lets me Special Summon Machines from my deck with the same name as one on my field as long as its attack is five hundred or less." Two more Perfect Machine Kings joined the field. With each one powered by one another, the two newcomers now had forty-two hundred attack points while their predecessor had a mere fifteen hundred.

"Attack that weird one!" The second Perfect Machine King took aim and fired a rocket powered fist that destroyed Il Blud.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Bandit Keith:** 3500

**Raphael:** 8000

**Bonz:** 3100

––––––––––––––––––––

Keith's third Perfect Machine King attacked next, firing a barrage of missiles at Malevolent - Goku En and destroying it effortlessly.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Bandit Keith:** 3500

**Raphael:** 8000

**Bonz:** 1300

––––––––––––––––––––

"I'm done," Keith declared, turning now to Raphael to finish the job.

"I draw!" The coated man drew his card, "Since my graveyard is empty of monsters, I can Special Summon Guardian Eatos!" A ray of light shone down from the sky and from the heavens descended a woman in tribal Native American garb wearing a headdress resembling the head of a giant bald eagle with white wings protruding from her back (ATK/2500 DEF/2000). "Now I play Tailor of the Fickle, which lets me take one Equip Spell on the field and re-equip it to someone else." The Twin Swords of Flashing Light - Tryce disappeared from Maha Vailo's hands and reappeared in Guardian Eatos', reducing her attack points to two thousand. "And now for Eatos' effect. By sending her Equip Spell to the graveyard, I can Banish three monsters from my opponent's graveyard and she gains five hundred for each one." Guardian Eatos' attack points rose back up to twenty-five hundred as she flew into the sky and the Twin Swords vanished. A light came down from her wings and removed Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon, Il Blud, and Malevolent Mech - Goku En from the game. In doing so, her attack points rose again, now to four thousand.

"Guardian Eatos, strike now! Celestial Sword!" Guardian Eatos held her hands to the heavens and pulled out a shining sword. She swung it down and flew straight toward Bonz. The undead man shrieked as the blade passed through him and he fell.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Bandit Keith:** 3500

**Raphael:** 8000

**Bonz:** 0

––––––––––––––––––––

"Utter humiliation again," he growled, "You haven't heard the last of me!" And with those words, Bonz's body was swallowed up by the ground.

"Heh. Not a bad team," Keith said with a smirk. Raphael turned and acknowledged his remark with a nod.

"You both did well," a female voice said. All heads turned and they saw Alexis coming out of the school.

"Chancellor Rhodes! You're alive!" the students exclaimed. After the excited chatter died down, Alexis made her way to the two men who had defeated the walking corpse mere moments ago.

"I want to thank you two. You've done this school a great deed. However, I must ask if you would stay and continue to help us defend the school." Keith and Raphael looked at each other and then at their surroundings. Mercenaries and Genes were still filling the area.

"Heh. That was just a warm up." Bandit Keith tightened his bandanna and held his Duel Disk at the ready.

"My Guardians and I will protect everyone," Raphael said as he stepped forward.

"Thank you both." Alexis then joined them with her Duel Disk. "Let's go."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

War wasn't defeated. He's still lurking around on the island, seething in his own rage. Now he returns to unleash it in the heat of battle. His greatsword knows no equal and his anger no parallel. War's wrath will unleash next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	132. Heroes of War

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-45**

**Heroes of War**

Katasuo parted the last fading bit of foliage out of the way of both Reka and Reko, happily chatting to one another. He smirked pleasantly at the two of them, knowing full well that at that moment they were both oblivious to the world around them. Coming onto a ruined stretch of road, they saw various individual students patrolling it with a vigilant eye, weapons in one hand and disks attached to their opposite arms. One in a blue outfit looked out towards the group emerging from the woods, the group of five walking up to confront them. Their eyes showed no anger when they looked upon Reko, making Katasuo realize that these were people that he himself could trust.

"Reko, where've you been? Why do you look like a Jedi?"

Reko looked down at his plain brown robe that he obtained and gave a smirk, "It's because I very clearly have outsmarted one," giving a laugh he held out his hand, "No but really it's not important right now. We've all been through hell, help us get back to the shop? What'd we miss?"

A Ra Yellow girl spoke up, she was wearing a nurse cap and had a first aid kit by her side, no doubt the hat was Recca's making, "Kaiba is back, and your mother is starting to really show off that...oh man, it's hard to believe but I'd say it's magic!"

"Magic? The Rose Seal?"

She nodded, "Yes, though I don't know what it does, it sucked up Famine!"

A Obelisk Blue student spoke up after her, his head covered with a worn bandage, "The news is getting better, we're still gathering at Dual Rose. I've been hearing people say that Miss Rhodes is okay too. Who's...there are two of you?"

Reka grinned, "Nah...you'll have to forgive Reko not really introducing me. I'm Reka, I'm his twin sister," she looked at the dirty shovels, "What are you doing out here though?"

The Ra Yellow girl waved her hand behind her, "There's a break in the fighting after your mom sealed Famine. Given that me a few other students...well..."

Katasuo muttered out a guttural prayer as he noticed the scene. Graves, many of them and each marked with their disk and various trinkets they enjoyed. Reka and Reko looked at each other before she bit her lower lip and asked if they could assist them.

The students were more than happy for the assistance.

o o o

Heavy hoofsteps could be heard making their way slowly through the woods. A horse with crimson armor welded right into its flesh trudged through the trees. Streams of moonlight managed to sneak past some of the leaves and bounce off a suit of bight red armor worn by the man riding the horse. His face was obscured by his helmet's face mask. In one hand, resting on his shoulder, was an enormous greatsword. He rode in silence; his mind seemed to be focused on one thing and one thing only. The raw unrelenting rage seethed within him. Rage was all he knew. It gave him the will to fight. It gave him the will to kill. And it also gave him the will to live.

Rage.

It was all he knew.

o o o

Miss Marina ordered Ocean Dragon Lord - Neo-Daedalus to attack and watched as two powerful torrents of water erupted from its mouths and blasted her opponent directly as she stood protecting the western entrance of the school. Meanwhile, on the eastern side of Duel Academy, Hassleberry's Ultimate Tyranno stomped across the field and snatched up each and every one of his opponent's monsters and devouring them one at a time.

All the while Rena watched from the rooftop, spying Recca's Naturia Balkion smack several monsters aside and devour a Shade, the creatures in their whimsy naming themselves Gene. The mass consciousness driving them had a skewed sense of humor it seemed. She remembered Recca being more then overjoyed at her return, yet she calmly told her that they could have all the time for celebrating later. The attacks were subsiding, and each of them deserved rest. The small cafe was meant to be just that, a cafe. It was not meant as a barracks and as Zetsubou had made known it was honestly little more than a fallout shelter. Supplies were still running low, and they dared not venture too far into the island lest those creatures take them again. Some Shades seemed to simply fall over in a heap before dissolving into night, he spied. She could attest such tings to the strange powers that Amadis had possessed, the girl did not say much however aside from the constant prayers and wishes of Reka's safety and her former companions. She was a curious sight, and such odd powers could prove useful to them.

A smirk graced her features as he saw the Giant Orc belonging to Biff rip a Opticlops in half, the last monster that tried to attack their home. The Shade that was controlling it was crushed by a horde of Goblins as Biff sported a fresh wound on his arm. For nearly seventy years she mused, she had been preparing for this very event, subtly moving her pieces into place. Her heart swelled as she though of her darling daughter Recca, who held the line as parts were played and even had the force of will to invoke the same runic power their ancestors used in ages pat.. Looking behind her, she saw Zetsubou maintaining a vigilant watch over her. It was quite obvious he felt guilt for his actions, but such petty things could wait. Two Horsemen must yet be sealed, the tide has broken. Holding out her hand, Zetsubou tossed her favorite cane for her, a simple thing of oak. They had a battle to win, and another adventure to take soon after.

Reign was headed towards his positions. Reka and Reko would soon arrive at the cafe, and most importantly Saito, Michael and his companions would make the decisions to finally start the real story.

"Eight of Red, Eight of White, Sixteen are the Chosen Knights. Through trial won and valiant deed, two worlds shall possess all it needs. With spell and steel, their crackling blades, the forbidden powers shall not seize this day."

Zetsubou rose a brow at Rena's spoken phrase, "A poem?"

"It's something that was spoken to me when I was young, no older than your sister. You're already well aware of it's meaning."

He sharply pointed to the discolored splotches on his bare chest, "Of course. I only took several arrows from a fetid hellspawn. Why did I survive? Greys said he was aiding me."

Rena chuckled, "You're wondering why you're still alive? You've taken numerous beatings, I'd you should be dead four times over. Did you not hear what Recca said?"

"Truth be told, I was a bit foggy about the situation. I was fading out when I got the arrows in me, I thought right there I was going to die, or as Pestilence said...mutate."

"Well. Grey's may have aided some, probably stabilized you. I met him here in Ardent, and he is quite a daunting creature. Not omnipotent, but if he says he kept you alive, I believe it."

The assassin stood up quickly, "Ardent!", he felt a sharp pain in his side as he slumped back into a seated position, "Dammit all...the aftermath of all this I'm covered in aches."

"Ardent yes. There's a lot to explain, but I believe it would be best if Reka and her companions also arrive. For the moment Zetsubou, allow me to explain what's happening here. Recca and I built this facility on a lodestone of sorts. On this island, the positive energy mingles with life itself."

"I'm...sorry?"

"You don't have to apologize, but I could use the term ley lines. It's somewhat similar. We've gathered a heavy wealth of knowledge over the centuries, but the most rudimentary principles are the base form of expression and power in our family. Runes."

"Runes," Zetsubou could hardly believe runes were actually winning this war for them all.

"Deny it all you like. These runes are inscribed all over this building and even into the earth outside. It's why to this day those troops can never truly best us and we force them into duels."

"A Phantom of Chaos snuck in...though, you say they are weakened? Even though I was horribly ill I still killed it..."

Rena smirked, "Runic Power is the most simple, and in my opinion the most pure. Our runes taught to us exult in life and defense, which Mika used like a hand in a glove while she was here as Recca tells me. The students feel reinvigorated by this power because life itself creeps into them and soothes their bodies and steels their resolve. Blades and arrows from our own assaults strike truer all becasue of it. It's also why they felt no fear, such as you felt no fear when you encountered pestilence and did what you did. When you were mortally wounded, with Grey's power our own Runes could actually pull you from the brink of death."

Zetsubou had to hand it to Rena, she certainly did know how to prepare, "So the runic magic you all were taught doesn't harm? What of the Horsemen? I've seen Famine too get sealed for lack of a better term."

"It's interesting. It doesn't harm, but it does redirect. If we want someone banished, they will be banished. Recca was luckily fortunate enough to seal Pestilence after we were in Ardent, so he was cast...back into Ardent really, it's hard to say where. The same with Famine, but they both are disarmed and now horribly disadvantaged."

"Banishment! They killed countless! I'm not for your bouts of mercy when it comes to battle. It's kill or be killed!"

I'm well aware. Our magic can repel and banish. The act of smiting and slaying falls directly to our Crusaders and other esteemed colleagues. You're worried about if the Horsemen return?"

He nodded, in which Rena could understand, "They won't be back. Not on this island anyway."

"How can you say that?"

Rena smiled and pointed up at the sky, to their surprise a barely discernible shimmer was noticed in the night sky, almost like a bubble between them and the clouds, "I've been quite busy, we'll say. Back during the War, the Yorkists erected a barrier to repel the Lancastrians. This barrier was nigh impenetrable, and only The Duelist himself could pass through in which that headstrong individual did. I replicated the spell, using power drawn through this world. It's simply teeming which energy, truly a testament to the Monarchs and making the spell incredibly quick to cast. Only a months time instead of a year if it was done in Terra."

Zetsubou laughed, "Their numbers are cut off. And everybody we slay..."

"...cannot return. the life energy will not allow them."

He couldn't help but smile, Rena understood. After a pleasant moment of the students and teachers coming back into the shop, two ra Yellow girls with bows came up onto the roof, smiling at the two of them. Rena understtod, "Sentry watch. Will you be joining them Mr. Tejinashi?"

He was quiet, as excepted. Rena continued, "If you're wondering of Mikomi, she is safe. She and Milena are making their way here. Strong as steel, that one. Rest now, you need it."

"I will consider it."

"Then I bid you a goodnight, Mr. Tejinashi. Do not forget about our power. Simple, yet full of boundless opportunity, like life itself. I would do your best to throw your lot in with Michael and Saito, be the brother that Mikomi wants you to be. That dagger of yours is not your only companion after all," she yawned, "All this musing and planning has made me drowsy, and yet I must make sure my daughter has not gone into a crying fit again. Poor dear feels so bad for the fallen students, farewell."

Zetsubou sat in his chair, but leaning over the roof he saw Michael and the others discussing something. After a moment, he finally bit down on Rena's words, and decided to finally go and discuss with them.

o o o

"Everyone accounted for?" Hassleberry asked as Dr. Snappe and Monsieur Bonaparte made their rounds.

"Most of zee students have been gathered safely," the French teacher reported.

"Well that's good. Those young 'uns need us to help 'em out," Hassleberry replied.

"Unfortunately, that only accounts for the students," Dr. Snappe added, "We seem to be missing one teacher."

"Eh? One o' our guys?"

"Mr. Thulin has not been seen for quite some time."

"The man can take care of himself."

"He has been gone for a long time now," Mr. Bonaparte stated, "Last we saw of him, he was chasing after, what is it that you call them, Horsemen?"

There was a moment of silence between the three teachers.

"Aww damn."

"Oui."

Suddenly, a massive shockwave blasted through the line of Genes and knocked them all aside. Through the pathway that had been made, the heavy foosteps of an armored horse made their way toward the school. Its rider's eyes were focused forward and his grip rested on the hilt of his enormous greatsword.

"Dang, it's one of 'em," Hassleberry said.

War stopped ten feet from the steps of the school and plunged his greatsword into the concrete. "Which one of you is man enough challenge the harbinger of your doom?" he challenged.

"I'll take you on!" Hassleberry roared.

"So be it," laughed War as he pulled his sword out of the ground.

"Mr. Hassleberry, stop. What makes you think you can defeat him if Mr. Thulin could not?" asked Dr. Snappe.

"Well we ain't gunna let 'im into our school, are we?"

"No we're not!" A man with brown hair and a red jacket stepped forward past the teachers with his Duel Disk activated. Everybody gasped.

"J-Jaden?" Hassleberry was a loss for words.

"Hey Hassleberry. Sorry I took so long to get here."

"But... We saw what happened to the chancellor's office!"

"We survived," Jaden answered as his eyes flashed orange and green. He then turned to War. "Leave him to me. You guys take care of the rest."

"Mr. Yuki, are you sure?" asked Dr. Snappe.

"Jaden's pro. He can handle it," Hassleberry assured him.

"Let us go zen," urged Monsieur Bonapart, And with that, he Hassleberry, and Dr. Snappe left, leaving Jaden to face War.

"Jaden Yuki. The legendary Hero Duelist of the pro circuit."

"And you must be one of the Four Horsemen."

"The master of warfare and rage, I am War."

"Heh. So you're the really angry one. Sounds like someone I know."

War pointed his greatsword at Jaden. "If you hope to defeat me, you had best be prepared. Only one filled with rage can stand a chance against me."

"We'll see about that!" Jaden held his Duel Disk ready while the runes on War's blade lit up.

"Duel!"

––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 8000

**War:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––

"I draw!" War drew his first card. "I summon Red-Eyes Black Chick." A small red dragon egg appeared on the field and it hatched into a baby black dragon (ATK/800 DEF/500). "Now I send it to the graveyard to Special Summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" The baby dragon broke out of its shell and instantly grew into its adult size and screeched (ATK/2400 DEF/2000).

"Now I activate Inferno Fire Blast, burning you for my Red-Eyes' original attack power!" Red-Eyes Black Dragon opened its mouth and a dark crimson fireball shot out and struck Jaden.

––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 5600

**War:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––

"If this is all the great Jaden Yuki can muster, I am not impressed," War scoffed.

"This is nothing compared to what I've taken from Atticus," Jaden said as he recovered from the direct attack.

"I'll end with a facedown," War announced," Your move."

"I draw!" Jaden drew his card. The duel had only just begun and already his opponent had summoned a creature with twenty-four hundred attack points. Alone, none of his Heroes would be able to defeat it. But if they combined their powers...

"I play Polymerization!" Jaden announced, "Now I fuse Elemental Hero Neos with Elemental Hero Necroshade in order to summon Elemental Hero Neos Knight!" Images of the two creatures appeared on the field briefly before being pulled into a vortex and emerging as an armored space warrior with long red hair armed with a large shield and a long dual bladed lance (ATK/2500 DEF/1000). "And he gains attack points equal to half of the other Warrior that was used in the fusion." Elemental Hero Neos Knight's weapon began to radiate with darkness as his attack power rose up by eight hundred to thirty-three hundred attack points.

"Next I play O - Oversoul, which lets me summon a Normal Elemental Hero from my graveyard. Say hello to Elemental Hero Neos!" Jaden's signature silver-skinned space warrior burst out of the ground and flexed his muscles (ATK/2500 DEF/2000). "Alright Neos Knight, you're going first! Attack Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Wrath of Neos Slash!" Elemental Hero Neos Knight flew up toward Red-Eyes Black Dragon and swung his weapon. His blade cleaved through the beast's neck and the dragon was swiftly beheaded.

"My opponent doesn't take any battle damage whenever Neos Knight does battle, so I'm not going to bother using his effect to attack with him a second time," Jaden explained, "Neos, it's your turn! Force of Neo Space!" Elemental Hero Neos' fist began to shine as he leapt up and then flew straight toward War, punching him hard in the chest.

––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 5600

**War:** 5500

––––––––––––––––––

"That's it for my turn," announced Jaden.

o o o

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Miss Marina, "Shouldn't you guys be defending the east entrance?"

"We were, but now we ain't. Jaden's got it covered," answered Hassleberry.

"Jaden Yuki?" Miss Marina looked at him disbelievingly, "But we saw the office explode."

"Yeah. He survived somehow." She continued to look at him. She wanted to believe Hassleberry, but at the same time she wasn't sure if what he said was true. He certainly wasn't one to lie, but in light of all that had happened that evening alone, anyone would have lost their mind.

"Who's he dueling?" she inquired.

"He's duelin' one of those Horsemen," Hassleberry replied.

"He's WHAT?"

"Miss Marina, we got this," a student said to the girls' PE teacher, "Go on ahead."

"Are you sure?"

"We're sure."

"Alright then. Let's go." And with that, she went with Hassleberry.

"Monsieur Snappe, I shall stay here with zee students," Marcel offered.

"Then I'll continue making the rounds alone," the chemistry teacher replied back.

o o o

War drew his card. "Admirable, but all wasteful. I now Normal Summon Totem Dragon." A brown dragon with an exceedingly long neck appeared on the field and growled (ATK/400 DEF/200). "Now I remove it from play so I can summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" A creature of complete darkness with scales made of solid black metal emerged and spread out its wings as it roared (ATK/2800 DEF/2400). "Darkness Metal Flare!" Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon opened its mouth and a powerful dark red laser laced with fire shot out and blasted apart Elemental Hero Neos.

––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 5300

**War:** 5500

––––––––––––––––––

"Now I activate the effect of Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon and resurrect my Red-Eyes Black Dragon." The ground crumbled and the Red-Eyes Black Dragon that was killed earlier rose from the cracks screeching. "Finally, I play Smashing Ground!" A giant meteor shaped like a fist came down from the sky and smashed Neos Knight out of existence.

"That ends my turn."

"I draw!" Jaden looked at the card he drew and compared it to the other cards he had in his hand. "I summon Neo-Spacian Glow Moss." A small humanoid creature made of glowing white moss appeared (ATK/300 DEF/800). "Glow Moss, attack! Now you have to draw a card and whatever that card is determines what happens." War drew the card and revealed it to be Inferno Fire Blast. "It's a Spell Card, so Glow Moss' attack goes through as a direct attack!" Neo-Spacian Glow Moss fired a beam of light from its eyes and struck War.

––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 5300

**War:** 5200

––––––––––––––––––

"Wow. That really hurt," the Horseman muttered sarcastically.

"I end my turn." Jaden prayed Glow Moss would be enough to stall his opponent long enough to get waht he needed.

War drew his card. "First, I'm going to use that Inferno Fire Blast you helped me draw." He played the card and Red-Eyes Black Dragon launched a dark red fireball at Jaden.

––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 2900

**War:** 5200

––––––––––––––––––

"Next with Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon's effect, I Special Summon Van'Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord from my hand!" Darkness engulfed the field as a giant humanoid black dragon descended onto the field. The king of Dark Dragons looked down on the field and roared (ATK/2800 DEF/2500). "Red-Eyes, attack Glow Moss!" War drew his card and saw that it was a Trap Card.

"Glow Moss switches into defense mode!" announced Jaden. The tiny glowing moss man crouched down defensively and waited for its fate. Miss Marina and Hassleberry arrived just in time to see the tiny creature get obliterated.

"Van'Dalgyon, attack directly!" ordered War. Van'Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord punched his fists together and surrounded them with black fire. He cocked back his arm and then smashed it down on Jaden.

––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 100

**War:** 5200

––––––––––––––––––

"Jaden!"

"I'm okay, Hassleberry."

Meanwhile, Miss Marina wasn't looking at Jaden. She was looking at War. Something about him seemed familiar. This War wasn't as big as the one they had seen before. On top of that, she recognized his monsters. She stepped forward past Jaden.

"Ariel, wait!" Hassleberry called.

"Chance, is that you?" At her words, the boys' PE teacher stopped.

"W-what?"

War said nothing. He sat on his horse in silence with his greatsword in one hand. Then he slowly reached up and lifted his helmet's face mask.

"Sam hill, it IS him! He survived! But what in tarnation is he doin' dressed up like that an' attackin' us?"

"Your fellow teacher is no more," War answered.

_**FLASHBACK**_

War collapsed to the ground and his greatsword clattered beside him. He tried to sit up, but Mr. Thulin held him down with his foot. "You're not going anywhere, you fucking motherfucker."

"Ha." War coughed as he looked directly into Mr. Thulin's eyes. "You may have defeated me today, but War will live on so long as there is rage. And there is no other on this plain who possesses rage like your own." The Horseman's eyes began to glow as red as his armor as he continued to stare into the teacher's eyes. Mr. Thulin's muscles relaxed as he realized what was starting to happen. He quickly tried to break away, but War grabbed onto his wrist with his gauntleted hand.

"You cannot escape your rage," the Horseman cackled as his body started to disappear and veins of red light started to travel up Mr. Thulin's arm, "Your blood boils hotter than mine. You will made the perfect host for my power!" War's body vanished completely and his empty armor clattered to the ground. Mr. Thulin stood up as he cried out and grabbed his head. Meanwhile, the laughs of War echoed in his head.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"After I fell by his hands, I took his body as my own," War concluded.

"That's sick!" Hassleberry yelled.

"Don't worry. I'm gonna beat you and save Mr. Thulin," Jaden swore.

"You've only got one hundred Life Points left!" laughed War, "What can you do?"

"I can do this." Jaden drew his card. "I play Lightning Vortex and I'll discard Elemental Hero Burstinatrix to use it." A torrent of lightning rained down on the field and destroyed all three of War's monsters, leaving him defenseless.

"Now I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman!" A man in a diving suit and a cape appeaerd (ATK/800 DEF/1200). "And since I had no cards on my field or my hand, I can draw two new cards!" Jaden drew and looked at his hand. "Now I play Miracle Fusion. By removing Elemental Hero Neos Knight, Elemental Hero Burstinatrix, Elemental Hero Necroshade, Neo-Spacian Glow Moss, and Elemental Hero Bubbleman, I can bring out Elemental Hero Divine Neos!" A pair of shining white wings unfolded on the field and revealed to everyone a god among all heroes (ATK/2500 DEF/2500). "Now I activate his effect. I remove Neos from play to give Divine Neos his attack points!" Elemental Hero Divine Neos glowed witg the power of the cosmos as his attack power went up to five thousand.

"And now I'll boost him up with Rush Recklessly!" Elemental Hero Divine Neos bellowed as his attack points rose even further to fifty-seven thousand. "Attack and end this duel! Legendary Strike!" Elemental Hero Divine Neos drew a sword of golden light from the sky and flew down at War.

"This can't be!" the Horseman cried. The golden blade cut through his armor and passed through his body like a hot knife through warm butter.

––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 100

**War:** 0

––––––––––––––––––

War's horse collapsed and the Horseman fell from his steed.

"It's over," Jaden announced as he walked over. War slowly pulled himself up using his greatsword for support.

"It's never over so long as there is still rage."

"Rage that is soon to be quelled." A motorcycle engine could be heard as Reign rolled out onto the field. He stared at War and uttered two simple words. "Rose Seal" The mark of the Rose appeared underneath War and a vortex opened up. The horse was swallowed up first, but the man held onto his blade.

"You cannot banish me! Not without taking this body with it."

"Think again, War," Reign said confidently, "The Crusaders' magic is far more powerful than you realize. Rose Release!" A cloud of red light was ripped from Mr. Thulin and the armor disappeared from his body. War floated over him in astral form and looked at himself.

"This cannot be!" he screamed as he was pulled into the vortex and sealed away. His greatsword being all that remained.

"Chance!" Miss Marina ran over to the fallen English teacher while Hassleberry walked over to Jaden.

"I dunno how you do it, Jay, but you did it again."

"It happens," Jaden said modestly. He looked then at Reign. The Duelist turned to the pro and only nodded his acknowledgement. Then he revved up his engine and took off.

o o o

Reign continued his search across the island. He knew how Kage would have split up his forces, so he was trying to find the key figures in his attack plan. Before another thought could reach his head, though, an explosion nearly rocked him off his Duel Runner. As he regained control, he heard a familiar howling cackle.

"Looky 'ere, Terry! Looky what we found!" Nicky was grinning like a madman as he pulled up behind Reign with Terry. The two Turbo Duelists flanked the Telaris man, each with a molotov cocktail in hand.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Reign duels Terry and Nicky in a two-on-one duel. In this high speed card game, it comes down to a matter of life or death. See the action next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	133. Extreme Victory

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-46**

**Extreme Victory**

Mika stirred lightly within the darkness with milky blank eye that stared off into nothingness. It had long been thought that before time immemorial there was the nothingness of the void that stretched ad infinitum. If one could see through her glazed over eyes one would believe this dark truth. She felt the cold metal beneath her flesh and the churning of the ocean applying pressure around the sunken vessel. It was like the hollow moans of the countless dead who had drowned within the cold, dark embrace of the salty sea.

Where had she been? Why was she here? She did not truly care to relive her capture from the Dual Rose or her incarceration upon this vessel. She simply wanted the pain to go away. The pain of the clawing shadows that nibble like bugs in the muggy jungle. Her flesh burned with the tiny tearing of darkness, yet even that seemed dull and numb to her true pain as her mind rended itself from the infernal whispers coming from nothingness, pulsing with each throb of pain that quaked from her eye. An eye she thought was safe. An eye she thought was cured. An eye that housed what she finally understood was pure evil, whispering sweet words of venomous end times. Fire. Death. Destruction. No, nothing so simple or quick. It whispered of the empty, lonely void and the reality that nothing cared in the grand scheme of the universe and how everything would return to the loneliness that created it.

In the darkness she heard the most sinister words of all, though she knew not the true meaning behind it. "Wicked. Traitor." And the voice of madness spoke. The voice of a god that could not be a god. An UnGod.

And then she screamed.

o o o

Nicky was laughing maniacally as he and Terry approached Reign. A molotov cocktail was in each man's hand and both were ready to ignite them. Reign looked around him and assessed the situation. Just as his two attackers were about to touch their lighters to the rags sticking out of the bottles, he suddenly turned his handlebars and spun his Duel Runner out, ramming it into both men's motorcycles. The molotov cocktails were dropped and Reign was quickly able to regain control.

"That bastard!" Nicky screamed as he tried to stabilize himself. Terry managed to recover easily and looked over at his partner who was still spinning out of control. "!" He had no choice. The pyromaniac slammed a button in between his legs and a set of hidden thrusters suddenly ignited on the sides of his Duel Runner. With some work, he was finally able to straighten himself out and accelerated to catch up.

"That bastard. Oi'm gunna bloody kill 'im!" Nicky shouted.

"We can't do this the fun way. Looks like we gotta do it the hard way," Terry observed. He pressed a button on his dash and set himself onto Duel Mode. Nicky followed suit and Reign suddenly found his bike being forced into Duel Mode.

"That's the way you want it? Very well." Reign slowed down until all three Duel Runners were lined up side-by-side. Nicky and Terry was grinning at each other as they flanked their opponent.

"Turbo Duel, Acceleration!"

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 8000 / **SPC:** 0

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 0

**Nicky:** 8000 / **SPC:** 0

––––––––––––––––––––––

As soon as the buzzer sounded, Reign flipped a switch on his dashboard and two gems popped off his Duel Runner and struck his opponents' Runners, giving him the headstart he needed to take the first turn.

"That bastard. Oi'm gunna bloody kill 'im!"

"You said that already," Terry pointed out.

"Well 'e pisses me right off!" The two Fire Duelists tore after Reign and made the turn with Nicky trailing behind Terry.

"The first turn is mine." Reign drew his first card.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 8000 / **SPC:** 1

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 1

**Nicky:** 8000 / **SPC:** 1

––––––––––––––––––––––

_Without four Speed Counters, I can't use my fusion spells_, thought Reign as he looked at his hand.

"I summon Gem-Knight Alexandrite!" He played his card and an alexandrite stone appeared in front of his Duel Runner before it shattered, releasing a white knight in armor studded with alexandrite gems (ATK/1800 DEF/1200). "Now I activate his effect. By tributing him, I can Special Summon a Gem-Knight Normal Monster from my deck. So now I release Alexandrite in order to summon Gem-Knight Crystal!" Gem-Knight Alexandrite disappeared from the field and in his place a large diamond appeared. The massive clear stone shattered and a shining white knight in diamond-studded armor appeared with several diamond crystals jutting out of his shoulders and arm guards (ATK/2450 DEF/1950).

"I'll end with three facedowns." Three cards appeared alongside Reign's Duel Runner and faded from sight.

"My turn." Terry reached up and drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 8000 / **SPC:** 2

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 2

**Nicky:** 8000 / **SPC:** 2

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I summon Jurrac Velo in attack mode." He placed his card down and a green-bodied velociraptor with a red head and blue hands and feet burst onto the field. It snarled as it ran alongside its master's Duel Runner and the backs of its hands ignited into flame (ATK/1700 DEF/1000). "I set two cards and end my turn."

"Now it's my turn!" Nicky was grinning like a madman as he drew.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 8000 / **SPC:** 3

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 3

**Nicky:** 8000 / **SPC:** 3

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Oi'm gunna show you 'ow it's done! Oi summon me Flamvell Firedog!" Nicky was cackling as his hound made of pure lava burst out and ran beside his Duel Runner howling (ATK/1900 DEF/200). "Now Oi play me Speed Spell - Smashing Ground! Oi remove three o' me Speed Counters and destroy the monster wit' the 'ighest defense on me opponent's field!"

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 8000 / **SPC:** 3

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 3

**Nicky:** 8000 / **SPC:** 0

––––––––––––––––––––––

Nicky fell behind the other two Turbo Duelists, but his grin widened as a giant fist-shaped meteor came smashing down on Gem-Knight Crystal. "Famvell Firedog, 'tack tha' traitor! Burning Bite!" Flamvell Firedog ran faster until it had caught up to Reign and leapt up before sinking its fangs into him.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 6100 / **SPC:** 3

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 3

**Nicky:** 8000 / **SPC:** 0

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Oi set one facedown an' end me turn!"

"Now it's my turn." Reign drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 6100 / **SPC:** 4

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 4

**Nicky:** 8000 / **SPC:** 1

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I activate Pyroxene Fusion," Reign declared as he activated one of his facedown cards, "And with this, I will fuse Gem-Knight Garnet and Gem-Knight Obsidian from my hand in order to Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Citrine!" A garnet and an obsidian stone appeared on the field and the two merged together to create a large citrine crystal, which shattered to herald the coming of a silver knight in a blue cape whose armor reflected the light coming off his molten arms (ATK/2200 DEF/1950).

"And now for the effect of Gem-Knight Obsidian. Since he was sent to the graveyard from my hand, I can Special Summon one level four or lower Normal Monster from the graveyard. Gem-Knight Garnet, return!" A chain of obsidian dug into the ground and pulled up a garnet which shattered into an orange knight with a fistful of fire (ATK/1900 DEF/0).

"Gem-Knight Citrine, slay Flamvell Firedog!" ordered Reign.

"Ha! Me facedown'll make work outta 'im!" Nicky boasted.

"Unfortunately for you, Nicky, Gem-Knight Citrine's effect prevents you from activating any Spells, Traps, or Monster Effects until after the Damage Step." Gem-Knight Citrine created a sword out of the molten lava that made up his arms and turned around. He flew straight down the path of motorcycles and cut through Flamvell Firedog.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 6100 / **SPC:** 4

**Terry:** 8000 / **SPC:** 4

**Nicky:** 7700 / **SPC:** 1

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Gem-Knight Garnet, attack Jurrac Velo!" Gem-Knight Garnet turned to Terry's monster and thrust a flaming fist at its head, that shattered its skull upon contact.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 6100 / **SPC:** 4

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 4

**Nicky:** 7700 / **SPC:** 1

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Since you destroyed Jurrac Velo, its effect allows me to Special Summon a Jurrac from my deck with seventeen hundred or less attack," Terry explained, "So now I'll summon Jurrac Ptera." A green pteradactyl with a red head appeared flying over the biker and it screeched as its feet and wings ignited (ATK/800 DEF/1500).

"That ends my turn," Reign announced.

"Then it's time for mine," Terry said as he drew.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 6100 / **SPC:** 5

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 5

**Nicky:** 7700 / **SPC:** 2

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I summon Jurrac Monoloph!" A blue monolophosaurus with yellow head and limbs appeared and roared as its tail and the spines running down the back of its neck ignited (ATK/1500 DEF/1200). "Now I overlay Jurrac Monoloph and Jurrac Ptera." The two Fire Dinosaurs turned into flaming streams and shot around the field as a vortex appeared in the middle. "I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters." Jurrac Ptera and Jurrac Monoloph were pulled in.

"Exceed Summon! Grenosaurus!" A pair of eyes gleamed from the darkness of the void and a red carnivorous bipedal dinosaur emerged. Parts of its body seem mechanized but it functioned properly as it came out and let out a roar, causing its eyelids to ignite as two orange spheres of light circled around it (ATK/2000 DEF/1900). "Grenosaurus, attack Gem-Knight Garnet!" Grenosaurus stomped over to Gem-Knight Garnet and crushed the orange knight in its jaws.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 6000 / **SPC:** 5

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 5

**Nicky:** 7700 / **SPC:** 2

––––––––––––––––––––––

"And now for Grenosaurus' effect," Terry continued, "Since it destroyed a monster in battle, by detaching one of his Overlay Units it can burn you for a thousand damage." Terry detached Jurrac Monoloph and Grenosaurus ate one of the light spheres before turning on Reign again and exhaling a powerful blast of fire at him.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 5000 / **SPC:** 5

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 5

**Nicky:** 7700 / **SPC:** 2

––––––––––––––––––––––

"You should have never turned on us, Reign," said Terry, "Now you're about to burn for it."

o o o

Sammie was upstairs in Rena's room while Mikey and the others waited inside the cafe. The old woman had asked the girl to remove her jacket and top so she could examine the mark that had appeared. "Mmmmmm, it's just as I thought," she said as she leaned back after completing her examination.

"What is it?" Sammie inquired.

"You possess a Mark of the Red Rose," Rena explained, "As was prophesied, those who possess one shall play a great role in the Rose Destiny."

"What you were talking about earlier," Sammie realized.

"Yes, child."

"So that's why you chose us? Because you knew we would be the ones?"

"Oh heavens no, dear. I had no idea you were the ones. None of us did. Our family has been seeking out those chosen by the Rose Destiny for years."

"And yet you've had one hiding in your family right under your noses," Sammie pointed out flatly.

Rena chuckled. "Again, we had no idea who was chosen by the Rose Destiny. But I must say that I shouldn't be surprised that my own grandson turned out to be one of the chosen ones. And to think, a Knight of all possibilities. It's so fitting for him."

"A Knight? What?" Sammie looked at the old woman.

"Oh I'm sorry, dear. I forgot to mention." Rena sat up properly and began to explain. "As you know, those chosen by the Rose Destiny are separated between the Red Rose and the White Rose. However, each side is further divided up by ranks. Each side has one Crusader, one Vanguard, and six Knights. The Crusaders are considered the leaders. The placement of their Rose Marks is a sign of their leadership. The Vanguards are those closest to the Crusaders. Their task is to protect their respective Crusader. Their Rose Marks are located over their hearts to signify their steeled hearts. Finally, you have the Knights. They are noble and make up the remainder of each team. Their Rose Marks are located on parts of their bodies that are considered defining features of those individuals. My grandson's Rose Mark appeared on his right bicep. It's not something he often talks about, but everyone in the family knows about it. Since he was just a lad, Reko has always had an interest in archery. He always held his bow in his right hand; the hand of the weapon. That is why his mark appeared there. He will be a fine warrior someday."

"Mine is over my heart," Sammie said as she looked down where her Mark had appeared, "So that means I..."

"A Vanguard." Rena nodded. "And that means...the Crusader of the Red Rose is someone very close to your heart."

"Someone close to my heart." Sammie placed her hand over her heart. "And do you know who it might be?"

Rena only chuckled. "Only time will tell, child. Now come. There is something I must give you." After putting her clothes back on, Sammie followed Rena into the next room where she saw the old woman opening a box.

"Passed down the ages from one generation of the Rose Destiny to the next, this Red Rose Card is the key to sealing the great evil. A final card that I myself kept close, just in case my musings rang true." Rena unwrapped the red silk handkerchief and exposed the bright red card. She turned and held it out toward Sammie. The girl reached out with both hands and slowly lifted the light object from the old woman's hands.

"From this moment on, young Samantha, you are the Vanguard of the Red Rose. Protect your Crusader."

o o o

"Oi! It's me turn now!" Nicky drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 5000 / **SPC:** 6

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 6

**Nicky:** 7700 / **SPC:** 3

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Oi summon Neo Flamvell Sabre!" A reptilian man with fiery orange hair carrying a large sword appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/200). "An' when me opponent's got four o' less cards in 'is graveyard, 'e gets six 'undred extra 'tack points!" Neo Flamvell Sabre's sword began to burn brightly as his attack points rose up to twenty-one hundred. "Now 'ow's 'bout we give 'im that extra boost, eh? Oi play me equip spell, Salamandra!"

"You idiot! That's not a Speed Spell!" Terry yelled.

"Oi know!" Nicky yelled back as he paid the hefty price of playing a regular Spell Card in a Turbo Duel.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 5000 / **SPC:** 6

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 6

**Nicky:** 5700 / **SPC:** 3

––––––––––––––––––––––

A flaming dragon appeared surrounding Neo Flamvell Sabre's sword and his attack power rose up by seven hundred addition points, totalling twenty-eight hundred. "Now, 'tack that knight!" The fiery warrior leapt into the air and slashed down on Gem-Knight Citrine. The knight's molten arms were severed from his torso and his screams were swiftly silenced as his attacker's blade separated his head from his body.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 4400 / **SPC:** 6

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 6

**Nicky:** 5700 / **SPC:** 3

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Oi end me turn!"

Reign reached out in silence and drew his next card.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 4400 / **SPC:** 7

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 7

**Nicky:** 5700 / **SPC:** 4

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now that I have seven Speed Counters, I can remove them all to draw a card," Reign announced.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 4400 / **SPC:** 0

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 7

**Nicky:** 5700 / **SPC:** 4

––––––––––––––––––––––

The jeweled Duel Runner fell behind both Nicky and Terry as its speed dropped immensely, but Reign did not seem to mind as he drew his new card. "I set one card and end my turn."

"You disappoint me, Reign. No monsters this turn? Nicky's gonna be pissed if he doesn't get anything to destroy," Terry said.

"Damn fuckin' right oi'm gunna be pissed!" Nicky shouted.

"I draw!" Terry drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 4400 / **SPC:** 1

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 8

**Nicky:** 5700 / **SPC:** 5

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I summon Jurrac Guaiba!" A red and yellow guaibasaurus with a blue face and feet appeared on the field and roared as its spines, claws, and tongue ignited (ATK/1700 DEF/200). "Grenosaurus, attack directly!"

"I activate a Trap Card, Pyroxene Fusion!" Reign announced as he revealed his recently-set facedown, "I fuse Gem-Knight Garnet and Gem-Knight Sapphire in my hand to Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Ruby!" A garnet and a sapphire appeared on the field and merged together into a giant ruby which shattered to bring forth a knight in red armor and a blue cape holding a staff (ATK/2500 DEF/1300).

"Grenosaurus, withdraw!" ordered Terry. Immediately, Grenosaurus haulted its attack and returned to its master's side. "You evaded my attack this time."

"Oi, it's me move now!" Nicky yelled as he drew.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 4400 / **SPC:** 2

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 9

**Nicky:** 5700 / **SPC:** 6

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Since I sent three more cards to my graveyard, your Neo Flamvell Sabre loses its six-hundred point boost," Reign pointed out. At that moment, the flames surrounding Neo Flamvell Sabre's sword died out, but the Salamandra continued to burn bright, bringing its attack power down to twenty-two hundred.

"Ha! Ye think oi'm goin' out tha' easy? Oi summon me Flamvell Archer!" A man with a mane of fiery orange hair appeared with a fire-themed bow in one hand (ATK/1000 DEF/200). "Oi tune me Archer to me Sabre an' bring out me big ol' signature monster!" Flamvell Archer's body disappeared until three stars remained. The stars turned into synchro rings and surrounded Neo Flamvell Sabre until his body had faded away into four stars. A light engulfed them both and expanded immensely in size.

"When tha 'eat rises, e'eryone'll see the might of tha fire god! Synchro Summon! Burn, Ancient Flamvell Diety!" A giant made of pure fire rose up from the center of the island wearing dark red armor over its torso, shins, and forearms (ATK/2500 DEF/200). "When 'e's Synchro Summoned, Oi can remove from play cards from your graveyard equal to the number o' cards in yer 'and and me Diety gets two 'undred 'tack points fer each card removed!"

"I don't have a hand!" Reign pointed out.

"Oi know. It ain't gunna matter cuz Oi'm activatin' me Backfire! Even if me god dies, ye still take damage cuz 'e was destroyed! Ancient Flamvell Diety, 'tack Gem-Knight Ruby! Sun God Crusher!" Ancient Flamvell Diety held up his and and began to create a sun in his palm.

"I activate Gem-Enhancement!" Reign announced. "By tributing one Gem-Knight, I can resurrect another Gem-Knight. So I'll tribute Ruby in order to bring back Gem-Knight Crystal!" Gem-Knight Ruby disappeared and in his place, Gem-Knight Crystal took back the field.

"HA! Even better cuz now me Diety ain't gunna die! Keep up yer 'tack, Ancient Flamvell Diety!" The mighty fire god let out a low groan as his sun reached the size of a small planet.

"Wrong again." Reign activated his last facedown. "Justi-Break will destroy everything except attack position Normal Monsters." As Ancient Flamvell Diety threw his sun, A bolt of lightning came down and Gem-Knight Crystal thrust his fist skyward and punched the bolt with enough power to split it into a massive rain of lightning all over the field. Jurrac Guaiba, Grenosaurus, and Ancient Flamvell Diety were all slaughtered and as a result of Nicky's Backfire, the resulting explosion from Ancient Flamvell Diety's attack hit Reign hard for five hundred points of damage.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 3900 / **SPC:** 2

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 9

**Nicky:** 5700 / **SPC:** 6

––––––––––––––––––––––

"You bastard," Nicky swore.

"My turn." Reign drew.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 3900 / **SPC:** 3

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 10

**Nicky:** 5700 / **SPC:** 7

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I summon Gem-Knight Amber." A yellow knight with an amber embedded in his chest appeared (ATK/1600 DEF/1400), "Amber, attack Nicky directly." Gem-Knight Amber pulled a dagger made of electricity from its left palm and threw it at the deranged pyromaniac.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 3900 / **SPC:** 3

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 10

**Nicky:** 4100 / **SPC:** 7

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Gem-Knight Crystal, attack Nicky!" Gem-Knight Crystal leapt toward Nicky and punched his diamond-studded fist into him.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 3900 / **SPC:** 3

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 10

**Nicky:** 1650 / **SPC:** 7

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," announced Reign.

"I draw!" Terry drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 3900 / **SPC:** 4

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 11

**Nicky:** 1650 / **SPC:** 8

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I set one monster and end my turn," announced Terry.

"Oi, that all?" Nicky asked as he drew.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 3900 / **SPC:** 5

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 12

**Nicky:** 1650 / **SPC:** 9

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Bloody fuckin' 'ell!"

"Do what you can, Nicky. Leave the rest to me," Terry said.

"Oi! Oi'm gunn be the one who'll kill 'im!" Nicky exclaimed.

"You're in no condition for any of that," Terry shot back, "I know you have at least one Speed Spell in your hand. Use Speed World 2's effect to burn him and leave the rest to me."

_Bossy know-it-all_, Nicky thought, _Well 'e ain't gunna boss me 'round!_

"Oi sack me Speed Counters ta draw!" he declared.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 3900 / **SPC:** 5

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 12

**Nicky:** 1650 / **SPC:** 2

––––––––––––––––––––––

Nicky made an incoherent noise of frustration and angrily slapped a card facedown. "OI END ME TURN!"

"See, what wasn't so hard was it?" asked Terry.

"SHUT UP!"

"It's my turn now," said Reign, "I draw."

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 3900 / **SPC:** 6

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 12

**Nicky:** 1650 / **SPC:** 3

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Oi activate me facedown, Meteor Flare!" Nicky announced, "Oi discard two cards from me 'and an' burn ye fo' two thousand!" He placed two cards in his graveyard and four powerful twisters of fire spiraled down and hit Reign.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 1900 / **SPC:** 6

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 12

**Nicky:** 1650 / **SPC:** 3

––––––––––––––––––––––

"You're done this turn," Reign said, "I summon Gem-Knight Iolite." A knight in indigo armor appeared with some kind of blaster on his right gauntlet (ATK/1300 DEF/2000). "I overlay Gem-Knight Iolite and Gem-Knight Amber." Gem-Knight Iolite turned into an indigo stream of light while Gem-Knight Amber transformed into a yellow one. "I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters." A vortex opened up on the field and the two streams of light spiraled into its center. "Exceed Summon! Gem-Knight Pearl!" A shining white knight appeared on the field with his arms crossed over his chest and two white balls of light circled his body (ATK/2600 DEF/1900).

"Gem-Knight Pearl, end this for Nicky," ordered Reign, "Pearl Punch!" Gem-Knight Pearl launched himself at Nicky and thrust his fist into the insane pyromaniac.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 1900 / **SPC:** 6

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 12

**Nicky:** 0 / **SPC:** 3

––––––––––––––––––––––

Nicky swore loudly as he lost control of his Duel Runner and fell far behind the duel. With one opponent gone, it was now down to just Reign and Terry.

o o o

"Where is everybody?" Roman asked. He had just returned from the head and was taking his seat back on the bridge of the submarine. Mika was still bound to her spot. As he crossed his leg over his other one, Victoria stepped out onto the bridge. "You should know better than to leave your post, captain. And your crew is in dire need of reprimand." The submarine crew soon followed after Victoria.

"So you were all here after all. Well then, get back to your stations! We're far from done." As Roman poured himself another glass of whiskey, Victoria stepped in front of him and pointed her service pistol at him.

"What is the meaning of this?" the businessman demanded.

"This ship sails as its captain commands," Victoria said bluntly.

"And as I said earlier, its captain is to sail it as commanded," Roman responded.

"Not anymore." Suddenly, all the crew members pulled out guns and pointed them at Roman.

"You dare mutiny against me?"

"Mutiny is when sailors turn against their commanding authorities," Victoria explained.

"I _am_ the commanding authority," Roman stated firmly.

"Not on my ship."

Two sailors grabbed Roman from behind and hauled him off his chair. He struggled against them, but they proved to be much stronger than him. "Think about what you're doing. Without me, you're get nothing out of this mission."

"We've quit the mission," Victory shot back.

"Shall we lock him in the brig, captain?" one of the sailors apprehending Roman asked.

"No. The stench of his money will only linger. We need to air this place out. Surface!" ordered Victoria.

"Aye, ma'am!"

In a matter of moments, the submarine had surfaced and the hatch opened. Roman was thrown out onto the deck and the sailors followed with Victoria right behind them. "Do as you will, men," she said with a smirk. The sailors grinned widely as they took hold of Roman's limbs and threw him overboard into the sea. He swam up to the surface sputtering water, his glasses resting haphazardly on his face.

"You'll pay for this!"

"Stop being a little bitch about it," Victoria said as she tossed him a life tube. Then she ducked her head into the hatch. "Helmsman, full speed ahead!"

"Aye, captain!" The submarine was soon off, leaving Roman behind in the open sea. Victoria returned to the bridge and brought out a pair of lock cutters from the maintenance locker. She walked over to wear Mika lay and shook her until she awoke.

"Huh? What's going on?"

"Everything's going to be alright now." Victoria took the lock cutters and cut the chains binding Mika. The priestess looked up at the submarine captain puzzled. "You don't have to deal with that asshole anymore."

"Captain, what's our next move?" one of the crew members inquired.

"Listen up, everyone," Victoria said loudly, "As of a few moments ago, we've officially left the invasion force. However, this submarine is still the invasion's command centre. So it wouldn't be in our best interest to keep fighting, would it?"

"Orders, captain?" the radio operator inquired.

"Tell all invasion forces to retreat."

"Yes, captain!" the crew replied enthusiastically in unison. Victoria helped Mika to her feet and gently sat her down in Roman's chair.

"May I get you something?" the captain offered.

"Some water please."

"Crewman."

"I'm on it, ma'am."

As the crewman left for the galley, Victoria sat down across from Mika and looked at her. "Listen to me. We're on our way to the island right now. When we get there, we're going to drop you off. Do you have anyone who can meet us there to escort you back to your quarters?"

"Well... No, not really," Mika answered.

"We'll then radio the school to provide you with an escort."

"Thank you, captain."

"Please. Call me Victoria."

o o o

"Gem-Knight Crystal, attack Terry's facedown." The diamond-covered knight turned on Terry and thrust his fist through Terry's monster, which turned out to be Jurrac Galim.

"When Galim dies in battle, his effect can destroy the monster that destroyed him. But his effect can be negated if my opponent discards a card," Terry explained. He grinned when he realized Reign didn't have a hand and so an explosion erupted from the body of Jurrac Galim that destroyed Gem-Knight Crystal.

"I end my turn," announced Reign.

"Then I draw." Terry drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 1900 / **SPC:** 7

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 12

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I summon Jurrac Brachis." A blue and red brachiosaurus appeared on the field and let out its cry before its entire body ignited (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "Now I activate my two facedowns, two Fossil Excavations. By discarding a card for each, I can resurrect one Dinosaur from my graveyard. So I bring out Jurrac Monoloph and Jurrac Guaiba." The two dinosaurs reappeared on the field and snarled. "Now I tune Jurrac Monoloph to Jurrac Brachis and Jurrac Guaiba." Jurrac Monoloph's body faded away until three stars appeared that turned into synchro rings. They surrounded Jurrac Brachis and Jurrac Guaiba until seven stars were left and a light engulfed them.

"When history long since lost surfaces once again, disaster befalls all that stand in its path. Synchro Summon! Extinction! Jurrac Meteor!" A giant meteor with a massive dinosaur infused into it streaked down from the heavens and headed straight toward the center of the field (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). "When he's Synchro Summoned, Jurrac Meteor nukes the field." Jurrac Meteor roared as it impacted and the resulting blast cleared the entire field. It was total annihilation.

"And now for Meteor's last effect, which Special Summons one Jurrac Tuner from my graveyard." Jurrac Monoloph crawled out on the field and shook off the dirt that had packed onto it. "Attack!" The monolophosaurus ran over to Reign and bit him.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 400 / **SPC:** 7

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 12

––––––––––––––––––––––

"That's it for my turn."

Reign drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 400 / **SPC:** 8

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 12

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I play Speed Spell - Pot of Avarice. By removing two Speed Counter, I can return five monsters from my graveyard to my deck and draw two cards."

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 400 / **SPC:** 6

**Terry:** 7800 / **SPC:** 12

––––––––––––––––––––––

Reign returned Gem-Knight Alexandrite, Gem-Knight Garnet, Gem-Knight Crystal, Gem-Knight Obsidian, and Gem-Knight Amber to his deck and shuffled before drawing two new cards. "I summon Gem-Knight Alexandrite and I'll tribute him to bring out Gem-Knight Crystal!" In a repeat of his first move of the duel, he brought out the white knight and sacrificed it to summon the diamond knight.

"Gem-Knight Crystal, attack Jurrac Monoloph!" Gem-Knight Crystal charged and slammed his fist into the dinosaur's head.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 400 / **SPC:** 6

**Terry:** 6850 / **SPC:** 12

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I set one card and end my turn."

Terry drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 400 / **SPC:** 7

**Terry:** 6850 / **SPC:** 12

––––––––––––––––––––––

Unfortunately, he had no monsters he could summon so he concluded his turn. Then it was Reign's turn to draw.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 400 / **SPC:** 8

**Terry:** 6850 / **SPC:** 12

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I summon Gem-Knight Garnet!" Once again, the orange knight joined the field. "Now I activate Call of the Haunted and I'll use it to resurrect Gem-Knight Pearl!" In between the diamond knight and the orange knight, the shining white knight appeared with his armor gleaming in all its magnificent lustre.

"Gem-Knight Garnet, attack! Garnet Flame!" Gem-Knight Garnet launched himself at Terry and thrust his flaming punch at him.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 400 / **SPC:** 8

**Terry:** 4950 / **SPC:** 12

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Gem-Knight Crystal, you're next! Diamond Fist!" Gem-Knight Crystal charged in and sank his fist into the dinosaur biker's chest.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 400 / **SPC:** 8

**Terry:** 2500 / **SPC:** 12

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Finish it, Gem-Knight Pearl! Pearl Punch!" Without having to wait another moment, Gem-Knight Pearl went up last and brought his fist down upon Terry.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reign:** 400 / **SPC:** 8

**Terry:** 0 / **SPC:** 12

––––––––––––––––––––––

Terry's Duel Runner went out of control and the man had to abandon it before it went off a cliff and into the waters below. "Damn it," the biker could only mutter as he got up and ran off. Reign brought his Duel Runner to a halt and pulled off his helmetto better witness the victory.

"They won't be coming back anytime soon." He then put his helmet back on and drove off. His task was done, and several of the key invaders were neutralized. Now it was time to return to his wife and children, a prospect that had all too often been at the forefront of his mind.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Old loves. Old hatreds. The past can be hard to deal with and even more so when it comes back to haunt us in the present. Two Duel Mercenaries go head-to-head to resolve an old issue from their past. You don't want to miss it next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	134. Auld Acquaintance

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

On behalf of Comic Master Alpha, Strawberry Bunny, and myself, we sincerely apologize for the delay of this week's chapter. The past week has been pretty bad for all of us. CMA has been busy with a move, Rabbit's been working, and I've been out of the country. We'd like to thank you all for your patience and we hope you will continue to enjoy reading _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-47**

**Auld Acquaintance**

Chirping echoed through the grassy woodlands where four young people watched three soldiers stand at attention, two of whom with duel disks at the ready. Wind blew lightly through the area, brushing against their flesh as the two soldiers looked on at each other in utter silence. Dinner had an air of unspoken somberness that only the soldiers had felt between spoonfuls of beans and kind words to children. Charlie had locked eyes with Sako and she smiled.

She had promised a battle before. She had said that if he continued to interfere that they would duel. Charlie just smiled brightly and seemed to glow in front of Sako. He nodded to her and sighed before his eyes drifted listlessly to his son, a good distance away looking over the three sleeping children. It had been a long day. Noah, Cassie, and Gio were tired. After dinner they had crashed. Wes had volunteered to watch them while the mercenaries stepped away for the duel. It was good. Sako didn't want his son to be there for this.

"Well Remington, you have raised a fine boy there," Charlie's sultry voice said, breaking Sako out of his thoughts. Her voice was sweet but tinged with a soft sentiment.

"Yeah. I have," Sako replied, smiled at Charlie while looking her in the eyes. "It was difficult with my operations, of course. Especially without him ever really knowing his mother." Charlie tinged lightly at that last statement, her fist clenching up lightly before she nodded.

"It must have been tough on the poor kid, but he really is like his father. I am sure she is very proud of him for being such a good kid," Charlie said, her smile seeming to permeate with warmth. Sako smile back and nodded to her.

"Yeah. I am sure she is."

"Are you guys going to do this or what! I am sitting here, waiting to see that smug bastard get his ass kicked by you, chief, but all I am seeing is jabbering." Jaeger said, interrupting the moment and earning a sharp glare from both Charlie and Sako.

"Airman Lockheed, we will duel when we feel like it. I, unlike you, have nothing but respect for this man and would appreciate conversation with him before I beat him like a red headed step-child in this duel. So if you would kindly butt-the-fuck-out I will finish talking to Sako and get down to brass tacks." Charlie said harshly to which Jaeger saluted habitually. Sako just laughed lightly to himself.

"Maybe someday his mother will come back to us and we could finally be a family," Sako said, causing Charlie to look down at the ground for a moment before making eye contact once again.

"Perhaps, but I bet she has too much work left undone. After her work? Probably. I know we have our fair share of work let to complete. We all have a mission to finish, after all. You remember the mission, right Sako?"

"Yeah, Charlie, I remember it. Too bad jobs like this get in the way of it, huh?"

"You mean too bad I am going to kick your ass."

"I've gotten better since last time."

"Better just means it won't hurt as bad when I kick your ass, sweetie."

"Fine, then let's get this over with."

"Yes, let's."

"ABOUT TIME!" Jaeger chimed in in excitement.

"DUEL!" The pair called out, each on different sides of the conflict ready to lay it all on the line.

o o o

In the cosmic shade of a massive tree that held a world upon the edge of each of its nine branches and roots there sat a council of figures that were composed of a flickering flame of the all. Twinkling in the sky there were many that called themselves the sun, burning with a white hot intensity of a million billion hydrogen bombs erupting every second. Grand warriors sat, armed with blade and bullet as they peered off with blood shot eyes, lusting for battle. Those that called themselves the ocean crashed and crushed away in waves that went as deep as the bottomless darkness that others called themselves. The forces of the universe called themselves by many names, for their followers named them many things. The streaking lightnings that flew across the sky knew the names Thor and Zeus among others. The spirit of mischief knew the names of Coyote, Anansi, and Loki. The sun knew many names, such as Helios, Apollo, Inti, and Ra. A council of the pantheons of gods, all assembled, all standing in their infinite forms, but none ringing out stronger than their original forms that to some would look like a single form of each, while to others they would see many. In truth they were both the same and the many. The gods understood what they were. Mortals could not comprehend them, lest they go mad.

At the head of this godly council sat a man upon a throne with a single eye. At his side was a pair of wolves and a pair of ravens. In his hand was a single spear, long haunted and proven to never miss a target when thrown. He sat before them the All-Father of the Norse, one of the greater pantheons. One of the stronger. One of the few capable of facing the threat's origin on their terms. He had been chosen to lead. He had been chosen to fight and eradicate a deified cancer upon eternity.

Before him and the other gods there was a rose marked slab. They looked at it with the patience that could build the universe and they all nodded. The Norse All-Father stood tall and held his spear aloft before making his proclamation. "It is time to begin to the final phase. We will finish what the Egyptians should have done long ago." And so the gods prepared to set the final phase of their plan in motion.

o o o

–––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 8000

**Charlie:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

"He'll probably let the lady go first," Noah thought out loud. To his surprise, Sako drew his card first.

"Father is a soldier. Letting an opponent go first is a mistake," Wes said bluntly.

"I play Star Blast. By paying Life Points in multiples of five hundred, I can lower the level of one monster in my hand or on my field by one for every five hundred until my End Phase. I'll just be paying five hundred."

–––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 7500

**Charlie:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

"And I'll summon Satellite Cannon." Sako slapped the card onto his sniper rifle and summoned an orbital laser cannon high above their heads (ATK/0 DEF/0). "I'll set two cards and end my turn. And on my End Phase, my Satellite Cannon charges up by one thousand points." A light on Satellite Cannon's main body lit up to signify its charge up to one thousand attack points.

"I draw." Charlie drew her first card. "And I'll summon Laval Magma Cannoneer." A soldier made of blue rock appeared with metal plates riveted directly into its body and two large cannons mounted onto its back (ATK/1700 DEF/200). "Now I activate it's effect. Twice per turn, I can send one Fire monster from my hand to the graveyard to deal five hundred points of damage to you. So now I'll send Laval Gunner and Laval Miller to my graveyard." She placed the two cards into her graveyard and the cannons on Laval Magma Cannoneer's back began to glow. It took aim at Sako and launched two jets of magma at him.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 6500

**Charlie:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

"Next I activate Gold Sarcophagus. I remove one card from my deck from play and in two turns it comes to my hand and my card will be Laval Judgment Lord." A golden box appeared on the field and Charlie placed her card inside it.

"Now I play D.D.R. - Different Dimension Reincarnation." By discarding one card from my hand, I can bring back one monster that's been removed from play." She discarded her Laval Lancelord and brought back Laval Judgment Lord, which was a tall man in stone armor and red robes manipulating fire in his fingers (ATK/2700 DEF/1800), causing Gold Sarcophagus to shatter. "Now I activate Laval Judgment Lord's effect. By removing one Laval monster in my graveyard from play, I can burn you for one thousand Life Points. But in doing so, Laval Judgment Lord cannot attack." Charlie removed Laval Lancelord from her graveyard and watched as Laval Judgment Lord powered up a fist and then shot a blast of fire from his hand directly at Sako.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 5500

**Charlie:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

"Feeling the heat, Sako?" Jaeger jeered over the radio which Sako promptly ignored.

"Your first mistake was to sacrifice your Life Points," said Charlie, "My deck burns as much as it beats down. You must be getting rusty."

"It's been a while since you and I last dueled," Sako pointed out.

"A soldier always keeps his training up. Haven't I taught you anything?"

"You've taught me much. And it's all still up here." Sako tapped his head. "And you're about to see. On your End Phase, I activate Fires of Doomsday, summoning two Doomsday Tokens." He revealed his facedown and two cycloptic black flames appeared as level one Dark Fiends with zero attack and defense points. Then the Duel Sniper drew his card and proceeded with his turn. "I sacrifice my Doomsday Tokens in order to summon Barrel Dragon." Gun barrels blazed as a black mechanical dragon appeared on the field with three revolvers serving as its arms and head (ATK/2600 DEF/2200). "Barrel Dragon, time to activate your effect." Sako took out a coin as Barrel Dragon started spinning its reels. He tossed it once and it landed on Heads, causing the first reel to stop on a loaded chamber. He tossed it again and it landed on Tails, causing the second reel to stop on an empty chamber. He flipped the coin one more time and the final reel stopped on a loaded chamber as silver item came up on Heads.

"Blow that Laval Judgment Lord the fuck up." With its guns loaded, Barrel Dragon took aim at Laval Judgment Lord and fired, blowing the monster into oblivion.

"Don't get so cocky, Sako. Judgment Lord isn't even my ace," Charlie said.

"But your strongest."

"True, but it doesn't matter."

"No, but this will. Barrel Dragon, attack Laval Magma Cannoneer." Barrel Dragon repositioned itself and aimed its guns at Laval Magma Cannoneer. The bullets shattered its stone body and it crumbled.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 5500

**Charlie:** 7100

–––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," Sako announced. And at that moment, another light lit up on Satellite Cannon, signifying its batteries had charged it up to two thousand attack points.

"I draw." Charlie looked at her card and played it. "I activate Searing Fire Wall. By removing Laval monsters from my graveyard from play, I can Special Summon that many Laval Tokens. So I'll remove Laval Miller, Laval Gunner, Laval Judgment Lord, and Laval Magma Cannoneer." She removed her cards and placed them in her pocket before four tiny flames with faces appeared, each a level one Fire Pyro monster with zero attack and defense points. "That ends my turn."

"I draw." Sako drew his card and activated Barrel Dragon's effect. It failed with the coin landing on three heads and he proceeded to attack one of the tokens. The gunfire that ensued was overkill for one measly little flame spirit. When he ended his turn, Satellite Cannon's attack points rose to three thousand.

Charlie drew and set her monster in defense position before ending her turn. Sako's next attempt to execute Barrel Dragon's effect failed again with one Head and two Tails. He didn't trust facedowns, but he trusted facedown monsters even less if they stayed on the field. "Barrel Dragon, attack." Barrel Dragon unloaded its chambers into Charlie's facedown, which turned out to be Laval Miller (ATK/300 DEF/400).

"Thanks. Now I activate Laval Miller's effect. When it's destroyed in battle, I can choose two Laval monsters from my deck and send them to my graveyard." Charlie sifted through her deck and took out Laval Warrior and Laval Magma Cannoneer. Sako cursed himself for following his usual doubts instead of the doubts he had when it came to dueling Charlie. He ended his turn and Satellite Cannon rose to four thousand attack points.

It was now the Duel Guerilla's turn as she drew. "I summon Laval Lady of the Burning Lake." She played her card and a maiden with orange hair and dark skin appeared wearing a blue dress with frills (ATK/200 DEF/200). "I tune Laval Lady of the Burning Lake to two of my Laval Tokens." Laval Lady of the Burning Lake faded away until three stars remained. They turned into synchro rings and surrounded two of the Laval Tokens which each became a single star. A column of light engulfed them all.

"When molten lava takes form it is given the breath of life. Synchro Summon! Burn up, Lavalval Dragon!" Pieces of burning rock flew out in all directions as a dragon made of solidified lava emerged from the light flapping its wings and roaring (ATK/2000 DEF/1100). "Now I activate my Laval Lady of the Burning Lake's effect. If I have three or more Laval monsters in my graveyard, I can remove one of them and her from play to destroy one set card my opponent controls." She removed Laval Lady of the Burning Lake and Laval Magma Cannoneer and watched as the Laval Lady appeared briefly to hurl a searing fireball at Sako's facedown, which turned out to be Widespread Ruin.

"Now to activate Lavalval Dragon's effect. By returning two Laval monsters to my deck from my graveyard, I can bounce one card back to your hand." Charlie placed Laval Miller and Laval Warrior back into her deck and watched as Lavalval Dragon unleashed a massive wave of lava that washed over the field and blasted Barrel Dragon back into Sako's hand.

"You're trying to goad me into attacking with Satellite Cannon, aren't you?" the Duel Sniper asked.

"You should know my strategy by now," the Duel Guerilla replied.

"I know this is a trap, but I have no other choice right now, do I?" Sako said as he drew. "Fine then. Satellite Cannon, attack Lavalval Dragon!" Hovering in orbit, Satellite Cannon locked onto its target and fired its laser that destroyed Lavalval Dragon with one hit.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 5500

**Charlie:** 5100

–––––––––––––––––––

With its batteries drained after unleashing its powerful blast, Satellite Cannon's attack points dropped down to zero. "I know I'm about to take some heavy damage, but as long as Satellite Cannon can't be destroyed by level seven or lower monsters, I should be fine until it charges up again." Sako then ended his turn and Satellite Cannon began its recharging cycle, raising its attack points to one thousand.

"Then I'll destroy you before that happens." Charlie drew her card. "I summon Laval Cannoneer." A soldier made of blue stone appeared with a cannon built into its left arm (ATK/1600 DEF/900). "When Laval Cannoneer is Normal or Flip Summoned, his effect lets me Special Summon one removed from play Laval monster. So I'll choose Laval Judgment Lord." A portal to the Different Dimension opened up and Laval Judgment Lord rose out from it. "Laval Cannoneer, attack Satellite Cannon." Laval Cannoneer took aim with his cannon and fired it straight up. His burst of lava somehow made it all the way up past the atmosphere and struck Sako's orbital laser cannon.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 4900

**Charlie:** 5100

–––––––––––––––––––

"Laval Judgment Lord, attack!" Laval Judgment Lord ignited two jets of fire from his feet and shot up into orbit to deal a flaming punch to Satellite Cannon.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 3200

**Charlie:** 5100

–––––––––––––––––––

"Ha! Nice moves, Charlie!" Jaeger's voice came through.

_I am going to shoot that man if he doesn't shut up_, thought Sako.

"That ends it for me," Charlie announced.

"My turn then." Sako drew his card. He now had seven cards in his hand, meaning if he didn't play one this turn, he'd have to discard one. "I set two cards and end my turn." Satellite Cannon powered up to two thousand attack points.

Charlie drew her card and looked at it. A look came across her face. "I remove Lavalval Dragon from my graveyard to activate Laval Judgment Lord's effect." Laval Judgment Lord conjured up a fireball and launched it at Sako for one thousand damage.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 2200

**Charlie:** 5100

–––––––––––––––––––

"I set a card and end my turn." Charlie looked at Sako. This card was going to be his undoing.

"I draw." Sako drew his card and looked at his hand. Finally, everything he needed was there. "First, I play Power bond and I'll fuse Barrel Dragon with Blowback Dragon into Gatling Dragon!" A three-headed dragon-like tank on two large wheels rolled onto the field, each head equipped with a gatling gun turret (ATK/2600 DEF/1200). "And since he was fused with Power Bond, his attack points are doubled." Gatling Dragon roared as its attack points rose up to fifty-two hundred. "Now I activate my facedown, Limiter Removal, doubling my monster's attack points even further." Gatling Dragon's attack points now became one hundred and four thousand, more than enough to wipe out Charlie's Life Points with one blast.

"If you think you can defeat me with that, then go ahead and try it."

"I will!" Just before Sako could launch his attack, everyone could hear Victoria's voice coming in through the radioes.

"Calling all invasion forces! Calling all invasion forces! This is central command. All troops are to withdraw immediately. I repeat. All troops are to withdraw immediately."

"What's going on?" Sako inquired.

"I'm curious too." Charlie grabbed her radio. "Guerilla to command. What's going on?"

"Charlie, we don't have to work for that bastard anymore," Victoria said with a smile.

"You threw him over, didn't you?"

"Like a bitch."

"Hey! What's going on down there?" Jaeger demanded.

"We're pulling out!" Charlie responded.

"Well we knew who was going to win this duel anyway," Sako said.

"Ja. It would be Fraulin Charlie," Jaeger responded.

"Wait. Why?"

"This is why." Charlie revealed her facedown. "Spiritual Fire Art - Kurenai. I would have sacrificed Laval Judgment Lord to burn you for twenty-seven hundred points, more than enough to take you out before your Gatling Dragon could even attack." Sako was speechless, which caused the others to laugh.

"He always was a softie, wasn't he?" Victoria asked.

"Hey, you and Jaeger never hit the battlefield in person."

"Yeah, but you could still never beat me," Charlie intervened.

"Victoria, where are you now?" Jaeger inquired.

"I'm headed to shore," answered the Duel Submariner, "I'm dropping off the hostage our old 'employer' captured."

"How is the fraulin?"

"She's safe."

"So what now?" asked Sako.

"We're not working for these guys anymore, right?" asked Charlie, "Let's go find some new work."

o o o

The announcement had been heard all over the island, which brought much relief to everyone all over the island as the Genes and the mercenaries all withdrew.

"Is it over?" asked Mikey.

"It's over," Saito said calmly.

Mikey immediately collapsed backward and sighed heavily. "Ugh! Thank God!"

"Oh come on! You haven't even been fighting that hard!" Sammie said.

"Says you!"

A flash of fire indicated Coltyn's Solar Flare Dragon's doing one final burn to wrap up his duel before he rejoined the group. Not far from him, the delightful sounds of clowns and their tricks faded out as Max ended his duel. Everybody relaxed as they watched the rest of the army of Genes disappear.

"This battle may have been a victory, but I feel we still have much more to come," Rena thought out loud.

o o o

The entire invasion force was withdrawing, bringing all their equipment along with them. However, amidst the shadows of the breaking dawn, a figure sitting atop a skeletal horse stood watching. One of the Genes approached him. "Sir. We've been ordered to withdr..." His sentence was cut short as a scythe blade embedded itself in his abdomen and then pulled up through the center of his body.

"The invasion may be over. But Death still lingers."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The invasion forces are pulling out, but one is not satisfied. His lust for murder and his thirst for blood cannot be sated. Death awaits you next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	135. Death

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-48**

**Death**

Victoria and her coterie stood on the white sands of the beach they embarked upon, the dawn filling the air with a heavenly horizon. The genes and others were foolish and easy ordered creatures. If a signal from her vessel ordered them to flee. They would, at least for the time being anyway. She was silent, hearing only the cawing of the gulls overheads and the gentle crashing of the waves. One solider readied his rifle and approached her.

"Ma'am, are you sure it's fine to leave her here?"

Mika spoke calmly, "Despite everything I've weathered...yes, I will endure. I thank you all for your service...", she brushed aside now tattered and torn robes, still keeping her modesty intact, "However you all would do best to follow and make your ways towards a shop near the main building proper."

"Will you have an escort?"

Mika smiled, "It is not necessary, I've felt nearly all the fell power assailing this place leave. Most of it passed through me..."

Victoria frowned, she brought this misery upon her, "Look, if you ever need any help I want you to have this." Victoria grasped Mika's hand and brought it in close before placing a small ear piece in her hand. Victoria closed Mika's fingers around it and smiled. "Just keep that in your ear, luv, and press the button when you need help. Someone will come running who can help you, no matter where all the trouble I helped cause you." Mika looked down at the ear piece and smiled with a warm luminescence. There was a silent pause of wordless appreciation before Mika nodded and turned, a feeling of safety wrapping around her. Victoria smiled and returned to her vessel, knowing that she was repaying her own wrong doings, but she had much more work to do today. She had an invasion to stop, after all.

"Alright you lot, let's get rolling!"

As Mika saw the vessel slowly disembark, she herself looked toward the familiar road, and imagined Reko riding across them, pack full of supplies for his mother. She knew this road well, and with her steps off of the sand and onto the pavement, she found herself running towards the Dual Rose.

o o o

Mikomi and Milena lucked out, as the five Genes that were assailing them vanished into a black mist. They were in the ruins of the school, within one of the classrooms the Russian woman wiped her blonde hair out of her eyes, "Bah, stupid creatures finally know when to run. Mikomi, you injured at all?"

Mikomi winced at the scrape on her leg from earlier, but she wrapped it with a piece of cloth from an errant curtain, "It stings. I'll be okay however. Are you...wow."

Milena was covered in bruises, her face sported a nice discoloration on the right side near her forehead. Her military jacket was well worn into now, sporting blood spatters and various nicks and scratches throughout the rough material. Her knuckles were bloodied, as Mikomi could tell even though she wrapped them in a thin bandage beforehand to prevent that. The woman tossed a bent and useless pipe out of her hand and down the hall...listening.

"Is quiet, da?"

Mikomi nodded, "Did...did they run? More importantly, are YOU okay?"

Milena grinned a wolfish grin, "Like cowards, as well as they should have. I don't worry about myself, I will live. I suffer much worse with Reka and others."

Mikomi looked at the dagger at her her side, a plain unadorned thing with black ichor coating the blade. Reka told her that that's what people serving under the UnGod bled. Just pure black oily goop that smelled ferocious, like rot. The fact that not even a few months ago she was actually studying and singing with friends. Friends like the people she sung with, even Lindsey before all of this started happening, the UnGod's influence over people. Those damned people willingly bringing about his return.

Her thoughts wandered as Milena tore the leg off a chair to make another cudgel as she signaled her to follow through the now destroyed hallways. Bodies of humans and beings bestial and indescribable littered it, with Milena occasionally giving stiff kicks to some to clear their path. As they moved along there was the sound of hissing in the air as the shadows shifted in the darkness, moving toward the shore. Milena's trained eyes watched them flee out the cracks, windows and more as she heard Mikomi call out for any survivors, any other humans. They did not know of the battles with Bandit Keith, Raphael, The Staff, and Jaden. They knew not of the conflicts that had endured there that had been just as intense as the battles at the Dual Rose or in Ardent. No, they knew not any of this, nor did they know the true horror that awaited them at days end as the shadows of the island slowly shifted like snakes towards the shore. Ever slowly towards the shore. Milena turned her eyes from the window she was looking out of, seeing something move by a ruined stairwell.

"Mikomi, hide! YOU THERE, STOP RUNNING!" Milena threw her chair leg at the stairs with all of her might before chasing after the figure who tried to struggle up the fallen stairs to the second floor. It wasn't fast enough however, as Milena grabbed the pant leg of the person and tore him onto the rubble, grabbing a piece of stone and heaving it over her head.

"Wait! Wait!"

Milena stopped mid swing, looking at the terrified human being laying upon the ground. She stared at him for a wild moment before tossing the stone to one side with an audible thud, "Sorry. I did not know you were...ah...human?"

The man nodded quickly, backing away from the Russian. She regarded his uniform, it looked similar to Mikomi's, though it was blue instead of yellow. "Who are you?" Milena demanded with urgency brought on by their situation. He sighed and held his duel disk up defensively to keep a type of invisible barrier between them before he nodded down to Mikomi.

"I am Isaac. I am one of the student council members. Mikomi knows me, whoever the hell you are." Isaac said, grumbling in annoyance at having to have left the student council room at all during this tumultuous time, though it couldn't be helped as he needed to periodically keep watch on the perimeter, which was much harder without Stan or Toby there. He knew it was a bad idea to split up the council, but his sister still insisted.

Mikomi nodded in agreement to Isaac's statement before she stepped forward and grabbed the hem of his shirt lightly with her small hands. "Are there any other survivors?" She asked pleadingly. Isaac was silent for a moment before looking down and shaking his head.

"I don't know, Mikomi. All I do know is that for the first time in the past few days this nightmare has seemingly begun to subside. I think we may have won something, but I need to get back to my sister in the council office if I am going to confirm this."

"Da, that is good idea. We'll join you," Milena interjected in an authoritative tone, more demanding rather than suggesting. Isaac almost protested, but sighed. In times like this one couldn't argue. They just went along with the will of the thing.

o o o

Despite the order to pull out, several Genes continued to press onward. However, their numbers had greatly diminished as Sako, Charlie, and Jaeger joined the fight for the school. Victoria had radioed them ahead of time that she would join them once she had returned Roman's hostage. The Duel Sniper's gun dragons gunned down the army of Normal Monsters that dared to stand up against them. The Duel Guerilla's Lavals unleashed wave upon wave of fiery destruction. The Duel Ace's ships stayed in formation as he flew over the island shooting down all the Genes' monsters that dared to get in his way. Students cheered as they made their way through the ranks of clones, eliminating them by the handfuls. Truly these were men and women to be admired.

o o o

"Keep pushin' 'em back!" Hassleberry called out. His mighty Ultimate Tyranno and Super Conductor Tyranno trampled through enemy lines like ankle-high hedges. Their mighty roars generated terror in those hooded figures yet they continued to persist. It seemed no matter how dire their situation, they were still determined to fight this losing battle. All the mercenaries had already withdrawn from the battlefield. All that remained were these Gene Erics.

o o o

"Block it, Exxod!" Gio's massive stone creature stood in silence and stillness as the Normal Monsters struck against its hard body and felt the repercussions of their actions.

"Elemental Hero Nova Master, attack!" On Cassie's orders, her hero of fire slapped his hands together and generated a fiery shockwave that blasted apart a feeble monster. "Absolute Zero, it's your turn!" Following the attack of Elemental Hero Nova Master, Elemental Hero Absolute Zero followed up with a line of ice spears shooting out of the ground and impaling the girl's opponent.

"Light and Darkness Dragon, end him!" ordered Noah. His white and black dragon roared as it charged up and unleashed a blast of light from its mouth. When his opponent attempted to block it with Magic Cylinder, Light and Darkness Dragon released a black shockwave of darkness that negated the Trap Card's activation and destroyed it. Its attack weakened as a result, but it was still enough to finish off the Gene.

"Koa'ki Meiru Maximus, attack." Wes took a step back and watched as his mighty dragon opened its mouth and swept the field with a single beam of energy that wiped out its enemy.

o o o

Jaden stood back-to-back with Kaiba as the two of them squared off against an enormous battalion of Genes.

"That's quite a lot," the pro Duelist noted.

"Think you can handle this many?" Kaiba asked.

"Might be trouble if another one shows up," Jaden said facetiously.

"Well if you think you're going to have much trouble, you can take the ones on the right and I'll go for the ones on the left."

"There's twice as many on the left."

"I know. I can count," Kaiba said with a smug smirk. Jaden just looked over his shoulder and returned the same smirk before the two Duelists engaged their enemies.

o o o

Kage watched from his Duel Runner as Nicky and Terry limped up toward him. The two pyromaniacs looked like they had gone to hell and back. "Reign defeated you both?"

"'ow can ye tell?" asked Nicky. Kage just looked at him. "Right. Ne'er mind."

"What's going on?" asked Terry, "The issue to retreat was sounded. So what's up with the Genes?"

"The Genes are incapable of retreat," Kage replied, "The ones involved in tonight's invasion were mindless drones with the sole purpose of dueling. They'll keep going until they meet their objective or they die."

"Shouldn't we try to call them back?"

"Why bother? They're all going to die," answered Kage.

"What makes ye say that?" Nicky inquired. In response, the dark man pointed to a pile of bodies not far away. They were all Gene Erics and all of them had been completely run through with some kind of blade.

"Is he still out there?" Terry asked.

"And wreaking hell." Kage lowered his binoculars. "And he's not going to stop."

"Oi. We should get outta 'ere while we can," Nicky suggested, "Before 'e comes after us."

"You can go ahead. I've still got one thing left to do." Kage turned his attention to the docks as the submarine docked and watched as Mika disembarked.

o o o

Johnathan Angel had dispatched with another group of Genes and had watched them disappear in flashes of smoke after their defeats. Their numbers were definitely beginning to dwindle. Ever since the order to retreat had been issued, he had been seeing less and less of them around. Maybe they had indeed retreated and only a few stragglers set on completing their mission were still try to advance.

As the Light Lord walked, the scenery started to change. Once the path was clear. Now it was littered with dead bodies, all belonging to the shades. He checked each of them and something seemed different. There was something about these bodies that were different from the Genes he had defeated earlier. However, before he could give it another thought, he heard a cry for help and ran off in its direction.

When Johnathan arrived, he saw a short girl with black hair running. He recognized her as that girl Jenny from the talent show. What he didn't expect was what was chasing her. A horse skeleton, or so it appeared in the dim light, rode behind her neighing loudly. On its back was a rider in ashen armor. In his hand he held a scythe that was dripping blood. As he rode after his prey, Jenny tripped and fell onto the grass. The steed stopped beside her and the horseman watched her from his seat.

"Don't hurt me, please," she begged. Death responded by tightening the grip on his scythe and swinging down.

Jenny's screams fill the air as Johnathan watched in horror as the blade went through her lower regions and came out her backside. Death lifted his weapon up with incredible ease despite having a human being impaled on the blade. He did not say anything as he planted his foot on her shoulder and started to pull up. The scythe cleaved up through Jenny's body from her lower regions straight through her center. The blade cut through flesh and bone without much difficulty. With one final pull, Death's scythe split her skull in two and Jenny's body fell to the ground with only a tiny piece of flesh in between her legs being the one thing left holding her together.

"You...you killed her," Johnathan said as he looked at the bloody mess.

"And if she could resurrect, I would do it again. Alas you humans only live once."

"Who are you?"

"I am the Ashen Horseman of Death." The Horseman shouldered his scythe.

"Stop all this mindless killing immediately," ordered Johnathan.

"This is hardly mindless murder. This is simply life in motion. Death is is but a natural part of the life cycle."

"Only if they die of natural cause." Johnathan pointed to the body at Death's horse's hooves. "These are unnatural deaths."

"Some life forms live well past their intended life span." The Horseman's steed took a step and sank its hoof into the girl's corpse. "I'm just rectifying it."

"You can't determine who's lived long enough and who hasn't," Johnathan argued, "Nobody can. What could possibly give you the right to determine life and death?"

"I have the eyes," was all Death said in response.

Johnathan said nothing. He had heard enough. This man was playing god and as the Light Lord, he felt that he had a duty to put an end to it. He reached over to his other arm and activated his Duel Disk.

"Are you seriously challenging me?" Death asked.

"You leave without killing another person if I win," Johnathan said.

"And if I win, you'll be joining this one." Death impaled his scythe through the two halves of Jenny's body and his horse stepped off, allowing him to pull it up. He proceeded to mutilate her corpse even further before cavalierly throwing it aside. He then placed his scythe across his back and held out his left arm and his Duel Disk grew out from his gauntlet.

––––––––––––––––––

**Johnathan:** 8000

**Death:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––

"I will make the first move." Death drew his first card. "I will proceed by playing Final Countdown."

"Final Countdown!"

"Yes. By paying two thousand Life Points, this Spell Card guarantees my victory in twenty turns, including this one."

––––––––––––––––––

**Johnathan:** 8000

**Death:** 6000

––––––––––––––––––

Dark clouds covered the sky and a fiendish face appeared overhead cackling. "I shall now place one card facedown and activate Nightmare's Steelcage." A domed black spiked cage surrounded Johnathan and locked him down. "Now for the next two turns, neither of us can attack. That ends my turn." At that moment, a single fireball appeared in the sky.

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 1

––––––––––––––––––

"I draw." Johnathan drew his card. "I play Charge of the Light Brigade. First I send the top three cards of my deck to my graveyard and then I can add a level four or lower Lightsworn from my deck to my hand." He sent three cards to his graveyard and retrieved Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter. "And look what was among the cards that were milled: two copies of Wulf, Lightsworn Beast. And his effect lets me Special Summon him if he was sent from my deck to my graveyard." Taking the cards out and placing them on top of his Duel Disk, he summoned two white bipedal wolf-like creatures with sharp claws and staffs (ATK/2100 DEF/300).

"Next I Normal Summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin." A woman in white armor with white hair and a long white cape lined with red silk appeared and stood between the two Wulfs armed with a sword and shield (ATK/1800 DEF/1200). Johnathan wished he could attack now, but with Nightmare's Steelcage in play, it was impossible for another while. "I end with two facedowns. The effect of Jain, Lightsword Paladin now activates, forcing me to send two cards from my deck to my graveyard." He milled his deck and sent Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner and Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon to his graveyard.

"On your End Phase, I activate my Trap Card. Destiny Board." Death revealed his facedown and a Ouija Board appeared over his side of the field. The planchette instantly moved over to the letter F and a ghostly F appeared. over his field. "On each of your End Phases, I can add one more letter to the Destiny Board's message from my hand or deck. So joining it now is Spirit Message "I"." The planchette moved to the I and a ghostly I appeared next to the F. When the Ouija Board finally stopped, a second fireball appeared in the sky.

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 2

––––––––––––––––––

"My turn then." Death drew his card. "I'll set one monster and end my turn." A third fireball appeared.

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 3

––––––––––––––––––

Johnathan drew his card. Because of Nightmare's Steelcage, he was still unable to attack and with the Destiny Board and Final Countdown both in effect, there was not much time. With no other choice, he ended his turn, causing Spirit Message "N" to join the message, a fourth fireball to appear overhead, and two more cards milled from his deck. This time they were Light Spiral and Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress. At that moment, Nightmare's Steelcage vanished.

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 4

––––––––––––––––––

Death drew his card and immediately ended his turn, causing a fifth fireball to appear.

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 5

––––––––––––––––––

After Johnathan drew, he wasted no time in attacking. "Wulf, attack that monster!" Wulf, Lightsworn Beast roared and slashed with his claws at the facedown, which turned to be a mechanical football player named Battle Footballer (ATK/1000 DEF/2100).

"Try as much as you will. You cannot stop Death."

"I'll set one facedown and end my turn." As Johnathan concluded his turn, he milled out Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid and Monster Reincarnation as Spirit Message "A" appeared on the field and another fireball appeared in the sky.

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 6

––––––––––––––––––

Death drew his next card. He set the monster down on the field and ended his turn. Right then, a seventh fireball appeared. But now it was clear that the flames were forming a circle around the duel area.

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 7

––––––––––––––––––

Johnathan took a deep breath as he placed his hand on his deck. If this card wasn't what he needed, he was done for. He slowly drew and looked. He let out a sigh of relief. "I sacrifice Jain, Lightsworn Paladin and summon Celestia, Lightsworn Angel!" The paladin vanished and in her place an angel with blue hair and shining wings appeared in white armor holding a long white staff (ATK/2300 DEF/200). "Now I activate her effect. When she's Tribute Summoned using a Lightsworn as her sacrifice, I can mill the top four cards of my deck to destroy up to two cards on the field." Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior, Jenis, Lightsworn Mender, Blasting the Ruins, and Lightsworn Barrier were sent to the graveyard and Celestia, Lightsworn Angel spread her wings and held up her staff. Two beams of light shot out. One destroyed Death's facedown monster. The other beam shattered Destiny Board, causing the Ouija Board to crumble and the letters fade away into nothingness.

"Celestia, attack Battle Footballer!" ordered Johnathan. Celestia, Lightsworn Angel spun her staff and sent a blast of light at the monster, destroying it instantly.

"Now Wulf, attack directly!" One of the Wulfs ran toward Death and slashed him across the chest.

––––––––––––––––––

**Johnathan:** 8000

**Death:** 3900

––––––––––––––––––

"Now your turn." The second Wulf, Lightsworn Beast repeated the actions of the first and another twenty-one hundred points of damage were dealt.

––––––––––––––––––

**Johnathan:** 8000

**Death:** 1800

––––––––––––––––––

Finally, some damage had been done. With nothing else left to do, Johnathan ended his turn, causing another flame to appear in the circle.

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 8

––––––––––––––––––

Death drew his card. "I set two facedowns and end my turn."

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 9

––––––––––––––––––

Johnathan drew his next card. "Wulf, attack directly!"

"I activate Waboku." Death activated his card and a trio of women in blue robes appeared and blocked the attack.

"You're stalling now so Final Countdown can take effect."

"Really? Does it really seem like that?" asked Death.

"Of course it is," answered Johnathan, "It's the only thing you've played that's still in effect. You can't possibly have something else planned."

"As a matter of fact, I do." Death cackled silently as he revealed his hand to his opponent. Johnathan's eyes went wide. Death was holding Left Leg of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, and Right Arm of the Forbidden One.

"Are those...?"

"Exodia pieces," Death answered confidently, "Two of which I still require."

"I won't let you get any more."

"Try me."

Sadly for Johnathan, he had nothing else he could do this turn so he ended it, adding a tenth fireball. The circle was now half complete.

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 10

––––––––––––––––––

"I draw." Death drew his card, "And I've just drawn the Right Leg of the Forbidden One. I now need only the head and this duel is mine. I end my turn." An eleventh flame appeared in the sky.

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 11

––––––––––––––––––

Johnathan drew. This was bad. Death already had four pieces of Exodia. One more and it was game over. He had to damage him fast. "Celestia, attack directly!"

"Trap Card, Threatening Roar." Death's other facedown flipped over and a loud roar stopped Celestia, Lightsworn Angel dead in her path.

"I'm done," Johnathan said reluctantly. Final Countdown now reached twelve flames.

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 12

––––––––––––––––––

Death drew his card. Jonathan could tell from the way he was looking at it afterward that it wasn't the final piece of Exodia. He watched as the Horseman placed the card on the field facedown and then ended his turn. The flame count rose to thirteen.

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 13

––––––––––––––––––

Johnathan was not about to waste an opportunity. If there was a chance to attack, he had to take it lest his opponent draw that damn head. "Celestia, attack directly."

"Trap Card activate," announced Death, "Mirror Force." The Light Lord was now cursing as Celestia's attack struck the reflective barrier and had the spell bounced back only to destroy every monster on his field.

"And you worked so hard for it," Death cackled.

With nothing else left to do, Johnathan ended his turn and discarded, Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon in order to maintain his hand size of six.

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 14

––––––––––––––––––

Death drew his next card and played it immediately. "Swords of Revealing Light." Three shining swords made of light came down and stuck into the ground in front of Johnathan's side of the field. "That ends my turn."

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 15

––––––––––––––––––

Johnathan was deep in thought as he cast his gaze upwards to witness the sky slowly reading his demise while drying his card. He needed to find some way to stop his opponent from drawing the final piece of Exodia. His deck had no hand destruction. However, there was a deck destruction card. But it was a gusty move. Unfortunately, it was all he had. Taking the Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter he had brought to his hand earlier, he set it facedown and concluded his turn. One of the Swords of Revealing Light disappeared and a sixteenth flame appeared.

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 16

––––––––––––––––––

Death drew his card and ended his turn immediately.

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 17

––––––––––––––––––

Johnathan drew his card and activated his facedown. "I activate Light Spiral. Now whenever I mill cards from my deck to my graveyard with the effect of a Lightsworn monster, I can remove from play the top card of your deck."

"You do realize this does not guarantee you will snag Exodia's head," Death pointed out.

"I'm fully aware, but it's all I've got." And with that, Johnathan flipped his monster over. "Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter." A small white wolf appeared on the field and barked (ATK/200 DEF/100). "When he's flipped, I can choose one card on the field and destroy it and I choose Swords of Revealing Light!" A beam of light fired from Ryko's mouth and shattered the remaining swords. "Now Ryko's effect will mill the top three cards of my deck and we'll see what Light Spiral does. Johnathan sent Ehren, Lightsworn Monk, another Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter, and Lumina, Lightsworn summoner to his graveyard and a spiral beam of light shot out and struck Death's deck. Crossing his fingers hoping it would be it, the card was revealed to all.

"Exodia the Forbidden One!" Johnathan cried as it was banished from the game. With it gone, now he sent Ryko to attack directly. The small wolf jumped at the Horseman and bit him.

––––––––––––––––––

**Johnathan:** 8000

**Death:** 1600

––––––––––––––––––

"Don't look so smug," Death said in response, "But the loss of Exodia's head means nothing. Did you honestly think I would have trusted my victory to some ancient Egyptian god?" He cackled. "Oh, no, no, no. It's a ruse, one of my many ways of achieving dominance, another path to take your life. It has all led to this." He raised his arms up toward the Final Countdown's flames. "And soon, there will be no escape."

Johnathan looked up and smacked himself. He had gotten so caught up in trying to stop Exodia that he had completely forgotten about Final Countdown. With nothing left in his hand to play, he ended his turn, causing the eighteenth flame to appear.

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 18

––––––––––––––––––

Death was in sheer delight as he drew his card. "I summon Gene-Warped Warwolf." A white four-armed mutant wolf appeared on his side of the field and roared (ATK/2000 DEF/100). "Attack Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter." Gene-Warped Warwolf rushed in and smashed its four fists into the small wolf pup.

––––––––––––––––––

**Johnathan:** 6200

**Death:** 1600

––––––––––––––––––

"That ends my turn."

––––––––––––––––––

**Final Countdown:** 19

––––––––––––––––––

Nineteen fireballs burned bright in a circle in the sky. Only one more was needed to complete it. The ring of death would soon be finished. Johnathan looked at his deck. He needed something, anything, to safeguard him. However, his opponent had succeeded in summoning a monster with high attack power for good measure. If he could not finish his opponent in this turn, it was over.

Johnathan looked at his deck and remembered something he had once heard from a fellow pro Duelist years ago. _Believe in the Heart of the Cards._ He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He placed all of his faith into his next card and he drew it. What he saw set his heart ablaze.

"Stop stalling and complete your turn already," Death said impatiently.

"You want me to complete my turn? Alright, I'll do it. But first, since I have more than four Lightsworns in my graveyard with different names, I'll Special Summon my ace: Judgment Dragon!" The clouds suddenly dispersed a brilliant light filled the battle arena as a massive dragon covered in white feathers flew down and blasted through the ring of flames, landing on the ground with a resounding crash (ATK/3000 DEF/2600). "Now to activate his effect. By paying one thousand Life Points, Judgment Dragon will clear the field."

––––––––––––––––––

**Johnathan:** 5200

**Death:** 1600

––––––––––––––––––

Judgment Dragon spread his wings and rays of infinite radiance shot out in all directions. Mere seconds passed and the field was clear save for its destructor.

"Judgment Dragon, attack and end his reign of terror!" Judgment Dragon opened his mouth and gathered up energy before firing a powerful burst of light at Death.

––––––––––––––––––

**Johnathan:** 5200

**Death:** 0

––––––––––––––––––

The overwhelming might of the attack blew the Horseman from his mount and he struck a tree.

"You've lost," Johnathan stated, "Now honor our agreement."

Death said nothing as a pool of darkness engulfed him. "You haven't seen the last of me. Death will always linger." And with those final words, the last of the Four Horsemen vanished.

o o o

Mika's return was met with much joy at the Dual Rose. The priestess was happy to see everybody again. As she was greeted by Rena, she explained her entire ordeal during the course of the invasion. Everybody shared stories as Recca and Reko came around to serve refreshments. The sound of a motorcycle engine hailed the return of Reign. Shortly after his arrival, Sako, Charlie, Wes, Noah, Cassie, and Gio joined them as well. Kaiba and Jaden followed soon after with Alexis. Tears flowed down Cassie's face upon seeing her parents alive and well and she ran straight toward them and threw her arms around them both. Both parents put their arms around her and comforted their daughter, continually telling her that it was over now and everything would be alright. The other teachers soon joined up with the groups of students they had gathered. Even Mr. Thulin managed to wake up and join the big reunion and it wasn't long before Johnathan joined them too. There was much mourning for those whose lives had been lost, but there was also much relief to those who found their friends and loved ones still alove.

As some of the teachers started to discuss how they would contact the families of the dead, a black Duel Runner pulled up to the cafe and its rider stepped off and approached. His presence was quickly acknowledged by all as silence quickly took over.

"Kage," Reign recognized.

"Reign," Kage acknowledged. As he walked past him, he suddenly noticed a man very familiar to him. "Johnathan."

The Light Lord turned and looked at the dark man. "Kage."

"It's been a while."

"Fifteen years."

"Dad, you know this guy?" Mikey asked as he stood by his father with Gabe.

"I do," Johnathan answered, "Kage is my brother."

There was a moment of silence before the two Angel boys reacted. "EHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?"

"So you mean," Gabe said, "this guy is our..."

"Uncle, yes," answered Johnathan, "You boys never knew him because you never met him. But about fifteen years ago, Kage left the family and took everything with him. Nobody's seen him since. Until now, that is."

Kage chuckled. "Johnathan, still the man of justice I see."

"That's enough chit-chat, Kage. You're here for a reason," Johnathan said straight to the point.

"You're correct on that one, brother. Allow me to explain. I'm here to relieve someone of her duties. That was the entire purpose of this invasion." Mika gasped and Kage looked in her direction. "There she is." A black tendril shot out of Kage's shadow and ensnared the priestess.

"Let her go, Kage!" Johnathan demanded.

"I'm afraid I can't do that just yet, brother. I have one thing to do to her." Kage brought Mika closer and placed her close to his face. "In the name of the UnGod's will, I hereby relieve you of your duty." Another tendril snaked its way up Mika and removed her eyepatch. Kage stared deep into her demon eye for a moment before taking his fingers and plunging them into the socket. Mika screamed in agony and tried to fight him, but the tendril held her firmly.

Reko threw down his tray and rushed in front of Reign, who tried in vain to restrain him. Kage's shadow only grabbed him by the throat and held the young Telaris aloft, who to his surprise looked back at him with a menacing growl. He felt another presence, and ancient and capracious spirit, "Raiza...that's where you've gone." With little more than a gesture, Reko was thrown towards Recca, whom caught him and laid the man down. He was out cold.

Others rushed to try to help Mika, but all of them were restrained by Kage's tendrils. Finally, he ripped the eye from Mika's head and dropped her to the ground. He held the eye above his head and chanted something silently before a stream of chaotic energy shot out from it and erupted into a shockwave that covered the whole island.

"What was that?" asked Mikey.

"It is done," Kage declared, "Our lord has awakened. Amongst us seven chosen to carry out the UnGod's will, one was deemed our leader. One amongst all of you." Everybody started to chatter. Who could this leader be?

Rena held out her staff towards Kage. "You may have your little prize, Kage but this barrier of ours still holds. Your vile darkness cannot penetrate this hallowed ground. Arrayed before you are some of the greatest Duelists of this age or before. We have heard nothing of your leader, I declare this all hearsay. If there was one who could even think to serve the UnGod among us, I would have had the person killed."

Zetsubou nodded, his hands coming to rest at swords hanging on his belt, "I would have performed it myself, Kage. Or did you forget your 'assassin' so soon?"

"You were just a decoy meant to throw these fools off our scent." Kage reached into his rucksack and produced a familiar black book. "When the time comes, the UnGod's herald shall claim his rite, the Wicked Archive."

Zetsubou's blood ran cold, feeling the familiar energies radiating off of the book. Coltyn noticed this and turned to him. "You recognize it, I see."

"That damned tome...so your damn lackeys really did reclaim it. Wes, I told you to destroy the damned thing!"

"Something like that is not easily destroyed. It needed to be studied first," was Wes' reply.

Kage put the book back in his sack and started to walk back to his Duel Runner. "The UnGod's herald has lived amongst you since the beginning. Only now have they awakened and realized their destiny. Soon it will not be long before we have completed our goal." He then turned to Rena. "And know this, old woman. We shall return. The seal here is the only one that remains. And we shall break it." And with that, Kage drove off.

"What seal is he talking about?" Alexis asked, turning to Rena.

Reka looked up from Reko's groaning body, currently muttering about breaking Kage's skull, "He's talking about the Sixteen Seals on Ardent."

"Ardent? What's...what is Ardent?"

Reka took a deep breath, looking towards Katasuo who nodded, "I understand Reka, please, let's get Mika and the others to safety. I will explain everything. Miss Amadis?"

"...Yes, Katasuo?" the French student looked up, her right hand subconsciously stroking the beads of a rosary.

"You've graciously been our medic during our travels. I trust you can...try to aid Mika and the others."

Amadis saw Katasuo's reassuring smirk and nodded, "Of course. Everyone help me take these people upstairs, I'll mend them the best I can. the students that had already recovered from Kage's visit quickly aided her, leaving a few standing with Reka and Katasuo. Rena looked towards the two of them, then to Chancellor Rhodes, "What Miss Reka was saying dear, is that we aren't even on Earth anymore, known on this plane of existence as Terra."

Jaden's expression flattened, "This all seems somewhat familiar."

Rena beamed, "I take it you're well accustomed to a place like this Jaden, but I assure you this is a full other world we are in. Not a place or a Shadow Realm or anything. An entire world, created for the supernatural forces of this great and dangerous Dueling we do. Now then, I can explain more about it later, as our particular family has been well versed in it. Grandaughter."

"Thank you Rena. The Sixteen Seals are something I've heard about since coming to this place. I arrived at Endymion. THE Endymion, the seat of most of the Mages in this world. I'm fairly sure I was deceived by them. Wait, no. I know I was, what Amadis and myself at the time couldn't be truth. The Council of Sages what they call themselves, told us that the Seal were founts of power for the UnGod. For every one we destroyed, we would be cutting the UnGod's strength off. I should have listened to Mikomi."

Zetsubou looked up from his spot on a bar stool, "My sister truly is here?"

Katasuo grunted, "Yes, and we should have listened to her. She told us she had a dream, a vision from the Monarchs. We all had nightmares after what we did but hers...she said that the seals shouldn't have been broken. Told us that the moment we hit this island. It materialized a day after we broke the fifteenth, Freed sent us word."

Reka shrugged, "After Freed told us, we got a ship from him and sailed to a rainy island, didn't know we'd land behind Duel Academy. But those sixteen seals were KEEPING his power locked away. Every one we unwittingly broke, it was making things worse for you guys."

The room fell under a deep silence before Reka choked out the words, with tears streaming down her face, "All this devastation...I'm so sorry..."

Recca made her way towards her daughter, and slowly gave her a heartfelt embrace, "You're safe now. You didn't know this would happen dear..."

Reka shook her head, "Regardless...It has to be put to right. I can't let all this...all of this be for nothing. We made a mistake. We have to think of a way to fix it."

Rena looked towards the basement, "I agree, but first comes the part regarding the weapons of the Horsemen we gathered. I don't know what Kage did on this island but I won't suffer it. Chancellor Rhodes, Kage sowed fear throughout our ranks. You need to calm them down, I can assure you such words from that man are a complete ruse. Zetsubou."

"Yes, Rena?"

"Strange that Mikomi is not here. Katasuo, can you explain to us what happened? I believe the weight of Reka's burdens have gotten to her."

Zetsubou stared at Katasuo for a moment, "For that matter why are you travelling with Reka in the first place? I don't think you'd just appear from Terra?"

Katasuo shook his head, "I remember a package at my door and dueling with a mysterious cloaked figure. After that, I woke upon a meadow, three days after, I found Reka who had a similar situation. All of her companions save your little sister have come to Ardent in that way. I know nothing more, but I believe it is our ties to Reka's family somehow that brought me to Ardent. Regarding Mikomi however. Milena, another of our companions and her were separated from us soon after reaching the Sixteenth Seal. We were best on all sides by enemies, and so we dived. Milena from what I gathered is a survivor, they are safe."

Zetsubou looked at the both of them before walking out of the Dual Rose, Katasuo followed suit. Alexis sat at one of the tables with Jaden, shaking her head, "I'm not sure what to do, Jaden."

Jaden shot a smile towards her, "Well, if we are in this weird place, I think what's best is that you have to keep these students calm first off. They need a leader."

At that moment, Reka looked stunned as she started to laugh, "Of course! We can just reseal the shattered seals that we broke!"

Recca and the others stared at Reka, "I know, I weep then I get an idea. I'm off like that. Anyway, we simply just...erect another seal. Should be easy enough."

"To catch the infinite power this thing already possesses," Kaiba said bluntly, "Where would we find something that could do such a thing?"

It was Reign's turn to speak, "If it's anything like I witnessed on your island Seto the thing is made of black crystal. That's a useless manifestation but I felt a lot of negative energy. We would just need, as simple as this sounds, positive energy. The Rose Cards. No doubt Kage wants the other cards we seek. We find his minions and take them back. The cards could then be used to summon stronger, more lasting seals than the ones before."

"When it is sealed, all sixteen of OUR seals are active. Then what, Reign?" He waited until Recca was downstairs to answer Jaden's question, but Rena already knew the answer, all of them did in some way of another.

"While all of the seals are being erected, we will make our own circle here upon this island. I will array the Rose Cards as I did at Stonehenge, then...then I summon a weakened UnGod, in his true form. Then...we kill him."

o o o

Outside, Mikey was with many of the others students, sitting with his back up agaisnt the side of the building, Kuraz was informing him what has to be done, a plan similar to what was being told within the shop.

"So our job then is to find these seals and repair them?" Mikey inquired.

"That is correct, Mikey," Kuraz explained as he projected himself next to Mikey, "It will not be an easy task as the different realms of Ardent are very difficult to reach. This is why creatures from each realm do not often mingle. That is what makes us Monarchs different. We have access to the gateways that connect the realms to one another."

"Well we have you here, so I guess you can help us out," Mikey said not realizing that something was different about the Light Monarch until Gio spoke up.

"! A real Duel Monster!" Other students started to stare in awe too, which caused Mikey to look at well. What he saw caused him to fall back. Kuraz was not a spirit anymore. He had materialized into a physical being.

"K-Kuraz?"

Kuraz the Light Monarch looked down at Mikey. "This is Ardent, Mikey. This is my home."

o o o

Kage made it back to the coast near the cave where the preparations had begun. The boat had already been brought out and Nicky and Terry were already waiting for him. Judgement's mask had been placed inside a reinforced carrying container. After the dark man loaded his Duel Runner onto the boat, he turned around to two boys with black hair standing on the coast watching him. Both of them wore Obelisk blue coats; one was a first year student while the other was a third-year. Kage walked over to them and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Watch over this place until I return," he instructed.

The boys nodded. "You've got it, dad."

And with that, Kage got on the boat and set sail.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Ardent. The Sixteen Seals. A new level of turmoil has been reached as Mikey and his friends must now travel this strange land in search of these seals and re-seal them. Unbeknownst to them, the servants of the UnGod continue to watch them. It's the start of a new arc next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	136. The Six Regent Lords of the UnGod

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

The September 2011 ban list shall be in effect as of this chapter.

Apologies for the delay, but Strawberry Bunny had some things to deal with in real life so the chapter is coming out late as a result.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-49**

**The Six Regent Lords of the UnGod**

Everybody was on high alert. With the news of Duel Academy in Ardent, everybody was frightened that the worst would happen. Mikey was sitting on the roof of the school while Kuraz stood with his cape flapping in the wind. He was busy, which left Mikey to his own thoughts. The young teenager thought back to the day before the invasion had taken place. The new ban list had just been released and he recalled how happy Sammie was. He didn't know why that was the case until he had a look at the computer screen himself. Things all became very clear when Sammie took out her special box and removed one of the two cards left inside it.

Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning had returned.

Needless to say, she was not the only one who was happy. Noah had also placed his card back into his deck. Though the lad's signature monster still remained to be Light and Darkness Dragon, his own copy of Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning served as his deck's trump card.

"Hey Kuraz, what are you doing?" Mikey asked, turning to his Duel Spirit.

"Attempting to commune with the other Monarchs," the emperor of Light replied, "Ardent is divided up into six realms: Aeagnaap, Orstrem, Paslie,Vazrana, Heiratine, and Karheim. Each realm is representative of one of the six Attributes, as you refer to them in your Duel Monsters card game. And each realm is governed by a Monarch. Heiratine is my realm, the realm of Light. Thestalos governs over Orstrem, Granmarg over Aeagnaap, and so forth."

"What about Zaborg?" Mikey inquired after he counted the Monarchs on his fingers and remembered that there were two Light attribute Monarchs.

"Heiratine is a large realm, which can make it difficult to govern sometimes. That is why I have delegated a part of the land to Zaborg. Specifically, the Lightning Plains, which cover a large expanse of Heiratine."

"I see."

"In the center of the realms is the very core of Ardent. It is the gateway between this world and yours. For centuries it has been well guarded so that no harm may come to either world. But now I fear that perhaps the forces of the UnGod have come through and are planning to destroy both. That is why I must contact my fellow Monarchs."

"Speaking of which, you've been at it for a while. How long do you think it'll be before you can contact the other Monarchs?"

"That is the peculiar thing, Mikey. I have contacted their palaces but so far there has been no response."

"Do you think anything might have happened?"

"I would most sincerely hope not. But seeing as fifteen of the seals have been broken, it is quite possible that the UnGod's influence has gripped Ardent in its entirety tightly."

"Dang." Mikey looked back out to the horizon. Even from the highest humanly accessible point on the island, he could still see nothing beyond miles upon miles of water. It was as if the school still hadn't left Earth. "Are you sure we're in Ardent?"

"Positive, Mikey. This is Vazrana, the realm of water."

"Then shouldn't you have been able to get in touch with Mobius?" Mikey asked looking at the Light Monarch.

"He was the first I attempted to contact," was Kuraz's answer.

A green armored knight with a billowing cape descended from the heavens, landing near Kuraz before he calmly regarded him with a passive nod, "Kuraz. You've been looking well. Amusing indeed that we've not met in person this way for centuries."

"Raiza," Kuraz acknowledged, "it has indeed been a long time."

"Before I begin our exchange let me state now that I feel no longer shackled by the UnGod's will. Thusly, though it pains me to realize it, the one I work closely alongside insists I assist you. I have beckoned the winds to aid the Crusader's travels, discreetly so as to not draw suspicion for the moment. When they are ready for travel, the winds will get them quickly to their destination."

"I shall have them all notified." Kuraz looked down at Mikey, who immediately got the hint and went down to go fetch everyone with whom Rena had spoken.

o o o

Kuraz wasn't the only Duel Spirit to have acquired physical form. When Sammie returned to her room, she was overwhelmed to find her knight in black armor kneeling on the floor awaiting her return. "Milady, welcome back to your humble abode." Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning bowed graciously with both hands on the pommel of his sword.

"Thanks Black Luster Soldier, but you really don't have to do the whole kneeling thing," Sammie said to her monster.

"As you command, Milady," Black Luster Soldier, replied not budging from his position. Sammie sighed. As she went to get something from her dresser, she heard a knock at her window. Looking toward it she could see Noah right outside it and he seemed to be riding something. When she went over and opened the window, she saw the boy was sitting on none other than Light and Darkness Dragon.

"Sammie, this is great!" the British boy squealed, "Come along! Let's go for a ride!"

"Can't. Busy," was Sammie's response.

"Fine," Noah pouted before going off to find someone else to join him. He decided to go look for Cassie. When he found her, she was sitting with her parents. Winged Kuriboh was sitting in the girl's lap cooing as she stroked its soft fur. Meanwhile, Yubel stood behind Jaden in spirit form. Even though she, like the other spirits, had the ability to take physical form in Ardent, she had decided against it for the time being, believing her powers would serve her master better while she remained in spirit form.

"Mr. Yuki, is it okay if Cassie comes on for a ride with me?" asked Noah. Cassie looked up at the majestic dragon and was immediately excited.

"Can I please daddy?" she pleaded.

"Ask your mother," Jaden answered. Cassie turned to Alexis with puppy eyes.

"Just be careful, sweetie," she said. Cassie immediately jumped for joy and hugged her parents as Noah landed his dragon. After handing Winged Kuriboh off to her father, she climbed onto Light and Darkness Dragon's back and held on as the great beast took flight.

"They're lucky," Jaden commented.

"Howso?" Alexis inquired of her husband.

"When this happened to us last time, we didn't get to play with our monsters," the pro Duelist answered.

Elsewhere on the island, Nellie and Wes were sitting alone enjoying each other's company while Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys and Koa'ki Meiru Maximus kept watch. Not far away, Darklord Desire kept guard while Hayley and Max were being entertained by Dream Clown.

Indeed it seemed that a sizable number of students on the island had monster accompanying them wherever they went. Even Biff had a posse of three members of Goblin Attack Force walking around him. While nobody complained about the situation, they most certainly found it unusual. Even those who were not attuned to the spirit world still had monsters at their sides.

o o o

Milena and Mikomi were expecting when Issac opened the still serviceable doors to the Student Council Room to just find the same debris and Issac's sister Marsha sitting somewhere. The sight was unlike anything two two could have imagined. There were students huddled together, many laying on cots with used bandages covering discolored wounds, several keeping a view outside with binoculars. And Marsha herself consoling and checking with a few of the more beleaguered student body. Milena gave the room a quick scan before speaking, "Around fifty students. You have been busy."

Issac placed his hand under his chin, keeping himself out of any sort of range of the Russian woman, "Yes. Well, as you can see we are many survivors. However that's all we are, survivors. Marsha and I have been fighting off the few creatures and worse that creeped through those halls with a handful of others. However they...," Issac trailed off, lost in his thoughts as he breathed deeply, "...they were pulled into the darkness. We never saw them again. After that, Marsha and I made it a point to hide everyone away up here, where the monsters may have trouble getting to us. This office."

Mikomi looked outside, closing the door behind them, "We made it up with only a little effort though, what makes you think that they couldn't come in?"

Issac shook his head, "I admit it's not the best plan and that it wouldn't even slow the more agile ones. Believe me though, it would sure beat going outside with those things lurking out there. We had supplies and what we could gather from the building, they don't come out as much in the daytime. Those supplies ran out though, and we don't have any means of contacting the outside. There could be more...there has to be. Most of the things ran away, I believe. Something had to have caused that."

Milena looked down at Mikomi, laying a hand on her head, "I agree with you, others are here. They help fight off minions of the UnGod. People like Reka and her family, my companions, I agree with you. they fled, so they must be here. You even heard the call earlier da? Forces are falling back."

Marsha was looking out at the afternoon calm, towards the ocean, "Could be a trap. They may just want to draw us out. If I could get the announcement system working again, we could let others know we're still here! Everyone is still paralyzed with fright here to go out, and Issac and myself went then who would defend the wounded?"

Milena saw the battered and mangled machine on the desk, hooked to a generator with several speakers facing the windows. The machine looked like scrap, though if anything he knew someone in the room who may be able to at least get it working again, "Mikomi. You fix junk, da?"

Mikomi looked up at Milena, then at the machine on the table, "I can Milena. I'm nowhere near as good as Reka with machinery but...I can if I have some time."

"Good. I will be messenger for you. I will find other people, bring them with supplies to aid you Issac and Marsha. Mikomi, you fix speaker system, get them means to announce themselves to the outside," Milena turned on her heel out the door, Mikomi walking towards the machine and expertly pooping off the back panel. Issac followed the woman out into the hallway, "Wait Milena, it could still be incredibly dangerous out there!"

Milena held up one of her better fists, clutching a deck of cards, "Do not worry child, Milena is GREAT target. They always hate me to no end, they'll be drawn to me like bleeding animal in ocean of sharks," looking around the torn up building she tapped on an exposed pipe a few times before breaking it of its socket and making her way into the shade of the ruins. Issac locked the door after her with a loud click, turning toward Mikomi who was fast at work trying to get the announcement system up and running again.

o o o

_Reko..._

_Reko..._

"Nnnnf...hnnnng...," this was other groaning noises was all a sleeping lump named Reko Telaris could make, swaddled in large fluffy comforters in his room. His opened soft sapphire eyes to see his sister looking back at him, giving a sharp whistle, "Man, do YOU look like hell."

"How long have I been out? Kage blasted me something harsh."

Zetsubou knocked on the open door, walking inside, "Yes. Well, my former employer isn't known for subtlety, you're lucky he tore out Mika's eye and left you alive more or less. Safe to say, it's been a few hours."

"Felt like he stole all the fire from my body...so... Wait. Mika!", Reko stood up but clutched his chest in pain, "Freakin' jiminy...what'd that bastard doooo... God, I'm achey. Feel like I've been up a year straight."

The assassin nodded, "Yes, well. He's terrifying, I'll give you that. Amadis is currently our resident doctor, actually has decent medical training, not so much the field doctor you can be at times."

"Just...read...army guides..."

"Yes well, resourceful and ever the jack of all trades you are I'd say Kage must've drained the energy out of you then intended to throw your corpse towards your mother. Obviously you got more energy than he accounted for, it should come back in awhile longer. Your sister here though is worried sick about you."

Reko gave a weak smile, "Oh...yeah. What about you Zets? You care too?"

He coughed, "Not too gravely, though from all you've weathered. Nicky and the like, you managing to redeem not only your father with that pendant but also the Monarch of Storms? You're definatly a destined member of your family, same with your sister. You'll have sagas matching your father at this rate."

Reka looked outside towards the open roads, "Speaking of, Reign came back, but he left with Seto not too long ago."

"Makes sense, you guys have a lot of history with the Kaibas. Astonishing really, not how grave a headache it is to discuss such things like your family's origin," Zetsubou tugged on the tight black material he was wearing, giving a sigh and adjusting his glasses before steeping back out of the bedroom, "Right well. I'll be off. Mika's fine, resting right now. Amadis had some powerful medication in her bags."

"No care package for my brother Zetsubou?", Reka joked. He chuckled lightly, patting the doorframe.

"He's warming up."

"I'm sure it's just temporary. Katasuo talked him out of tearing up the island looking for Mikomi, guy's fairly amazing if he can talk the...uh...assassin out of something. He's damn loyal to her."

"She's all he's got. I'd be too. Now why'd you kick me awake?", Reko laid back down and pulled his covers over his head to dodge the sunbeam coming from his window, "Frack I can't even move, much less talk much longer..."

"Rest'll do you good. Reign said he left something in here for me, my cards. Been so long since I used them."

Reko groggily sat up, "Wait...how'd you survive in Ardent this long?"

"I led, ordered. This helps too," Reka move her coat to one side revealing an archaic pistol, "Don't let it fool you. That sucker packs a wallop. Also I had a few extra cards jangling around my deck box, but it doesn't beat the genuine article I made."

"I thought Reign swiped it...did he..."

"A-ha! There it is," Reka grabbed a stack of cards of his dresser and thumbed through them, "Oh...mommy missed you little darlings... Wait...oh! I didn't even SEE that combo there. Oh dad, you're always looking out for us. Well I have what I came for brother. You sleep."

Reko was dumbfounded, quickly losing conscienceness. His father actually returned what he stole? Reka put her deck in it's metal box at her hip, and kissed Reko on the forehad as he slept, "Rest all you can now Reko...it's going to be hell once we cast off for the mainland," walking back downstairs she saw her Genex Controller whirring happily with Amadis sitting politely at a tiny table, sipping from a nice tea set. She looked up at Reka on the stairs with the same serene smile she always had.

"The people here have stepped out, but won't you share some tea with me?"

Reka noticed that they were the only two downstairs, and poured herself a tiny cup as well, "You seem to be doing a lot better."

Amadis' other hand kept rubbing the glass beards of her rosary, the golden cross glinting in the sunshafts, "I'm...doing better. I'm not scared anymore some might think. As strange as it sounds after Kage left and I was working on Mika's bleeding and stabilizing I felt good. I helped somebody again. I've been feeling rather...helpless without my agents here."

Reka sipped her glass,"I can't believe what happened either Amadis, but you gotta remember that it happens for a reason. Consequence, right?"

Amadis nodded, setting her glass aside, "Do not be deceived for God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life," her warm smile returned, "My teachers taught me that, back in Le Mans. You get your deck back?"

Reka nodded, holding up her deck box, "All here. Reign pepped it up, like I thought he would."

"May He bless your family forever more dear. I feel..."

"Not powerless?"

"No, tested. Ever since my own creatures betrayed me like that back in Heiratine deep down I knew I was being tested."

Reka balked a laugh, "Be lucky. Most people just have to get a new car or work a few more hours at a job. You have to dodge light rays and who knows what. If he's testing, there's a great reward for ya."

Amadis put her hands to her chest, "I pray so. I feel that there's still many obstacles to overcome. Many we had unwittingly caused."

"Anything in the Good Book about that?", they both walked outside, to see the students conversing and enjoying the peaceful afternoon calm.

Amadis pointed towards the people in the fields, her short mint colored hair dancing in the warm tropical wind, "Yes as a matter of fact. A favorite of mine from Peter. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. I rejoice in the fact these students are well and to our eventual victories, patient in our quest to lock those that we unleashed, and I pray each dawn and night that we will survive and overcome, somehow."

"Somehow?"

Amadis nodded, in which case Reka frowned soon afterward, "What do you mean somehow? You think we won't?"

Well...I'm sure we'll be alright," he held up her rosary, "Faith, after all."

"Right. Faith. Well, faith is decent. I'm going to rely on my pals and my folks."

The small student looked up and met Reka's eyes, "Of course. Speaking of our friends, Lets find Katasuo."

o o o

It took some time, but Mikey was finally able to gather everybody with him Rena had selected. He, Sammie, Max, Coltyn, Gabe, Saito, Hayley, Wes, Nellie, Reko, Zetsubou, Mikomi, and even the Duel Mercenaries had all gathered together on the roof of the school. Raiza sized them all up, making sure they were all fit for travel.

"Is that all of them?" the Storm Monarch asked.

"I'm coming too." Everybody turned as Jaden appeared, "I've had experience with alternate dimensions. You'll need my help."

"That is fair," Kuraz said.

"I'm coming with you, daddy!" Cassie quipped as she appeared behind her father.

"No Cassie, you should stay here," Jaden said to his daughter.

"I wanna come too!"

"Cassie, it's not safe out there."

"All the more reason for me to come with you, daddy. Mommy told me what happened to you last time." Jaden cringed. He remembered those memories all too well.

"Now hold on," Rena said as she stepped out from the staircase, "You're not going just yet. Not until I've added one more."

"Who?" Mikey asked curiously. Noah stepped forward.

"Why him?" Nellie asked.

"This boy was a sacrifice for one of the UnGod's rituals," Rena explained, "and he survived. I feel that perhaps the Rose Destiny may have protected him."

"But he's just a kid," Mikey pointed out.

"And I can handle myself a hell of a lot better than you can," Noah responded before taking a bite out of his chocolate bar.

"Ouch, bro," Gabe commented.

"Fine, he can come with us," Mikey finally said.

"See daddy? Noah can go. Why can't I?" Cassie pleaded again.

Well, I guess it's okay. Just as long as you don't leave my side, Okay, kiddo?" Jaden responded.

"Thanks, daddy!" Cassie hugged her father.

"Are we ready to proceed?" asked Raiza.

"They are," Kuraz answered.

"Then let us begin." Raiza summoned up a powerful gale and the entire group was swept up and flown away. Everybody was either amazed or terrified by this new experience.

o o o

Tall mountains covered much of the region as the group flew over their craggy peaks. Mikey could see low plains in the valleys between each mountain range and windy forests covering vast expanses of the landscape. "Where are we?" he asked.

"This is Paslie," Raiza explained, "The realm of Wind. This is my kingdom. Or it was until the UnGod's influence spread throughout all of Ardent."

"What do you mean 'was'?" Sammie asked, "Isn't the throne of this realm yours?"

"It used to be, as did the thrones of the other five realms to the other Monarchs," Raiza answered.

"However, when the UnGod's dark influence spread throughout the world, we were forced to abandon our kingdoms. Now each of them is ruled by one of the Six Regent Lords of the UnGod."

"The Six Regent Lords?" Max repeated.

"Six of the UnGod's most loyal followers," Kuraz explained, "They came to our realms leading vast armies and swiftly overwhelmed us. We had to escape without remaining forces and the Regent Lords usurped our thrones. We don't know their names as they have never revealed themselves. They are only referred to by their titles. The Black King, the Infernal Nightmare, the Sky Lord, the Beast, the Titan of Light, and the Heartless Emperor."

"So these blokes took over once the UnGod's power had been unsealed?" Noah inquired as he ate a handful of Skittles.

"In summary, yes," Raiza answered, "We're here." The cyclone brought the group down and set them on a narrow cliff ledge.

"Why'd we land here?" Mikey yelled over the winds.

"This is where our base is," Raiza answered as his cape flapped wildly. He moved up the ledge and bagged on the cliff wall. A few minutes passed before the rock slide to the side, revealing a hidden door. "Everyone in." Everybody obeyed and hurried inside. As the door closed behind them, they descended a flight of stairs and proceeded down a long hallway into a round room inside the mountain.

"I return!" Raiza announced.

"Lord Raiza, welcome back!" The one who had greeted him was a fair woman with green hair wearing a brown coat and holding a silver staff.

"Where are the others Wynnda?" the Storm Monarch asked.

"In the council chamber," Wynnda replied. She then noticed the others. "And these are?"

"They have come to aid us in the fight against the UnGod. They are here to restore the seals."

"But they're all only humans," Wynnda pointed out, "What can they possibly... Wait... Lord Kuraz? Is that really you?" Kuraz nodded.

"I have returned to Ardent."

"It IS you, Lord Kuraz! Oh, your men will be so pleased to hear of your return! Quick! To the council chamber!" Wynnda quickly led the way and everybody followed. After going through a series of tunnels, they emerged into a very elaborate room. Six thrones stood proud and tall around its perimeter: a green throne with designs of wind and aviary fauna carved into it, a red throne with images of fire emblazoned upon its surface, a brown throne made of solid stone, a blue throne with carved with aquatic imagies and upholstered with a fine blue silk that shimmered like water, a golden throne adorned with a carving of the sun, and a black throne with images of demons carved into its surface. Three of the six were already occupied. Sitting upon the blue throne was none other than Mobius the Frost Monarch. The red throne was occupied by Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch. And despite his enormous arms, Granmarg the Rock Monarch was seated upon the brown throne of stone.

"Fellow Monarchs, our brother has returned from the human world!" announced Raiza. He took a step to the side and allowed Kuraz to step through.

"Kuraz, you live!" Thestalos exclaimed.

"What news have you from the outside?" Mobius demanded.

"All will be told in due time," Kuraz assured them.

"Lord Kuraz, please take up your throne," Wynnda said. Kuraz complied and took his seat upon the golden throne while Raiza sat down on the green one. Once seated, the Light Monarch looked around and noticed the empty black throne. He also noticed a seat next to his own with images of the storm carved into it. His concerns were immediately voiced.

"Where is the rest of our company?" he demanded, "What of Zaborg and Caius?"

"Zaborg was captured," Granmarg answered, "and Caius remained behind to fight off the invaders. We're all that's left."

"And what of our forces?"

"Mine are here keeping watch over us and over him," Raiza said looking over at Reko.

"Mine were all captured," Thestalos answered.

"I was able to make my escape with the aid of some of my most loyal servants," Mobius replied, thinking back to the terrible incident.

"I was only able to escape with two men," Granmarg admitted, "The rest stayed behind to cover our exit."

"Any news from my royal guards?" Kuraz inquired.

"We've had no success in contacting them," Wynnda admitted sadly.

"That does not mean we have not stopped trying," a man's voice said. All heads turned as a blond man in green armor walked in. A blue cape lined with red linen hung from his shoulders. He wore two swords on his hips, one standard combat blade and one two-handed bastard sword.

"Ah, Sir Siegfried." Wynnda curtseyed as he entered.

"In your absence brother, we have recruited the aid of the group known as the Allied Forces," Raiza explained to Kuraz. "This is their leader, Sir Siegfried. Also known by his title, the Marauding Captain."

"It is an honor to meet you at long last, Lord Kuraz," Sir Siegfried said as he knelt before the Light Monarch. "We've thus far had no luck in pushing back the UnGod's forces. However, with return of the legendary Emperor of Light, we may now have a chance."

"I bring more than just myself," Kuraz announced, "I bring those who have been chosen by the Destiny of the Rose." There was murmuring within the chamber as the other Monarchs discussed among themselves about those chosen by the Rose Destiny.

"Let us see these individuals," Mobius declared. One by one, Mikey and the others made their way into the center of the room and stood before the Monarchs. The five emperors seated in the room were giants compared to the rest of them. Though Mikey had spent years with Kuraz, he was genuinely intimidated by the presence of the great kings.

"I see no one here whom I believe could free Ardent of the UnGod's influence!" Mobius scoffed, "They even bring a small child with them. What good is a child against the forces of the UnGod?" Noah frowned knowing exactly who the Frost Monarch was speaking of. "Really Kuraz, you place the fate of our world in the hands of children?"

"Do not be so quick to jump to conclusions, Mobius. These children have done many great feats, far beyond what you can imagine," Kuraz replied.

Granmarg stared at the group for a long time before voicing his thoughts. "They may seem weak physically, but their spirit is as hard as stone. I think they will do admirably in our fight."

"Thestalos, what of you?" Raiza asked, "You've been quiet since these humans stepped up."

"I will agree with Mobius that trusting our main battle force with them is inadvisable," the Firestorm Monarch answered, "However, I have seen from observing Miss Reka that humans have continually proven themselves to be capable of more than we had originally surmised."

"I assure you that Lady Samantha shall exceed your expectations!" Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning declared.

"Then it is settled," Raiza announced, "We shall have the humans aid us in battle! Sir Siegfried, see to it that the less experienced ones receive proper training."

"It will be done at once, Lord Raiza," Sir Siegfried answered as he bowed.

o o o

"Have you ever held a blade in your life?" a redheaded woman in green armor asked. She was Kanan the Swordmistress and she was one of the many warriors chosen to aid the group in training.

"I'm on my school's fencing team," Gabe answered.

"Oh, so you DO have experience!" she noted. Gabe just shrugged as he looked over the assortment of swords that were available in in the armory. He recognized a good number of them from the cards he and his classmates had played with. The Fusion Sword Murasame Blade, the Legendary Blade, the Lightning Blade, even the Twin Swords of Flashing Light. When he inquired about them, he was met with great disappointment to learn that they were only replicas.

"Take as much time as you need," Kanan said, "I wouldn't want you to end up with a weapon you were not comfortable with."

o o o

Noah was bumming around in the empty council chamber reading the files he had borrowed from the archives on Ardent. He was hoping that he could learn some useful information by studying its history, geography, and anything else the books had to offer. With one arm holding his book and his other hand feeding him gummy bears from the pack in his pocket, he failed to notice the shape near Granmarg's throne until he had tripped over it and fallen onto his face.

"Watch where you're going!" the thing shouted. Noah picked himself up and looked over at what he had just tripped over.

"Gio?"

"Yeah, I'm Gio." The young rock enthusiast finished rubbing his sore spot and then turned over to the other boy. "Noah?"

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" the white-haired boy asked.

"I could ask the same outta you!" Gio shot back.

"I got picked to come here," was Noah's answer, "What's your excuse?"

"I just followed people. Next thing I know I'm flying and then I'm here."

"So you stowed away."

"What's that mean?"

"...seriously? You're utterly hopeless, Gio."

o o o

The temple ruins at the top of the mountain were deemed the only safe place outside of the hidden base. It was a circular area surrounded by pillars. They may have once supported a roof, but it had disappeared untold years ago. A large throne in the center was the only object occupying the ruins. Saito and Sammie were standing there to get some fresh air while also to discuss a few things about the current situation.

"I honestly didn't believe them when I first saw them. It just seemed utterly ridiculous that cards could have spirits inside them," Saito admitted, "Then after remembering what my mother told me about my father's experiences, it didn't seem too far fetched."

"I remember when I first met a Duel Spirit," Sammie said as she looked down at one of the valleys below. "I think I was seven when I first saw it. It wasn't much at first, but I could just make out something small and round. Looking back at it now, I think it was a Monster Egg. Since then, I've always been able to see spirits."

"I suppose that must be what drew us together in the first place," Saito commented.

"Yeah..." Sammie trailed off as she continued to look out, "You know, I've never said this to anybody. But I've actually felt mad at Mikey."

"Isn't he your childhood friend?" Saito asked, "Why?"

"He's had a Duel Spirit for so long, but he never believed in it for so long. He only just started to realize the truth this year."

"The concept of spirits can be a difficult one to grasp," Saito answered, "People usually don't respond well to things they don't understand. In Mikey's case, it was denial."

"It still makes me mad that he didn't believe in it for so long. It took him two fucking years to figure it out!"

"He's still your oldest friend. You should at least forgive him for it."

Sammie paused for a while and then sighed. "I guess." As they continued to watch the valley, Sammie heard a flutter of wings followed by a shrill cry. She and Saito turned around and saw a woman with long pink hair perched on one of the pillars. She wore a skintight leotard and her skin seemed pale. It took Sammie only a short moment to notice that the woman had talons in place of her hands and feet and her arms were actually wings.

A harpie.

Before Sammie or Saito could do anything else, however,the ruins were suddenly swarming with harpies. "Humans!" the first one shrieked.

"Capture them!" another one cried, "The Sky Lord's orders were to capture all humans and bring them before him!" They needed no other motivation. No sooner had the order been given, the harpies all launched their attack. No sooner had they begun their offensive, Raiza stepped outside and intercepted them with a sweep of his weapon.

"Back!" he told Saito and Sammie.

"The Storm Monarch!" the harpies exclaimed. "The Sky Lord will want him for sure! Get him!" As more harpies flocked down, Raiza took his staff and slammed the end against the floor. A powerful tornado ripped up around him and blew away more of the flying screechers.

"Go!" he yelled at Sammie and Saito again.

"We're staying!" Sammie yelled back. "It's obvious you're a bigger prize to them than we are, so we're sticking by you."

"They'll take all of us if you don't go, so move!"

"There you are!" a harpie screeched. Sammie looked up to see her coming down toward her with her talons outstretched.

"Sammie, watch out!" Saito warned. Just before the Winged Beast could make contact, her body was cut in two at the torso. Sammie looked up and saw Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning standing over her.

"Are you injured, Milady?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Then permit me to strike down these winged harlots."

"Go hard." That was all he needed. Two more harpies flew in and Black Luster Soldier swung his blade and cut them apart. He quickly turned around afterward and fired a black beam of energy from his weapon at another one. The moment it made contact, the harpie was swallowed up into another dimension.

"Hold!" All the harpies suddenly ceased their attack and withdrew to a further distance. Raiza had his staff ready and Black Luster Soldier kept his hand tight around the hilt of his sword as three harpies approached them. They were different from the others. They all wore Cyber Shields and sported different hairstyles. The one in the middle appearing to be leading the other two had long pink waist-length hair. The one to her right sported orange medium-length hair. The last one on her left had her hair spiked up and colored blue.

"Those are the Harpie Lady Sisters," Sammie pointed out.

"Raiza. The Emperor of Wind. The Storm Monarch. You have no idea how long we've searched for you," the pink-haired one said.

"Long enough to know that your leader wants me," Raiza responded.

"Oh, quite true." She then noticed Sammie and Saito. "Ah, so it's true. Humans have come to our world. Let's introduce ourselves, girls. I'm Airo."

"I'm Ocupete," the orange-haired one said.

"And I'm Keraino," the blue-haired harpie introduced.

"I don't care," was Saito's response.

"Now that's just rude," Ocupete said waggling her talon.

"What do you say, girls? Should we teach this bad boy a lesson?" asked Keraino.

"I think that's a fine idea!" Airo cackled as she brought out a whip and stretched it in her claws.

"I wouldn't advise that," Saito warned.

The Harpie Lady Sisters laughed. "And what makes you say that?" asked Airo. Then she got serious. "Okay girls, let's hit Raiza first!" She and her sisters flew back and took up a triangular formation. Each one of them generated a ball of energy in their talons and thin beams of light shot from each of them connecting the three spheres together. Sparks flew as a red energy ball formed in the center and a large X appeared in front of it.

"Triangle Ecstasy Spark!" A red beam was fired from the center of triangle aimed directly for Raiza.

"I can't block it!" shouted the Storm Monarch.

"I can't reach him in time!" Black Luster Soldier cried.

"Leave him to me!" Saito stepped in front of the attack and the beam struck hard, creating a large cloud of dust.

"That foolish fool," Keraino muttered.

"But that's one human out of the way," Ocupete pointed out.

"Wait, I see something," Airo said.

As the smoke cleared, the Harpie Lady Sisters could see Saito standing completely unscathed and completely unflinched.

"How did you survive that?" the three of them demanded.

"Easily," answered Saito. He snapped his fingers and suddenly a white dragon claw came up from behind the mountain and rested on the floor as the head of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon rose up and roared. The massive dragon crawled up onto the pillars and unleashed a powerful Burst Stream of Destruction that wiped out half of the harpies.

"Retreat!" screamed Airo.

"Retreat!" Her sisters repeated the orders over and over as the harpies quickly fled the scene.

"They will return," Raiza pointed out.

"And we'll be ready for 'em," Sammie replied.

"But for now, we must return to the council chamber," Raiza said as he went back inside.

o o o

Everyone had gathered in the council chamber once again waiting to hear about the decisions for the plan.

"Fifteen of the Sixteen Seals are spread all across Ardent," Thestalos pointed out, "and the sixteenth is somewhere in your school."

"Correct," Saito confirmed.

"With such a large number of us, it would be unwise for us to go to all the seals as one big group," Sako noted as he looked at the map that had been magically projected into the center of the chamber, "We would be easily detected and it would greatly increase our time here."

"But dividing our forces is dangerous," Victoria pointed out, "We have no idea what enemy we face or how powerful their forces are."

"True, but if we have very little choice," Jaeger interjected, "If the enemy is moving fast, we must move faster."

"That means six teams, one for each realm," Reko thought out loud, "The question now is who goes into which teams."

"You're also going to need guides to help you find your way around," Reka pointed out, "Since I've spent a lot of time here in Paslie, I can be the guide here."

"In that case, I'll stay in Paslie," Reko volunteered.

"I'll stay too," Saito added, "There are a few more things I need to look into in this region."

"Naturally, I'll take the fire realm," Charlie volunteered, "Orstrem, right?"

"I'll come with you," Coltyn offered.

"Me too," Nellie added, "The three of us got Fire decks, so we should fit in nicely."

"Then all you need is a guide," Thestalos said. "I'd offer to myself, but as things stand, we need all our Monarchs in one place."

"I'll go," Jaden said.

"Jaden?" Everyone else looked at him.

"I can't explain it, but it's like something there is calling out to me."

Cassie tugged on her father's sleeve. "Daddy, what about me? Am I coming with you?"

"I'd honestly rather you didn't, sweetie. It's going to be dangerous."

"Yeah, and look at who stowed away despite all that danger," Noah said jabbing his thumb at Gio who was sitting on the floor behind him.

Jaden sighed. "There's really no talking you out of this, is there?"

"Nope!"

"Fine. Then stay close to me all the time. Okay, sweetie?"

"Okay, daddy!"

"My mom could probably lead the team through Aeagnaap," Reko said looking at the map, "There's an area here called the Naturia Forest. My mother is in tune with nature, so she can help out."

"Son, you should take this one," Sako said patting Wes on the shoulder. Wes said nothing, but nodded in acknowledgement.

"If Wes is going, then I'll go and keep an eye on him for Nelly-nell!" Hayley said excitedly.

"And if Hayley's going, no question about me!" Max's flamboyant tone filled the air.

"I should send along one of my men just in case. The Regent Lord of Aeagnaap is said to be a tough opponent," said Sir Siegfried, "Bethany, would you be able to assist them?" The woman called Bethany stepped forward. She wore green traveling clothes, a long brown cape, and a brown wide brimmed hat.

"I shall do as you command, captain," she said.

"We still need to send some guys back to defend our school back in the water realm," Mikey pointed out.

"I'll take care of it," Victoria volunteered.

"Can you handle it by yourself?" asked Mobius.

"Don't worry about me," Victoria assured him, "I've got my crew."

"I suggest checking on Umi when you get back," Reko requested.

"Can do," was Victoria's answer.

"One of my men is already scouring Vazrana at this very moment," said Sir Siegfried, "Try to get in contact with him when you can."

"Milena should go with you," said Reka.

"Kuraz, you keep staring at the light realm," Mikey noticed, "Are you going to try to get it back?"

"No question, Mikey. I must return to my home. To my people."

"I'm coming with you then."

"You're not leaving me behind, bro," Gabe added.

"Jaeger, go with them," Charlie ordered.

"What? Why?" asked the Duel Ace.

"You need to watch them and because I said so," was the Duel Guerilla's answer.

"Very well," Jaeger said before he muttered quietly to himself, "I've become a goddamn babysitter."

"Gilford shall be waiting for you when you arrive," Sir Siegfried said.

Meanwhile, Amadis was also looking at the map of Heiratine. Mikomi saw this and placed her hand on her shoulder. "You should go."

"You really think so?" Amadis asked. Mikomi nodded. Then she turned back to the map. "I guess I'll be the guide for the last zone. Karheim, the realm of darkness."

Without a moment's hesitation, Zetsubou came forward. "I'm not letting you go out there alone."

"We're coming too," Sammie and Noah said simultaneously.

"I'll send you then with Getsu Fuhma," Sir Siegfried assigned, "You'll run into many Fiends in Karheim, so you'll need her special sword."

"We get it," Sammie replied.

"That appears to be everyone," Raiza noted.

"Let's hope this will be enough," prayed Thestalos.

"I'm not confident in leaving our world's fate in their hands, but I suppose we haven't any other choice," Mobius muttered.

"Please, save Ardent," Granmarg begged.

"We'll have it under control," Mikey assured the Monarchs.

"And so they depart," Raiza noted as the majority of the group took off to the different realms. "Let us hope it is enough."

* * *

**Next Week on**_** Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

Paslie is a kingdom of violent winds and strong air currents. The Sky Lord is determined to capture Raiza for his own gain, but a trip to the Mist Valley may prove beneficial to Saito and Reko. Watch as the exploration of Ardent begins next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	137. The Queen of the Harpies

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-50**

**The Queen of the Harpies**

The groups bound for Aeagnaap, Vazrana, Orstrem, and Karheim had already left. However, the team that was to explore Heiratine had yet to depart. While Mikey, Gabe, and Jaeger could easily ride the winds back to the school, the problem was how they were going to get to the realm of Light itself. The Duel Ace's jet was their only means of transportation. However unfortunately for the team, it could only seat one person.

"Kuraz, don't you have some kind of way to get to your own kingdom?" Mikey asked his Duel Spirit. The Light Monarch crossed his arms over his chest.

"If it were that easy, then the other Monarchs would have been able to return to their realms and reclaim them," Kuraz explained, "No. Like yourselves, I too must rely on some mode of transportation."

"But Raiza..."

"Raiza controls the wind. I control the light. And light is incapable of carrying physical matter over distances."

"Okay okay, I get it."

While Mikey, Gabe, and Jaeger tried to sort out how they were going to get to the realm of light, inside the hidden base Reka, Reko, Saito, and Raiza were standing over a map of Paslie. The Monarch's palace had been circled with red ink. Duel Monsters cards were being used to represent their units.

"Okay, so where do the Harpies come from?" Saito asked.

"They live in the mountains just beyond the Mist Valley," Raiza said pointing to the map. Reko placed a Harpie Lady card on the map where the Storm Monarch had pointed. "However, they've been encroaching on the entire realm ever since the Sky Lord took control. Now if they're not at the palace, they tend to stay in the mountain ranges."

"I see." Saito looked around. "So if we want to sneak past them, we'll need to rely on the valleys. The Mist Valley is the largest one. That's probably our best bet."

"Unfortunately, the Harpies know this too so they've always got an eye on the Mist Valley," said Reka.

"Do we have any routes that could take us directly to the palace?"

"There's always the Dragon Ravine," Raiza answered, "However, those Dragunity types are very territorial."

"Leave them to me," Saito said before returning his attention to the map, "What about this large forest in one of the valleys?"

"That is where the hidden village of the Ninjas is located," answered Reka, "They also serve the Sky Lord."

"The Ninjas were once warriors who kept to themselves. But ever since the Sky Lord came, they have been fighting on his behalf," Raiza explained.

"Ninjas don't just up and side with the big guy," Reko pointed out.

"They must be fighting for him out of fear," Saito guessed, "Clearly, he has some way of keeping them under control. If we can get their support, our chances of success will increase."

"But they're Ninjas. They can't fly like the Winged Beasts can."

"Then there's also entry into the palace." Raiza looked unhappy as he spoke now. "The Sky Lord has surrounded it with Armed Dragons. Each one of them is positioned to fire Genocide Cutters at anyone who draws near."

"If we're sticking with the valleys, are we going to be doing any flying at all?" Reko inquired.

"Highly unlikely," was Saito's answer, "However, the castle stands on the highest mountain in this realm. Getting up there is going to be tough. We may have no choice but to fly at some point."

"Getting in undetected is going to be hard," Reka agreed, "The Sky Lord is no fool. He knows a diversionary tactic when he sees one."

"Speaking of the Sky Lord, has anyone ever actually seen him?" Reko asked.

"No, actually," replied Reka.

"The Sky Lord remains in the palace at all times. He takes care of all of his business through his majordomo," Raiza explained.

"And who is this majordomo?" Saito inquired.

o o o

The Harpies' home area was swarming with the winged females. Many of them were grooming their feathers or flying around aimlessly. However, they all seemed to part when a bird man with blood red wings flew past wearing silver armor. Ahead was a castle that sat on a tall mountain. Inside it in the throne room, the Harpie Lady Sisters knelt before the throne surrounded by two Cyber Harpie bodyguards. Seated was a green-haired Harpie with dazzling white wings sat gently stroking the head of a pink baby dragon. On a smaller throne beside her was a young Harpie girl with pink wings and blonde hair. She was nuzzling the baby dragon.

"And that's what happened, my Lady," Airo finished.

"You were attacked by a Blue-Eyes White Dragon," the Harpie Queen said disbelievingly.

"Yes, my Lady," Ocupete said not once raising her head.

"Fools, you were attacking human children!" Harpie Queen slammed her talon down on her armrest. "How could they possibly summon a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the realm of Light?"

"Ah, but you see, my Lady, they were what I believe that former Emperor called 'duelists'," said Keraino.

"Duelists? There's no such thing! Especially not in Ardent," Harpie Queen screeched.

"Actually, your _Majesty_, that is not the case." All heads turned as the bird man in silver armor flew in. The Harpie Lady Sisters quickly got out of the way to make room for him to land in front of the Harpie Queen.

"The voice of the Sky Lord," Harpie Queen acknowledged, "Alector. To what do we owe the honor of your visit?" She sounded displeased. Though she was loyal to the Sky Lord, she genuinely disliked the bird standing before her now.

"The Sky Lord has heard of your Harpies' failure earlier today," Alector said, "He is not pleased."

"He is never pleased until we succeed in bringing him Raiza," Harpie Queen pointed out.

"Well he thinks that you need orders to inspire your incentive," Alector responded before proceeding. "You are your Harpies are required to capture or slay the humans in Paslie. If you choose to kill them, you will need proof of your deed."

"Worry about yourself for a change instead of the affairs of me and my Harpies."

"You have your orders," Alector said ignoring Harpie Queen's words, "Now obey them." And with that, he spread his wings and flew off.

"The arrogance of that man," Airo muttered.

"My Lady, what shall we do?" asked Keraino.

"Alector may be nothing more than a stork, but he's still the voice of the Sky Lord," answered Harpie Queen, "We do as we are told."

"Your orders then, my Lady?" asked Ocupete.

"I'll deal with these pests myself."

o o o

Nobody had expected Reign to show up. Upon his arrival, he immediately asked for Mikey. His wait was not long and the seventeen-year-old brunet soon approached him. "Reign, what are you doing here? And for that matter, how did you even get here?"

"Never mind how I got here," Reign answered," What's important is why I'm here. Mikey, there's something I want to give you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a single card which he handed over to the teen. Mikey took it curiously and examined it. The card was black with a star field in the back ground and the stars were on the left side of the card.

"Is this an Exceed monster?" Mikey inquired. Reign only nodded. "Why me?"

"As the UnGod's influence spreads, it distorts time and space," the Telaris man explained, "As a result, He was able to call forth these cards from the future. Since I no longer serve the UnGod, I am giving these cards out freely to those who need them. Mikey, I believe you are worthy to possess one."

Mikey looked at his card. "Tiras, Keeper of Genesis. Requires two level five monsters. This card's effects can only be applied/resolved while it has Overlay Units. This card cannot be destroyed by card effects. At the end of the Battle Phase, if this card attacked or was attacked: Target 1 card your opponent controls; destroy the target. During each of your End Phases: Detach 1 Xyz Material from this card."

"I understand you run a Skill Drain deck," Reign said.

"Yes, I do."

"This card seemed to work for your deck."

"I guess it does." Mikey looked at the card and added it to his Extra Deck. "Thanks."

"Where's your brother?" Reign inquired.

"He's still training. Kanan thinks he needs more preparation before we head out."

"Head out?"

"We split the group up into teams so we could cover all the realms of Ardent at once," explained Mikey.

"Then why haven't you guys moved out yet?"

"We still have no idea how we're going to get to our destination. Jaeger's plane can only carry one person."

"That is a problem," Reign noted, "Well, I should really get back to the school."

"How is the school doing right now?" Mikey was curious.

"We're setting up defenses all over the island," Reign responded, "We're setting up wards and monuments around the sixteenth seal. Once we activate those, I'll be standing guard around it until you all return with the rose cards and we know the seals have been restored."

"Hope you finish it soon because I doubt anyone's found and restored any of the other seals," Mikey said.

"We've tripled our efforts and still have a long way in setting what is essentially a trap, but we won't rest until you return."

"I really hope we can beat the UnGod, Reign," Mikey said wishfully.

Reign looked at him. "We will. We have to." And then he walked away, sabre in hand.

o o o

Back at the map of Paslie, Saito, Reko, Reka, and Raiza had moved onto discussing how they would locate the seals in the realm of wind. "Wherever they are, they must be heavily guarded," Saito thought out loud.

"Sis, you helped break these seals," Reko said to his sister, "You're sure you don't remember where they were?"

Reka shook her head. "I didn't exactly have a map so I can't tell you where they were. All I remember is that there were two in this realm."

"I guess that makes our job a little easy," commented Reko, rubbing his eyes, "Dang, wish you would've let me rest a while more. I still don't feel too up to snuff from Kage's...uh...thing.".

"I am certain the Ninjas will be able to aid us in locating the seals," said Raiza, "But once again, we must break the Sky Lord's hold on them."

"I can talk to them," Reka offered, "I'm fairly good with the olive branch. Also brother are you sure you're up for this? You still look trashed."

Reko chuckled, waving a hand, "No, no, I'm sure once we start off I'll be up to snuff. Only problem I have to see in the future is how are we going to protect ourselves out there? Last time I was here, I was a bird."

Saito rose an eyebrow, "You...were a bird."

Reko stuck his thumb back to Raiza, "Yeah, there was a time he was still serving tall dark and stretches through space time. We solved that to a point. Though, Raiza's free and working for us. I don't remember too much except..."

"Except the old Temple of Wind. Where I once held court, at the summit of the highest mountain above Mist Valley, overlooking all of Paslie."

Reko smirked, "We have a place the Ninjas can help lead us to without pulling any undue attention. However, my question stands. Saito, can you fight at all? I mean, without dueling?"

Saito rose an eyebrow to Reko's remark, "I hardly see why, I can summon a Blue Eyes and-"

"-when you did that, did you feel the wind get knocked out of you?", Reka interrupted. Saito looked over and though back, he did need to catch his breath considerably after that.

"Yes. I did actually. What are you saying?"

Raiza held up a gauntleted finger, "I believe I can explain more about the working of this world, Terrans. Some call it Duel Energy, others call it magical force, Terrans such as you can to a point summon Duel Monsters for a small while to aid you. Sometimes indefinitely, it's all relative to how much power you're willing to expend to will it into life. The longer it is out, the more it will fatigue you."

"So that thing whirring at Reka's feet is...?", Reko lightly nudged the Genex Controller at Reka's feet, which whirred and chirped in a way that almost imitated snoring, "...that's not going to be that much of a drain on her, because it's not too powerful?"

Reka chuckled, "Not exactly. This little guy is actually a guardian Duel Spirit. In Ardent, our guardian spirits take physical form such as Mikey's Kuraz or Sammie's Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning. But it can die too. If it does, then it's gone for good. Monsters you summon from your cards you won't be able to summon for quite some time if they die. I'd say a day or so. Also you feel as if a part of your spirit got bruised, because I'm guessing it did. It's a risky and powerful art. Stronger the thing, stronger the weight on your spirit Reko, Saito. I'm think carefully before using them."

Reko thumbed through his deck, spying Wynnda and various other Gusta cards, "I get what you're saying. What's there saying about folks from Ardent lending a hand?"

Raiza regarded Reko with a gentle pass of his arm, "I'm helping you, am I not? Others can help, and all can be quite powerful. As your legends say, one creature from the realm of spirits could outmatch the might of a dozen infantrymen."

Reko gulped, "Please tell me that's an exaggeration. I used to think it was cool when I was little? But...nowadays."

Raiza shrugged, a motion that seemed out of place for the rather capricious Monarch, "More or less it's true. You don't have fire breath and magical swords of lightning in your world."

Saito nodded, "It's understandable. So if using these cards outside of duels is a rare act, then how do we even stop them?"

Reka placed her handgun on the map, a flat expression on her face, "Like that. Everything can die if it takes enough damage of some kind. Katasuo had his katana that could slice up a cloud. Mikomi had a wide knowledge of anatomy and a dagger. Amadis was the oddest of us, monsters feared her touch, and she could just sometimes shatter them like glass with a touch."

Raiza nodded, "Spiritualism is a weapon here as well."

Saito looked towards Reko, "Well we'll have to arm ourselves then."

Reko grinned, "Hell, get me a bow and a spear. I'll Robin Hood my way through this and pigstick any who get too close. Heck, Rena probably trained you and Wes in a few weapons too, sure you're good with something."

Saito sighed, "This isn't a game."

Reko and Reka both looked at him, "It's not, but you have to smile every so often."

What startled him is they both looked nearly alike, and spoke at the same time.

The moment was short-lived as the mountain suddenly shook violently. "What was that?" Saito asked.

"We are under attack!" Sir Siegfried cried.

"Have they found us?" Mobius asked as he stepped in.

"It appears so," Raiza answered, "We must evacuate."

"But where to?" the Frost Monarch asked. At that moment, Mikey stepped in with Kuraz.

"Duel Academy," the Light Monarch suggested, "It may be in Vazrana, but it's an ideal place for a base of operations. Plus they've been fortifying their defenses since they arrived in Ardent. Trust me, I can think of no safer haven than that school."

"Then we'll proceed to evacuate to that location," said Sir Siegfried before going back to his preparations.

"In the meantime, we must delay the attackers." Saito moved a Harpie card closer to the base on the map. "We'll need a distraction, though."

o o o

Outside, the Harpies had completely surrounded the mountain. Accompanying them were Turbo Rockets that kept firing themselves into the mountainside and Cyber Falcons that continually shot lasers at the stones.

"Fire again!" ordered Keraino. As their troops resumed their fire, she, Ocupete and Airo took up formation and launched a Triangle Ecstasy Spark. Meanwhile, Harpie Queen watched as she hovered behind them.

"Press the attack," she commanded, "They must come out sooner or later."

As the Harpies encroached upon the mountain, the front line suddenly twitched and fell toward the rocks below. A fleet of space fighters flew across the skies gunning down as many Harpies as they could.

"My Lady, over there!" Airo screeched pointing. Harpie Queen looked in the direction the pink-haired sister was pointing and saw a male human standing in the ruins on the mountaintop.

"What are your orders, my Lady?" asked Ocupete.

"I'll deal with him personally. Stop the attack." As the gunfire died down, Harpie Queen flapped her wings and flew over to the mountain. She landed among the ruins and looked at the tall blond man.

"So it's true. More humans have come to this world." Harpie Queen walked around this newcomer, examining him from head to toe. "Your name."

"I am the Duel Ace, a soldier of the sky," Jaeger replied.

"A soldier of the sky, you say?" Harpie Queen smirked as she stepped in front of him. "Then prove your loyalty and bow to me." Jaeger said nothing as he stood tall and firm. "I said bow." Again, he stood. Harpie Queen was now beginning to become visibly frustrated. "If you shall not bow before your queen, then I shall force you to bow!" With a loud cry, she lashed out with her feet at his knees. However, Jaeger quickly sidestepped and kicked her legs away. Harpie Queen shrieked as she bared her talons and ran in slashing. Jaeger dodged the attacks with ease. As his opponent came with another strike with her claws on her left hand, he deflected her arm with his own and then grabbed it. He quickly twisted it around Harpie Queen's back and kicked her down until she was facedown on the ground. He pulled out his gun and aimed it at the back of her head.

"Do not presume I will not strike a woman," he said coldly. Harpie Queen struggled, but she could not free herself. The Harpie Lady Sisters soon arrived to aid their queen out of worry. When they saw what the Duel Ace had done, they were furious. As they flew in to attack, Jaeger pointed his gun and shot them in the wings. They screeched as they fell writhing in pain.

"How dare you!" Harpie Queen shrieked.

"I dare because this is war, and in war we do what we must to survive," Jaeger answered. Harpie Queen shrieked and five of the feathers on her left wing suddenly stiffened. Though she could not move her arm that well, she was able to swing them at him. Jaeger saw this and quickly released his hold, jumping back several feet. Harpie Queen stood up and held her left wing in front of her. The was she did so caused the Duel Ace to examine her hardened feathers carefully. They seemed to be glowing and then he noticed a strange nest-like object attached to her forearm. Then it made sense. He grinned.

Without saying a word, Jaeger pulled out his Duel Disk and strapped it on. Then he took his deck and loaded it in. Harpie Queen saw this and scoffed. "You wish to duel me?" she demanded.

"Simple as that," Jaeger replied.

"My Lady, you're not going to fall for this human's tricks, are you?" asked Ocupete. Harpie Queen said nothing but laughed.

"How amusing. Alright then. I will indulge your request. We shall duel." She held out her right talon and a powerful wind blew in focused on her hand. Cards flew in from all over and formed a deck in between her claws. She set it inside the nest in her arm. "There. Let us begin."

"Care to initiate another challenge?" Jaeger said smirking.

"What sort of challenge?" Harpie Queen asked suspiciously.

Jaeger said nothing as he walked closer to his opponent and past her. Curiously she followed him until he stopped at the edge of the ruins. "What are you planning?" demanded Harpie Queen.

Jaeger just turned around and looked at her. "An extra challenge." And with that, he let himself fall off the ledge.

"That fool!" screeched Airo, "He asked you for a duel and now he falls from the mountain. What a..." Her sentence was cut short as Harpie Queen screeched while being pulled down over the ledge by a line attached to Jaeger's belt which the Duel Ace had attached to her earlier when he was walking past her.

"Fool! We're freefalling toward the ground!" shrieked Harpie Queen. "We'll be dashed against the rocks into pieces!"

"Ha. I knew it," Jaeger said with a big smirk. "You're incapable of flight when you're in duel mode. If you were, you would have attempted to fly away by now. But instead you are falling just as I am. You cannot leave until one of us wins this duel now." Jaeger's Duel Disk was now activated. "Let's duel!"

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 8000

**Harpie Queen:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

Jaeger drew his card. "I summon Jade Knight!" A white and green space fighter appeared beside him and a green energy shield was projected around it (ATK/1000 DEF/1800). "With its effect, all face-up Machine-type monsters I control with twelve hundred or less attack points cannot be destroyed by Trap Cards. I will end with two facedowns." Two cards appeared in front of Jaeger.

"Are you insane, human?" Harpie Queen demanded as the pair continued to plummet.

"If you're so afraid of dying, then see how you will fare against me in a duel," Jaeger said with a smug smirk.

"You dare challenge the Harpie Queen? And with such a tone!"

"If you don't think you're up for it, then take the coward's way out. Whether you duel or die makes no difference to me," Jaeger said as he continued to goad his opponent.

"You dare to call me a coward? I am the Sky Lord's loyal servant! I will fight for him and live!"

"Then prove your mettle before you are dashed against the rocks!"

That was all the coaxing it took. Jaeger smiled triumphantly as Harpie Queen drew her first card. "I summon Flying Kamakiri #1!" She made her move and called out a giant green dragonfly (ATK/1400 DEF/900). "Attack!"

"I activate Spacegate!" Jaeger revealed a facedown. "Each time one of your monsters attacks or is attacked, one Gate Counter is placed on this card. I also activate Shrink. This cuts your monster's attack points in half."

As a glowing white portal opened up behind Jaeger, Flying Kamakiri #1 buzzed loudly as its attack points were dropped to seven hundred. Jade Knight reacted and fired two green laser beams at the giant insect, destroying it instantly.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 8000

**Harpie Queen:** 7700

–––––––––––––––––––––

"It appears your fear of death has clouded your judgment," Jaeger said tauntingly as a star appeared on his Spacegate.

"Oh, has it? I had anticipated it," Harpie Queen replied, "If my Flying Kamakiri #1 is destroyed in battle, I can Special Summon one Wind monster from my deck with fifteen hundred or less attack points in attack mode. So I summon Harpie Lady 1!" As the remains of the dragonfly vanished, in their place appeared Airo (ATK/1300 DEF/1400). "And as long as she remains on the field, all Wind monsters increases by three hundred. Attack, my loyal subject!" Harpie Lady 1's attack points rose to sixteen hundred as she flew up and struck Jade Knight with her talons.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 7400

**Harpie Queen:** 7700

–––––––––––––––––––––

A second star appeared on the Spacegate and Harpie Queen placed a card in her backfield. "I'll place a card facedown and then end my turn."

"You play quickly. You're obviously scared that you're going to die here," Jaeger observed as he drew.

"You have even less chance of surviving, human!" Harpie Queen cawed.

"Perhaps, but I do not fear death," the Duel Ace answered as he made his move. "I summon Blue Thunder T-45!" A silver spaceship materialized beside Jaeger with a windscreen that had been tinted blue (ATK/1700 DEF/1000). "Now attack Harpie Lady 1!" Blue Thunder T-45 flew in close and fired its blasters at Harpie Lady 1.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 7400

**Harpie Queen:** 7600

–––––––––––––––––––––

Another counter was added to Spacegate as Harpie Lady 1's feathers fluttered past the two Duelists.

"That ends my turn," announced Jaeger.

"I draw." Harpie Queen drew her next card. "And I summon Harpie Lady 3!" In an instant, she summoned Keraino to the field (ATK/1300 DEF/1400). "Next I play Elegant Egotist, letting me Special Summon a Harpie Lady or Harpie Lady Sisters from my hand or deck. So here come the Harpie Lady Sisters!" A multitude of mirrors surrounded Harpie Lady 3 and when they disappeared, a trio consisting of Airo, Ocupete, and Keraino appeared on a single Monster Zone screeching (ATK/1950 DEF/2100).

"Harpie Lady Sisters, attack!" The Harpie Lady Sisters converged on Blue Thunder T-45 and struck simultaneously with their talons.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 7150

**Harpie Queen:** 7600

–––––––––––––––––––––

The Spacegate had now reached four counters. And now Harpie Queen turned to Harpie Lady 3 and ordered her to attack, resulting in the blue-haired Harpie to claw at Jaeger.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 5850

**Harpie Queen:** 7600

–––––––––––––––––––––

o o o

"Okay, looks like we're definitely under siege here," Reko said as he saw Wynnda fire a bolt of force at a Harpie, smashing it up against the stone hall as it slumped lifelessly to the ground, "Oh, Lord Raiza! Forgive us, we thought our temple in Paslie would provide safe haven..."

Raiza held up his hand, looking back behind him, "Do not worry about it, the Terran Mercenary is handling the situation. These Harpies however are not locked within any sort of duel and can more than rip apart these travellers. I will go ahead and assist the other Monarchs, we will handle their meager defense as quietly as possible. I can only hope Thestalos' battle lust hasn't gripped him, otherwise the Sky Lord will more than know the full scope of the monarchs that still oppose him.

Reka looked over at him, "That's why you haven't used much of your power?"

"That's exactly it. I served him once unwillingly. I will not do it again nor use my power yet to drag the UnGod's full might upon us. Priestess Wynnda, tell us who remains of the Terrans and quickly if you please," the monarch stood defensively in front of Saito and the Telaris twins, seeing large mantis skitter through the tunnels at them, assisted by large bees with a large scythe-like forearm. With an out thrusted hand a cloudburst cracked through the tunnel, sending fragments of stone and debris slicing through them and hard with the wind lashed through carapace. The pulped ichor caked the walls now, but Raiza looked unfazed by the carnage he just wrought. Reka and the others, including a person utterly devoted to Raiza's worship simply stood awestuck at the immense power an eons-old creature could possess. He let out a chuckle as he put a hand to his masked helm, "Well...I can cut myself loose time to time, provided it isn't publicly seen. To the Throne Room all of you, we have much to do. Reka, Saito, Reko, there is an armory where these Priests of Gusta arm themselves. I will allow Wynnda here to escort you out through a different part of this sanctum, that should place you within the Forest of Gales, where the Gusta Priesthood hold sway."

Saito and the others rushed down the goo-covered tunnel, into a larger part of the temple by Wynnda, Raiza went antoher way, towards the throne room, "Where are you going Raiza!"

Raiza bowed politely, "Your journey begins. Wynnda, arm them quickly and send them out! I have to see to it our Terran guests are sent on our way. Take the winds to the new Isle of Terra when you are finished," the monarchs feet lifted off of the ground ever so lightly as he flew down the hallways, terrible booming noises echoing down the ways.

"My Sire commanded me, let's get going all of you! We can't let him down!" The three duelists were swift to follow her deeper into a deeper part of the temple.

o o o

Jaeger drew his card. "I summon Falchionβ!" A large white and blue space fighter appeared (ATK/1200 DEF/800). "Then I release my Spacegate to summon Lord British Space Fighter!" A white space fighter with red streamlines emerged from the Spacegate before it closed and joined the formation (ATK/1200 DEF/800). "Now I activate Limiter Removal. It doubles the attack points of my Machine monsters, but destroys them at the End Phase." The inhibitors on Falchionβ and Lord British Space Fighter were release, allowing their attack points to both double to twenty-four hundred. "Falchionβ, attack Harpie Lady 3!" Falchionβ flew toward Harpie Lady 3 and opened fire on her with its lasers.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 5850

**Harpie Queen:** 6500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Now with the effect of Falchionβ, I can resurrect a Light Machine monster with twelve hundred or less attack points from my graveyard, such as my Jade Knight!" A rescue line was fired from the fighter and it pulled out Jade Knight from the scrapyard. Upon its return, it immediately projected its shield over Jaeger's entire fleet. "Now Lord British Space Fighter, attack Harpie Lady Sisters!" As the other fighter moved forward, its weapon systems targeted each of the three Harpies. Once it had locked on, it fired and released three missiles. The Harpie Lady Sisters quickly split up and tried to outfly the projectiles, but Lord British Space Fighter had locked on using homing missiles. It wasn't long before the Sisters had slowed down from fatigue and they were hit.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 5850

**Harpie Queen:** 6050

–––––––––––––––––––––

"And now I can use Lord British's effect. After it destroys a monster in battle, I can choose one of three effects. And I choose to attack twice. Lord British Space Fighter, attack again!" On the Duel Ace's command, Lord British Space Fighter took aim and fired lasers at Harpie Queen.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 5850

**Harpie Queen:** 3650

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Lastly, Jade Knight, attack!" Jade Knight now flew in and fired its lasers at Jaeger's opponent.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 5850

**Harpie Queen:** 2650

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I shall now set a card and end my turn." As Jaeger ended his turn, the side effect of Limiter Removal kicked in and Lord British Space Fighter and Falchionβ self-destructed.

o o o

Wynnda kicked open a door, revealing a room loaded with all sorts of provisions and armaments of metal and leather were lined in shelves and upon the rough rock walls. Three large rucksacks of thick leather were tossed into their arms by Wynnda before she bowed quickly, "Waterskins, Medicine, Salves, Rations, we have many here under Raiza's orders."

Reka spied the weaponry, all of it seemed to be various staves of various types. Wynnda blushed and looked away, "I...realize those are all focusing staves. I don't think you'd be able to..."

Reko spun a heavier staff of a heavy stone around, with two large emeralds at either end. Its shaft was covered in elaborate scrawling, looking like leaves among gentle gales. "Hey, this one's heavy enough for bashing. Who says a staff is only used by something that twiddles fingers?" He clanged the weapon to the ground a few times and smirked, "Oh yeah, that's beautiful... Thanks a bundle Wynnda, if Raiza said we're going to be in a forest I'll just make a bow out there." Wynnda giggled at him for a moment as he dove into the armor with all three bags in hand, "Hey sis, you got anything to protect yourself other than that fancy gun?"

Reko's sister, tapped a finger against her chest, "Under the shirt I got a good bit of lightweight metal from the Genex. Same with my gun and a boot knife. Take into account all my tools whatnot on me, we'll be just fine."

He furiously grabbed whatever flasks, herbs, rations and anything else we could in a blur before stuffing various bits of armor from racks and adding them in too. Saito maintained a watch over the hallway, calling back towards Reko and Reka, "They're coming this way! We need to hurry!"

Reko hustled down the hallway from the armory with Wynnda and Reka close behind, "Got everything, let's get going! We'll gear up when we're safe!"

Saito followed Reko's speed, astonished by Reko's ability to run with so much weight on him. "How are you even lifting all of that!"

"I used to ship art back and forth, this is nothing!"

"What if they get on us before hand?"

"Hit them with a sack! They won't expect that!"

Turning a corner and splitting into a large antechamber, Saito looked at the ravening hordes behind him then back towards Reko, "If they don't kill us I might!"

"Most people say that!"

o o o

Harpie Queen drew her next card. "I'm going to end this right here and now. I discard my three Harpie Queens to bring three copies of Harpie's Hunting Ground to my hand." She sent three cards to her graveyard and searched out her deck for three copies of the corresponding Field Spell. She looked at her hand. Even though she now had the perfect card to defend her against her opponent's backfield, she had no means of executing her plan. She took the fourth card she held and played it hoping it would give her that what she needed. "I activate Card Destruction." Harpie Queen dropped her hand into her graveyard and drew three new cards. Finally, she got what she needed.

"I activate Call of the Haunted and I'll use it to bring back Harpie Lady 1." Harpie Lady 1 rejoined the field and spread out her wings. By her own effect, her attack points went up to sixteen hundred. "Now I activate from my hand Inferno Reckless Summon. When a monster with fifteen hundred or less attack points is Special Summoned to my field, I can Special Summon all cards with that same name from my hand, deck, and graveyard. From my deck, another Harpie Lady 1." A second copy of Airo appeared on the field and her effect increased the attack power of both Harpies on the field to nineteen hundred.

"And from my graveyard, I Special Summon my three Harpie Queens!" In a flurry of wind and feathers, Harpie Queen summoned three copies of herself (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). With the boost from both Harpie Lady 1s, their attack points rose dramatically to twenty-five hundred each.

Jaeger was staring at a flock of power boosted Harpies.

o o o

Reign's sabre cleaved through several more Harpies as the Gemknights stood boldly at his side, weapons drawn in the Throne Room of the Monarchs. He looked back at Mikey and the others, "They already know of your intentions here, what can we do?"  
Mikey thought for a moment as Raiza reentered the chamber, regarding the other Monarchs with a curt nod, "I've sent one of my Priestesses with Saito and the Twins, they'll be safe within the Forest of Gales, equipped and armed. A force of four will be easily enough to conceal from them I believe."

Thestalos slammed his fist against his throne, flame welling from his shoulders, "This is madness! The realm we created, and we're powerless to stop it's downfall!"

Granmarg spoke in a heavy, gravelly voice, "Much of our land is cut off. It is the UnGod's now. We must retreat, gather what power we can. We will claim it again in time."

Thestalos looked at the other Monarchs with him, Mobius steeping forward in front of the Monarch of Flames, "I know it is hard to cede defeat brother. However this seems tactically sound, and the Isle of Terra is within my realm, I will see to it that it is protected to a degree."

"Do not chide me like a whelp Mobius. I will...follow. However the moment I see a break in the UnGod's forces I will turn them all into ash. None will survive."

Kuraz nodded in agreement, "We must wait for our champions to restore the seals that Reka has broken with her companions."

Reign wiped blood off of his blade with a pass over his jeans, looking at the five ancient beings before him, "Your Graces, I trust you are all prepared to fall back from Paslie. Though I felt this place defendable, it seems we have underestimated the UnGod's cunning."

Raiza strode past the crowd of people, standing in front of a large archway before looking back, "This way leads to the outside, once there I'll summon the winds back to Vazrana and the Isle of Terra. Let's hurry, I feel more coming."

Thestalos' arm glowed red hot with heat, "We are five strong, a million of these creatures couldn't stand against our combined assault."

Granmarg moved forward, each footsteps shaking the ground, "He is not concerned with that. These Terrans are the prime concern."

Fate however, was not kind was several Harpie's Pet Dragons tore through the hallways save the one Raiza pointed out, suddenly putting them against four incredibly powerful creatures.

"Knights, to me!" Reign's Gemknights wordlessly saluted and brandished their weapons towards the draconic menace. The other Monarchs stood ready as Thestalos growled, "I'll show you what I mean. I'm sick of us running and hiding like vermin!"

A smack from a Dragon's tail struck the archway leading outside, as Raiza noted the threat. With a flick of his wrist, Mikey felt himself lifted and thrown roughly through the archway just was the entire structure came tumbling down. He slowly rose, realizing all his friends and allies were faced with a great peril, things were quite different in Ardent. Remembering the outside, and despite the fact he was unarmed save for his deck, Mikey found courage. Without a second's thought he darted off into the darkness of the hallway, running towards a tiny pinpoint of light. He found himself after a few moments of blindly running in on top of a plateau with several ruined pillars and statues lining what may have once been a garden of some kind. The stormy sky added nothing to the dreary atmosphere as Harpies swiftly closed in on his exposed neck.

Mikey noticed them, and as if on an instinct he drew a card effortlessly from his deck and held it close to his heart. It glowed white with light, before a large angelic eninge of purification, Ohka clanged on into the mountain stone and instantly retaliated with gouts of red energy, slaying countless creatures and it's alabaster claws rended those who got too close and crushed them against the ground. Mikey was terrified and amazed, did he actually do that? Standing to his feet, he spoke, "Keep this plateau safe!"

Ohka gave a mechanical howl in confirmation, charging towards the now terrified flock.

o o o

"You are finished!" Harpie Queen shrieked.

"Not quite," Jaeger pointed out, "Because of your Spell Card, I can choose a monster I control and Special Summon more from my own hand, deck, or graveyard. And since I have my Jade Knight, that means I can summon two more!" Two more green space fighters appeared and joined Jaeger in defense position with their shields up to maximum power.

"Harpie Lady 1, attack one of the defending fighters!" The first Harpie Lady 1 flew in and struck the first defending fighter with her talons, destroying it.

"Harpie Lady 1 number two, attack the other one!" Just as the first had done, the second Harpie Lady 1 struck her mark with her talons and destroyed it.

"Harpie Queen, attack the final monster!" The first Harpie Queen flew in and slashed the last Jade Knight with her claws.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 4350

**Harpie Queen:** 2650

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Harpie Queen, attack directly!" The second Harpie Queen swept in and slashed Jaeger with the talons on her wings.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 1850

**Harpie Queen:** 2650

–––––––––––––––––––––

"End this now!" ordered Harpie Queen, "So that I may escape a fate against the rocks below!" Her final copy of herself obeyed and launched herself at the Duel Ace.

"I activate my Trap Card, Widespread Ruin!" A mine appeared in front of the attacking Harpie Queen and detonated, blasting her into oblivion.

"You shall die on my next turn!" Harpie Queen screeched.

"I doubt it," Jaeger said calmly as he drew. "And I'll prove it. I remove from play Blue-Thunder T-45, Lord British Space Fighter, Falchionβ, and my three Jade Knights from my graveyard and Special Summon Cyber Eltanin!" The six space crafts appeared around Jaeger and flew around in formation before combining together and releasing a powerful blast of light. When the radiance died down, a giant mechanical dragon head hovered above Jaeger (ATK/? DEF/?).

"Cyber Eltanin's attack power and defensive power is determined by the number of monsters removed to summon it multiplied by five hundred," the Duel Ace explained, "And since I removed six, that means three thousand." The giant head opened its mouth and roared as it deployed six smaller heads similar to its own, making its attack and defense points rise up to three thousand. "In addition, upon being summoned, Cyber Eltanin sends all other face-up monsters on the field to the graveyard!" The smaller heads all deployed and flew over to the Harpies. One by one, they opened their mouths and shot them with blue laser beams that killed them instantly. Before long, Harpie Queen's field was empty.

"Now Cyber Eltanin, attack! Evolution Explosion!" Cyber Eltanin's main head opened its mouth and charged up. A few seconds passed before a deadly superlaser shot out and engulfed Harpie Queen, who screamed loudly as her Life Points dropped to zero.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 1850

**Harpie Queen:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––

Harpie Queen's body began to break up as her cards scattered in the winds. "I lost...Sky Lord, I apologize. I failed you."

"Your fate is sealed," Jaeger said to her from atop Cyber Eltanin's head. Harpie Queen turned her head toward him.

"At least you shall share my fate."

The Duel Ace laughed. "Afraid not." And with that, Cyber Eltanin lifted him toward the mountaintop. Harpie Queen just stared at him in silence before she vanished completely. She had been spared a grotesque death upon the stones at the the base of the mountain, but her loss resulted in the loss of her life force and so she disappeared from existence.

Jaeger returned to the ruins to find Mikey fending off Harpies with Majestic Mech - Ohka. The boy noticed his return and looked up at him. "Where have you been?"

"Doing what I do best," was the Duel Ace's answer. His presence was not unnoticed by the enemy. The Harpie Lady Sisters watched as Jaeger conversed with Mikey.

"The human survived?" Ocupete exclaimed in disbelief.

"But then...that means...our Lady is..." Airo dared not finish that sentence. Suddenly she became overcome with malice and a seething hatred. "Kill him! Kill the human who slayed our queen!"

"Behind me!" Jaeger commanded to Mikey. Cyber Eltanin rose up and pointed all of its smaller heads in different directions. Then, on his command, the mechanical monstrosity fired lasers in every direction. Harpies and their support fell like flies.

"Airo, we must fall back!" Keraino yelled, "Our numbers may be great, but they possess more power than we." Airo did not like it. She wanted to avenge her queen, but her sister was right. She quickly signaled a retreat and the Harpies pulled back with their support.

"That takes care of that," Jaeger said as his monster came down. He noticed Mikey looking at him. "What?"

"You're standing on that," he pointed. The Duel Ace looked down.

"Yes. And?"

"It's not just a hologram?" Mikey looked over at Ohka.

"Apparently so," answered Jaeger, "Where are you going with this?"

"What are the rest of your monsters in your deck?"

The Duel Ace clued in right away.

o o o

"Wynnda!" The Priestess coughed up blood before falling to the ground in pain, several other Gusta priests in robes rushing to her defense. He, Reka and Saito with Wynnda's help made it safely to a large cave entrance to the Forest of Gales, but the monsters pursuing them did not relent. They poured like water from the tunnel that formerly led to the Gusta's place of worship. Several of the Priests held their staves in front of the tunnel, a wall of air holding back the creatures and crushing many who came. Eventually they stopped, and eventually fled after hearing a horrific roar of anguish from deep in the temple. Reko and the others did not come unharmed, Saito held his arm for where a mantis' claw lacerated him, Reko was covered in bruises when several dragons covered in metal and shields slammed into him, Reka equally bludgeoned when shooting them off of him.

One Priest looked towards them, sighing in relief, "She will be okay. She has highly overexerted herself though. She needs rest, and I believe this temple may be clear."

Reko snapped his fingers to Saito, "Dragon Ravine. That's where you're headed," Reko's voice was stern as he wrapped Saito's arm in a bandage soaked in a red medicine, "That'll heal your arm up."

"How do you know?"

"Red Medicine restored life points. Also...it's sort of the basic Role Playing Game thing. Red Potions are the low lying fruit of the healing tree."

"Red Medicine...that makes sense, somehow." Saito had a leather pack shoved into his arms as Reko tossed the now horribly dented staff to sone side. Saito rembered at one point he grabbed it at one end and was using it like a baseball bat against the creatures. A part of him hoped his twin could curb the wild enthusiasm he had, "Dragon Ravine, how will I know where it is?"

Reka looked at Saito, "This will sound stupid to you. We travelled and just...felt them. Had some odd feeling in our guts that they were in that direction. We listened to sages, stories, even old legends. You'll have to investigate and talk a lot, dig up the info. I know you can do it. I'd hate to split us, but if w'ere trying to find two seals this quickly this seems to be the best and only way."

"Reka. Thank you. I'll need to get to know you better after all of this."

Reka smirked, which did now that Saito thought of it did look close to Reko's smirk, "Don't mention it. We'll make our way to Mist Valley and restore the seal there. Dragon Ravine will be a good fit for you."

Reko hefted up his pack, tossing the other one to his sister, "Good luck, Crusader."

Saito called out towards the lavender haired man, "Reko?"

"Hm?"

"You're a Knight. come back alive, same with your sister."

Reko smiled, "See? I knew you cared about us."

The Twins left, leaving Saito to examine his pack, surely enough Reko did pack many essentials he needed, including a bedroll. The Gusta Priests once again thanked him in earnest for aiding them with the Harpie assault as he left. The Twins were nowhere to be found, and out there Raiza stood within the wood and bowed towards him, "I will accompany you. Let us be swift, Crusader. I wish for my realm to be returned to splendor."

"What about your fellow Monarchs?" the teen inquired.

"They have left already, heading toward the haven that you have suggested along with that other human, Reign."

Saito nodded towards the Storm Monarch, "Then let's get going."

o o o

Jaeger led the group flying in Lord British Space Fighter. To his left, Mikey clung for his life onto the seat of Falchionβ. To his right, Gabe sat calmly inside the cockpit of Victory Viper XX03; a rapier given to him by Kenan the Swordmistress laid across his lap. A beam of light travelling behind them was Kuraz, having taken on an elemental form for easier travel. As the group flew toward Duel Academy first to pick up Jaeger's jet and then continue on to Heiratine, they passed over the Harpie Mountains. Airo looked up toward them as she and her sisters returned to the palace. With their queen dead, their spirts were broken. They no longer had the will to carry on. Worse than that, they had no idea how to break the news to the princess.

As they arrived at the palace, they noticed something amiss. The Cyber Harpies that guarded it were nowhere to be found. In their places stood Harpie's Brothers. Even though they resembled the true Harpies, they themselves were not part of the faction. Airo, Ocupete, and Keraino landed and were blocked by two of them.

"Let us through," Airo demanded.

"We shall escort you," said one of the Harpie's Brothers. Two more appeared and the three sisters were brought inside surrounded by the birdmen. They arrived in the throne room to find a most unpleasant surprise.

"The Sky Lord is not impressed," Alector said as he sat on Harpie Queen's throne.

That was all it took. Without a second thought, the Harpie Lady Sisters flew up and began charging up their Triangle Ecstasy Spark. "How dare you sit on our queen's throne!" shrieked Airo.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Alector cautioned. "Especially if you have no desire to harm the princess." He raised his wings and the sisters gasped. Harpie Girl was kneeling by Alector's leg bound by a miniature Handcuffs Dragon. The Harpie Lady Sisters powered down and the Triangle Ecstasy Spark faded. Alector laughed. "You Harpies are so predictable." He then stepped forward and the light gleamed off his lustrous armor.

"By decree of the Sky Lord, I, Alector, Sovereign of Birds, am hereby in command of the Harpies! You are obey my orders without question! Those who fail to do so shall be punished! And if worse comes to worst..." Alector picked up Harpie Girl and pressed one of his gauntlet blades against her throat. "You get the picture." His laugh echoed through the halls of the palace.

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

While attempting to rally forces to fight the Sky Lord, Reko and Reka make their way to the Ninja village in the Forest of Gales. But the Ninjas do not welcome outsiders. The pathway is laiden with traps and many other dangers lurk in the forest. But the twins must prevail if they want any hope of defeating the Sky Lord. Watch their adventure next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	138. The Village Hidden in the Forest

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-51**

**The Village Hidden in the Forest**

Rain seemed to be a constant in the Forest of Gales the two twins seemed walking in the lonely, misty wood together. The grey haze intermingled with the the mossy trees and seemed almost tangible as the tendrils seemed to grace the occasional cliff face. Paslie was still mostly a mountain range, and the small woods married into it like a spy from a far off land, waiting and resting within the stone spires. The wet grass squished beneath the weight of Reka's boots as she carried Genex Controller in her arms. Behind her, Reko trudged through the wet forest carrying a backpack on his shoulders. The tiny little robot jittered in its owner's arms as it chirped curiously.

"We should be there soon," Reka answered, "And that means we need to be more careful." Genex Controller beeped, ending in a questioning tone. "Ninjas don't like having others near their village. They'll have set up all sorts of traps." The tiny robot beeped another question. "They use a lot. Once we get into the denser part of the woods, we'll need to be extra careful."

"If that's the case, wouldn't it be easier if I wasn't carrying this backpack?" asked Reko.

"But we need the stuff in the backpack," Reka answered.

"Like what? I know I packed it but...heavy after awhile. Didn't think packing all this through."

"Shhh." Reka stopped and her brother came to a halt. Reko looked around wondering why she had stopped. His answer came when she reached into a large pouch on her belt and pulled out a tiny can of spray paint. She shook it well and proceeded to spray the air in front of her. As she got closer to the ground, a thin white line appeared. Reka pulled back. She was familiar with this. A hair-thin length of wire strung a few inches off the ground used as a trigger. Anyone who would step on it or trip the wire would trigger a trap. Usually explosive traps were rigged up in this manner. This was undoubtedly on the first of many similar traps. They would need to disarm them in order to proceed.

Reka reached again on her tool belt and took out a pair of cutting pliers. She got down. This had to be done carefully. One false move and the slightest movement would trigger the trap. Genex Controller stood to the side nervously using a large leaf as an umbrella. Slowly, Reka placed her pliers around the wire. She could feel the sweat forming on her brow as she tried to concentrate. Taking in a deep breath, she squeezed and the pliers cut the wire. No explosion. She was relieved. Putting her tool away, she picked up Genex Controller. "One down, about a thousand more to go."

"I hope we get there soon. My shoulders are killing me," Reko said in response.

Warning bells suddenly went off on Genex Controller. "Someone's coming," Reka said. "Quick, hide!" Grabbing Reko's backpack by the handle, she pulled him into the bushes and they crouched there waiting. It wasn't long before a large anthropomorphic owl appeared carrying a scythe.

"A Hunter Owl," Reka muttered. She had seen them before. The Sky Lord used them for tracking prey on the ground. Though they were predominantly flightless Winged Beasts, they made up for it with their tracking abilities. They watched as it walked past them and down the forest path. It stopped and looked down. It must have found another trip wire.

"We won't get anywhere if we can't get rid of him," whispered Reka.

"Leave it to me." Reko picked up a rock and aimed carefully. He waited for Hunter Owl to move and then threw the stone. He succeeded in striking the wire, causing bombs to detonate around the Winged Beast. It dropped its scythe and was thrown further down the path and onto another wire, triggering another explosion followed by yet another. The twins waited until the noise died down and then got back up. Signs of explosions ahead were clearly visible

"Looks like we're set for a while," Reko commented before they pressed forward.

Reka stared at the craters in the wet earth for a brief moment and the corpse of the creature before turning towards Reko, "That's a hair thin wire. How did you hit that!"

Reko chuckled, "I got a deadeye I guess. At the very least, Sky Lord or what's his face will be looking around there. We footslog fast enough we could camp, let's hurry along."

o o o

The flight to the Dragon Ravine was long. Flying on the winds did not make it much easier. However with Raiza being the one guiding, Saito had no problems. He could see all of Paslie passing below his feet. Long mountain ranges and deep valleys flew by. He could see some Sonic Ducks and a flock of Takuhee being hunted by Harpie's Brothers.

"Servants of the Sky Lord," Raiza explained as the wretched bird men swung their long claws at their prey, "They are his hunters. Cold, merciless, cruel, and ruthless, they hunt without a second thought. Worst of all, they thoroughly enjoy it."

"That's disgusting," Saito muttered. He watched as one Harpie's Brother slashed off a Sonic Duck's wing, rendering it unable to fly. He grinned as he flew down and scooped up the wriggling bird before flying off. "They don't seem to be killing them, though."

"Believe me. If they were killed, they'd at least be shown mercy. They're taken to the Sky Lord's concentration camps. They're kept alive, but they endure many near-death tortures."

"If they're being collected and not killed, then that means the Sky Lord has plans for them," Saito said thoughtfully.

"Unfortunately, we have no means of understanding what he has planned," Raiza responded, "Our only hope is to stop him before he can execute his plan."

"Then we must hurry."

"But of course, Crusader of White." Raiza swung his arm and the winds blew them faster toward the Dragon Ravine.

o o o

The increasingly elaborate traps were sure signs that they were approaching the village. Hidden shuriken launchers, fire traps, flash bombs, and paper bombs had begun to appear and in increasing numbers. Reko and Reka did their best to disarm them on their way in, but as their numbers grew, so did their own numbers to disarm. This would lead to a few being missed and thus being set off, with the twins flinching and moving quickly away from the alarm. As Reko and Reka continued on their journey, they failed to notice two figures leaping across the trees watching them carefully. It wasn't until they were right on top of them when Genex Controller started beeping panickedly and pointed up. The twins looked into the trees and saw two figures drop down on top of them, pinning them to the ground.

"Intruders! You shall not pass!" a man's voice shouted.

"Keep it down!" a woman's voice scolded, "What if they've got more?"

Genex Controller was beeping frightened. "Quiet him down," the female voice said.

"I'm on it," the male voice replied with an assertive tone. Genex Controller quickly bolted in response, but it was stopped when the male figure trapped it in a net and reeled it in. The small machine beeped in protest, but eventually gave up chirping and whirring.

"Who are you...? I mean honestly, who drops on top of a guy and smashes him into the mud while carrying heavy loads?" asked Reko, spitting out a bit of wet earth and rainwater.

The two who had assaulted them finished binding their arms and stepped into the light. The first was a man with spiky blue hair wearing a red outfit and holding a large pipe. "I'm Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja!"

The other was a woman with green hair wearing purple ninja clothes and a red scarf armed with a short ninja sword. "I am Yae. Now tell us why the Sky Lord has sent you." To put her point across, she lowered her blade towards Reko's forehead.

"Uh...o-okay. We're not working for the Sky Lord," Reko pleaded.

"That's what they all say," Goe Goe replied.

"Do we look like Winged Beasts?" Reka asked, "I don't see anything that would make us seem that way, do you?"

"You could be other inhabitants of Paslie recruited by him," Yae pointed out.

"We're humans, Terran Humans at that. We look similar to a few folks here, but I assure you we're different." said Reka, using her best shot at diplomacy and shooting a glare at her brother, who was already trying to squirm a hand free. He sighed and stopped trying to free himself.

"Huh...let's bring 'em to the Grandmaster," Goe Goe suggested.

"I like it," Yae replied grabbing the back of Reko's hair, "Up, prisoner." Reko hissed in response, with Reka being lifted up in the same unceremonious manner. Their supplies being left in the clearing.

Soon, Reko and Reka found themselves being carried by Yae and Goe Goe along with Genex Controller who beeped and shook with fear in his net. Going through the treetops made their travel much easier, though Reka and her brother somehow matching step on the branches time and time again. Since they were being taken by the Ninjas, they were bypassing all the traps that had been laid, the engineer noting it would have taken a few days for them to even get anywhere close to the village. It wasn't long before they came upon a large gate in the forest, large and foreboding.

"Open up!" Yae called out. A sentry appeared on the lookout tower above and after a few moments the gate opened. As Yae and Goe Goe entered, a dog-like ninja poofed up in front of him and bowed swiftly.

"We welcome your return. The Grandmaster is awaiting you," he reported.

"Thank you, Nin-Ken Dog," Yae said nodding. Nin-Ken Dog nodded back and then disappeared in a blast of smoke.

"I have a feeling that fuzzy told you to take us somewhere special?" Reko asked. Yae responded to Reko's comical tone with a punch in the stomach, causing the Turbo Duelist to fall to one knee.

"You forget your place, prisoner! To the Grandmaster's study," Yae answered. As they walked through the village, they could see many tiny warriors walking around with big round orange heads, each equipped with different types of weapons as they shuffled about. The twins looked at them with curiosity as they went about their duties.

"...What are they?" Reko inquired.

"We call 'em the Sasuke Samurai," Goe Goe answered, "They're in charge of protecting the village. They're trained in four types of combat. We honestly forgot all their names, so we just call 'em by their ranks based on their type of training: one, two, three, and four."

The rest of the trip was made in silence. Before long, they arrived at the largest and most authoritative appearing building in the village. They entered the building to find it filled with scrolls, the twins dumped unceremoniously before a man wrapped in white wearing a green robe. "Grandmaster, we bring two prisoners." The Grandmaster looked at the twins curiously, judging each of them calmly before looking back down to his scroll.

"Who are you and state your business," he demanded, not looking up to meet the two prisoners in his midst.

"I'm Reka Telaris. This is my twin brother Reko. We've come to ask for your aid."

"We will not bow before the Sky Lord," the Grandmaster said, repeating what his people had already said.

"No, no. We're not working for the Sky Lord," Reko said, "We're here on behalf of Raiza the Storm Monarch, honest."

"...Did you say Raiza?" asked the Grandmaster, his gaze freezing upon the open scroll he worked on. Reko nodded, and the Grandmaster lifted up his head to see the two lavender haired humans in his chambers, "Do you have proof?" The twins thought for a moment, then Reko had an idea and turned towards the Grandmaster. He took out his deck and held out a card after thumbing through it for a second. In a flash, a small green eagle appeared and perched itself on his arm, giving a brave cry.

"That is a Gusto Egul," the Grandmaster realized, "Raiza would never give his own guard to someone serving the Sky Lord." He stood up. "Yae! Goe Goe! Untie them at once!"

"Yes, Grandmaster!" Ninja Lady Yae and Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja moved swiftly to untie Reko, Reka, and Genex Controller. The tiny robot, freed of its prison, immediately ran over to Reka chirping happily and nuzzling her leg.

"Apologies for all that has transpired, but we must not take chances, not now. I am Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke. The ninja you see here are my people. For years we have lived in solitude, watching and recording the events in Paslie. However when this Sky Lord took over Paslie and cast out the Storm Monarch, we were forced to fortify our defenses. Since then, we have lived here waiting and preparing for an opportune moment."

"But we were told you guys were scared of the Sky Lord. That's why you went into hiding," Reka mentioned, Sasuke glared at her and stood up quickly. Those words clearly upset him.

"We do not fear this Sky Lord," Sasuke said bluntly, "We have merely been biding our time until such a time as to strike. It is the only thing I can think of, and the Sky Lord only grows bolder."

"That's why the time to strike is now. Raiza is recruiting others to join in the fight against the Sky Lord. We ask you on his behalf to please join us," Reka said, holding out a hand towards Sasuke. The Grandmaster looked on at the gesture of solidarity, then back to meet Reka's courageous visage.

"If it is to free this land from that tyrant's rule and restore our Monarch to his rightful place on the throne, to set right this wrong upon Paslie...the Ninjas shall aid you," Sasuke declared, "But we must first deal with another threat."

"Another threat?" Reko raised his eyebrow, "There's more than one threat?"

"Indeed. It seems that another faction of ninja has been attacking us. They claim not to be in the service of the Sky Lord, but I sense their evil intentions. I have been deflecting the brunt of it, trying to disbelieve we would stoop so low as to attack one another when this clearly is not the way. We've lost many though, and it seems that with your coming and the sudden tide of power I have felt lately...I have no choice but to believe they have honestly betrayed our mission as silent watchmen."

"They've breached all our defenses and disarmed all of our traps, anyone who resets them or slows them down is mutilated," Goe Goe chimed in.

"Any weapon we use against them is useless, we've gone through every technique and they still keep coming unharmed." Yae added.

Suddenly, a blue-haired female ninja wearing red sunglasses appeared. She bore a very strong resemblance to a character from a mecha anime Reko had once seen about drills. My god, did the sight of something that incredible dull the pain in his stomach, "Grandmaster, they come!"

"Kunoichi, hold them off as long as you can!" ordered Sasuke before he turned to the twins, "If you are truly messengers of Raiza, then defeat these ninja. It pains me to say it, but perhaps the chosen of a monarch can succeed where the lives of countless ninja have failed."

"They won't be in vain, Grandmaster. We'll stop them here and now," Reko stated boldly, turning to Reka, "She'll help out. She's my sister, and is well accustomed to Ardent and all it has to offer."

The Grandmaster looked towards the Sasuke Samurai rushing the gates from a window, "Go then, people of Terra."

Meanwhile, the Sasuke Samurai were holding back the gate but their efforts proved to be in vain as soon ninjas in black, crimson, and white clothes made their way down the inside of the wall. The crimson ones quickly disarmed all the traps while the white ones slayed all the samurai who were fending them off and the black ones used their polearms to destroy the weapons.

Reko and Rena leapt into action with their Duel Disks and joined the Ninjas to defend the village. The former summoned out Gusto monsters to fight back while the latter brought out various machines to strike. Goe Goe leapt into action throwing shuriken while using his massive pipe as a defensive weapon. Yae had drawn her blade and was working alongside Kunoichi to fight off the colored ninjas. Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke leapt into action with two diamond kunai and ran his blades through several enemies.

"They have Terrans!" A Crimson Ninja exclaimed right before he was stabbed.

"Terrans? Those from that Isle from Terra?" Soon, the invading ninjas began to question.

"Enough!" Everyone looked up at the top of the gate and saw a ninja standing there wrapped in silver. He dropped down and tossed back his cape. "I am the Silver Ninja. This battle is pointless. I shall settle this the way of a true warrior. He pulled a large shuriken of his back and spun it on his arm. Immediately, several squares lit up on both sides.

"Is that a Duel Disk?" Reko asked.

"If he's asking for a duel, I'll take him on." Reka stepped forward.

"A woman?" Silver Ninja scoffed, "I'd hoped for a better challenge. Sasuke, is this truly all you can muster?"

"I can assure you that she is more than capable of defeating you," Sasuke answered.

"Well then, woman, let us see what power you possess." Silver Ninja pulled back his belt and revealed his deck. "Let us duel!"

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reka:** 8000

**Silver Ninja:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I shall begin!" Silver Ninja drew his first card and then placed it on the surface of his shuriken. "I set one monster and conclude my turn."

"The woman draws." Reka drew her card and looked at the field. She could not underestimate her opponent even though he was greatly underestimating her. This could work to her advantage as long as she played her cards right, both figuratively and literally.

"I'll start by playing Double Summon, which lets me Normal Summon twice this turn. So first I'll summon Genex Controller." Reka played her card and her adorable little robot appeared on the field (ATK/1400 DEF/1200). "Then I summon Genex Neutron." There was a moment's pause before a shining winged black and red robot appeared (ATK/1800 DEF/1200). "Next I'll discard my Genex Ally Chemister. By doing this, Chemister's effect lets me pick one of my Genex monsters and change its attribute. I choose Fire." After sending her card to the graveyard, Genex Neutron stopped shining and started burning. "Now I tune Genex Controller to Genex Neutron." Three stars came out of Genex Controller which turned into synchro rings and surrounded Genex Neutron until its body faded into four stars. A column of light engulfed them.

"When element and machine harmonize together, they create a force beyond imagining. Synchro Summon! Appear now, Genex Ally Triforce!" A white robot burst out from the light with an orange visor covering its face. Attached to its arm was a three-barrel cannon with each barrel forming a different weapon: a laser, a flamethrower, and a standard cannon (ATK/2500 DEF/2100).

"Attack!" Genex Ally Triforce took aim and fired a shot from its flamethrower. The card was incinerated and revealed to be Crimson Ninja (ATK/300 DEF/300).

"You have no Trap Cards, so my monster's Flip Effect cannot be applied," said Silver Ninja.

"But now Triforce's effect kicks in," announced Reka, "When it destroys a monster in battle, it inflicts damage to you equip to the destroyed monster's attack points." Genex Ally Triforce aimed its weapon at Silver Ninja and fired another flame stream at him.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reka:** 8000

**Silver Ninja:** 7700

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I set a card and end my turn," announced Reka, "And on my End Phase, my Genex Neutron's effect lets me bring a Machine-type Tuner to my hand. I pick Genex Controller." Her deck spat out her card and once she took it, her Duel Disk reshuffled her cards.

"It seems you are more powerful than I had anticipated," Silver Ninja noted, "So be it. I shall use the power that my master has bestowed upon me." He drew his card. "Since you have monsters while I have none, I Special Summon Armored Ninja Earth!" A ninja in brown clothes appeared with armored boots and gloves (ATK/1600 DEF/1200). "Next I Normal Summon Armored Ninja Air." Another ninja appeared on the field that bore a resemblance to Armored Ninja Earth except his clothing was green (ATK/1400 DEF/1400). "Upon Armored Ninja Air's summoning, his effect can decrease the level of one face-up Ninja I control. And I will choose Armored Ninja Earth." Armored Ninja Air drew a shuriken and threw it toward his partner. But instead of hitting Armored Ninja Earth, it struck just in front of him as five stars appeared before him and one of them shattered, bringing him down to level four.

"I shall now Overlay Armored Ninja Earth and Armored Ninja Air," declared Silver Ninja. Armored Ninja Earth turned into a stream of brown light and Armored Ninja Air turned into one of green light. "I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters." A swirling vortex into the cosmos appeared on the field and both lights spiraled into it. "Exceed Summon! Armored Ninja Blade Heart!" A ninja in dark maroon armor appeared wielding a pair of katanas. He landed gracefully on the field and two green spheres of light started to orbit around his body (ATK/2200 DEF/1000).

"What is that?" the Ninjas of the village muttered. "I've never seen anything like it."

"That is because this is not just any creature you can find," Silver Ninja explained, "After all, this warrior was my gift bestowed unto me by the UnGod himself."

"The UnGod!" Reko and Reka exclaimed in unison.

"Sis! You gotta beat this guy for sure now! No doubt about that!" Reko said quickly.

"I'm doing what I can, Reko," Reka answered.

"I'm afraid you're not going to do anything." Silver Ninja played another card. "I equip my monster with Fuhma Shuriken. With this, his attack power goes up by seven hundred." As he placed it on the underside of his weapon, large shuriken appeared and and Armored Ninja Blade Heart grabbed it before strapping it to his back. Immediately, his power shot up to twenty-nine hundred. "Next I'm going to invoke the power of Solidarity. As my graveyard contains only Warriors, my Blade Heart gains an extra eight hundred attack power." Feeling the power of its fallen comrades, Armored Ninja Blade Heart's attack points rose even further to thirty-seven hundred.

"Next I play Smashing Ground. This card..."

"I know what it does," Reka interrupted, "No need to explain."

"That will save time then," Silver Ninja replied as a giant fist-shaped meteor came down from the sky and blasted apart Genex Ally Triforce. "Now finally, I activate my Blade Heart's ability. By detaching one of his Overlay Units, I can choose one Ninja and grant him the power to attack twice this turn." Armored Ninja Blade Heart drew one of his swords and sliced one of the orbs of light surrounding him. Immediately both of his swords started to glow.

"Attack!" Armored Ninja Blade Heart dashed across the field and slashed Reka directly with his first sword, causing Reka to cry out in pain though no blood was drawn.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reka:** 4300

**Silver Ninja:** 7700

––––––––––––––––––––––

Armored Ninja Blade Heart then raised his other sword and slashed, getting an equal cry of anguish from Reka which made Silver Ninja bark out a dark laughter.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reka:** 600

**Silver Ninja:** 7700

––––––––––––––––––––––

"That is all." Silver Ninja cackled. "This duel shall be mine."

"Why'd you say that...!" inquired Reko.

"Because if she so much as destroys my Fuhma Shuriken, its special ability shall deal seven hundred points of damage to her. And unless I am counting wrong, she does not have enough to survive."

"...She'll find a way to beat you!" exclaimed Reko. Reka drew her card.

"...Yes I can," she assured him between gasps, straining to stand. "I begin with Monster Reborn. Welcome back, Triforce." Genex Ally Triforce reappeared on the field and flexed. "Now I summon Genex Controller." Her second Genex Controller appeared and it looked around the field curiously. "Now I can activate Limiter Removal! This doubles all my Machines' attack points!" Genex Ally Triforce and Genex Controller both groaned as the removal of their inhibitors raised their attack power to five thousand and twenty-eight hundred respectively. "Now Genex Ally Triforce, attack Armored Ninja Blade Heart! Flamestorm Cannon!" Genex Ally Triforce took aim and fired its flamethrower at the target. Armored Ninja Blade Heart roared as he was burnt to cinders.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reka:** 600

**Silver Ninja:** 6400

––––––––––––––––––––––

After that, its effect kicked in and another jet of flames shot toward Silver Ninja. Her opponent visibly winced as the fires did their work, much to Reka's approval.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reka:** 600

**Silver Ninja:** 2700

––––––––––––––––––––––

"This is the end for you!" announced Silver Ninja as Fuhma Shuriken flew out from the smoke and headed straight toward Reka.

"Don't think so. I activate Synchro Barrier! By tributing one Synchro Monster, I take no damage until the End Phase of the next turn!" Reka sacrificed Genex Ally Triforce and a green energy shield rose up and blocked the shuriken from hitting her. The force of two blades running through her left her physically devastated, and she could feel the force of the shuriken smashing against the barrier as it spun off and vanished into nothingness. Reko hadn't dueled yet in Ardent, she'd have to tell him of the hazards soon.

"Genex Controller, finish up." Genex Controller stood up and wandered over to Silver Ninja. It looked up at him curiously and blinked its optical sensors. Sparks suddenly seemed to be coming out of the diodes on the sides of its head and it began to conduct electricity from them to the antenna on top of its head. It continued to stare up at Silver Ninja in a curious manner before discharging an electric shot from its antenna.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reka:** 600

**Silver Ninja:** 0

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I...I was defeated...by a woman!" Silver Ninja staggered back as he spoke. "This cannot be!"

"...It's happened. Welcome to the present." Reka then placed more cards onto her Duel Disk and summoned out Locomotion R-Genex, Thermal Genex, and Genex Solar. "Now leave, I'll give you just one chance."

Reka's opponent saw the array of creatures summoned in front of him, no way he could take on that many creatures and come out alive. The human girl intrigued him, she was resilient, and even had the fortitude to hold such powerful creatures under her, "...This isn't over," Silver Ninja swore as he and his ninjas threw down smoke bombs and vanished.

"...You have our gratitude," Sasuke said to Reka as he placed his hands on hers, "And you have our allegiance. We shall stand bye you and fight for the Storm Monarch."

"We thank you," Reka said in response, "Together, we can free this land from the Sky Lord's rule."

Sasuke then turned to his ninjas. "Men!" Yae cleared her throat. "And women! We shall mobilize immediately! Take a handful of our Sasuke Samurai to accompany the Ninjas. The rest shall stay to guard the village."

"Hey um, if you don't mind, can we make a stop in the woods and pick up our stuff?" asked Reko. Sasuke looked at Goe Goe and Yae.

"It was her, not me," the former said jabbing his thumb at his partner.

"We thought they were intruders, after all," Yae said trying to make up an excuse.

"We must then make haste." Sasukes robe began to flap in the breeze as the rain finally began to lighten up. "We haven't much time before this Sky Lord or his master, this UnGod the Silver Ninja spoke of, discovers our plans."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

While Reko and Reka were recruiting the Ninjas, Saito and Raiza had gone to the Dragon Ravine, home of the Dragunity Clan, in hopes of recruiting them to join their fight. However, something else remains hidden somewhere in the Dragon Ravine and it is of great interest to the Sky Lord. Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	139. The Clan of the Ravine

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-52**

**The Clan of the Ravine**

"Alright Reko. Got the packs?" Reka inquired while they stood with Yae in the windswept Forest of Gales. Reko was checking all of their packs and hefting on over his shoulder, tossing another one towards Reka as she slung it over her back. Yae bowed to both of them, "Thank you again, for defending our home and village. If we did not bring you there sooner..."

Reko grinned, "Everything happens for a reason right? You don't need to worry about it. You can help us though by pointing us towards Mist Valley, or whatever direction those Ninja came from."

Yae was taken aback, "Why would you ever go to such a place?"

Reka shook her head, adjusting the weight on her back, "No, these seals have to be restored. I was..."

Reko cut her off mid sentence, "She was a person from Endymion sent to restore the seals that shattered."

Yae countenance softened upon hearing the name of the Magical Kingdom, "Oh, I see. From what I understand, Endymion is the seat of wisdom and knowledge of all of Ardent. If they are sending agents of Terra to investigate the problem, surely they have a few things under control. I will go back to the village, we must gather en masse for an assault upon the Sky Lord's forces."

"We still have to find the rest of the seals," Reka pointed out, "I know there was one in the Mist Valley, but I wasn't there when we hit the other one in Paslie."

"You speak of the Sixteen Seals?" Yae asked, "I recall seeing one on a scouting mission once."

"Where was it?" asked Reko.

"The Dragon Ravine."

o o o

Saito stood on a cliff watching the dragons fly. The day's twilight gave the Dragon Ravine a serene yet compelling imagery. He could see its majesty. The dragons roamed free and the bird men took great care of them. Those dragons that carried the the winged beasts on their back did so of their own free will. There were no servants. There were no masters. Dragon and Winged Beast were equals. This was truly the image of unity.

"We'll need to gather them together and speak with them all at once," Saito said to Raiza.

"A task not easily completed," the Storm Monarch commented, "The Dragunity clan have a strong sense of partnership. All are equal and as such they do not have leaders. The Dragunity Knights are members of the clan who have found permanent partners and are thus deemed as the bravest warriors of the clan. The Dragunity Arma are a sect of dragons who have taken it upon themselves to safeguard the ravine. Though they perform tasks of varying importance, they continue to regard each other as equals."

As the Monarch and the Duelist continued to speak, their presence caught the attention of some of the Ravine's occupants. An orange dragon and a yellow dragon flew over to them, both with four wings and armed with swords. "State your business," demanded the orange one.

"We have come to recruit the Dragunity Clan to join us in the fight against the Sky Lord," Raiza said firmly.

"We have no need for your help to fight the Sky Lord," the yellow dragon responded.

"Mystletainn is right," the orange one said nodding, "The Dragunity need no outsiders' assistance."

"We do not come to offer assistance. We have come to ask for it," Raiza corrected.

"Dragunity act as equals. To unite with forces outside our clan would only create a sense of hierarchy and power," Mystletainn stated, "Leave now before Leyvaten and I force you to leave."

"The Sky Lord is as much a threat to you as he is to the rest of Paslie," Saito said stepping forward.

"What is the meaning of this?" a white Dragunity Knight demanded as he flew up, "Why is there a human here?"

"This human hails from Terra," Raiza began to explain, but he was cut off by Leyvaten.

"Humans once came to our domain with promises of peace," the orange Dragunity Arma snarled, "We allowed them entry into the Ravine. And they destroyed the seal we swore to guard and released the UnGod's terrible power."

"The UnGod's seal is what we have come to restore," Raiza tried to explain.

"We will not be fooled by your lies," the Dragunity Knight stated, "Leave or we shall slay you where you stand."

"I don't think so," Saito said calmly. He slapped a card onto his Duel Disk and his mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared and roared. Its cry caused many to turn their heads and come closer. But they did not come to attack. Their eyes were not filled with hostility, but with awe.

A blue Dragunity Knight came forth. "A prophecy once foretold the coming of a Terran of the White Rose who commanded the great White Dragon of Light. This Terran would understand the true essence of unity of the Dragunity Clan. And he would lead us to victory in the war against the endless darkness."

"Your prophecy has come true then," Saito said as he placed four more monsters onto his Duel Disk and summoned Dragunity Darkspear, Dragunity Legionnaire, Dragunity Militum, and Dragunity Phalanx. At once, the members of the Dragunity Clan bowed before him.

"Not so fast." The one who had spoken was a green Dragunity Knight riding on the largest of the dragons. "I am Barcha and I question this 'Terran' as you claim him to be, Storm Monarch. The prophecy spoke of a Terran of the _White Rose_. I see no evidence of this one being the chosen one of the prophecy."

"But he has the White Dragon of Light," a blue bird man armed with a bow pointed out.

"That proves nothing, Angusticlavii," Barcha said in response, "How can we be certain this truly is the one in the prophecy?"

"How is it that you intend to repair the seal?" the white Dragunity Knight asked.

"Gae Bulg!" Barcha looked at his fellow knight.

"I understand your skepticism, Barcha. Indeed, we have all been fooled by Terrans before. However, I am willing to give this one a chance," Gae Bulg said confidently.

"He is right. We cannot simply just banish this one from our domain," a Dragunity Knight in bright red armor piped up.

"You as well, Vajrayana?" asked Barcha. Vajrayana nodded. The green knight turned to Saito. "Very well. But we shall monitor you carefully." Gae Bulg made room on his mount for Saito to sit. Once the boy was in place, the entire clan flew off with Raiza in tow toward the location of the seal.

As they left bound for their destination, they failed to notice a group of Harpie's Brothers coming out from behind several rocks. "Looks like you were right, chief," one of them said, "We followed Raiza and the human and just like you said, the Dragunities took them in."

"Of course I was right." A shirtless bird man stepped out into full view. He was built like a Harpie with his talongs and his arms doubling as wings with feathers a mix of yellow and green tipped with red. However, he was nothing like the Harpies. "I am not called Swift Birdman Joe just for my speedy flying."

"Actually chief, that's EXACTLY why you're called Swift Birdman..." He never finished his sentence as Swift Birdman Joe swung his arm at him and left two deep gashes in the Harpie's Brother's throat with his talons.

"Anyone else wanna argue with me?" he asked. The others shook their heads vigorously. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Now let's go!" Swift Birdman Joe flapped his wings and took off with his flock of Harpie's Brothers close behind him.

o o o

The seal was tucked away in a crevice in the side of one of the cliffs. Wedged into the alcove was a large circular stone approximately one meter in diameter. Fragments of black crystal lay strewn all over and around it. Saito got off Gae Bulg's mount and had gone over to inspect them. "This is definitely the seal," Raiza noted.

"Now we just need that Rose Card to reseal it, just like the old woman said," Saito replied remembering Rena's words.

"You see? He does not even have the item to prove his alignment with the White Rose!" Barcha cried, "He must leave!"

"Now hold on." The blue knight known as Dragunity Knight - Trident came forth and barred the way of Barcha with his weapon. "The boy has only just arrived. Let us first see what he will do." Barcha grumbled incoherently, but nodded as he gave his blessing for Saito to continue his inspection. "Please continue, young man." Saito nodded in response and examined the seal. Even though he was not in tune with the forces and magics of Ardent like those who now stood around him, he could still sense a great evil leaking from the broken crystal. He remembered feeling this presence last year. He hadn't noticed it then, but he could sense it during his duel with Roman.

Saito clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white. Roman, once one of his father's trusted board members. But he was a man consumed by greed and he had never once trusted him. The events of the Duel Royale tournament at Duelist Kingdom last year had confirmed all of Saito's suspicions about the man. What haunted him the most, though, was his duel against him. He could remember it clearly, and yet he somehow felt that it was not meant to be that way. That perhaps the outcome of the game had turned out differently. He remembered what Rena had told him about it and he could not help but ponder on it endlessly.

Saito's thoughts were interrupted by noises of screeching and roaring. He looked up to see an entire flock of Harpie's Brothers descending on the valley. Barcha was looking at him and he was not pleased. "You brought them here! You allowed the Sky Lord's forces to invade out home!"

"That is not true!" Raiza exclaimed, "The young Kaiba was not responsible for this invasion I assure you!"

"You shall be dealt with later," Barcha said before turning to the other members of the clan, "Dragunity Clan assemble. Charge!"

"Destroy them!" Swift Birdman Joe screeched as he pointed holding a Gust Fan. The Harpie's Brothers swept down on the Dragon Ravine like locusts. The Dragunity Clan fought against them united as one. Raiza stepped forward.

"Get behind me," he ordered Saito. The teen nodded and backed himself into the crevice in which the seal had been tucked. Raiza's cape blew in the wind as the Storm Monarch conjured up a mighty whirlwind and then unleashed it on the Winged Beasts who had attacked. Many Harpie's Brothers were blown away and the spell had caught the attention of their leader.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Raiza."

"Stand down, Joe! You do not belong here!" Raiza bellowed.

"You know this man?" asked Trident.

"He was once the captain of my guards," Raiza explained, "before the Sky Lord came."

"I certainly had more fun serving the Sky Lord than you," Swift Birdman Joe sneered, "You never did allow me to kill. The Sky Lord has no qualms over taking lives. I'm free to kill any who stand in my way!"

"You disgust me." Saito commandeered a Dragunity Darkspear and rode him up to a clifftop where he dismounted and stood level with Swift Birdman Joe. "Is your desire for blood so great that it's become your pride?"

"Of course! I pride myself on nothing more than killing!" Swift Birdman Joe shouted proudly.

"Then what do you say we put that pride on the line?" asked Saito as he activated his Duel Disk.

"You? A human? Challenge me?" Swift Birdman Joe laughed. "You must be joking? I could slaughter you in an instant!"

"Are you _chicken_?" Saito asked, obviously taunting him. Sure enough, it worked.

"You're comparing me to those things! You are so dead!" Swift Birdman Joe landed on a clifftop opposite Saito. He opened up his Gust Fan with one flip of his wrist and attached it to his left arm.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 8000

**Swift Birdman Joe:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

Saito drew first. After a quick examination of his hand, he nodded and made his move. "I'll open up with Future Fusion. Now by sending Fusion Materal monsters from my deck to my graveyard, I can summon a Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck in two turns. I'll send two Dragunity Brandistocks, two Dragunity Phalanxes, and Dragunity Corsesca. Now in two turns, I can summon Five God Dragon."

"Using our kind to summon that beast?" Barcha was disgusted.

"Don't be so quick to judge the boy," Gae Bulg answered.

"We shall see," Leyvaten snarled.

"Now I summon Dragunity Aklys." A slender red dragon with its wings on its head along with a large spear appeared on the field (ATK/1000 DEF/800). "When Dragunity Aklys is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one Dragunit Winged Beast from my hand and equip him to it. So I'll Special Summon Dragunity Tribus in defense mode." A bird man with white wings armed with pouches full of feather-shaped throwing knives appeared (ATK/500 DEF/300) and mounted Dragunity Aklys. "When Dragunity Tribus is Normal or Special Summoned, his effect allows me to send one level three or lower Dragon from my deck to my graveyard. I'll choose Dragunity Javelin." Once he placed the card in his graveyard, he placed one card facedown. "Your move."

"I draw!" With his deck hidden among his feathers, Swift Birdman Joe drew his first card. "And I'll set one monster and end my turn."

"That's disappointing. I expected more from a servant of the Sky Lord," Saito said as he drew, "I summon Dragunity Pilum." A green dragon in black armor with a long spearhead on its head appeared on the field (ATK/1400 DEF/1000). "With Pilum's effect, I can Special Summon one Dragunity Winged Beast from my deck and equip it with him. So I'll bring out Dragunity Militum." A bird woman armed with a sword in one hand and a dagger in the other flew onto the field (ATK/1700 DEF/1200) and mounted Dragunity Pilum.

"Now we attack. First, Dragunity Militum. When a monster is equipped with Dragunity Pilum, that monster can attack directly. However, the battle damage is halved." Saito pointed at his opponent. "Dragunity Militum, attack Swift Birdman Joe!" Dragunity Pilum took off and flew past the one facedown monster. Once it was over its target, it flew straight down and stabbed Swift Birdman Joe with its horn before Dragunity Militum slashed him with her sword.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 8000

**Swift Birdman Joe:** 7150

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now on my second Main Phase, I use the effect of Dragunity Militum and Special Summon Dragunity Pilum to the field." On Saito's orders, Dragunity Militum lept off Dragunity Pilum's back and stood at attention as the dragon came up beside her. "I now tune Dragunity Pilum to Dragunity Militum." The dragon's body faded away until three stars remained, which turned into synchro rings and surrounded Dragunity Militum. Her body slowly faded away until four stars hovered where she once stood and a beam of light engulfed them.

"When Winged Beasts and Dragons unite in equality, a new power is born. Synchro Summon! Unite, Dragunity Knight - Trident!" Winds churned up as the light vanished and from where it once shined was a bird man in blue armor holding a trident riding a large black dragon in matching armor with a helmet that was equipped with two sharp prongs on the sides and one sharp spear on its nose, giving it the appearance of a trident (ATK/2400 DEF/1700).

"That will end my turn," Saito announced.

Swift Birdman Joe drew his card. "Whether you attacked my monster or not would have made no difference. But by not attacking it, you've given me an upper hand. I Flip Summon Tornado Bird!" He flipped his card over and brought out a red bird with many eyes and multicolored feathers (ATK/1100 DEF/1000). "With Tornado Bird's Flip Effect, I can send two Spell or Trap Cards back to the hand. And for this I shall choose your Future Fusion and Dragunity Aklys." Tornado Bird flapped its wings and a powerful cyclone whipped up that forced Dragunity Tribus off Dragunity Aklys' back and forced the dragon back to Saito's hand along with Future Fusion, thus nullifying the summoning of the teen's ultimate monster.

"Now I sacrifice Tornado Bird in order to summon myself!"

"Himself?" Angusticlavii gasped.

Instead of summoning a copy of himself to the field, Swift Birdman Joe simply vanished from the cliff and reappeared on the field (ATK/2300 DEF/1400). "It's been a while since I got to do my own dirty work. But there's always a little satisfaction in doing it myself. And since I got summoned by sacrificing a Wind Monster, I can blow all Spells and Traps on the field back to the hand!" The birdman cried as he flapped his wings and a strong gale blew Saito's facedown back into his hand. "Now since I'm here, I'm gonna equip myself with my Gust Fan. It'll boost my attack power by four hundred, by lower my defenses by two hundred." A fancy frilly fan appeared and Swift Birdman Joe grabbed it, raising his attack power to twenty-seven hundred but dropping his defense to twelve hundred points. He fanned himself for a bit before taking a card and placing it on the fan attached to his left arm.

"But I'm not done. I play Double Summon and now I'll summon Sonic Shooter." A strong blue and grey birdman appeared and flapped his wings as he appeared next to his captain (ATK/1300 DEF/600) "Now I'll boost him up with Rush Recklessly." Sonic Shooter's attack points shot up by seven hundred points to a total of an even two thousand.

"First, Sonic Shooter attacks! Since you have no cards in your backfield, he can attack directly! Go, Sonic Shooter! Sonic Shot!" Sonic Shooter shot past Saito's front line and slammed his talons into him.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 6000

**Swift Birdman Joe:** 7150

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"And here's the best part. If Sonic Shooter deals battle damage this way, that battle damage becomes his original attack."

"So that means Sonic Shooter stays at two thousand," Saito summed up.

"That means Sonic Shooter stays at two thousand!" Swift Birdman Joe screeched before he realized that he did not get his chance to interrupt his opponent. "Oh. Ahem, anyway, yeah. My turn!" He flapped his wings and soared over to Dragunity Knight - Trident. "Nighty-night, big guy!" He slammed his foot down and his talons sank deep into the dragon's eyes, causing it to roar in pain. He then leapt onto the beast's back and kicked down the knight before grabbing his trident and stabbing him in the chest. He pulled the weapon out and flew back toward his spot, but not before thrusting the polearm into the dragon's throat.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 5700

**Swift Birdman Joe:** 7150

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I'm gonna end off with a facedown." Swift Birdman Joe placed a card facedown on his Duel Disk fan and the same card appeared behind him. "Your go."

Saito drew his next card without a word. As things stood now, Dragunity Aklys was the only monster had protecting him and it wasn't much of a defender. It wasn't going to be of any help to him. As he looked at his hand, however, a solution came to him. "I play Cards of Consonance. First I discard one Dragon Tuner with one thousand or less attack points and then I draw two cards." He discarded Dragunity Aklys and drew two cards. Now things were set.

"I sacrifice Dragunity Tribus in order to Special Summon Dragunity Arma Mystletainn." The birdman vanished and in his place the yellow four-winged dragon appeared wielding a large sword (ATK/2100 DEF/1500). "When Dragunity Arma Mystletainn is Normal or Special Summoned, I can equip him with one Dragunity Dragon from my graveyard. For this task, I have chosen Dragunity Aklys." The small red dragon appeared and perched itself on the shoulder of Dragunity Arma Mystletainn. "Now attack Sonic Shooter!" Dragunity Arma Mystletainn roared as he charged and swung his blade. His sword cut off both of Sonic Shooter's wings before slicing his body in half.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 5700

**Swift Birdman Joe:** 7050

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now on my second Main Phase, I play Future Fusion. And this time I'm sending to my graveyard my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons." His deck spat out his cards and Saito fed them into his graveyard before his Duel Disk reshuffled his deck. Swift Birdman Joe's brow furrowed at this. He had stopped the summoning of the Five God Dragon, but now his opponent was pulling out another powerful monster. And with no cards in his hand, he was not sure if he would be able to fend off such a powerful monster.

"I end my turn," announced Saito.

Swift Birdman Joe drew his card. Anything that could help save him, he would use it. He drew a monster. It wasn't much right now, but it could prove useful down the road. "I summon Harpie's Brother!" The red-winged birdman that served as the bulk of his henchmen appeared on his field brandishing his fiendish claws (ATK/1800 DEF/600). "Now I'll attack Dragunity Arma Mystletainn!" He flew across the field and slashed the yellow dragon across the throat with his talons. It did not kill him, but it stunned him long enough for Swift Birdman Joe to break his arm and grab his sword before taking it and stabbing it through the chest of Dragunity Arma Mystletainn.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 5100

**Swift Birdman Joe:** 7050

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"You've just activated the effect of Dragunity Aklys," Saito stated," When he's destroyed while treated as an equip card, I can destroy one card card on the field. And I choose you, Birdman Joe."

"I thought as much, but I came prepared!" Swift Birdman Joe revealed his facedown. "I activate Compulsory Evacuation Device! I'm outta here!" He flew into the device that appeared and was swiftly ejected from the field, returning once more to the cliff. "Ha, but now your field is empty. Harpie's Brother, do the honors." Harpie's Brother flew in and slashed Saito with his blades.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 3300

**Swift Birdman Joe:** 7050

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I'm done now," announced Swift Birdman Joe.

Saito drew his card. One more round until his Future Fusion kicked in. Now was the time to attack and he had the perfect plan. "I summon Dragunity Dux!" A birdman wielding a cat of nine tails appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/1000). "Now with his effect, I equip him with Dragunity Phalanx from my graveyard." The small blue dragon in bronze armor appeared and was quickly mounted by Dragunity Dux. "And with Dux's second effect, he gains two hundred attack points for every Dragunity card I control. That means four hundred extra attack points." Dragunity Dux cracked his weapon as his attack power rose to nineteen hundred. "Next I use the effect of Phalanx and summon him." Dragunity Dux jumped off Dragunity Phalanx's back and the dragon stepped forward onto the front lines (ATK/500 DEF/1100). "Now I tune them together!" Two synchro rings from Dragunity Phalanx surrounded Dragunity Dux and turned his body into four shining stars before a beam of light engulfed them.

"When Winged Beasts and Dragons unite in equality, a new power is born. Synchro Summon! Unite, Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana!" The bright red Dragunity Knight appeared wielding his spear and riding his dragon in matching armor (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). "Now with his effect, I equip him with Dragunity Javelin, not that it'll be staying long." A yellow armored dragon appeared on the dragon's back and sat at the birdman's feet. "Now I detach the equipped card to double Vajrayana's attack power." Saito sent his card back to the graveyard and his monster rose up to thirty-eight hundred atttack points.

"Attack Harpie's Brother!" Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana charged and as he neared his target, he held his spear out like a jousting lance and impaled it through the birdman's chest.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 3300

**Swift Birdman Joe:** 5050

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," announced Saito. At that instant, Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana returned to his original nineteen hundred attack points.

Swift Birdman Joe drew his next card and set it before ending his turn. There was little else he could do.

Back to Saito now and as he drew, he smiled widely as a vortex appeared overhead and from its deepest reaches emerged his three-headed beast, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (ATK/4500 DEF/3800). "Dragunity Knight- Vajrayana, attack!" Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana did as he was told and flew over to Swift Birdman Joe's facedown card. He stabbed it with his spear and revealed it be nothing more than a mere Winged Rhynos (ATK/1800 DEF/500). "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, blast him! Ultimate Burst!" Each head powered up a Burst Stream of Destruction and then they fired at once. Their streams spiraled together into a single concentrated blast that hit Swift Birdman Joe with full force.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 3300

**Swift Birdman Joe:** 550

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"That ends my turn," Saito declared.

"My move." Swift Birdman Joe drew his card and then laughed. "Oh how perfect is THIS? I play Monster Reborn and resurrect Harpie's Brother." Harpie's Brother returned to the field. "Now I sack him and summon myself again!" Once again, the birdman vanished from the cliff and reappeared on the field taking his other monster's place. "And you know what that means. I tributed a Wind monster so my special ability kicks in!" He flapped his wings and unleashed a powerful wind that blew Future Fusion into Saito's hand. As soon as it was gone, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon let out a dying roar and collapsed.

"Now for that nuisance!" Swift Birdman Joe flew in and slashed Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana with his talons. He didn't do anything fancy or impressively. His kill was quick as he wanted to get rid of that creature from his opponent's field.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 2900

**Swift Birdman Joe:** 550

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Your beast is gone! And you think you can defeat me?"

"The duel is not done until the last card is played." Saito drew his next card. Nothing. He ended his turn.

"You were saying?" Swift Birdman Joe drew and set his card in his backfield before launching himself at Saito. "I've been wanting to do this all day." He slashed Saito across the chest with his talons.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 600

**Swift Birdman Joe:** 550

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"NO!" Raiza called out as Saito collapsed. The young Kaiba had his hand pressed against his wound. Fresh blood could be seen pouring out and running past his fingers. The Storm Monarch turned to the nearest member of the Dragunity Clan. "Get him a Red Potion quickly!" The clan member nodded in acknowledgement and flew off.

"This duel is lost! I win!" Swift Birdman Joe yelled triumphantly.

"Not...yet..." Saito drew his card. "We're not...done...yet..." Doing everything to bear the pain, he made his move. "I summon Dragunity Dux." A second Dragunity Dux appeared before him. "And I'll use his effect to equip him with Phalanx." The bronze-armored dragon appeared once again and was mounted by the slave-driving birdman. "Now I remove Dragunity Dux from play to Special Summon Dragunity Arma Leyvaten!" As Dragunity Dux vanished and his mount flying off into the graveyard, the great orange four-winged dragon appeared brandishing his enormous sword (ATK/2600 DEF/1200). "And upon his summoning, I can equip him with any Dragon from my graveyard. I choose the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon." Dragunity Arma Leyvaten's sword began to glow white and the blade suddenly split into three.

"Attack!"

"Not happening!" cackled Swift Birdman Joe. "Ever hear of Mirror Force?" A reflective barrier appeared in front of him as Dragunity Arma Leyvatan swung his sword and sent three waves of white light toward his enemy. They reflected off the barrier and shot back toward him resulting in his immediate death. "HA! Poor planning and it cost you."

"Not at all. I knew you had a Trap Card planned to stop my attack. That's why I summoned Leyvaten." Saito explained his strategy. "You see, when Dragunity Arma Leyvaten is sent to the graveyard by my opponent's card effect, I can resurrect one of the dragons that was equipped to him."

"Wait, so you mean...?"

"That's right." Saito raised his hand over his head and the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon returned from the grave.

"W-wait! Let's...let's talk this out!" pleaded Swift Birdman Joe.

"You're begging for your life at this time?" Saito looked up at all those who were watching including the Dragunity Clan and his opponent's own flock of Harpie's Brothers. "You come here with the intent of destroying this land and you expect forgiveness? Oh no. No, no, no. This is not something you can be forgiven for. It's time to pay the price for your sins." The Harpie's Brothers who had been watching were now scared and all suddenly started to flee.

"Come back here you cowards!" yelled Swift Birdman Joe. He tried to fly after them, but found he was bound to the duel as a monster on the field.

"Your men have abandoned you. They know what fate awaits you. It's time for you to accept it." Saito held up his right hand and his forearm started to glow with a white light.

"What is that?" asked Gae Bulg.

"Could it be?" Raiza wanted to believe it was true.

Saito brought his arm down and pulled back his sleeve. He could see the white light taking the shape of a rose on his skin.

"The Mark of the White Rose," Barcha realized, "He IS the one in the prophecy."

Saito looked at Swift Birdman Joe and simply just pointed. "Kill him." The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon opened its mouths and unleashed its fury upon the birdman.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Saito:** 600

**Swift Birdman Joe:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––––

A single white light floated where Swift Birdman Joe once hovered. It flew over to Saito and burst, revealing a small card. Its border was white and emblazoned in the center was the image of a white rose.

"It was said that a Crusader, a Vanguard, and six Knights hailed from each order of the Rose and their marks would determine their rank." Raiza looked at Saito. "Your mark is upon your right forearm. Saito Kaiba, you are the Crusader of the White Rose." The Dragunity Clan suddenly knelt before him.

"At long last, the Crusader has come," said Trident.

"We have waited for you for ages," Legionnaire added.

"We shall follow your lead in the fight against the Sky Lord," Leyvaten swore.

Saito looked at the card and then out to the Ravine. "First things first."

A short flight later, Saito returned to the broken seal. Raiza watched as he brought up the White Rose Card and held it over the crystal fragments. They slowly began to glow and then ever so gently began to rise. The shards circled around Saito as they began to slowly reassemble themselves. When the last piece had been replaced, the entire crystal shined and was transformed into a white crystal.

"The seal has been restored!" Saito announced.

"The UnGod's power should now be weakened!" Raiza cried out.

"Now, members of the Dragunity Clan! As the Crusader of the White Rose, you shall follow me as we storm the temple in the Mist Valley and take back this land from the Sky Lord."

The Dragunity Knights formed ranks in front of Saito facing each other and crossed their weapons to form an archway. "We shall stand at your side!" Barcha called out. The Dragunity Winged Beasts then landed on the cliffs and knelt. The dragons followed suit and the Dragunity Arma knelt down with their hands upon the pommels of their swords.

"Prepare yourself and get ready to move out," ordered Saito, "We must go to arms at once!" The resounding response he got was most reassuring and the clan dispersed to make preparations.

"You sounded like a true Monarch there," Raiza complimented the young Duelist.

"The Dragunity are too obsessed with equality and unity. They need a qualified leader." Saito turned to Raiza. "Someone like me." He turned and then started walking away.

"You truly are your father's son," the Storm Monarch muttered.

o o o

It was night, and Reko and Reka had made it out of the forests, now in a large windswept grassland laden with stone and grass, an odd tree or two to shatter the sea of green. The twins had made camp for the night, and Reko had a small pot boiling on the fire, the warm glow flickering off of the boot knife Reka carried with her on her travels. The tool was in Reko's hands, who was carving something from a large length of wood from the forest. Reka laid on a bedroll, using her longcoat as a pillow. He pulled off the breastplate from under her brothers t-shirt of butterfly imagery and laid it next to her, the futuristic metal gleaning in the moonlight overhead.

"Say Reko...food done yet?"

The scraping of blade against wood ceased for a moment, "Uh...hold on sister," she heard heavy boot steps against the earth, then a clanging noise and Reko coughing, "Holy hell that is...not expected."

"Gamey?" Reka asked while her arms her crossed behind her head, her brother poured some of the stew in a metal cup and sat down next to her, the red rose marking on his right arm blending with the soil and grime of battle into near obscurity. A second one was placed at Reka's side, the shirtless man grinning as his wild lavender hair made him look like some kind of savage in the fields, "Blade Rabbit Stew, eat up."

Reka curiously sniffed it and gnawed on the meat. She then sipped the stew itself and furrowed her brow, "Reks, what is this?"

"A Blade Rabbit I clobbered with a large stone and killed, plus some roots and tubers I found while digging while you got a campfire set up. And potatoes. At least...they may be potatoes. I know jack about Ardent plantlife. Found some leaves that didn't look too bad either so I threw them in too. It's...earthy, I know. I figured eat this while we can, and use rations and the like when we're in say...some kind of vast hellhole," Reko then gingerly ate at the stew, "I gotta say though...it's not...not mom's cooking."

Reka grimly looked at Reko, holding up the cup, "It's very...woodsy...and chewy..."

She was nearly overjoyed when Reko slid over a waterskin to her, "You enjoy that," he sat the cup to one side and lifted up a crescent shaped piece of wood that he began to finish carving. Looking over at Reko's bedroll she saw the the teeth of the Blade Rabbit were smashed between two rocks, and the sharp shards were affixed with sinew to shafts of wood, nearly thirty of them with red fletching. A long piece of sinew was lying next to Reko's leg, and she noticed that blood and flecks of gore were stuck to his hands.

"Uh...Reko. You do know you're looking a little like a barbarian, right?"

Reko smirked, "Yeah...I know. Sorry about that. Shirt was trashed after the combined 'A ninja smashed by face into the ground and Sky Lord wanted to go apeshit on me' act. A few of the minions in the Gusta's Temple kindly destroyed my shirt. Good thing it was just the plain ones I use to fix my Runner. Jeans and these boots are stupid durable though. High five for Georgia Boots, huh?"

"Where is the Runner anyway?"

Reko coughed loudly and whittled out his bow faster, "You don't want to know."

Reka sighed at sat up, bringing her knees in close, "No...I suppose I don't. It's wrecked."

"Oh yeah."

"I hate you."

They both giggled for a second before Reko wiped the blade off on his pant leg, "Alrighty, we mourn the loss of dad's Runner later. I'll heat up that bow and that sinew there will make a damn good string. All this abuse I've been getting though, I'm all filthy cause of it, I'm...I'm not a fan."

"Ha, you baby. In all seriousness though, I'm thinking there's a stream or something near the dip into Mist Valley, sure you can clean up there, brother."

Reko laid his new implement next to the flickering flames as they shared a small silence together, "That's a relief, couldn't stand looking like this for awhile. Say Reka..."

"Hm?"

Reko was still looking at the glittering stars above them, "Who broke the seal in Dragon Ravine? Didn't you guys anywhere along the line feel that it wasn't a good idea...?"

Reka was quiet for quite some time afterwards, getting Reko to nudge her shoulder a few times, "I'll ask a different one. Didn't you feel a bit odd when Endymion was mentioned? Yae softened right up, why is that?"

The Telaris sister put a hand to her mouth in thought, looking at the grass the tiny insects on the tops of grass blades, "It's the ruling force of Ardent. Anytime Endymion is mentioned, people listen. They command the highest amount of respect in Ardent, and they are utterly and wholly corrupted by the UnGod's influence."

Reko was puzzled, standing up as he rummaged through his bag and pulled out a small pile of what looked to be clothing made from rough cloth. He was apparently thorough in picking the armory clean in the time he had, even though it was mostly a place of quiet worship for the Gusto, the direct spiritual followers of the Monarch of Storms, "Well, one. That blows. Two, I thought the Monarchs held power in Ardent. Like, they were the freaking bosses of everything."

"Well, yeah. you would think that," Genex controller whirred, and Reka rummaged in her bag for a strange satellite looking dish and started wiring it to her spirit, "The Monarchs created Ardent though, as a refuge from the catastrophes of Terra. We Humans are at best a very violent and warmongering species, it's evident all throughout the history books. This however is a refuge from such things, battles happened, but it was more or not a utopia compared to back home. Hell even the Humans on Ardent don't call themselves human, I think the term was Ardenian. 'Human' and 'Terran' are fearful words here."

Reko gave a laugh, drinking for the same waterskin he gave his sister, "You have a real knack that never went away you know? Ranting and completely going off base. The Monarchs, they aren't the kings of the castle?"

Reka noticed that she was rambling again, blushing in embarrassment and coughing, her controller making an eeping noise as Reka tightened a screw, "Can't say they are Reko. Think of them as silent watchmen. They have attendants and a few may have heard about them, but most stay behind the scenes, watching each of the creations play out. Endymion soon took over when the Monarchs went into seclusion, and act as more or less the leading kingdom. More or less, they are looked at as Deities than actual rulers by most."

Reko stifled a yawn, looking over to the machine who was now happily chirping with a satellite dish on its head, "The seal in Dragon Ravine, you say you didn't make it there. Who broke it?"

"It was one of the first ones we broke, I'd say the fourth. Amadis went alone, holding her rosary and her bible, cards at her side. She told me that she quickly befriended the Dragunities and after some time and effort she found the seal, a sickly black crystal bound to a stone in a niche on the cliffsides. She broke it, and said the the darkness plaguing Ardent would be healed. They even thanked her for her respect and kindness in the matter..."

Reko let a smirk grace his face, "Seems like a good story, the student seemed to had found it. What afterwards?"

"Mist Valley, found you. Found a corrupted Raiza and...wait. You were a bird."

"I told you Raiza was kind of a dick then, only less of one now. Mist Valley was the deck I was using for awhile until recently, not sure why Raiza changed up the game."

Reka was thinking again as she pulled a small hand radio from another pouch and started to wire it to her Genex controller, the robot seeming not the mind at this point, "Mist Valley was Raiza's seat of power back then, correct?", Reko nodded and spurred Reka on, "That temple we found ourselves in, we found the seal under it at the foot of the mountain. When we broke it we had to flee due to all the odd happenings there."

"Like...what? I don't like where this going."

"Neither do I. Raiza when we first met him while he was commanded by the UnGod still mentioned the Court of the Skies."

Reko started to add Reka's thoughts in his mind, "Wait. Every court needs a leader, and it certainly wasn't the possessed Raiza."

"I know, did anything happen to you when you got the Mist Valley deck Reko?"

"Uh...yeah, actually. Mist Valley Thunderbird said I'm blessed by the Court of the Skies."

Reka banged on the side of Genex Controller a few times, who whirred and chirped as the satellite dish on his head started to spin, "Hmm. Reko, I think we fight be able to find out who this Sky Lord is if you remember the contents of the deck. That Mist Valley deck was given to you by the Court, and the Thunderbird? I think he was there to make sure you turned. You didn't though...you're still you."

Reko smiled again, shaking his head, "Yeah...I hope so. I miss just being a flirty amorous guy who helped mom at the cafe and raced. Those were fun times."

"That aside, anything in the deck that just didn't...set right?"

Reko thought, walking over to his bedroll, "I'll sleep on it. You should get some rest too."

Reka frowned, but understood what her brother was feeling, hers was a proud family that didn't enjoy the thought of manipulation. She wondered about her father, Reign, who must have felt the same trials they did. However Reign seemed to, from what she felt, do all his deeds alone and with little to no help. Had he have had allies and travellers with him on his journey through the past...would he have been turned? She herself had been deceived, and had it not for Mikomi and the hands of fate the UnGod would be walking Ardent right at this moment.

Reko went to sleep quickly, leaving his twin sister to mask their presence and maintain a silent watch with her Duel Spirit. Was it her presence that kept Reko from turning? Raiza's? Her eyes followed up his dirt covered arm to the red rose mark upon his bicep. Was it duty or a purpose, maybe a person that held Reko from becoming like Reign was?

She sat on a flat stone jutting ever so slightly from the earth, clicking onto the receiver of the hand radio before speaking, "Controller, try to pick up Milena."

The Controller whirred and chirped, before making loud static filled noises as a bold Russian voice came from the constructs mouth, "Is Milena. Using the Controller trick, da? Is good you're so useful. I miss having such ingenuity in unit."

Reka chuckled, "How are you doing, Big Sister."

Milena chuckled, "I am fine. We are currently scouring Vazrana for seals. Something on your mind sister?"

Reka looked over towards Reko, who was sleeping soundly, "When Mikomi told us not to break the seal on the island, what did you feel?"

"...is odd question to be asking me. Why?"

"I believe the UnGod could still be manipulating us somehow, through Endymion or something, but I still think my brother might be targeted, but why so strongly?"

"You want my military eye on situation, hm?"

"Of course."

"You are what Grandfather would have called, High Priority."

"So far the UnGod's forces have just tried to kill us, Duels, Ambushes, right out open conflict. Never outside of us realizing Endymion was utterly corrupted had I realized that we may be manipulated in more ways than one."

"Is understandable that he would specifically had gone out to target you and your brother. However, you have Saito and even the Storm Monarch to look over you yes? Things are good?"

"We parted ways after our escape from the temple, to split their attention and to find the seals faster. Reko and I are travelling to Mist Valley. Raiza and Saito to Dragon Ravine, where Amadis went."

"Hm...I think that was ill advised. No doubt UnGod will make you two do his bidding if he has his way. You are the children the Reign, The Duelist himself, the paragon of your entire house, the one who set in motion the entirety of your house. It may have lost Reign, but it sees the opportunity to gain fresher and more powerful stock then The Duelist who left its embrace."

"Reko is trying to recall the contacts of his old deck, the one the UnGod may have given him. We're thinking that it could help us find the identity of a Sky Lord."

"I must go, but I think you and he shall be alright. I hope you two come back to island safely, I enjoy your company. Depend on each other, if one of you falter, I believe I will have to strike down two new enemies."

Genex Controller looked up pleadingly as Reka dismantled the parts attached to him,. "You're a brave trooper, buddy. Thank you. I needed that, just to know how Milena or someone was doing. Good to know we'll be fine."

She looked out towards the very edge of the horizon, where mountain came up in such a degree they looked like a bed of needles, "We go into Mist Valley tomorrow... Let's hope we can restore these seals."

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The attack on Mist Valley begins. Reko and Reka have recruited the Ninjas and Saito has recruited the Dragunity Clan. With their forces united, they begin their assault. But one man stands in their way. The Sky Lord's majordomo: Alector, Sovereign of Birds. The final battle for Paslie begins next Friday on_ Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	140. Mist Valley

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-53**

**Mist Valley**

Reko sat on a flat stone within their campsite that evening, in the dead of night Reka and Reko had treated their excursion like an old camping trip their parents took them on from time to time since they were little. They used to pretend they were knights and wizards, trading shifts through the night to keep a sharp eyes on their resting mother and father. As his blue eyes rested upon the body of his twin sister, he felt those stories come to life in a new light, one that he wished honestly didn't have to end with more people being killed.

The silvery moonlight highlighted the dull sheen Reko had made his hair, rubbing it in with earth as well. He hated the feeling of making himself hard to find and more than especially grimy, but as he tested the pull on his new bow from the large Blade Rabbit earlier and wood from the Forest of Gales, he had admit he felt his talents surging up again. He affixed a long tuft of tail fur, the last of the animal he could think of using to the bow top. The wind danced across it, and as he witnessed it he smiled at the clever application of it, a guide so he'd know where the wind was blowing when he drew a shot. He wore the armor he lugged in his bag on his person now, finally having time to ready it. It wasn't much, a breastplate of hardened and mottled leather, and a single leather glove with leg guards. Admiring his appearance while pulling a brown cloak over him, he looked almost like one the Gusto priests himself.

Loading the precious arrows he crafted into a handy quiver taken from the armory he raided, he stood over Reka and rested his hand over her forehead.

"I'll be gone for a little bit...I might make a mess."

He figured the Valley would not be tell protected as well at night, one man with the element of surprise, camouflage and a decent aim could make things chaotic. He looked at the blood red gauntlet on his right hand that reinforced his forearm, and the ancient power used by his family for generations. As he stepped out to leave, he felt an odd stirring in the wind, as if it suddenly shifted of its own will. He felt the currents direction heading towards the valley. He couldn't explain it as he made his way towards Mist Valley alone, but it felt as if the entire Valley was expecting him.

In the back of his mind, he figured this was one hell of a homecoming. He stopped mid-step looking back at his sister and crouching next to her, bow at the ready. He knew what was going on. He wouldn't go, watching the faintest glimmer of dawn peer over the horizon, he nudged Reka softly with the back of Legacy. She slowly opened her eyes, to see Reko combat ready and looking down at her, "C'mon and get your things, travel light. We're going to make this right."

She smiled, and took his hand in hers. Both of them entered Mist Valley as one, ready for whatever came at them and swift to meet the others.

o o o

Armed Dragons stood at attention around the perimeter of Raiza's palace. Each one of them was poised and ready to attack anything that approached. Saito stood at the edge of a mountaintop forest looking through an Ancient Telescope examining the situation. To blindly storm into the Sky Lord's fortress would be suicide. They needed a solid plan if they were going to complete a successful raid on the palace. He was riding on Dragunity Knight - Barcha's mount with the birdman while the rest of the Dragunity Clan followed behind them. Raiza was travelling alongside them in a tornado that he had conjured up around himself.

"So the other seal is at the base of the mountain where your palace stands?" asked Saito.

"Correct. It was used as a beacon for those residents of Paslie who could not fly. It shined into the sky at night and up and those creatures who would find it would know then that they were close to the palace," Raiza answered.

"Makes sense," Saito said, "How far until the rendezvous point?"

"We should be approaching in roughly fifteen minutes," the Storm Monarch replied.

"What is our battle plan?" Barcha asked.

"Our first priority will be the seal. It'll undoubtedly be heavily guarded. The Sky Lord isn't going to make it easy to get to. However, we could divert his force elsewhere so that we'd have less resistance," said Saito.

"What did you have in mind?" the green knight inquired.

"A diversion?" Raiza asked.

Saito nodded. "A large diversion. While we use the brunt of our forces in a frontal attack, we can send in a small strike force to handle the seal."

"The Sky Lord would never fall for it," Gae Bulg pointed out.

"He's right," Barcha agreed, "The Sky Lord sees all in Paslie."

"And what if the Sky Lord himself emerges while we're attacking?" asked Tribus as he flew ahead, "I have no desire to be indoctrinated."

Saito looked at Barcha. "What does he mean by indoctrinated?"

"Nobody's seen it yet, but it's rumored that the Sky Lord possesses a power called the Indoctrination of the Vortex," Barcha explained, "Supposedly, any who fall to this spell becomes a slave to the Sky Lord stripped of their free will."

"If it's true, then we'll just have to look out for it." Saito pointed forward and the Dragunity Clan continued on to the rendezvous point. He continued to peer through his Ancient Telescope and zoomed in closer on the temple. The building was illuminated by Horns of Light stuck against the walls like torch sconces. Winged Beasts patrolled around the perimeter, guarding the temple like the hawks they were. Even if could clear the seal and reseal it, there was still no way they could go inside the fight the Sky Lord.

"We're approaching the rendezvous point," Raiza reported.

o o o

Reko and Reka were awoken from their silent walk within the mountains by the sounds of wings flapping. At first they thought they were under attack, but then they realized that it was not only the sound of feathered bird wings but also the sound of leathery reptilian wings. They looked up to see Raiza land and soon an whole army of birdmen and dragons landed behind him. The largest of them, a dragon in green armor carrying a birdman in matching armor, lowered itself and Saito dismounted.

"Saito! You did it!" Reko exclaimed.

"I did. And I repaired one of the seals," Saito replied.

"How?" Reka asked.

"Was grandma right about you?" Reko further questioned. Saito answered by showing the twins his right forearm.

"Now is not the time, though. Did you succeed in your mission?"

"We totally did," Reko answered. He clapped his hands and Goe Goe, Yae, and Sasuke suddenly appeared behind him.

"That's it?" Saito asked disbelievingly. The Sasuke Samurai then joined them. He was still not impressed.

"It will have to do," Raiza said as he stepped forward, "The Sky Lord controls most of Paslie. This was all who were willing to stand against him."

"Let's discuss the attack plan then," Reka suggested.

Using a stick, the three humans drew a map with the help of Raiza. Once again, their cards served as markers for troops. "The Dragunity Clan is our largest force," Saito said, "They can provide our distraction. I will lead that charge against the temple. We'll have to be careful of the Armed Dragons. Their Genocide Cutters are deadly."

"Meanwhile, the Ninjas and I can sneak into the Mist Valley, find the seal, and seal it back up," Reko continued from where Saito left off.

"You'll undoubtedly encounter resistance along the way," Saito noted as he brought a few rocks representing enemies around Reko's card.

"Leave them to us," Sasuke assured him.

"Once you've restored the seal, rejoin us and we'll take the Sky Lord together." Saito tapped one of Tribus' knives, which had been stuck into the ground to represent the seal.

"What is my role in all of this?" Raiza inquired.

"The Sky Lord wants you most of all," Saito continued, "We can't draw him out just yet. Once Reko and the Ninjas rejoin us, you will move to the front lines. Hopefully, that will lure him out."

"And when that happens, I'm gonna be there," Reko said.

"Except for one thing, Reko. Your deck is composed of the Sky Lord's troops," Reka pointed out.

Reko took out his deck and looked at it. When he first received the deck, he had no idea that the Mist Valley were trying to convert him over to the side of evil. Holding it now made him sick. He stood up and walked toward the nearest cliff. He held out his cards, fanned them out, and relaxed his hold on them. The winds of the mountains blew them from his hands and he watched them fly away.

"That was a waste," Saito commented.

"Not at all," Raiza answered, "Reko was tied down by the Mist Valley. Now that he no longer posesses them, he is completely free of all influences of the UnGod. He can now truly fight for himself."

"He still doesn't have a deck," the Kaiba heir pointed out.

"Leave that to me." Raiza held up his hand and summoned a tornado into his palm. "I shall grant Reko command over my personal guard." Several green lights gathered together in the Storm Monarch's hand and formed into cards. When the wind died down, Raiza presented to Reko his brand new deck. "Use them well, Reko." Reko took the deck and looked at it and back at Raiza. Then he got up, walked over to the Storm Monarch, and held up his fist. Raiza realized the gesture as Reko did this motion to various students and patrons in Terra. With one motion, Raiza's gauntlet and Legecy touched as clenched fists, both of them chuckling at the humor of the action.

"Oh there's one more thing," Reka suddenly interjected. Reko nodded to Raiza and looked over to his sister, who walked over to some trees and pulled away a cover made from leaves and moss. Reko gasped, he took his ratty old bedroll and somehow made something luxurious with it.

"Get some sleep," Saito ordered," We attack soon."

o o o

The Mist Valley certainly lived up to its name. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, the deep valley was shrouded in a thick cloud of mist. Saito stood watching the view from the cliff where they had camped. Flanking him were Reko and Reka. As the sun slowly rose, its morning light bathed the cliff in its radiance, revealing their entire resistance army standing ready to engage. "Let the Sky Lord's rule over this land end on this day," declared Saito. He climbed onto a Cyber Falcon that Reka had managed to put together. Reko mounted onto the back of Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg while Yae, Sasuke, and Goe Goe each mounted Gae Bulg, Trident, and Vajrayana respectively. Reka nodded and then mounted her hastily assembled Gyroid.

Saito held a lance of a Dragunity Knight as he pointed forward. "Forward!" And with that, they took off.

The flight over Mist Valley proved to be very uneventful. Reko had time to look down and absorb the scenery below him. The Mist Valley was very beautiful from the sky. It was almost hard to believe that this was all under the UnGod's rule. "Approaching drop point," Reka reported. She looked at her brother. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Reko said.

"Strike team, drop now!" On Reka's cue, Reko, Sasuke, Yae, Goe Goe, and a small handful of Sasuke Samurai jumped and fell into the mist below.

"Here they come," Saito called out. Up ahead, clouds of creatures could be seen pouring out of the palace. Harpies, creatures of Mist Valley, and a wide assortment of birds and birdmen filled the sky. Saito pointed forward with his lance. "CHARGE!"

o o o

The fall was absolutely terrifying. Reko knew this was going to be something else, but he never expected it to be such an exhilarating scare. Sasuke sensed this and made motions toward Yae and Goe Goe. The two Ninjas nodded and executed the Grandmaster's orders. They moved closer to Reko and stabilized him. Once they reached an appropriate altitude, they deployed his parachute and leapt off before deploying their ninja kites. The entire group landed safely in the foggy Mist Valley.

"We must tread carefully," Sasuke warned, "In this mist, it is easy to get separated."

"Understood Grandmaster," Yae nodded.

"Got it," Goe Goe added. Together, the strike team started making their way through the Mist Valley. The walls were nothing but solid rock and the ground was but a thin layer of dirt covering more stone. There were few obstacles behind which the Ninjas could hide. The thought of using the mist as cover had crossed all their minds, but as they traversed this land it was more than likely that the inhabitants of this zone had developed means to cope with the fog, making them the hunters of this valley.

If Saito's plan worked, there should be nobody to stop them in the Mist Valley itself.

o o o

Luckily, the battle was taking place out of reach of the Armed Dragons' blades. Saito made extra sure not to push the enemy back too far lest they fall victim to the Genocide Cutters. He piloted his Cyber Falcon to avoid getting hit while also counter with its laser beams. The Dragunity Knights coordinated their attacks well. Their strategies thus far had been flawless. No matter how far apart they were, they always seemed to have one another's backs. Aklys bore through several birds while Militum flew on Brandistock's back cutting up her attackers rapidly, easily killing two at once. Leyvaten and Mystletainn cut through their ranks with their enormous blades.

"Keep them at bay, but don't push them back!" ordered Saito.

Meanwhile far off in the distance Raiza watched the fight. He did not like this. He wanted to be able to help, but he also knew that Saito was right. His presence would only provoke the Sky Lord to show up onto the battlefield and at this point that was not an option. All he could do now was wait.

o o o

Reko and the Ninjas finally succeeded in locating the seal. The circular stone was covered with black crystal fragments. "Hard to believe she could do this," he whispered as he stood on a raised stone looking at the remains of the seal.

"We were lucky we got here without any trouble," Goe Goe thought out loud.

"Don't be naive, Goe Goe," Yae chided.

"Enemies never make it this easy unless it's a trap," Sasuke added.

"How correct you are, Grandmaster!" a voice called out. A Yellow Luster Shield suddenly sealed off all the exits to the area as Alector descended down from above and landed on the remains of the seal.

"It's the Sky Lord's majordomo!" exclaimed Yae as she drew her sword.

"Alector, Sovereign of Birds." Sasuke readied his kunai as Goe Goe held his pipe.

"I had a feeling you would show up down here," Alector said as he stood up. He met his sight with Reko. "A pity you chose to defy us and go on your own path. You would have made such a fine warrior. Why do you continue to resist? You still have a chance. Join us now and the Sky Lord will place you at his right wing."

"Again, tempting. But it's totally not for me," Reko said, "So you can tell the Sky Lord that he can take his offer and..."

"Don't finish that sentence," Yae interrupted.

"I see." Alector shrugged. "I guess this means you and I can't be friends."

"No, guess not," Reko replied.

"Well then, I have no choice but to kill you." Alector spread his wings and held up his left arm. A few seconds later, a custom Duel Disk built to look like his armor fell from the sky and slid right onto his arm. His deck was already loaded as Reko activated his own Duel Disk, legacy pouring out a field of red energy.

"Duel!"

––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 8000

**Alector:** 8000

––––––––––––––

"You will regret turning down the Sky Lord's offer," Alector said as he took the first turn and drew his card. "I summon Mist Valley Falcon!" A birdman with matted brown wings appeared with a sword and a shield (ATK/2000 DEF/1200). Reko looked at his opponent with an open mouth.

"You threw the Sky Lord's offer away. You could have commanded the strongest army in Paslie."

"Strength doesn't just rely in one's forces," Reko responded, "It takes heart and unity."

"Well we'll see how your 'unity' holds up as I use the very army the Sky Lord granted you. Then we shall see what is truly more powerful. I activate Divine Wind of Mist Valley." Alector placed the card inside his field tray and a mystical golden wind started to blow through the battlefield. "And one facedown will bring my turn to an end."

Reko drew his card. "I'm going to set one monster and one facedown end my turn."

"Is that all?" Alector asked. "I'm deeply disappointed." He drew his card. "Well, no matter. I summon Mist Valley Thunderbird." A green bird with long tail feathers shaped like lightning bolts flew down and landed on the field (ATK/1100 DEF/700)."Now I'm going to return Thunderbird to my hand to Special Summon Mist Condor in attack mode." A powerful wind blew Mist Valley Thunderbird away and in its place a large blue bird appeared (ATK/1400 DEF/400). "Since Mist Condor was Special Summoned in this manner, his attack points will become seventeen hundred. And now for a double feature. First, when Mist Valley Thunderbird is sent back to my hand, he's Special Summoned back onto the field, but won't be unable to attack." He placed his card sideways on the field and Mist Valley Thunderbird reappeared with its wings folded over itself defensively.

"Now for my Field Spell. When a face-up Wind monster returns to my hand, I can Special Summon another one from my deck so long as it is level four or lower. I think a second Mist Valley Falcon should do the trick." A second Mist Valley Falcon appeared on the field much to Alector's pleasure.

"Now it's time to attack. First Mist Condor!" Mist Condor flew across the field and struck the target with its beak. The target turned out to be a white wolf with a saddle and an electrode on its head.

"You just attacked Gusto Thunwolf!" announced Reko.

"You wield Raiza's personal guard?" Alector exclaimed, "Falcon, attack. We mustn't let him win! And by your effect, I must return a card on my field to my hand. I'll choose Thunderbird." Thunderbird vanished and one of the Mist Valley Falcons flew forward and slashed Reko.

––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 6000

**Alector:** 8000

––––––––––––––

Mist Valley Thunderbird returned to the field by its own effect and the the effect of Divine Wind of Mist Valley kicked in allowing him to summon a second Mist Valley Thunderbird.

"Falcon two, attack!" Alector bounced the recently returned Mist Valley Thunderbird to his hand and watched as Mist Valley Falcon flew ahead and slashed Reko.

––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 4000

**Alector:** 8000

––––––––––––––

As Mist Valley Thunderbird reappeared, Alector turned to the one he had not sent back to his hand. "Attack." On his command, the other Mist Valley Thunderbird unleashed a strong electric blast from its tail.

––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 2900

**Alector:** 8000

––––––––––––––

"This duel has barely begun and already you are nearly dead," cackled Alector.

"Don't be too sure there," Reko said as he tried to catch his breath, smelling of ionised air. "I activate the effect of Gusto Thunbolt. By banishing one Gusto monster from my graveyard, I can Special Summon another one from my deck." He ejected Gusto Thunbolt from his Duel Disk and placed it in his pocket before his deck spat out a card. "I summon Caam, Serenity of Gusto!" A gentle woman with a long staff appeared on the field (ATK/1700 DEF/1100).

"One single monster won't defend you against my mighty troops," Alector cawed, "It's your move!"

"Before that, I activate my Trap Card, Needleworm Nest!" As Rekos' card effect resolved, his Duel Disk elected five cards from the top of his deck. "This card makes me mill five cards from my deck. Hella risky, what's what a duel without a little risk?" He placed those five cards in his graveyard and proceeded to draw.

"I'm gonna start my turn with Lightning Vortex and I'm gonna discard Gusto Grif to use it." As he placed his card into his graveyard, a torrent of lightning came raining down on the field and wiped out all of Alector's monsters. "And since Gusto Grif was just sent from my hand to the graveyard, his effect will allow me to Special Summon one Gusto monster from my deck. So I pick Gusto Gulldo!" A green bird wearing armor appeared on the field (ATK/500 DEF/500). "And I still got my Normal Summon. So how about a hand for Wynnda, Priestess of Gusto!" In a burst of wind, the former Wind Charmer appeared on the field and held her staff at the ready (ATK/1000 DEF/400). "Now I'm gonna use Caam's effect. By returning two Gustos from my graveyard to my deck, I can draw a card." Reko retrieved two Gusto monsters from his graveyard and placed them into his deck, which his Duel Disk automatically shuffled. When it was done, he drew a card. "Now I'm gonna tune Gusto Gulldo with Caam..." Gusto Gulldo faded into a trio of stars that turned into synchro rings and surrounded Caam, who turned into four stars and a bright light engulfed them.

"When the winds of hope blow across the battlefield, a new age comes forth. Synchro Summon! Soar, Daigusto Eguls!" A massive green bird erupted from the light and swooped down onto the field (ATK/2600 DEF/1800). "And when Gusto Gulldo goes to the graveyard, his effect lets me Special Summon a new level two Gusto from my deck. Such as another Wynnda." Two Wynndas now appeared on the field before Reko.

"I Overlay my two copies of Wynnda, Priestess of Gusto. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters! ...I think I said that right." The two Wynndas turned into beams of green light that spiraled into a vortex into space as it opened up. "Yep, I did. Exceed Summon! Daigusto Phoenix!" An orange bird with armor and a black head burning with bright green flames appeared and cried (ATK/1500 DEF/1100). Two green orbs of light seemed to orbit its body. "Now I'm gonna activate Daigusto Phoenix's effect. By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can target one Wind monster I control and that Wind monster can attack twice this turn. So here goes that power to Daigusto Eguls!" As Reko detached the card, Daigusto Phoenix ate one of the orbs of light. It cried again and flew over Daigusto Eguls before spreading its wings and bathing it in its flames.

"Daigusto Eguls, attack!" ordered Reko. Daigusto Eguls complied and unleashed a powerful gale with one flap of its wings.

"I activate a Trap!" declared Alector, "Defense Draw! With this, Battle Damage I take this attack becomes zero and I draw a card." A barrier erected itself around him as the wind attack came and struck the shield's surface. The Sovereign of Birds cackled to himself as he drew his card.

"He's still got another attack Alector," Reko reminded him, "And here it comes!" Daigusto Eguls flapped his wings again and another strong wind blew across the field and knocked back Alector.

––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 2900

**Alector:** 5400

––––––––––––––

"And now my Phoenix can attack! Roast him!" Reko watched enthusiastically as Daigusto Phoenix flew over to Alector and started flapping his wings to shower him with hot green fire.

––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 2900

**Alector:** 3900

––––––––––––––

"I'm gonna end it with two facedowns!" Reko set his cards and concluded his turn.

"I will not lose to a human of all things!" Alector squawked as he drew. "I play Monster Reborn and resurrect Mist Valley Thunderbird!" His familiar bird reappeared on the field and cried. "Now I summon Mist Valley Soldier!" A birdman in blue wielding a pair of daggers appeared (ATK/1700 DEF/300). "I tune Soldier to Thunderbird!" Mist Valley Soldier's body faded away until four stars were left. The stars turned into synchro rings and surrounded Mist Valley Thunderbird whose body turned into three stars. A beam of light then engulfed them both.

"Loyal soldiers of the Sky Lord will fight to the death so that his rule will be eternal. Synchro Summon! Strike down, Mist Valley Thunder Lord!" A giant green birdman with black wings emerged from the light swinging an enormous staff (ATK/2600 DEF/2400). "Destroy that damn Phoenix!" Mist Valley Thunder Lord raised his staff and fired a blast of lightning into the air. Storm clouds magically formed and shot that same lightning bolt back down, killing Daigusto Phoenix in one blow.

––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 1800

**Alector:** 3900

––––––––––––––

"I end my turn." Alector smiled in whatever way birds smiled at his triumph.

"Draw!" Reko drew his card.

"It's futile. Why do you continue to fight this losing battle?" asked Alector, "Surrender and I promise you shall stand by the Sky Lord in a much higher position than my own. You would be his herald, the liason between Ardent and Terra, imagine the authority and power!"

"Power's not what I'm after," Reko repeated, "I already got what I want and it's all right here." He placed his hand over his heart. "I've got friends who'll fight by my side. We look out for each other. That bond is stronger than any other power out there, you need to see that Alector! You can break his will!"

"Your friendship speech is touching, but meaningless." Alector flapped a wing. "Clearly the message has not gotten through to you."

"Or my message hasn't gotten through to you," Reko retorted. He looked at the field. He knew that Mist Valley Thunder Lord could boost his attack points so attacking it head-on with Daigusto Eguls would be suicide. There had to be another way. He examined his hand and his field and an idea came to him. "I activate a Trap Card, Blessing for Gusto. By returning two Gusto monsters from my graveyard to my deck, I can resurrect one Gusto monster." He returned Gusto Gulldo and one Wynnda, Priestess of Gusto to his deck and shuffled it and then resurrected Caam, Serenity of Gusto.

"And with Caam's effect, I shall return two more Gusto monsters to draw card." Reko gulped. He needed this draw to work. Otherwise he would not win this duel. Taking his other Wynnda and one more Gusto card from his graveyard, he reshuffled them into his deck and then took in a deep breath as he drew his new card.

"Yes! THAT is what I'm talking about! That's true luck there!" The lavender haired man was ecstatic. "I summon Gusto Falco!" A green armored falcon appeared on the field and flapped its wings excitedly (ATK/600 DEF/1400). "Now I tune Falco with Caam, can't beleive this is working!" Two synchro rings surrounded four stars and a light surrounded them all.

"When the winds of hope blow across the battlefield, a new age comes forth. Synchro Summon! Land, Daigusto Sphreeze!" A woman emerged from the light with green and red hair wearing a mix of battle armor and spellcaster gear armed with a long staff and a fierce glare (ATK/2000 DEF/1300). "Loving that phrase, with the wind! When she's summoned, I can take a Gusto from my hand and put it in my hand. I'm gonna pick Caam." Reko retrieved his monster and proceeded with his turn. "Daigusto Eguls, attack Mist Valley Thunder Lord and make an opening!"

Alector cackled. "Fool! I knew you'd do that! I activate the effect of Mist Valley Thunder Lord! By returning one card I control to my hand, I can boost his attack power by five hundred! And best of all, this can be activated on either player's turn." He placed his Divine Wind of Mist Valley into his hand and watched as Mist Valley Thunder Lord's attack power went up to thirty-one hundred. The massive birdman held his staff forward and fired a blast of lightning. Before it could hit Daigusto Eguls, however, a swirling vortex of air appeared and blasted the lightning straight toward Alector.

––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 1800

**Alector:** 3400

––––––––––––––

"What was that?" the Sovereign demanded.

"The effect of Daigusto Sphreeze!" answered Reko, "As long as she's out, you take all the Battle Damage involving Gustos." As he watched Daigusto Eguls fall, he swore not to let its death be in vain as the looked over to Sphreeze who tightened the grip on her weapon, "Daigusto Sphreeze, attack Mist Valley Thunder Lord! And if I'm right, Thunder Lord's boost stays in play until the End Phase." Daigusto Sphreeze fired off a wind spell with a yell that Mist Valley Thunder Lord countered against with another lightning blast. The wind spell dissipated the electric one and sent bolts of lightning hurdling toward Alector.

––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 1800

**Alector:** 2300

––––––––––––––

"At least your creature is gone, " Alector said. When the smoke cleared, however, Daigusto Sphreeze was still standing very much alive.

"Don't mean to be a jackwagon here, but did I also mention that Sphreeze can't die in battle?" asked Reko.

"You dare mock the Sky Lord's majordomo, human?" demanded Alector.

"He does," Goe Goe said sticking his tongue out.

Alector ripped the card from the top of his deck. Immediately, he played Divine Wind of Mist Valley and then set all three cards in his backfield. _He'll attack again, I'm sure_, he thought to himself, _And when he does, I shall bounce his monster with Begone, Knave! No doubt he'll also set something, so I've got Mystical Space Typhoon. Lastly, I also have Defense Draw if things really get bad. It's perfect, it must be._

Reko drew his card. "Looks like your time's up here. First, lets get Heavy Storm to do what it does best." A powerful wind blew away every single Spell and Trap card on the field, including the thee that Alector had just set up.

"No!"

"Not done yet though. I sacrifice Daigusto Sphreeze to bring out a guy you used to work for. Oh yes, you know who. Come on out, Raiza!" The woman disappeared and in her place rose the mighty Storm Monarch (ATK/2400 DEF/1000).

"You've summoned me to the front lines?" asked Raiza as he looked at Reko who winked at the knight.

"It's time now, Raiza. Lay on some harsh beatings," Reko said with a smile.

"Well then, I shall engage our enemy." Raiza turned forward and with a wave of his hand unleashed a powerful wind spell that blew Mist Valley Thunder Lord off the field and to Alector's Extra Deck. "Now that he's gone, you're finished Alector...sorry it had to come to this."

"Tornado Hold!" Reko and Raiza shouted simultaneously as the Storm Monarch raised a single cyclone up from under Alector, hitting him multiple times with razor-sharp winds that left deep gashes in his armor.

––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 1800

**Alector:** 0

––––––––––––––

Alector collapsed and his Duel Disk shattered. The Mist Valley cards that had once belonged to Reko blew off into the wind. Lecacy's light faded away, and Reko's Gusto deck materialized into Reko's awaiting grip.

"The seal!" Sasuke reminded.

"Right!" Reko pocketed his deck, sliding down his rock and approching the seal. "How do I...do this...exactly?"

"The Rose Card," Raiza reminded him.

"Ohh, right! Should be somewhere...aha!" Reko pulled off Legacy and shook it, producing his Red Rose Card. As he held it over the shards of black crystal, they began to glow red. Slowly, the seal pulled itself back together and rose up. The cracks mended themselves shut and in a flash of light the crystal was restored, now no longer a black one but instead one that shined like a ruby.

"The seal is fixed! We did it!" Reko yelled triumphantly.

"Mission accomplished then," Sasuke said.

"Let's go topside then!" Goe Goe said eagerly, "I wanna join the fight!"

"Same here, let's give Saito and my sis some support! Raiza, if you'd be so kind?" asked Reko.

"But of course!" Raiza gathered everybody close and they all flew up out of the Mist Valley inside the Storm Monarch's tornado.

o o o

The Dragunity Clan had managed to hold out for as long as it could, but the Sky Lord's soldiers had already begun to push them back. The sheer numbers were proving to be a far greater challenge than originally anticipated. "We can't hold out much longer," Barcha reported.

"Keep it up," Saito commanded, "We have to keep going until..."

"Someone call for help?" Reko, Raiza, and the Ninjas suddenly came out of the Mist Valley behind the Sky Lord's troops. Saito's eye lit up at the appearance of Reko and his reinforcements, thrusting his lance towards the heavens.

"PRESS FORWARD!" ordered Saito. The Dragunity Clan was reinvigorated and their attack resumed with a thunderous battlecry. Meanwhile, Reko and the others began their attack from behind, creating a pincer strategy.

"Vindikite R-Genex, go!" Reka's jet-like monster shot forward and gunned down several Harpies.

"They're on me too tight! I can't shake them!" Vajrayana cried as he tried to escape two Mist Valley Falcons.

"I got them!" Sasuke jumped onto a Cyber Harpie and then leapt off her into the air, throwing two kunai into the birdmen that were chasing the Dragunity Knight. His weapons sank into their chests and they fell to the misty abyss below.

"Thanks," Vajrayana sighed, "That was too close." Sasuke landed on the back of Simorgh, Bird of Divinity and nodded before he proceeded to run up the creature's dorsal side and stabbing two more kunai into its eyes. The big green bird squawked in pain as it thrashed about wildly to shake off the Ninja Grandmaster. Trident's mount suddenly stabbed its head deep into Simorgh's breast.

"Jump!" yelled the knight. Sasuke quickly leapt and landed on the back of Trident's mount as the mighty dragon pulled out and flew off, leaving the big bird to die as it fell.

Saito continued to pilot his Cyber Falcon through the battlefield avoiding any attacks that came his way. He used his lance primarily for defense as his ride shot lasers. He brought it to a sudden halt when he found himself face-to-face with the Harpie Lady Sisters. The three of them formed up into formation and began sharing their combined energies.

"Triangle Estacy Spark!" Their X-shaped laser shot out from the triangle and destroyed Saito's Cyber Falcon as he jumped off. As he fell toward the ground below, he pulled out his deck and held out a card. A card into which he poured all of his focus and energy into. As he disappeared into the mist below, Airo watched and flew off. "That's the last we'll see of him," she said.

No sooner had these words been spoken, a loud roar echoed through out Mist Valley as Saito rose back up to the battlefield upon the back of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"Back up!" Reko called out, "He's got the big guns now!"

"Burst Stream of Destruction!" On Saito's order, his dragon unleashed its mighty energy blast and destroyed an row of birds.

"KILL THEM ALL!" Alector burst up from the mist below. Despite the heavy damage he had taken, he still found the strength to fly. "WIPE THEM ALL OUT!"

"He's back! Holy hell, I figured he would still be lying in the caves!" Reko exclaimed.

"Concentrate all firepower on Alector!" commanded Saito. Before anybody could act, however, a loud screech echoed through out all of Paslie. Instantly, the Harpies, Mist Valley, and other Winged Beasts ceased their attack. Alector stood on the back of Mist Valley Apex Avian and looked toward the palace.

"The Sky Lord cometh." All eyes turned to the palace. The wind seemed to pick up as an ominous presence made itself known. Wings far greater in size than any individual had seen exist in Paslie emerged from behind the structure and even the very mountain itself.

At that moment, Reko's heart froze, he finally realized that one card in his deck the UnGod created for him. He knew that card that he shuddered to even play, not for its effect, but for the feeling of wrongness that just seemed to ooze from the card, "A...Atmosphere."

The Atmosphere climbed up on top of the palace and folded up his wings as he gazed upon the battlefield. Alector was greatly relieved to see his lord finally appear and was profusely bowing at him. "My lord! Thank the UnGod that you have arrived."

"Update me, Alector," demanded The Atmosphere. Alector looked up at his master. The Sky Lord already knew everything that happened in this realm of Wind. The question was just one of his many examples of exerting his power.

"The infidels have pushed us back tremendously," Alector confessed, clearly not proud of the situation.

"Oh so we're infidels now?" shouted Leyvaten.

"Please leave this to us, my lord," Alector begged, "We can defeat them."

"Silence!" The Atmosphere bellowed. His eyes scanned the battlefield until he saw the one he wanted. "Raiza."

"It's been a while, Sky Lord," the Storm Monarch replied.

"How in the name of the UnGod did you break free?"

"It was not difficult. I merely found one with whom my heart had harmonized."

The Atmosphere looked at Reko. "A human is bad enough. But a human from Terra?"

"I, Raiza the Storm Monarch, have returned to Paslie to reclaim my throne! Leave now, Atmosphere, and you shall be spared."

"You're in no position to order me, Raiza!" The Atmosphere barked, "I am the Sky Lord! Paslie is my domain! If you want it back, then just try to take it back by force!" Raiza was about to speak, but then stopped himself. "I knew it. You're still that coward I found all that time ago. It wasn't until you started to serve the UnGod that you finally grew a backbone."

"I'll do it!" Reko came forward. "I swore I'd help Raiza reclaim his kingdom. That's what I'm gonna do!"

"And what can you do?" The Atmosphere scoffed. Reko held up his deck. "You can't be serious?"

"What's the matter, big bird? _Chicken_? Accept my challenge and let's see who rules the skies around here!"

"I accept your challenge then, mortal. However! This shall take place across the clouds themselves!"

"Is he talking about...?" Saito began, but he didn't need to speak anymore.

"A Turbo Duel," Reka nodded before she smiled. "Perfect for him, really."

"Reko, are you certain?" asked Raiza.

"Totally," answered the lavender-haired man.

"You have my trust, Reko. Defeat the Sky Lord once and for all." And with that, Raiza disappeared into Reko's deck.

"Reko, how are you even going to do a Turbo Duel though?" Reka came forward to bar his path to the Atmosphere watching Reko tear off his breastplate and cloak that were heavily damaged in the fight with Alector, "maybe one of us could lend you a dragon, or maybe you can summon a...Gusto...what...?", Reka trailed of, looking in shock as Reko felt something odd, airy yet numbing on his back and he felt himself lifted skyward, Reka putting her hands to her mouth as she saw two shapes rip out from his shoulder blades in a glow of soft emerald colored light.

_Don't worry Reko, we'll give him the duel he so desires. Allow me to grant you a boon this world needs. It is temporary but...I think you'll enjoy it._

Reko nearly passed out from the sensation, but felt his body fell incredibly light and nimble, when he saw his shadow upon the stone he nearly fell from the sky in shock. A pair of large white wings, like the kind he first had when he was a bird in this place. They were powerful and sleek wings, and as if on instinct he snapped him back and flew towards the Atmosphere, Reka behind him on her flying mount.

"You even know how to fly, Reko?"

He scoffed, causing Reka to let out a low growl, "Can't be that hard. It's like racing on land, but with the sky. Three dimensions, at least that's what it looks like."

"You don't know the first things about it! Even if Raiza I'm guessing here GIVES you wings you can't hope to race and defeat...that...that!" she said while pointing towards Atmosphere, "Don't get me wrong, I've fought some crazy big things but I can feel the corruption from it, can't you?"

Reko grinned, "Oh I know, that's why it's a challenge. You know I can do it, I've watched various winged things fly other than birds, and it doesn't look that hard."

"Name one."

"Easy...Rainbow Dash," With that, Reko spoke off from his fuming twin in a burst of speed towards his target. Saito meeting Reka as he witnessed Reko fly towards the monster.

"Reka, are you okay?"

"...A pony."

"...what?"

Reka's eye twitched in frustration, "The entire fate of Paslie rests on Raiza's Champion, a man who took flight advice from an overconfident pony and birds."

Saito gave a long sigh, "How DO you deal with him?"

Reka shrugged along with an equally impressive sigh, that was enough for Saito. He figured once Reko got into one of these moods either death or him completing what he wanted would stop it.

Reko understood his sister's concern, and no doubt Saito's. If he was called out though, no doubt the Atmosphere felt to make an example out of him. Looking down at his friends, he though back to the others back on the Isle of Terra. Of Mikey and Max, Hayley, Zetsu, Sammie and countless others counting on each other and those they hardly met. He met the creature, looking like speck compared to it yet brimming with confidence. Too many people relied on him, and with something this powerful a Duel was the only way he was going to defeat it and give Raiza back his domain and help the others.

"Alright Atmos, we doing this or what?"

"First I need one thing."

"Oh no," muttered Keraino.

"He's going to do it!" shrieked a Harpie Lady.

"It's the Indoctrination of the Vortex!" a Harpie's Brother shouted.

The Atmosphere raised a leg and revealed some kind of black box in his talons. It almost resembled the deck slot of a Duel Disk, but the slot was lined with teeth and the top was occupied with some kind of demonic eye.

"Chaos Exultation!" The box opened its "mouth" and streams of green light poured out. Every one of the Sky Lord's minions was bathed in the emerald radiance and their bodies were transformed into energy and absorbed. Alector was not exempt from this and as he was absorbed, he kept screaming "Why?". When the last monster had been taken in, the box vanished and The Atmopshere flew up as a ball of wind appeared between his talons, an entire deck of cards having formed in the very center.

"He absorbed his own men..." The horrific screams of all of the Sky Lord's forces being absorbed had penetrated the minds of all who were present as The Atmosphere looked down at Reko.

"Let us begin," he said coldly. Reko held out Legacy and placed his deck within it, bringing up its field. On the outside he seemed confident and most importantly, defiant to the Sky Lord itself.

Inside however, he'd never been more excited or terrified.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The time has come! Reko versus the Sky Lord! Who will reign victorious? Will Paslie be freed from the tyrant Atmopshere's control? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	141. The Sky Lord

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

We apologize for the delay. However, there was something that needed to be finished and we couldn't get in touch with Rabbit. In the end, we had AMZ finish things up.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-54**

**The Sky Lord**

Reko's wings flapped in the wind as he watched the Sky Lord, The Atmosphere, float across the roof of the palace. The two opponents' eyes never left each other. The latter's talons tightened around the ball of air he had formed. "So are we doing this or what?" Reko repeated.

"I shall indulge you in your challenge," The Atmosphere replied, "and when you lose you shall regret ever crossing the Sky Lord! I will tear you apart so finely your mist will scatter across my kingdom!"

"And if I win, you get outta here and release those monsters you sacrificed to make your deck," Reko demanded. The Atmosphere laughed, a terrifyingly powerful sound. His voice as Reko discovered wasn't even coming from the Atmosphere, it felt as if it was coming from all around him and bearing down upon his body.

"Then you may as well surrender now for those whose spirits I sacrificed have had their souls sent to the UnGod. They will do well in feeding his hunger." Reko tried to control his emotions as he imagined all those souls being devoured by the UnGod Himself. It was inhumane. His face was now a mask of determination. Even if it was futile, he had to stop the Sky Lord. At the very least, he could free those who remained in Paslie from the UnGod's influence. Even at the cost of his own life. He drew his bow and notched an arrow, grinning as he notched an arrow and drew his shot, swooping towards the massive avian creature. The massive creature flew upwards, protecting his face from Reko's aim, as to his shock Reko merely let the arrow loose and sling his weapon back over his side. The distraction caused Reko to gain ahead, and earn the lead, the Sky Lord only getting a stuck out tongue and cackling from the now winged Terran.

"Turbo Duel! Acceleration!"

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 0

**The Atmosphere:** 8000 / **SPC:** 0

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"The first to round the next corner..." Reko stopped in his sentence. There were no corners to turn in the air, "...Huh. Don't think they ever accounted for Air Duels."

"The king of the wind...shall ALWAYS lead first!" The Atmosphere flapped his wings and five cards streamed out of his ball of air and circled around his neck. He cried out in rage and drew his first card.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 1

**The Atmosphere:** 8000 / **SPC:** 1

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Harpie's Brother, come forth!" The Atmosphere flapped his wings hard and a single card flew out from the others. It spun around two times in front of him before transforming into the birdman with red wings (ATK/1800 DEF/600). "I shall now ensure my creature's safety using these." Two cards appeared at The Atmosphere's feet.

"My turn then. I draw!" Reko drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 2

**The Atmosphere:** 8000 / **SPC:** 2

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Reko kept a tight grip on his cards as he thought of a strategy. His opponent had summoned a monster with eighteen hundred attack points. "I will set this monster and two facedowns." A facedown card appeared in front of him and two more cards appeared behind it. "That's it for me." Using his wings was becoming ever easier, he was gliding and lowering the angle of his body to match speed so far with the Sky Lord, his body being reflected in the black pools of The Atmosphere's eyes. If the creature had half a mind to it could probably just swallow him whole, thank whatever power that be that the creature was locked in a duel with him at current.

"If defense is your only tactic, then you have already lost!" The Atmosphere cawed as another card 'drew' from his sphere and swirled around his neck.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 3

**The Atmosphere:** 8000 / **SPC:** 3

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I sacrifice Harpie's Brother and summon Swift Birdman Joe!" It cawed loudly as the birdman with yellow, green, and red feathers appeared (ATK/2300 DEF/1400).

"It's that fiend!" exclaimed Barcha.

"He seems different, though," Saito observed. Indeed, Swift Birdman Joe was different for his eyes seemed to be but a blank stare compared to his once spirited form. This did not go unnoticed by Reko, but he knew the real reason for the birdman's appearance.

"You're a damn bastard! Enslaving your monsters to do your bidding! What kind of a Lord turns his subjects into mindless zombies?"

"They had no need for their souls to serve me," The Atmosphere explained, "In order to truly be loyal to me, they had to become mindless puppets. Empty shells of those who they once were. Paslie has no need of souls and free will. All that matters is my will; the will of the Sky Lord."

Reko was going to drive an arrow towards the creature's head for such a horrific remark, but he knew it was wishful thinking. That and his hands were already full during the duel. At least this way they were on even ground, but it unnerved him to fight something so graceful yet so soulless, it was a beautiful and heartless monster, "We called your types Tyrants in Terra. I'll see you dead this day Atmosphere! No more slaves! No more innocent deaths!"

"Your will is admirable, but your idealism is naive. Now let us resume. When Swift Birdman Joe is summoned by sacrificing a creature of Wind, he can return all Spells and Traps to their owners hands!" Swird Birdman Joe flapped his wings and a powerful gale blew across the battlefield.

"I activate a Trap! Needleworm Nest!" Reko revealed one of his facedowns. "With this, I can send the top five cards from my deck to my graveyard, small risk to pay!" He pulled off the top five cards from his deck and carefully slid them one by one into his graveyard slot.

"It will fail to do you much good." The Atmosphere spun into a barrel roll as he continued with his turn. "Swift Birdman Joe, strike his creature!" Swift Birdman Joe flew back and slashed Reko's facedown with his creature.

"That was Wynnda, Priestess of Gusto!" Reko announced as the image of his green-haired maiden appeared (ATK/1000 DEF/400). "Upon her death in battle, I can Special Summon one Gusto Tuner from my deck! So here's Gusto Gulldo in defense mode!" A green gull appeared on the field in armor and flew alongside Reko in a defensive form (ATK/500 DEF/500).

"I shall replace my defenses and pass this duel to you," said the Atmosphere as he put his two cards back facedown, "See if you can keep up with me, human!"

"I am totally gonna do just that!" Reko drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 4

**The Atmosphere:** 8000 / **SPC:** 4

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

He was finding it hard to breathe as he ascended along with The Atmosphere, trying to keep up with the titanic creature. They broke through the cloud cover, into a pure blue sky and a radiant sun, with the roiling milky grey clouds below. They broke through the cloud cover of Mist Valley, where the air was impossibly thin. For The Atmosphere, a being of the wind itself such a thing was not a problem. However...with Reko, he was still human.

The Knight's vision blurred, and his weary body started to sink back into the clouds with fatigue. He had a fleeting thought, of countless people burning in some kind of black fire. Some malevolent creature behind the pyre, all his friends dead before it. His chest burned with the strain of the thin air, and yet Reko made several deep breaths, trying his best to get all the oxygen he needed this high up. His gaze lingered to the card he drew, and an idea formed in his head. He felt his strength returning, but he knew that no matter how determined he was his bravado and fortitude were going to soon fade if he couldn't bring his battle to a close soon.

"I summon Wynnda, Priestess of Gusto!" Another Wynnda appeared beside Gusto Gulldo. "Now I tune my level three Gusto Gulldo with my level two Wynnda!" Gusto Gulldo's body faded away until only a trio of stars remained. They turned into rings and encircled Wynnda, Priestess of Gusto. Her body disappeared, leaving behind two stars, and a column of light engulfed them.

"When the winds of hope blow across the battlefield, a new age comes forth. Synchro Summon! Fly, Diagusto Gulldos!" Gusto Gulldos emerged from the light, but it had grown drastically in size and sported more armor as Wynnda road on its back (ATK/2200 DEF/800).

"You've succeeded in summoning a stronger creature," The Atmosphere noted, "Alas its strength is still no match for Swift Birdman Joe!"

"Oh I didn't choose him for that," Reko answered. "I activate Daigusto Gulldos' effect! By returning two Gustos from my graveyard to my deck, I can destroy one face-up monster you control once per turn!" He placed a Wynnda and Gusto Gulldo into his deck and looked forward. "Gulldos, destroy Joe!" Daigusto Gulldos flew forward and Wynnda on his back cast a spell that shot a mix of lightning and wind into Swift Birdman Joe. The winged man spiraled down toward the rocks below leaving behind a trail of shredded feathers.

"Your turn," Reko declared as he pointed at The Atmosphere. "Daigusto Gulldos, direct attack!" Daigusto Gulldos turned to The Atmosphere and fired the spikes on his armor at him.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 4

**The Atmosphere:** 5800 / **SPC:** 4

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The Atmosphere shook himself off as the smoke cleared. "This resistance is meaningless."

"We'll see if it is or not!" Reko said proudly. "I set a card and end!"

"You will soon discover the true futility of your defiance!" The Atmosphere shrieked as another card flew from his air ball and into the chain that flew around his neck.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 5

**The Atmosphere:** 5800 / **SPC:** 5

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"And once again, your hopes shall be dashed against the stones!" The Sky Lord flapped his wings and one card flew forward. "Speed Spell - Smashing Ground! If I remove three Speed Counters, I can destroy one monster on your field with the highest defense!"

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 8000 / **SPC:** 5

**The Atmosphere:** 5800 / **SPC:** 2

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

As the spell took effect, a large meteor shaped like a fist came down from the sky and struck Daigusto Gulldos. While it did not kill it on impact, it did push him down to the ground far below. Before long, the sickening crunch of bones breaking against stone could be heard.

"I am not finished," announced The Atmosphere. "Mist Valley Windmaster, appear!" A blue peacock with four wings appeared from one of the cards (ATK/400 DEF/800). "I now activate my facedown Speed Spell - Double Summon since I still have two more Speed Counters. With this I can Normal Summon once more so now I shall summon Kurama." A blue reptilian bird appeared and squawked (ATK/800 DEF/800). "Now I shall synchronize their powers into one!" Mist Valley Windmaster disappeared until two stars remained. They circled Kurama after turning into synchro rings and changed the vicious bird into a trio of shining stars before being engulfed in light.

"Amidst the howling winds of the mighty tempest, heed the call of the Sky Lord! Synchro Summon! Rise, Vortex the Whirlwind!" A wild birdman with brown wings appeared wearing a green mask wielding a kunai attached to a long chain that ended with a steel ball (ATK/2100 DEF/700). "STRIKE!" As soon as the order was given, Vortex the Whirlwind thrust his kunai at Reko.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 5900 / **SPC:** 5

**The Atmosphere:** 5800 / **SPC:** 2

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

At that moment a few things happened.

Vortex the Whirlwind pulled back on his chain and reeled in his knife. "That is the conclusion!" announced The Atmosphere. "Let's see what pitiful attempt you make next to defy the will of the Sky Lord!"

"It's anything but pitiful, I can guarantee!" Reko declared as he drew.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 5900 / **SPC:** 6

**The Atmosphere:** 5800 / **SPC:** 3

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The lavender-haired man observed his hand. He definitely had enough Speed Counters now to play a decent Speed Spell. "I summon Caam, Serenity of Gusto!" He played his card and called forth a green-haired woman who could have been considered as Wynnda's senior (ATK/1700 DEF/1100). "And now I'll use her effect. By returning two Gustos from my graveyard to my deck, I can draw a card." He returned Wynnda, Priestess of Gusto and Gusto Egul to his deck and drew his card after his Duel Disk had shuffled his cards.

"Now I play the Speed Spell - Silver Contrails. If I have five or more Speed Counters, I can choose one monster and boost its attack points up by one thousand until the End Phase." He pointed at his sole monster and watched as her attack power rose up to twenty-seven hundred. "Attack Vortex the Whirlwind!" Caam, Serenity of Gusto spun her staff and unleashed a blast of wind at the birdman.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 5900 / **SPC:** 6

**The Atmosphere:** 5200 / **SPC:** 3

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"When Vortex the Whirlwind is destroyed as a result of battle, I can Special Summon one level four or lower Winged Beast from my deck," The Atmosphere declared, "Come forth, Harpie Lady 3! Defensive stance!" In a burst of wind, a card flew out from his air sphere and transformed into Keraino (ATK/1300 DEF/1400). She shrieked and took up a defensive flying form.

"I end my turn!" As soon as Reko's End Phase came up, Caam's attack points returned to seventeen hundred.

"I shall enjoy crushing your monster's bones on the rocks!" The Atmosphere cried as a card flew out from his air sphere and around his neck.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 5900 / **SPC:** 7

**The Atmosphere:** 5200 / **SPC:** 4

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I activate my Trap," announced Reko, "Blessings of Gusto! By returning two Gustos to my deck, I can rez one from my grave. He jammed Gusto Thunbolt and Gusto Grif back into his deck and brought a card back out. "Welcome back, Daigusto Gulldos!" In a burst of wind, Daigusto Gulldos rejoined the skies.

"A foolish move on your part," The Atmosphere laughed, "for you now control two creatures with the same Attribute. That permits me to Special Summon my majordomo. Alector, Sovereign of Birds, appear now!" The red-winged birdman in silver armor appeared at The Atmosphere's side and flew alongside him (ATK/2400 DEF/2000).

"Harpie Queen, come and join us!" The regal white-winged Harpie soon appeared, joining the Sky Lord's side (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). "Now Harpie Queen, destroy Caam, Serenity of Gusto!" Harpie Queen's talons gleamed in the light as she flew over to Reko and slashed his monster.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 5700 / **SPC:** 7

**The Atmosphere:** 5200 / **SPC:** 4

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Alector, attack Daigusto Gulldos!" Alector flew in and a sword slid out of his gauntlet. He rose up above Daigusto Gulldos and then dive-bombed, slicing his target as he descended.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 5500 / **SPC:** 7

**The Atmosphere:** 5200 / **SPC:** 4

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The Atmosphere laughed. He now had total field control. With Alector, Sovereign of Birds and Harpie Queen as his offense and Harpie Lady 3 and her paralyzing effect as his defense, he was solid now against Reko's now empty field. He looked down at his opponent. "Try to defeat me," he challenged.

Reko drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 5500 / **SPC:** 8

**The Atmosphere:** 5200 / **SPC:** 5

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I know I can beat you! And I'm gonna prove it! First I summon another Caam, Serenity of Gusto!" He played his card and a second Caam appeared in front of him. "Next I'm gonna use her effect and return Caam and Grif from my graveyard to my deck to draw a card." He placed his cards back into his deck and drew a new card. "Now I'm gonna play Speed Spell - Double Summon! Since I have two or more counters, I can activate this card." It now came down to Reko's next move. Speed Spell - Double Summon had set the stage, but now it all banked on this next card. "I use Speed World 2's effect and sack seven Speed Counters to draw a card."

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 5500 / **SPC:** 1

**The Atmosphere:** 5200 / **SPC:** 5

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Reko could feel the winds suddenly push against him, but he held on strong as he drew a new card. He closed his eyes and prayed it was the card he needed. He opened his eyes and turned it over. He smiled. "I Summon Gusto Falco!" A green armored falcon appeared on the field and flew alongside Caam (ATK/600 DEF/1400). "I tune Falco to Caam!" Reko's Tuner faded away into two stars that turned into rings and surrounded Caam, Serenity of Gusto until her body had left the physical plain to become four stars prior to being engulfed by light.

"When the winds of hope blow across the battlefield, a new age comes forth. Synchro Summon! Ride, Daigusto Sphreeze!" A woman appeared with long green and red hair wielding a staff and wearing clothes that fit her well in flight (ATK/2000 DEF/1300). "And when she's Synchro Summoned, I can bring a Gusto from my graveyard to my hand, like my Gusto Thunbolt." After placing the card in his hand, he turned to The Atmopshere's trio of monsters. "Attack Alector, Sovereign of Birds!"

"Alector possesses much greater strength than your little magician," scoffed The Atmosphere.

"True, but Sphreeze has her own ability. She can't be destroyed in battle and any battle damage that's inflicted when she enters combat is dealt to you!" Reko was grinning ear to ear. "Go Daigusto Sphreeze! Spiral Breeze!" Daigusto Sphreeze held up her staff and fired a blast of wind from it at Alector, Sovereign of Birds. Her spell bounced off his armor and struck The Atmosphere.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 5500 / **SPC:** 1

**The Atmosphere:** 4800 / **SPC:** 5

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Two facedowns!" Reko slotted two cards into his Duel Disk." Your move."

The Atmosphere flapped his wings and blasted another card out of his air sphere. "Impressive. But once again, futile. I shall now use Alector's effect. Once per turn he can target one card on the field and its effects are negated for the turn. So Alector shall target Daigusto Sphreeze!" Alector flew over to Reko's side and slid an arrow out from his gauntlet. He pointed it his target and let it fly. It struck Daigusto Sphreeze and paralyzed her, rendering her effect ineffective.

"Alector, destroy her!" Alector then drew his sword and swung it with grace. The head of Daigusto Sphreeze came clean off and the creature fell to the ground.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 5100 / **SPC:** 1

**The Atmosphere:** 4800 / **SPC:** 5

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Harpie Queen, attack!" Harpie Queen obeyed the Sky Lord's order and slashed Reko with her claws.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 3200 / **SPC:** 1

**The Atmosphere:** 4800 / **SPC:** 5

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Show me your resolve." The Atmosphere's tone was one filled with confidence.

"Oh I will." Reko drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 3200 / **SPC:** 2

**The Atmosphere:** 4800 / **SPC:** 6

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The Red Rose Knight looked at his card and just stared at it . _Are you fucking kidding me?_ He set it facedown and set a monster as well. "Your go!"

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 3200 / **SPC:** 3

**The Atmosphere:** 4800 / **SPC:** 7

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The Atmosphere produced a new card. "I'll end this quickly. Harpie Lady 3, at attention!" He switched Harpie Lady 3 into attack position. "Alector, destroy his creature." Once again, the Sovereign of Birds flew in and swung his sword, killing his creature.

"You just slayed my Gusto Thunbolt!" Reko announced.

"Your monster's death can't save you for its effect won't activate until the end of the Battle Phase," The Atmosphere sneered. "Harpie Queen, attack!"

"Gotcha!" Reko smiled. "You just triggered my Mirror Force!" Harpie Queen's talons struck the reflective barrier and the impact was absorbed and reflected back as several rays of energy. Harpie Queen, Harpie Lady 3, and Alector, Sovereign of Birds were wiped out in one single stroke.

"Curse you," snarled The Atmosphere.

"I guess it's time to activate Thunbolt's effect. I remove him from play in my grave and Special Summon another Caam!" Reko placed Gusto Thunbolt into his pocket and brought out Caam, Serenity of Gusto for the umpteenth time.

"You love that female a little too much," The Atmosphere muttered.

"Let's move on," Reko said as he drew.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 3200 / **SPC:** 4

**The Atmosphere:** 4800 / **SPC:** 8

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Reko activated the effect of Caam, Serenity of Gusto and returned Gusto Falco and his dead Caam, Serenity of Gusto to his deck and drew another card. "I summon Gusto Gulldo!" The green gull appeared in front of him "I tune my guys together!" Three synchro rings born from the stars that made up Gusto Gulldo surrounded Caam, Serenity of Gusto and her body disappeared until four stars were left and a column of light swallowed them up.

"When the winds of hope blow across the battlefield, a new age comes forth. Synchro Summon! Soar, Daigusto Eguls!" The largest Gusto monster descended upon the field as the light faded. Its wingspan was a good twenty meters wide with armor covering its body and a hooded rider upon its back (ATK/2600 DEF/1800).

"Attack!" ordered Reko. On his command, Daigusto Eguls flapped its wings and unleashed a strong hurricane.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 3200 / **SPC:** 4

**The Atmosphere:** 2200 / **SPC:** 8

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Your move!" Reko declared. He was back on top.

The Atmosphere said nothing as he pulled another card from his air sphere.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 3200 / **SPC:** 5

**The Atmosphere:** 2200 / **SPC:** 9

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I'll place a monster in defensive position and conclude," he announced.

Reko drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 3200 / **SPC:** 6

**The Atmosphere:** 2200 / **SPC:** 10

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Guess what!" he challenged, "It's another Caam!" Once again, Caam, Serenity of Gusto appeared on the field and Reko returned Gusto Gulldo and Caam, Serenity of Gusto from his graveyard to his deck to draw. "Alrighty Eguls, attack!" Daigusto Eguls fired another blast of wind from its wings and annihilated The Atmosphere's facedown, which turned out to be the humanoid dragonfly called Flying Kamakari #1 (ATK/1400 DEF/900).

"I can now use my servant's ability to seek out a new creature of Wind with an attack power that does not exceed fifteen hundred. I summon another Flying Kamakiri #1!" A second dragonfly appeared.

"I activate Speed Spell - Shrink!" announced Reko as he played it from his hand. "By removing three Speed Counters, I can halve the attack power of one monster on the field and I pick Flying Kamakiri!" The dragonfly shrank down to have its original size and its attack points dropped to seven hundred. "Caam, go!" Caam, Serenity of Gusto fired a wind spell from her staff and wiped out the insect with ease.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 3200 / **SPC:** 6

**The Atmosphere:** 1200 / **SPC:** 10

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

With the death of his second Flying Kamakiri #1, the Sky Lord summoned a third one to the field. Reko acknowledged this and concluded his turn. The Atmosphere drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 3200 / **SPC:** 7

**The Atmosphere:** 1200 / **SPC:** 11

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I shall remove seven Speed Counters to draw a card," announced the giant bird.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 3200 / **SPC:** 7

**The Atmosphere:** 1200 / **SPC:** 4

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Another card flew out of the air ball and joined the cards flying around The Atmosphere's neck. "You shall regret challenging the Sky Lord. I now summon Harpie Lady 1." Airo quickly appeared on the field and like all those who had appeared before her, her eyes were also blank and devoid of any soul (ATK/1300 DEF/1400). "Her ability can boost all Wind monsters by three hundred attack power, but she won't stay for long."

Reko paled. He knew what was coming.

"I banish Harpie Lady 1, Flying Kamakiri #1, and the deceased Swift Birdman Joe in order to summon a creature unlike any other! Come now and face the Sky Lord himself!" Three orbs of green light surrounded and orbited The Atmosphere before fusing with him and the mighty Sky Lord flew onto the battlefield screeching (ATK/1000 DEF/800).

"Fear my power!" the massive avian cried. "And now you shall fear my power as I take your creature and make his power my own!" His wings flapped and a strong wind knocked Daigusto Eguls away. The big green bird was pulled into the air sphere where he remained trapped and his attack and defense powers were added to those of The Atmosphere, bringing the Sky Lord up to thirty-six hundred attack points and twenty-six hundred defense points.

"Before I resume, I shall reinforce my defenses against your counterattack with Royal Decree!" The Atmosphere revealed his facedown. "With this, your traps have been negated." With his path now safe, the Regent Lord of Paslie took in a deep breath and unleashed a helix of eight tornados from his mouth and completely obliterated Caam, Serenity of Gusto.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 1300 / **SPC:** 7

**The Atmosphere:** 1200 / **SPC:** 4

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"How does it feel? Can you not feel the despair now?" The Atmosphere cackled. "Try your luck!"

"I will! I draw!" Reko reached for his deck and removed the top card.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 1300 / **SPC:** 8

**The Atmosphere:** 1200 / **SPC:** 5

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Aaaaand I set a monster. Go."

"Pathetic." The Atmosphere drew a card.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 1300 / **SPC:** 9

**The Atmosphere:** 1200 / **SPC:** 6

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Another helix of twisters burst out of the Sky Lord's beak and struck Reko's facedown, which turned out to be Wynnda, Priestess of Gusto. "And with her, I'm bringing out Gusto Gulldo in defense mode!" The green gull took the young priestess' place on the field.

"You are just delaying the inevitable." The Atmosphere spread his wings and soared.

"I draw!" Reko pulled off the top card of his deck.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 1300 / **SPC:** 10

**The Atmosphere:** 1200 / **SPC:** 7

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"And that's it."

"Have you already given up?" asked The Atmosphere as he drew.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 1300 / **SPC:** 11

**The Atmosphere:** 1200 / **SPC:** 8

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Disappointing!" The Sky Lord blasted Reko's Gusto Gulldo and the latter used its effect to bring out another Wynnda. "You've run out of options. Don't even bother surrendering. Next turn, I shall kill you myself!"

"Then I better make this count!" Reko drew his card.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 1300 / **SPC:** 12

**The Atmosphere:** 1200 / **SPC:** 9

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Reko looked at his card. Just in time! "Alright! I sack Wynnda, Priestess of Gusto! Here he comes! Raiza the Storm Monarch!" A tornado rose up on the field and it dispersed to deposited the green emperor of the skies (ATK/2400 DEF/1000).

"Raiza." The Atmosphere chortled. "How appropriate that you shall be the one I shall strike down in this final battle."

"Indeed, this is the final battle. But it is not I who shall be struck down."

The Atmosphere chuckled. "Paslie is mine. Its inhabitants are my slaves. The UnGod has crowned me its Regent Lord and I am free to do with it as I will."

"You are a tyrant. One who commands his people through fear. You are no ruler. A true ruler commands his people through respect and admiration." Raiza stood form as his cape blew in the wind.

"Respect? Admiration? The only thing these peons need to admire is the fact that I have allowed them to live to worship the UnGod. And I already command their respect for I am their Regent Lord."

"You are just that. A Regent Lord. You are neither a king nor an emperor and the people of Paslie shall never accept you as one. They seek a benevolent king. One who rules with kindness. And when that king has their respect, they can unleash an untold power. Atmosphere, the UnGod's Regent Lord of Paslie, the self-proclaimed Sky Lord, let me show you this power."

"Raiza, do your magic!" Reko cheered. Raiza raised his arm and a tornado rose up before him. He held his hand out and he moved it into his palm. He brought both hands together and created a ball of air. He then thrust it forward and the air was released in the form of a powerful wind that shattered The Atmosphere's air sphere and freed Daigusto Eguls, lowering the Sky Lord's attack and defense back down to one thousand and eight hundred points respectively.

"Can you not hear it, Atmosphere? Can you not hear the sounds of the souls of Paslie?" asked Raiza. "Listen and listen well. That is the sound of thousands of creatures calling the name of their true king. Listen and you shall hear it." The Atmosphere stabilized himself and prepared to unleash his fury, but as he did so he began to hear a faint noise. It was ever so slight, but he could just make it out. Voices. He could hear voices. Voices crying out a name. He smirked.

"They cry my name for they know that without me, the UnGod would destroy them all," the Sky Lord said proudly.

"Listen again," Raiza said, "In fact, perhaps the winds themselves can amplify their cries." The Storm Monarch raised his arm and the winds blew upward. As they surrounded The Atmosphere, he could he voices growing louder and louder. At first it seemed like they were coming from the Dragunity Clan and the Ninjas, but the source seemed much closer to them than that. It took him a moment to realize that the voices were coming from his air sphere; specifically, the cards that it imprisoned. And they were not calling his name, but the name of the Storm Monarch. The true king of Paslie. Raiza.

"The people...of Paslie..."

"This is the end for you, Atmosphere." Raiza summoned the winds again and formed an arrow out of air. He pointed it at the giant monster. "Wind Arrow." He let loose and the arrow flew across the sky and struck its target. The Atmosphere cried out in pain as the Wind Arrow grew larger and larger as it continued to burrow deeper and deeper. Before long, it passed through leaving a massive hole drilled into his body.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Reko:** 1300 / **SPC:** 12

**The Atmosphere:** 0 / **SPC:** 9

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

As The Atmosphere fell, his massive body started to deteriorate as feathers trailed behind him. "My one regret... defeated by a Terran!" He crashed in the Mist Valley and skid for a long distance along its bottom before coming to rest at the foot of the mountain that housed Raiza's palace.

Reko flapped his wings as he looked down at the massive dead bird below him and turned to Raiza. "We...did...it..." He suddenly lose consciousness and he started to fall, his wings vanishing in the process.

"Reko!" shouted Reka.

Raiza shot downward toward the ground and summoned a tornado to catch Reko. His technique worked and he brought him safely down to the ground. "He is alright," he informed the others as Reka ran toward her brother. He then turned to the Dragunity, the Ninjas, and anybody else The Atmosphere had not absorbed.

"Residents of Paslie! Rejoice! For on this day, The Atmosphere, the Regent Lord of Paslie, the Sky Lord, has been vanquished! The seals have been restored and reinforced with mystical powers beyond our comprehension. Our realm has suffered much, but now it is time to rebuild that which we lost. And I, Raiza, hereby decree that I shall undertake the task of restoring our land myself!" Cheers erupted from the ranks of the resistance army.

Raiza then summoned his travel tornado and flew to his palace. Everyone followed suit and entered. The elegant stone pillars served as a monument of greatness as the Storm Monarch approached the green throne sitting at the top of a raised stage in the grand audience chamber. He ascended the steps and turned around to face his subject. He slowly lowered his body and placed himself upon the throne of Paslie. And from that day on, he would rule over his own land once again.

The King of Paslie: Raiza the Storm Monarch.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Aeagnaap, the Realm of Earth. At the same time as the events in Paslie, Wes, Max, and Hayley make their way across the land with Recca as their guide and Bethany, the Warrior Lady of the Wasteland, as their protection. Many new dangers, many strange encounters, and many new monsters can be found in this new realm next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	142. The Earth Kingdom

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-55**

**The Earth Kingdom**

Regarding his champion, Reka and Raiza were within a small chamber within the palace proper. Caam was tending to Reko's wounds, smiling softly as she applied the last of the banadages, "Your brother is reckless as a hurricane and gentle as the breezes of Spring. As twins, did you not feel his anguish up in the skies? I saw him as I was summoned, many times. Some times he looked frightful, othertimes he looked brave. Seeing such a creature, I wonder how he got those reserves?"

Saito came to stand next to Reka, eyeing the resting form of Reko on the lavish grecian styled bed at his feet, "I've heard some twins can feel each others pain and emotions. Can..you two do that?"

Reka smiled, "I just hoped he'd come back alive, the big oaf had to help build me a new Runner."

Saito chuckled to himself, "How long will he be out?"

Caam shook her head, "Amazing as this will sound, the wounds shouldn't scar. I've stitched them up nicely. He will have to rest here. Your trials in Paslie are finished, I would get back to the Isle of Terra and await further commands from your own Commanders. We Gusto, the Hands of Raiza, shall watch over our dear champion until he is as hale and hearty as he once was."

Reka sadly observed her brother as Saito laid a hand on his shoulder, "If you want to stay, I'll understand."

Reka shooked her head, "No. We'll return back to Rena and the others. We'll resupply and she how else we can help. Caam, get Raiza to do the windy thing and put Reko at the Isle of Terra. Since he controls Paslie again the winds should be clear."

"I understand, Lady Reka and Ser Kaiba. May the winds greet you favorably and winds keep you."

Some time after Reka and Saito had departed, during the first night that Raiza had reclaimed his keep for his own, Caam heard Reko speak softly, "We'll win this...everyone...follow me..."

Paslie was now safe, but Raiza's mind had still not settled. He wondered how the other realms were faring.

o o o

Wes had honestly not expected them to land in the desert. Aeagnaap, the Realm of Earth, had looked so big from the sky. Vegetation did not seem prevalent in this region, however he did notice a thick forest and a lush jungle occupying a large valley that seemed more reminiscent of a crater. However, these were isolated spots. The rest of Aeagnaap was otherwise barren. A few cities dotted the land, but none of them seemed notably advanced. The two that stood out most was a steampunk-themed city with grinding gears and pounding pistons and one with buildings based on ancient Japanese architecture with machines that were seemingly made from wood. Toward the farthest regions of Aeagnaap was a large stone canyon, seemingly being the place of power in this barren waste.

"Where's the Regent Lord?" asked Max.

"Most likely in Granmarg's castle," Wes answered.

"Yes. It lies just beyond the Great Stone Canyon," Bethany said pointing in a direction.

"So furthest from us," Hayley summarized.

"Wonderful," muttered Wes.

"Well, we better get going if we're gonna get there quick!" Max said enthusiastically.

"How? We're in the middle of a vast uncrossable desert," Wes pointed out.

"Not necessarily uncrossable," Recca said. She pointed an armored finger to an oasis where some nomads were camping. Apart from their tents and their bundles, they also had animals. 3-Hump Lacoodas for most loads, but they also had the swifter Niwatoris.

"That was strangely convenient," Max commented.

The group took the short walk over to the oasis. As they approached, the nomads looked toward them one at a time. They were all wrapped head to toe in robes. It was impossible for anyone to see what they looked like underneath.

"You look weary, travellers," one of the nomads said upon greeting the group.

"We need assistance in traversing across this desert," Bethany explained.

"Well, we can offer you some Niwatoris if you want to get across the desert quickly," another one said in a female voice.

"We're actually going to need supplies, as well," Wes added, "Food, tents, and especially water."

"In that case, a small group of 3-Hump Lacooda should suffice," another nomad chimed in.

"How much do we owe you?" Bethany asked as she reached for her pouch.

"Where are you folks headed?" the first nomad inquired.

"We're heading toward Granmarg's castle," Recca answered.

The nomads whispered to each other. "You're going after the UnGod's Regent Lord, aren't you?" they finally said.

"We are," Wes answered.

"No charge then," the female nomad said, "We've lived under that monster's tyranny for far too long. Anyone who steps up to destroy him is welcome to our help anytime."

"We thank you," Bethany said bowing, "We are most grateful for your help."

Five 3-Hump Lacoodas were soon saddled up and ready to go with two others to haul cargo. Max helped Hayley up onto one of the beasts before climbing on one beside her though not without difficulty. Wes had an easier time and Recca was able to mount one with the aid of some very willing nomads. Bethany mounted hers effortlessly.

"Thanks so much for the camels!" Max said with a wave.

"Anything to help those who want to defeat the Regent Lord," the nomads replied as they waved goodbye. Recca led the way with Wes, Max, Hayley, and Bethany following her in a single file line with Bethany keeping charge over the cargo camels.

As the nomads waved, they watched as the group walked over a large sand dune and then disappeared behind it. "They're gone now?" the female asked.

"Yes," the first one replied, "and they completely fell for it." The nomads all reached up and pulled off their robes. The third one was an amphibious warrior known as X-Saber Galahad. The female was beautiful blonde woman in red armor called X-Saber Anu Piranha. The first turned out to be a tall man dressed like a cowboy holding a gun that doubled as shortsword named X-Saber Wayne. Around them, the other nomads turned out to be the lion-like creature X-Saber Airbellum, the chameleon-like XX-Saber Ragigura, the rugged X-Saber Axel, and the reptilian X-Saber Palomuro.

"Now that we know who they are, we can prepare for their arrival," Ragigura cackled.

"Yes." Wayne looked off in the direction that the group had disappeared. His blue tattered cloak flapped in the desert breeze.

"Should we follow them?" asked Palomuro.

"Not yet," answered Wayne, "The desert is filled with all sorts of dangers. We'll see if they can handle them first."

o o o

Desertapirs lay about on the hot sand beneath the scorching sun all over the desert sleeping very peacefully. Wes and the others wished they could be that relaxed. The heat was unbearable. Wes had taken off his coat and shirt and left them rolled up behind him. Hayley and Max had changed into some robes provided by the nomads, but even then they could still feel the intense heat. Recca had brought a wide brim hat and a fan to keep herself shaded and cool, wearing a mixture of light mail with her trademark mace ever at her side. The only one who seemed completely unaffected by the arid wasteland and its climate was Bethany. Indeed, she seemed to be more than accustomed to the shifting sands of Aeagnaap. Then Wes remembered that she was called the Warrior Lady of the Wasteland, however there was something else that caught her eye. She seemed rather focused and it was not on something in the here and now.

A canteen landed effortlessly on Wes' lap, with Recca giving a playful wink and tapping the side of her steed with her weapon to get it to move ahead atop one of the great dunes in the harsh desert. Smirking as she got out the map, she made her way to pull out a pair of binoculars on her side. Unlike her children who had just decided to wing it, Recca had come prepared with a mixture of archaic armors, weaponry and modern equipment. Wes' careful eyes noted that much of the modern equipment, including the canteen he just slaked his growing thirst upon, was solid military grade. Recca intended to be out for quite some time.

"You up for slaying Ardent monsters, Wes? I came to a realization that duels aren't all there are in this world you know," she patted a small carbine that hung from her belt, laughing, "We're pulling out the big bear gear now. I had this fella lifted for me by Zetsu during the last few days of the chaos on the island. I think it'll do fine. Sadly...I don't know how to use them, get the idea?"

Wes nodded in response and he understood why Recca spoke to him about it. His father was a sniper so it would make sense that he would know a thing or two about guns. But now he couldn't help but wonder what else they had packed. He turned his head to look back at the pack camels in the rear. There was certainly more loaded onto them than just food, water, and shelter. He took another drink of water from the canteen and wiped the sweat from his brow. This was going to be a long trip.

"I hope we can get out of this desert soon!" Max said from behind Wes. "This heat is doing terrible things to my hair and this sand... Oh this sand! It just gets everywhere!"

"Oh Maxie, your hair looks just fine!" Hayley assured her boyfriend, "And don't you worry about the sand. I'm sure that'll all come off once we get a nice hot shower."

"How can you two be so cheerful at a time like this?" Bethany demanded with a very serious tone in her voice.

"It helps to keep us going," answered Hayley. "All work and no play, so a little cheer goes a long way."

"Hayley, I will never understand your mixed quotes," Wes said from the front.

Recca then decided to join the fun. "It may be hot and dusty out here, but when we're done we're going to be one gritty bunch." There was a short moment of silence before Hayley started giggling with Max following suit. Even Wes found himself smirking in amusement. The only one who was not amused, however, was Bethany.

"Fine then. Enjoy your amusement. While you all sit around laughing and making jokes, the Regent Lord won't stop until he's killed everyone in his path!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Take it easy," Max said.

"You seem to have a personal vendetta against the Regent Lord of this realm," Wes said as he looked back at Bethany. The Warrior Lady of the Wasteland lowered her hat over her face and looked away. "I see. We won't question it any further then." He turned his attention back to the front. "Let's continue onward."

Hours passed and the group travelled in silence. They stopped briefly for fifteen minutes, but it was short lived and they continued on. Recca could see that Wes, Max, and Hayley were getting visibly tired and she could not blame them. Intense heat had a strange way of sapping people's energy. Wes had tried wetting himself down and using an electric fan to keep cool, but the water he splashed on himself only served to attract more sand to cling to his skin.

"Everyone stop!" Recca called out. The entire line instantly came to a halt behind her.

"What's wrong?" Wes inquired.

"The sand." Recca answered. Wes peered forward to look and blinked. He could see a deep funnel-shaped depression in the desert floor and the sand was pouring towards its center.

"Sinkholes," the lavender-haired woman said, "One of the dangers of the desert."

"Is our only option to go around?" asked Wes.

"Afraid so."

"That's wasting precious seconds! We must make haste!" Bethany handed the reigns for the cargo camels over to Hayley and rode to the front of the line.

"I agree that we must, but that is no excuse for foolishness," Recca said calmly.

"We are not trudging through bottomless shifting sand," Wes added.

"Isn't there a card by that name?" Max whispered to Hayley.

As Recca and Bethany continued to argue, a large column of sand suddenly burst upward from the center of the sinkhole. Words ceased and all attention fell upon the shifting sand as an enormous creature made of sand rose up. Its body was humanoid with giant dry bones stocking out of its back, but its head was like that of a leech.

"It's a Sand Moth!" Recca exclaimed, "Everybody back!" She pulled on her reigns and kicked her camel to turn it around and run away. Everybody else quickly followed suit. The Sand Moth reached out with a hand dripping with sand in an attempt to smash them, but they escaped just in the nick of time.

"We should be safe now," Bethany said. No sooner had those words left her mouth, the ground in front of them gave way as another creature made of sand, but this time much more compact with sharp claws and vine-like tentacles whipping around. A set of teeth could be seen inside its mouth in its head and in its mouth in its tail.

"That's a Sand Stone," Wes recognized, "I haven't seen that card played in years."

"This way!" Recca turned her Lacooda to the right and started taking her group far away from the desert monstrosities, but their path was cut off when an enormous red ant stepped in their path.

"That's a Desert Protector," said Bethany. The Desert Protector snapped its jaws at the humans and caused them to back up. The five of them found themselves in the very center of the three desert monsters.

"We're trapped!" exclaimed Max.

"We can get out." Wes took out a card. "Urknight, fight!" His Centaurian Koa'ki Meiru Urknight appeared and started to gallop toward Sand Stone, but his hooves sunk deep into the sand, greatly restricting his movement. He struggled to get free, but to no avail and it cost him dearly as he was ensnared by one of Sand Stone's tentacles and dragged under the sand. "Our monsters are no use on sand!"

"Then we'll have to try something else." Hayley took out her deck and pulled out a card. "Darklord Zerato, help us!" The corrupted Archlord appeared and flew into the air brandishing his sword. He swept down and swung his blade at Desert Protector, leaving a gash in its exoskeleton and causing it to hiss in pain.

"Naturia Barkion, help us out!" Recca held out a card and her enormous bark-skinned dragon flew out and circled the area before blasting a small twister of leaves at Sand Moth.

"Since walking on the sand won't help, let's try becoming one with the sand. Koa'ki Meiru Sandman, fight." Wes' card flashed and his large white sand creature appeared with the Mark of the Iron Core glowing in the center of its chest. It trudged over to Sand Stone, which seemed easier on it as it appeared to be walking as though walking on regular terrain. Sand Stone lashed out with its tentacles, but they passed right through Wes' construct.

"What can I do?" asked Max. When he got no answer, he shrugged and pulled out a card. "Guess I can try to help from back here. Ryu-Kishin Clown, come out!" His devilish clown bounced onto the field cackling diabolically. "Use your Mad Balloon Bomb on anything big and deserty." Ryu-Kishin Clown laughed as he held up his hand and a bunch of helium balloons on strings appeared. He grabbed onto them and floated up. Once he had reached an ideal altitude, he let go of one string and that balloon suddenly plummeted straight toward Sand Moth. It plunged into its body and exploded, blowing off a piece of its body. However, new sand fell over the gap and the giant sand creature was as good as new.

Hayley watched as Darklord Zerato continued to slash at Desert Protector, but its thick exoskeleton was proving to be a far more difficult challenge than originally anticipated. Wes looked around. His own monster was fighting a stalemate with Sand Stone. Any attacks made on Sand Moth were futile as they were quickly healed when new sand was packed on. Bethany just watched all that was happening without even bothering to lift a finger. Overall, this was not good.

"We need more monsters!" Hayley exclaimed.

"We can't!" answered Recca, "If we bring out too many, we'll sap all of our energy."

"It's bad enough that we lost a lot travelling this far," Max added.

Wes glared at Bethany. "Don't you know the weakness to these creatures?"

"There is one for the sand ones," Bethany said, "They're weak against water."

"Water?"

"Yes. It makes them soggy and slows down their movements. In Sand Moth's case, it makes it chunky and thus it can't regenerate as fast. In Sand Stone's case, it softens up its body making it easier to pierce it."

"While that's a good idea, it would be unwise to use our own water supply as a weapon."

"I think I can help there!" Max held out some cards and summoned his Dream Clowns, each of them holding a spritzer bottle of water.

"Now how are we going to get that water on the targets?" At that moment, Ryu-Kishin Clown came down.

A few moments later, two Ryu-Kishin Clowns took to the skies with their handfuls of balloons. "This better work," Wes muttered.

"It will," Max said with a smile, which only caused the other boy to bury his face in his hand. They watched as the two demon clowns floated over the desert until they were right on top of their respective targets. Then they began their attack, dropping Mad Balloon Bombs from their clusters. The ones that landed on Sand Stone exploding on impact, splashing water all over it. The ones aimed for Sand Moth sank into its body before detonating and wetting it from the inside.

"It's working," Recca noted as Sand Moth's color started to darken while Sand Stone began to meld with its self into a muddy moving pile.

"Keep it up!" Max yelled to his clowns. More balloons were dropped, more water was splashed, and more sand was soaked. Before long, Sand Moth collapsed under the new weight of its body and Sand Stone crumbled as its once solid form deteriorated below him.

"Go, Barkion!" Recca called out, "Elemental Cyclone!" Naturia Barkion spun around in a spiral and conjured up a large tornado of leaves that it launched at Sand Moth. The raging winds and the sharp leaves cut and sliced the great wet sand creature apart and before long nothing was left.

"Switch on my mark!" Wes yelled to Hayley, "Sync?"

"Sync!" Hayley confirmed.

"Mark!" In that instant, Koa'ki Meiru Sandman and Darklord Zerato switched opponents and the latter swung his sword and cut Sand Stone apart.

"Two down, one to go." Max looked up at Desert Protector. "This one's gonna be tricky."

"Not being made of sand, this one is going to need another approach." Wes looked to Bethany for answers, but she had none for this one. "Near-impenetrable exoskeleton. This one is tricky." By now, all the monsters had turned their attention on the giant insect. The attacks did seem to put it in pain, but otherwise left no damage to it. Wes was sure he could defeat it if he summoned one of his other creatures, but he did not want to risk overloading himself.

"Give me that gun!" he called to Recca. She quickly tossed him the carbine and he caught it with ease. He then ran to the cargo camels to see what else she had brought and found some stick grenades. He grabbed some of them along with a light sword and then turned to Hayley. "Get me on that bug!"

"Zerato!" Hayley called her fallen angel in and he grabbed Wes and flew him up onto Desert Protector's back before resuming his attack. Once on, the boy made his way around carefully. He could feel it shudder under the push of Naturia Barkion's attacks. Patches of black dotted its back indicating the places where Ryu-Kishin Clown had bombed. Koa'ki Meiru Sandman had proven completely ineffective against it. Gashes left behind in the exoskeleton from Darklord Zerato's sword.

The gashes. Exactly what Wes was looking for!

Hold onto the hairs and spines on Desert Protector's back for support while it shook and moved, Wes made his way to the nearest gash. Once he was within reach, he pulled the cord on one of the grenades and stuck it in before rolling away. The grenade exploded and Desert Protector roared in pain as parts of its exoskeleton blew off.

"He got it!" Max cheered. He ordered Ryu-Kishin Clown to attack and aim for the hole. Meanwhile, Wes moved up Desert Protector's body to another gash and repeated his actions. His tactics succeeded and another hole was blown open, giving Darklord Zerato and opening to stab his sword into. The next one gave Naturia Barkion a place to sink its fangs. Finally Wes reached the insect's head. There were no gashes here to work with and he was out of hand grenades. With the carbine in one hand, he grabbed onto Desert Protector's antenna and stepped out onto its face. He twisted himself around and began shooting it in the eye. Desert Protector thrashed around violently trying to shake everyone off, but the monsters held fast and Wes held on for dear life. He quickly repositioned himself and shot the other eye. Once again, Desert Protector thrashed about.

When it seemed to have calmed down from its initial burst of pain, Wes moved back behind its head and drew his sword. Slinging the carbine over his shoulder, he grasped the hilt in both hands and plunged the blade into the monster's neck. A loud shriek of pain filled the air as Desert Protector stumbled about. Naturia Barkion and Darklord Zerato quickly disengaged, the latter grabbed Wes before leaving. Desert Protector let out one final shriek and collapsed dead.

"That was amazing!" Max cheered.

"You're just like your father," Recca beamed.

"Look!" Hayley pointed ahead, "That sinkhole is gone!"

"It must've been a part of Sand Moth," Wes surmised as he returned the weapons to Recca. Bethany came forward and looked at the grey-haired teen.

"Not bad, boy," she complimented.

"Are all the camels still here?" asked Wes. Recca did a check and frowned.

"Two of them are missing. Both passenger Lacoodas," she reported.

"Then we'll have to pair off," Wes said. Max and Hayley quickly jumped on one in a heartbeat. Wes then shrugged and allowed Reka to get up in front on his mount. Soon the group was off against. The sun was beginning to set now and the desert would soon cool down. The Desertapirs would soon awaken.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

An industrial town on the edge of the desert becomes a welcome sight as a sign of civilization. But in this town of metal smithing, something seems greatly amiss. Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	143. The Forge

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-56**

**The Forge**

The group had decided to stop and camp. It was late afternoon, close to evening. Though the suggestion to travel at night and rest in the day was good, the problem was adjusting to it. For the time being, they decided to do so in eighths of a day. They were just unloading the cargo Lacoodas when a problem was encountered.

"Wes dear, give me a hand with this please," Recca requested. Wes helped her unload one of the tents off the camel's back.

"This seems much heavier than when we first loaded it," the grey-haired teen noticed. With one heave, they threw it onto the sand.

"Ow!"

Wes and Recca looked at each other. "Did that just come from the tent?" she asked. Wes responded by walking over to the tent and unrolling it.

"Gio? What are you doing here?"

The young boy rolled out from the tent and rubbed his head. "You really shouldn't throw me like that!"

"You know him?" asked Bethany.

"He's the son of one of our teachers," answered Wes before turning back to Gio. "What are you doing here?" he repeated.

"Everyone else was going on an adventure. Why couldn't I come too?" the boy asked.

"It's too dangerous," Recca replied.

"What's dangerous mean?" Gio inquired. Bethany gave him a strange look.

"He only understands simple words," Wes explained.

"Ah."

"What are we going to do with him?" asked Recca, "I mean we should take him back but...hmm..."

"Gio will only be a hinderance," Wes said in response, "However we don't have the time to take him back."

"We can take care of the little cutie!" Hayley said cheerfully. Everybody turned and looked at her and Max. "We'd be happy to look after him!"

"I guess that settles that then! Hayley, Max, I guess you're going to watch the little one. Gio, it's going to be rough going from here on out, dangers shows I want you to scurry off!" Recca announced.

"Just keep him out of my way," Bethany muttered.

Meanwhile, Gio couldn't help but gush at what Hayley had called him. "Cutie? Ha! Take that, Noah! I'm the cute one!"

o o o

"Ah-choo!"

"Are you okay, Noah?" Sammie asked as she, Noah, Zetsubou, Mikomi, Sako, and Getsu Fuhma made their way to Karheim, the Realm of Darkness.

"I'm alright," Noah said sniffling as he rubbed his nose on his hand, "I think someone was just talking about me behind my back."

Zetsubou ruffled Noah's hair, a small attempt to be 'friendly' as Rena had told him to start trying to be. The overlooked a large hill towards a realm of roiling black clouds and cracked earth.

o o o

With the addition of Gio food distribution had to be re-rationed and that caused some problems. Gio thought he should get the most because he was a growing boy. Bethany thought he should get the least because he was the smallest. Wes believed that everybody should get equal amounts of food. Gio's persistance caused the argument to last all night. By the time they were ready to move, nobody had really gotten much sleep.

"Bringing him was a bad idea," was all Bethany said as they continued their journey through the desert. Gio was sitting with Hayley on her Lacooda wearing just his shorts. The female Obelisk Blue didn't seem to mind seemed absolutely enthralled to be able to join everyone on their journey. At the front of the line, Recca kept one hand on her reins as she checked the map to make sure they were going the right way.

"How much further until we get to the end of this desert?" asked Wes.

"We've still got a while to go, but there's an iron mill we can stop at up ahead to resupply," Recca answered.

"Good," was Wes' response as he finished off his canteen. "We need more water. How far is it?"

"If we keep up this pace, we should get there in an hour's time."

"Got it. One hour."

o o o

The iron mill was a very sprawling cornerstone of industry. Upon arrival, Gio complained that it was even hotter than the desert. Though that may have been true, it was definitely a welcome sight by comparison. Smelters worked tirelessly refining the raw ore into usable iron. Rivers of molten metal ran through the plant. Thick smoke was released through the smokestacks into the air. Removed impurities were set aside while the iron was processed for shipping. It was an effective system and tasks were completed efficiently. A large wall surrounded the facility with a single gate being the sole entrance and exit. Upon the group's arrival at the gate, however, alarms sounded and guards poured out armed with weapons.

"Leave this place now!" they commanded.

"Easy! We're just here to resupply," Bethany said to them.

"Ha! As if we'll let the Black King's men resupply here!" a guard shouted.

"Who is the Black King?" Wes questioned.

"No use trying to play dumb! You minions of the Black King think you can fool us?"

"If you ask me, these people are already fools," Bethany muttered.

"Hush now," Recca whispered to her.

"We are not here to attack you," Wes said as he pulled his mount forward, "We just need to resupply so that we can continue on our way."

"You minions of the Black King can just die out there in the desert!"

"Whoever this Black King is, we are not with him," Wes said calmly.

"Likely story."

"Just break through," said Bethany, "They're not going to give it up. We have to get to the Regent Lord quickly."

"Come on, everyone. Can't we all just get along?" asked Max as he came forward.

"I'm going in!" Bethany declared as she positioned her camel.

"Stand down or we'll shoot!" the guards shouted. But Bethany paid no heed and charged at the gate. But instead of plowing right through it, her camel stopped short of it and she jumped over the gate and landed on one of the guard houses. She then jumped down and ran toward the mill, taking the entire group of guards with her.

"Look at her go," Gio said.

"We better go after her." Wes dismounted and asked Hayley to pass Gio down.

"What do you need him for?" she inquired.

"He's small enough to fit through the bars," was Wes' answer.

o o o

Bethany ran past the smelters and the forges and made her way into the main building. The supply storage had to be in here. She could hear the security guards hot on her trail, but luckily their large cumbersome numbers had allowed her single form to pull far ahead.

She found her way into the main refinery and looked around. Vats of molten iron lined the walls and poured out into rivers that ran toward one side of the room. On the opposite end she could see a flight of stairs leading up to a room with large windows. It was either a control room or some kind of office. She proceeded to go find out, but then a man in coveralls and a hardhat stepped out holding a clipboard. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"The question is who are you?" Bethany shot back.

"I'm the foreman of this iron mill. You're unauthorized to be here. Leave now."

"I'm not leaving until I get what I came for."

"Bethany, there you are!" Bethany didn't turn around as Recca walked in with Wes, Hayley, Max, and Gio with her.

"More unauthorized personnel!" the foreman gasped. "I'm calling security!"

"We just need supplies to continue our journey," Wes tried to explain.

"How do I know you're not just more of the Black King's evil henchmen?" the foreman asked.

"Who is the Black King?" asked Hayley.

"The Black King is the UnGod's Regent Lord of Aeagnaap," the foreman answered, "We were once ruled by Granmarg the Rock Monarch, but then one day he went insane. It did not last long, fortunately. But as soon as he came back to his senses, the Black King arrived and usurped the throne. Since then we've lived in constant terror. We sealed ourselves off from the rest of Aeagnaap in case any of his minions showed up. Only authorized personnel are allowed on the premises."

"But we're not with the Black King!" Max pointed out.

"Do you have proof?" asked the foreman, "You broke in without authorization. You beat up the guards. So far I'd say things are looking against your favor."

"Then I'll prove it myself." Wes stepped forward with his Duel Disk. "Duel me. If the Black King's minions do indeed use underhanded tactics, then we'll show you that we fight with honor."

"An intriguing concept," the foreman thought out loud, "So be it. Let's see how you fare against the might of this iron mill." He walked to a control panel on the railing and pressed a button. The controls slid away to reveal a Duel Terminal. A deck was already loaded. A press of a button allowed it to be shuffled immediately.

"Duel!"

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 8000

**Foreman:** 8000

––––––––––––––––

"I'll start." Wes drew his card. "I summon Koa'ki Meiru Boulder." A stone cone-shaped creature appeared with arms and legs and a face carved into its body with the Mark of the Iron Core emblazoned on its forehead (ATK/1200 DEF/1000). "That ends my turn."

"I'll draw then." The foreman drew his first card. "I summon Iron Chain Snake." A long heavy chain made of iron appeared on the field with one head bearing the resemblance of a snake's head (ATK/800 DEF/1200). "Then I'll play the Continuous Spell, Poison Chain. If I don't attack, then on my End Phase you must send cards from the top of your deck to your graveyard equal to the number of Iron Chain monsters I control. I end my turn there. And since I did not attack, Poison Chain activates." Wes complied with the card's effect and sent one card from his deck to his graveyard.

"My turn now." Wes drew again and proceeded to play his card. "I summon Koa'ki Meiru Urknight." A golden armored centaur appeared on the field brandishing a sword and a shield. The Mark of the Iron Core could be seen on his shield and breastplate (ATK/2000 DEF/1500). "And I'll activate his effect. By revealing one Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru in my hand, I can Special Summon one level four or lower Koa'ki Meiru monster from my deck." He showed a card in his hand, revealing it to be Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru. "And now I'll summon Koa'ki Meiru Wall." Koa'ki Meiru Urknight sounded a horn and a giant golem made out of a stone wall with a large chain in the center of its chest with bullet holes ridden all over its lower half emerged. The Mark of the Iron Core glowed on both shoulders. (ATK/1900 DEF/1200).

"Koa'ki Meiru Boulder, attack Iron Chain Snake." Koa'ki Meiru Boulder shuddered for a moment before firing a rock from the top of its head. It shot toward the ceiling and then landed right on top of Iron Chain Snake.

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 8000

**Foreman:** 7600

––––––––––––––––

"Now Koa'ki Meiru Urknight, attack." Koa'ki Meiru Urknight galloped forward and jumped up to the platform to slash the foreman across the chest.

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 8000

**Foreman:** 5600

––––––––––––––––

"Koa'ki Meiru Wall, attack directly." On Wes' command, Koa'ki Meiru Wall lumbered forward and brought its fist down on the foreman.

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 8000

**Foreman:** 3700

––––––––––––––––

"I am done," announced Wes, "And to keep Koa'ki Meiru Wall and Koa'ki Meiru Urknight on the field, I reveal Koa'ki Meiru Sandman and Koa'ki Meiru Crusader in my hand."

"My turn now." The foreman drew his card. "I'll begin by summoning Iron Chain Repairman." He placed the card on his terminal and summoned a grey-skinned man with pants that were being held up with chain suspenders and carrying a massive hammer (ATK/1600 DEF/1200). "And with his effect, I can ressurect one Iron Chain monster. so here comes Iron Chain Snake again." Iron Chain Repairman slammed his hammer against the floor and Iron Chain Snake rose out and rejoined the field.

"Since I used Iron Chain Repairman's effect, I can't attack this turn. But that won't matter. I activate Nightmare's Steelcage." A black dome-shaped cage studded with spikes surrounded Wes and his monsters. The boy decided to wait for another moment to use Koa'ki Meiru Wall's effect. Battle paralysis was only a minor nuisance.

"With this, neither of us can battle for two turns. I end my turn. And now Poison Chain kicks in," declared the foreman. With two Iron Chain monsters on the field, Wes was forced to mill two cards from his deck. After that, he drew his card. There was little he could do, so he concluded his turn and revealed Koa'ki Meiru Crusader and Koa'ki Meiru Sandman once again.

The foreman drew again. "I summon Iron Chain Blaster." A large purple mechanical man appeared with a stone cannon built into his body all held together with a massive iron chain (ATK/1100 DEF/0). "And to use Iron Chain Blaster's effect. By sacrificing one Iron Chain monster, I can use him to deal eight hundred points of damage to you." Iron Chain Snake was loaded into the back of Iron Chain Blaster and then a massive blast erupted from the barrel and hit Wes.

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 7200

**Foreman:** 3700

––––––––––––––––

"And now Iron Chain Repairman will bring it back!" Iron Chain Repairman hammered the floor and resurrected Iron Chain Snake. "I end my turn and Poison Chain again." Three Iron Chain monsters now stood on the field and Wes was forced to send three cards from his deck to his graveyard.

"I draw." Wes drew his card and examined it. "I activate Core Overclock. As long as this remains on my field, all my Koa'ki Meiru monsters gain five hundred attack points." His monsters' Marks of the Iron Core started to glow bright orange as Koa'ki Meiru Boulder's attack points became seventeen hundred, Koa'ki Meiru Urknight's became twenty-five hundred, and Koa'ki Meiru Wall's became twenty-four hundred.

"I end my turn." After revealing Koa'ki Meiru Crusader and Koa'ki Meiru Sandman once again, Wes' turn ended and the Nightmare's Steelcage vanished.

"I draw." The foreman drew his card. "I now summon a second Iron Chain Repairman." A second repairman appeared on the field and shouldered his hammer. "Now for Iron Chain Blaster once again." Iron Chain Snake was loaded again and fired into Wes for a second time.

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 6400

**Foreman:** 3700

––––––––––––––––

"And here it comes back." One of the Iron Chain Repairmen struck the ground and Iron Chain Snake returned. "I'll set one card and end my turn. Poison Chain takes effect." There were now four Iron Chain monsters, thus Wes was forced to mill out four cards.

"I draw." The Obelisk Blue drew his next card.

"I activate my Trap," announced the foreman, "Gravity Bind. Now anything level four or higher cannot attack."

Wes cursed to himself silently. All of his monsters were level four or higher. Unless he found a way to destroy that Gravity Bind, it would only be a matter of time until his deck was milled out completely. Unfortunately, his hand possessed nothing. Even Reckoned Power, which resided somewhere in his deck and had the power to destroy Spells and Traps, was useless as it could only be used on facedown cards. He had but one hope and its name was Koa'ki Meiru Maximus, a card which he had yet to draw that duel. Fortunately, his opponent had not yet milled it either and every card sent to his graveyard that was not Maximus brought him one card closer to drawing it. With no other options, he ended his turn and discarded Koa'ki Meiru Barrier and revealed Koa'ki Meiru Crusader and Koa'ki Meiru Guardian.

"My turn." The foreman drew his card. "Now I summon another Iron Chain Blaster." A cannon monster appeared on the field. "Then I play Paralyzing Chain. Each time you're forced to mill cards, you take three hundred points of damage. But right now, Iron Chain Blaster one, fire!" Iron Chain Snake was loaded into the first Iron Chain Blaster and fired into Wes."

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 5600

**Foreman:** 3700

––––––––––––––––

"Repairman, bring it back!" The first Iron Chain Repairman hammered the floor and resurrected Iron Chain Snake. "Now Blaster number two, open fire!" Iron Chain Snake was loaded into the second Iron Chain Blaster and launched at Wes once again.

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 4800

**Foreman:** 3700

––––––––––––––––

"Now Repairman two, resurrect it!" The second Iron Chain Repairman repeated his twin's move and brought back Iron Chain Snake. "I end my turn and with five Iron Chain monsters, you lose five cards." Wes winced. He took the top five cards off his deck and sent them to his graveyard. Thankfully, Koa'ki Meiru Maximus was not among them.

"And now Paralyzing Chain takes effect!" Strong iron chains appeared and ensnared Wes' Duel Disk before a toxic miasma was emitted from them.

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 4500

**Foreman:** 3700

––––––––––––––––

"Your turn," the foreman said.

Wes drew his card. "I summon Koa'ki Meiru Guardian." A white stone statue appeared and crouched down by the weight of its own body. The Mark of the Iron Core glowed on its chest, shield, and arms (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). Thanks to Core Overclock, its attack power rose up to match Koa'ki Meiru Wall's at twenty-four hundred. "I end my turn."

"And now it's mine." The foreman drew. "And now I activate my Iron Chain Blaster's effect." Iron Chain Snake was loaded into Iron Chain Blaster, who then took aim.

"I negate Iron Chain Blaster's effect by sacrificing Koa'ki Meiru Guardian," Wes declared. Koa'ki Meiru Guardian stepped in front of Iron Chain Blaster and stuffed his arm into the barrel. When the cannon fired, the blockage caused the recoil to destroy Iron Chain Blaster.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" asked the foreman, "Iron Chain Repairmen, go!" both Repairman struck the floor and Iron Chain Blaster and Iron Chain Snake returned to the field. "Iron Chain Blaster, go again!" Iron Chain Blaster loaded up Iron Chain Snake and fired.

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 3700

**Foreman:** 3700

––––––––––––––––

"Now Iron Chain Blaster, load up the other one!" The first Iron Chain Blaster was loaded into the second and fired into Wes.

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 2900

**Foreman:** 3700

––––––––––––––––

"I'm going to end my turn," announced the foreman. And with that, Poison Chain forced Wes to send four cards to his graveyard. Then Paralyzing Chain's effect struck him for an extra three hundred points of damage to his Life Points.

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 2600

**Foreman:** 3700

––––––––––––––––

It was now Wes' turn. But he did not draw. Instead he reached for his graveyard and two cards popped out. "Instead of drawing, I use my Draw Phase to retrieve the two Iron Cores of Koa'ki Meiru from my graveyard to my hand." He took those cards and added them to his hand. "I summon a second Koa'ki Meiru Urknight now." A second centaur appeared on Wes' side of the field and his attack points rose up to twenty-five hundred." After that he ended his turn. He revealed Koa'ki Meiru Crusader to keep both Koa'ki Meiru Urknights on the field and showed Koa'ki Meiru Sandman to keep Koa'ki Meiru Wall on the field. Then he discarded Koa'ki Meiru Boulder to reduce his hand size to six.

"My turn." The foreman drew his card. "First I use Repairman one to resurrect my dead Blaster." One Iron Chain Repairman struck the floor with his hammer and Iron Chain Blaster returned to the field. "Now I sacrifice Iron Chain Snake for Blaster's effect." Iron Chain Snake was loaded in and fired at Wes.

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 1800

**Foreman:** 3700

––––––––––––––––

"Now resurrect and fire again!" ordered the foreman. The second Iron Chain Repairman brought Iron Chain Snake back and the second Iron Chain Blaster fired it at Wes.

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 1000

**Foreman:** 3700

––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," announced the foreman, which then caused Wes to send the top four cards of his deck to the graveyard and get burned for three hundred damage.

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 700

**Foreman:** 3700

––––––––––––––––

"I draw." Wes drew his card. The expression on his face hid the true emotions he felt when he saw what he had received. "I remove from play one Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru from my hand to Special Summon Koa'ki Meiru Maximus." The Iron Core appeared on the field and began to shine. The light that radiated from it grew brighter and brighter until a beast resembling the Blue-Eyes White Dragon emerge and swooped down on the field and landed, the Mark of the Iron Core glowing with red light on its forehead (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "And now I use the effect of Koa'ki Meiru Maximus. Once per turn during my Main Phase, I can select one card you control and destroy it. And the card of my choice...is Gravity Bind." Koa'ki Meiru Maximus looked over at the foreman's Trap Card and opened its mouth. A solid beam of energy shot out and destroyed it, instantly lifting the increased gravitational pull from the field.

"Koa'ki Meiru Boulder, attack Iron Chain Blaster." Koa'ki Meiru Boulder fired a stone into the air and it came crashing down on top of one Iron Chain Blaster.

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 700

**Foreman:** 3100

––––––––––––––––

"Koa'ki Meiru Wall, destroy the other one." The massive stone golem trudged across the field and brought its arm down on top of the other Iron Chain Blaster.

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 700

**Foreman:** 1800

––––––––––––––––

"Koa'ki Meiru Urknight, destroy a Repairman." Koa'ki Meiru Urknight galloped across the field and swung his sword that cut off one Iron Chain Repairman's head.

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 700

**Foreman:** 900

––––––––––––––––

"Urknight two, finish him," ordered Wes. His other Koa'ki Meiru Urknight charged and stabbed his blade into the final Iron Chain Repairman.

––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 700

**Foreman:** 0

––––––––––––––––

The duel was over and Wes was victorious. The foreman looked down at him from the platform in front of his office door and stared. "We won," Bethany said, "That proves we're not with the Black King. Now give us the supplies we need."

"Now hold on," the foreman said, "The agreement wasn't that the outcome would decide where your alleigences lie. The agreement was that I'd use the way you dueled to determine whether or not you were allies of the Black King."

"And?" Max asked eagerly.

The foreman smiled. "No servant of the Black King would duel without resorting to trickery and deceit. Young man, you dueled honorably. We shall have your caravan resupplied quickly. In the meantime, you must all feel tired and, above all else, dirty from travelling in the desert."

"Well now that you mention it..." Hayley started.

"It's not much, but feel free to use our showers," the foreman offered, "And we've got beds in the barracks so by all means, rest up."

"Thank you," Recca said gratefully. "We'll take you up on that offer."

"Just don't take long. Remember that we have to defeat the Black King," Bethany reminded everyone.

"It's useless to fight him if we're tired," Wes pointed out.

o o o

That evening was one of peaceful relaxation. Max couldn't get over how good a shower felt. Hayley was happy to sleep on a soft bed. Gio did not understand why it was so important to bathe, but he was ecstatic when they were served dinner. Wes kept his emotions inside and Recca was being her normal self. The only person who was not enjoying the break was Bethany. She just sat by the door with her arms crossed waiting for the night to end quickly. After a filling meal and warm showers, everyone went to bed. The journey had only just started. There was still much distance to cover before they reached the Great Stone Canyon.

As activity died down in the iron mill, three figures watched from a sand dune a distance away. "You really are a good tracker," a prepubescent voice said.

"Of course I am," a gruff voice snarled. The moonlight gleamed off his claws to reveal him to be the lion-like X-Saber Airbellum. The prepubescent voice that had spoken belonged to XX-Saber Fulhelmknight. The last was X-Saber Axel.

"You think you're up for this junior?" Axel laughed, which caused Fulhelmknight puff out his cheeks in a pouty face. "I mean, shouldn't this be left up to the big boys?"

"I'm just as capable as the rest of you!"

"Right, right."

"Enough!" snarled Airbellum, "We brought Fulhelmknight for a reason. Are you ready, young one?"

"Heh. I'm always ready," Fulhelmknight replied patting the scabbard at his side.

o o o

The group awoke early the following morning for breakfast. If they were to traverse across as much of the desert as possible without enduring the harsh sun, they had to get up as early as possible so to take advantage of the cool morning temperatures.

"Your Lacoodas are packed and ready to go," the foreman informed them.

"Then we should get moving immediately," Wes said. The other agreed and began to move out. As they made their way toward the exit, however, an alarm sounded.

"Intruder alert! Three unauthorized personnel have entered the mill!"

"What?" The foreman turned to a guard. "Where are they?"

"I dunno, but they're kicking our asses!" the guard replied before continuing to run toward the direction that the others were headed.

"Stay there!" the foreman told Wes and the others before following the guards.

"Let's go follow them," Max suggested to which many of the other agreed.

Outside within the confines of the iron mill's walls, guards fired their guns but were unable to hit the swift Airbellum who dodged their shots with ease and ran up to them only to slash them with his claws. The serrated edge of Axel's saw sword tore through flesh with sickening noises. Fulhelmknight, despite his age, proved to be a formidable fighter. While not as fast as Airbellum or physically powerful as Axel, he was agile and his small size made him hard to hit.

The foreman arrived and asked a guard, "How did they get in here?"

Fulhelmknight, having overheard the question, turned and looked at him."Easily. With this." He spun his sword in his hand and swung. In an instant, the blade broke up into several arrowhead-shaped segments all connected by a thin string of electricity. The segmentation of the blade greatly increased his weapon's range and he was able to stab the guard standing next to the foreman in the throat before pulling it out and wrapping his sword around the foreman himself. Fulhelmknight had a look of sadistic pleasure on his face as he reeled in his prisoner. "Oh the fun I'm gonna have when I get through with you! Shishishishi!" he cackled as his lips spread into an enormous toothy grin.

"What do you want?" asked the foreman. Airbellum approached him and placed his claws under his chin.

"Your iron," he snarled, "The Black King has asked you over and over again to hand it over and yet you refuse despite his generous offers."

"We refuse to serve that evil man," the foreman said, "No. He is no man. He is a demon."

"You can still cooperate with us," Fulhelmknight said, "But... Well, it's up to you. Personally, I'd rather you said no, 'cause then I can cut you up into itty-bitty pieces. Shishishishishi."

"What's it gonna be?" Axel asked as he leaned on his sword.

The foreman struggled for a moment and then spoke. "Long...live...Granmarg..."

Airbellum pulled his claws away. "Do whatever you want, Fulhelmknight."

"Yay!" The grin on Fulhelmknight's face spread even wider. "This is gonna hurt you more than it's gonna hurt me. Like a LOT more. Shishishishishishi!" He tightened his weapon around his captive.

Fulhelmknight suddenly yelped out and flinched with pain, releasing the foreman from his blade. Bethany stood with her gun drawn and the barrel smoking. "Damn it..."

"That's enough, Ingus," she said lowering her weapon.

"I'm not Ingus! I'm the Fulhelmknight!"

"You can call yourself whatever title the X-Sabers gave you, but your name is Ingus," Bethany stated.

"You know him?" asked Max.

"I do," answered Bethany, "The Fulhelmknight of the X-Saber Clan is my little brother, Ingus."

"Your...little brother?" gasped Hayley.

"He has a weird name," Gio blurted out.

"Years ago, Ingus and I used to be happy together. We were both considered to be among the best warriors of our village. Our master was the most esteemed warrior of a very high class order. We trained under him every day. But as time grew on, something happened that caused Ingus to resent the master. Even though he started later than me, it became quite obvious that he was being held back. The master always said that Ingus lacked the patience and the discipline to be a true warrior.

"Ingus spoke to me privately about it. I obviously could not lie to my own brother, so I told him what the master had said. He was heartbroken and he ran from our house. We never saw him for a while after that. But three days later, he came back. His spirits were high and he was eager to continue his training, but something about him seemed different. At the time, I was to be engaged to another promising warrior from our village. His name was Dai Grepher. Ever since Ingus returned, he and Grepher spent countless hours together in secret. I did not pay much attention to it at first, but as I ponder on it now, I wish I had.

"Grepher was indeed a powerful warrior, but his intentions were not always pure. One day, he and Ignus suddenly left the village. I tracked them down to the middle of the wasteland and saw them. They were training but not in the way we had been taught. Ingus was swinging his sword with anger. The master had always taught us to keep a calm mind. I could hear Grepher giving him instruction. I knew he was teaching my brother the wrong discipline. It was then that I engaged him and we fought while Ingus just sat and watched. Our fight ended in a simultaneous loss. Fortunately, authorities from our village arrived in time and Grepher was taken into custody. He was placed in prison and Ingus was suspended from the warriors school for disobeying the master's teachings and using aggression and anger in combat. Unfortunately, that was not the worst of it. Ingus couldn't stand being held back. So one night he left without saying a word, taking with him only his sword and some food. Nobody saw him again after that.

"But then, many years later, disaster struck. Upon returning back to my village after a long excursion in the wastelands with Freed, I discovered that my home was ablaze. I quickly ran into the village to save whomever I could, but it was no use. Everyone was either dead or being killed. I managed to find our master, who was on the verge of death. But he was able to tell me that my brother had come back. Not taking the time to explore other possible meanings behind his words, I immediately went to seek him out. But I saw no sign of him. Feeling upset, I returned to my house hoping to at least save my parents. What I saw horrified me. My father lay dead facedown in a pool of his own blood. And my mother was being held captive with a sword against her throat. When I ordered her captor to step away, I was even more horrified by what I saw. It was Ingus dressed in the garb and armor you see him wearing now.

"I demanded what he was doing and his answer was, 'The master always held me back. Mother and father always sheltered me. You were always trying to protect me. Nobody ever believed in me. Nobody ever believed that I could be a great warrior. But now... I've become greater than anything I could have accomplished under the master's teachings.' And with that he slew our mother.

"I demanded to know what had happened to him. Ingus only threw his hair back and said one thing, 'I am not Ingus. I am the Fulhelmknight of the X-Sabers.' And then he lashed out with the sword he wields now. Our fight was short. I... I was a coward. No matter how much I wanted to, I could not bring myself to strike my own brother. So I fled and I hadn't seen him since. Until now. And I can see that he's changed even more. Ingus never used to take pleasure in others' suffering. In fact, he used to abhor pain and suffering."

"That was the old me. I'm not that weakling anymore. I've been given a new name. I am the Fulhelmknight of the X-Saber Clan. They made me stronger. The master was a weakling and his death proved it. His teachings proved futile against my new prowess."

"Ingus..."

"I am the Fulhelmknight!"

"I was scared before, but now not anymore. I will not hesitate to cut you down, brother."

"Just try. Shishishishishi!" Fulhelmknight lashed out with his sword and Bethany quickly moved to avoid it. She drew her sword and rushed in. Her opponent reeled his sword in and used it to deflect her blows. Fulhelmknight pushed her away and released his blade, swinging it wildly and placing more distance between him and her.

"This is terrible," Hayley said, "Brothers and sisters shouldn't fight."

"Not like this," the foreman added.

"Fulhelmknight's feelings of resentment created a rift in their family," Wes said as he stepped forward, "This is the life he knows now."

"We have to stop them!" Max quickly said.

"But how?" asked Gio.

Meanwhile, Airbellum and Axel watched as the young boy attacked his sister with everything he had. "Ghosts of the past can trigger many deeply rooted emotions," snarled Airbellum.

"Should we help him?" asked Axel.

"He'll be fine," Airbellum assured him.

"Shishishishishi! What's the matter, Bethany? You keep dodging my attacks. Can't keep up with me?" Fulhelmknight laughed, "Or maybe...you're still scared. Scared to kill your own beloved brother."

"Shut up! You are not my brother!" yelled Bethany, "My brother was kind and caring boy. He would never hurt people just for pleasure!"

"Ouch. I'm hurt," Fulhelmknight replied mockingly.

"Enough of this." Wes stepped forward. "Koa'ki Meiru Valafar, stop this now!" In a flash of fire, a great fiery demon with flaming wings appeared and landed in between the two combatants. A wave of heat rushed toward Fulhelmknight followed immediately by live flames. The young boy quickly wrapped his sword around a pipe overhead and swung out of the way.

"Forget the mill," snarled Airbellum, "Let us retreat for now. I'm certain the Black King would love to hear about this."

"It's going to be fun," laughed Axel as he and Airbellum made their getaway. Fulhelmknight climbed on top of the pipe and looked down at Bethany. The two siblings' eyes remained locked for several minutes before the younger one took off after his fellow clansmen.

o o o

The caravan was soon off. Once again, the 3-Hump Lacoodas walked in a single file line with Recca in the lead followed by Wes, Max, Hayley and Gio, Bethany, and the two cargo camels. As they made their way through the desert, Bethany remained especially quiet. Nobody said anything but they knew where her mind was. No matter what the case was, it was a near-impossible task even for a hardened warrior like her.

She would have to kill her own brother.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

In the lush wilds of the Naturia Forest, our heroes meet a most peculiar stranger. Not a spirit like the other inhabitants of Ardent, but rather another human from their own world. Who is this mysterious stranger? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	144. Forest of Life

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-57**

**Forest of Life**

After a few days in the desert, the change in scenery was a very welcome sight. At its edge the group came across some foothills. Once over them, the terrain suddenly changed. From the harsh arid wasteland that was the desert, they found themselves surrounded by lush green foliage teeming with life. "Ahhh, this is more like it!" Gio sighed happily as he stretched his arms over his head.

"Where are we?" Max inquired.

"We're close to the Naturia Forest," Recca answered, "There should be a seal of the UnGod somewhere in it."

"So once we find it, how do we seal it?" asked Hayley.

"My mother said we should use the Rose Cards, but she wasn't clear on how exactly to do it," was the lavender-haired woman's response.

As the group continued on, Bethany remained silent. She could not help but think about the event that occurred a few days ago.

_**FLASHBACK**_

I will not hesitate to cut you down, brother."

"Just try. Shishishishishi!" Fulhelmknight lashed out with his sword and Bethany quickly moved to avoid it. She drew her sword and rushed in. Her opponent reeled his sword in and used it to deflect her blows. Fulhelmknight pushed her away and released his blade, swinging it wildly and placing more distance between him and her.

"This is terrible," Hayley said, "Brothers and sisters shouldn't fight."

"Not like this," the foreman added.

"Fulhelmknight's feelings of resentment created a rift in their family," Wes said as he stepped forward, "This is the life he knows now."

"We have to stop them!" Max quickly said.

"But how?" asked Gio.

Meanwhile, Airbellum and Axel watched as the young boy attacked his sister with everything he had. "Ghosts of the past can trigger many deeply rooted emotions," snarled Airbellum.

"Should we help him?" asked Axel.

"He'll be fine," Airbellum assured him.

"Shishishishishi! What's the matter, Bethany? You keep dodging my attacks. Can't keep up with me?" Fulhelmknight laughed, "Or maybe...you're still scared. Scared to kill your own beloved brother."

"Shut up! You are not my brother!" yelled Bethany, "My brother was kind and caring boy. He would never hurt people just for pleasure!"

"Ouch. I'm hurt," Fulhelmknight replied mockingly.

"Enough of this." Wes stepped forward. "Koa'ki Meiru Valafar, stop this now!" In a flash of fire, a great fiery demon with flaming wings appeared and landed in between the two combatants. A wave of heat rushed toward Fulhelmknight followed immediately by live flames. The young boy quickly wrapped his sword around a pipe overhead and swung out of the way.

"Forget the mill," snarled Airbellum, "Let us retreat for now. I'm certain the Black King would love to hear about this."

"It's going to be fun," laughed Axel as he and Airbellum made their getaway. Fulhelmknight climbed on top of the pipe and looked down at Bethany. The two siblings' eyes remained locked for several minutes before the younger one took off after his fellow clansmen.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"Bethany?" Bethany looked up at the mention of her name and saw Hayley looking at her. "You're thinking about your brother, aren't you?" The Warrior Lady of the Wasteland said nothing in return.

"We'll find him," Max assured her, "and we're going to make sure we take him back with us alive. Just wait and see. He'll be fighting with us when we go up against that Black King or whoever he is."

"Brother and sister fighting is bad!" Gio yelled.

"It's true. I couldn't bear to stand it if my own Reko and Reka fought," Recca added.

Wes would have said something, but he was not the kind of man to make empty promises and give false hope. While it would have been reassuring, he did not like promising people that which he himself was unsure that he could give.

"Giddyup! Tally ho! Move!" Gio shook the reigns and kicked at his Lacooda furiously, but it refused to move. Bethany got off hers and walked up to the boy.

"These 3-Humped Lacoodas were instructed to only take us to the desert's end. We walk from here." With that she threw a backpack up to him and returned to the cargo Lacooda. Gio looked at her for a moment, then at the bag, then resumed trying to make his camel move.

"Since there's a seal in the Naturia Forest, that's our next stop," Wes said as he slung a bag over his shoulders. "Recca, can you navigate it?"

"Hon, I don't think you even need to ask," was Recca's answer.

"A simple yes or no would have sufficed," Wes muttered before turning to the others. "Everybody, let's go."

"But my camel's not moving!" Gio whined. A rock suddenly struck his head and he fell off. Bethany walked over and pulled him onto his feet.

o o o

The Naturia Forest was absolutely beautiful. Tall trees covered most of the zone, but they were not densely crowded together. A great deal of sunlight came through the treetops. A wide variety of flora grew in this mystical place; ferns, sunflowers, roses, tulips, ragweeds, dandelions, hydrangeas, and even foods such as pineapples, strawberries, eggplants, cherries, beans, and pumpkins. A fruitfly was seen crawling along one of the pumpkins. As they looked up, they could see a plethora of fauna flying around. Dragonflies, mosquitoes, butterflies, bees, ladybugs, stinkbugs, and beetles. However, their gaze was not directed at them. Beyond the treetops were great pieces of land floating in the sky, each home to its own plethora of life.

"Oh...my...GAWD!" Max's jaw dropped. "It's so...BEAUTIFUL!"

"The most beautiful place in all of Aeagnaap, the Naturia Forest," Recca introduced.

"And the Black King wants to destroy this place," Bethany mumbled audibly.

"That's awful!" Hayley commented.

"We have to stop the bad man!" Gio said as he stood up on a rock and pointed his finger toward the sky.

"We will once we find the seals and repair them," Wes replied.

"Repair?" Gio looked at him with a confused look.

"Fix."

"Ohhhhhh."

"So where's the seal?" Wes asked Recca.

"Deep within the forest guarded by some of its strongest guardians," she answered.

"Wonderfully reassuring," Bethany muttered pessimistically. Ignoring her, Wes resumed his conversation with Recca who had pulled out a map of the realm.

"The heart of the forest is a large tree in a large clearing in the very center. Beneath that tree is the seal. Our best bet is to go by air. The tree is very easy to spot."

"We don't have any fliers, though," Wes pointed out, "Well, Hayley does but they can't carry us all the way there and being able to materialize enough of those powerful monsters will drain her extremely quickly."

"Then our only choice is to navigate through the forest, though it won't be easy. Even with my knowledge of Aeagnaap, I can't guide us all the way there."

"You should just go in and keep going," Gio suggested.

"Gio, go away," Wes said, "Go back to that rock you were sitting on."

"But I am on my rock," Gio protested, "You guys moved."

"Wait, what?" Wes did a double take and saw that the rock Gio was sitting on was walking away. It stopped when it heard Wes' voice and turned around, revealing two big round eyes.

"Awww! A Naturia Rock!" Recca gushed at seeing the little stone creature. Wes looked around and noticed that everything else was starting to come alive. The plants uprooted themselves and walked toward them. A Naturia Sunflower smiled brightly at them. The insects all came around and buzzed excitedly at having visitors.

"That mountain is moving," Hayley said pointing to the distance.

"Hayley, that's not a mountain," Wes replied as the "mountain" came into full view, appearing as a giant stone turtle. "That's Naturia Landoise."

"One of the three mystical protectors of this forest," Recca said as she looked up a Landoise and its magnificence. A roar alerted everyone's attention to the sky where they could see a great Chinese dragon with scales made of bark flew through the air.

"Naturia Barkion, another of the mystical protectors."

"It's beautiful," Hayley commented.

"WAHAHAHAHAHA! Y'all look like ya ain't seen nothin' like it in yet lives!" a big voice called out. Everybody jumped at its sound and they turned around to look. To their surprise, it was not another Duel Spirit who stood before them. Rather it was a man. A human man. A very big human man. He was dressed in blue jeans worn out from years of clear use held up only by suspenders and great big hiking boots. A red plaid shirt covered his top with his sleeves rolled up. His hair was hidden beneath a faded green wool-lined cap with ear flaps, but he had a great burley beard of red growing out of his chin. His arms rippled with raw muscle as he hefted his enormous axe on his shoulder, which he held onto with a gloved hand.

"Well now, don't think I've seen the likes of you folks around here," he said with a big hearty voice. "Where y'all from?"

"We are not from Ardent," Wes explained, "We were at our school and somehow our entire island was transported here from Earth and now..."

"Earth, ya say?" the lumberjack interrupted, "WAHAHAHAHAHA! I haven't seen that beauty of a planet fer years!"

"You're from Terra?" Bethany exclaimed.

"That's right, fine lady! Name's Alan. How about you folks?"

"Remington. Wesley Remington. My companions call me Wes."

"I'm Max and this lovely lady here is my fabulous girlfriend, Hayley."

"Hi~!"

Alan immediately took off his hat and knelt before Hayley, taking her hand into his great big enormous one. "Little lady, you got yerself a fine young man here."

Hayley giggled. "Well, Maxie is dear!"

"What can I say?" Max shrugged, "I do anything for my fabulous love!"

Alan put his hat back on and resumed down the line.

"I'm Gio!" the small boy greeted waving excitedly.

"WAHAHAHAHAHA! Ain't you a spirited one! Hey, little guy. Whatcha wanna be when you grow up?"

"I wanna be a rock guy!" There was a pause as everybody wondered what on Earth Gio meant. But then Alan broke out in another hearty laugh.

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That's some dream ya got there, l'il Gio. Hey, ya know what? You just keep goin' at it and I'll be rootin' for ya!"

"YAY!" Alan took off Gio's hardhat and ruffled up his hair good before moving on.

"I'm Recca. Nice to meet you."

"No, no, miss. A pleasure to meet you." Taking Recca's hand into his own, Alan took off his hat and kissed Recca's hand gently.

"Oh sir, please. I'm married."

"Ain't mean a man can't show a woman a little courtesy," Alan replied as he put his hat back on.

"Bethany," the Warrior Lady said without making eye contact.

"She's a moody one," Wes explained.

"Well a fine howdy to y'all."

"So Alan, what are you doing here?" inquired Max.

"Whelp, as y'all can see, I'm a lumberjack. Or I used to be back home. Then one day I just kinda poofed out here. Dunno how. Don't even remember how. Just like that. Poof! Here. But since I found this here beauty of a forest, I ain't jackin' any more lumber. Now I wanna help save them trees."

"Wow. That's beautiful," Max commented.

"It really is," Hayley agreed.

"So you know this forest well then?" inquired Wes.

"Like the back of my hand!" Alan said proudly.

"Then maybe you can take us to the heart of the forest."

"Easily!"

"Absolutely fabulous!" Max exclaimed excitedly, causing Alan to burst out laughing again.

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You folks are alright. Come on. Just follow me." Heaving his axe back onto his shoulder, Alan led the way with Recca, Wes, Max, Hayley, Gio, and Bethany right behind him.

As the party vanished through the trees, a pair of compound eyes watched from the distance. Hidden amongst the foliage, an armored grasshopper with a red cape watched them. He clicked his jaws together as he rested his hands on the bladed tonfas he kept at his side. "Heh heh heh heh heh. You think you can reach the heart of the forest and close the seal? You'll wanna think again. Emmersblade is on the hunt!"

o o o

The path to the heart of the Naturia Forest was not an easy one. However, it certainly was not boring. As they walked, Hayley, Max, Wes, and Recca couldn't help but admire the beauty that surrounded them. Naturia Butterflies fluttered past gently. Naturia Hydrangeas waved gently in the breeze. Gio tried to eat a Naturia Strawberry but was stopped before he could get it near his mouth.

But their persistence soon paid off and before long they had made it to the great big clearing in the center of the forest. Just as Recca had said, in the center was an enormous tree. "There it is, the guardian of the Naturia Forest, Naturia Guardian."

"Doesn't seem that original of a name when you put it like that," Hayley said.

"Reminds me of the Deku Tree," Max commented.

The group approached Naturia Guardian. As they neared it, they began to realize just how enormous of a tree it was. "This is one tree-mendous tree," the group's metrosexual redhead joked. Everybody groaned save for one.

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Tree-mendous! I like you!"

_Who art thou?_

"Did you hear something?" asked Bethany.

"I think I heard something," was Wes' response.

_Who art thou?_

"There it is again!" Gio screamed.

_Are ye friend or foe?_

"We are friends!" Alan called out to nobody in particular.

_What purpose have ye come to mine sanctuary?_

"We cam to find the seal of the UnGod so that we can restore it," Wes said towards the air.

_Thou wisheth to undo the deed which hath released the UnGod's power?_

"We do," Wes replied.

"These humans hail from the land of Terra. They have journeyed far to stop the UnGod at all costs. Whoever you are, please let us reach the seal so that we can defeat him and the Black King," Bethany pleaded.

_Art thou prepared to conquer thy fears and prove thine worth?_

"We are!" Wes said with confidence.

_Then upon thine hands I lay my life. Enter now and seal the UnGod's power._

The ground began to shake and the tremors increased rapidly. "Look!" Gio said pointing. All eyes followed his finger to the face of Naturia Guardian as its lips seemed to part and slide down all the way to the ground, exposing an entrance into the great tree.

"Okay, NOW it feels like _Zelda_," said Max.

Inside Naturia Guardian, the group beheld the shattered remains of the seal. Fragments of black crystal lay scattered across the floor of the tree.

"My word, look at this place!"

"Well now that we found it, we just need a Rose Card," said Max. Everyone looked at each other. Nobody had one.

"You're not sealing anything!" a voice called out. Everybody looked around and eventually Recca pointed out a strange humanoid grasshopper hanging from the ceiling. Everyone watched as he jumped down from his perch and landed between the group and the seal. "I'm Emmersblade of the X-Saber Clan."

"Bastard!" Bethany lunged for the insect, but Alan restrained her upon request from Recca. "You took my brother from me!"

"Brother?"

"Don't lie to me. You know who I mean. Ingus."

"Ingus...?" Emmersblade crossed his top arms and tilted his head sideways. "Ah, you mean Fulhelmknight. So you must be his sister then."

"Let go," Bethany snarled to Alan.

"Sorry missy, but I can't til she tells me so," the lumberjack replied.

"Let me go! I'll kill him!"

"And that's why you're not getting free," Recca said.

"I'll challenge him then!" Max offered as he stepped forward.

"You?" Emmersblade laughed having already drawn his weapons and was now spinning them in his hands. "What can you do?"

"This." Max loaded his deck into his Duel Disk. "I challenge you to a duel!"

"You can't honestly be serious. I am a skilled warrior in the art of dueling!" Emmersblade boasted.

"Chicken?" Gio taunted.

"Bah! If that's the way you're gonna do it, fine! I'll duel you." Emmersblade clapped the sides of his tonfas together and slowly pulled them apart, forming a film that almost looked like that it was made from an insect's wing. Holding his tonfas with his secondary arms, Emmersblade placed his deck onto the side and used his Duel Disk like a table.

Max then took out his mask and placed it over the left half of his face. "Bonjour et je m'appelle le clown des rêves heureux! Or you may call me Clown Reves."

"What the hell is this?" Bethany demanded, "This is no time to be fooling around."

"It's just how he duels," Hayley explained. Meanwhile, Max's display caused Alan to burst into laughter once more.

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Yer a riot, Max!"

"Well, comedy is my specialty!" Max said with a graceful bow before turning to Emmersblade. "Shall we begin!"

"Let's duel!"

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Max:** 8000

**Emmersblade:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I'll go first!" Emmersblade quickly drew his card. "I'm going to begin with one facedown monster. That will be all."

"That was _so_ disappointing," Max commented as he drew with flair. "Dream Clown, take the stage!" He slapped his card onto his Duel Disk with gusto and called out a blue-caped clown in a yellow and red suit (ATK/1200 DEF/900). As soon as he appeared, he tripped over his cape and fell forward but he picked himself back up again. "Then I'll place a facedown and end it there

"My turn now!" Emmersblade drew his card, "And I'm gonn start by Flip Summoning Parasite Paracide!" He flipped his card over and a grotesque green insect appeared with an assortment of wiggling tentacles coming out of its thorax and abdomen (ATK/500 DEF/300). "And its Flip Effect activates! This card now goes into your deck face-up and when you draw it, it is Special Summoned to your field in defense mode and deals one thousand damage. Additionally, as long as it stays on your field, your monsters shall be treated as Insects." The card flew off the field into Max's deck and his Duel Disk shuffled it in. Much to his chargrin, Parasite Paracide became the top card.

"Next I summon Pinch Hopper. In attack mode!" A large green grasshopper appeared in front of Emmersblade (ATK/1000 DEF/1200). "Now I'm going to set two useless cards: Remove Trap and my Forest Field Spell."

"Wait. Why are you telling me exactly what you're setting?" asked Max.

"Because they're going to my graveyard. I sacrifice my Remove Trap and Forest to Special Summon Anteatereatingant." True to its name, the next creature that was summoned was an enormous black ant (ATK/2000 DEF/500). "Now if I use Anteatereatingant's effect, I can destroy one Spell or Trap you control, but render him unable to attack. Decisions, decision."

"While you decide, I activate my Trap, the amazing Zero Gravity!" Max revealed his card. "With this, all monsters' Battle Positions change!" With that, Anteatereatingant and Pinch Hopper assumed defensive stances while Dream Clown tripped once again and rolled into a defensive crouch. "And now my Dream Clown's effect. When he goes into defense mode, he can destroy one monster on the field. Hmmmm. I know what Pinch Hopper can do when it goes to the graveyard, so I'm going to use that effect on Anteatereatingant." Dream Clown took out a red bouncing ball and bounced it on the ground. As it approached Anteatereatingant, it appeared to grow in size until it was finally big enough and crushed the massive ant underneath it.

"I will end with a Spell Card, Insect Barrier. Now as long as this card is on the field, no Insect on your field can attack."

"That coward," grumbled Bethany.

Once again, Max drew with pizaz and flair and the dreaded parasite came to his hand. As per its effect, it was immediately summoned to his field in defense mode and its influence spread quickly. Dream Clown sprouted insect wings and mandibles as antennae grew out of his head and his eyes turned into massive compound eyes. The parasite then turned to Max and stabbed him in the chest.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Max:** 7000

**Emmersblade:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Come on, Maxie! You can do it!" Hayley cheered.

"I can!" Max said enthusiastically, "And this little guy can help me!" He set a monster facedown. "And now Dream Clown goes back into attack mode." He switched his other monster around and Dream Clown stood up ready to fight. He then concluded his turn.

"Disappointing," Emmersblade mocked, imitating Max's earlier statement as he drew. "I Banish Anteatereatingant from my grave to sEpcial Summon Aztekipede, the Worm Warrior." After removing Anteatereatingant from play, a giant green centipede bearing Aztec markings on its exoskeleton burst out of the ground (ATK/1900 DEF/400). "Aztekipede, attack Dream Clown!" The giant centipede charges and slammed itself into Max's monster.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Max:** 5300

**Emmersblade:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"And with Aztekipede deals Battle Damage, he sends one card from the top of your deck to the graveyard." Immediately a card was milled from Max's deck, which turned out to be Peten the Dark Clown.

"And I activate the effect of Peten!" Max announced, "By Banishing him, I can Special Summmon one from my deck." At that moment, another masked clown in striped pants wearing a large plumed hat appeared on the field in a defense stance (ATK/500 DEF/1200). Parasite Paracide quickly stuck one of its tentacles into him and Peten was quickly transformed into a grotesque fly-like creature.

"Try to make a move," Emmersblade challenged to signify the end of his turn. "Oh that's right. My Insect Barrier's stopping you!"

"By the end of the show, tis I who shall shine under the spotlight!" Max drew his card. "And fortune smiles upon me for now I sacrifice Parasite Paraside to summon The Tricky! Take center stage!" The parasite choked and quickly died as Max's yellow and black caped harlequin joined the field (ATK/2000 DEF/1200). "Now Tricky, attack Aztekipede!" The Tricky slid a dagger from out of his sleeve into his hand and threw it, burying its blade deep into the green centipede's head.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Max:** 5300

**Emmersblade:** 7900

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"That's it for this turn!" Max's flamboyant voice echoed.

"Draw!" Emmersblade drew his card and examined it. "I sacrifice Pinch Hopper to summon Saber Beetle!" Pinch Hopper vanished and a large Hercules beetle with a shining white horn appeared (ATK/2400 DEF/600). "And since Pinch Hopper went to my graveyard, I can Special Summon any Insect from my hand. I think Grasschopper will do nicely." He placed his card onto his Duel Disk and a large mantis with scythe-like arms appeared (ATK/2350 DEF/1000). "Grasschopper, attack The Tricky!" Grasschopper crawled across the field and began to chop up Max's precious harlequin into pieces.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Max:** 4950

**Emmersblade:** 7900

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Saber Beetle, attack the masked one!" Saber Beetle looked at Emmersblade. "The one with the hat." It turned around and charged until its horn impaled Peten the Dark Clown. "And my Saber Beetle can deal Piercing damage, so you take damage even though your card was in defense position."

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Max:** 3750

**Emmersblade:** 7900

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"And I remove Peten to bring out a third one!" Max placed Peten the Dark Clown into his pocket and summoned his third copy from his deck in defense position.

"Your move!"

"And I draw!" Once again, the natural showmanship of Max allowed him to draw with such flair. "I I play the fabulous Spell Card Stumbling! With this, any monster we Normal, Special, or Flip Summon automatically get switched into defense mode!"

"That should save him," Bethany noted.

"Now I set a monster and end my turn!" Max bowed and turned the duel over to his opponent.

"My turn now." Emmersblade drew his card. "I now Gemini Summon Grasschopper!" The summoning light surrounded the massive mantis and was suddenly filled with life. But then it stumbled on its legs and fell into a defensive stance. "What? But how?"

"Gemini Summons count as Normal Summons," Max pointed out, "My Stumbling's effect still applies."

"It's not over yet. I now remove Aztekipede and Pinch Hopper from my graveyard to Special Summon Doom Dozer!" Once Emmersblade had taken the two monsters out of his graveyard, he summoned a giant red centipede several times larger than Aztekipede (ATK/2800 DEF/2600). However, it was not immune to Stumbling's effect and it too fell into a defensive stance. Emmersblade wasn't happy, but at least he still had one monster on the field that was in perfect condition to battle. "Saber Beetle, attack Peten!" Saber Beetle charged and stabbed Peten the Dark Clown with its horn once again.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Max:** 2550

**Emmersblade:** 7900

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"That ends my turn!" Emmersblade declared.

_And__on__my__next__turn,__I'll__wipe__him__out__completely!_ the insectoid X-Saber thought, _Grasschopper's__ability__to__attack__every__monster__on__his__field__shall__clear__the__way__and__then__I__can__launch__a__direct__attack__with__Saber__Beetle__and__Doom__Dozer._

"My turn!" Max drew his card and smiled. "Oh happiness! Take the stage Dream Clown!" He summoned another Dream Clown and upon his arrival onto the field, he tripped and fell into a defensive position thanks to Stumbling which instantly activated his effect and dropped a present that landed in front of Doom Dozer. The massive centipede, curious about its contents, carefully operated its mandibles to grab onto the box's lid and lift. As soon as the present was open, it exploded and took out Doom Dozer with it.

"And now I bring onto center stage this one from the wings! I Flip Summon Blade Rabbit!" A pink rabbit with front teeth as long as kitchen knives holding a carrot appeared on the field (ATK/400 DEF/300). As soon as it appeared, it too slipped into a defensive position. "And he's got the same effect as Dream Clown!" Right on cue, Blade Rabbit threw its carrot and destroyed Grasschopper.

"Time to set another card and end my turn!" Max placed a card on his backfield and ended his turn.

"You will pay for destroying my beautiful insects!" cried Emmersblade as he drew. "Saber Beetle, attack Blade Rabbit!"

"I activate my Trap!" announced Max, "Zero Gravity!" Once again, the effects of Zero Gravity took hold and switched everybody's battle positions. Saber Beetle dropped into a defensive stance while Blade Rabbit and Dream Clown took up their ready positions.

"I end my turn," grumbled Emmersblade.

"My turn then!" Max seemed to sparkle as he drew his card. "Firstly, I switch Blade Rabbit back into defense mode!" He turned his card sideways and the pink bunny raised its carrot. "Fire away!" Blade Rabbit threw its carrot and swiftly destroyed Saber Beetle. "Now I play Mystical Space Typhoon and clear out my Stumbling!" A strong wind blew across the field and destroyed Max's Continuous Spell Card. "Now I sactifice Blade Rabbit and my facedown Marshmallon to summon Puppet King! Take the stage, my leaad!" The two creatures vanished and in their place rose up a black and white chess king draped in a red cape and holding a sword (ATK/2800 DEF/2600).

"Dream Clown ,go on ahead and attack!" Dream Clown skipped merrily over to Emmersblade with a spritzer bottle and sprayed him with water which the grasshopper found out much too late that it was actually nitroglycerin.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Max:** 2550

**Emmersblade:** 6700

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Puppet King, give him a show!" Puppet King drew his sword and thrust his sword into Emmersblade's chest.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Max:** 2550

**Emmersblade:** 3900

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I set a card and end my turn."

Emmersblade drew his card. "As long as I can destroy that infernal Dream Clown, I can win! I summon Insect Knight!" A humanoid insect armed with a sword and a shield appeared (ATK/1900 DEF/1500). "Attack Dream Clown!"

"I'm afraid it's not going to happen." Max held out his hand and suddenly a flash of red light appeared in his fingers.

"What's that?" asked Gio.

"What? It can't be!" Emmersblade took a step back.

Max looked at the object that appeared in his hand. It was a red card with its artwork depicting a red rose. "A Red Rose Card..." His eyes gazed upon the card as the Mark of the Red Rose appeared on his right cheek. However, he quickly snapped back to attention and continued activating his Trap Card. "Zero Gravity!"

"AGAIN!"

"Yep!"

Puppet King, Dream Clown, and Insect Knight were all thrown into defensive positions, but Dream Clown's effect instantly kicked in. One of his bouncing balls fell out of his costume and bounced over to Insect Knight, growing larger with every bounce until it squashed him. Emmersblade was not happy and as Max drew his card, he had a wide smile on his face.

"I switch Puppet King and Dream Clown back into attack mode," he declared. "Puppet King, attack!" Puppet King drew his sword from its sheath and slashed it across Emmersblade's chest.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Max:** 2550

**Emmersblade:** 1100

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Dream Clown, be a dear and finish up." Max pointed at Emmersblade with the Rose Card in his hand "Hit him with your best joke!" Dream Clown giggled as he dug through his pocket and pulled out a very small car. He set it down, got inside, and drove around. The tiny vehicle spun around in random circles until it came to a stop in front of Emmersblade whereupon Dream Clown got out. He yawned and stretched before checking his invisible wristwatch. Emmersblade did not seem impressed although Gio seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. Dream Clown suddenly pulled out a giant hammer and slammed it down on top of his master's opponent.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Max:** 2550

**Emmersblade:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––––

Emmersblade's Duel Disk ripped in two as he pulled his tonfas apart. "Keh! I'll kill you myself then!" He bared the blades and charged. His leg muscles pushed him high into the air and he flew straight down on Max. "Starting with you!" But before he could even touch his target, he found himself flying face-first into the sides of Naturia Guardian's inner walls. Alan had released Bethany and had taken it upon himself to delivery a good hard punch to Emmersblade.

"Keep your filthy mandibles off these kids!"

Emmersblade cursed as he pulled himself up and stumbled outside. He knew he was no match for the big lumberjack. "Next time!" he hissed before retreating.

"Thanks, Alan," Max said to the big man.

"Think nothing of it! It's just what I do!"

"Speaking of things I have to do..." Max took off his mask and held the Red Rose Card over the seal fragments. They began to glow red and slowly levitated off the ground. They spun around the room as if in a vortex before finally merging back together. In another flash of red light, the seal was restored, now with a red crystal.

_Thou hast kept thine promise and restored the seal. Thou hast my gratitude._

"We thank you for trusting us," Wes said to Naturia Guardian.

"Where to from here?" asked Hayley.

_If thou seeketh the next seal, thou shalt travel to the place of devices made of our kind._

"What'd he say?" asked Gio.

"Wooden machines," Wes summarized.

"Ohhhhhh."

"That would be the Karakuri Village," Recca said.

"Then let's be off," ordered Wes.

"Maxie, you were wonderful!" Hayley cheered as she hugged her boyfriend. By now, Max's Red Rose Mark had faded, but he still held the card in his hand.

"Oh Hayley, it was absolutely fantabulous!" Max was ecstatic that he had gotten one of the Rose Cards. "And that duel was just absolutely tree-mendous!"

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Tree-mendous!" Alan laughed again. He patted Max and Hayley's shoulders with enough force to knock them off their feet to their knees. "You are such a joker! I'm gonna have fun travelling with you."

"Heh. Likewise," Max said with a smile.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh!__GNext_**

A machine city long forgotten. Ancient technologies left to rust. And yet, somehow, it still functions. And moves on its own. See it all happen next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh!__GNext_!


	145. Metal Raiders

**D****isclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-58**

**Metal Raiders**

Granmarg's palace stood as a castle carved into the mountainside. A ruby luminescence of twilight poured in through the paneless windows into the stone corridors within. Commander Gottoms, Swordmaster and leader of the X-Saber clan stood on a balcony overlooking the Great Stone Canyon. There was hardly ever any movement in the canyon. Rock monsters often did not enjoy moving more than they needed.

As Gottoms surveyed the canyon with his hands resting on the pommel of his sword, he felt a dark presence behind him. He turned around and walked inside, approaching the throne room where the entity of evil resided. Placing the sword at his side, he knelt before his master. "Your Majesty."

The Black King's fingers traced the elegant designs carved into the stone throne's armrest. "Gottoms, have your scouts reported anything?"

"Yes," answered Gottoms, "As it appears, the Terrans now approach Geartown. One of my men is stationed there. Shall I send his forces to stop him?"

"No," the Black King replied, "I have a much more fitting scheme in mind. We shall turn the town's own inhabitants against the Terrans."

"And how, Your Majesty, shall we do that?"

"Simple. The Indoctrination of the Land."

"Your Majesty, is that wise?"

"You question my decision?"

"No, but..."

"Then ready the Minefieldriller."

o o o

"You know you really didn't have to come with us, Alan," Wes pointed out.

"I didn't, but I wanted to," Alan replied as he walked along merrily behind the group, "B'sides, you kids could use my help!"

"We don't need your help," Bethany shot back, "And only those four are children."

Alan just laughed as he slapped the Warrior Lady of the Wasteland from behind. "WAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You need to lighten up, little missy. It isn't good for the heart." The others could just see the blood rushing to Bethany's face in rage.

"I will not be manhandled by the likes of you!"

"Does that mean you'll take someone else?" Alan asked with an enormous grin.

"How can you be so happy at a time like this?" Bethany growled, "The Black King has taken over this realm and his forces are closing in on us fast."

"Life is short. You gotta live every day like it's your last."

"And this could very well BE our last day and I have no intention of making it so!"

"Why is the lady angry?" asked Gio.

"She seemed really determined to beat this Black King," Max observed, "Maybe he's got something to do with it."

"If you pay attention to the cards, they tell the story through their artwork," Wes said, "Bethany once had a rival named Warrior Dai Grepher. For the longest time, the two were evenly match. But then Bethany gained power over the Different Dimension, which finally tipped the scales in her favor."

"We were more than just rivals," Bethany interjected, which caused everybody to look at her, "We were..."

"Lovers, weren't you?" Hayley finished. Bethany said nothing.

"What happened next?" asked Gio.

"After Warrior Lady gained her new power, Warrior Dai Grepher became obsessed with surpassing her," Recca explained, continuing where Wes left off, "He trained tirelessly day and night, night and day. But no matter what he did, he could not surpass her. That was until one day he came across a mysterious power..."

"Just stop," Bethany interrupted.

"This discussion is not important. Let's just press on," said Wes, "Where are we?"

"We should be close to Geartown," Recca answered.

"The city of Ancient Gears, correct?" Wes remembered that some students from school ran those decks.

"Yes. It's a war zone these days from what Rena told me," Recca said, "The Black King had been trying to encroach on their land but the Ancient Gears have been holding out very well. Their defense is solid, and it could prove useful in the long run."

"Howso?" the grey-haired teen inquired. An explosion in the distance quickly caught their attention.

"It'd be best to see for yourself."

o o o

True to Recca's words, the borders of Geartown had indeed become a war zone. Members of the X-Saber Clan were launching attacks upon the city while massive primitive robots defended it. Almost immediately, Wes could see exactly what Recca meant when she said the Ancient Gears had a solid defense. The X-Saber Clan had trained exclusive in melee combat, which proved to be completely ineffective against the mechanical army's long-range artillery. Shells were fired from Ancient Gear Cannons while Ancient Gear Soldiers stood on the front lines to provide the main source of firepower with their machine guns and Ancient Gear Tanks. Standing in the back rows were the massive Ancient Gear Golems providing heavy firepower in the form of rocket powered fists.

The X-Sabers' leader was a man in a horned skull-like mask wearing two enormous swords and a ragged red cape on his back. His forces comprised almost entirely of shirtless men in silver armor and long red capes wielding sabers, but there were also a couple of cat-like warriors in green armor and red capes wielding long curved blades. "Press on!" the masked man shouted, "Boggart Knights, attempt flanking manoeuver delta! Gardestrikes, attack pattern epsilon!"

"Urbellum, we can't take much more!" one of the knights shouted before being pummeled by an Ancient Gear Golem's rocket fist.

"Should we help?" asked Max.

"I think they're fine by themselves," answered Recca. An enormous rusty mechanical dragon known as Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon flew over the battlefield carrying some sort of explosive in its mouth. It quickly descended on the X-Saber Clan and bit down on its load, causing it to detonate and destroy itself along with a good portion of the enemy forces.

"Retreat!" shouted Urbellum. Drawing one of his swords, he used the blade to reflect the sunlight to signal his forces and the X-Sabers quickly withdrew from the battle. With Geartown no longer under attack, the Ancient Gears receded back into their city. The Golems stepped back into enormous hollow alcoves in the sides of the buildings. The Soldiers and Knights took up places beside doors and along walls and stood there as the Beasts climbed up onto pedestals and ceased all motion. Before long, Geartown had become a ghost town.

"What just happened?" asked Gio.

"We investigate," answered Wes.

"Inve-what?"

"We find out."

"Oh."

Together they entered Geartown. As they looked around, there was not a single soul about. It was as if all the commotion that had occurred mere moments ago had never happened. "What kind of town is this?" asked Hayley.

"Geartown is a town made entirely out of machines," explained Recca, "A long time ago, a master engineer had been greatly ostracized by his people for his work. His creations provided much controversy among the people of his town so he left in order to find a place where nobody would criticize his work. He built Geartown as a result, creating a self-sufficient city made up entirely of his own creations."

"Yet another man dissatisfied with his own society escaping his world to a place where he would fear no censor," Wes commented.

"What happened to him?" asked Max.

"Not long after Geartown's completion, he died. The city that he built for himself to live in became his tomb. Legends say that the secrets of the Ancient Gears were buried with him. Many have come hoping to find it, but all were repelled or killed when they invaded the city."

"Then why haven't the Ancient Gears attacked us yet?" asked Alan.

"The old legends say that they only attack those whom the engineer's spirit deems hostile," answered Bethany, "Only those with pure intentions can enter the city, but those with integrity may have its secrets."

"He only wants people like him to find his work. People with his level of integrity and determination to find his plans and use them for good," Wes surmised.

"Should we go look for it?" asked Gio, "I know how to dig."

"I doubt this is going to be a digging issue. More than likely, we may very well be looking at puzzles," was what Max said.

"Why do you say that, Maxie?" Hayley asked turning to her boyfriend.

"That." Max pointed to an iron tray with what appeared to be a steel box in the middle. Wes opened it to find several gears and a crank inside. He then looked at the wall beside him and noticed that it was part of a mechanism with a great deal of gearwork missing.

"There's a plaque here written in some ancient language." Wes ran his fingers over the words, but could not make heads or tails of it.

"I can read it." Bethany stepped forward and looked at the message. "'When five become one the ancient lore shall flood back out upon the montage of six artists.'"

"Huh?" Gio scratched his head in wonderment and confusion.

"I ain't no good with riddles," Alan confessed as he scratched the back of his neck.

"It's not a riddle. Just a poetic way of saying it," Max pointed out, "We need to find five keys to open the master engineer's workshop."

"You figured that out from that?" Recca asked impressed with the boy's talent.

"So how do we find these things?" asked Gio.

"First we need to solve the puzzle." Wes examined the gears and looked at the wall. If Reka had been here, they would have had no trouble figuring it out. There were three round holes and three gears. The gears were colored differently: one yellow, one red, and one green. It was strange that they were colored this way, but it was not the time to think about it. The holes also had a strange pattern to them. Two were side-by-side with a single gear in between. The one on the right was connected to another gear underneath it which, in turn, was connected to the third hole under it. That one was then connected to a gear that seemed to disappear beneath the ground. They tried the gears in the holes; all of them fit perfectly. Size was not going to be a factor in figuring out the puzzle.

"Well this is going to be hard." Wes sat down and tried to figure it out.

"Wait a moment." Hayley interrupted, "I think I've seen this before."

"You have?" Max asked excitedly, "Where?"

"I saw it on a card." Hayley took the gears from Wes and laid them out. "Red, yellow, and green. Anyone see the pattern?"

"Traffic lights?" Max guessed.

"Ketchup, mustard, and relish?" was Gio's.

"Gadgets," Wes finally said.

"That's right, Wessy!" Hayley said, much to Wes' chargin, "We gotta put them in like the Gadgets in Stronghold the Moving Fortress."

"It just seems a little too simple," Wes muttered, "But at the same time, brilliant."

"So which one goes where?" asked Gio.

"I think the yellow one goes into the far left." Hayley pointed to the gear and Alan picked it up and slotted into the first hole.

"While you dearies solve this, I'm going to watch your rears. Alan, be a dear and watch the left," Recca's thing hand clasped around the iron spine of several items sticking from a bag in her back. Pulling out her large flanged mace, she smirked down into the dark tunnels of Geartown, "You know, I'm excited on what's going to happen out of this."

Wes grunted while thinking upon the solution, "You don't sound too enthusiastic. I mean we were in the Naturia Forest and you really were quiet most of it. I figured you would have acted like a giddy schoolgirl."

Recca was silent on the matter, her grip tightening on her mace in response, "I have...a lot to think about Wes."

"Now put the green one in next," Hayley instructed. With Alan now moving on to help Recca, Wes and Bethany worked together to position the next gear. It slid in without difficulty and the pair proceeded to insert the final gear into place. When all were set, Hayley took the crank and put it into the yellow gear. Together with Max and Wes, the three turned it and the gears started to move in unison. The ancient machine that had not moved in ages creaked and groaned loudly as parts that had remained dormant for centuries moved. Dust and dirt were moved from their resting places as the gears slowly turned and a hidden door slid open. Bethany approached it and picked up and object that had been resting on a shelf inside.

"What is that?" Alan questioned.

"A bronze wheel," answered Bethany.

"Not the kind of key I was expecting," Max commented. Bethany said nothing as she put it inside her bag.

"We got this one. Let's move on."

o o o

The next puzzle appeared to be underground and was set into some water pipelines. The group found themselves with the challenge of connecting the pipes together before the water flow could reach the end. Unfortunately, only parts of the pipe were exposed. The rest were covered up with wall segments. Alan's strength and his axe, however, were able to break down these segments. But what the group found behind them made their hearts sink for what they saw was a random assortment of pipe pieces. What made the situation even worse was that the water had already begun to flow.

"How are we going to do this in time?" asked Max.

"Lookie!" Gio cried. Everyone turned as he twisted a piece of pipe and pulled it right off. "They twist off!" That was all anybody needed. Grabbing whatever they could - straight horizontal, straight vertical, left turn from below, left turn from above, right turn from below, right turn from above - the group did its best to prolong the water flow from reaching the end before they finished. But without Reka and her mechanical training, the pipe turned out looking more like an absurd maze. Nonetheless they finished and the water turned a crank that revealed a hidden room containing a bronze gear.

o o o

Pulleys served as the basis of the next puzzle as they appeared to create a seemingly endless network of hand-operated elevators. Bethany, as the most agile member of the group, performed the challenge primarily on her own. With every elevator she took, she seemed to go higher and higher until she finally reached a chest. Inside it was a bronze crescent-shaped piece.

o o o

Steam was the next challenge. Alan was left in charge of stoking the fire in order to maintain the heat to keep the water at boiling temperature while Wes used logic to operate the valves and pipes and direct the flow of steam. The loud whistles of vented steam filled the air as the boy wiped the sweat off his brow as he continued to work. After nearly forty-five minutes of fiddling around, he succeeded and the steam-operated machine opened a door to reveal a medallion made of copper made to look like a face with a circular hole as its mouth.

o o o

The final puzzle put cranks, gears, cogs, and steamflow to work as the floor of an enormous chamber was revealed to be a puzzle of sliding tiles. "How does this one work?" asked Gio.

"Not a clue. Just try stuff," answered Wes. Together, he, Gio, Hayley, Max, Bethany, and Alan worked to figure out some sort of solution to the puzzle. It was absolutely maddening. There were at least sixty tiles on the floor and each one had its own controls. Additionally, there seemed to be no markings to indicate that they could slide to form some kind of picture.

"Maybe we need to think about this differently," Max proposed, "This guy was an engineer, right? Maybe we gotta think like one."

"That's not going to help us if we can't figure out how this damned puzzle works," growled Bethany. Her frustration showed and she vented it by kicking a bucket. Everyone watched as it bounced along the tiled floor and then suddenly disappeared.

Curiosity took over and Gio ran to investigate. When he looked down where the bucket had vanished, he shouted, "There's a room down here!" That was all the motivation anybody needed. Working together, they figured out how to move the tiles aside until a staircase had been exposed. They descended down together and found, on a pedestal, a small bead. Its composition appeared to be amber and it seemed to glitter like fire.

"That's all five keys. Now to find the workshop," said Wes.

"Here." Bethany was looking at the surface of the pedestal. "Another engraving. 'Travellers who seek knowledge, seek now the place where the titans' eyes cross.' Any idea on this one, Max?"

"It has to be someplace where several things are looking at the same spot," the redhead answered.

"Wait!" Alan interrupted, "I think I know what we're looking for!"

"You do? Then lead us!"

o o o

The town square was empty as the group entered an enormous cathedral. "If y'all remember, outside were six Golems 'round the square. All of 'em were lookin' ta this place."

"I'm impressed," Bethany said half-mockingly, "Now where's the workshop?"

"Probably under the altar," Wes suggested, which prompted the others to rush toward the mentioned object, "Hiding his workshop under a cathedral. It's clear he didn't want anyone finding it."

"Found it!" yelled Max. Wes approached the others where he found a ladder descending into the darkness where the altar had once been. One by one, they went down but Alan stayed up for the passage was far too small for him. When they arrived at the bottom, two more Golems stood on either side of a large metal door.

"So where do the keys go?" asked Gio. Everyone looked around. The door was completely smooth. There were not holes or notches for any of the five keys to go.

"Well this was just an utter waste of time!" Bethany shouted, "Sending us on a wild goose chase to collect these 'keys' and for what? There's no way to get in."

"Not necessarily," Wes interjected. "One of the Golems' chest is open." Bethany looked for herself.

"That is much too high."

"For just one person. But we've got a whole team," Hayley pointed out.

A moment of silence passed before Bethany and Wes found themselves holding up Max who, in turn, had Gio on his shoulders while wearing Bethany's bag.

"What can you see?" Wes yelled up to the small boy.

"I see a hole. And some sort of bunch of pegs." The youth looked around. "That's kinda it."

"Try to see if anything fits!"

"Okay!" Gio emptied out the bag's contents and started placing the keys randomly inside the chest cavity. "Nothing's happening!"

Recca thought over the keys they found, "Baby, try matching the colors together! Bronze to Bronze and like that!" Gio did as suggested with no luck. The chest cavity had a single circular panel with four pegs surrounding its outsides with a hole in the center.

As the boys tried to figure things out, Recca and Hayley searched the room for anything useful that could be of help. Surely whoever this master engineer was must have left at least one more clue behind for those who sought his knowledge. After a fruitless search that lasted thirty minutes, Hayley found something hidden behind the ladder. It was a diagram of sorts depicting a face and a circle in the middle and surrounding it the images of four giants surrounded by the sun and moon.

"Gio, put the wheel in the middle," she called over to the boys, "Then put the the medallion on top if it."

Gio did as he was told. "Now what?" Hayley took that moment to study the diagram a little more. The giants had all been placed in different positions depending on the sun and moon. The image in the top left showed the giant with its right arm raised with a rising sun to the left and a moon to the right. The image in the bottom left depicted the same image, except the sun was setting and the giant's arm was lowered. In the top right corner, the giant had its left arm raised with the moon on its right and the rising sun on its left. Likewise beneath it in the lower right corner the image was the giant with its left arm lowered with a setting sun on its right. Hayley thought for a moment. The three remaining pieces were the gear, the crescent, and the bead. She thought about that crescent for a moment and looked at the diagram. The crescent was probably the moon. As she looked at the arms on the giants, she turned her attention back to the door. The Golems' arms were attached to the door. "Gio, put that crescent on the right pegs."

"The what?"

"The moon thing."

"Oh." Gio moved the crescent over and placed it vertically on the two right pegs.

"Now put the gear and put it on the top left. Then put the bead inside the medallion's mouth." Gio did as he was instructed. As soon as the bead disappeared from sight into the device, the Golem started to groan. The rush of steam could be heard coursing through the room and a blast of hot air surprised Gio and caused the makeshift human pyramid to topple. The Golem's arm swung and the door opened.

"We did it," Wes sighed with relief.

Together, they entered the workshop. The entire room was dark, but luckily they had packed flashlights. The workshop was bare. Tools had long since been removed and empty stone floors spanned wide. Some empty workbenches lay covered in thick layers of dust. On the far end was a figure seated at a desk with its back turned toward the door. As they approached it, they could see it had a guild master's cloak draped over its shoulders and head. Wes approached it first and looked. It was the skeleton of a man seated with its arms resting on on the desk.

"Is that...?" Hayley asked. Wes nodded.

"The master engineer."

"So the old stories were true," Bethany whispered a she took off her hat out of respect for the deceased man.

"Rest in peace, master engineer." Wes moved his gaze from the corpse and turned to the desk. In between the skeleton's hands was a small locked chest. He carefully removed it from the dead man's grasp and touched the lock. It broke instantly as his fingers wrapped around it. Carefully, he opened the chest and looked inside.

"What's inside?" Recca asked.

"As promised, the secrets of the Ancient Gears." Wes turned the chest around and revealed its contents to everybody: a single tattered page, brown covered book.

"It's the master engineer's journal," Bethany realized. As she reached for the book, the workshop suddenly began to shudder.

"Earthquake!" Gio wailed.

"Outside!" shouted Wes. He closed the chest and tucked it under his arm as everybody left. He took one last glance at the master engineer and followed everyone outside.

Once out in the town square, they could feel the ground continuing the tremble. There was a low groaning sound before a large drilling machine burst out of the ground. "That's a Minefieldriller!" exclaimed Recca. The drill stopped spinning and the door opened. Everyone quickly got on guard as a man in armor stepped out of the drilling machine.

"It's Gottoms, the leader of the X-Sabers!" exclaimed Bethany.

Gottoms turned to look at her and smirked beneath his helmet. "Bethany, you still defy the Black King?"

"To the bitter end," she replied menacingly.

"A pity," Gottoms answered shaking his head, "We were looking forward to having you join us."

"We?"

As if on cue, several more Minefieldrillers bore up from underground, each carrying a small group of Boggart Knights and in one case, Urbellum. As soon as the X-Sabers appeared, Geartown came to life. The Ancient Gear Soldiers, Knights, Beasts, and Golems came out of their resting places and closed in on the clan members.

"I do believe we outnumber you," Bethany said confidently.

"Not gonna matter!" A chain whip sword held together with electricity lashed out and ensnared the chest in Wes' arms before pulling it out of his grasp. Fulhelmknight stood on top of Gottoms' Minefieldriller grinning as he reeled in his catch. "Shishishishishi. Thanks for helping us get what we wanted."

"Ingus!"

"Hey Majesty, we got it!" Fulhelmknight said into the vehicle on which he stood.

"Majesty?" wondered Gio.

"Oh God, is the Black King here?" gasped Max.

"Shishishishishi. In the flesh," cackled Fulhelmknight as darkness poured out of the Minefieldriller. It took shape in the form of a giant in black demonic armor. Six black bat-like demon wings spread out as one hand held onto an enormous black greatsword. A black V-shaped mask covered his features.

"All kneel before His Majesty the Black King," Gottoms decreed, "Dark Lucius!"

Dark Lucius planted his sword into the ground and rested his hands on the pommel as he observed the X-Sabers kneeling before him. "You have done well to make it this far into Geartown," he commended, "And it appears we have attracted the attention of the Ancient Gears."

"But we got their secrets right here!" Fulhelmknight threw the chest aside and held up the master engineer's journal. He gleefully handed it to Dark Lucius, who turned it around in his hand.

"Indeed, this does contain the secrets of the Ancient Gears." The Black King tightened his grip around the book and it suddenly burst into flame. "Secrets the likes of you need not know."

"Sucks to be you then!" Gio yelled, "These big guys are gonna beat you up!"

"I don't need the master engineer's journal to control the likes of them. Urbellum, step forward!" Urbellum did as he was told as Dark Lucius reached for his belt and produced a black box with horns and teeth.

"What is that?" asked Wes.

"It is every Regent Lord's strongest weapon," answered Bethany, "the Soul Gate."

"And if you understand how the Soul Gate works, then you know what I am about to do," cackled Dark Lucius.

"If you have any shred of a warrior's honor left in you, you won't do it, Grepher," the Warrior Lady of the Wasteland said.

"That name no longer has any meaning to me."

"Grepher?" Max and Hayley looked from Bethany up to Dark Lucius. "So you mean..."

"Yes, dears." Recca looked solemn," According to the cards, Warrior Dai Grepher did gain power but it was through the Archfiends. He wielded the powers of Hell and it transformed him..."

"...into this monstrosity," finished Bethany.

"Lucius has clearly grown since he and Bethany appear to have seen each other last," Wes observed, "He was still level four back then. Now he's become Dark Lucius LV8."

Dark Lucius held the Soul Gate over his head. "Chaos Exultation!" The device's mouth opened and streams of darkness poured out and washed over the Ancient Gears. Any machine that was touched was absorbed. Geartown was soon stripped of its defenses and Dark Lucius pointed his Soul Gate at Urbellum and a single beam of black light shot out and formed a Duel Disk on his left arm.

"The Ancient Gears are yours, Urbellum. Do what you will with them," instructed Dark Lucius.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." As Urbellum took his stance, Dark Lucius, Gottoms, and Fulhelmknight retreated to their Minefieldriller and took off.

"Kill them now! Kill them now! Kill them now!" cheered the Boggart Knights.

"No. Leave this to me." Urbellum activated his newly issued Duel Disk.

"I'll take him," Hayley offered.

"Hay-Hay, no," Max pleaded, but Hayley placed her finger on his soft lips.

"I'll be fine, Maxie," she promised before placing her mask over her face. "I am l'ange de la tragédie! You may call me L'ange Noir for short. Prepare thyself for thine undoing!"

Bethany groaned. "Not another drama one," she muttered.

"Your challenge is accepted!" announced Urbellum.

––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 8000

**Urbellum:** 8000

––––––––––––––––

"I go first!" Urbellum drew his first card. "I begin with the Field Spell Geartown! With this card, all Ancient Gears can be summoned with one less tribute. Next I play Ancient Gear Castle. As long as I have this out, all Ancient Gears gain three hundred attack points. Plus it gains counters every time a monster is summoned. Then I can use my castle as a tribute substitute for a Tribute Summon of an Ancient Gear monster." As he explained its effect, a large castle equipped with heavy cannons and missiles rose up behind hi, "Now I summon Ancient Gear Soldier." In the wake of the castle's rise, a mechanical man with a machinegun appeared (ATK/1300 DEF/1300). Its attack points rose up to sixteen hundred with the effect of Ancient Gear Castle. "Now I'll set one card and end my turn."

Hayley drew her first card with flair which caused Max to cheer her name. "Dark Crusader, stand and deliver!" She placed her card on her Duel Disk and summoned a dark swordsman with a skull-like head and red hair wearing a red cape (ATK/1600 DEF/200). "Now I'm going to make use of his powers and empower him by discarding Darklord Superbia!" After she sent her card to her graveyard, Dark Crusader's attack power rose up by four hundred to a total of two thousand attack points. "Strike down that Soldier!"

"Too bad for you." Urbellum revealed his facedown. Negate Attack." A vortex swallowed up Dark Crusader's blade as it came down and bounced him back.

"I'll end with two facedowns." Hayley placed two cards facedown. "L'ange Noir, exiting stage left."

Urbellum drew his card. "Ancient Gear Beast, come out!" A steam-powered mechanical sabertooth wolf pounced onto the field and snarled (ATK/2000 DEF/2000). With Ancient Gear Castle in play, its attack power rose up to twenty-three hundred.

"I activate a Trap, Hidden Soldiers." Hayley revealed a facedown card, "When my opponent Normal Summons or Flip Summons a monster, I can Special Summon one level four or lower Dark Monster and I choose Armageddon Knight." She placed her card on her Duel Disk sideways and summoned a dark knight in a crimon scarf wielding a saber (ATK/1400 DEF/1200). "When Armageddon Knight is summoned, his effect lets me send one Dark monster from my deck to my graveyard." She took Darklord Zerato and placed it into her graveyard.

"Ancient Gear Beast, attack Dark Crusader!" ordered Urbellum. Ancient Gear Beast ran across the field and sank its fangs into Dark Crusader's throat.

––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 7700

**Urbellum:** 8000

––––––––––––––––

"Now Ancient Gear Soldier, attack Armageddon Knight!" Ancient Gear Soldier pointed its machine gun forward and fired, killing Armageddon Knight with no resistance. "Try to stop me now!"

"This battle has only just begun!" Hayley drew her card. "Nurse Reficule the Fallen One, stand and deliver!" An angel with demon wings wrapped in bandages appeared on the field with low moans escaping her mouth (ATK/1400 DEF/600). "Now I play Upstart Goblin. This lets me draw a card and allows you to gain a thousand Life Points. But because of Nurse Reficule's effect, that heal now turns into damage." As Hayley drew her card, green rays of healing light began to shine down on Urbellum, but they were intercepted by Nurse Reficule, who transformed them into clouds of toxic miasma.

––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 7700

**Urbellum:** 7000

––––––––––––––––

"And I drew another Upstart Goblin!" announced Hayley before playing it. Once again, she drew her card and her monster changed the healing rays of light into a cloud of poison.

––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 7700

**Urbellum:** 6000

––––––––––––––––

"I now play Soul Taker. This card lets me destroy one face-up monster you control and heals you for one thousand Life Points. Of course, with Nurse Reficule on the field, you know what that means." Urbellum coughed as he could feel himself choking on the miasma while a disembodied hand appeared and sapped the life out of Ancient Gear Beast.

––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 7700

**Urbellum:** 5000

––––––––––––––––

"L'ange Noir, exit stage right!" Hayley announced with a curtsie.

"About time. Your theatrics are tiresome." Urbellum drew his card, "I set one card and summon Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Chimera!" A large rusty mechanical creature with three mismatched heads and a snake head for a tail appeared on the field (ATK/2300 DEF/1300). Thanks to Ancient Gear Castle, its attack points rose up to twenty-six hundred. "Now Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Chimera, attack Nurse Reficule!" All four heads on the beast took aim and jets of high pressure steam shot out and engulfed Nurse Reficule the Fallen One.

––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 6500

**Urbellum:** 5000

––––––––––––––––

"Now Ancient Gear Soldier, attack directly!" On orders from its master, Ancient Gear Soldier aimed at Hayley and fired.

––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 4900

**Urbellum:** 5000

––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," declared Urbellum.

"And with that I activate my facedown, Fires of Doomsday, letting me summon two Doomsday Tokens." Two black one-eyed flames appeared in front of Hayley, each a level one Dark Fiend with zero attack and defense points. With them summoned, she drew her next card. "I sacrifice my Doomsday Tokens for Darklord Desire! Stand and deliver, my fallen angel!" Both demons vanished and in their place, Hayley called forth her signature monster. Garbed in black armor and flying on wings as red as blood, Darklord Desire emerged onto the field (ATK/3000 DEF/2800).

"Attack Ancient Gear Soldier! Black End Galaxy!" Darklord Desire held out an arm and a black hole appeared on Urbellum's side of the field. Ancient Gear Soldier was caught in its center and immobilized within. Darklord Desire extended his sword from his arms and rushed in. His blades passed through the black hole and as he hovered behind the enemy lines, the black hole exploded behind him.

––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 4900

**Urbellum:** 3600

––––––––––––––––

"And now for Darklord Desire's effect. By permanently cutting one thousand attack points, he can send one monster you control to the graveyard." Darklord Desire's attack points dropped to two thousand as he cut off his left arm and used the blood to create a vortex beneath Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Chimera that swallowed it up and sent it to the graveyard. "L'ange Noir, exit stage left."

Urbellum drew his card. "I sacrifice Ancient Gear Castle!" he announced, "To summon Ancient Gear Golem!" As the castle vanished, the massive steam-powered robot rose up and towered over the field (ATK/3000 DEF/3000). "Next I activate my facedown, Alchemy Cycle. With this, all monsters on my field are reduced to zero attack points." Ancient Gear Golem groaned as its attack points suddenly dropped to zero.

"Now I play Machine Duplication!" With this spell, I can Special Summon more Golems from my deck since this one has less than five hundred attack points." Urbellum laughed as two more Ancient Gear Golems joined the field.

"Ancient Gear Golem, attack!" The first of the new Ancient Gear Golems raised its arm and fired its fist at Darklord Desire.

––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 3900

**Urbellum:** 3600

––––––––––––––––

"Golem, attack her directly!" The second of the new Ancient Gear Golems fired its fist and struck Hayley hard.

––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 900

**Urbellum:** 3600

––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn!" announced Urbellum. As soon as he did so, Alchemy Cycle's effect wore off and his first Ancient Gear Golem's attack points returned to three thousand.

Hayley drew her card. "Dark Creator, stand and deliver!" In a flash of black lightning, she summoned out the corrupted god to her field in defensive position (ATK/2300 DEF/3000). "L'ange Noir, exit stage right."

Urbellum drew his next card. His opponent's monster's defense matched his Ancient Gear Golems' attack power point for point. He ended his turn there, but knew he could win if he were able to draw Polymerization or Power Bond in the next turn.

Hayley drew her card. "This is the end," she announced, "I invoke the power of The Dark Creator! I banish Armageddon Knight from my graveyard to resurrect Darklord Superbia!" A black cauldron with dark angel wings sprouted onto the field (ATK/2900 DEF/2400). "And when Darklord Superbia is Special Summoned from the graveyard, his effect allows me resurrect another Fairy from my graveyard. Rise up, Darklord Zerato!" The fallen Archlord pulled himself out of Darklord Superbia with his cape turned into demon wings and his skin turned to black wielding a wicked looking sword (ATK/2800 DEF/2300). "Now I will invoke Zerato's power! By discarding one Dark monster, he can destroy every monster you control." Hayley discarded Kuriboh and watched as Darklord Zerato thrust his sword skyward and unleashed a torrent of black lightning on the field that destroyed all three Ancient Gear Golems.

"Darklord Superbia, attack!" Darklord Superbia went first, flying up above the field and blasting Urbellum with a shower of fire from his cauldron body.

––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 900

**Urbellum:** 700

––––––––––––––––

As Hayley prepared to make her finishing move, a white light started to glow from her left cheek. All eyes watched as that light formed a mark resembling a rose. "Darklord Zerato, finish him! Fallen Angel Saber!" Darklord Zerato flew toward Urbellum and slashed him across the chest in one diagonal strike. He then spun around and slashed him again, leaving an X-shaped wound in his torso. As Urbellum screamed in agony, the fallen Archlord spun around once more and plunged his blade deep into his target's body. It came out his opponent's back and he proceeded to pull his sword up through his body and out through the skull, effectively splitting Urbellum's entire upper body in two.

––––––––––––––––

**Hayley:** 900

**Urbellum:** 0

––––––––––––––––

Hayley removed her mask as her White Rose Mark faded. She was instantly hugged by Max. "Hayley! You won! And you're a Rose Knight! It's so fabulous!"

"Oh Hayley! That was amazing!" Recca said giddily as she ran over to her, "Mom was right to pick you! You really are a child of destiny!"

"WAHAHAHAHAHA! Victory for the finest!" laughed Alan.

"You did good," Bethany said with a nod.

"Hayley won!" Gio cheered.

As everyone celebrated, Wes walked over to the burnt book that had been the master engineer's journal. "In the end, his fears were realized and his machines were used for destruction." He picked up the book and it crumbled into ash. But as the remains sifted through his fingers, something got caught. It was a card. He brushed off the ashes and looked at it. It was a white card bearing the image of a white rose. As soon as he laid eyes on it, the card began to float and flew over to Hayley much to the surprise of most present.

"So it wasn't a key to the Ancient Gears that was hidden in that journal," Wes realized, "It was what the Ancient Gears were protecting. That was their secret."

As the group continued onward, they left Geartown and the final resting place of its creator. The master engineer continued to sit at his desk, destined to remain there for eternity. Only a minor disturbance in that workshop occurred as the master engineer's sleeve slid ever so slightly to expose a bracelet of white beads around his wrist. And on that bracelet a pendant bearing the White Rose.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The lush jungles of the Orognu Crater are home to the savage dinosaurs. With their unmatched raw strength, the Black King, Dark Lucius, hopes to gather their power under his command. Can our heroes stop him? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	146. The Lost Millennium

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-59**

**The Lost Millennium**

Wes checked the map and looked ahead. "Are you sure this is the right way?" he asked.

Recca nodded. "Only way is down." She pointed to the narrow path that seemed to descend into a dense jungle that made up the topography of a deep crater.

"What's down there?" Hayley inquired.

"Nobody knows!" Alan answered, trying to make it sound scary, "They so no man who goes down there comes out alive."

"Is that...true?" Gio asked timidly.

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Who knows?" laughed Alan.

"Even if it is true, it's the shortest route to the Great Stone Canyon," Bethany pointed out, "We're going in." Everybody agreed but did not say anything. After the revelation back in Geartown, they knew better than to stand in Bethany's way. She had personal reasons for going after Dark Lucius.

As they began their descent into the dense jungle, a loud roar echoed through the air. Gio wondered what it was and Hayley suggested that it must have been a lion or some other kind of cat. "I don't think so," Alan said in response, "That there ain't no cat call."

"What about a wolf?" Gio suggested.

"Wolves are forest creatures," Bethany corrected, "and they don't roar."

The group did not speak another word until they had reached the end of the path. The jungle was hot and humid. The trees seemed to reach well past the limits of any tree the lot of them had ever seen. Just above the dense foliage they could make out a wall of earth that seemed to surround them. "Guys, I think we're in a crater," Max pointed out.

"Ewww! What's that smell?" Gio whined. Bethany took a sniff of the air and answered his question.

"It's tar. There must be a natural pit nearby. It seems to be coming from...the north."

"Wow. How'd you figure that out?"

"I'm a tracker." With his question answered, Gio proceeded to continue forward but a sudden tremor caused him to lose his balance and fall forward.

"Earthquake!" he screamed as the ground shook once more.

"Those aren't seismic tremors," Wes said.

"They aren't," Bethany concurred.

"How can you tell?" Hayley inquired.

"Seismic tremors are not this frequent or steady," answered the sniper's son.

Everybody stood still. As they waited, the tremors appeared to be growing more and more impactful and they found it increasingly more difficult to maintain their balance. "What is that?" Wes asked out loud.

"I think that answers our question right there," Alan answered pointing through the trees as a black bipedal creature with sharp claws and teeth emerged from the thicket.

"That's Uraby!" Gio exclaimed.

"You know this creature?" Bethany asked looking at the small dim-witted boy.

"His dad runs a dinosaur deck," Max pointed out, "He went with him on a few palaeontological digs when he was little, so his life has pretty much been surrounded by dinosaurs. Well, rocks mostly."

"So the stupid one's finally found something he's useful for," Bethany commented.

"Right!" Gio laughed, "Hey, wait..."

"We can discuss Gio's intelligence quotient later," Wes interrupted, "Right now we have a much more pressing matter."

"And what might that be?" Bethany inquired. Wes nonchalantly pointed at Uraby who had turned its attention on them. "Oh." The dinosaur had heard their voices and had thus turned to them with a certain look in its eyes.

"He looks hungry," Hayley noted. Uraby growled and licked its lips.

"What should we do?" Alan asked.

"Running would be a good idea," Wes answered flatly. Uraby roared and the humans turned heels and ran. The dark-skinned creature thumped the ground with its tail and gave chase.

"Look out!" Gio screamed as their pursuer snapped at them with its teeth. Alan stopped for a moment as they ran, picked up a large rock, and threw it at the dinosaur. It struck Uraby on the nose, but the feral creature shook it off and roared before resuming chase.

"I don't think that helped!" cried Max.

"Log!" Bethany warned. She jumped into the air and climbed over the fallen tree that lay just ahead. Wes pulled Max and Hayley down with him as he slid under. Alan picked up Gio and threw him over the log over to Recca, who had climbed over with ease, before climbing over it himself.

"Alan, hurry up!"

"I'm trying!" The woodsman heaved and pushed, but his large body proved to be a hinderance.

"It's almost here!" Gio screamed.

"Go without me!" Alan called out to them.

"We're not leaving without you!" Recca replied as she ran back to help him over.

"It's coming!"

"Go without me!"

By now Uraby was upon them with its mouth wide open ready to swallow the woodsman.

_Well, he's dead_, thought Wes.

Just as Uraby was ready to close its maw around Alan, another shape slammed into it. Uraby was thrown into a tree roaring in pain with an enormous gash in its side. Another dinosaur stepped out with red stripes running across its back. Spikes lined the back of its body and a large axe blade protruded from its head like a horn. "Destroyersaurus!" Gio exclaimed. Everyone watched as Uraby roared and made a swipe at its attacker with its tail, but Destroyersaurus swung its head and cut it off with its blade.

"Come on! Let's get going!" Wes urged. Together they helped Alan over the log and made their getaway. Behind them, Uraby sank its teeth into Destroyersaurus' tail which proved to be a big mistake as the latter turned itself around and chopped off the other dinosaur's head with its blade.

"I think we're safe now," Gio sighed. A loud roar said otherwise as a purple, winged, two-headed dinosaur stepped into view. "Two-Headed King Rex!" The King Rex lumbered over to the humans snarling. It reached out to close its jaws around Max and Hayley, but was knocked back by an enormous tail. Everyone turned and saw a massive long-necked quadrupedal dinosaur walking out from behind a wall of trees.

"That's a Sauropod Brachion!"

"Will it hurt us?" asked Hayley.

"No, it won't. It's a gentle giant." They watched as Two-Headed King Rex got up and tried to attack its new opponent, but Sauropod Brachion raised its foot and stomped down, crushing its body beneath the weight of its footstep.

"We should go," Max suggested.

"Agreed!" everyone said in response. They quickly fled, leaving the Sauropod Brachion as it was overwhelmed by a pack of Gilasaurus.

o o o

"This is Jurassic World!" Gio realized.

"We realized that earlier," Bethany muttered.

"Well now that we've established where we are, how do we get out of here?" asked Max.

"We should just keep going straight west," answered Recca, "We should come across some stone pillars that are part of some ancient ruins. They mark a path leading out."

"Then we should get moving," Wes said.

Recca nodded curtly, "This place is incredibly dangerous, I need everyone to stay close and Bethany and myself will take point. Wes, I want you and Alan to take reargaurd, I want Gio, Max and Hayley to be defended at all times. Keep that carbine handy." She gave the leather pack on her back a sharp tug before tightening the straps and readying her large battle mace, "I don't know how far we need to go, I'll leave that to Bethany here. You do seem to know more about this land than we do."

Bethany tipped her hat and gave a smirk, "I thank you for your kindness, Lady Recca."

Recca said nothing, instead pointing towards the way with her hammer, "Let's advance," her expression was grim, Max recognizing that face she made from seemed like an age before.

"Recca...are you okay?"

"It's nothing Maxie, let's move out."

o o o

The trek through the dinosaur-filled jungle was unbearable. The heat and the humidity were worse than the searing hot sun of the desert. Insects, steam, and the stench of tar, sulfur, and other aromas melded into a melange of something best left undescribed. Frustration and worry were waxing strong, as there was hardly a path to travel on. All the group had were Bethany's tracking skills and Recca's sense of direction, which if what Wes and the others knew was normally dubious at best. However this here was not the bubbly and somewhat ditzy cafe owner that lovingly treated the students of Duel Academy like her own children. Smashing through a rotted tree trunk with a blow from her hammer and kicking it aside with an armored boot of steel was not that woman. Recca was quiet, occasionally letting slivers of that personality through, but ultimately just being a quiet guardian, granted she certainly was loaded enough to fight whatever came their way. Max heard the story of what Recca was like when they were saving Nellie back home.

She had always seemed to be two people at once, and at that time and now she was a fierce war machine. Max remained silent, his hand intermingling with Hayley's as Gio made a disgusted sound. He helped work at the Dual Rose enough to see Recca's bubbly personality and what she was like outside of the public. It was strange to think who was who, was she the kind, loving motherly figure or this crusader here before them all? He knew that her family were all crusaders and guardians of sorts, that's old news now, however he wished that...

"Hold," Recca said quietly. The group stopped, Bethany looked over the old bones of a massive dinosaur before muttering to herself, "I believe we may have been turned around somewhere."

Recca did not looked pleased, but she kept her composure. Max and Wes shared glances before looking at Bethany, "We were going in one direction, I remember it well."

"As do I... Lady Recca, do you know of any sort of...sorcery? I can't feel any."

Recca closed her eyes and knelt down to the muck, taking off her armored hand and placing a slender hand into the mud. Wes could see that Recca was straining at the leg of the journey, she was optimistic, but something kept weighing her down. In the Naturia Forest he would have though she would have been in her element, and she was in the extreme, however she didn't say or act on much. He appreciated the dedication of Recca staying true to the mission at hand instead of frolicking with a pair of cherries with a cute face, but this didn't seem like Recca.

Hayley took a deep breath, "Mrs. Telaris...?"

She noted tears forming in her eyes, and she was motionless, "Hayley..."

Hayley laid a hand on her shoulder, it felt chillingly cold to the touch, "What's...?"

Recca laid her hand off of the earth and stood, "It's a deep enchantment ran through the earth. I think it's keeping us from advancing to something. Powerful stuff, and I don't like it at all, it feels like...just something...wrong."

Hayley looked ahead towards the trees in the distance, they did not seem to look any different to her, "Are you sure?"

Recca though, then had an idea, "We have a shot of getting through here. I'm not too sure about how it will work though. My concerns can wait. Gio, come here for a moment."

Bethany rose an eyebrow towards the lavender haired solider knelt down in the prehistoric muck, and Recca met her gaze with a smirk, "We should be somewhere now, I'm thinking whatever has been setup here is concealing something from us," she waved over towards Gio, adjusting her red framed glasses while looking around the forest, "All of you spread out and defend in a close area while we get our direction back!"

As the group stood guard over the two, Gio got to work. With Recca smiling down at the boy with an allowing knowledge of rocks and minerals, he began to carefully inspect the ground. He picked up soil samples from tearing up the grass and analyzed them with sight, smell, touch, sound, and even taste.

"Really? Licking dirt?" Wes just watched the boy in in bewilderment at his strange habits.

"Dirt has tastes too!"

"How does listening to the dirt do anything?" Bethany inquired. In all her years of tracking, she had never known of anybody using their ears to listen to soil.

Recca softly spoke to him, a voice she hadn't used in awhile. That calm, happy tone she used to her own children and the students back at Duel Academy, "Gio. You know this was Jurassic World. Is it missing anything major to it? Anything we don't see?" Gio pondered this for a moment. He looked around. Everything seemed normal. Trees, leaves, trees, rocks, trees, and more trees. He shed his vest and hardhat and sat down on a rock wearing just his shorts and hiking boots.

"Volcano!" Gio immediately hopped down on all fours and searched the ground. He ventured outside the perimeter, causing the others to follow with him. Like a dog trying to locate a scent, he made is way along the jungle floor while Recca smiled warmly at the sight, looking towards Bethany, "Everyone has a talent, even the ones you don't think much of."

Thirty minutes passed and Gio finally stopped. He picked up some sand from the ground and sniffed it. He rubbed it in between his fingers. He looked closely at each individual grain. He held it up to his ear. He stuck out his tongue and pressed it against the sediments. "Volcano ash!" he finally announced. "This way!"

"I wonder if he was a dog in a previous life," Max thought out loud as they followed.

"Well, however it's working we have to keep going," Recca replied as she resumed forward. As they trekked through the dense jungle, a pack of Trakodons ran past in search of smaller prey while a Megazowler tended to its young. A herd of Black Stego lay sleeping in the sun. Despite the dangers the jungle possessed, it seemed quite peaceful.

"If it weren't for the big ones trying to eat us, I wouldn't mind visiting here more often," Max commented, "It would make a fabulous vacation."

"Oh abso-tively-lutely!" Hayley agreed.

"Well this IS the Orognu Crater," Bethany told them.

"You never told us this jungle had a name," Recca pointed out.

"Now you know. Yes, this jungle is full of life. Despite the fact that some of that life does try to kill you, it truly is a marvel of Aeagnaap."

"Nothin' like the forest, but dang this place has got nature!" Alan took in a deep breath. Not exactly his best move. He was used to the smells of the forest. The odors of the jungle, including the tar and the rotting flesh of aged carcasses left behind by various carnivores, magnified by the heat and the humidity could make any average man gag. "On second thought, we oughta hurry." As they picked up the pace, tremors coursed through the ground once again. "These are way stronger than the last ones we felt," the woodsman noted.

"Wait a moment..." Bethany's face was a stone mask of apprehension and fear. "I know these tremors. Only one creature can make tremors this powerful." Loud cracks echoed throughout the jungle and trees fell at the sheer strength displayed by the enormous spined black tyrannosaurus rex.

"ULTIMATE TYRANNO!" Gio screamed.

"Don't just stand there! RUN!" shouted Bethany. Alan grabbed Gio and tucked him under his arm as everyone proceeded to flee for their lives. Upon hearing their voices, Ultimate Tyranno turned its head and saw several small creatures running away. Though it had just finished consuming a Sabersaurus that had so desperately fought for its life, it was still hungry and it did not care that these tiny morsels might not be able to satisfy its hunger.

"Stay together! Stay together!" Recca cried out as she avoided a frenzied claw swipe from the creature and bounded over a heap of stones.

"AHHHH! We're gonna die!" Gio screamed.

"Just keep telling us which way to go!" Alan shouted.

"Forward!" The small boy pointed ahead.

The ground shook violently with each of Ultimate Tyranno's footsteps and a deep imprint was left in each one's place. Gio quickly took out a card from his deck and cried for help, causing a Stone Statue of the Aztecs to appear behind them. However, Ultimate Tyranno simply smashed through it, leaving behind only a pile of green rubble.

"We can't outrun this thing!" Wes yelled.

"Maybe we won't have to," Hayley thought out loud as she recalled what Gio had just done. Taking a card out of her deck, she called out Darklord Asmodeus. The Fallen Angel unleashed a flurry of feathers on the massive dinosaur, but Ultimate Tyranno reached up and slammed its jaws around it. Instantly, two smaller versions of Asmodeus appeared, one blue and one red. The blue one died much more quickly than Darklord Asmodeus, but the red one was able to hold on. "Deus Token can't be destroyed in battle," Hayley pointed out. "But it won't last long."

"I'll say," responded Max just as Ultimate Tyranno lashed out with a tail swipe and knocked the Deus Token away.

"Where's the volcano?" asked Bethany, "I still can't see it!" Suddenly, as if on cue, the air ahead of them shimmered and a tall volcano came into view.

"It was an illusion!" Recca realized.

"Wonderful. Now how do we get there without getting eaten?" asked Wes.

"Wait, at the top! Someone's there!" Gio pointed out. Everyone looked and sure enough they could see a large winged figure standing near the summit of the volcano.

"It's him," Bethany muttered.

At the summit of the volcano, Dark Lucius stood with his general Gottoms to his right and the desert tracker, Wayne of the X-Saber Clan, to his left. The Black King held his Soul Gate over his head. "Chaos Exultation!" The device's mouth opened and streams of darkness poured out. Every dinosaur in Orognu Crater was swept by darkness and absorbed. The group from Terra resumed their fleeing but then ceased when they realized that Ultimate Tyranno had also been absorbed.

"That can't be a good sign," Wes said, "Let's go."

o o o

They arrived at the base of the volcano tired after first fleeing for an enormous carnivore and then more running to reach the mountain faster. By this point, Dark Lucius and his entourage had already descended from the mountain and were proceeding to leave by way of their Minefieldriller.

"Grepher!" Bethany's voice alerted the Black King of their presence.

"Wayne, deal with them and then return to the castle when you are done," Dark Lucius ordered.

"Yes, your Majesty." Gottoms and Dark Lucius entered their subterranean machine and dug their escape, spewing molten lava from the back which quickly solidified, covering their escape. "Looks like we meet again," Wayne greeted.

"What do you mean again? We've never seen you before," Bethany answered.

"Ah, but I tracked you back in the desert. Adventuring is just the calling of me, Wayne."

"We don't have time for this." Recca stepped forward with her Duel Disk and her deck ready.

"What's got Recca so riled up?" Max whispered to Hayley, "I've never seen her like this before."

"I know," Hayley whispered back, "It's like coming here changed her totally."

"I don't normally fight a lady, but I got them orders from his Majesty. Sorry, missy." Wayne tipped his hat and held out his gun sword, which opened up and folded into a Duel Disk.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 8000

**Wayne:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

"Ladies first," Wayne insisted.

"You're too kind." Recca drew her first card. "I summon Naturia Mantis." A mantis with bright eyes and a big smile on its face appeared (ATK/1700 DEF/1500). "That's it for my turn."

"Draw." Wayne drew his card. "Lessee here. If you summoned that feller without settin' any backfield cards, then that means you trust its effect. It's probably got somethin' ta do with summonin', so I'm gunna be careful. I'm gunna start with Jurassic World!" He placed his Field Spell into his field tray and resumed his turn.

"Why didn't anything show up?" Gio wondered.

"Because we're already in Jurassic World," Wes answered.

"I Special Summon Gilasaurus." A brown raptor appeared in front of Wayne and roared (ATK/1400 DEF/400). "An' 'cause o' my Jurassic World, he gets three hundred more points." Gilasaurus hissed as its attack points rose to seventeen hundred and its defense to seven hundred. "An' how 'bout another one?" He Special Summoned a second Gilasaurus and it snarled beside its twin. "An' how 'bout another one?" Now three Gilasaurus were on the field snarling. Recca knew then exactly what was coming.

"Gilasaurus, attack!" The first Gilasaurus roared and leapt into action. It slashed Naturia Mantis with its claws, but in doing so had its neck sliced open by the insect's own claws. Both creatures died instantly.

"Gilasaurus, attack!" On Wayne's command, the second Gilasaurus charged and slashed Recca with the claw on its foot.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 6300

**Wayne:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

"Gilasaurus three, go!" Wayne's final Gilasaurus moved in and slashed Recca.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 4600

**Wayne:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

"Now that that there's done, I'm gunna summon Sabersaurus." A red triceratops with swords in place of its horns as well has having blades on its shoulders and tip of its tail appeared and moaned (ATK/1900 DEF/500) as its attack and defense points rose to twenty-two hundred and eight hundred respectively.

"I Special Summon two Naturia Cosmobeets in response." Two wild beets with big round eyes appeared in front of Recca (ATK/1000 DEF/700).

"That's it fer now, missy," Wayne announced.

Recca drew her card. In one turn she had lost almost half of her total Life Points. However, she could easily make her comeback. All she needed were the right cards and one of them was in her hand. "I summon Naturia Cliff." A large stone with a head full of red moss that looked like hair appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/1000). "Now I tune Cosmobeet to Cliff!" One Naturia Cosmobeet faded away until two shining stars remained. They turned into synchro rings and surrounded Naturia Cliff whose body then faded into four stars before a column of light engulfed them.

"When the Earth Mother senses a disturbance, she calls forth her mightiest creatures to come to her defense. Synchro Summon! Roar, Naturia Barkion!" As the light dispersed, a Chinese dragon made of grey stone with bark covering its body like scales flew out and roared (ATK/2500 DEF/1800). "And now since Naturia Cliff was sent to my graveyard, I can Special Summon a level four or lower Naturia from my deck. I choose Naturia Rock." A small grey stone with a patch of leaves on its head and big round eyes appeared on the field (ATK/1200 DEF/1200). "Now I tune Cosmobeet with Rock." The Synchro Summoning process took effect as level two Naturia Cosmobeet was attuned to level three Naturia Rock.

"When the Earth Mother senses a disturbance, she calls forth her mightiest creatures to come to her defense. Synchro Summon! Pounce, Naturia Beast!" A green tiger whose body was covered in leaves with limbs made from tree trunks emerged from the light and roared (ATK/2200 DEF/1700). "Naturia Beast can negate Spell Cards when I send two cards from my deck to my graveyard. And Naturia Barkion can negate Trap Cards when I banish two cards from my graveyard. Together, they can keep each other going."

"My my. That there's an impressive trick there, missy."

"Naturia Barkion, attack Sabersaurus! Elemental Cyclone!" Naturia Barkion spun around in its spot and conjured up a twister that had picked up countless leaves. It roared once and then unleashed the swirling flurry at the red bladed dinosaur.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 4600

**Wayne:** 7700

–––––––––––––––––––

"Now Naturia Beast, attack one of the Gilasaurus! Thousand Spike!" Naturia Beast grew some roots out of its legs and plunged them deep into the ground. A few seconds passed before the emerged from under Wayne's side of the field and impaled one of the Gilasaurus.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 4600

**Wayne:** 7200

–––––––––––––––––––

"I end with two facedowns." Recca placed two cards into her Spell and Trap slots and they appeared at her feet.

"My turn then." Wayne drew his next card. "Now this here's a pickle. I can't play my Spell Cards 'cause o' that there Beast. An' same with my Trap Cards 'cause o' that there Barkion. So what I gotta do, missy, is take 'em out. I'm sackin' my here Gilasaurus fer Dark Driceratops." A green triceratops with plant life growing out of its body appeared (ATK/2400 DEF/1500). With Jurassic World's effect, its stats rose to twenty-seven hundred attack points and eighteen hundred defense points. "Attack that there Naturia Beast!"

"Sakuretsu Armor!" Recca revealed her facedown. As Dark Driceratops charged, a protective shell of spiked armor appeared on Naturia Beast. When its attack made contact, a demonic force stopped the dinosaur and blasted him into oblivion.

"Well dang." Wayne set one card facedown and ended his turn.

"My turn." Recca drew her card.

"I'm activatin' my Survival Instinct Trap Card, lettin' me banish my dinos and heal myself fer four hundred fer each." Wayne removed all of his monsters from his graveyard and prepared to receive the healing, but his opponent had other plans.

"Negate it, Barkion!" Recca ordered as she removed one Naturia Cosmobeet and Naturia Rock from her graveyard and placed them in her pocket, "Flowering Burst!" Naturia Barkion opened its mouth and a big burst of pink flower petals shot out and blocked the effects of the Trap Card.

"Well dang."

"Naturia Beast, go! Thousand Spike!" Naturia Beast plunged its roots into the ground and they snaked under the field before bursting up from under Wayne and striking him hard.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 4600

**Wayne:** 5000

–––––––––––––––––––

"Naturia Barkion, go! Elemental Cyclone!" The dragon of nature spun around and conjured up its leaf-filled cyclone which it then launched toward its target.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 4600

**Wayne:** 2500

–––––––––––––––––––

"Now I play Polymerization and fuse Barkion and Beast together." Recca watched as her two creatures combined and when they emerged from the light, Naturia Beast now wore Naturia Barkion's head on its own while the dragon's body and tail ran down the length of its back and out into a much longer tail while parts of Barkion's bark were fused now to Beast's legs as extra armor (ATK/2800 DEF/2400). "This is Naturia Exterio and his effect lets me negate any Spell or Trap by banishing one card from my graveyard and then sending one from my deck to the graveyard." I'll end with the activation of Spiritual Forest."

"It ain't over yet." Wayne drew his card. "An' here's why. Tyranno Infinity!" A horned tyrannosaurus appeared and roared (ATK/? DEF/0).

"Why are his attack points represented with a question mark?" asked Recca.

"'cause Infinity's attack ain't determined yet. It's gonna be a thousand times the dinos I removed. Ya see, Survival Instinct wasn't fer my Life Points. It was fer Infinity. And I removed a goddang five dinos." At once, energy surged through Tyranno Infinity as its attack points jumped to five thousand. "Attack that there Exterio!" Tyranno Infinity unleashed its power and shot white lightning at Naturia Exterio.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 2400

**Wayne:** 2500

–––––––––––––––––––

As the smoke cleared, all could see Naturia Exterio standing tall and firm. "How come he ain't dead?"

"That's Spiritual Forest's power. Each turn, it can save any Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Plant from death in battle once," Recca explained.

"Well have fun beatin' my Infinity. 'cause with five dinos removed, he ain't gettin' any weaker."

"We'll see." Recca drew her card and looked at it. It was almost too good to be true. "Dark Hole." A black hole appeared in the middle of the field and swallowed up all the monsters present. Tyranno Infinity and Naturia Exterio spun around and around as if caught in a whirlpool as they were pulled into the abyss never to be seen again.

"I activate my facedown," announced Recca, "Monster Reborn." In a flash of light, Naturia Exterio returned to the field. "Naturia Exterio, let's finish up! Solar Ray!" Naturia Exterio raised its head to the sky and began absorbing sunlight. Its body glowed progressively brighter until it had finally stored a sufficient amount of energy. It turned to Wayne, opened its mouth, and unleashed a concentrated high-powered beam of sunlight.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Recca:** 2400

**Wayne:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––

The cowboy-like warrior was thrown away by the blast. He bounced along the surface of the volcano and stopped just before hitting a pool of lava. He stood up and brushed himself off. "The King ain't gunna be happy 'bout this," he muttered before running away.

"He's gone!" Gio cheered.

"Yes... But the dinosaurs aren't coming back." Wes looked around. It seemed just like the last time with the Ancient Gears. Even after the defeat of the one using the deck, the contents of that deck did not return to their original state.

"WAHAHAHAHAHA! No worries!" Alan laughed reassuringly, "We just gotta beat the Black King and they can go scot free!"

"He's right!" Max said optimistically, "We just gotta believe! Now let's get outta here so we can make it happen!"

"I'm not worried about their futures," Wes said, "I'm worried about what Dark Lucius plans to do with them."

"He's going to use them for his army," Bethany answered. Everybody looked at her. "Lucius has been building an army for a long time. It's only recently with the UnGod's help that he's finally succeeding. What he's building the army for, we have no idea. But it can't be good. We have to stop him."

"Then we'll just have to build an army of our own!" Hayley cheered.

"Where we gonna get new people?" Gio inquired.

"There's a village of Amazonesses beyond the crater," Bethany pointed out.

"And I know Katasuo's holed up somewhere here Aeagnaap," Recca added.

"Okay, so that's our next course of action," Wes declared.

o o o

With Bethany leading them out of Orognu Crater, Recca walked along with Wes. The teen looked at her and decided to bring it up then. "Recca?"

"Yes, Wes?"

"Something we've noticed. Ever since we came to Aeagnaap, you haven't really been yourself. Care to explain?"

"Not really since we came to Aeagnaap, but more like since we were in the Naturia Forest."

"I remember. We thought you would have gone gaga over the forest denizens. What seems to be the problem?"

"It's..." Recca lowered her voice, "I got a bad feeling about him." She shifted her eyes and Wes followed their gaze to Alan.

"Alan?"

"Yeah. Something about him is just... I dunno. Remember when we found the volcano?"

"I do."

"Well, we know it was hidden by an illusions. I could sense the energy. But I could sense a trace the same energy from behind Alan. It was brief, but I'm sure I sensed it."

"Are you sure?" Wes inquired.

"I'm sure."

"We'll have to keep an eye on him then." Wes and Recca looked at Alan and then continued on.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The team is recruiting forces to fight with them against the Black King. Their search takes them to a village inhabited entire by women with not a man in sight. Can they convince these warriors set in their ways to join them in their cause? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	147. And So Forth Came Hippolyta

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-60**

**And So Forth Came Hippolyta**

Recca, Wes, Max, Hayley, Gio, Bethany, and Alan sat around a map of Aeagnaap. By their markers, they were not far from the Great Stone Canyon. Soon they would engage Dark Lucius head-on. However, there was one thing they were still severely lacking which Wes pointed out. "A march against a castle is suicide without an army."

"How are we gonna get an army?" asked Gio.

"Well we can always recruit Katasuo," Recca suggested.

"Wasn't he part of your daughter's group in Ardent?" Wes inquired.

"He was," Recca confirmed, "back when they were tricked into breaking the seals. They travelled together. Having him join us in our fight would be really good."

"Still not gonna be enough," said Alan.

"We can attempt to form an alliance with the Amazonesses," Bethany replied as she traced her finger along a path on the map, "They're a very secluded tribe, though, and they absolutely refuse to trust men."

"Sounds risky," Max commented.

"Maybe, but they do have the numbers we need. I say it's worth trying." Wes looked at the two marks on the map they had just placed to indicate the locations of the Amazoness Village and Katasuo. "We'll cover more ground if we split up. Recca, you should go to Katasuo. Since he knows your daughter, it might make things easier to persuade him to join us. As for the Amazonesses, I believe Bethany should take Hayley and the rest of us will accompany Recca."

"Hold one moment. Wouldn't that mean that Recca's team gets way more people?" asked Hayley.

"It's our only option. If we're going to recruit the Amazonesses, it's crucial that the idea be proposed to them by a woman," answered Wes.

"Two people isn't going to be enough, though," Max pointed out.

"He's got a point," Alan agreed, "Y'all could just send Max with 'em."

"Why me?" Max asked looking up at the woodsman.

"'cause yer so damn girly."

"I resent that!"

"Even if it's true, Max is still male," Wes reminded Alan, "If it's anyone, I suggest Gio."

"Why Gio?" Hayley questioned.

"Yeah, why me?" the young boy said repeating Hayley's question.

"Because you're young enough that they might think you can still be moulded," was Wes' response.

"What's that mean?"

"That's enough," Bethany interrupted, "If we're doing this, we're doing this now."

"Agreed." Wes stood up. "How far are we from each location?"

"If we leave now, we can reach the Amazoness Village by nightfall. The mansion is further away, however. It will take at least a day to get there."

"And their distance to the Great Stone Canyon?"

"The mansion is closer," Recca said.

"Alright." Wes turned to Recca and Bethany. "Bethany, you know the way to the Amazoness Village. Go on and take Hayley and Gio. The rest of us will accompany Recca to find Katasuo. We'll rendezvous at the entrance to the Great Stone Canyon in two days. Clear?"

"Clear," Recca and Bethany replied simultaneously.

"Let's move out then."

o o o

With the team now split up, each group had to take extra precautions against enemies. While it was true they would cover more ground like this, it also meant that their full force had been split in two as well. Hayley thought about her beloved Max on the other team. He was certainly a formidable Duelist, always finding ways to entertain and distract his opponents with his flair and charisma. And then there was Wes. His cool and calculating mind could get them out of any situation. Recca was an endearing woman and she was bound to protect them like a mother. Alan, though Hayley knew nothing about him, possessed great strength which would help out the group in any way possible.

By comparison, her group seemed rather underpowered. Bethany definitely had skills as a warrior, but she was no Duelist. Then there was Gio whose only notable contribution was his seemingly encyclopedic geological knowledge. Otherwise the boy possessed no great strength, speed, or even intelligence. Hayley was the only one who seemed to have any notable power in the group and even so, that power lay only in her deck.

She hoped that it would be easy to negotiate with the Amazonesses.

o o o

Hayley, Gio, and Bethany arrived at the Amazoness Village by late afternoon. Among all the trees, they were able to see a large wall made entirely out of enormous logs. A single narrow path through the foliage led up to the village entrance, which was guarded by two large women with spears. The two females walked together side-by-side, trying to hide the young boy accompanying them behind them.

"Leave the talking to me," Bethany whispered.

"Halt! Who goes there?" the guards demanded as they barred the entrance to the village with their spears.

"We come to speak to the queen," said Bethany.

"For what purpose?" the guard on the left inquired.

"We require assistance in our fight against the Black King."

The two guards murmured amongst themselves. "The Black King?"

"They can't be serious."

"The tall one might be."

"But nobody's ever tried to stand up against the Black King before."

"Many have talked about it."

"But no one's acted."

"What if they're going to?"

"What makes you so sure they're going to succeed?"

"What makes you so sure they're going to fail?"

"I'm just saying..."

While the guards continued talking amongst themselves, Bethany and Hayley looked at each other. "Should we say something?" the latter asked.

"We should," Bethany replied, "We're not going to get anywhere if we just stand here? Wait a minute. Where's the brat?" Hayley looked behind her. Gio was nowhere to be found.

"Oh god no."

"Intruder in the village!" someone yelled. Instantly, the guards rushed inside. Hayley and Bethany followed and soon they found Gio in the middle of the village surrounded by Amazons.

_That idiot brat_, Bethany thought.

"What is going on here?" As the guards held Gio captive, an Amazon with long blonde hair covered with a hood stepped forward.

"We found this...male...sneaking around the village," one of the Amazons answered.

"What should we do, Diana?" another one asked.

The one called Diana looked down at Gio. "Bring her before the Queen. She'll know what to do."

"Why the queen? Don't you have a king?" Gio asked obliviously.

"Get him moving!" ordered Diana. At once, two Amazons grabbed Gio's arms, picked him up, and proceeded to carry him away.

"We have to help him," Hayley said as she proceeded to follow.

"He's lost to us. Forget about him," Bethany replied.

"He's still a part of our team. And he's also the son of one of the school's teachers. We can't abandon him."

"I can't believe I'm actually going through with this," Bethany muttered.

o o o

Gio was brought into the largest and most elaborate hut in the village and placed down on his knees before a fancy wicker throne. Sitting on it was a woman with long blue hair wearing a top and a loincloth made of animal skins and a black eyepatch over her right eye. Her clothes were adorned with shells, precious stones, and a long red cape. She held a large sword like a sceptre as the prisoner was brought before her.

"Queen Hippolyta, we bring forth the intruder," a strong muscular Amazon with black hair in a green top and loincloth reported.

"What is a male doing in the Amazoness Village?" demanded Queen Hippolyta.

"We're looking for help to fight a big black guy," answered Gio.

"Are you speaking of the Black King?" Diana inquired.

"Yeah, that guy. Help us?"

"What should we do with him, Your Highness?" Diana asked as she turned to her queen.

"Are we to believe that this young male child is planning to fight the Black King by himself? Cast him out of this village and have him never to return again. And should he return, kill him on the spot!"

"Hold!" A voice rang out and all turned as Bethany entered the hut followed by Hayley.

"Who dares enter the presence of Queen Hippolyta?" An Amazon with red hair carrying a large sword charged at Bethany with her weapon raised, but the Warrior Lady of the Wasteland raised her arms and blocked her at the forearms. She then slid her arm up and grabbed onto her attacker's wrist before stepping in and twisting the larger woman around prior to flipping her onto her back. Others rushed to stop her, but they were halted by Hippolyta's call.

"Let this one pass. She has the will of the Amazons. Speak, cloaked one."

"What the boy says is true," Bethany said as she stood before the Amazoness Queen, "Our group has fought against the Black King's soldiers for days. We are now recruiting others to join us as we take the fight to the gates of his castle in the Great Stone Canyon. Proud Amazon Warriors, stand by us as we fight the evil that has oppressed this land for far too long."

"It is true that we have long endured the Black King's tyranny, but why should we join you?" asked Hippolyta, "As you said yourself, we are proud Amazon Warriors. Why would we belittle ourselves to fight for your cause?"

"You would not be fighting under us. You would be fighting alongside us," corrected Bethany.

"Your Majesty, they appear to be sincere," Diana said, "However, it is important that we test their mettle."

"You are correct as always, Diana," Hippolyta agreed, "Shall we engage them in the test?"

"What test?" Hayley asked a little worried.

"The test is a set of trials used to determine visitors' worth to the Amazons," Diana explained, "Each of you shall take part in one challenge of your choosing. There is the Test of Strength, the Test of Courage, the Test of Mind, the Test of Will, the Test of Spirit."

"I shall take the Test of Strength," Bethany said cracking her knuckles.

"And I will take the Test of Mind," Hayley added.

"What about me?" asked Gio, "Don't I get to pick?"

"You're not really in a position to speak right now," Bethany pointed out before turning back to the Amazoness Queen, "Let us begin."

o o o

A ring had been set up in the middle of the village. Amazons had all gathered around it as Bethany entered to meet with Diana who stood in the center. "As a competitor in the Test of Strength, I shall explain the rules. You shall engage one of ours in unarmed combat. The first to knock her opponent off her feet and keep her down until the count to three shall claim victory."

"So it's wrestling? Easy. I accept the challenge."

"Then meet your opponent." Diana turned the other way as the big muscular Amazon from earlier stepped into the ring. "Uhura, you know the rules of course?"

"Of course," Uhura answered flexing her muscles.

"Then let the Test of Strength commence." Diana exited the ring and turned to face it. She raised her sword to the sky. Bethany looked at her opponent and sized her up. She seemed like a good challenge for her. With her weapons already stripped from her and placed on the side, the Warrior Lady of the Wasteland unclasped her cape and removed her hat, allowing the wind to carry them off to the side. Diana could see both combatants ready and she swung her sword down.

Immediately, Uhura charged. She rammed herself into Bethany, who stood her ground and pressed herself against her much larger opponent. She could feel her boots sliding across the dirt from the impact, but she held her ground and succeeded in staying on her feet. All around the ring, the other Amazons cheered for their champion of strength.

"You're stronger than I thought," Uhura observed.

"I'm just getting started!" And with that, Bethany pushed her opponent away, which caused many of the spectators to gasp in awe.

"You have guts, sister. But can you take what you dish?" This time Uhura walked toward her opponent instead of rushing her. She swept her enormous arms at her, but Bethany's smaller and thinner body gave her the upperhand to avoid those massive tree-like limbs. "Stay still so I can pummel you!"

"No thanks. I'd rather take you down." As soon as she found an opening, Bethany snaked her way in and grabbed onto Uhura's waist with the intention of using her opponent's upper body weight against her.

"Ha, you don't know how many women have tried that." Uhura quickly stood up straight and then grabbed onto Bethany and picked her off herself. "Now down you go!" With that she slammed her opponent into the ground.

"No one can beat Uhura in a Test of Strength!" a pair of scouts cheered.

"Don't be so sure," Diana quickly interjected. As the dust settled, everybody could see that Bethany had somehow manged to land on her feet and was now struggling hand-to-hand with Uhura.

"Looks like I underestimated you," the Amazon commented.

"A deadly mistake," was Bethany's answer.

"One I won't make again," Uhura said, "I'm pulling out all the stops. I'm using my ultimate technique on you!"

"Is she gonna do it?" a young trainee asked excitedly.

"Very possibly so," the sword-wielding Amazon from earlier replied.

"Take this! Spicy Hard Love!" Uhura grabbed onto Bethany's hands tightly and flipped herself into the air. As she arced over her opponent, she spread her legs and then landed buttocks-first on top of the Warrior Lady, pinning her against the ground.

"One!" Diana shouted.

_I have to get free!_ thought Bethany as she struggled underneath the weight of her opponent.

"Two!"

_There's only one way out_, she thought.

"Thr-" Before Diana could finish, Bethany suddenly disappeared from underneath Uhura.

"Huh? Where'd she go?" asked the big muscular woman. Bethany suddenly appeared overhead and landed on Uhura's shoulders in front of her face. With a mighty battle cry, she grabbed onto her head and pulled back. She was thrust backward and once her back was against the ground, she used her legs and her arms and threw her opponent over herself. Spectators quickly had to get out of the way as Uhura sailed past them and crashed into one of the huts, demolishing it instantly. Bethany jumped back up onto her feet and dusted herself off.

"The bigger they are..."

Diana rushed over to Uhura to check on her and discovered that the large Amazon was unconscious. She then turned to the ring and pointed. "The challenger has claimed this victory!" she announced. Many Amazons just looked in disbelief at their defeated champion of strength while Hayley clapped excitedly.

o o o

Hayley sat across from a blue-haired Amazoness Sage who wore a brown cape in which she had wrapped herself. Her staff rested against her shoulder as the two women looked down at a game board that had been carved into the stone.

"What is this game?" asked Gio.

"It's called Oware," Diana explained, "In this game, players each start with twenty-four stones evenly distributed among eight zones on their side of the board. They then take turns taking stones from a zone and distributing them evenly among the the adjacent zones moving in a counterclockwise pattern. To the right of each player's side of the board is their home. Their objective is to place the greatest number of stones into one's own home."

"Sounds boring. Can we play Snakes and Ladders instead?"

"Your companion does appear skilled, but she is no match for Johari," Diana said, ignoring Gio's words, "She is our village's undefeated Oware champion. To win against her will require great intelligence, skill, strategy, and..."

"You have bested me," Johari said bowing to her opponent. Hayley got up and cheered happily.

"You were saying what now?" Gio asked.

"I have nothing more to say on the matter," Diana quickly replied.

o o o

"You performed well in your trials," Hippolyta said as everyone stood once again inside her hut, "Bethany, you remained calm against a larger opponent and you were successful in turning her strength against her. A true warrior knows how to adapt to any situation and turn it in her favor. Hayley, your victory in Oware did not come easily. Though it was your first game, Johari showed you no mercy. It took strategy, intelligence, and above all else, patience. Bethany and Hayley, you shall forever be welcomed into our village."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Hayley and Bethany bowed before the Amazoness Queen.

"And as promised, we shall join your fight against the Black King," Hippolyta continued, "We shall leave at dawn. Rest up, eat your fill, and enjoy a bath in our spring for you shall need your energy for the next's day's events."

"Thank you," Bethany said.

That night, the trio ate a grand feast. A freshly-caught swine had been slaughtered and was served as the main course along with a grand plethora of fruits, vegetables, breads, and grains. Following their dinner, Bethany and Hayley went for a soak in the springs.

"Well, we did our part," Hayley said in a satisfied tone as she let the warm waters wash away her worries, "I wonder how Wessy and Recca are doing."

"We'll find out when we meet with them at the rendezvous point," Bethany answered.

"GO AWAY!" Gio's voice could be heard. The boy had managed to find a little private spot in the spring to relax by himself but was finding it difficult to do with all the giggling and peeping eyes of several Amazoness Trainees hiding in the bushes. "Why won't they leave me alone?"

"Probably because they've never seen a boy in their entire lives," Bethany called over the rocks.

"I don't want girls looking at my boy parts!" Gio yelled. Hayley couldn't help but giggle at the poor boy's misfortune and it wasn't long before Bethany joined her, which caused the schoolgirl to look at her in surprise.

"I think this spring is unstressing you nicely," she noted.

"Don't get used to it," Bethany retorted. Hayley just giggled again, "I'll try."

That evening, Bethany, Hayley, and Gio slept in the guest hut together, though Gio slept by himself on the other side of a bamboo curtain that separated the hut into two rooms. While the village slept save for some guards, two figures approached it from the path. One was a big bearded man wearing armor from the stomach down with a tattered red cape around his neck with two swords on his hips. The other was a woman garbed in blue robes and golden armor. Her head was encased in a helmet with two flashing blue lights and a blue visor over her eyes. Her sword hung from her left hip as a short red cape bearing a big X in its center hung from her shoulders.

"The Amazoness Village," the man said with a grin, "I can't wait!"

"Silence, Souza!" The woman looked at the village, "We are to take them out swiftly and quietly."

"Aww, come on, Hyunlei. I can't do the quiet thing," Souza whined.

"And you would be a fool to barge in," Hyunlei snapped, "The Amazons are powerful warriors. You rush in and they will kill you."

"Grrrr, fine," Souza settled begrudgingly.

The pair approached the village entrance the guards barred their way. "Halt! Who goes there?"

"Just another female warrior and her big mindless galoot," answered Hyunlei.

"Hey!"

"You are not permitted into this village," one of the guards stated.

"Who said we were coming in with an invitation?" In a flash, Hyunlei had drawn her sword and slit both guards' throats with a single fluid stroke before re-sheathing her weapon.

"And how is that 'quiet'?" asked Souza.

"They didn't scream," answered Hyunlei.

o o o

Gio had gotten out of bed to use the bathroom, but having spent most of his time living in a cave by the sea, he was unsure of where to go to urinate. He thought about asking one of the Amazons, but he was afraid they would come in and peep on him while he tried to go about his business. As he wandered the village looking for its facilities, he saw a strange man and woman walking by. He thought it was nothing peculiar until the woman slayed a passing guard. Dim as he was, even he knew when something was amiss. "BAD GUYS! BAD GUYS!" he started screaming, which alerted all the guards on duty. Archers from the village walls turned their bows inward and were quick to find their targets while warriors with spears rushed up and surrounded the intruders.

"Stop right there!"

"So much for keeping quiet," Souza laughed.

"Just do your thing," Hyunlei muttered, "I know you've been dying to."

"Excellent!" Souza drew his swords and began cutting through the Amazons.

"Fire!" On cue, the archers let fly their arrows. Hyunlei quickly drew her sword and jumped ino the air spinning. The arrows clattered to the ground cut cleanly into pieces.

"What's going on?" Hayley asked as she roused from her sleep. Gio quickly burst back into the hut panicked and out of breath.

"Bad guys!" he exclaimed.

Soon, Bethany and Hayley were outside and watching all the commotion. The Amazons fought against the two intruders to defend their village, but Souza's raw strength and Hyunlei's speed and cunning seemed to overwhelm them. The latter quickly avoided a pair of pink energy beams and turned to face their source. Diana stood with her sword planted into the ground beside her as she had her hands in front of her necklace, which appeared to be glowing.

"Leave our village at once!"

"We can't do that, I'm afraid," Hyunlei answered, "You see, we have orders from Commander Gottoms to destroy this place by any means necessary."

"Then we have no choice but to kill you. Take this. Heartbreak Shot!" Diana's necklace began to shine brighter and two large pink energy beams erupted from her breasts toward Hyunlei. The armored warrior lady ducked under the blast and dashed forward. Diana quickly ceased her attack and brought up her sword to defend herself.

"Get to the Queen!" she shouted toward Hayley and the others.

"We're on it," Bethany affirmed. She, Hayley, and Gio quickly ran to the Queen's hut while Diana struggled against Hyunlei. Upon arrival, they could see Hippolyta unlocking a chest.

"Thank goodness you're alright, Your Majesty," Hayley said with relief, "We have to go."

"Go? A warrior stands her ground against any opponent," Hippolyta said as she opened the chest she was working on.

"They've taken out your strongest warriors. They are much too powerful."

"Nobody is too powerful. All you need is the proper weapon." Hippolyta pulled out a large arm blade from the chest and carried it back to her throne. She picked up her sword and rested it on her shoulder before heading outside. By now, many Amazons had been badly injured and some killed. Hippolyta looked at the two interlopers and shouted, "I am Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons! Leave our village and never return or you shall face our might!"

"Queen Hippolyta, a pleasure to meet you at last," Hyunlei said with a bow, "I am Hyunlei and this brute is Souza. We hail from the X-Saber Clan."

_X-Sabers! So then these guys are with the Black King_, thought Hayley.

"We'd love to comply with your request, but alas we cannot," Hyunlei continued, "Our orders were from Commander Gottoms himself. Slay all the Amazons and burn their village to the ground."

"I would rather die than have to destroy our village and my warriors!" Hippolyta declared.

"Granted!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Bethany saw a small silhouette standing on top of a tall tree. The figure swung its arm and there was a flash. "Look out!" She quickly stepped in front the Amazoness Queen and deflected an incoming blade away from her. More blades came in, each connected to another with a single bolt of electricity. "Ingus!" The blades pulled back and the Fulhelmknight jumped off the tree and landed inside the village.

"Miss me, big sis?" he asked grinning as he recalled his blades and reformed them back into a single sword.

"You risked your life to defend me?" asked Hippolyta.

"You're the Amazoness Queen, right? Your Amazons need you," replied Bethany. Hippolyta looked at Bethany for a moment and then at the arm blade she held. "For years we have sought a warrior who could wield our tribe's greatest weapon. Now I see that I need not look further than you." She held the weapon out to Bethany. "Take it. Only you can unlock it's true power." Bethany accepted the weapon silently and placed it on her left arm. As soon as it clicked, a light shined out from within and the arm blade opened to reveal a deck of cards and the runes along the blade lit up to reveal five square slots.

"It's a Duel Disk!" Gio realized.

"So it's a duel you want, is it?" asked Hyunlei, "Fine by me." She sheathed her sword and held out her left arm. The armor covering her forearm folded open and repositioned itself to form a Duel Disk with a deck already loaded.

"Why do you get to beat her?" Fulhelmknight whined as he stood beside Hyunlei.

"Just watch, boy," Hyunlei instructed.

"Show us your spirit, sister!" Hippolyta said to Bethany.

–––––––––––––––

**Bethany:** 8000

**Hyunlei:** 8000

–––––––––––––––

"I will begin!" Bethany drew her first card. "And I'll summon Amazoness Swords Woman in attack mode!" The sword-wielding Amazon watched in amazement as an image of herself appeared on the field (ATK/1500 DEF/1600). "I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn." A pair of cards appeared at Bethany's feet and she turned the duel over to her opponent.

"I proceed." Hyunlei drew her card. "And I'll begin with Goblin Pothole Squad." A group of goblins in hardhats and work clothes appeared carrying road maintenance equipment (ATK/1500 DEF/400). "With this out, no Trap Cards can be activated and that goes double for any Trap Card with 'Trap Hole' in its name save for Dark Trap Hole."

_Damn it!_ thought Bethany.

"I'm not finished yet. Next I equip my Pothole Squad with the Axe of Despair, raising its attack power by one thousand." A single axe appeared an the goblins all grabbed onto it, raising their attack points to twenty-five hundred. "Attack." Together, they swung the weapon and chopped through Amazoness Swords Woman.

"My warrior may have perished, but it is you who shall suffer!" Bethany picked Amazoness Swords Woman's weapon, "You see, whenever she battles my opponent takes all the Battle Damage!" And with that she threw the sword at Hyunlei and slashed her across her arm.

–––––––––––––––

**Bethany:** 8000

**Hyunlei:** 7000

–––––––––––––––

"You're still one monster down," Hyunlei pointed out, "And now I'll lay three facedown cards and end my turn."

Bethany drew her card. As long as she couldn't activate her Traps, it was going to be a predicament. "I summon Amazoness Fighter!" Uhura was astonished as an image of herself appeared on the field (ATK/1500 DEF/1300). "Next I'll activate the Field Spell Amazoness Village. All my Amazoness monsters will now gain two hundred attack points and should one of them die, another with equal or lower level shall replace her." Amazoness Fighter flexed as her attack points rose to seventeen hundred.

"Not bad, but still not enough to defeat my Pothole Squad," Hyunlei pointed out.

"That is why I also play the Continuous Spell Amazoness Fighting Spirit. Now if an Amazoness attacks a monster with higher attack, she gains one thousand attack points during the Damage Step. Now go Amazoness Fighter! Attack with Spicy Hard Love!" All eyes watched as Amazoness Fighter somersaulted through the air with her legs spread. Just as she landed on top of Goblin Pothole Squad, her attack points shot up to twenty-seven hundred and she crushed the creatures beneath her weight.

–––––––––––––––

**Bethany:** 8000

**Hyunlei:** 6800

–––––––––––––––

"Now I can use Traps again."

"Don't get confident." Hyunlei drew her card, "We've only just begun. I activate Double Cyclone. With this I can destroy one of my Spell or Trap Cards and one of yours as well. So I'll destroy my middle card and your Amazoness Fighting Spirit." A pink and a yellow tornado came down from the heavens and the former smashed apart Bethany's Amazoness Fighting Spirit while the latter destroyed Hyunlei's middle facedown. "Since my facedown Statue of the Wicked was just destroyed, I may summon a Wicked Token to the field." In that instant, a golden statue appeared as a level four Dark Fiend with one thousand attack and defense points. "Now I activate Xing Zhen Hu! This card lets me select two Spell or Trap Cards on the field and render them unactivatable! And what better choice than your two facedowns?" Hyunlei cackled as an urn with a box tied to its top appeared and streams of dark energy seeped out and absorbed Bethany's cards.

"Now I summon Chiron the Mage." A centaur in armor wielding a magic staff appeared (ATK/1800 DEF/1000), "Now with Chiron's effect, I discard one Spell Card to destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field." Hyunlei discarded a card and Chiron cast a spell at Bethany's Amazoness Village card, destroying it and returning Amazoness Fighter to her original fifteen hundred attack points. "Now Chiron, attack!" Chiron the Mage cast another spell and blasted Amazoness Fighter into oblivion.

"I take no Battle Damage from a battle involving Amazoness Fighter," said Bethany.

"Well then, my Wicked Token will make sure there's Battle Damage." The Wicked Token opened its mouth and a toxic gas poured out and hit Bethany.

–––––––––––––––

**Bethany:** 7000

**Hyunlei:** 6800

–––––––––––––––

"What's going on? asked Gio," How come she's not using her Traps?"

"She can't," replied Hayley, "Her opponent has total backfield control."

"It's my move." Bethany drew her card. "And it shall serve me well. I begin with Double Summon, allowing me to Normal Summon twice this turn. So I summon Amazoness Paladin." Diana watched as an image of herself appeared on the field (ATK/1700 DEF/300). "And Amazoness Tiger." A big tiger with a spiked collar around its neck appeared beside Amazoness Paladin (ATK/1100 DEF/1500). "And now for their effects. Amazoness Paladin gains one hundred attack points for every Amazoness monster on the field. Amazoness Tiger gains four hundred and as long as she's out, no other Amazoness can be attacked." Amazoness Paladin's attack points and Amazoness Tiger's attack points both rose to nineteen hundred.

"Amazoness Paladin, attack the Wicked Token! Heartbreak Shot!" Amazoness Paladin's necklace started to glow and a pair of big pink energy beams shot out of her bosom and hit the golden statue of evil.

–––––––––––––––

**Bethany:** 7000

**Hyunlei:** 5900

–––––––––––––––

"Amazoness Tiger, attack Chiron the Mage!" Amazoness Tiger pounced and sank her fangs into the throat of Chiron the Mage.

–––––––––––––––

**Bethany:** 7000

**Hyunlei:** 5800

–––––––––––––––

"My forces may be down, but you cannot stop my backfield control." Hyunlei drew her card, "I summon Embodiment of Apophis!" She activated her facedown card and summoned out a black naga armed with a sword and shield with a second head, that of a snake, growing out of its back and hissing (ATK/1600 DEF/1800). "I activate Enemy Controller! Left, right, A, B!" A large game controller appeared and input the code dictated by Hyunlei. The cord plugged itself into Amazoness Tiger and switched her into defense mode. "Apophis, attack!" The naga warrior slithered across the field and slashed the large beast with its sword.

Bethany drew her card. "This is what you're paying for. I summon Amazoness Sage." She summoned to the field an image of Johari (ATK/1400 DEF/700) which returned Amazoness Paladin to nineteen hundred attack points.

"Amazoness Paladin, attack Embodiment of Apophis with Heartbreak Shot!" Two beams of pink energy shot out of Amazoness Paladin's chest and destroyed the evil naga.

–––––––––––––––

**Bethany:** 7000

**Hyunlei:** 5500

–––––––––––––––

"Now Amazoness Sage, attack with Amazon Magic Blast! And with her effect, I can destroy one Spell or Trap on the field at the end the Damage Step!" Amazoness Sage thrust her staff and unleashed a wave of magic at Hyunlei.

–––––––––––––––

**Bethany:** 7000

**Hyunlei:** 4100

–––––––––––––––

"Destroy Xing Zhen Hu!" With another wave of her staff, Amazoness Sage unleashed another magic wave and destroyed Hyunlei's Trap Card, "And now I can activate my cards again!" announced Bethany. "I shall now activate both: two Amazoness Willpowers! This resurrects one Amazoness monster. Its battle position cannot change and it must attack if able. I bring back Amazoness Fighter and Amazoness Tiger!" Amazoness Fighter Flex as she came out while Amazoness Tiger reappeared with a roar. With four Amazoness monsters now on the field, Amazoness Paladin's attack became twenty-one hundred while Amazoness Tiger's became twenty-seven hundred.

"Amazoness Fighter, attack with Spicy Hard Love!" Amazoness Fighter somersaulted through the air and spread her legs as she landed on top of Hyunlei.

–––––––––––––––

**Bethany:** 7000

**Hyunlei:** 2600

–––––––––––––––

"Amazoness Tiger, finish her!" ordered Bethany, "Amazon Tiger Fang!" Amazoness Tiger pounced and sank her teeth into Hyunlei's throat.

–––––––––––––––

**Bethany:** 7000

**Hyunlei:** 0

–––––––––––––––

Hyunlei struggled against the beast's jaws trying to free herself, but to no avail. Fulhelmknight lashed out with his sword and ensnared Amazoness Tiger with his blade. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Hyunlei gasped.

"What do we do now?" asked Souza.

"Retreat!" Hyunlei managed to get out. She fled along with her masculine companion. Once they were clear, Fulhelmknight released Amazoness Tiger and joined them.

"They won't be coming back anytime soon," a trainee cheered.

"So that was the power of the ancient relic this whole time," Hippolyta said as she traced her fingers along the arm blade's runes. "We had no idea."

"Why do you suppose they came in the first place?" Hayley wondered.

"Perhaps they came to ensure the seal stayed broken," suggested Paladin.

"What seal?" Bethany questioned.

"The reason our village is here is because it also protects one of the seals restraining the power of some dark force," answered Hippolyta.

"Can you take us there?" asked Hayley.

"Of course."

o o o

Inside a shrine behind the Queen's hut, Hayley found the shattered remains of a black crystal lying strewn across a circular stone in the ground. "This is definitely the seal."

"We've thought of ways to restore the seal, but so far we have thought of nothing that works," Hippolyta stated.

"That's where I come in." Hayley took out her Rose Card and her Rose Mark started to glow. The seal's pieces began to glow red and pick themselves up. They swirled around inside the shrine, growing closer and closer until there was a flash of red light and the pieces now floated as a single crystal now shining red.

"You've done much more than we expected for us," Hippolyta said once everyone had gathered back in the village, "Simply aiding you in the fight against the Black King does not seem like enough to repay our debt."

"Oh no need to worry! We don't care about debts!" Hayley said happily.

"As long as we have you, there's no need to repay debts," Bethany added. As she looked on, they could see the sun starting to rise. By the time it had risen over the mountains, the Amazons had assembled.

"Then let us march onward together in defiance of the Black King," Hippolyta announced. "Forward!" Together, the Amazons walked out of their village save for their guards and made their way to the Great Stone Valley. With Bethany, Gio, Hayley, and Hippolyta at the head of the group, everyone walked forward filled with confidence.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Formerly one of Reka's companions, Katasuo has completely cut himself off from the outside world. It is up to Recca, Wes, Max, and Alan to bring him out to aid in their fight against Dark Lucius. It's a houseful of traps next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	148. The Sound of Clockwork

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-61**

**The Sound of Clockwork**

His name was Katasuo Yobirin, and at one time his title was that of Engineer First Class upon an simple island in the middle of the pacific, with the Australian mainland being the closest thing to civilization this research facility was going to find. It was passing joke, closest, as 'closest' was a months voyage and that was considering if conditions were perfect the entire time through. No he thought, sunshine kissing his face as he lazily stretched out on the pristine white sands wearing the lower half of a drab grey uniform, there's rarely a another place he would want to be. His old university friends were here from Sendai and with them they brought old stories and the outlook that could only comes from bio engineers. A single letter was driven into the sand, pinned under a droplet covered bottle of beer, a dark brew that was pierced with amber shafts of light through the green glass. Signed and with a cute design of a man and woman it said 'Your Bestest Friends from Across The Atlantic, Recca and Reign. P.S. Say hi to Maemi and Kyo from me and my new hubby!'

"Hoi! Katasuo!" Katasuo quickly threw on the drab uniform jacket, displaying a large number two hundred and forty eight within a simple cog, zipping it up over his tanned skin and quickly fixing up his ashen locks with hand gestures that just oozed futility. The calm, sweet female voice called out again, a bit louder now as his name was mentioned again, "Katasuo! C'mon lazy you know your breaks over! What if our Generators bust down?"

He looked up the beach to see a tiny waif of a girl with hair black as night glaring at him with eyes of chocolate. Her clothes were proper, authoritative, and adorned with a white billowing lab coat that threatened to engulf her and her nametag that read 'Dr. Maemi Tejinashi'. She took off her black framed glasses, cleaning them quietly as Katasuo finally lumbered over to her, standing nearly a good foot or two above her. Maemi let forth a muffled growl, and he smirked in amusement, ever since he could remember them in university courses, he loved just having the talent to irk Maemi just through simple close proximity. The letter and bottle were in his hand, and with a final pull he finished his bottle and held the cool glass in his palm. Maemi smiled lightly after regaining her composure, knowing Katasuo's old trick.

"Engineer Yobirin, you know how long your breaks are."

He shrugged in a nonchalant way, waving his note, "Had my penpal deliver me something nice, leftover from her wedding."

Maemi took letter in her hand and could feel herself whisked away to a near fairytale the way it was described in detail. A picture of an athletically built man alongside a strong and nearly as tall woman of a voluptuous physique were in suit and dress respectively, the woman holding a large bouquet of red and white roses. Both had hair exactly the color of bright and cheerful lavender, and that positive energy was reflective in the expressions they wore. After a moment of her perusing the artfully penned latter, Katasuo could hear Maemi take a breath in, "So aside from the uncanny similarity in hair color, I noted that Reign took her last name?"

He nodded, carelessly twirling his beer bottle carefully in his hands, "Telaris? Yeah, name like that has history. Also Reign himself was just a wild man from the great white north who blew into the states. If we meet up with her after the breakthroughs here, I'm sure Reign himself could tell you everything."

He joined Maemi in a walk across those sands towards a stone staircase that was part of the dock. They walked in silence, with the soothing sounds of the waves intermingling with the cawing of the Seagulls and giving a song all its own. Maemi spoke to him again, "Kyosuke's waiting for us, you know. You can't always do this and we can't cover for you while you do these things."

Well they could, Katasuo mused to himself. It wasn't like anything in their research facility really broke, and if it did everything had state of the art technology the was fully capable of repairing itself without much of a hassle. As they walked side by side up the stairs Katasuo mused to himself on the prospect that he and the other Engineers were there to make sure the needles were set on green and the self repair system was itself repaired. They they both entered the vehicle that looked somewhat like a golf cart as Maemi hit a mutton on the front, the mechanical humming to life.

"So how is the research coming along Maemi? Also, where is everyone? Seemed really quiet on the beach."

She sighed, and another smirk graced Katasuo's tanned visage, "Well, I'd believe everyone is working and not resting on the beach of the non-pleasure resort island. Also on a softer note Katasuo the research is coming along admirably! Just think of it, a chemical that can promote the health and expansion of all the plantlife we've cut away, in the unconfined style that nature intended! Habitats and species could once again prosper and we could have limitless resources on our hands! A world where we could just grow as we needed and not destroy the countless precious rainforests and ecosystems we have for survival! We're near a breakthrough...it's amazing!"

Katasuo gazed at the beer bottle in his hand, "It's amazing, hmm...? What's your husband Kyo up to?"

Maemi kept her eyes on the road but warmly smiled at the mention of her beloved Kyosuke, "He's just testing the samples for now and then Sergei is demonstrating the finished product to the big wigs whenever...it's finished."

"Sergei...the guy who likes the old ancient stuff? Why'd we have a guy like that anyway?", Sergei, a massive, bald-headed hulk of a man in his own right was a Historian through and through. Katasuo couldn't put his finger on why such a man was even part of this project. Sergei himself insisted in his pressed suit that definitely did not match up with a man of his size, that looking into the past one could find clues of what other scientists, scholars and even alchemists have tried before. The ability to control life and nature. So far only one thing has come out of it of any real note, Sergei had announced. He was keeping all a big secret though, Maemi herself told him he sequesters himself in his office nowadays.

"Anyway Katasuo...there's a problem with it's half-life and working upon plants at a certain age. Strange science quirks. I was wondering it you could adjust the temperatures in the first two cultivation chambers by six degrees celsius. They may cause the reaction I'm looking for."

They came upon the sterile and pristine facility of an unmarked company. It's true name being the bliss of not being entirely watched by Big Brother. It was a think tank of the brightest minds and swiftest hands in Katasuo's sense. To work here was a great honor. To work here was to strive for a better tomorrow, with science as the herald. Kyosuke, a man of a tall lean build, hair the similar color of Maemi's if much shorter and spiked while sporting the same black framed glasses greeted the two of them, taking Maemi out of the vehicle and sharing a quick hug with her as the two of them ran off. Kyosuke and he shared a quick nod, there would be time for enjoying each other's company later. Wrench in hand, Katasuo made his own way back to his workroom, placing the beer bottle in a recycle bin inside the facility, the letter still held in his hand. He had temperatures to adjust, he noted as he spun his wrench into his hand.

o o o

Twenty years past those old days brought a lot to bear, and he was greeted from his dreaming by a motionless machine of gears, bolted iron and wood suddenly padding over to him. The number three hundred and thirteen was painted on its leg, the creature resembling some sort of canine. It beeped out orders in morse code, and Katasuo had been around them enough to understand what they were saying. It was a command that people were close, and they matched people from Karheim. More specifically people from the Kingdom of Magic and the former Jewel of Ardent, Endymion. With a motion he rose from the futon in the clockwork home where he made his residence and looked over at a simple workbench laden with gears, wooden slats and jars of oils. Delicate tools in a belt and a worn katana were freshly placed on top of the pile. A cross shaped spear, the go to weapon aside from the traditional and iconic blade for many samurai hung on the wall, a weapon that he did not bring with him as he travelled with Reka. He figured he would leave it as a gift to the person who left the information of his tenants in this house, but as the beeping watchdog indicated such a gift was not a luxury he could afford.

He took the spear from the wall and gave it a quick spin, then affixed his belt and left the pouch with his deck opened so he could quickly reach it. As he approached the door to the outside to confront to no doubt myriad of arcane warriors and magi who stood in front of his home he mused about Karheim. In the course of two decades that nation had slowly decayed into a festering pit that was somehow worse than Pandemonium. It was host to the blackest of evils now, the Jewel of Ardent forever stained with the sins of those who aided Kel'aral and brought the UnGod's presence full force. He himself was deceived with his allies about the nature of the crystals they had shattered. To know he nearly unleashed the UnGod upon the world was a horrific thought, but they were now setting up stronger and more effective seals in their place. Was this part of Endymion's plan too?

He charged outside, and saw only two wizards, clearing from the Kingdom of Magic from the look of their armor, sloping and curved in plates of shining metal and cloth, rods in hand. And was a young girl in a skirt, with a large staff with a curled knob on the top giving a near comical look to her. Small and in a sense of the word cute, she looked around the bamboo forest confused. What little sun peered through the clouds of Aeagnaap refracted off of her blonde locks. The second was tall and lithe, with an expression that showed more experience and discipline than the girl. His armor was a dark purple and polished, a green wand at his side. Katasuo did not visit Endymion even before its corruption became evident, but he did know that traditionally those individuals normally travelled in a pair. A Master and a Apprentice. They also formerly monitored all of Ardent with their spellcraft, watching for any dark times ahead. Katasuo and the male wizard stared at each other for a second, and Katasuo soon recognized who it was he was looking at.

"Mahad. What are you doing here?"

Mahad as he was simply known was the officer sent from Karheim in the past to monitor Aeagnaap itself, along with his apprentice Manna. The two of them must have left before the corruption overtook their kingdom, but Katasuo wondered to himself if anymore followed? Surely others must have known what Kel'aral was planning, even if most of Ardent had not. Mahad looked over at Katasuo with a look of relief on his face, waving over to Manna who showed him the seal of Endymion. It was an elegant seal of an inverted triangle of gold within a disc of crystal. It was nestled within a red velvet lining and held within a case of ebony wood with enchanting scrollwork performed across it. Despite the craftsmanship if it was a simple device. However such authority it held was such that Mahad could consign the wicked to a baptism of arcane energy and lay waste to kingdoms if he needed to, all to maintain of peace and the grand authority of Karheim.

Mahad's hand closed over the box, and Manna looked up at him curiously. She opened her mouth to speak, however he gently raised a lightly armored hand to stop her. Katasuo watched the relationship the two of them had, one always assertive and eager, the other ever watchful and ever teaching. Mahad looked over to him now, taking a step forward and staring the rugged man down, "I would be saying the same of you Katasuo. Done shattering the seals? Are we finished spreading the UnGod's taint across all of Ardent unwittingly?"

On reflex Katasuo brandished the spear menacingly, cracking his neck and falling into a battle position, "Mahad I'm not looking for a fight, but know that if you want to strike me down I won't go willingly."

Mahad shooked his head, "I want to Katasuo. I really do want to use my spells and strike you down. It won't bring the peace back, won't restore Karheim. It won't fix any of this. Manna and I received reports that Terrans truly did return to our world. The other officers received similar reports and if what I understand is true from a clairvoyance spell the Rose Crusaders of House Telaris have truly come en masse in a bid to restore the seals you were tricked into breaking. Can you confirm this information?"

"Yeah, I can. Reka went with her twin brother, I didn't stick around to see the others though. Understand though Mahad, Reka feels immense remorse for her actions. None of us knew your High Council was completely corrupted. Neither did you, don't hold yourself responsible...all of us were tricked," Katasuo let the grip on his weapon slacken. Mahad noted that this was as close as he came to yielding, and his wand clasped securely to a loop upon the belt of his armor, "We all want this to end, to amend the wrong we caused."

"What of you Katasuo. What are you doing?"

Katasuo led Mahad and Manna's gaze to the ancient structure of gear and timber behind him, the Karakuri Watchdog padding out and sitting dutifully at the doors side, "I'm hiding myself away once more, near the shattered seal under this manor. What else can I do but wait. I'm not travelling again...after what happened. ...I won't. Leave me Mahad. Leave an old man to his grieving."

Manna spoke, her tone soft and airy in contract to the sharpened tones of Mahad, "...Will you invite us in for tea, Katasuo?"

Both he and Mahad looked at her in amused bewilderment, and after a pregnant pause Katasuo nodded, "Of course. Enter, I'll get a pot of water going."

The two magicians entered Katasuo's workshop, and he let out a heavy sigh before driving his weapon into the earth and following behind them to enjoy what may be the last companionship he may have for some time, his mind once again wandering to happier times.

o o o

"Here's to progress...sort of!" Kyosuke said loudly and shakily while Katasuo held him up with one arm and his side. Both Scientist and Engineer were flushed red in the face, bottles of wine and harder liquids stacked haphazardly along the tables. They sat in one of apartments away from the facility, kept for the workers in their off time. This particular one was the same steel color as the facility and kept for the general help, a few single homes for the scientists and more important individuals. Maemi did not drink at all, rather watching her husband and best friend become increasingly intoxicated. They all laughed and sang off key, and Katasuo was remember the reason why Kyosuke held up two bottle of scotch and then they both ran out to try and find more. The sample had stabilized, six straight years of work and that little sample in testing chamber nine showed all green lights and worked as intended. He tripped over the baggy pant leg of his grey work uniform, and he fell on top of Maemi and pushed his door open. The engineers were all equally as intoxicated, this was a grand celebration. They would all get to go back home to their respective countries, get to go back and be with loved ones long missed for years!

"Shay Maemi...whatsha...whatsah doin' with all the not drink...?" Katasuo mumbled out while holding a wine glass. Kyo tore off his lab coat and hugged Maemi lazily while rubbing his head against her torso. She laughed happily as her husband clinged to her for dear life. Even Katasuo gave an additional roar of laughter to his own. Kyosuke Tejinashi was a man of few words an all work...until that work was done. Once it was he became roughly to what Katasuo called 'Normal'.

"Maemi didn't tell you...we're havin' a baaaayyyybeeeeee...", Kyosuke slid off Maemi's stomach and landed on a floor, holding up one finger high an air from his current curled up position, "That's why the no drink, Kat ol' buddy o' boozelord...", the arm then went slack. Kyosuke did not make a fine master of holding his own liquor. Though he trumped him a thousandfold in the smarts department, in the social arts none could match Katasuo.

"Holy shhhhyyyyte...Maemi... Maemi..."

Maemi blushed softly and titled her head with her shrug, "It's true Kat, I'm going to be a mother!"

"Shoooot. That's sho cool! You...you..."

Kyosuke's finger shot up like a lightning bolt, startling both the people sharing their conversation, "Names! Oh yeah...yeah, we got that...that stuff's on lockdown...layaway..." Kyo's arm once again became slack, both of them chuckling before Maemi's gaze lowered to her stomach.

"Were going to name it Yukia if it's a boy. Or we may go with Mikomi if it's a girl. Do you like those?" Maemi rose an eyebrow at Katasuo as he sat laid back upon the corner of his apartment looking at her with bleary eyes, giving a sharp nod that threw him a bit off balance, "Good! Nice to know it gets your booze scented seal of approval!"

Kyosuke threw himself onto the table, clutching a deck of cards tightly, "Duel me, you slack assed pile of excrement!"

Katasuo laughed, "Duel Monsters this drunk...? I'm so there! Let's do that noise right now!" Katasuo tilted back sharply the last of his whiskey and tossed the bottle to one side, fumbling through his belt to pull out out a small wooden box that held a simple deck of card, "Come at me...!"

Kyosuke drew his first card, and the three of celebrated what was to be Katasuo's final night on Terra...though he didn't know that yet.

o o o

Recca and her companions broke through the dense jungles and a sharp incline. It was treacherous, as was most the terrain around Aeagnaap, but with careful steps and orders she, alongside Wes, Max and Alan made it down without a problem. They walked in silence, occasionally getting into short skirmishes with the native beasts of this land, tigers and wolves for the most part. No matter what came, they were always easily slain, however Recca was starting to quietly note the frequency of the creatures that came to attack, like they were drawn to fresh bait. Her eyes kept wanting to turn back to Alan, even while they camped during the trek for Katasuo Recca was weighing the option of interrogating him with Wes. However the young soldier seemed to favor Alan as a person, as did Max. He seemed to try to be winning them over, but she still felt despite how kind he seemed that something was definitely amiss.

Jungle and stone slowly and steadily shifted to bamboo trees everywhere, she felt watched in the constant green. So much life and beauty in these lands, and yet she always felt like something was amiss and right behind her. Wes and her held their weapons at the ready, and after several hours making way within the wood Recca could just barely make out the scent of salt water towards the north. Alan's voice broke the calm with a question, "How do even know Katasuo's around here? Are you sure we're heading the right way?" He saw Recca's knowing smile as she turned back to face Alan with her hands firmly upon the flanged mace she called her own. Recca's heart was set on the path before her as they all followed without question.

"Katasuo loves beaches."

"That's it? that's all the information you have to go on?"

Recca felt a slight push like a wall of air suddenly forced up in front of her, a stiff breeze and nothing more. She turned back to look at him again, "My friend, Katasuo, had always been into simplicity because helped clear his head as he fixed things and built his projects. Wrote about the beautiful beaches and oceanfronts in Japan he always frequented, all the time. Heck, I've never been there and I know the best places to get food."

Max chuckled, and Wes look to Recca with confusion written on his face. She always had the most simple answers for everything, and yet she held leadership like a proud badge alongside him. Sure enough as she had predicted, the form of a manor of some kind appeared in the distance. It seemed to be styled in the form of something from feudal japan, and seemed like the kind of place Katasuo would be at. It was worth a shot and her confidence soared, 'C'mon everyone! Let's get Katasuo's help and save Aeagnaap!"

Max and Wes nodded sharply as they quickened their pace to catch up with Recca's. Alan followed closely, but held the rear.

o o o

Katasuo stumbled out from the party into the main facility, he mentioned something about getting the beer he saved from Recca's wedding. His current odds at staying cognizant to enter the code to his office, entering the code to his safe and safely hold twelve bottles of beer seemed good. They may have been elevated from the bravado in his heart. It may had even taken a good ten minutes to do all those things but he did them in the darkness of the closed facility as he held a deck in his left hand and a case of beer in his right. He looked down the wall to see one office, Sergei's pouring out amber light from under the door frame.

For that matter, why was the facility shut down? He could hear nothing, not even the hums of the generators! He quickly sobered up with surprise and shock. The samples, what was going to happen with the samples? He found himself walking towards Sergei's door, where he could hear him...chanting? It was a low, freakish tone when mixed with his gravelly voice. He could hear the sound of something humming then, and below the door the light turned from a welcoming golden to a deep red. Fear washed over Katasuo for a brief moment, but he shook it off. His mind was playing tricks on him. He forced open the door and found Sergei knelt over a circle of what seemed to be blood, blood from Sergei's own barrel like arms with candles lit in a circle around it. A mask laid in the circle, and was humming with energy as Sergei stood with a powerful motion. He adjusted his tie and turned to face Katasuo, his eyes black as night.

Katasuo leapt out of the door frame with his items in hand, spring down the hallway as he felt his body tense up and grow cold like ice. He spun around to see Sergei holding out his hands with a wide grim on his face, cruel and full of insanity. A golden Duel Sisk was on his arm, and he held his mask in the opposite arm. "Katasuo...I thought I told you to enjoy the party while I entertained...guests..."

Katasuo shook his head furiously side to side, "I didn't...what...I...how..."

Sergei put on the golden mask, obscuring his face before stepping back, "We're starting a great plan in motion here Katasuo. Your friends finished it yet...it serves the wrong purpose. Don't worry, in time it will be finished...he'll see to it. It will unwittingly be tested, and it will end the war before it begins."

Katasuo couldn't move, but Sergei accounted for it and pulled Katasuo closer with a gesture, "You made a vaccine... He wants otherwise. I want to test this new power, before I drive this island into oblivion."

Oblivion...his friends. All they worked for, he felt his arms relax, he challenged him to...a card game? Sergei noted his fear and sudden puzzled expression, "Yes. Those cards...they hold ancient magic, and lost secrets. Secrets I myself have brought into understanding as I found one of them. He has gifted me this mask...and now I will spread His name where I go, starting with you. Draw your cards."

"You're gone crazy. I'll beat you at this...god knows why, then you better hope that this is Halloween and I didn't notice."

"Katasuo...you should know. No man will escape Judgement."

His thoughts melted like water as he remembered his last moments on Terra were short, he was utterly crushed by Sergei and felt a bright light wash over him. He should have been dead or something. It got dark, then suddenly just as quickly as it started he woke up with an elderly man dressed in the manner of old samurai with long grey hair looking at him. He missed a chestplate, choosing to instead go with a brown yukata with large gauntlets. His head spun, and he felt himself lurching forward to vomit. nothing came up thankfully, but the sudden midday sun and his body lying on white beaches was a strange sight.

Looking over Katasuo, the elderly gentleman helped him up, an act of kindness since he figured he must have been back on the island beach. Maybe it was some kind of fevered dream he had.

"I am glad you have come. It tells us the world will be finally tested."

The gentleman's words were not what Katasuo needed to hear. Staring at him, he only waved and walked down the beaches. The gentleman called out to him, "Where are you headed boy?"

Katasuo still felt the weight of the case of beer in his hand and his deck in the other, "...put these away? Go to work?"

The man shook his head, "You'll find your current life is gone I'm afraid."

Katasuo shrugged, making his way up the hill as he noted he couldn't find the staircase. Just how far away was he from the facility? Then he saw it, a sea of bamboo. It was a new sight to him, and he stared back at the man in disbelief, "Again...I apologize Terran. I could not allow you to die, you are too important."

"...what do you mean die? Important?"

The elderly samurai waved a had towards a manor near the horizon, "That is where we need to be. Come, walk with me. I will tell you all you need to know."

Their talk lasted for ages, even after they stood in front of the strange timber and gear manor. He still understood little, but the samurai waved it off and said that he would learn quickly. from what Katasuo could gather, he was the leader of an organization of certain samurai in this world called Ardent. Apparantly Katasuo was meant to aid them in a certain way, and as they looked to the manor he could understand why. He was an engineer, however this technology seemed ancient and unfamiliar to him. The samurai only smiled, ad told him his training would commence.

As the months went by, Katasuo learned the ins and out of the manor and it's dilapidated brethen. They looked similar to the monsters in his own deck he used battling Kyosuke. He frowned as he remembered them, the case of beer stored below the floorboards, Recca's wedding and other Terran memories fading away.

Those months turned to years, and the samurai turned to leave. Six years since Katasuo found himself in Ardent. The Karakuri were repaired, the manor running smoothly and everything seemed to be in order. His thoughts shot forever all at once when he spoke, "Why am I here? Why am I in this damned world? You've never explained that."

The Samurai spoke to him, "The Monarchs brought you to us rather than have your soul destroyed. They are hard to interpret, and I found myself waiting for you upon the beach. You have a strong power to you, you know that."

"Recca told me, when I visited her one time her mother told me I'd be..."

"What is it?"

"...my power was immense and I'd fight back a nightfall. What of my life I had though?"

The samurai was silent for a long moment before speaking, "You ask good questions. Your life, however it was is past, nothing cam change that. It was clear the monarch pulled you for reason instead of oblivion, this is what I can offer for you. Your path will be revealed in time."

The Samurai looked towards the skies, "The time for waiting, however, is past for myself. As for you, listen to the sounds of clockwork and your companions. With time, all paths are opened. With patience, all falls into place."

o o o

When that Samurai left, leaving Katasuo the custodian of the Karakuri for sixteen years past that, he found himself coming to understand all that the samurai had taught him of the Earth. Over the years he spent his time working on the machinery and needing little to survive. Listening to the sounds of waves, clocks, and the wind provided more entertainment to his mind as his rich life before Ardent played like television shows in his head. The countryside expanded into forest and jungle that he eagerly explored from time to time, always returning to the manor. His long musing ceased as Mahad spoke, "Katasuo?"

The engineer looked at him with apology, "Sorry. I've found myself thinking about a lot since I've come back to the manor."

Manna held a small piece of crystal around her neck, then glowed rhythmically with a soft light, "People are approaching, not sure how many."

His bare feet touched the soft grass of the grassland separating bamboo forest from beach. Recca and individuals he did not recognize followed behind her. They both stared at each other before smiling warmly and walking towards each other. He remembered being there, at the Dual Rose, but he couldn't bear to see them then. It's been too long. Recca actually spent the time to seek him out? That was just plain kind of her. When they stood in front of one another, he nodded firmly, "I apologize for leaving abruptly, but I cannot leave this place. I've decided against travelling."

Recca's soft blue eyes blinked slowly, that was not an answer she wanted to hear at the moment, "You know you're leaving one way or another. The Black King is..."

"He's Dai Grepher. I know well."

"Wait...how come you know all of that?"

"My constructs can be my eyes and ears. I have to have some way of knowing what's going on. I can't believe my actions caused this though...come inside, bring your friends as well."

"Sheesh, Katasuo."

He blinked, "Was...I too forward?"

"No, I can feel how much energy you got though, call me silly but I did tell you that you had talent."

It was his time to smirk, puffing out his chest, "Honey, it's because I'm an Engineer. I use that talent to fix problems."

Recca noted the two magicians outside the strange clockwork manor, "Who are..."

Manna flashed the Endymion badge a second time. Mahad spoke after bowing politely, "My name is simply Mahad, and this is my apprentice Manna. We were officers of Karheim, enforcers. Now we're trying to find clues to this situation. I hear you are of the Telaris bloodline, you have crusaders restoring the seals?"

When Recca nodded Mahad almost let out a sigh of relief, "I'm not sure how well of a hold Terran magic will hold. However we don't have that much of a choice. On behalf of Karheim, for what that's worth these days, I thank you."

Katasuo waved everyone into his home, the sounds of ticking and moving gears filling their ears as it became a mix of machinery, industry and Japanese arcitechure. A second teapot laid ready upon a long table, with enough spaces for each of them. Manna scratched her head puzzled, "I didn't think the table was this long."

Katasuo smiled and waved everyone to sit, all did as he wanted, "What we did, even unknowingly, is unforgivable, I've come here to defend this broken seal until aid arrived. Mahad, these people will repair the seal on the coast line. They will do this, and then leave me to my thoughts."

Recca shooked her head, "I know it's been an age since you've seen me or heard from me."

"It's that and much more Recca. We almost brought the apocalypse upon all of you. I had a life and good friends including you twenty years ago. One of my companions with Reka was Maemi's daughter, who killed with ruthless efficiency, her son Yukia took on the name Zetsubou and is completely devoid of mercy or compassion. They're dead, putrid...god I don't want to think of it. One of the first people I see is your daughter, who says to return to Terra I had to break cyrstals, of course I was on board. All that time while I mulled around here and waited because Granmarg told a Samurai to tell me to train. It makes no sense to me waiting twenty years. Yes my powers here, especially with the earth are incredibly good now, but was that all? Kyosuke and Maemi could have been saved, I could've done more! Maybe they wouldn't have turned out the way they are."

Recca was quiet, as was everyone else. Granmarg may have made him ia powerful instrument of Earth, but at what cost? Twenty years of his life cut off from everyone. Not even Mahad and Manna knew of Katasuo's plight, twenty years in a new life, never being able to return to it again, "Katasuo, listen to your friend Recca. I still care about you, and we have new champions. We'll fix what's wrong, but to fully make sure this place is safe with Granmarg the Monarch we have to slay the Black King."

Katasuo looked at Recca and shook his head, "...I can't. I apologize, I can arm you and fix anything you may need fixed, but this place overlooks the Great Stone Canyon, the other entry point through the jungle. An assault would be redi-"

The manor suddenly shook violently. The others looked around wondering what it was, but the wise Katasuo knew what exactly was headed their way. "They've come," was all he said. When the group ran outside, they could see a multitude of machines rolling toward the mansion. All of them were armed and aiming their weapons at the house. There was no way a building made out of wood and paper could survive all that. Leading the machines was a tall muscular man with long white hair and a red cape wearing very futuristic looking armor. In fact, most of his body didn't even look organic. A single cybernetic visor covered his eyes and seemed to be scanning the grounds.

As Wes, Recca, and Max prepared to summon their creatures, a voice called to them. Katasuo stepped out of the manor calmly and stood before the apparently leader of the machine force. "Are you Katasuo?"

"If that is who you wish to address me as," the man answered.

"I am Faultroll of the X-Saber Clan. You are to come with me."

"And what if I were to refuse?"

Faultroll answered by pulling out a strange device. Wes wondered what it was until the cyborg man pressed a switch and the side unfolded into a long rod from which a thick energy blade shot out and ran down the edge, giving it the appearance of a massive sword.

"If you're a true man, then you'd put your blade away," Katasuo challenged as he sat down on the ground. He reached into his clothes and pulled out his deck, placing it gently in front of him.

"You challenge me to a duel?" Faultroll asked.

"Do you decline?"

"You will submit upon my victory," Faultroll declared. He deactivated his sword and put it away. The blue circle on his chest then slid open and revealed a deck inside it. Then several panels beneath it opened up and slid outward to form a Duel Disk.

"You will return to your master empty-handed upon mine," Katasuo said calmly.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Katasuo:** 8000

**Faultroll:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I shall initiate." Faultroll placed his hand beside his chest and a card was ejected into his grasp. "Playing Frontline Base. This lets me Special Summon one Union Monster once per turn. Machina Soldier, summon in attack position." He played his card and a green robot with a large knife for a right hand appeared (ATK/1600 DEF/1500). "Machina Soldier's effect activates. Normal Summoned while I controlled no monsters, permitting me to Special Summon one more Machina from my hand as long as it's not another Machine Soldier. Summoning Machina Sniper." A brown robot now appeared on the field armed with what appeared to be some sort of sniper rifle (ATK/1800 DEF/800).

"Frontline Base activate. Special Summon Machina Gearframe." There was a flash of light and an orange and white robot appeared with jet-like features (ATK/1800 DEF/0). "I will use Gearframe's effect as a Union Monster and equip it to Machina Sniper. As long as Machina Sniper is out, no other Machina monster can be attacked. And with Gearframe equipped to it, Machina Sniper will be spared." Machina Gearframe folded itself up into some sort of battery pack and attached itself to the back of Machine Sniper.

"End Phase."

Katasuo sat wordlessly as he drew his first card.

"How's Katasuo gonna duel without a Duel Disk?" Max asked out loud.

"Watch and see," Recca said, "You'll soon see Katasuo's mystical power at work."

"I summon to the field in attack position, Karakuri Muso mld 818 "Haipa"." Katasuo placed the card on the ground and focused his chi. The card started to glow and from its artwork sprang a one-eyed robot made of wood and gears dressed in battle armor wielding a spear (ATK/2100 DEF/1100).

"How...?" Max was agasp. Wes was clearly just as surprised but he did not show it that much.

"This is Katasuo's power," Recca explained, "He has learned to channel his Duel Energies to maintain his monsters. When he places his cards on the earth and focuses his energies, he can call them forth into corporeal form."

"So it's like what we can do already in Ardent," Wes summarized.

"Yes. But Katasuo can do so without costing himself so much energy. Barely any if at all, I think Granmarg taught him it through that samurai he talked about...interesting."

"Haipa strike down Machina Sniper," Katasuo ordered. Haipa ran across the field and stabbed its spear into Machina Sniper.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Katasuo:** 8000

**Faultroll:** 7700

–––––––––––––––––––––––

As Haipa withdrew, the battery pack on Machina Sniper's back that was Machina Gearframe shattered, leaving the gunman still alive. "As I conclude my Battle Phase, Haipa is forced into his defensive stance." Haipa lowered its spear and instead held it in front of itself horizontally as it crouched down defensively. "I will conclude with three cards facedown."

"Draw Phase." Faultroll drew his card. "Special Summon Machina Peacekeeper." A small red robot on three wheels spun out onto the field (ATK/500 DEF/400). "Equip to Sniper." Machina Peacekeeper folded up into a more compact form and attached itself to Machina Sniper's back.

"Machina Soldier, strike his monster now," ordered Faultroll. Machina Soldier, armed with its blade, charged.

"Golden Gearbox." Katasuo revealed one facedown card and a wooden box with a golden gear in its center appeared. "I can choose on Karakuri monster and raise its attack points by five hundred and its defense points by fifteen hundred." Golden Gearbox installed itself into Haipa and its attack points rose to twenty-six hundred while it defense points shot up to twenty-six hundred. Machina Sniper's blade struck Haipa and the resounding vibrations could be felt all the way where Faultroll stood.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Katasuo:** 8000

**Faultroll:** 6700

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Cease attack immediately," Faultroll ordered. At once his monsters stood down. "Set one monster. One facedown set. End Phase."

Katasuo drew his card wordlessly and played it, summoning a scroll to the ground in front of him. "Karakuri Anatomy. Each time a Karakuri creature changes its battle position, I can place one counter on this card up to a maximum of two. After that, I can send this card to my graveyard and draw one card for each counter on it. First I switch Haipa into attack position." Karakuri Muso mld 818 "Haipa" stood back up and planted its spear firmly against the ground. Instantly, the katakana for "one" appeared on the scroll. "I summon Karakuri Bushi mld 6318 "Muzanichiha"." A samurai made up of wood and gears appeared with a hat pulled down over its face and holding a long dark bokken (ATK/1800 DEF/600). "Haipa, attack Machina Sniper." Haipa charged again and thrust its spear into Machina Sniper a second time.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Katasuo:** 8000

**Faultroll:** 6400

–––––––––––––––––––––––

As Haipa withdrew its weapon, Machina Peacekeeper fell off Machina Sniper and exploded. "Machina Peacekeeper's effect. Upon destruction, bring one Union Monster to my hand. Machina Peacekeeper selected." Faultroll held his hand at his side and waited until his chest spat out a Machina Peacekeeper into his fingers.

"Muzanichiha, strike the facedown." On Katasuo's command, Muzanichiha moved forward, as if on wheels, and swung its bokken at Faultroll's facedown monster.

"Target flipped. Monster revealed: Machina Defender." Indeed, it was the low-hovered tank with two missile silos equipped with four barels each (ATK/1200 DEF/1800). Faultroll then resumed. "Flip Effect activated. Retrieving Commander Covington to hand." He held his hand by his chest again and waited until it gave him the card he desired.

"I know what he's gonna do!" Max exclaimed.

"Katasuo will be trouble if he cannot defend himself against such a force," Wes said. Everyone looked at Katasuo expecting the man to be in a panic, but he was as calm as ever. In fact, he even had his eyes closed as if in a meditative state. As he entered his second Main Phase, Haipa switched back into defense position and the katakana for "two" appeared on the scroll in front of him.

"I now send Karakuri Anatomy to my graveyard." Katasuo rolled the scroll back up and resealed it before placing it into the ground where he kept his graveyard. He then reached for his deck and drew two cards. "My turn has ended."

"Draw Phase." Faultroll drew. "Summoning Commander Covington." A red robot with the appearance of a man in a military uniform appeared and saluted by placing its arm across its chest (ATK/1000 DEF/600). "Commander Covington's effect activated. Sending Machina Defender, Machina Sniper, and Machina Soldier to the graveyard. Special Summoning Machina Force from deck." Commander Covington made a motion and a sound as if blowing a whistle and the other three machines shot into the air. Machina Defender's feet and head split from its body. Meanwhile, Machina Soldier's head came off and its body was split in two. The two halves of Machina Soldier's body came together, connecting at the hips to either side of Machina Defender's head, which had been turned upside-down. The top portions of the green robot's body then folded back as the feet folded down and served as pegs as Machina Defender's feet encased them and connected in place. This massive combination formed a new pair of legs that slid over Machina Sniper's like pants and connected. Machina Sniper's back opened up and allowed its head to fold into its body, leaving only a short metal rod. It closed back up as Machina Defender's body connected in place on the back of the brown robot's anatomy. The cannons then detached and swung down on metal rods. Finally Machina Soldier's head came to rest on the rod where Machina Sniper's head had once been and and locked in place. Commander Covington whistled again and the newly formed Machina Force locked and loaded its weapons (ATK/4600 DEF/4100).

"Frontline Base: activate. Special Summon Machina Peacekeeper. Equip to Machina Force." A second Machina Peacekeeper appeared on the field and folded up into its compact form before attaching onto the base of Machina Force's back.

"That behemoth is enormous!" exclaimed Max.

"Targetting. Target locked. Machina Force, attack Karakuri Bushi mld 6318 "Muzanichiha"." Faultroll's orders were trasmitted through Commander Covington through a series of whistles. Machina Force rolled its cannons forward and opened fire. Eight shells were launched and eight explosions erupted around around Muzanichiha.

"The effect of Muzanichiha is activated." Katasuo looked up. "When it is selected as an attack target while in attack position, its battle position may be switched." Muzanichiha spun its bokken around and crouched on one knee, bringing its arms and weapon in front of itself defensively amongst the flames. Machina Force finally fired its main gun and blasted off its head.

"Target destroyed. End Phase."

Katasuo drew his card. This would not be easy. As long as Machina Force had a Union Monster equipped to it, defeating it would be no simple feat. He began his turn by switching Haipa back into attack mode. Fortunately, he had a card that could help. "I summon Karakuri Strategist mld 248 "Nishipachi"." A wooden robot designed to look like an older man wearing robes appeared on the field (ATK/500 DEF/1600). "When Nishipachi is Normal or Special Summoned, I can choose one monster on the field and change its battle position. And my choice is Karakuri Strategist mld 248 "Nishipachi"." The aged-looking machine sat down and spread out a map. "That thusly activates my card, Karakuri Trick House. When a Karakuri monster changes its battle position, this can destroy one card on the field. My choice is Machina Force." As if on cue, a spike ceiling trap came falling down and crashed on top of Machina Force. However, it stood its ground as Machina Peacekeeper was revealed to have intercepted the trap by sacrificing itself.

"Machina Peacekeeper's effect activated. One Union Monster to my hand. Machina Peacekeeper." A third Machina Peacekeeper was added to Faultroll's hand.

"I can still do some damage. Haipa, attack Commander Covington!" Haipa charged and its spear penetrated Commander Covington's chest and came out his back. Circuits and wires sparked from inside its casing before it exploded.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Katasuo:** 8000

**Faultroll:** 5300

–––––––––––––––––––––––

As Katasuo ended his Battle Phase, Haipa switched once again into defense mode. "I shall end my turn by placing one card facedown."

"Draw Phase." Faultroll drew his card. "Special Summon Machina Peacekeeper. Equip to Machina Force." The Machina Peacekeeper appeared and folded up before clicking into place on Machina Force's massive body. "Target locked: Karakuri Muso mdl 818 "Haipa". Positioning for attack." Machina Force rotated its cannons forward and took aim with all of its weapons.

"My Trap Card now activates." Katasuo revealed his card and summoned a very peculiar clock to the field. "When a face-up Defense Position "Karakuri" monster is selected as an attack target, this destroys all face-up monsters my opponent controls." The clock struck twelve and a compartment opened in the front of a large ball rolled out. Wes knew what it was. The ball was glass and was filled with an explosive chemical. It only needed one thing to detonate: oxygen. And that was exactly what was going to happen. When the ball made contact with Machina Force, the glass shattered and the chemical reaction with the air set off a massive explosion. But once again, Machina Peacekeeper had protected the big one from its destruction. Gunfire rained down on the field shortly after and Haipa was wiped out with a single blast. Faultroll watched holding the Machina Gearframe he had brought to his hand using the effect of his Machina Peacekeeper.

"Normal Summon Machina Gearframe. Gearframe's effect: Bring Machina Fortress to hand. Equip Gearframe to Machina Force." Machina Gearframe appeared and folded up into its compact form before attaching onto Machina Force's back. At the same time, a copy of Machina Fortress was ejected into Faultroll's hand.

"Katasuo's done really well," Wes marvelled. "Throughout this entire duel, he has held his ground and protected himself from any battle damage even against such a powerful creature as Machina Force."

"You'll soon see what Katasuo is truly capable of," Recca said.

"End Phase," declared Faultroll.

Katasuo drew his card. As it stood right now, it was clear he wouldn't be able to destroy his opponent's monster again. But then again, he didn't have to destroy Machina Force; he only had to strike it hard enough to deal Battle Damage to his opponent. And with the cards in his hand, he could do it this turn.

"I summon Karakuri Ninja mdl 919 "Kuick"." Another wooden robot appeared, this one wearing female ninja wear and holding a kunai in one hand and a knife in the other (ATK/1700 DEF/1500). "I tune Nishipachi with Kuick." The body of Karakuri Strategist mld 248 "Nishipachi" collapsed and faded, leaving behind three stars. They turned into synchro rings and circled Karakuri Ninja mdl 919 "Kuick", whose body faded away until seven stars remained and a beam of light surrounded them.

"When the machines of the past rise toward the future, a new hope is given. Synchro Summon! Rise, Karakuri Shogun mld 00 "Burei"!" The light vanished and in place of the two wooden robots was a large one with a long red cape holding a steel fan in one hand looking like a powerful shogun (ATK/2600 DEF/1900).

"When this card is Synchro Summoned, I can Special Summon one Karakuri monster from my deck. My choice is the level five Karakuri Ninja mdl 7749 "Nanashick"." There was a flash and another wooden robot ninja appeared, this one wearing a long dark purple cape covering its head with a long blade on its right arm (ATK/2200 DEF/1800)."Now I play Monster Reborn and resurrect Karakuri Strategist mld 248 "Nishipachi"." His strategist reappeared on the field, back from the dead. "I tune Nishipachi with Nanashick." Karakuri Strategist mld 248 "Nishipachi" once again became three synchro rings and surrounded Karakuri Ninja mdl 7749 "Nanashick" until five stars were left in place of its body. A light engulfed them all.

"When the machines of the past rise toward the future, a new hope is given. Synchro Summon! Taste his blade, Karakuri Steel Shogun mld 00X "Bureido"!" A second wooden mechanical shogun appeared, this one larger than the first and wearing a red robe instead of a cape with larger horns on its helmet. Instead of a steel fan, it was armed with a pair of swords (ATK/2800 DEF/1700).

"Now to proceed to my Battle Phase so I can play this: Karakuri Gold Dust. This can only be activated during the Battle Phase. I select two face-up Karakuri monsters in attack position. I change one of the selected monsters to defense position and the other gains attack points equal to the attack power of the monster changed to defense position until the End Phase.I switch Burei into defense position!" Burei crouched down and crossed his arms defensively in front of him. In doing so a shower of golden dust came down on Bureido and boosted his attack points by twenty-six hundred, totaling fifty-four hundred.

"Facedown activate: Limiter Removal." Faultroll revealed his card.

"I activate my facedown, Karakuri Cache Shed." Katasuo's facedown was revealed. "I can only activate this card if I control a Karakuri monster in face-up defense position. It negates the activation of an opponent's Spell or Trap Card and destroys it." Flames shot out of the card and incinerated Faultroll's Limiter Removal. "However...now I activate my own Limiter Removal." The inhibition units installed inside his two monsters were removed and the attack power of Karakuri Shogun mld 00 "Burei" rose up to fifty-two hundred while that of Karakuri Steel Shogun mld 00X "Bureido" became ten thousand and eight hundred. It was more than enough for Katasuo's needs.

"Calculating chances of success. Zero percent." Faultroll watched with a blank expression as Bureido charged.

"Final Slash!" The swords' blades were glowing brightly with flames as Karakuri Steel Shogun mld 00X "Bureido" sped across the field. As it neared Machina Force, it swung its arms and reappeared behind it. Machina Gearframe fell off and exploded, but the large monster was not even scratched. However, even destruction prevention came with a weakness. Battle Damage had been applied.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Katasuo:** 8000

**Faultroll:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––––

The effects of the attack from Karakuri Steel Shogun mld 00X "Bureido" began to show as pieces of Machina Force slid off its body where the swords had passed through its metal plating. First the barrel of its rifle. Then the right missile launcher. The entire left side of its upper body followed. Its legs came off at the waist, each leg cut up into three oddly-sized pieces. The torso split into four random assortments and crashed to the ground before the head came off, sliced neatly in two.

But all was not done. Karakuri Steel Shogun mld 00X "Bureido" continued forward, speeding toward Faultroll. The cyborg stood still doing nothing as the swords passed through his body. "Systems critical. Damage at ninety-eight percent. Repair impossible. Systems...shutting...down..." Faultroll's visor darkened and his body slumped.

Katasuo sighed as his monsters faded and he gathered up his cards. "You say you are fighting the UnGod's Regent Lord?"

"Correct," answered Wes, "Come with us. Your have the strength to aid us in his defeat."

"As I said, I cannot come with you. Even if I wanted to, I could not. This manor still houses the seal that my comrades and I were fooled into destroying. I must stay until such time as it can be resealed."

"We can reseal it," Recca promised, "But we just need a Rose Card."

"You mean one such as this?" Katasuo pulled out a White Rose Card. Everyone blinked.

"Show us the seal," Wes demanded.

o o o

Katasuo lead them into the manor's sub-basement. There, on the stone floor, surrounded by wooden walls was the stone circle with shattered black crystal fragments all around. Wes looked at the card in his hand and gave it a chance. He held it up and waited. To everyone's surprise the crystal pieces began to glow white and float up. They flew around in a circle and then reassembled into a solid white crystal.

"The seal is fixed, but I don't see a Rose Mark anywhere on him," Max commented scratching his head.

Recca looked at Wes in thought and an idea came to her. "Wes, open your shirt." Wes did was he was told. After unfastening his coat and pulling it open, he unbuttoned his shirt. Sure enough, the Rose Mark was there, glowing white over his heart. Katasuo looked at it from where he stood.

"You are...the ones of the Destiny?" he asked. Max took out his Red Rose Card and showed it to Katasuo. "I should have known from the beginning. Perhaps you can defeat the Black King after all. But fighting him is one thing. Getting to him is entirely another. As I said, the Great Stone Canyon is a narrow passage. To enter it and hope to survive through to make it to the palace is but a dream. Have you even recruited anybody else?"

"We have some friends working on recruiting the Amazonesses," Recca answered, "And we have the blessing of Granmarg on our side as well."

"The blessing of Granmarg will do nothing for us." Katasuo turned away from them. "I have told you my thoughts, but you still wish to fight the Black King?"

"Only way we're gonna free this land," Alan pointed out.

"Godspeed on your mission then, I can't accompany you."

"You're...not going to come with us?" Max asked.

"I've already explained it."

"But we need you!"

"There is no point in trying to convince him if he is set in his decision," Wes interjected. He buttoned his shirt back up and proceeded back upstairs. Alan followed and Max did so reluctantly soon after. Only Recca stayed behind.

"We cannot force you to make a decision, Katasuo. But do know that my daughter is fighting too."

Katasuo turned and looked at her. "Reka? But she already fought so much...she still fights now?"

"She and her brother, my children, are fighting the Sky Lord at this very moment. The odds are against them, but they still fight. They may not succeed. They may even die. And for a mother, these..." She stopped talking. Katasuo said nothing.

Recca turned. "What is to be is your decision," she repeated, "We cannot force you, but think...what would Maemi and Kyosuke say you should do?" And with that she went upstairs, leaving Katasuo in the manor's sub-basement.

Alone.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The assault on the palace of stone has begun. Wes, Max, Hayley, Recca, Gio, Alan, Bethany, and their allies cross the deadly Great Stone Canyon in their final press against the Black King's armies. Their enemies are numerous. Their space is limited. Within the narrow confines of the canyon, there is no escape but death. The final battle for Aeagnaap begins next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	149. The Great Stone Canyon

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

We took last week off for Christmas, but now we're back! Hope you all had a good Christmas!

* * *

**EPISODE 3-62**

**The Great Stone Canyon**

Wes, Recca, Max, and Alan had been waiting at the rendezvous point when Hayley, Bethany, and Gio showed up. "I see you've succeeded in your mission," Wes observed noting the Amazonesses following them.

"We did," Bethany replied. She looked around. "I see no others here."

"Katasuo didn't come with us," Recca answered.

"The coward," muttered Bethany.

"Katasuo is a brave man." Recca looked at the Warrior Lady of the Wasteland like she had just assaulted the Queen of England before a mass crowd on television. "He just... He has his reasons."

"The man is a coward," Bethany repeated.

Ignoring the warrior woman, Wes began to plan out a battle strategy. Some Amazoness Scouts had gone ahead to scout the canyon and reported back swiftly with results. "When Granmarg gets here, we can launch the attack."

"How will he knows our strategy if he's not here to discuss it with us?" asked Alan.

"Granmarg is the Rock Monarch. He's listening on us right now through the vibrations in the earth," Bethany explained.

"The canyon is filled with Rock-type monsters. It's unconfirmed where their allegiances lie." Wes was tracing a map out in the dirt. "The canyon is pretty massive. But as we approach the palace, we'll reach a point where it narrows down into two valleys. If we're correct in our assumptions, Dark Lucius already has the Dinosaurs and the Ancient Gears under his rule. In addition, he already has his massive army of X-Sabers and Machinas. Fortunately, our enemies possess no viable flying units.

"Now first we'll send a group of our strongest down the left valley. This will provoke Dark Lucius into sending out his strong units. I expect we'll see the Dinosaurs taking that side. We can then send out faster units down the right valley. This should trigger a response to counterattack with their own fast units, namely the X-Sabers. Now as I said, our enemies possess no viable flying units. However, that doesn't mean they won't be prepared for an air assault. The Machinas will most likely stand on the plateau separating the two valleys and serve as anti-air weaponry.

"Then we have the Ancient Gears. While they are powerful, they are also exceedingly slow. Dark Lucius will most likely be using them as defensive units. Their powerful ranged weaponry will be used to keep enemies at bay while their melee units will deal with anything that can get through."

"How are we gonna deal with those guys?" Max asked.

"Well obviously the Dinosaurs and the X-Sabers are just a distraction. We need to focus on the Machinas. A small strike team should be able to make their way over to the anti-air units and take them out," Wes explained, "With them gone, we can approach the palace from the air. But arriving at the palace won't be easy. Dark Lucius has set up a perimeter of Ancient Gear Golems with Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragons patrol the sky above it."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," Gio interrupted, "I thought you said they had no flying guys."

"I said they had no _viable_ flying units," Wes corrected.

"...Huh?"

"Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragons can't fly long distances. They're confined to that finite airspace."

"...Huh?"

"They can't fly far, hon," Recca translated.

"Ohhhhhhhhhh!"

"You still haven't considered one other factor," Bethany spoke up.

"And that might be?" Wes inquired.

"Gottoms." Bethany sat down at the map. "You can come up with all the brilliant strategies you want, but against Gottoms, you might as well just charge in head-first."

"What's so bad about Gottoms?" asked Hayley.

"Gottoms is the commander of the X-Saber Clan and a brilliant military strategist," Bethany explained, "He's probably already figured out that we've come up with this plan and is already making preparations to counter it. He's also the strongest of the X-Saber Clan. His word alone has destroyed landmasses. If he enters the fight, and he most certainly will, you had better pray none of you encounter him."

o o o

Gottoms stood within the Sword Vault mounted as a number of his clansmen prepared him. The armor he wore around the palace was being removed and in its place was donned his battle armor. It shone brightly, newly polished, as it clamped into place. He flexed his fingers as he felt his other gauntlets placed on his hands. His cape was changed too, replaced with a bright red cloak that flowed down to his ankles. His winged helmet with its X-shaped visor was removed and replaced with a horned helmet with red lenses covering his eyes. Finally, he was equipped with the finest sword in the X-Saber Clan's Sword Vault: the Sword of Sparkles. The two-bladed weapon was placed into Gottoms' hands and he swung it effortlessly before bringing the blades together and sliding the swod into the scabbard at his side.

No sooner had he been equipped for battle, Gottoms was summoned to his master's court. With bold strides, he made his way through the palace and into the throne room. Dark Lucius sat on Granmarg's throne holding his sword like a sceptre. If anyone could say anything, they would say that he looked nothing like the king he claimed to be. "Is all prepared, Commander?"

"As promised, Your Highness," Gottoms answered with a bow. "Behold, your army." He cast a hand toward the balcony. Dark Lucius stood up, walked over to it, and looked out. Down in the courtyard, his army stood at attention ranked by archetype. The Dinosaurs were restless. The Machinas and the Ancient Gears stood like statues, having not yet been activated. The X-Saber Clan stood at the front eager and ready for battle. Airbellum snarled as he brandished his recently sharpened claws. Axel bore a smirk of overconfidence on his face. Fulhelmknight was eager to spill blood. Lined up in front were Wayne, Urbellum, Souza, and Hyunlei. Just behind them, a new array of Faultrolls stood assembled and ready for combat.

Dark Lucius raised a hand. "Your king speaks!"

"ALL HAIL THE BLACK KING!"

"In mere moments, our enemies shall march upon our gates! This is their final desperate struggle against our might! Let us make quick work of these rebels and set an example for all residents of Aeagnaap. Any who defy the Black King shall die! You stand before me to prove your worth. There is no escape from this battle. No escape but one: death. You shall be victorious or you shall die! Any who try to run shall be executed personally by me. My army has no place for cowards. Let this day be remembered as the day where much blood was spilled! Strike down the Terrans until none remain! You are the greatest army of Aeagnaap! You are the army of the Black King!"

"ALL HAIL THE BLACK KING!"

With his speech done, Dark Lucius returned to his throne and Gottoms took over. As he sat down, he picked up his Soul Gate. He kept it in his hand. He just might need it.

o o o

Wes and the others had been given an entire night and a whole day to rest and prepare for battle. By the time the last of their forces came, the sun had begun to set. It began with tremors in the ground and then suddenly a trail of upturned earth approached them from the distance. As it made its way through the solid rock, the surface before it broke up and left behind a trail of broken stones. When the unseen digger reached the meeting point, Granmarg burst up from the ground.

"You bravely fight for my land. I still hold power over the land itself," the Rock Monarch reminded them.

"So does that mean...?" Max began.

"It means the Rock monsters are on our side," Wes replied before Max finished his question.

The cliff into the Great Stone Canyon was a straight drop. Granmarg stood at the edge with Wes, Recca, Max, Hayley, Bethany, Alan, and Gio right behind him.

"Friends," Granmarg announced, "It is time. On this day, Aeagnaap will be liberated. Our home free of the Black King's tyranny. While we are sorely outnumbered. As long as we stay together we have nothing to fear. Our bonds shall keep us united and our power strong...!" He slammed the ground with his fists and solid rock wrapped around them and he pulled them from the earth. They now served as enormous stone gauntlets.

"Forward." Granmarg slammed his foot against the edge of the cliff and a great stone ramp burst out of the rock down into the canyon. The Rock Monarch struck the ground again a piece of Earth broke off from underneath his feet and those of the others. They all now found themselves on a massive stone platform. By Granmarg's will it moved forward, down the ramp and into the canyon. No sooner had the walls risen over their heads, giant brown leeches burst from the stone.

"Dungeon Worms!" Wes exclaimed. At the same time, several smaller white worms known as Drill Bugs emerged along with them.

"You never counted on these things being part of Dark Lucius' battle plan, did you?" asked Bethany.

"Not really. I didn't realize his influence was that spread out."

"Leave them to me." announced Granmarg. Opening his hands up, he raised his arms and held them in front of him. As several Dungeon Worms leapt out from the cliffs with their mouths wide open, the Rock Monarch slammed his palms together and several boulders broke off from the walls and smashed the giant worms in between each other. As two more reached out, he did the same and pieces of leech insides were squirted everywhere.

"There gotta be more inside the walls," Recca pointed out.

"Have no fear." Granmarg thrust his arms out to the sides and launched his rock gauntlets into the cliff sides. Instantly, the tremors caused the walls to crack and then break off. Countless burrowing Insects were jarred from their hiding places and sent crashing to the canyon floor with many tons of rocks falling after them.

However, they were able to clear the narrow passages and the canyon widened as they approached the bottom. Looking behind them, Gio watched as the ramp Granmarg raised collapsed. The Rock Monarch wanted to make sure no other attackers could follow them in.

"Be on a lookout," Wes cautioned. As the massive slab of rock continued along the canyon floor, Granmarg equipped himself with a brand new pair of rock gauntlets. As everybody scanned the surrounding area for attackers, something caused Gio to scream. An orange bomb had been dropped beside him but Diana the Amazoness Paladin was able to smack it away quickly.

"What was that?" Everybody's gaze turned upward and all saw a large flock of Exploder Dragons flying overhead.

"I thought you said he didn't have any viable flying units!" Max shouted.

"You should never expect Dark Lucius to show his entire hand before the final fight," Bethany cautioned.

"What are we gunna do about 'em?" asked Alan.

"Leave that to me!" Recca summoned Naturia Barkion to the side of the moving rock and climbed on.

"Let me come with you," Hayley offered, "My monsters can fly too."

"Alright, let's go." Recca helped the girl onto her dragon's back and they took off to the sky. As they flew up, more Exploder Dragons released their bombs.

"Darklord Zerato, go!" Hayley summoned her monster and watched as Darklord Zerato flew up and slashed the bombs as they fell, defusing them. Another roar came and the two females came face-to-face with an approaching Tiger Dragon. More Tiger Dragons were right behind it while in the distance they could see the giant floating form of Gear Golem the Moving Fortress.

Back on the ground, the rest of the team was already feeling the pressure as more of Dark Lucius' men come forth. A herd of red bulls with tattoos known as Abare Ushioni were charging down the canyon toward them. Leading them was a man with a pair of hooked swords wearing a wolf skin cape. X-Saber clansman Uruz cackled as he held onto his mount with one hand and drew a sword with the other. He raised his blade and let out a battle cry. "All hail the Black King!"

"Watch out!" yelled Gio.

"Remember, the Rocks are at my command." Granmarg smashed the platform and several monsters resembling Easter Island's stone heads appeared.

"Those are Moai Interceptor Cannons!" the rock enthusiast exclaimed. Everyone watched as the statue heads opened their mouths and started firing lasers.

"Cannons that will soon be destroyed!" Everyone looked up to see Emmersblade standing on the head of a Doom Dozer with several more burrowed out from the canyon walls, each ridden by an Insect Knight. "Attack!" On the insect's command, the centipedes charged. Granmarg stomped the platform with his foot and several pillars of stone shot out of the ground and pounded the incoming Doom Dozers on their undersides. However, it failed to stop them; it only slowed them down. Once they had recovered, they wrapped onto the pillars and crawled down them.

"Archers ready!" On Hippolyta's command, several of her Amazoness Archers readied their arrows and drew back their bowstrings. "Fire!" At once they let loose their arrows and sent them flying through the air. An Insect Knight was struck down and another's Doom Dozer was felled by two aimed at its throat. Four flew toward Emmerblade, but he deflected them with his bladed tonfas.

"Ha! You missed!" the grasshopper cackled.

"Heartbreak Shot!" Emmersblade was suddenly blasted back by a pair of pink lasers. "But I hit!" Diana shouted.

"She shoots lasers from her breasts?" Wes questioned incredulously. A roar suddenly filled the air and all could see Airbellum leading a group of Leoguns and Super War-Lions.

"Care to revise your battle plan?" asked Bethany.

"Patience," Granmarg said once again, "Have faith."

"This is not the time for patience!" Bethany yelled. Granmarg ignored her and the Rock Monarch steadied himself, hands raised. He thrust them forward and the ground before them suddenly rose up and the platform shot up along it, bringing them over the pack of beasts. They shot up into the air and rose up over the top of the canyon. For a brief moment they had a glimpse of the Great Stone Canyon in all its beauty in the light of the setting sun. Then it was all over as they descended back down into it.

"AHHHHHH! We're gonna die!" Gio screamed.

"We'll be fine!" Wes yelled over the rush of wind, "Granmarg has control!" Suddenly, they felt more weight on the platform and they looked to see four Battle Oxen standing with them.

"AHHHHHH!" We're still gonna die!"

Bethany was the first to leap into action. As one Battle Ox attacked, she dove under its arms and between its legs. She struck the back of its knee and brought it down. She used its momentum to grab onto the hairs on its back and throw it over her head into the passing cliff wall. Wes dodged an axe and then climbed up a Battle Ox's arm as its weapon got stuck in the stone. He made his way up to its head and threw a handful of dry dirt into its eyes. The Battle Ox bellowed as it was blinded and Wes used that moment to jump off, kicking it in the head and sending it falling off. Bethany dealt with the third when she used her short sword to cut off its arm and banishing it to the Different Dimension. As the Battle Ox roared in pain, she stabbed it behind its knee and before cutting it in half with her short sword at the waist and banishing its top half. The last Battle Ox caught Wes' coattails with its axe. The teenage boy quickly threw off his garment and as his attacker raised his weapon to strike again, he tossed his coat up into its face. The Battle Ox was caught off guard and gave Granmarg the opening he needed to shoot one of his rock gauntlets at it and knock him off.

The platform landed with a jarring thud and Granmarg resumed steering it down the canyon. "What's that noise?" asked Gio. Everyone listened. Despite the rumbling of the platform moving through the solid earth, there was indeed another sound.

"Up ahead!" Alan shouted. Everyone turned and they could see it. It looked like a tank armed with a pair of bullet wheel excavators and it was leading a battlion of Overdrives and Oni Tank T-34s. This lead machine was Heavy Machinery King Doboku Zaku and it was being drive by none other than X-Saber Wayne.

"Time to kick this battle into overdrive," he sneered as he accelerated. The excavators dug into the ground as he drove forward.

"Steady yourselves," Granmarg cautioned. The tanks in the back started to open fire. The Rock Monarch raised a wall of stone in front of him to block most of them, but they were blowing off pieces chunks at a time. "Do not fear. The stone will hold." Suddenly a large shell bombed them and the platform shattered, scattering its passengers all over.

"What...was that?" asked Max.

"Up there!" Wes pointed up to what appeared to be an enormous cannon.

"That's the Super Dreadnought Cannon Express Gustaph Max!" Bethany gasped.

"That's one helluva name," Alan commented.

"Surround them!" The tanks stopped and Wayne opened the hatch of Heavy Machinery King Doboku Zaku while a large purple elephant named Garnecia Elefantis came up to block their rear being ridden by a knight in silver armor with a red cape known only as Boggart Knight while Boar Soldiers came up behind.

"We have to disable that cannon," Wes whispered.

"We're not going to get out of this easy," Max whispered back.

"We shall try." Granmarg slammed his bare fist against the ground and formed a new rock gauntlet around it. He pounded the ground again and pillars of stone burst up and knocked a bunch of tanks into the air. Wes quickly summoned Koa'ki Meiru Urknight to his side while Max called out The Tricky. Gio raised the Moai Interceptor Cannons around himself and Alan held his axe. Boar Soldier charged, but the Tricky buried daggers in their heads. Wes rode on the back of Koa'ki Meiru Urknight as it galloped across the battlefield slashing with its sword. As more tanks revved their engines, Granmarg forced them into the air and then stomped his boot to loose some boulders from the ground. They levitated in the air for brief moments before they were sent flying into those tanks.

The numbers seemed to be in control until X-Saber Anu Piranha appeared with her own group of female warriors. The moment she landed in the middle of the battlefield, she lashed out with her steel whip. It was quickly blocked by Diana and the two women found themselves sword locked with each other. "We're wasting time like this!" Wes called out.

"You've got a horse!" Alan called out, "Grab whoever you can and get going!"

"We shall join you later," Granmarg assured him, "Have faith."

"Fine then." Wes turned around. "Bethany! Gio! Let's go!" Bethany and Gio acknowledged their names and the former got on as Urknight passed and grabbed the latter as they passed him before they jumped over the line of tanks.

"I'm coming with you!" Wes turned his head to see Hippolyta running beside them matching speed with Koa'ki Meiru Urknight.

"Appreciated," Wes said.

"Look out!" Gio screamed. The ground in front of them gave as an enormous Gigaplant emerged, blocking their path.

"Goddamnit!" Wes yelled. The giant man-eating plant looked at them and roared. "We can't get past this thing!" As he continued trying to find a way around Gigaplant, a giant pair of swords came down and cut the creature into pieces. Wes looked up. It was Karakuri Steel Shogun mld 00X "Bureido"! Which meant that...

As an assortment of mutant plants and insects crawled out of Gigaplant's carcass, Katasuo dropped down and landed effortlessly on the ground. "Katasuo! How did you...? Why did you...?"

"Leave these creatures to me!" Katasuo held out his cards and called out Karakuri Bushi mld 6318 "Muzanichiha", Karakuri Muso mld 818 "Haipa", and Karakuri Soldier mld 236 "Nisamu". "Go! The Black King is waiting!"

"We still need to do something about those anti-air cannons," Bethany pointed out.

"Once again, leave those to me." Katasuo held out three more cards and summoned Karakuri Ninja mld 339 "Sazank", Karakuri Ninja mld 7749 "Nanashick", and Karakuri Ninja mld 919 "Kuick". He gave them their orders and the three ninjas ran up the canyon wall. "Now go!"

"Katasuo." Wes paused. "Thank you for coming."

"I would be dishonoring Recca if I did not help in your fight."

Those were the last words they exchanged before Koa'kir Meiru Urknight continued galloping forward.

"Stop right there!" XX-Saber Hyunlei leapt from her hiding place but her attack was quickly deflected by Hippolyta. Like many of the others, she urged them to press on while she dealt with the attacker.

"Why does everyone keep doing that?" Gio asked with a wail in his voice.

"Because they know we have a mission," answered Wes. An explosion up top indicated the destruction of one of the Super Dreadnought Cannon Express Gustaph Maxes. As they rounded a corner, they were met with the titanic jaws of Ultimate Tyranno. The carnivorous Dinosaur snapped at them and they just barely made it past the king of the dinosaurs. The gigantic beast turned and started to pursue them.

"He's on us!" Gio screamed in full panic.

"At least it's just him and not..." Bethany's words were cut short when a high-pitched cry reached her ears and and she cursed herself as a pack of Gilasaurus leapt out from crevasses and clefts.

"We're in trouble," Gio realized, "Velociraptors are pack hunters who use a super-advanced mode of communication to coordinate their attacks on their prey."

Wes looked at Gio. "How could you understand all those big words you just said and yet you never comprehend when someone else speaks to you?"

"I'll take care of them." Bethany drew her short sword and cut open a rift in space behind them. The entire pack of Gilasaurus fell through, leaving only Ultimate Tyranno as their pursuer. "That should buy us some breathing space." Another roar filled the air as two Tyranno Infinity joined the chase.

"How many dinosaurs did you banish?" Wes asked.

"All the Gilasaurus," the Warrior Lady answered.

"Then we're in trouble."

White lightning shot from the horns of the Tyranno Infinity, striking the walls of the canyon. A Super-Ancient Dinobeast broke away from the stone and joined in firing energy blasts from its mouth. Black Tyranno and Uraby soon joined in as well as Dark Driceratops and Sabersaurus. Gio asked why even the herbivores wanted to kill them, to which Wes answered by saying that the Black King had control over them all.

"We need to shake them!" Bethany prepared to use her short sword, but then a shadow was cast over them from above.

"That won't be necessary!" The shadow landed and Naturia Exterio rose up and roared and bashed its head into Super-Ancient Dinobeast.

"It's Recca!" Wes pointed out. Recca slid down Exterio's tail and landed beside them. "Well, don't just stand around, dearies. Go!"

"What about Hayley?" asked Wes.

"She's on top of things," answered Recca. A dead Exploder Dragon landed beside her with its head cut off. More explosions indicated the destruction of other Super Dreadnought Cannon Express Gustaph Maxes, which definitely cleared the airspace for Hayley. She was sitting inside Darklord Superbia's cauldron commanding her monsters with effortless fluidity. Darklord Zerato cut his way through many flying dragon. Nurse Reficule the Fallen One's poisonous aura choked them and caused them a quick and painful death as they attempted to heal. Darklord Asmodeus' spells proved to be very effective while Darklord Edeh Arae tore through them. Darklord Desire cut through Gear Golem the Moving Fortress with ease as his blade passed through it with his Black End Galaxy. The giant flying fortress buckled and began to go down. It flew toward the Great Stone Canyon and was headed straight for the palace.

"Shoot it down!" shouted Dark Lucius. Ancient Gear Golems pointed their arms skyward and several rocket-powered fists were fired.

Back out in the canyon, a crystal dragon known as Kachi Kochi Dragon tore itself from the ground and barred the way. However, a high-powered Solar Beam fired from Naturia Exterio made quick work of it. Finally, Wes, Bethany, and Gio had reached the point where the canyon split into two valleys. Beyond here was the palace.

"Shall we stick to the plan?" Bethany asked sarcastically. Wes simply raised his middle finger at her and proceeded.

"Patience." The ground suddenly upturned and Granmarg burst up. Max, Alan, and the Amazonesses were with him.

"Those guys are all done!" Max announced happily. At the same time, Darklord Superbia landed and Hayley jumped out.

"Sky's are all clear," she reported.

"Where is our queen?" asked Diana.

"You worry about me, Diana?" The Amazonesses turned and saw Hippolyta sitting proudly on a stone outcropping.

"Not at all, Majesty," Diana replied. A ninja kite passed overhead and Katasuo dropped in.

"Katasuo!" Recca gasped, "You... You..."

"I came," Katasuo finished.

"This is fabulous! Everyone's here now!" Max said excitedly.

"Let's proceed then," Wes ordered.

"How should we go about this?" asked Katasuo.

"We'll be spotted if we take the cliff up top. But we also don't know what lurks in the valleys." Wes crossed his arms over his chest and gave it some thought.

"I have an idea." Granmarg turned and faced the cliff separating the two valleys. He placed his enormous hands against them and covered his eyes for a moment with his helmet's visor. He focused, feeling the vibrations within earth. He could feel the footsteps of every creature. Then suddenly, without warning, the cliff disappeared, becoming level with the valley floors and joining them together as one.

"Let's go," Wes said calmly. Another stone platform like the first was raised and Granmarg drove it forward.

"She is safe I hope," Granmarg muttered.

"Who is she?" Hayley asked curious about the Monarch's comment.

"A girl I saved long ago," answered the Earth Emperor, "A brilliant young woman. Name was Aussa."

"As in Aussa the Earth Charmer?" Max questioned. Granmarg nodded. Suddenly the platform shook.

"Oh, what now?" Bethany muttered in great annoyance. An enormous pink beast with purple hair had emerged and was running along beside them slamming into the platform.

"Behemoth the King of all Animals! The strongest Beast-type monster ever!" Max cried out.

"At ease," Granmarg said. He clenched his fist and began to chant a single word over and over again. "Gorignak... Gorignak... Gorignak... Gorignak..."

"What's he saying?" Gio inquired.

"It must be a summoning chant," Recca replied before she felt herself jarred to the side was Behemoth slammed the platform once more. As Granmarg finished his chant, an enormous stone golem tore itself from the canyon walls and attacked Behemoth. Gio recognized it immediately as Gaia Plate the Earth Giant. It swung its massive stone fists and smashed them against the beast's face, but it got back up and charged, thrusting the stone giant against the cliff.

"He needs help!" Gio exclaimed.

"We must have faith," Granmarg interrupted.

The platform finally came to a stop and lowered back into the ground. Everybody walked forward and looked up. Granmarg's palace was a marvel to behold. A grand citadel carved right into the walls of the Great Stone Canyon. A fitting home for the Rock Monarch; a place where he could commune with the land.

"You have come." All turned to the voice that had spoken. Gottoms stood at the gates. Piles of smouldering metal lay scattered all around. "You certainly made quite a mess. The fall of Gear Golem destroyed a large number of the Ancient Gears, but the palace was mostly spared."

"Step aside!" Bethany demanded. "We are here to put an end to the rule of Dark Lucius once and for all."

"A promise I guarantee you cannot keep." Dark Lucius came into view on the balcony overhead. His wings had been folded to resemble a cape and he held his sword like a sceptre.

"Lucius..."

"Bethany."

"Your forces are gone! You have no one left! Come down here and fight like a warrior!"

"I would not say all my men are dead." Dark Lucius tapped his blade against the floor and light reflected off Gottoms' armor. Immediately, everybody was suddenly aware that there were others around them. The entire X-Saber Clan had completely surrounded them.

"The Black King has offered his mercy. Stand down and bow before him or you shall be executed," Gottoms decreed, "Choose."

"We choose to fight! We will defeat you, Grepher!" Bethany swore, "No. You're Grepher no longer. Your heart has truly been given to the Archfiends."

"Begin with her," Dark Lucius ordered.

"With great pleasure, your Highness," replied Gottoms.

Bethany drew her swords. "I'll fight you to the very end. Nothing you do can stop me!"

"Is that so?" Fulhelmknight stepped forward from behind Gottoms. At once, Bethany's guard lowered.

"I-Ing-Ingus?"

"Hello, big sis," Fulhelmknight greeted with a sadistic grin. He stepped in front of Gottoms and took a few steps forward closer to his sister. Bethany stepped back.

"It's come down to this, Bethany," Fulhelmknight said with a laugh, "Me and you, our final battle. Who will win? Who will die? Only one way to find out, right? But tell me something, sis. Shishishishishisishishi." The blond youth cackled childishly and his grin spread wider.

"Can you bring yourself to kill your own brother?"

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The final battle for Aeagnaap reaches its climactic conclusion. Bethany must decide whether to kill or save her brother. XX-Saber Gottoms watches. And the final duel with Dark Lucius begins. See all this excitement and more happen next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	150. The Black King

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-63**

**The Black King**

Fulhelmknight was cackling maniacally as he swung his sword. The light from the electricity bolts that held the segments together illuminated the canyon with brilliant flashes as he lashed out. Each individual blade cut through the air and every time they missed as Bethany dove out of the way. Fulhelmknight had been trained well with his weapon.

"Shishishishishishishishishi! You can't keep running forever, sis!" he laughed, "Even if you try, you're gonna get tired! So just stop dodging and try coming at me! If you can get past my sword that is! !" Bethany knew that was a near impossibility. Her opponent's weapon seemed to stretch to infinite lengths thanks to the electric bonds that held it together.

"There has to be a weakness to that weapon," Recca thought aloud.

"But even I have yet to discover it," Katasuo replied.

Fulhelmknight cackled as he lashed out again. Bethany dove to the side and the blade smashed against the ground. He jerked his arm back and the pieces came back together to reform a single solid blade. _Now's my chance_, she thought. She grasped the hilt of her two-handed sword and dashed forward.

_That's it. Come closer_, thought Fulhelmknight. He cackled quietly to himself as he wrapped his fingers around his sword. As soon as Bethany was within range, she swung her blade. The young boy sidestepped and swung his sword. The Warrior Lady of the Wasteland quickly moved to block it and pushed him away. As Fulhelmknight reeled back, she moved forward and raised her sword above her head. A grin broke out across the young knight's face. As she swung down, he raised his own blade to block. The moment the two swords made contact, his blade wrapped around hers.

"You fell for it." Bethany tried to pull away, but her weapon was completely ensnared. He activated the electric bonds and several volts of electricity coursed through his blade and into his opponent's. Bethany was shocked and she quickly released her hold from her sword before backflipping away. Fulhelmknight cackled as he planted his sister's blade into the ground in front of him. Standing next to it, the blade alone was taller than him. It would prove extremely difficult for him to wield it on his own. However, that was not his plan. He released his sword from Bethany's and wrapped it around its hilt. He reeled his sword back and then lashed out once more. With Bethany's sword his own sword had extended its reach. Now the Warrior Lady found herself fighting against her own weapon. Fulhelmknight cackled as he lashed out with his weapon. Bethany dodged, rolling left and right to avoid impalement from her sword.

"What's the matter, sis? Afraid of your own sword?" Fulhelmknight lashed out again. Bethany had no choice now. She wanted to refrain from using her powers, but her opponent was not giving her any other options. She drew her shortsword from the scabbard behind her hips and waited. As Fulhelmknight lashed out again, she swung her sword in front of her and a portal appeared in front of her. Her sword disappeared into it.

"Nice try, but I know how Dimension Wall works." Fulhelmknight took two quick steps to the right and Bethany's sword shot past him from a second portal that had appeared right behind him. Bethany quickly shut the portals and the electric bonds between the blades that held the sword and the other segments were severed. The large weapon clattered to the ground as did the blade segments.

"So you CAN sever the sword's links!" Max cheered.

"You really think so? Shishishishishi." Fulhelmknight flicked his wrist and brought his arm across his chest. Electricity suddenly shot through the blade segments and reconnected them to the network. He grinned and lashed out again.

"Why is everybody just standing and watching?" asked Gio, "We gotta help!"

"We could, but would serve no purpose. She must do this on her own," Hippolyta pointed out.

"But why?"

"It's her brother, Gio," Hayley answered, "She's the only one who can save him."

"But why can't we help?"

"Just watch and be ready."

Meanwhile, Dark Lucius continued to watch from the balcony. He smiled to himself under his mask. This was the perfect way for his rival to die, slain by her own brother. But if she was cold enough to kill him she would not be able to live with herself for the rest of her life. Either way, he would win.

Fulhelmknight reeled in his sword and held it in his hand as a single blade. "Let's end this, sis. Once and for all." He took a few steps forward, spun around, and swung his arm, sending his blade forward like a spear. Bethany dodged to the right and she felt the blade segments shoot past her head and strike the rock behind her. That was when she made her move. She ran toward Fulhelmknight with her shortsword drawn. The young boy she faced grinned and pulled back on his weapon. His blade freed itself from the stone and came back toward her from behind. Fulhelmknight also moved in unison with his blade. He took several steps to his left, bringing his weapon into the path of his attacker. With the base of his blade in front of her and the tip chasing her from behind, this move would ensnare her if not outright cut her into pieces. When Bethany found herself trapped, she had but one option. With her shortsword she cut open a hole in space and dove inside closing it quickly behind her. However her move was not just a mere disappearing act. The second she stepped in she appeared beside Fulhelmknight. Once she was out of the vortex completely she swung her arm and punched him in the face.

Fulhelmknight staggered back and his blade clattered to the ground. He brought his hand up to where he had been struck and pressed it against his skin. "You...struck me."

Bethany let out a breath she had been holding in without realizing it and looked at him. "I did."

"I'm...impressed...actually..." The words came out slow as if Fulhelmknight had not yet recovered from the shock. And indeed he was; he had not expected his sister to be able to bring herself to strike him. He had underestimated his opponent. He had made a mistake. Mistakes were never forgiven under Gottoms' command; they were never forgiven under the Black King's rule. There were no mistakes. No mistakes. Fulhelmknight took a few steps away from Bethany and wrapped his fingers around his weapon's hilt. Then he grasped it firmly and swung.

The blade came to life and Bethany quickly backflipped away to avoid getting hit. There was a new look on Fulhelmknight's face. His smile, once filled with pure sadistic pleasure, was now filled with pure chaotic madness. His eyes, once bright and sparkling with eagerness like those of the young boy he was, now bore the look of a madman. "I'll kill you!" he screamed, "I'll kill you myself! Then we'll see who's the better warrior! Shishishishishishishi!" Light flashed as electricity flashed from his blade as he swung it repeatedly at Bethany, trying to cut her into ribbons. Bethany moved quickly with her arm, deflecting every single blow with her sword but failing to get any closer to her opponent. Her two-handed sword lay discarded on the ground far away. It was useless now against such an attack pattern.

An attack came from the side and Bethany moved quick. Her cape was caught and she found herself ensnared by one blade segment. Switching her sword into her left hand, she grabbed hold with her dominant hand and pulled. The sound of tearing fabric filled the air as she broke free. However the electric sparks had set the base of brown dirt-sodden cloth ablaze. Bethany did not remove it, however. Rather, it would serve as another weapon.

Stepping into another dimensional portal, she appeared beside Fulhelmknight. The young warrior quickly retracted his blade and blocked her sword. She swung and he deflected while she occasionally swung her flaming cape at him. Fulhelmknight could only dodge the fire. He blocked another slash and swung his arm down while their blades were locked in an attempt to knock her sword away, but Bethany swung her cape at him again. Fulhelmknight broke the lock and jumped back. Bethany rushed him and swung her cape again. Her opponent was thrown back off balance and she pounded his chin with the pommel of her sword before punching him in the chest, causing him to land hard on his back.

However, Fulhelmknight was not one to be downed so easily. As soon as he landed on his back he lashed out with his blade upward and wrapped it around a stone outcropping. He retracted his sword and pulled himself up. He quickly released and landed safely on his feet before continuing his long range attacks. Bethany's cape was half-gone by now, so she quickly released the fastening and threw it aside. She had to find cover and quickly. As Fulhelmknight continued striking while laughing like a maniac, she dove behind some rocks and crawled under a boulder. She could hear her brother's strikes hitting the surface of the rocks and began to think. She had to immobilize that sword. She looked around and saw some rocks that formed a wedge between them. Maybe, just maybe...

Fulhelmknight did not let up on his attack. He did not care if he could not see his target as long as he was still trying to kill her. Suddenly he saw something brown sticking out: his sister's hat! Grin widening, he lashed out and struck it dead-on. "You are dead!"

Bethany suddenly stepped out of her hiding place and stood beside her brother's blade. Her hat, having been cut almost completely in half, fell from the blade revealing the wedge between the rocks and their captive, Fulhelmknight's blade. The young knight pulled as hard as he could, but his sword would not come free. That was when Bethany attacked. With her sword in one hand, she ran along the blade's length toward her opponent.

However, Fulhelmknight wasn't scared. In fact, he seemed overbearingly confident. With a single flick of his wrist, all of his blade segments separated and flew toward Bethany in a swarm. Not expecting such a surprise attack, she found herself unable to dodge or block and so she merely braced herself as she felt the many blades cut through her clothes and her skin. Holding his bladeless hilt at his side, he commanded the blade segments with his free hand. Like drones following a guidance system, they zeroed in on Bethany.

The brave warrior lady sprang into action. as quickly as she could. Using her agile body she ran across the canyon and up the side of a cliff. She created a dimensional slash on some rocks to free them from their holds and sent them down, but the blades avoided them with ease. Bethany quickly opened a portal and jumped in, reappearing nanoseconds later elsewhere. Fulhelmknight simply redirected the blades toward her new location. She had failed to shake them but by placing more distance between her and them she had bought herself more time. An idea formed and she stood ready. The blades were coming closer and at increasingly higher speeds. She waited until finally she opened a portal in front of her and the blades went through. They came out another portal that had opened up right in front of Dark Lucius and they poured out striking the Black King. The Regent Lord of Earth roared and slammed his sword down, creating such terrifying tremors that the blades were shaken off trajectory.

Fulhelmknight quickly regrouped his blades back together and lashed out at Bethany. His sword cut through her and she quickly fell. "I knew it. You still couldn't kill your own brother. You could have redirected my last attack back at me, but instead you chose my master. Now not only will I kill you, but I'll do it in the name of the Black King."

"Ingus, you are not the Black King's pawn," Bethany muttered as she slowly got up.

"Silence! I am the Fulhelmknight!"

Bethany stabilized herself on her feet. Her clothes lay in tatters and blood was coming out of some parts. Her garments as they were would serve only to hinder her. Quickly she reached up and ripped off her travel clothes. She let the rags fall, leaving her in a sleek black bodysuit, gloves, and boots. As Fulhelmknight lashed out with a straight attack intent on spearing her, she held her sword ready, it blade glowing white. She rushed in head-on, meeting the blade and then passing hers through. The dimension-warping power of her sword allowed her to cut through each segment, sending the center parts it cut into another dimension. When Fulhelmknight saw was she was doing, he quickly withdrew but that was all she needed. Bethany dove into a portal and came out on her brother's right side. She swung her blade and cut his hilt, causing the crossguard to fly across the canyon as well as a finger.

Bethany then put her weight down and shoved Fulhelmknight down to the ground and held her sword in front of his throat. She was breathing heavily, having just gone through her toughest fight yet.

"Well done!" Dark Lucius congratulated. "You've overcome your most difficult challenge yet. You truly are the Warrior Lady of the Wasteland." His disposition then changed. "Kill him."

"You would have your own men slain?" asked Recca.

"That there's messed up," Alan said.

"Those who fail have no right to keep existing," Dark Lucius replied.

"Who are you to judge the lives of others?" Bethany asked, still keeping Fulhelmknight restrained but not killing him.

"I am the Black King, ruler of Aeagnaap! All who live in this realm stand before my judgment!"

"Listen to yourself, Grepher! This is not you speaking. This is the power of the Archfiends! They live only to corrupt and destroy! You are no king. You are just a pawn in servitude to the demons. And when the time comes that they have no more need for you, you'll be cast aside if you are fortunate."

That somehow managed to provoke him. Dark Lucius leapt from the balcony and descended to the canyon floor. His wings served to slow him down and when he landed he stood up and folded them back like a cape.

"Everybody. Strike now," commanded Granmarg. He stamped his boot down and several large boulders broke out of the ground and he punched them forward. Hayley's Darklord Desire unleashed his Black End Galaxy, Gio's Exxod fired its powerful Decimate, Max's Puppet King took hold of his sceptre and unleashed its Royal Wrecking Ball, Recca's Naturia Exterio charged up and released a mighty Solar Beam, Katasuo's Karakuri Steel Shogun mld 00X "Bureido" took hold of both swords and thrust them forward, the Amazonesses used a wide range of weaponry and magic, and the Rock monsters commanded by Granmarg stood at the front line combining solid defense with long-ranged attacks.

"Fools. You dare to think you can best the Black King?" Dark Lucius raised his sword. "Disappear!" He swung his weapon and cut open a rift in space that sucked in many of his opposing forces. He then turned to Bethany and reached for her. The Warrior Lady grabbed Fulhelmknight, threw him over her shoulder, and leapt out of the way. Dark Lucius' hand wrapped around thin air but he refused to give up. He swung his sword and just narrowly missed.

"Hang on, Ingus! I'll get you out of here!" Bethany opened a portal and stepped through.

"No you don't!" shouted Dark Lucius. He reached out and closed his fingers around something. Bethany felt a backward jerk but she quickly pulled through and closed the portal behind her.

"You'll be safe here, Ingus," she said to her brother. However, she got no response. "Ingus?" She lowered the young knight down and screamed. It was the first time anybody had heard her scream. Fulhelmknight's head was missing!

Bethany heard a laugh and turned to see Dark Lucius standing back by the castle gate holding her brother's head in his hand by his hair.

"Good God!" gasped Max.

Hayley turned away and leaned on the redhead's shoulder, "How dreadful!"

"What happened?" asked Alan," It happened so quickly."

"Dark Lucius attempted to grab the boy as the young lady was trying to escape. He succeeded in grabbing his hair and was able to keep him from entering the portal completely," Katasuo explained, "When she closed the portal, not realizing that her brother had not passed through, it...severed his head from his body."

"See this, Bethany?" Dark Lucius said, holding the head in front of him, "This is your own doing. You neglected to ensure your brother's complete and safe passage through your portal and for your mistake he paid with his life. And you call yourself a big sister." He threw the head and it bounced a few times on the ground before rolling the rest of the way to where Bethany sat. She looked down and saw her brother's dead eyes looking up at her. They weren't filled with sadism, malice, or madness. No, none of those things. They were eyes of pleading, eyes filled with love and sorrow. These were not the eyes of the Fulhelmknight; they were the eyes of Ingus.

"You monster." Wes stood up and approached Dark Lucius. "It's one thing to usurp a throne and seize a country by force. It's one thing to sacrifice your men for your own personal gain. However, to force siblings to fight each other and then kill one is unforgivable." He readied his Duel Disk.

"I'm frightened," Hayley said.

"I've never seen Wes like this before," Recca added in response to the rising tension tightening her grip on the heavy mace in her hands.

"What you see before you is a man whose duty as a Vanguard begins to shine forth," Katasuo explained, "His desire to protect comes forth like a burning fire of passion."

"You will pay for all the lives you've stolen!" Wes swore as he pointed at Dark Lucius. A white light started to shine out from under his shirt. Wes paused for a moment and removed his top, revealing his glowing Rose Mark.

"Boldly stated," replied the Black King, "but there is nothing that you can do to stop me." He stuck his sword into the ground and held out his left arm. "However if it is a duel you seek from me, then a duel I shall grant you!" The spikes on his gauntlet started to extend forward, dragging along the gauntlet with them. They spread out as they grew and formed five Monster Zones. He then grabbed his sword once again and swung it, opening another dimensional rift, returning the monsters he had banished not long ago. He sheathed his sword and held out his Soul Gate.

"Chaos Exultation!" The mouth of the Soul Gate opened and streams of darkness poured out and absorbed the returned creatures. They flew into Dark Lucius' Duel Disk and a stack of cards appeared. "Show me your power."

Wes stuffed his shirt under his belt behind him and readied his deck. "Duel!"

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**Wes:** 8000

**Dark Lucius:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––––

"The king shall go first!" Dark Lucius drew his first card. "Giant Rat, come forth! Your king commands it!" A white rat about the size of an eight-year-old child appeared on the field holding a human skull in its forepaws and squeaked (ATK/1400 DEF/1450). "I will ready three surprise battlements and pass the duel onto you." He placed three cards facedown and then ended his turn.

"Draw." Wes drew his card. Despite his earlier outburst, he was now as calm as he had always been. "Koa'ki Meiru Crusader, rise." A large demon-faced knight in front of him with the Mark of the Iron Core on its chest, shield and sword (ATK/1900 DEF/1300). "Attack." Koa'ki Meiru Crusader charged and brought its sword down on Giant Rat, cleaving it in two.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 8000

**Dark Lucius:** 7500

––––––––––––––––––––

"Giant Rat's magic activates," announced Dark Lucius, "permitting me to summon a creature of equal strength or weaker than it. I call forth my lesser form, Dark Lucius LV4!" A wicked looking demon man in black armor covered with twisted spikes appeared. His face was exposed, eyes red as blood and skin as white as chalk. Though he had been corrupted by the Archfiends, his face still bore resemblance to his former self, Warrior Dai Grepher (ATK/1000 DEF/300).

"Wretched...", Recca said to no one in particular, "He's using a deck based on his own descent."

Katasuo took a step forward, but Recca looked at him with a stony glare, "He'll pull through, let Wes fulfill his duty. Don't interfere."

"One card facedown," announced Wes. "Turn over." Suddenly, Koa'ki Meiru Crusader groaned and collapsed, falling to the ground and shattering.

"What happened?" asked Gio.

"That's the price of the Koa'ki Meiru," answered Max, "They can't sustain themselves without their Core."

Dark Lucius drew his card. "A king needs his bodyguards and these soldiers shall prove to be most formidable. Calling out the Gobling Elite Attack Force!" A squad of goblins in shining armor armed with swords appeared next to Dark Lucius LV4 (ATK/2200 DEF/1500).

"Squad, attack!" On the Black King's orders, Goblin Elite Attack Force charged and dealt a powerful blow to Wes' Life Points.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 5800

**Dark Lucius:** 7500

––––––––––––––––––––

"Now feel my strength!" Dark Lucius LV4 balled up a fist and rushed forward. As he neared Wes, he cocked back his arm and then threw a punch into his face. Wes staggered back reeling from the impact.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 4800

**Dark Lucius:** 7500

––––––––––––––––––––

With the Battle Phase now over, the effect of Goblin Elite Attack Force kicked in and switched the entire squad into a defense stance. "Show me what it is you are capable of," demanded Dark Lucius.

Wes drew without a word. He weighed his options. He knew Dark Lucius LV4 had to die before it got too powerful, but his opponent had three facedown cards. If they were Traps, his monster would be destroyed quickly. "I summon Koa'ki Meiru Sandman!" A creature made of white sand rose up with the Mark of the Iron Core glowing on its chest (ATK/1900 DEF/1200).

_With Sandman's effect, if he activates a Trap Card I can tribute my monster to negate and destroy_, thought Wes. "Sandman, attack Dark Lucius LV4!" Sandman dove into the ground and then rose up again in front of Dark Lucius LV4. It raised its right and and converted it into a hammer.

"I invoke the Shrink Spell," Dark Lucius announced as he revealed one of his facedown cards to be the Quickplay Spell Card Shrink. Koa'ki Meiru Sandman shrank down to half its size and its attack points followed suit, dropping down to nine hundred and fifty. Dark Lucius LV4 punched through the sand creature's head and it burst, leaving only a pile of fine white sand.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 4750

**Dark Lucius:** 7500

––––––––––––––––––––

Wes reluctantly ended his turn. He had failed to destroy the monster and now he was going to pay for it.

Dark Lucius drew his card. "Power. Energy absorbed from one's enemy after their defeat. It simply makes one want more. And the more they absorb, the stronger they become." Dark Lucius LV4 pulsed on his master's Standby Phase and his transformation began. He grew larger and his armor started to change. The twisted spikes slowly twisted into his body. His shoulder guards grew thicker as his armor took on a sleeker look. The horns on his head curved back and elongated slightly as his face took on a more dignified look. A pair of wings sprouted from his back, each outfitted with two long lengths of bone. A cloud of darkness appeared and deposited a long saber before him. The newly-transformed Dark Lucius LV6 grabbed his new weapon and swung it (ATK/1700 DEF/600).

"Strike now and aim for the heart," ordered Dark Lucius. Dark Lucius LV6 stepped toward Wes with a well-balanced fencing stance. He moved closer and made several well-aimed thrusts with his sword.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 3050

**Dark Lucius:** 7500

––––––––––––––––––––

"Show me a demonstration of your power now!" Dark Lucius commanded.

Wes drew his card. If power was what his opponent wanted, power was what he was going to get. "I summon Koa'ki Meiru Urknight." A centaur in golden armor appeared before him with the Mark of the Iron Core emblazoned on its shield and over its left breast (ATK/2000 DEF/1500). "Now by revealing one Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru in my hand, I can use Urknight's effect to summon one Koa'ki Meiru monster from my deck. My choice is Koa'ki Meiru Sandman." After revealing the copy of Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru in his hand, Wes brought out a second Sandman from his deck.

"Sandman, attack!" Koa'ki Meiru Sandman once more disappeared and then rose up again in front of Dark Lucius LV6 with its arm turned into a hammer.

"I repel your attack with the magic of Sakuretsu Armor!" announced Dark Lucius as he revealed a Trap Card.

"I negate your Trap Card by sacrificing Koa'ki Meiru Sandman!" Sandman's eyes flashed for a moment before its body broke up and a sandstorm ripped apart Sakuretsu Armor, destroying it. Wes now turned to his other monster, "Koa'ki Meiru Urknight, attack!" Koa'ki Meiru Urknight reared up on his hind legs and charged.

"A Threatening Roar shall cease your brave charge." Dark Lucius activated his other Trap and a loud roar echoed across the field, stopping Koa'ki Meiru Urknight in his tracks.

To most, Wes seemed calm. However, Hayley had spent enough time with him to know when he was frustrated and to her the signs were clearly visible. A vein just above his temple was starting to bulge. Wes had tried over and over again to destroy Dark Lucius and every time had been thwarted. Now it was his opponent's turn and he hoped he could survive.

Dark Lucius drew his card. "Goblin Elite Attack Force, stand at attention!" The goblin squad stood up in their attack position and awaited orders. "Attack!" The goblin squad charged and attacked, striking Koa'ki Meiru Urknight from all directions.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 2850

**Dark Lucius:** 7500

––––––––––––––––––––

"Strike now!" Dark Lucius commanded his previous self. Dark Lucius LV6 charged with his sword at the ready.

"I activate my Trap Card," announced Wes, "Core Reinforcement, letting me resurrect one Koa'ki Meiru monster from my graveyard. Koa'ki Meiru Urknight, rise." Koa'ki Meiru Urknight returned to the field and stood between Dark Lucius LV6 and Wes.

"Cease attack!" commanded Dark Lucius. Dark Lucius LV6 quickly ended his attack and returned to his post. "You've spared yourself precious moments from death. But how long do you intend to last?" As the Battle Phase ended, Goblin Elite Attack Force once more returned to defense mode.

"I intend to win," answered Wes as he drew his card. He revealed the Iron Core in his hand to use Koa'ki Meiru Urknight's effect and Special Summoned a small stone golem with the Mark of the Iron Core on its forehead named Koa'ki Meiru Boulder in defense mode (ATK/1200 DEF/1400). "Now I sacrifice Koa'ki Meiru Urknight to summon Koa'ki Meiru Valafar!" A wall of flames rose up and engulfed Koa'ki Meiru Urknight and from the inferno arose a large red and grey demon bearing the Mark of the Iron Core on its chest, arms, and knees. The flames withdrew and were revealed to be its wings (ATK/3000 DEF/2100)

"Koa'ki Meiru Valafar, destroy Goblin Elite Attack Force." The enormous demon held out its hand and summoned to it an axe made of fire. It drew back its arm and threw the weapon forward. It struck its target and destroyed the entire goblin squad. "Valafar has piercing." The resulting impact caused the fire axe to explode and singe Dark Lucius.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 2850

**Dark Lucius:** 6000

––––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn and discard the Iron Core to keep Valafar on my field." Wes sent his Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru to his graveyard and Koa'ki Meiru Valafar roared.

Dark Lucius drew his card. "Attack the stone creature!" he commanded. Dark Lucius LV6 charged and sliced Koa'ki Meiru Boulder in two.

"The effect of Koa'ki Meiru Boulder now activates," announced Wes.

"It does not," Dark Lucius countered, "The dark power within my former self's blade can negate any magic possessed by any creature it has slain. And with that magic, a new form awaits."

"What's that mean?" asked Gio.

"Dark Lucius LV6 can negate the effect of any monster it destroys in battle and if it does that, it'll level up on its owner's next Standby Phase," answered Recca.

"I shall now invoke the Mist Body spell upon my former self, ensuring he survives any future battles," Dark Lucius said as he equipped his monster with the Mist Body card. "Wait and watch."

Wes, instead of drawing, returned the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru to his hand from his graveyard and proceeded with his turn. "Koa'ki Meiru Valafar, attack Dark Lucius LV6." Another fire axe was thrown, but this one simply passed through its target and hit Dark Lucius instead.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 2850

**Dark Lucius:** 4700

––––––––––––––––––––

"That concludes my turn." Once more, Wes discarded his Iron Core to maintain Valafar's presence on the field.

Dark Lucius drew and a smile broke out behind his mask. Darkness surrounded Dark Lucius LV6. "Behold now, the birth of my current form!" Six black wings burst from the darkness and an enormous black sword cut its way out and dissipated the cloud of darkness, revealing Dark Lucius LV8 in all his glory (ATK/2800 DEF/900).

"That's a waste. Wes' guy is still stronger," Gio pointed out.

"I shall now place a burden upon your creatures," Dark Lucius stated as he played a card from his new position on the field itself, "A Burden of the Mighty." His Continuous Spell Card was activated and each of Wes' monsters was now weakened by one hundred attack points multiplied by its level. Valafar's own attack power was dropped by eight hundred down to twenty-two hundred attack points. Once all was set, he grabbed his sword and struck, taking out Koa'ki Meiru Valafar.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 2250

**Dark Lucius:** 4700

––––––––––––––––––––

As the blade cleaved through Koa'ki Meiru Valafar, a black portal was cut in space and the piece of the fiery demon were pulled through. "Any creature slain by my blade is banished to another dimension," Dark Lucius cackled.

Wes' turn came up and he returned the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru from his graveyard to his hand. "I summon Koa'ki Meiru Urknight."Another centaur appeared and its attack points dropped by four hundred to sixteen-hundred attack points. "I reveal Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru in my hand to Special Summon Koa'ki Meiru Guardian in defense position." A white statue with the Mark of the Iron Core on its chest, sword, and shield appeared (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). Its attack points dropped to fifteen hundred instantly.

"Turn end." Wes revealed his third Urknight in his hand to keep the one on the field alive and discarded Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru to keep Crusader on the field.

Dark Lucius drew his card and then picked up his sword. He rushed over to Koa'ki Meiru Guardian and cut it in half, sending the pieces into another dimension. "Do not think I had not anticipated a possible retaliation turning my magic against me."

The Black King ended his turn and Wes returned the Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru. The boy used Koa'ki Meiru Urknight's effect to summon Koa'ki Meiru Crusader from his deck in defense mode, quickly reducing its attack points to fifteen hundred thanks to Burden of the Mighty. He then switched his centaur into defense mode. With two Beast-Warriors on the field, the Koa'ki Meiru Urknight in Wes' hand was able to cover for their maintenance costs so he did not need to discard another Iron Core.

Dark Lucius drew and quickly targetted Koa'ki Meiru Urknight. His blade banished the creature to another dimension. He was elated. It was not often that he got his hands dirty and he was enjoying every moment of it.

Wes' vein seemed to pulse as drew his card when his turn came. When he saw his card, he was surprised although he did not show it. He looked over at Bethany, who was over by her brother's corpse now clutching the boy's head close to her breasts. It was as if her own power had granted him this card. "I set a card and switch my monster into attack mode.

Dark Lucius looked at Wes. It was as if the boy had finally decided to give up and was allowing him a free shot. The Black King took the bait. He drew his sword and lunged. That was when Wes made his move.

"I activate a Trap Card, Dimensional Wall!"

"What?"

A portal opened up and Dark Lucius' arms and sword were swallowed in. A second portal opened up behind him and his own blade cut into him. "Dimension Wall transfers the Battle Damage I would have taken this turn to you instead," Wes explained. "Koa'ki Meiru Crusader was killed and banished as a result, but the damage was dealt

––––––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 2250

**Dark Lucius:** 3400

––––––––––––––––––––

"You shall pay for this," snarled Dark Lucius. His sudden outburst had attracted Bethany's attention and she had seen the entire use of Dimension Wall against him.

_Hope that little trick brings back some old memories, Grepher_, she thought.

It was Wes' turn again and as he drew, he set a monster and ended his turn. Then Dark Lucius drew and in his rage simply attacked, killing and banishing Wes' Koa'ki Meiru Urknight.

It was quickly back to Wes and when he drew his card, he knew victory was his. "I play Monster Reborn and resurrect Koa'ki Meiru Valafar." The fiery demon returned to the field and roared. "Next I remove my Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru from play from my hand to Special Summon Koa'ki Meiru Maximus." A silver dragon with a mechanical appearance descended from the sky and landed next to Koa'ki Meiru Valafar, the Mark of the Iron Core glowing on its forehead (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). The power of Burden of the Mighty dropped their attack strength both down to twenty-two hundred.

"Have you given up?" asked Dark Lucius.

"Far from it. I activate Maximus' effect," announced Wes, the Rose Mark on his body glowing brighter. "Once per turn during my Main Phase, I can use him to destroy one card my opponent controls."

Dark Lucius stopped. "Any...?"

"My choice...is you!"

Koa'ki Meiru Maximus fired a beam from its Mark and hit Dark Lucius dead-on. The Black King was blown from the field and back to the palace gates.

"Koa'ki Meiru Valafar, attack!" The demon went first and hurled a fire axe at the black demon.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 2250

**Dark Lucius:** 1200

––––––––––––––––––––

"Koa'ki Meiru Maximus, end this," Wes ordered. Koa'ki Meiru Maximus opened its mouth and a solid white laser shot out and struck Dark Lucius.

––––––––––––––––––––

**Wes:** 2250

**Dark Lucius:** 0

––––––––––––––––––––

The Black King writhed and cried out as his power drained from him and soon he collapsed. He slowly looked up and saw everybody standing over him.

"You got your powers from the Archfiends...isn't that correct Grepher?" Katasuo had a knowing smirk across his weathered features, leaning into a crouch while holding his spearpoint towards Dark Lucius' throat. "You should know then...you felt power leave you at one time, a significant amount of power. You know why that is...? Pandemonium is ruined, and the Terrorking is dead and torn asunder in his own sacrificial pit. Yukia Tejinashi, Zetsubou the assassin who once served your twisted UnGod, the son of my best friends, dealt the killing stroke. If he could die so easily, so can you. You fear your own mortality, I have embraced mine. All of us have, we are not wearing the guise of a coward who hides behinds waves of men. If you were the Grepher back in those fields outside these badlands, within those villages with the Ardenians, you may have served Freed and led from the front like the hero you were, Grepher. You may have stopped this madness from infesting Endymion's Council before it happened. Instead you fell from grace, you failed in your mission, but you still have your body. This Human here is the Matriarch of the Telaris Family! He family drove back the UnGod in ancient times, she can help you! You are not Dark Lucius the Black King! You are Lucius Dai Grepher, Warrior Dai Grepher!"

Katasuo let his words fall upon Dark Lucius, hoping his words could somehow unsettle The Black King. Recca dropped her mace to the ground, as well as her Crossbow. Katasuo looked over towards her, "Recca, what the hell are you doing!"

Hayley stared wide eyed at Recca, she didn't gave that fire in her eyes, rather she wore the calm and lovingt face she had when she served coffee at the Academy, "He's dangerous still Recca!"

"You're absolutely right Kat. He was Hum...Ardenian once. He wasn't this...horrible thing to begin with. Lucius, I know you've done horrific acts, but I forgive you for them. I stand before you unarmed with my arms wide open. We can redeem you, we broke Zetsubou's enthrallment...and...and that of my husband, The Duelist of Legend, Reign."

Wes was concerned of Dark Lucius' weapon that brimmed with a black destructive energy. For the travels through desert, steaming jungle and wasteland from the safety of the meadows, Recca eschewed her normal full plated armor that she wore when her and Hayley went to save Nellie before the battle truly began in earnest. She wore a light mesh of mail, meant to deter scuffs, minor hits and turn aside various other adversities. It was as armor for travel, not for war, even with the red and white sashes tied around it in places. In short, the weapon would make Recca's armor completely meaningless, unless Recca had some sort of strange enchantment on it. Seeing the Rose Seals and other strange miracles they've caused, he figured it wouldn't be a big stretch to think that. Recca continued as Lucius' red eyes bore down upon her.

"You are a tyrant, but you can STILL be redeemed Lucius! No one is truly too far gone to be forgiven...healed. Lay down your arms Lucius...you can still be a hero."

Max fought back tears. Recca willingly drew Dark Lucius' gaze away from all of them while she spoke. Despite her being a raging crusader who was unflinching at times. First and foremost she still thought of saving those truly held within evil's grasp. Was this what her family, as well as all other Rose Crusaders did? Looking at the lavender haired woman slowly close her eyes while holding her arms out to her sides, it was easy to see why it could be considered madness.

Dark Lucius looked at them and then looked away. With his mask on it was impossible to tell what his expression might have been, but everybody imagined it was a pained one. "This is far from over," he swore, "I still have...one more spell..." He brought his arm up and held his Soul Gate over his head.

"This is bad, right?" asked Gio.

"Very bad," answered Katasuo.

"CHAOS EXULTATION!" Streams of darkness poured out of the device's mouth and swallowed up the Insects, the Ancient Gears, the Dinosaurs, the Machinas, the Beasts, the Beast-Warriors, the Machines, the Plants, and the X-Sabers. But instead of flowing into the Duel Disk, they flowed into Dark Lucius himself. When the last one had been absorbed, the Black King roared and he grew to an enormous size, towering high over the Great Stone Canyon with his wings spread and his black sword shaded by the shadows of the sunset.

"As long as I possess the powers granted unto me by the UnGod, I have no need for the power of the Archfiends!"

"How do we take down a behemoth like that?" asked Max as he craned his neck to look up.

"As Nellie would have said, 'Let's dust this bitch'," Wes responded. Immediately all the Duelists summoned their most powerful monsters and let fly with their attacks.

"It is useless! My power is greater than anything you could have imagined!" Dark Lucius raised his foot and stamped down, creating tremors that knocked everybody off balance.

"Heartbreak Shot!" A pair of pink lasers were fired from Diana's breasts, but broke against the Black King's armor.

"Spicy Hard Love!" Uhura slammed her buttocks down on Dark Lucius' foot, but her attack failed to even make a dent.

Amazoness Archers let fly their arrows as Amazoness Blowpipers shot their poisoned darts. Amazoness Chain Masters attempted to restrain the giant, but their chains broke against his might. Earth Giant Gaia Plate jumped up to help, but Dark Lucius' massive fist turned the creature into rubble.

Granmarg pounded the ground in front of him and a portion of the canyon floor below him rose high into the air, creating a very tall pillar of stone on which he stood. He faced Dark Lucius and brought out his hands. Entire rock faces from the cliffs were broken off and flung into the Black King.

"Your pathetic little pebbles are no match for me."

"Patience." Granmarg raised his arms and the canyon floor rose and swallowed up Dark Lucius' feet, locking him in place.

"Is that your best?" The Regent Lord laughed. "Pathetic." With one swift motion, he broke one foot free and then broke out the other. "It is time to end this! I shall send you all to the abyss!" He raised his sword and prepared to strike.

"He's going to banish us to another dimension!" Recca exclaimed.

"There's nothing we can do to stop him now," Katasuo said dejectedly, "We lose with this final strike."

"All hope is not yet lost." Everyone turned to see Bethany walking toward them. Her bodysuit was covered in blood, the blood of Ingus. She had wrapped his body in a red cape left behind when Gottoms was absorbed by Dark Lucius' Soul Gate.

"What are you planning?" asked Alan.

"I'm going to use all of my power to send HIM to the other dimension instead," Bethany answered.

"But if you do that, you'll use up all your power! You might not even survive!" Max exclaimed.

"That may be so, but this rivalry has gone on long enough. It is time to end it once and for all." Bethany stood ready with her sword glowing. As the others backed away, Wes realized something.

"You're not the Warrior Lady of the Wasteland, are you?"

"I haven't been that for a long time," answered Bethany, "I am the Different Dimension Warrior Lady." She readied her spell and proceeded to complete it. "Promise me one thing. Give my brother a decent burial."

Bethany turned to Dark Lucius, who by the point had finally noticed her. "Bethany, what are you doing?"

"We're ending this once and for all, Grepher! With all my power, I'm going to banish you to the Different Dimension!" A circle of white light had appeared underneath her and a the radiance continued to intensify.

"Are you mad, woman? You'll destroy yourself in the process!"

"It's a sacrifice worth making!" Bethany cried, "The people of Aeagnaap have suffered under your rule long enough! Your tyranny ends now!"

Not wanting to be taken out so quickly, Dark Lucius did the only thing he could. Taking hold of his sword, he stabbed down on top of Bethany but a barrier stopped his blade. Bethany was protected.

"With Ingus' memories in my heart, I spit my last breath at thee!" Bethany swung her sword and the barrier expanded as did the circle of light. Her body vaporized and a swirling vortex appeared inside the circle, dragging the Regent Lord of Earth into the Different Dimension.

"You won't have me!" The Black King pulled back as hard as he could, but the pull was too great. It already had its grip on his sword and was pulling the rest of him in. "I cannot be defeated! I am the Black King!" Granmarg stamped his boot on the ground and the canyon floor right underneath the giant demon's feet suddenly pushed up, throwing him into the air. With no footing left to hold him back, he was pulled into the Different Dimension and his cries echoed throughout the entire Great Stone Canyon. At last the vortex closed. Not a trace of Bethany nor her eternal rival was left.

The Regent Lord of Aeagnaap the Earth Realm, the Black King, Dark Lucius, had been vanquished.

Granmarg descended and looked down at everybody. "Aeagnaap is free," he said calmly.

"Long live Granmarg!" cheered the Amazonesses. Soon the words echoed across all of Aeagnaap and the Rock Monarch took his seat once more upon the stone throne within the palace.

"Bethany sacrificed herself to save this land. We owe her a great thanks,"Recca said quietly as everyone stood within the throne room.

"As promised, Ingus shall be buried," Granmarg announced, "Entombed below the palace. Beside him, a memorial. For the Warrior Lady."

"Two tombs," Wes muttered, "One empty."

"Perhaps Bethany is not dead," Katasuo thought out loud, "Though her body may be gone, her spirit may wander the other dimension looking for a way back to this plane. She will no doubt return and seek out her brother, who will lie entombed below the Great Stone Canyon, a tomb for those who died with great honor."

"Though Ingus himself was not pure for his deeds as the Fulhelmknight, we bury his body for Bethany memory," Wes mumbled.

Ingus' body was brought in, still wrapped in the red cape. Granmarg raised his hand and a stone coffin rose up from the floor. The body was placed inside and the coffin was then sealed. The Rock Monarch slowly lowered it through the floors of his palace down into the ancient catacombs down below.

After a long war, Aeagnaap was finally free; its king finally back in his rightful place.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Vazrana, the Realm of Water. At the same time as the events of Paslie and Aeagnaap, Umi travels with submarine captain Victoria to the endless sea of Ardent with Milena as their guide. What dangers lie before them in this realm shall be revealed next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	151. Vazrana, the Endless Sea

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-64**

**Vazrana, the Endless Sea**

Victoria's submarine was still docked where she had left it. Her crew had gone into the school to resupply so the seacraft was now occupied only by a few guards. He return was greeted with salutes. "What's the situation?" she asked upon her arrival.

"We should be ready to move in about two hours," the crewman reported.

"Excellent. I'll return in a moment. I have some things to do first," the sub captain said.

"Aye, ma'am."

"Keep an eye out for strange activity on the horizon. If something approaches, don't hesitate to shoot it." Victoria left her submarine and walked up the path toward the school. She could see everyone was still recovering from the invasion that had happened on the night before.

It was an attack that had been organized by a man named Marcus Antonius Roman. He and his colleagues had hired Victoria as well as Charlie, Jaeger, and a handful of mercenaries to assault the school. They were never told why, but she had overheard him speaking with a dark man in the shadows about a search. They had come looking for something; the attack was more than likely just an elaborate distraction. And indeed that seemed to be the case. The invasion seemed to serve no purpose. No objective had been given save for a select few individuals. The Four Horsemen had singlehandedly waged an all-out war that slew many people. Famine had been sent in to cut off the school's supplies, Pestilence covered the island with his plague, War went on a rampage, and Death killed just about anything on two feet.

When Victoria saw the hostage that was brought to Roman and how she was treated, she took matters into her own hands. Her men threw the man and his money off the ship and returned Mika back to the island. As she made her way through the school halls, she saw the priestess herself tending to the wounded. "Hello there."

"Oh, hello Victoria," Mika greeted back.

"You've been through quite an ordeal. You should be resting," the submarine captain insisted.

"I know, but there are so many people here who are worse off than me. I'll be fine. There are others who need more help."

"You're a kind-hearted one. It's an admirable trait." Victoria gave a smile and continued on her way. She looked around her as she made her way through the halls. Students and staff who had been injured were lying on blankets and mats along the walls with someone running back and forth between sets taking care of them. A couple of staff members had the grim duty of counting up those who had died; unfortunately for them not all the deceased would be able to be accounted for. Some had had the misfortune of being there when Nicky's and Terry's rampage nearly burned down the entire island, getting hit with molotov cocktails and burning to death. Those who had fallen by Pestilence's Plague had been turned into little more than green palpitated goo. Death's numerous victims had been slaughtered so brutally that it was near-impossible to identify any of the remains.

Victoria looked at her phone screen and re-examined the message she had been sent. She was supposed to go up to science lab B on the fourth floor. It was far too dangerous to take the elevators so she took the stairs instead. Three flights later she arrived at the designated floor and found the room with no difficulty. When she arrived she saw Alexis, Johnathan and Kaiba assembled. She was genuinely surprised to find the headmistress and the CEO there as she was certain they had been killed. However an quick explanation from Alexis was able to answer all her inquiries and they sat down together.

"So what's going on right now?" Alexis asked.

"Well as it stands, we've deployed teams across the regions of this land to find these seals and restore them. As I understand, this school has a seal as well. There is no doubt that the enemy will come to destroy it, so we shall have to fortify the island."

"You mean we have to face another invasion?" Alexis was not happy. "We just finished fending one off and look at the casualties we sustained. There's no way we can fend off another one so soon."

"Not necessarily," Victoria cut in, "We have something here in this world that we don't in our own. We have the power to summon monsters from our cards. This will greatly increase our firepower."

"Summon how?" asked Kaiba obviously intrigued.

"I believe it was demonstrated like this." Victoria took a step back and held out a card called Gishki Emilia. It glowed for a moment before a beautiful woman with red hair wearing a dark blue witch costume appeared with some kind of mirror on a long golden chain around her neck.

"And summoning conditions aren't an issue?" asked Johnathan.

"It doesn't seem to to be," answered the submarine captain.

"We'll let the others know about this right away," said Alexis.

"This could be our strongest weapon yet," Kaiba mused as he got up to leave.

"The problem is they drain our own energy and the stronger the monster the more energy they drain," Victoria warned.

"We'll do our best to keep the students out of it as much as possible," Alexis stated, "They've been through enough."

"Yes, I agree. That last invasion was a horrible ordeal. To have them worry about another one would just bring about needless panic," Johnathan concurred.

"But then who would we have defend the school?" asked Alexis, "Our staff won't be enough."

"I think I know who can help," Victoria suggested.

o o o

Rena and Umi were at the Dual Rose cleaning up and tending to wounded. The cafe was stocked with all sorts of medicinal herbs from Rena's own private collection. The old woman was grinding them up and making them into potions while Umi applied them to the patients. "Rena, can I ask something?" the pop star inquired.

"Certainly, dear," Rena replied.

"I understand your daughter and grandkids went off to help save the school and all that, but what about that Reign guy?" Umi rubbed some salve onto a student's arm. "He didn't go off with them."

"Well there's one of the sixteen seals hidden somewhere on this island," Rena explained, "He's most likely gone to seek it out and find some way to protect it. We're in a land filled with enemies, Umi. We can't afford to let our guard down."

o o o

Across the vast ocean that made up most of Vazrana, an enormous series of ice floes and icebergs known as the Umiiruka surrounded a massive glacier called Permafrost. There in its center was a grand palace made of ice. Within its frozen crystalline walls was a grand throne room with majestic pillars. A wondrous chandelier of ice hung from the ceiling. At the end was a grand throne also made of ice. But seated upon it was not the Frost Monarch who had built this monument of water. It was a stranger in a white mask with spiky ice-blue hair. He was wrapped in a cape blue as the sea with a yellow collar that rose well above his head. His hands, each finger ended with a long red nail, rested on the throne's armrests.

Two guards stood at the throne room's entrance. Each one was an armored spear-wielding warrior known as a Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness. Someone approached and they let him inside. It was a man in a full suit of silver armor. A long scarf of mist trailed from around his neck as a sword hung at his side. He approached the throne and knelt before it. "Lord Madoor!" he greeted with respect, "I bring news!"

The man on the throne, Neo Aqua Madoor, was unmoving. If he bore any sort of expression, it was obscured by his mask. His demeanor was just like the ice around him. The armored man did not wait for permission to speak. "It appears that Terrans have arrived in Ardent. They've established their home base in Vazrana and are no doubt here to find the UnGod's seals, restore them, and vanquish the Six Regent Lords of the UnGod. Your life is in danger, milord."

"Have you forgotten something, Fog King?" Neo Aqua Madoor asked, "They can't get me. I'm Neo Aqua Madoor, the Regent Lord of Vazrana. I command the waters and they obey me. This is my realm and anyone who dares enter shall be frozen!" He held out his hand and clenched his fist tightly. Instantly, two stalagmites of ice rose up around the guards and froze them in place. Fog King watched the demonstration of his master's power unflinching. He knew what he was capable of and yet he still watched him for he knew that to defy him even in a moment such as this was unwise.

"Have I made myself clear?" asked Neo Aqua Madoor.

"Yes, milord," answered Fog King.

"Now prepare the troops. We're attacking the Terrans at their base."

"At once, milord!" Fog King vanished in a tornado of mist, leaving Neo Aqua Madoor alone in the throne room once again. He looked over at his door. He was going to need some new guards.

o o o

The submarine was ready to depart, but Victoria was far from ready to leave herself. She had instructed her crew to stay on alert while she aided in fortifying the island's defenses. Reign was still nowhere to be found, but there was evidence of where he had done his work. There was always an eye in the sky to keep a lookout in all directions. Members of the school faculty had been placed strategically all over the island and given easy methods to get across.

All these efforts were being watched from a window of the school. Marsha had been watching all the commotion from the student council office. The other members of the council sat around the meeting table minding their own business. Issac was reading a book, Stan was playing with a paddle ball, and Tobias was drinking out of a juice box.

"So this is Ardent," Marsha thought aloud as she looked out the window. "I have to say I'm not impressed."

"But if what they said is true..." Issac began.

"It is," Tobias interrupted.

"...then it shouldn't be long for us to get the job done," the vice president finished.

"How do you think I feel?" Tobias asked, "Ever since we got here you've had me working nonstop."

"Stop whining and just do your job," Stan moaned. Tobias sighed and banged his head against the table.

"You're very important to us right now, Tobias," Marsha said without removing her eyes from the window, "We need you to spy on everything happening in the school and with all those groups that went out."

"Ugh, but it's tiring!" Tobias banged his head on the table again as a Spyder Spider crawled into the office. He quickly dismissed it and it vanished, but his energy was no better.

"We need those Spyder Spiders, Tobias. Right now, everything is in your hands." Marsha urged the boy with the ruby-red hair, but Tobias was in no mood to argue. He just kept drinking his juice.

o o o

It was Victoria's first mate who had spotted them first. Off in the distance, a great fleet could be seen approaching. Several Shark Cruisers made up the bulk of its forces with a massive Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness serving as its flagship. The alarm was sounded quickly. Staff informed the students that it was just a drill, but many were not so sure. After what they had just gone through only the night prior many were on edge about the possibilities.

Fog King stood on the bridge of Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness. The ship's captain was at the helm driving the massive seacraft forward. "All units prepare for attack."

"All units prepare for attack," the captain repeated. Across the deck of the massive warship sailors were preparing Cannonball Spear Shellfish while down in the ship's bowels Torpedo Fish were being loaded into the tubes.

"Deploy all units," ordered Fog King.

"Deploy all units," repeated the captain. The order was relayed across all ships and the crew released the enormous supply of Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 units. Legions of Deepsea Warriors and Abyss Soldiers dove into the water. Mermaid Knights, Armed Sea Hunters, Giant Red Seasnakes swam alongside the ships while Atlantean Pikemen had swum ahead to scout.

o o o

"What's the situation?" Victoria demanded upon returning to the submarine.

"Enemy units approaching from the northwest," answered her first mate.

"Who's on that side?" asked the submarine captain. The first mate checked the list.

"Mr. Thulin the English teacher, Miss Marina the girl's P.E. teacher, and Mr. Higsby the math teacher."

"Hmmm. All school teachers. Send reinforcements their way immediately," ordered Victoria.

"Yes, ma'am."

o o o

Mr. Thulin had been the one to see the incoming attack first. His first reaction was to swear. His second reaction was to go with the instructions in case this happened. Reaching for his deck, he pulled out a Monster Card and held it out. In a flash of red light, a Red-Eyes Black Dragon materialized before him and flew out across the sky. As it neared the enemy ships, it opened its mouth and fire began to swell up in the back of its throat. Once it was over its target, it unleashed a deadly Inferno Fire Blast at the nearest Shark Cruiser. Its aim was true and the ship sank, taking along all of its crew. Unfortunately, most of them could swim.

Miss Marina quickly summoned out Levia-Dragon – Daedalus and sent the sea dragon out to assist. The sea serpent took in water through its pores and expelled it at high pressure out of its . Higsby was not far behind and summoned Armed Dragon LV5. His creature could not traverse across the sea so he stayed behind ready for any attackers who made it through the first line of defense. Several projectiles were fired in retaliation, but they were deflected easily as Levia-Dragon - Daedalus dove underwater while Red-Eyes Black Dragon swatted them away like flies. The sea serpent rose back up from the depths coming up through the hull of another Shark Cruiser. Another one seemed focused on the island and suddenly fired two torpedos. Red-Eyes Black Dragon tried to blast them but missed with every shot and Levia-Dragon - Daedalus could not swim fast enough. That was when Higby acted. The blades on Armed Dragon LV5's belly started to spin and several saw blades shot out and cut off the torpedos.

o o o

Rena and Umi were still working when the attack began. But since Alexis had given the order not to announce it, they were still completely unawares. Umi had one boy sitting up against the wall. His arm and chest were bandaged up and she was helping him drink some water. In the backroom, Rena continued to grind up herbs and make them into potions.

"We're out of bandages!" Umi called from the front, "I'll go and see if I can get some more from the school."

"Be careful dear," Rena called back.

Umi laid the boy back down and hurried out to the school. It had always been a bit of a walk because of the cafe's location, but the commute did have a scene view of the sea. As she made her her way along the path, she caught a glimpse of something moving in the water. She looked and saw a submarine moving. "What on earth?" She suddenly remembered that she had a job to do and quickly hurried to get more bandages. She could always try to follow the submarine later. She knew which direction it was heading in; if she was lucky she should be able to find it again.

o o o

Victoria stood on the bridge as her crew navigated the submarine forward. The bow sliced through the water as the ship made its way to the battlefield. "Dive," she ordered. Her crew complied and before long the submarine was underwater. "Target the enemy ships. Launch torpedoes on my mark."

"Incoming naval infantry," a crewman reported. On screen several blips indicating the swimming troops as they approached the submarine at a very fast pace.

"There's no way our torpedoes will hit them," another crewman pointed out.

"We won't need to," replied Victoria, "Do we have enemy ships locked?"

"Enemy ships locked!"

"Fire torpedo one!"

"Firing torpedo one!" The crewman pressed a button and a single projectile was fired. It shot through the water and past the Deepsea Warriors before striking one of the Shark Cruisers, blowing it to bits and the resulting explosion also took out the two nearest ships as well.

o o o

"What was that?" Fog King demanded.

"Three more of our ships were just destroyed," answered the captain as he relayed a message from his navigator.

"I can see that. Where did it come from? That dragon certainly didn't attack them and that explosion wasn't from a water-based attack." Fog King narrowed his eyes. "Something else is out there."

o o o

Thanks to the attack from the submarine, the swimming soldiers focused their attention on it and began to attack. Thankfully the ship's hull was strong enough to deflect their spears, swords, harpoons, tridents, and teeth. However, the torpedoes of the Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 units would be a different story. Despite their weapons being weaker than the sub's, their numbers would make up for their lack of power. Additionally, their small size made them much harder to hit. Before long, Victoria could feel the impacts and her men were reporting damages.

"We need to destroy those units quickly," she muttered. No sooner had the words escaped her lips, a new blip appeared on radar. But instead of heading straight toward the submarine it swam past and went straight for the enemy units.

Outside in the ocean, a man with wild blue hair rode on a large blue shark through the waters. He was armed with a single harpoon which he thrust into one of the Ambibious Bugroth MK-3 units and pulled it out quickly before it exploded. A fireball erupted from its shell but was quickly doused out by the waters. The shark swam to the surface and in one fantastic leap the man jumped out into the air. He took in a deep breath before diving back into the water and mounting the shark once again. His pet continued to swim through all the enemies batting some aside with its nose while sinking its teeth into others. The man impaled enemy after enemy with his harpoon, moving methodically through their ranks and landing effective strikes.

With this newcomer dealing with the troops, Victoria's crew was free to concentrate their firepower on the ships. Torpedos were fired and more Shark Cruisers sank. Levia-Dragon - Daedalus swam through the ocean and rammed into some more of the ships while blasting away at more of the deep sea creatures. Above the surface of the sea, Red-Eyes Black Dragon continued firing one Inferno Fire Blast after another, each attack sinking another ship.

However it did not stop there. More reinforcements were making their way from the island. Mr. Gizmo's Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon flew in with Dr. Snappe's Dark Eradicator Warlock riding on its head. While the former unleashed its barrage of missiles the latter cast powerful spells of black magic down onto the fleet. "Enough of this," growled Fog King. He exited the bridge and walked out into the middle of the deck. He raised his sword over his head and a thick blanket of fog suddenly covered the sea. With vision suddenly dropping immensely, the attacks above the water ceased.

However, the battle continued under the water. As the shark-riding man continued his assault, Fog King was able to catch glimpses of him when he surfaced for air. He recognized him almost immediately; that man had been a thorn in his side for far too long. "The Legendary Fisherman," he growled. He slammed his sword against the deck and a shockwave rippled across the waters. It was not a testament of his power; the vibrations that travelled through the water carried with them a message for the Legendary Fisherman's ears only.

His attention was grabbed and the man soon surfaced. The enemies had retreated and Victoria also found it fitting to surface as well. As she stepped out of the hatch the fog cleared and she could see the man who had helped her in battle mere moments ago speaking now to the armored man.

"Your fleet has been defeated once again, Fog King!" the Legendary Fisherman said as he stood up on his shark, "Return now to your master and never show yourself in these waters again!"

"These waters belong to the Ice Wizard," Fog King answered, "and to launch an attack on his forces in his waters is a crime against the king of Vazrana!"

"Mobius is the true king of this land!" the Legendary Fisherman retaliated, "The Ice Wizard is but an usurper to the throne."

"He is this land's Regent Lord, bestowed upon the throne by the UnGod himself!"

"I do not acknowledge your UnGod as any god!"

"Choose your words carefully, cur, or they shall be your last!" Fog King pointed his sword at the Legendary Fisherman in warning. As he held his blade out, he noticed the approaching submarine. "Well, it appears the Terrans from that island have come to submit to the Ice Wizard."

"Far from it." Victoria stood proudly on the tower, hands behind her back. She had one hand positioned near her pistol, though, in case she needed to draw it quickly. "We are here to defend this island. And if this Ice Wizard is the one behind it, then our mission is clear. He must die."

Fog King laughed. "You truly think you can defeat the Ice Wizard?"

"That is my plan!" the Legendary Fisherman yelled, "And it appears that I have rallied others to join my cause!"

_You never rallied us. We just happen to have the same goal_, Victoria thought.

"Let's see just how dedicated you are to your cause then." Fog King's mist cape suddenly changed from icy blue to a ghostly indigo. "You've been a thorn in my side for far too long, Legendary Fisherman. It's time to put an end to that."

"Ha! You cannot kill me! And if you do, my legacy shall live on! Others shall join the good fight!"

"I have no intention of killing you," Fog King replied. His indigo mist seeped down the sides of Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness and swept across the ocean surface. Tendrils of vapor reached out and grabbed the Legendary Fisherman and pulled him up. He struggled against their grip but found himself tightly bound. Before long the mist was forcing itself down his throat. His eyes went blank, then suddenly his body started to radiate with indigo mist and his eyes had changed to match as well.

Satisfied with his spell's results, Fog King brought the Legendary Fisherman on board and placed him at the prow. "He is now my servant. All the fights he fought now bear no meaning. He is a slave to the Ice Wizard now."

"You may have enslaved his mind, but his will lives on in the hearts of others," Victoria announced.

"Care to put that to a test?" Fog King challenged, "Defeat my puppet in a duel."

"I accept," Victoria said quickly. She took a key out and opened a waterproof door on the box in front of her on the tower. She put the key inside and turned it. At once a panel slid open, revealing a Duel Terminal. Victoria produced a deck from her uniform jacket and shuffled it.

Fog King watched and then held up a black box with horns and teeth. "The Ice Wizard has rewarded my loyalty to him with his greatest weapon. In doing so he has found me worthy of his power. Now let it be used! I now invoke the Indoctrination of the Tide! Chaos Exultation!" The Soul Gate's mouth opened and the demonic bloodshot eye inside began to pour out streams of darkness. The remaining Deepsea Warriors, Mermaid Knights, Abyss Soldiers, Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 units, Torpedo Fish, Cannonball Spear Shellfish, and even Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness itself were swallowed up and pulled inside the device. When all were absorbed, the eye glowed and a deck appeared in Fog King's hand. He handed it to his puppet as a pitch-black version of Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness appeared underneath them, a Duel Terminal now in front of the Legendary Fisherman.

"Let the duel commence!"

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 8000

**Legendary Fisherman:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Let us begin." Fog King issued his command and the Legendary Fisherman drew his first card. "Let's begin by summoning Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness." He waved his hand and the enslaved fisherman played the card. Instantly the ship on which they stood regained its color (ATK/2100 DEF/1200)

"Now hold there!" Victoria demanded, "Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness is a level five monster. How were you able to summon it without a tribute?"

"Quite easily." Fog King pointed out to the water. "This is the Legendary Ocean. This grants all Water creatures additional power as well as ease to summon."

"A Legendary Ocean that is always active," muttered Victoria. She suddenly brought herself back to the duel. This was not the time to be impressed. Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness' attack and defense power rose up to twenty-three hundred points and fourteen hundred points respectively.

"We shall conclude with two shields," announced Fog King. The Legendary Fisherman placed two cards facedown and ended his turn.

"Draw." Victoria drew her first card. Since the effects of A Legendary Ocean were active, that meant her monsters were also lowered by one level and given a power boost. She had to plan her move carefully. "I summon Gishki Chain in attack mode!" She palyed her card and summoned out a reptilian sea creature wielding a spear on a long chain onto the deck of the submarine just below her (ATK/1800 DEF/1000). Thanks to the effects of the ocean, its attack power was raised to two thousand and its defense became twelve hundred. "When Gishki Chain is summoned, I can look at the top three cards of my deck. If I find any Ritual Spells or Ritual Monsters among them, I can reveal it to you to add it to my hand. The rest of the cards can then be placed back on top of my deck in any order I see fit." She picked up the top three cards and looked at them. She selected a card called Gishki Aquamirror and then placed the other two cards back the way she had found them for she was satisfied with how they were ordered to begin with.

"Now I play the Ritual Spell Card Gishki Aquamirror!" A golden mirror with a diamond-shaped frame and twelve orbs around its perimeter appeared in front of the tower. It seemed like nothing special apart from its beauty, but it housed a special power. "Thanks to the field, all of my monsters have been dropped by one level. That means the sacrifices for my Rituals must be greater. So I'll sacrifice Gishki Chain on my field and Gishki Beast in my hand." Both monsters were pulled into the mirror and once they had been absorbed, an emblem appeared in the glass. It looked exactly like the mirror itself but in the center where the glass was a skull had taken up the space. "I Ritual Summon Evigishki Tetrogre!" Blue light shimmered out of the mirror and brought forth a muscular blue sea creature in blue armor. A sleeveless robe draped over its shoulders and large shield clung to his back with two swords sticking (ATK/2600 DEF/2100). The power of the ocean raised its power to twenty-eight hundred attack points and twenty-three hundred defense points.

"Quickly, Fisherman! Activate Threatening Roar!" ordered Fog King. The mind-controlled Legendary Fisherman activated one of the facedowns and a thunderous roar echoed across the sea, preventing any attacks from launched that turn.

"Then I'll use my Evigishki Tetrogre's effect," Victoria announced, "By declaring a card type, we each choose one card of that type from our decks and send them to the graveyard. I select Monster."

"Fisherman, send Codarus to a watery grave," ordered Fog King.

"I'll send Gishki Shellfish," declared Victoria. After she placed her card into her graveyard, she continued. "When Gishki is sent to my graveyard by a card effect, his effect lets me look at the top three cards of my deck and send them to the top or bottom of my deck in any order." She examined her three cards carefully. She took her bottommost card and placed it on top and then put them back on top of her deck.

"I'll set one card and end my turn." She couldn't do anything else with the Threatening Roar's effect still lingering on the field.

"Draw!" commanded Fog King. The Legendary Fisherman obeyed without question and drew. "Now activate the second shield, invoking the power of the Ultimate Offering!" His mind slave obeyed and activated the second Trap Card. "Summon Amphibious Bugroth MK-3." The mechanical submersible with its dual torpedo tubes appeared on the field (ATK/1500 DEF/1300) and its power rose to seventeen-hundred attack points and fifteen-hundred defense points.

"Excellent. Now summon forth Torpedo Fish and Cannonball Spear Shellfish by giving the Ultimate Offering!" The Legendary Fisherman obeyed and sacrificed one thousand Life Points.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 8000

**Legendary Fisherman:** 7000

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

A fish-shaped torpedo (ATK/1000 DEF/1000) appeared underneath Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness and a slime monster with a steel drill-shaped shell (ATK/1000 DEF/1000) appeared on the deck. The ocean's power boosted them both up to twelve-hundred attack and defense each.

"Fire on my command!" Fog King pointed his sword at Evigishki Tetrogre. "Fire!" Torpedo Fish was fired from the ship and it shot through the water. It surfaced only briefly and crashed into its target, killing it on impact. "Fire again!" This time Fog King pointed at Victoria's facedown and Cannonball Spear Shellfish was fired into the air. It locked onto the facedown card and its shell started spinning. As it came in contact with its target, Victoria chained it.

"I activate Ceremonial Mirror of Illusion. I can Special Summon a Gishki Ritual Monster from my hand ignoring the summoning conditions. It can't attack and it returns to my hand on the End Phase, but it's enough. Evigishki Mind Angus, come forth!" A grotesque fish with spider legs and razor teeth appeared with a young water mage riding on its back (ATK/2500 DEF/2000). Its power rose to twenty-seven hundred attack points and twenty-two hundred defense points.

"Reload immediately!" commanded Fog King. The Legendary Fisherman played the last card in his hand, Salvage. He used it to bring Torpedo Fish and Cannonball Spear Shellfish back to his hand. Then he paid another one thousand Life Points.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 8000

**Legendary Fisherman:** 6000

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Cannonball Spear Shellfish and Torpedo Fish were reloaded onto the field and the latter was fired instantly. It shot across the sea and exploded when it made contact with Evigishki Mind Angus.

Fog King chortled and pointed forward with his sword. "The way is open! Attack!" Cannonball Spear Shellfish was first. It launched itself into the air and came down on Victoria with its shell spinning.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 6800

**Legendary Fisherman:** 6000

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 was the next one to go. It swam forward and fired its torpedoes. They shot through the water and collided with Victoria's submarine.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 5100

**Legendary Fisherman:** 6000

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now final attack! Go, Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness!" Fog King struck the deck with his blade and all of the ships gun batteries turned and opened fire, raining bullets on Victoria and her craft.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 2800

**Legendary Fisherman:** 6000

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Let's see if you can retaliate from that!" Fog King challenged as he laughed.

Victoria stood up after that onslaught and drew her card. "I start by playing Preparation of Rites. This card lets me choose one level seven or lower Ritual Monster from my deck and one Ritual Spell Card from my graveyard and add them to my hand. I select Evigishki Gustkrake and Gishki Aquamirror." Once she had the cards in her hand, she proceeded with her turn.

"I play Gishki Aquamirror and I'll sacrifice Gishki Shadow, whose effect lets him be used as the entire tribute for the Ritual Summon of a Water Ritual Monster. With that I Ritual Summon Evigishki Soul Ogre." The Aquamirror apeared and Gishki Shadow was absorbed. Once inside, the Gishki emblem appeared on its glass and a shimmering blue light deposited a mutant sea creature with taloned feet and webbed hands (ATK/2800 DEF/2800). The power of the ocean increased both its attack and defense to three thousand each.

"Now I Normal Summon Gishki Marker." A man with an octopus for his head wielding a trident appeared (ATK/1600 DEF/1200) whose stats were instantly raised to eighteen hundred attack and fourteen hundred defense. "With his effect, I can return one Gishki Monster or Ritual Spell Card from my graveyard to my hand and I select Gishki Shadow." Victoria dug through her graveyard and pulled the card she desired out and placed it in her hand. "Now I activate the power of Gishki Soul Ogre. By discarding one Gishki monster in my hand, I can choose one face-up card controlled by my opponent and shuffle it back into his deck. My selection is Amphibious Bugroth MK-3." Victoria discarded her Evigishki Gustkrake and Evigishki Soul Ogre fired a stream of water that washed Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 off the field." Now Gishki Marker, atack Cannonball Spear Shellfish!" Gishki Marker dove into the sea and swam across to the giant killer whale ship. It boarded it swiftly, ran across the deck, and stabbed his trident into his intended target.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 2800

**Legendary Fisherman:** 5400

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Evigishki Soul Ogre, attack Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness," ordered Victoria. On her command, her creature smashed the submarine's deck and a tsunami rose up front of it and moved toward the enemy. Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness was tossed about wildly and slowly reverted back to its pitch-black color.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 2800

**Legendary Fisherman:** 4700

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"That's all for now."

"Draw!" Fog King gave his order and the Legendary Fisherman drew. "It's not over yet! Summon that Amphibious Bugroth!" A second Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 appeared. "Attack directly!" The mechanical submersible dove under water and swam past Victoria's front line before bombing her with torpedoes.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 1100

**Legendary Fisherman:** 4700

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"You are nearly finished. Surrender now and we may spare you!" Fog King watched his opponent to see her reaction.

"A true soldier never backs down!" Victoria drew her next card. "I play Gishki Aquamirror and I'll sacrifice Gishki Shadow to summon my most powerful monster of all." The mirror appeared and Gishki Shadow was absorbed. "I Ritual Summon Evigishki Zealgigas!" The blue light shimmered from the mirror and a giant four-armed god of the sea emerged (ATK/3200 DEF/0). The ocean's magic raised his attack and defense points to thirty-four hundred and two hundred respectively.

"Now I activate the effect of Evigishki Zealgigas. By paying one thousand Life Points, I can draw one card and if it's a Gishki monster, I can shuffle one card on the field back into its owner's deck."

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 100

**Legendary Fisherman:** 4700

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

With only a mere one hundred Life Points left, Victoria hoped her card could pull through. She drew and looked at her card. What she saw made her smile. "I drew Gishki Abyss! Zealgigas' effect resolves!" Evigishki Zealgigas summoned a whirlpool below Amphibious Bugroght MK-3 and swallowed it up completely.

"Marker, attack!" Gishki Marker went first and swam over to stab his target in the chest with his trident.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 100

**Legendary Fisherman:** 3000

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Finish him, Evigishki Soul Ogre," ordered Victoria. She watched with her arms crossed as Evigishki Soul Ogre sent another tsunami and struck down her opponent with a single stroke.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 100

**Legendary Fisherman:** 0

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"No! This can't be! Grah, this puppet is useless!" cursed Fog King.

"You have lost," Victoria said confidently, "The Fisherman's will lives on."

"Gahahaha! He won't as long as my mist still holds control over him!" The Legendary Fisherman grinned and indigo mist poured out through his teeth.

"Then I shall release him!" A new voice had spoken as a silver Aquamirror appeared. It spun around on the spot and was soon revealed to be the head of a staff held by a young blue-haired witch in black robes and a hat as she seemed to magically teleport in.

"Who are you?" demanded Fog King.

"I am Ariel of the Gishki tribe," the young woman announced as she stood on a pillar of water she had conjured below her feet, "and with these rejuvenating waters, I release the Legendary Fisherman from your spell!" She infused magic from her staff into the water and several tendrils of the liquid slithered up Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness and surrounded the Legendary Fisherman. The large bubble suddenly dispersed and the man was no longer radiating with indigo mist.

"Huh? What has happened?" He turned around. "Fog King!"

"Curse you all!" swore Fog King as he jumped up and landed on the roof of the ship's bridge. "You haven't heard the last of me!" And with that he disappeared into the mist.

Ariel nodded and moved closer to the sinking battleship, raising her water pillar higher to reach its deck. She stepped off and approached the Legendary Fisherman. "Are you well?"

"I am well," the man said. Victoria's submarine pulled up next to the ship and the pair moved onto its deck as Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness sank beneath the waves. The captain climbed down from the tower and stepped forward.

"I watched the duel from the waters," Ariel said, "You commanded my tribe well. For that I am grateful. You have shown that the Gishki tribe is not to be taken lightly. Please tell me, why have you come?"

"I actually came back to see if the school was safe," Victoria began to answer, but then she heard yelling. She turned and saw Umi, Miss Marina, Milena, and Alexis approaching riding on the turtle of Mermaid Archer. They waited until the four women reached the submarine and boarded the deck.

"Is the battle over?" asked Milena.

"Affirmative," Victoria confirmed.

"What's all this going on?" asked Umi, "I know we're in another world, but that's it."

"Well when we left that time, we learned that each realm of this land possesses seals that bind the UnGod's power. We have chosen to split up and explore these realms in order to find these seals and repair them."

"We should go then!" Umi urged.

"My orders were to stay and protect the school," Victoria said firmly.

"We have everything under control now," Alexis said, "The best thing you can do now is go and find the seals in this realm. You can leave the school to us. If anything should arise, we can handle it."

"There, you see? Let's go!" Umi proceeded up the ladder to the tower where the hatch to the submarine's interior waited.

"Ariel..." Alexis turned to Miss Marina, "Go with them. They may need your help."

"I'll do everything I can, Chancellor Rhodes."

"You will need my guidance," Milena said.

"And of course, mine as well!" said the Legendary Fisherman.

"Much appreciated," Victoria replied, "Captain Collins."

"Tsunami. That is all I am known as in these waters," the Legendary Fisherman replied.

"Come inside. It's going to be a long voyage. We have comfortable quarters and food," Victoria invited.

"I must decline. I am a man of the sea and so I shall stay with the sea," Tsunami answered. Victoria shrugged and quickly led Umi, Ariel, Milena, and Miss Marina into the submarine. Before they left, Alexis was picked up Johnathan on Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon and taken back to Duel Academy.

The quest through Vazrana had begun.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

A storm brews and the crew find themselves caught in the middle. Violent churning waters, strong winds, heavy rain, and thick dark clouds are the bane of every sailor. Can they survive? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	152. Storm Clouds

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-65**

**Storm Clouds**

The guest quarters were comfortable as Victoria had promised. However, nobody seemed to be in them right now. The submarine was cruising along the surface of the ocean. Whenever she could, Victoria liked to sail along the open waters. The ocean breeze and the smell of the sea relaxed her and gave her time to think. On the deck below her, Milena stood behind the large cannon gazing out at the sea.

"Keep sailing in this direction!" the woman called to the captain, "When the temperature begins to drop, dive and continue the approach underwater. As long as we can't be detected by the Ice Wizard, we should be able to maintain the element of surprise."

After what had happened with Roman, Victoria was not to keen on taking orders anymore. However, the way Milena spoke didn't seem like orders. She hadn't hired Victoria or her crew. She had offered to be their guide through this endless sea. Neither party was working for the other; it had been a mutually agreed-upon partnership.

Tsunami was riding on his shark, which was swimming alongside the submarine. Though the Legendary Fisherman had been offered many times to ride on the seacraft, he had declined. Victoria looked down at him. Surely the even the shark would get tired. Right below her sitting against the base of the tower, Ariel watched the waves lapping over each other as they passed.

Meanwhile, down inside the submarine, Umi had helped herself to some food from the galley. The cook hadn't prepared for any meals, so she was only able to get a glass of water and a meager sandwich. Miss Marina had taken to her provided quarters with a book. This was a military submarine, so suffice to say there were bound to be restricted areas. She made clear to stick to the areas she knew for sure she was permitted to enter.

A messenger climbed the ladder up to the tower and passed a message onto Victoria from the navigator. She took it and read it over quickly and thorough. Once she had done so, she took a lighter and lit the piece of paper on fire. She let it burn in her hand for a moment and released it before the flames reached her fingers, letting the embers fly past her. "We're on course. We just have to maintain speed and direction."

"I sense something I am most uneasy about," Ariel thought out loud.

"I wouldn't not doubt your senses," Victoria replied, "I'll have my crew prepare for enemies."

o o o

A frog rested in Neo Aqua Madoor's lap as he sat on the Frigid Throne gently stroking the creature. Fog King had returned from his last mission a while ago and devised a new plan. After explaining it to the Ice Wizard, he left quickly to carry it out. Neo Aqua Madoor was skeptical, but he decided to let him carry out his plan.

"We can always replace Fog King, after all," he said to his pet.

o o o

The submarine continued sailing. But as it made its way closer to Permafrost, the weather seemed to take a change. Clouds began to gather and darken and winds started to pick up. Victoria ordered everybody inside and then turned to Tsunami, but the fisherman declined.

"I have braved far worse than this storm!" he shouted as the winds picked up. After a few more unsuccessful attempts, Victoria went inside herself and shut the hatch. The waves started getting bigger and grew increasingly more violent. Soon rain began to pour and lightning flashed in the distance. The submarine started to dive and was quickly submerged below the waters away from the torrential storm. However, even underwater they were at the mercy of the currents. Victoria could feel the submarine being pushed back and forth as it tried to maintain its path.

"Report!" Victoria ordered.

"This is nothing like I've ever seen before!" a crewman reported, "These currents aren't natural."

"Let me see." Victoria looked at the console and scanned it over. He was right. The movement of the currents was definitely unnatural. "What's going on?"

o o o

High in the sky, Fog King stood in the very eye of the storm. His mist cape blew wildly around him as he hovered in the air with the raging winds blowing around him. He swung his arm to the left and several clouds followed his movements. He swung his other arm the other way and more clouds moved. Thunder erupted as lightning flashed before him. "Succumb to my storm!" Fog King bellowed as he thrust an arm down and sent a tornado upon the sea.

"Hide under the sea all you want, you cannot escape the Eye of the Typhoon!" Fog King cackled as the clouds shifted around and a massive eye opened up in them behind him.

o o o

Tsunami had braved storms like this before and he knew exactly who was behind it. The roars of the wind and the rage of the sea. He had often found himself in the middle of these very storm and for the very same reason they were always on him. They were caused by one man and one man only.

"Fog King!" Tsunami shouted as he surfaced, he and his shark thrown out into the open of the air. "Show yourself, you coward!" He grabbed onto his sea companion's fin and dove back under the waves. Moments later he surfaced again, his eyes scanning the sky for signs of the devious monster. "Come out and fight me like a man!"

His words seemed to have reached their intended listener for the clouds parted and a clearing was made to allow Fog King to see down clearly to the man in the sea. "Once again we meet!" Tsunami said.

"I have no time to deal with your likes," Fog King responded. He held out a hand and summoned a red cloud creature. "Kill him." The monster grunted and flew down. On the open water, Tsunami held his harpoon ready. He looked at this creature and noticed that its body seemed to be rather dense. However, it would not live for much longer. He drew back his arm and threw his harpoon with all his might. It struck the cloud creature and it burst, showering him with red mist.

"Ha! Your monster was no match for me!"

"It was never intended to be," Fog King answered.

Tsunami had no idea what he meant by that. But then he suddenly started feeling faint. He could feel himself getting hotter and his lungs were on fire. Then he realized what was going on. He had been poisoned! As he crumpled against his shark's back, he heard Fog King's laughter echoing overhead. "Fitting that you shall die in the sea which you love so much. But you shall not die a warrior's death. Martyring you is not how in intended you to die. You will suffer until your demise and when your last breath has been drawn, you will sink into the waters where you shall be consumed by its inhabitants. There will be no corpse left. The Legendary Fisherman will be completely wiped from existence."

"Curse...you..."

"Now I must continue my work."

Suddenly a surface-to-air missile shot out of the sea and struck Fog King. At that moment, the submarine rose out of the waters. The hatch opened and Victoria and Milena emerged wearing yellow slickers. Ariel came out after them and her eyes immediately fell upon Tsunami. She cried out his name and quickly ran to the edge of the submarine's deck. She held out her wand and began casting a healing spell on him. While she was busy, Milena and Victoria turned their attention to Fog King, who by now was descending from the sky and came to a stop in front of the submarine hovering a few meters over the waves. Milena stepped down from the tower and walked toward him. A line had been secured to her to make sure she would not be washed away.

"So the Terrans choose to submit themselves to my storm over the sea. Either way, you shall die."

"No one is dying today but you," replied Milena, "Fog King, I challenge you to a duel!"

"A duel? You're not serious, are you?"

Milena pulled a Duel Disk out from under her slicker. It was a different model, rough, cold, and seemingly made of steel. It was clearly made to last. On its surface, the faded logo of the USSR could just barely be seen. She slipped it on her arm and activated it. Even in the harsh storm, it seemed to work fine. She took out her deck and put it into the deck slot. Each card was protected from the weather by an ice-blue card sleeve; they were old and weathered but they did well to protect the cards from the elements.

"Very well, I shall indulge you." Fog King's mist cape shifted and created a Duel Disk like formation in front of his chest. It seemed to look like a Duel Coat used by some of the teachers at Duel Academy. He held his sword up to the sky and several clouds came spiraling down toward its tip and wrapping around its blade. They traveled down the hilt, along his arm, and into his free hand where they assembled into a deck. Fog King put his card in place.

"Let the duel commence!"

–––––––––––––––––

**Milena:** 8000

**Fog King:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

"I shall commence." Fog King drew his first card, "I begin with Summon Cloud!" The clouds overhead opened up and a face appeared in them. "Once per turn if I control no creatures I can Special Summon one Cloudian from my hand or the graveyards. Behold now, Cloudian - Atlus!" From high above the clouds, an enormous fat yellow cloud descended and appeared in front of Fog King (ATK/1300 DEF/0). The ocean's power raised its power to fifteen hundred attack points and two hundred defense points. "Now I shall summon Cloudian - Turbulence." A blue tornado with arms descended from the clouds (ATK/800 DEF/0) only to have its stats go up to one thousand attack and two hundred defense. "Upon his summon, he gains a Fog Counter for every Cloudian on the field. Since I have Cloudian - Turbulence and Cloudian - Atlus present, that makes tow." Two small clouds appeared around Cloudian - Turbulence.

"I now resume. I invoke the magic of Cloudian - Turbulence! By sacrificing a Fog Counter, he can call forth a Cloudian - Smoke Ball." Fog King removed two Fog Counters and from the torrential winds of Cloudian - Turbulence, two small white clouds appeared with adorable little faces (ATK/200 DEF/600). They settled down in defensive positions as the sea raised their power to four hundred attack and eight hundred I invoke the spell Cloudian Squall." The card appeared beside Fog King next to Summon Cloud. "Then I shall invoke the spell Lucky Cloud. Upon the conclusion of my turn, I may draw two cards since I summoned two Cloudians with the same name. Lastly I shall defend myself with a shield." Fog King placed his last card facedown in front of him. "Now, try to retaliate!" Upon this, his Lucky Cloud's effect activated and he drew two cards.

"My move." Milena drew her first card. "You clearly control more than four cards than I do. That lets me summon Medium of the Ice Barrier!" A woman in a blue dress with aquamarine hair appeared on the field (ATK/2200 DEF/1600). Her stats went up to twenty-four hundred attack points and eighteen hundred defense points. "As long as she's in play, you can only activate one Spell or Trap per turn. Next I summon Strategist of the Ice Barrier." And old man with a blue robe wearing a blue wide hat and holding a fan appeared (ATK/1600 DEF/1600). His attack and defense points immediately rose to eighteen hundred.

"Now I'll activate the effect of Strategist of the Ice Barrier. By discarding one Ice Barrier monster from my hand, I can draw a card." Milena discarded a copy of Secret Guards of the Ice Barrier and drew her card. "Strategist of the Ice Barrier, attack Cloudian - Turbulence!" The old man opened his fan and swung his arm, creating a gust of chilling wind that blasted through Cloudian - Turbulence.

–––––––––––––––––

**Milena:** 8000

**Fog King:** 7200

–––––––––––––––––

"Impressive, but clouds cannot be destroyed so easily." Fog King held his ground as the clouds reformed back into Cloudian - Turbulence.

Milena grumbled. She was not too happy that the Cloudians could not die on combat. However, the fact that Battle Damage was still applied was enough to make up for it. "Medium of the Ice Barrier, attack Cloudian - Turbulence!" Medium of the Ice Barrier cried out and her screams echoed and blasted pillars of ice out from below and impaled Cloudian - Turbulence.

–––––––––––––––––

**Milena:** 8000

**Fog King:** 5800

–––––––––––––––––

Once again, Cloudian - Turbulence was able to pull itself back together.

"I end!" Milena announced.

"Draw!" Fog King drew his card. "Now the power of Cloudian Squall activates. Every face-up creature gains one Fog Counter." Six white clouds appeared and were distributed evenly among the six monsters on the field. "Now I remove Cloudian - Turbulence's Fog Counter to summon another Cloudian - Smoke Ball." A third Smoke Ball appeared on the field. "Next I activate Sanctuary in the Sky." A floating palace appeared and instantly the effects of the ocean were removed.

"Now I sacrifice Cloudian - Turbulence and three Cloudian - Smoke Balls in order to summon Cloudian - Nimbusman!" The four clouds vanished and in their place a big white cloud shaped like a human appeared (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "For every creature sacrificed in its name, Cloudian - Nimbusman gains a Fog Counter and for each Fog Counter on the field, his power rises by five hundred!" Four Fog Counters appeared around Cloudian Nimbusman and his attack points rose by thirt-five thousand, becoming forty-five hundred attack points.

"Now I remove one Cloudian - Smoke Ball from the grave to Special Summon Cloudian - Storm Dragon." A cloud shaped like a dragon formed and roared (ATK/1000 DEF/0). "And the power of Cloudian - Storm Dragon allows me to place another Fog Counter on one creature." Cloudian - Storm Dragon roared and coughed up a Fog Token that attached onto Cloudian Nimbusman, raising its attack power to five thousand.

"Attack Strategist of the Ice Barrier!" Fog King pointed with his sword and Cloudian - Nimbusman moved in and blasted Strategist of the Ice Barrier with a cloud fist.

–––––––––––––––––

**Milena:** 4600

**Fog King:** 5800

–––––––––––––––––

With one less Fog Counter on the field, Cloudian - Nimbusman's attack points dropped down to forty-five hundred. "Show me now what you can do!" Fog King challenged as he ended his turn.

"Draw!" Milena drew her card. "I summon Defender of the Ice Barrier!" An armored fox appeared with a ridge of ice spikes running down the length of its tail (ATK/200 DEF/1600). "As long as I command another Ice Barrier, no monster you control with an attack higher than my Defender of the Ice Barrier's defense can attack. Now Medium of the Ice Barrier, attack Cloudian - Storm Dragon!" Medium of the Ice Barrier let out her scream and it echoed across the field and impaled Cloudian - Storm Dragon with an ice spear.

"What's going on?" asked Milena, "Why aren't you taking Battle Damage?"

"The Sanctuary in the Sky protects me from that," answered Fog King.

"But that only works if a Fairy monster battles."

"Precisely."

It was then that realization hit Milena. Cloudians were Fairy-type monsters!

"You appear to be out of options, so I'll draw."

"Not yet!" Milena interrupted, "I'll place a facedown. Now I end my turn!"

Fog King drew his card. At that moment, Cloudian Squall's effect activated and distributed Fog Counters onto Medium of the Ice Barrier, Defender of the Ice Barrier, Cloudian - Nimbusman, Cloudian - Atlus, and Cloudian - Storm Dragon.

"Now Cloudian - Storm Dragon, place a Fog Counter on Cloudian - Atlus." The Cloudian monster added another counter to Cloudian - Nimbusman. With thirteen Fog Counters on the field now, The big cloud monster's attack points skyrocketted to seventy-five hundred.

"I summon Cloudian - Cirrostratus!" A white cloud with cat-like features and long curly whiskers appeared (ATK/900 DEF/0). "When it's Normal Summoned, Cloudian - Cirrostratus gains a Fog Counter for every Cloudian on the field. I have Cloudian - Cirrostratus, Cloudian - Nimbusman, Cloudian - Atlus, and Cloudian - Storm Dragon. That means four counters." Four Fog Counters attached themselves to Cloudian - Cirrostratus and Cloudian Nimbusman's attack points jumped to ninety-five hundred

"Now I invoke the power of Cloudian - Cirrostratus. By removing two Fog Counters from it, it can destroy one monster." Two Fog Counters were lifted from Cloudian - Cirrostratus and Cloudian - Nimbusman's attack dropped to eighty-five hundred. Cloudian - Cirrostratus hacked up a cloud like a furball and it floated over to Medium of the Ice Barrier and exploded, killing her instantly. With two more Fog Counters gone, Cloudian - Nimbusman's attack points dropped to seventy-five hundred.

"Now Cloudian - Cirrostratus, once more!" Two more Fog Counters were removed from Cloudian - Cirrostratus and another cloud was hacked out and it destroyed Defender of the Ice Barrier. Three less Fog Counters resulted in Cloudian - Nimbusman's attack points reaching six thousand.

"End her!" commanded Fog King. Cloudian - Nimbusman raised an arm and fired a cloud fist.

"Activate Mirror Force!" Milena revealed her facedown and the cloud fist struck a reflective barrier that blasted it back with such power that it destroyed all the Cloudians with one blow.

"No!"

"Yes..." Milena smiled and Fog King glared at her angrily.

"I use the power of Summon Cloud to resurrect Cloudian - Cirrostratus!" Cloudian - Cirrostratus reappeared on the field and upon being revived Summon Cloud was destroyed by its own effect. "I conclude."

"I draw." Milena drew her card. "And I'll begin with Magic Triangle of the Ice Barrier. Here's how it works. I reveal three Ice Barrier monsters in my hand to destroy one card you control. Then I can Special Summon an Ice Barrier monster from my hand." She proceeded then to reveal the remaining three cards in her hand: General Gantala of the Ice Barrier, General Grunard of the Ice Barrier, and Defender of the Ice Barrier." The three creatures appeared briefly on the field for a moment channeling a magical circle. It then blasted Cloudian Cirrostratus with an ice beam, freezing it and then letting it crumble.

"Now I Special Summon General Grunard of the Ice Barrier." A man in regal heavy ice armor appeared (ATK/2800 DEF/1000). "His effect lets me Normal Summon Ice Barrier monsters twice each turn. So now I'll Normal Summon Defender of the Ice Barrier." A second Defender appeared.

"I proceed to my Battle Phase. Defender of the Ice Barrier, attack!" Defender of the Ice Barrier ran over to Fog King and bit him.

–––––––––––––––––

**Milena:** 4600

**Fog King:** 5600

–––––––––––––––––

"General Grunard, attack!" General Grunard of the Ice Barrier held out his hands and formed several swords out of the ice. He rotated them around himself for a moment before firing them all at once into Fog King.

–––––––––––––––––

**Milena:** 4600

**Fog King:** 2800

–––––––––––––––––

"Now I'll sacrifice them for General Gantala of the Ice Barrier!" The two monsters disappeared and in their place appeared a dark-skinned monk with hands glowing with ice (ATK/2700 DEF/2000). "I end my turn and now General Gantala's effect activates. On the End Phase, he can resurrect one Ice Barrier monster from the grave except for himself or another General Gantala. I shall use it to bring back General Grunard." General Grunard of the Ice Barrier soon rejoined the field and the two generals stood strong together.

Fog King drew his card. All he needed to do was summon a Fairy-type Cloudian. None of them could die in battle and as long as he had the Sanctuary in the Sky in play, he could not take Battle Damage. And as luck would have it, he had the card. "I summon Cloudian - Acid Cloud!" A green humanoid cloud with a crown on its head appeared before him (ATK/500 DEF/0). Upon its summoning, its effect activated, allowing it to gain one Fog Counter. "Your turn."

Milena drew her card. "I summon Shock Troops of the Ice Barrier!" She placed the card on her Duel Disk and summoned an ice wizard garbed in blue with his face covered and wielding a silver staff (ATK/1500 DEF/800). "Now for his effect. By tributing him, I can select one Water monster on the field and destroy it. After that, I can add an Ice Barrier monster to my hand. So now by sacrificing my Shock Troops, I will destroy Cloudian - Acid Cloud!" She took the monster off her field and placed it in her graveyard. In that instant, Shock Troops of the Ice Barrier fired off a spell in the form of a whirling cone of frigid air that struck Cloudian - Acid Cloud until it froze then letting it crumble in the form of snow, leaving Fog King wide open.

"No!"

"General Grunard, attack directly!" ordered Milena. General Grunard of the Ice Barrier summoned several swords out of the ice and had them rotate around his body for a brief moment before he gave the order and sent them all flying toward Fog King.

–––––––––––––––––

**Milena:** 4600

**Fog King:** 0

–––––––––––––––––

Fog King shuddered and he slowly began to descend from the sky, his body impaled by the ice swords. "This... This can't be! I am Fog King! The very clouds, the mists, and the fog are under my command!"

"Because you sided with the bad guys." Milena reached up for one of the ice swords. Without removing it from the man's body, she grasped the hilt and pulled it out sideways, cutting apart Fog King. His armor now broke and his wound open, mist began pouring out like blood. Milena pulled out another sword and another stream of mist came out. She pulled out another and another and before long Fog King was crying out as the very fog that made him up left him, leaving behind only an empty suit of armor that clattered to the deck of the submarine.

"Clouds are just water. They're no match against ice." Milena placed her foot on the armor and kicked it into the sea. The clouds soon cleared and the sun shined brightly once again. Ariel had just finished her healing and Tsunami looked up. His shark bounced him into a sitting position.

"Fog King... Is he...?"

"He's dead," Milena reported. This brought a smile to the Legendary Fisherman's face and he stood up.

"At last the Ice Wizard has been dealt a crippling blow!" Tsunami announced.

"You've just defeated his knight commander," Ariel pointed out.

"I did and the Ice Wizard shall be next." Milena stepped forward closer to the bow of the submarine while Victoria approached her.

"How much further?" she inquired.

"Seeing as Fog King sent that storm on us, we shouldn't be far," Milena answered.

Victoria nodded. "All hands inside! Prepare to dive!"

"Tsunami, just this once I think you should come inside," Milena said to the Legendary Fisherman.

"Ha! I do not need your undersea steel beast!" Tsunami said confident.

"We're going to stay underwater for way longer than ten minutes and I know you can't hold your breather longer than that." Milena left it at that as she disappeared inside the submarine. Tsunami contemplated this for a moment before throwing his harpoon onto the deck and jumped onto it.

"Perhaps it will not hurt to explore the sea from another perspective," he said concedingly. He picked up his harpoon and prepared to enter. "Sebastian, follow!" He went inside and the hatch closed. The submarine dove and continued forward with the shark following behind as they continued their voyage to Permafrost.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The crew stops on a mysterious island on their way to Permafrost. One by one people vanish and always when a strange tune carries through the air. Can Umi unravel this musical mystery before it's too late? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	153. The Curse of Frog Island

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-66**

**The Curse of Frog Island**

The frog sat on Neo Aqua Madoor's shoulder as the Ice Wizard tapped the armrest of the Frigid Throne. Fog King was dead. That was that. News of his demise reached the Regent Lord quickly. His scouts and messengers were scattered all over Vazrana. Amidst Fog King's storm, an Atlantean Pikeman had witnessed the knight commander's defeat and swam back to Permafrost to report it. Now the Ice Wizard was contemplating his next move.

"Perhaps the cursed island shall be their undoing." Neo Aqua Madoor cackled. He liked this idea. He turned to his shoulder but the frog was already gone. He smiled beneath his mask. "Excellent."

o o o

The submarine cut through the waters as it glided gently across its surface. Tsunami rode alongside on his shark as always while Victoria stood on the tower watching the horizon. Milena had just come up to join them and stood with Victoria as the sea air blew through her hair.

"We should reach Permafrost by nightfall," Milena said, "However, we should drop anchor and rest before we actually arrive. To attack the palace at night would be a horrible idea."

"Agreed," Victoria answered, "Even if we could move under the cover of darkness, the color of the snow would give us away not to mention that our enemies most likely know the land's layout extremely well. Best to attack in the day when we will both have equal footing."

"Exactly."

Down below, Umi was looking around the galley for anything that she could eat. However, there seemed to be nothing that could suit her tastes. "What have you guys got to eat?" she asked a sailor as he came in.

"Lots!" the sailor answered cheerfully. "I personally like a sandwich made with cold cuts and pumpernickel."

"Ummmm, I don't know about that," Umi answered apprehensively.

"Well if that isn't to your taste, we've got some salted meats and fish, as well," the sailor offered.

Once again, Umi declined. "Do you have anything...fresher?"

"Fresher? Miss, one thing you gotta know is that we're a military sub. We don't go one two-week-long cruises. Our stores are filled with anything that we can preserve. Dried meat, salted meat, canned food, and some MREs. The only thing fresh we got here is a box of oranges." Umi made a face; she did not like oranges.

In fact, Umi was used to having a plush lifestyle. As a pop star, she had everyone around her at her beck and call. She wore nice clothes, slept in comfortable hotel suites, and was served delicious food. Compared to that, everything here was well below her standards.

"Well, do you have anything to drink?" she inquired. At the very least they should have something like juice on board.

"We got water," the sailor answered.

Apparently not. Umi returned to her quarters and sat down on her bunk. Even the sleeping arrangements were not quite to her liking.

"You seem frustrated," Miss Marina observed.

"It's awful here!" Umi complained, "This whole sub is just way substandard!"

"It's a military submarine," the teacher replied, "They're not here for a pleasure cruise."

"And the crew is so unhelpful!" Umi continued, "Did you know the last time I asked where the bathroom was they wouldn't tell me? I had to look myself and almost didn't make it."

"They don't call it the bathroom on a boat or a submarine. They call it the head," explained Miss Marina.

"Isn't the head the front of a ship?" Umi asked.

"No, that's the bow."

"And the back?"

"On a boat or a ship, it's the stern. On a submarine, it's called the aft."

"And what about..."

"Left is port, right is starboard."

"Ugh! Why can't these people just talk normally?" Umi fell back on her bunk with frustration.

"And yet despite the theme of your shows, you've never been to sea yourself," Miss Marina said.

"Well there was this one time on a cruise ship."

"Umi, why did you pick water to be your theme?"

"Because I love how majestic the water is. It looks so beautiful and all the life that it holds is just so beautiful."

"Is that the only reason?"

"Pretty much." Umi said little else for the next thirty minutes. Finally she stood up. "I'm going for a walk." She left the cabin, leaving Miss Marina on her own. The pop star went upstairs and rose up to the conning tower and out the hatch. "Captain, how far are we from where we're going?"

"We should be there by nightfall," Milena answered instead.

"Well can we hurry up? I'm hungry," Umi muttered.

"There's plenty of food in the galley," Victoria said bluntly.

"That's not food. I need real food."

"You will eat what we have or you will get nothing at all." Victoria's voice was stern and firm.

Umi opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. This was another thing she had grown accustomed to: she was used to being treated and pampered. And here this woman was talking back to her.

"Strange," she heard Milena say, "I don't remember there being an island out here."

"You're sure it was never there?" Victoria asked.

Umi looked up and toward the bow of the submarine. There was indeed an island up ahead. It was a lush little piece of land with trees and a small beach around its perimeter. The moment she saw those tall green monuments of nature, she instantly began imagining fresh fruit. "Land there!" she demanded.

"No. We must not veer from our course," Victoria said. But Umi wouldn't have any of it. She got down from the tower and ran to the edge of the deck, pointing to Tsunami. "You! Take me to that island!"

"Of course, young miss. But why?"

"I want fresh food."

"If you want fresh food, then why do you need to go to an island?" asked Tsunami. "The sea offers many fine delicacies!" He spun his harpoon and thrust it into the water. When he pulled it back out, a fish had been impaled on it. He held the wiggling creature up to Umi. "Fresh caught."

"Ewww! No!" Umi did not have anything against eating fish, but when she could see it wiggling on the Legendary Fisherman's harpoon, her appetite for such things was suddenly lost. "Just take me to that island."

"Well, alright. But I don't see why." Tsunami made some room and allowed Umi to get on. Once she was in place, he gave his mouth a cue and it swam toward the island.

"Where the hell is she going?" demanded Victoria.

"Leave her to me. Just keep going. We'll catch up." Milena held out a card and summed Spellbreaker of the Ice Barrier. Using her magic, she created an ice bridge after Tsunami and Umi.

o o o

Tsunami arrived at the island and Umi quickly got off. She stretched her legs and quickly readied herself to go find some fruit. Just before she could step into the trees, however, she was grabbed by her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Milena looking at her. "Enough of this foolishness. Come back to the sub."

"I want food!"

"And we told you the sub has food."

"You call that food?" Umi made a face. "I need real food!"

"On a battlefield, you can't be choosy."

"Well I'm choosing some real food!" And with that, Umi broke free and went into the trees.

"Come back here!" Milena followed. Tsunami was left alone in the water. He decided to follow them anyway.

o o o

Umi fought her way through the tropical trees as she made her way further into the island. As she moved inward, she failed to notice the trees seemed to change. They no longer resembled tropical trees anymore. Now they seemed more like inland trees. She finally emerged from the foliage and took a step forward, resulting in her sinking knee-deep into water.

"What the heck is this?" she thought out loud. Looking in front of her, she could see barely any trees at all. The entire topography of the island had changed suddenly into a wetland. Milena and Tsunami soon came up behind her and saw the change in scenery as well.

"This island... I've heard of it," Tsunami thought out loud.

"What have you heard about it?" Milena asked.

"This is the legendary Frog Island," Tsunami explained, "The stories say that it appears as an island paradise. But once you step into the trees, you emerge into the wetlands, a frog's paradise. One by one they disappear and are destined never to return."

"Well we're going to leave right now." Milena turned around but then stopped. The trees has vanished. As they looked around, a mysterious tune reached their ears.

"What was that?" asked Umi.

"Let us hurry and leave," Tsunami suggested, "I do not like this feeling."

"If we can find our way off," Milena added. "This wetland seems to go on endlessly. The trees and the beach were just an illusion." Just then, that same tune sounded.

"Where is that coming from?" Umi asked.

"Let's just move." Milena led the way and Umi followed, not knowing that they were being watched.

o o o

"Have we had any reports from Milena?" asked Victoria as she stood on the submarine's bridge.

"None," replied one of the crew.

"We should probably go back," Miss Marina suggested, "Where is the island?"

"It's gone," the navigator reported.

"What do you mean gone?" Victoria demanded.

"It's vanished off radar."

Victoria looked over the man's shoulder and at the radar screen. Just as he had said, the island had disappeared.

"I'm worried," Miss Marina said.

"Me too," Victoria added.

o o o

"We've been walking for hours," Umi mumbled.

"It's only been one," Milena corrected her. They had spent nearly half an hour trudging through the swamp-like wetlands until they finally found a path that kept them out of the water. Once they were out, they resumed searching for a while longer.

"Ugh, I can't take this anymore. And especially not in these shoes," Umi muttered.

"Well get used to it. That's all you've got and Tsunami and I most certainly aren't going to carry you," replied Milena, "Wait a minute, where IS Tsunami?" The two women looked around. The Legendary Fisherman was nowhere to be found.

"Did he disappear like the story said?" Umi was scared now, but Milena remained calm. A croak came out and the pop star jumped. However, the other woman simply looked down and saw some frogs looking at them.

"They're just frogs, Umi."

"Frogs, right..." As Umi calmed herself down, the tune from earlier reached her ears again. She whipped around to see where it had come from, but there was nothing. She sighed and turned back around to speak to Milena, but she was no longer there. The croaking seemed to have multiplied and Umi looked down to see more frogs around her feet. Some of them were starting to climb onto her shoes, so she kicked them off and ran away.

Umi didn't stop for ten minutes and when she finally did, she found herself facing a pond in the middle of the wetlands. It was pretty much bare save for ten lily pads arranged neatly in two rows of five on the far side with an eleventh lily pad on the opposite side of them. As she tried to regain her breath, she could hear the tune once more. This time it was coming from much closer. She turned toward the pond and saw a frog with tattoos all over its body sitting on the farthest lily pad playing a shakuhachi, a Japanese bamboo flute.

The frog stopped playing and looked up at Umi. "Welcome to my wetlands, kero," he greeted.

"You can talk?"

"You find that unusual, kero?"

"Well... frogs don't usually talk."

"Well I do, kero."

"Well maybe you can help me then. You see some guys and I came on this island and we're trying to get off," Umi explained the situation.

"I apologize, but I'm not letting you leave, kero," the frog replied.

"So this is all your doing?" Umi asked.

"Correct, kero. Didn't you think my song sounded familiar, kero?" The frog played his shakuhachi and the same mysterious tune reached Umi's ears.

"It's you," she said horrified, "You're the one who's been making them disappear!"

"Correct, kero. I am Ronintoadin, kero. I serve the right hand of the Regent Lord of Vazrana, kero."

"Let me out of this creepy place right now!" Umi demanded.

"I cannot comply, kero," replied Ronintoadin, "But I am a fair frog, kero. I propose a bargain, kero. If you can defeat me in a duel, I shall release you and your friends, kero. But if I win, you shall join them, kero."

"Ha! That's not a problem! I'm an awesome Duelist!" Umi activated her Duel Disk and stood ready. Ronintoadin simply sat on his lily pad and played his instrument. Five cards suddenly rose up from the water in front of him.

––––––––––––––––––

**Umi:** 8000

**Ronintoadin:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––

"I will go first, kero." Ronintoadin played his shakuhachi and his first card appeared from the water. "I summon T.A.D.P.O.L.E., kero." Suddenly a black and red tadpole jumped out of the water onto one of the five lily pads in the front row (ATK/0 DEF0). As soon as it appeared, its attack points rose to twelve hundred.

"What gives?" asked Umi, "Why'd it gain attack points.

"Because, we are in the Wetlands, kero," Ronintoadin explain, "The land's magic influences the duel as well, kero. I shall defend myself with one facedown, kero." A facedown card appeared on one of the lily pads in the back row. "Your move, kero."

"I draw!" Umi drew her card. "I summon Spined Gillman in attack mode!" A blue creature with spines on its back wielding a trident made of coral appeared (ATK/1300 DEF/0). "As long as Spined Gillman is on the field, all my Sea Serpents, Fish, and Aqua monsters get four hundred extra attack." Immediately, the attack points of Spined Gillman rose to seventeen hundred. "Attack T.A.D.P.O.L.E.!" Spined Gillman thrust its trident forward and stabbed T.A.D.P.O.L.E., killing it instantly.

––––––––––––––––––

**Umi:** 8000

**Ronintoadin:** 7500

––––––––––––––––––

"With the death of T.A.D.P.O.L.E., I can add any number of additional T.A.D.P.O.L.E.s from my deck to my hand, kero." Ronintoadin played his flute and two T.A.D.P.O.L.E.s swam out of the water and into his hand.

"That's it for me!" Umi announced.

Ronintoadin played his shakuhachi and another card rose up from the water. "I shall discard one of the T.A.D.P.O.L.E.s in my hand to Special Summon Swap Frog, kero." He dropped one card into the water and a horned yellow and red frog leapt out onto a lily pad (ATK/1000 DEF/500). Its attack points rose up to twenty-two hundred. "When Swap Frog is summoned, I can send one level two or lower Aqua-type Water monster from my deck to my graveyard, kero. I choose Treeborn frog, kero." Another card was dropped into the water. "Now I Normal Summon Unifrog, kero." A blue frog with a unicorn's horn on its head hopped onto another lily pad (ATK/400 DEF/400). With the effect of Wetlands, its attack power rose to sixteen hundred.

"Now I shall use Unifrog's effect to attack directly, kero." Unifrog leapt past Umi's front lines and struck her with its horn.

––––––––––––––––––

**Umi:** 6400

**Ronintoadin:** 7500

––––––––––––––––––

"Now Swap Frog, attack her monster, kero." Swap Frog lashed out with its tongue and stuck it to Spined Gillman. Then it pulled back and swallowed up the sea serpent with no effort.

––––––––––––––––––

**Umi:** 5900

**Ronintoadin:** 7500

––––––––––––––––––

"I conclude my turn, kero," finished Ronintoadin.

"I draw!" Umi drew her next card. "Yes! Alright, first I'm going to play the Spell Card Water Hazard. With this, once per turn if I have no monsters, I can Special Summon a level four or lower Water monster from my hand. So I'm going to Special Summon Mermaid Knight! A red-haired mermaid with a green tail and armor rose up from the water in front of Umi armed with a sword and a shield (ATK/1500 DEF/700).

"Now I Normal Summon another Mermaid Knight." A second Mermaid Knight appeared on the field. "And now I activate my Field Spell, Umi." The pop singer slid her card into her field tray and the field instantly changed. The wetlands were instantly replaced with a vast knee-deep sea. "Thanks to this, your frogs lose their twelve-hundred point boost and instead only get two hundred. But my Mermaid Knights go up too plus they can now attack twice each." Unifrog's attack points fell to six hundred and Swap Frog's fell to twelve hundred while the Mermaid Knights' attack points rose to seventeen hundred.

"Now attack Unifrog!" The first Mermaid Knight spun her sword in her hand and swam forward.

"I activate my facedown Mystical Space Typhoon, kero." Ronintoadin played another tune and his facedown was revealed. A powerful cyclone instantly shot out from the card art and blasted the Umi Field Spell, returning the field once more to its Wetlands state. Unifrog and Swap Frog instantly returned to sixteen hundred and twenty-two hundred attack points respectively while Umi's Mermaid Knight's became fifteen hundred. With the sudden change in power, Unifrog countered and stabbed its attacker with its horn.

––––––––––––––––––

**Umi:** 5800

**Ronintoadin:** 7500

––––––––––––––––––

"Your skills as a Duelist are pitiful, kero," Ronintoadin said shaking his head.

"Not true! Only one guy ever beat me!" Umi argued.

Ronintoadin played a tune and drew his card. "On my Standby Phase if I have no Spells or Traps on the field, I can resurrect one Treeborn Frog from my graveyard, kero. I shall bring him out in defense mode, kero." He played again and a leopard frog with angel wings appeared on one of the unoccupied lily pads and croaked (ATK/100 DEF/100). "Unifrog, strike her directly, kero." Unifrog once again leapt past Umi's front lines and stabbed its horn into her.

––––––––––––––––––

**Umi:** 4200

**Ronintoadin:** 7500

––––––––––––––––––

"Swap Frog, attack her Mermaid Knight, kero." Ronintoadin resumed playing his shakuhachi and Swap Frog snagged Mermaid Knight with its tongue and pulled her into its mouth.

––––––––––––––––––

**Umi:** 3500

**Ronintoadin:** 7500

––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn, kero."

Umi drew her card. She wasn't about to let this frog beat her. Finally she had what she needed to make it work. "I summon Deep Sea Diva." A mermaid with a beautiful pink tail and a harmonious voice appeared (ATK/200 DEF/400). "When my Diva is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one level three or lower Sea Serpent monster from my hand. Mermaid Archer, come out!" A large brown sea turtle rose out of the water beside Deep Sea Diva and its shell opened up to reveal a green-tailed mermaid with blue hair holding a crossbow (ATK/1200 DEF/200). "Now I tune Deep Sea Diva to Mermaid Knight!" Deep Sea Diva kept singing until she had vanished, leaving behind two shining stars. The stars turned into synchro rings and surrounded Mermaid Archer until she faded away into three stars. A light quickly engulfed them.

"The mighty sea dragon will rise and answer the call of the queen of the deep. Synchro Summon! Shine, Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon!" The light faded and a long-necked dragon made out of ice emerged and roared (ATK/2300 DEF/1800). "Now I play Fissure and kill your weakest monster!" A fissure in the pond bed opened and Treeborn Frog was quickly swallowed up. In that instant, Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon's attack points rose to three thousand. "When a level three or lower monster goes to the graveyard, my monster's attack points become three thousand for this turn."

"Impressive," Ronintoadin remarked, "for someone of your skill level, kero."

"I've never lost to anyone but Mikey," Umi went on, "So I can't lose here. Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon, attack Unifrog!" Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon opened its mouth and a blast of ice shot out and killed the horned frog.

––––––––––––––––––

**Umi:** 3500

**Ronintoadin:** 6100

––––––––––––––––––

"See? I can win! I've only lost to Mikey and that's it," Umi said proudly.

"Such pride, kero." Ronintoadin drew his card. On his Standby Phase, his Treeborn Frog returned due to his empty backfield. "Let me ask a question, kero. Are you famous, kero?"

"The number one Pop Star Duelist Diva!" Umi said as she spun around, "I'm Umi!"

"And where is it that you often duel, kero?" Ronintoadin questioned further.

"During my shows. I have audience members picked out for me and they duel me. I win every time."

"I see, kero. That is...most unfortunate, kero."

Umi looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I tribute Treeborn Frog, kero," Ronintoadin announced, ignoring Umi's question, "I summon Des Frog, kero." As Treeborn Frog sank beneath the water, a large green frog appeared. It seemed like any ordinary frog (ATK/1900 DEF/0). "When Des Frog is Tribute Summoned, his effect lets me Special Summon more Des Frogs from my hand or deck up to the number of T.A.D.P.O.L.E.s in my graveyard, kero. I have two now, so I can Special Summon two Des Frogs, kero." Two more Des Frogs appeared and croaked loudly.

"Don't ignore me!" Umi demanded, "What do you mean it's unfortunate? I won all my duels on stage."

"It is unfortunate because it proves you lack any true skill, kero," Ronintoadin said calmly as he brought his shakuhachi up to his mouth.

"If I didn't have any skill, then explain how I won those duels," Umi challenged. Her opened sighed and lowered his instrument.

"Has it not been obvious this entire time, kero? Your opponents let you win, kero."

"That's a lie!" Umi shot back, "They told me they all dueled their hardest against me, but I was too strong!"

"Did you ever look at their hands after the duels, kero?" Ronintoadin asked.

"Well... no..."

Ronintoadin looked at her and at once Umi thought back to all her duel concerts. The tattooed frog brought his instrument back to his mouth and played. At once, his Des Frogs began croaking as the Spell Card Des Croaking was activated. Their croaks grew louder and louder, shaking the entire island. Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon growled and then cried out in pain just before its body shattered into a million shards of ice. At the same time, Umi's Water Hazard was destroyed as well. With nothing on her field, the pop star was defenseless.

"Attack her, kero." The first Des Frog lashed out with its tongue and whipped Umi hard.

––––––––––––––––––

**Umi:** 1600

**Ronintoadin:** 6100

––––––––––––––––––

The second Des Frog then attacked and struck her with its own tongue, dealing the final piece of damage.

––––––––––––––––––

**Umi:** 0

**Ronintoadin:** 6100

––––––––––––––––––

Umi collapsed onto her knees as the frogs retreated back into the pond. "And now it is time to join your friends, kero." Ronintoadin brought his flute up to his mouth and played. Umi recognized the tune; it was the same one she heard when Milena disappeared! Everything around her suddenly began to grow bigger. The grasses grew taller and taller until they towered over her head. The road seemed to stretch out even longer and the pond had suddenly become a lake. Then she realized what was going on. She was shrinking! Umi opened her mouth to scream, but no voice came out. All that came was a croak. She was terrified. What was going on? Umi looked down at her hands and the realization came upon her. She had been turned into a frog!

A cage suddenly came down on her and Umi was trapped. An amphibious green creature with orange fins named High Tide Gyojin picked up the cage and turned to Ronintoadin. "As expected of the Regent Lord's loyal servant."

"I am expected of nothing less, so I give nothing less, kero," answered Ronintoadin. Two Psychic Kappas soon came up from the path each carrying a cage. One held a frog with a most determined look while the other held a frog with a fierce demeanor.

"What shall we do with them?" asked High Tide Gyojin.

"To the Pinnacle of the North, kero," instructed Ronintoadin, "They shall serve as bait to lure the others, kero." The Pinnacle of the North was the name of Mobius' palace where Neo Aqua Madoor now resided.

As High Tide Gyojin and the Psychic Kappas walked away, Ronintoadin sat on his lily pad and played his shakuhachi. The music carried across the wetlands and the tune carried Frog Island through the mist. It was no wonder it had gained the reputation of "the curse island".

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Milena, Umi, and Tsunami are trapped in the Ice Wizard's grip. It is up to Victoria, Miss Marina, and Ariel to save them! But now the battle has shifted from the waters onto the frozen landscape of Permafrost. It becomes a fight both for survival and against the Ice Wizard's minions next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	154. The Ice Wizard

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-67**

**The Ice Wizard**

It was obvious that Milena, Umi, and Tsunami had most likely been captured. However Victoria couldn't be bothered to send a search party after them, which did not sit well with Miss Marina. The teacher approached the captain and expressed her concerns, however the latter did not seem worried.

"Our enemies have no reason to kill our teammates," she explained, "They will capture them and keep them prisoner to lure us into a trap. And then they will use them as a shield against us, relying on our compassion not to hurt our companions."

"You're not suggesting we're not going to let that stop us, are you?" Miss Marina asked, visibly concerned about the safety of the missing.

"Of course not," Victoria answered, "The one thing a captain values more than her ship is her crew. We'll find them and get them back safely. Then we'll kill the Ice Wizard."

Miss Marina still wasn't sure. There was a good chance that Milena, Umi, and Tsunami would be locked up and heavily guarded. Would they really be able to save them?

o o o

Neo Aqua Madoor stood on the balcony overlooking his kingdom. He knew they would be coming and he would be waiting. Permafrost was his world. Creatures of ice obeyed his every command. Blizzard Dragons prowled the frozen grounds while Dragon Ices soared through the frigid air. Lots of penguins waddled around. Ice golems wandered around aimlessly. Some white dragons were tending to their young. However, the Ice Wizard's most powerful and deadliest creature lay beneath the surface of Permafrost. Trapped under layers upon layers of ice, it slept waiting for the moment when its master would awaken it.

As Neo Aqua Madoor surveyed his land, Ronintoadin hopped onto the balcony rail. "Everything is ready as you requested, kero."

"The prisoners?" asked Neo Aqua Madoor.

"In the dungeon, kero," answered the frog.

"And my soldiers?"

"All assembled below, kero."

"Excellent." Neo Aqua Madoor rubbed his hands together, "I knew I could count on you, Ronintoadin."

"My loyalties lie only with the Regent Lord of Vazrana, kero," was all Ronintoadin said.

The Ice Wizard smiled under his mask. "Now it's only a matter of time before the invaders arrive. Their warmth and compassion shall be their undoing. To succeed, one must be as cold as ice." Frost began to form around his right hand as he separated it from his left and clenched it into a fist. Neo Aqua Madoor turned around and disappeared back into the palace. Ronintoadin continued to sit on the balcony railing looking down at the frozen wasteland before him. He brought his shakuhachi to his mouth and played a tune. A cold mist came in and he vanished.

o o o

Tsunami was pacing impatiently in his cell trying to find a way out. Next to him Milena was examining her cell trying to find a weakness in its structure. Across from them both Umi sat against the wall with her knees pulled up to her chest. Ever since the duel on Frog Island, she had continued to beat herself up. How could she have been so blind? All those wins in her concerts had only been for show. To think that she had any skill whatsoever. She was a joke.

The trip had been a bizarre one. High Tide Gyojin and the Psychic Kappas kept Umi and the others in their frog forms while the island sailed across the ocean. Soon it began to get cold. Their wet frog skin made the chill that much colder and soon they saw what appeared to be mountains of ice all around the island. When the floating landmass stopped, they began to move. They were taken across the ice fields and all the way to an impressive palace of ice. Inside, they taken to a throne room and placed on the floor. The three frogs looked up to see a masked man in a cape with wild hair sitting on the throne. This must be the Ice Wizard, they thought. They heard some talking, but couldn't make out what was being said. Ronintoadin showed up and jumped onto the throne's armrest. Then the Ice Wizard signaled with his hand and they were taken away down to the dungeon. Once they were locked up, the spell was released and they were all returned to their human forms.

Umi's anguish seemed to go unnoticed, though, as the others worked to try to escape from their prisons. They had been stripped of their Duel Disks, weapons, and decks. But even so, said items had been placed on a table in front of them out of reach just to taunt them.

"Surely there must be a way out of these cells," Tsunami said banging on the bars, "After all, they are just ice, are they not?"

"Ice is surprisingly durable," Milena corrected, "and our enemy can reinforce these cells at his own discretion. Breaking out will not be easy."

"What if we were to melt the ice?" suggested Tsunami.

"With what?"

The Legendary Fisherman thought for a moment and then grabbed one of the bars with his bare hands. "Body heat!"

"You'll get frostbite if you hold onto that ice for too long," Milena pointed out.

"A little frostbite is just a tiny price to pay for freedom!" And with that, Tsunami grabbed hold of two bars and held tight. Milena sighed and looked around. Maybe there was something she could use, but her Duel Disk and her cards were sitting on the table just out of her reach along with Umi's deck and Duel Disk and Tsunami's harpoon. Maybe there was some way to knock that harpoon over so that one of them could reach it, but the cells were bare. Each one was literally just a blank room with walls of ice. Not even a little fragment sticking out that could be broken off. Escape would not be easy.

o o o

The submarine was deep beneath the surface of the ocean as it passed under the ice floes. However, they would need to surface soon. Permafrost itself was an impenetrable block of solid ice; breaking through it would be impossible. They could make it through some of the thinner layers of ice around the edges, but that wouldn't bring them far in. They would have to go the rest of the way on foot.

"Are the surface-to-air missiles ready?" asked Victoria. The crewman turned to her and nodded.

"Surface-to-air missiles are primed and ready to fire," he reported, "Awaiting your command, ma'am."

"Torpedo room, is everything ready?" Victoria said as she spoke through an intercom.

"Everything is ready, captain!" the crewman on the other end answered.

"What good will torpedoes do against Permafrost's enormous mass?" asked Ariel, "There's no way you can damage it enough to break through."

"We're not going to break through it with torpedoes," answered Victoria. She then turned to the young water mage with a stern look. "More importantly, what of our reinforcements?"

"They will arrive later. Unfortunately, I cannot confirm exactly how long it will take them to arrive," answered Ariel.

"Estimate."

"An hour maybe?"

"Then we'll have to do our best." Victoria turned to another crewman. "Location?"

"We're in position, captain."

"Then prepare to fire on my mark."

"Roger, captain."

The tension was thick and silence fell upon the submarine. This was the moment. After this, all hell would break loose.

Victoria clenched her fist. "Fire!"

o o o

Tremors could be felt all over Permafrost. Neo Aqua Madoor could feel them and ran to his guards. "What is all this movement?"

"It appears that the Terrans are attacking," was the answer that was reported.

"But I don't sense them on Permafrost!"

"I don't think they're on the surface yet, my lord."

"Then what the devil are they...?" Suddenly the entire palace shook and chunks of ice fell from the ceiling. "What in Pandemonium was that?" As if to answer his question, a missile shot up from the distance and soared through the air before hitting the palace, causing more ice to break off.

The natural inhabitants of Permafrost did not ignore the incoming projectiles. Even now they began to mobilize as Neo Aqua Madoor stood on the palace balcony holding out his arms. Frost formed around his hands as he began casting his magic. Every creature was under his control and he was prepared to use them.

The submarine finally surfaced and the hatch opened up. Victoria and Miss Marina leapt up with their Duel Disks and their decks. "Attack!" On the captain's command, several monsters appeared and charged.

"To arms!" commanded Neo Aqua Madoor. The gates of the palace opened up and his own army rushed out to meet them. Blizzard Warriors took the front while Blizzard Princesses and Cold Enchanters came up behind them with support. Ahead of them the Blizzard Dragons had already begun the primary assault. Frostosauruses lumbered forward. They were powerful but incredibly slow; it would take them time to reach the battle.

Fortunately, Victoria and Miss Marina did not share their drawback of slow-moving powerhouses. Evigishki Mind Angust crawled on its spider-like legs across the field biting down on anything that got close while the sorceress on its back cast powerful water-based spells. Evigishi Tetrogre charged through the ranks of the Ice Wizard's soldiers, crushing them beneath the weight of his massive swords. Evigishki Gustkrake hung back for defense, using her long tentacles to knock back the enemies. Victoria watched as her own monsters were led into battle by Evigishki Soul Ogre.

Next to her, Miss Marina had deployed Amphibious Bugroth MK-3s forward as long-range fighters. Mother Grizzlies served as the muscle as they plowed through enemy lines. But she was visibly concerned and with good reason. There weren't enough of them to carry on the fight. They were outnumbered.

More missiles were fired and they struck the palace. Below the surface, a few more torpedoes had been launched which caused Permafrost to shake again. "Shouldn't we rescue them from the dungeon?" Miss Marina asked.

"Already being taken care of," replied Victoria as more missiles were launched.

"Bombing the palace isn't going to save them, only kill them!" the teacher argued.

"Au contraire. It's exactly why we're doing it."

"...what?"

An explosion suddenly erupted from the palace but it hadn't been from a missile. A barrage of icicles came out from behind its icy walls and rained down on the battlefield, impaling several of Neo Aqua Madoor's troops as well as the creatures of Permafrost. Tsunami, Milena, and Umi came out flying on the back of Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier

"You're alright!" Miss Marina exclaimed.

"Of course!" Tsunami said proudly as he stood with his harpoon in hand though he appeared to be wincing rather badly. His attempt to break out of prison had left his palms frostbitten. Ariel noticed this and groaned as she disembarked from the submarine.

"Honestly, Tsunami..." She forced him to open his hands and she engulfed them in some magical healing water.

"How did you get free?" asked Miss Marina.

"It wasn't easy, but the tremors shook the foundation of the palace and it caused much of the ice to crack," Milena explained, "I was afraid we might not make it out alive."

"The prisoners appear to have broken free, kero," Ronintoadin pointed out as he stood on the balcony railing.

"I can see that, toad!" Neo Aqua Madoor barked, "No, matter. Let them get a load of this!" He held out his hands and several clouds of frost came together. They slowly formed into solid ice and before long a great demon floated before him with arms like wings. "Frozen Fitzgerald, go!" Frozen Fitzgerald flew out and began unleashing a terrible blizzard on the field. Meanwhile, the Snowdust Dragons emerged from their caves and joined the fight. At the same time, the Frostosauruses finally arrived on the battlefield and began to trample over everything in their path.

"Time to kick things up a notch," Milena announced. She held out two more cards from her Extra Deck and brought out Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier and Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier as well as her three Generals of the Ice Barrier. Tsunami jumped back onto Brionac's back as soon as his hands were healed and let it carry him into battle. Once he was dead in the center of the fight, he leapt off and started thrusting his harpoon into the Ice Wizard's soldiers. Some Blizzard Warriors moved in to attack him, but he blocked them with the shaft and then thrust the head deep into their chests. A Frostosaurus came close and he quickly took his weapon and threw it into the air. His harpoon sunk into the dinosaur's head and it stumbled back a few steps before collapsing on top of several other Blizzard Warriors. Frozen Fitzgerald engaged Gungnir, but the latter was supported by the three-headed Trishula and the pair blasted the ice demon with their freezing breath attacks.

"They have reinforcements!" exclaimed Neo Aqua Madoor. "It is time!" He summoned a magical staff to his hands. It was solid oak with a sharp steel-capped end and topped with a shining diamond. He cocked back his arm and threw it out. The staff struck the ground and magic poured from its crystal into the ice, causing much of the surface to crack. Beneath the surface, something awakened and it began to rise. Ice broke up from the ground and fell apart as a massive behemoth started to emerge. A massive claw of ice rose up and slammed down, crushing every unfortunate soul that ended up under it and a massive dragon of ice pulled itself up.

"White Night Dragon, attack!" White Night Dragon climbed up a glacier and roared before it spread its wings and launched itself from the peak. As it flew over the battlefield, its roar caused the ice to shudder and it unleashed a mighty freezing blast across the field destroying everything it touched, friend and foe alike.

"That thing's out of control!" exclaimed Miss Marina.

"We must destroy it quickly," replied Victoria as a Blizzard Princess made its way to her. She pulled out her service pistol and unloaded a bullet into the ice sorceress' head.

"How?" asked Miss Marina.

"Leave that to me!" a new voice bellowed. A cold mist blew in and came together to form a dense fog. When it dissipated, Mobius the Frost Monarch stood on the ice field.

"Our reinforcements have arrived!" one of Victoria's crewmen shouted.

Umi looked up for the first time since the Frog Island incident and looked around. "Where's the rest?"

"I am the rest," Mobius replied coldly held out his hand and formed a lance out of ice. He ran forward, the ice shuddering under the weight of his footsteps as he cape fluttered behind him. He stabbed a Frostosaurus as he entered the fray and it fell instantly. He pulled his lance out and spun it around, knocking back several soldiers who had now turned their attention on him. Mobius punched the ground and ice spikes shot out, impaling whatever unfortunate souls in the service of Neo Aqua Madoor happened to be there. Frozen Fitzgerald approached, but the Frost Monarch never gave him a chance to attack. As soon as he laid his eyes on the frost demon, he cocked back his arm and threw his lance, sending it into the air and impaling Frozen Fitzgerald in the chest. The lance shattered and the demon fell. Mobius formed a new lance and resumed his fight. As White Night Dragon circled around for another attack, the emperor of ice held out his free hand and formed a second lance. He waited until the massive beast was almost above him and then attacked. He threw one lance up and impaled one of White Night Dragon's wings. The massive creature roared in pain as it circled around due to its sudden imbalance and Mobius threw his other lance into the second wing. With both wings impaled, White Night Dragon crashed into the ground.

"The enemy's trump is gone! All forces, charge!" Mobius made himself a new lance and led the charge on the palace. With his strongest creatures defeated, Neo Aqua Madoor was as good as exposed.

"It appears you are finished, kero," Ronintoadin pointed out.

"I am not done yet!" Neo Aqua Madoor produced his Soul Gate. "Chaos Exultation!" The mouth opened up and stream of darkness poured from the eye and washed over the battlefield. Every creature and soldier in the Ice Wizard's service was absorbed and pulled into the black box. When the last one had vanished, a cold wave blew across Permafrost as Neo Aqua Madoor rose high above the field on a tower of ice. The Ice Wizard threw back his cape as a Duel Disk of ice appeared on his arm and he slipped a card into it, causing more ice to appear and trap everyone in their spots.

"I am Neo Aqua Madoor, the Ice Wizard! The Regent Lord of Vazrana! I cannot be defeated!"

"You may be the Ice Wizard, but you are no king. I am Vazrana's true ruler and I will reclaim my throne." Mobius said.

"Then just try to stop me!" challenged Neo Aqua Madoor.

"It'll be my pleasure!" Miss Marina stepped forward. The Ice Wizard looked down at her.

"A Terran? You really expect a Terran to defeat me?"

"You were the one who ordered the attack on Duel Academy, right?" asked Miss Marina.

"If you are referring to your island from your world, then yes I ordered the attack. The UnGod spoke of Terrans bringing the end to his power. I sent out my navy to deal with it."

"You placed our students in danger. For that I cannot forgive you." Miss Marina readied her Duel Disk.

"Very well, you shall be the first then to die!" Neo Aqua Madoor placed his card back into his deck and watched it shuffle. "Freeze in hell!"

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Miss Marina:** 8000

**Neo Aqua Madoor:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I shall draw first!" Neo Aqua Madoor drew his first card, "And I'll start with Blizzard Warrior in attack mode." A column of ice shot out of the ground and shattered, depositing a knight in armor made of ice wearing a blue cape and holding a lance with two blades of ice (ATK/1400 DEF/400). "That will be all."

"Then it's my move." Miss Marina drew her card. "I'll begin by summoning Mother Grizzly in attack mode!" A female grizzly bear with a coat of dark blue fur appeared and roared (ATK/1400 DEF/1000). "Mother Grizzly, attack Blizzard Warrior!" Mother Grizzly charged, moving closer to her target. Once she was close enough, she stood on her hind legs and bashed Blizzard Warrior with her enormous paw. At the same time, the ice knight swung his lance and stabbed the giant bear in the chest. Both monsters fell and died.

"Now the effect of my Mother Grizzly activates," announced Miss Marina, "When she is destroyed in battle, I can Special Summon one Water monster from my deck with fifteen hundred or less attack points in attack position. So I'll summon another Mother Grizzly!" A second bear appeared on the field and roared. "Attack directly!" Mother Grizzly lumbered forward and stood before the ice tower. She roared and banged against its side, shaking it so greatly that Neo Aqua Madoor was knocked from his feet.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Miss Marina:** 8000

**Neo Aqua Madoor:** 6600

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

The Ice Wizard felt his tower shudder and shivered for a moment as he felt it sink. It dropped a few meters before stopping. "Interesting," Victoria commented as she observed the duel, "His tower sinks whenever his Life Points take damage."

"Then when he had descended, we shall kill him!" announced Tsunami.

"I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn." Two cards appeared at Miss Marina's feet and she looked up. "Your turn!"

"I draw." Neo Aqua Madoor drew his next card. "I'll now summon Cold Enchanter." A young white-haired woman appeared on the field dressed in ice-blue and white holding a staff in one hand (ATK/1600 DEF/1200). "Now I shall activate her special ability. By discarding a card, I can place one Ice Counter on any monster on the field and she gains three hundred attack points for each Ice Counter in play." The Ice Wizard discarded one card and a part of his monster's uniform was quickly frozen. Cold Enchanter cried out in ecstasy as her attack points rose to nineteen hundred. "Attack with Cone of Cold!" Cold Enchanter held up her staff as frost appeared around the head. She spun around and then cast her spell, sending forward a spiralling cone of freezing wind that hit Mother Grizzly.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Miss Marina:** 7500

**Neo Aqua Madoor:** 6600

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"And with Mother Grizzly's effect, I'll summon another Mother Grizzly." A third maternal bear took the place of the last and roared.

Neo Aqua Madoor discarded another card and this time Mother Grizzly's shoulder froze, giving Cold Enchanter another three hundred attack points, boosting her to twenty-two hundred attack power. "I end my turn."

It was Miss Marina's turn to draw again and she looked at the card her deck had given her. "I summon Amphibious Bugroth MK-3." Her tiny little submersible appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/1300) and crouched down. "Next I activate my Field Spell, A Legendary Ocean." Her field tray opened and she placed her card in it before it closed back up. "I'm sure you know how this card works."

"Yes I do," replied Neo Aqua Madoor. At once, Amphibious Bugroth's attack points rose to seventeen hundred and its defense points to fifteen hundred. Mother Grizzly's stats went up to sixteen hundred attack points and twelve hundred defense points. Cold Enchanter went up to twenty-four hundred attack and fourteen hundred defense.

"Amphibious Bugroth MK-3, attack directly!" Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 took aim and fired its torpedoes up at Neo Aqua Madoor.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Miss Marina:** 7500

**Neo Aqua Madoor:** 4900

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

The ice tower dropped some more, but Miss Marina was far from done. "Mother Grizzly, it's your turn! Attack Cold Enchanter!" As Mother Grizzly prepared to charge, Cold Enchanter blasted her with a Cone of Cold and she was quickly killed off.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Miss Marina:** 6700

**Neo Aqua Madoor:** 4900

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"And now with Mother Grizzly's effect, I'll Special Summon another Amphibious Bugroth MK-3!" A second submersible appeared and Neo Aqua Madoor discarded a card as Cold Enchanter's attack points dropped to twenty-one hundred having one less Ice Counter on the field.

"Since you Special Summoned a monster, I can discard one card to Special Summon Dragon Ice, including Dragon Ice himself." The Ice Wizard pulled the card in question out of his graveyard and placed it sideways on his field. A dragon of ice appeared wearing a steel face mask with black wings on its back (ATK/1800 DEF/2200). Its attack and defense points instantly rose by two hundred to two thousand and twenty-four hundred respectively.

"I still get another attack, though," Miss Marina pointed out, "Amphibious Bugroth MK-3, attack!" The second Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 fired its torpedoes and they passed the front lines and struck Neo Aqua Madoor hard.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Miss Marina:** 6700

**Neo Aqua Madoor:** 3200

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"She's clearly not wasting time," Victoria observed as the ice tower lowered again, "She's attacking directly as often as she can so she can finish off the Ice Wizard quickly."

"Soon victory shall be ours!" Tsunami said proudly.

"I end my turn," announced Miss Marina.

"I draw." Neo Aqua Madoor drew his card. "I now Normal Summon Blizzard Dragon." A blue dragon with wings attached to its arms appeared (ATK/1800 DEF/1000). Its power went up to two thousand attack and twelve hundred defense. "Now I sacrifice Cold Enchanter and Dragon Ice to Special Summon Ice Master!" Both Cold Enchanter and Dragon Ice were swallowed up and a large block of ice appeared which shattered to reveal a blonde woman in white with her face covered armed with a staff made of ice tipped with an enormous snowflake (ATK/2500 DEF/2000). Her attack points instantly rose to twenty-seven hundred while her defense points rose to twenty-two hundred.

"I invoke Blizzard Dragon's effect. Once per turn, he can freeze your monster, preventing it from attacking or changing its battle position until the end of your next turn." Blizzard Dragon opened its mouth and blasted one of the Amphibious Bugroth MK-3s with ice until it was completely frozen. "Next I use Ice Master's effect, placing an Ice Counter on one monster on the field." Ice Master cast a spell and placed one Ice Counter on the frozen submersible. "Now it's time. Ice Master, attack the one that isn't frozen! Frost Blades!" Ice Master slammed her staff against the ground and three blades of ice shot out like shark fins and sliced through the unfrozen Amphibious Bugroth MK-3.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Miss Marina:** 5700

**Neo Aqua Madoor:** 3200

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

Miss Marina drew her card. She needed something to destroy her opponent's monster before all hell broke loose. She had a facedown that could work and she cursed herself now for not using it earlier. She needed a monster right now and unfortunately there were none in her hand that could easily be summoned. She was about to experience some pain as she ended her turn.

Neo Aqua Madoor drew his card and laughed. "Blizzard Dragon, attack! Blizzard Blaze!" Blizzard Dragon opened its mouth and a jet of cold fire shot out and struck Amphibious Bugroth MK-3.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Miss Marina:** 5400

**Neo Aqua Madoor:** 3200

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Ice Master, attack! Frost Blades!" Ice Master repeated her earlier actions and three blades of ice shot toward Miss Marina.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Miss Marina:** 2900

**Neo Aqua Madoor:** 3200

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Your turn."

Miss Marina drew her card. To her dismay it wasn't a summonable monster. However, it was going to help her get some. "I play Salvage. This lets me select two Water monsters with fifteen hundred or less attack points from my graveyard and add them to my hand. I choose two Mother Grizzlies." Her graveyard ejected the two cards and she placed them in her hand. At last she had what she needed. "Now I summon a Mother Grizzly." The large bear reappeared once again and gained its two hundred attack and defense point boost.

"Now I activate Torrential Tribute! When a monster is summoned, this Trap Card will destroy all monsters on the field." Right on cue, a massive torrent of water exploded and destroyed every monster on the field. "Now I activate Call of the Haunted and resurrect the fallen Mother Grizzly." The blue bear returned to the field and roared. "Attack!" Mother Grizzly charged and swung her paw at Neo Aqua Madoor.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Miss Marina:** 2900

**Neo Aqua Madoor:** 1600

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

The Ice Wizard could feel his tower shudder as it fell down to half its current height.

"That ends my turn."

"My move." Neo Aqua Madoor drew his card. "I banish Blizzard Warrior and Dragon Ice from my graveyard in order to Special Summon Fenrir!" He let the cards fall as he summoned out the great wolf from Norse mythology (ATK/1400 DEF/1200). As soon as it appeared, its attack and defense points rose to sixteen hundred and fourteen hundred respectively. "Now I shall use a gift from the UnGod himself. Dark Tinker, appear!" A hunchbacked demon with six arms sprouting out of its back appeared (ATK/1000 DEF/1300). "I tune Dark Tinker to my now-level-three Fenrir!" Dark Tinker's body faded until two stars were left and the stars turned into synchro rings that surrounded Fenrir until its body turned into three stars. A column of black light engulfed them.

"When darkness falls, the curtain will pull back to reveal a world without light! Synchro Summon! Arise, Frozen Fitzgerald!" The darkness burst and the demon that had been on the battlefield earlier appeared surrounded by its own blizzard (ATK/2500 DEF/2500). With the effect of Miss Marina's Field Spell, its attack and defense points both became twenty-seven hundred. "Attack Mother Grizzly!" Frozen Fitzgerald targetted the bear and unleashed its devastating blizzard upon her.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Miss Marina:** 1800

**Neo Aqua Madoor:** 1600

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I use the effect of Mother Grizzly to Special Summon Unshaven Angler!" An angler fish with a long beard appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/1600) and its attack and defense points rose to seventeen hundred and eighteen hundred respectively.

"I end my turn with one shield," announced Neo Aqua Madoor as a facedown appeared before him.

Miss Marina drew her card. "My Unshaven Angler can be used as two tributes for the Tribute Summon of a Water monster. However, thanks to A Legendary Ocean, I won't be needing it. I sacrifice Unshaven Angler and summon Levia-Dragon - Daedalus!" The bearded fish disappeared and in its place arose a long blue sea serpent hissing loudly (ATK/2600 DEF/1500). Its attack and defense rose to twenty-eight hundred and seventeen hundred respectively. "Now I use his effect. By sending Umi to the graveyard, I can destroy all monsters on the field except him. And since A Legendary Ocean is counted as Umi, that will do nicely." The Field Spell vanished and Levia-Dragon - Daedalus released a rush of water that wiped out Frozen Fitzgerald. With A Legendary Ocean gone, though, its attack and defense points returned to normal, but it should be enough.

"End it, Daedalus!" ordered Miss Marina, "Wrath of the Sea!" The sea serpent hissed and unleashed a blast of water at Neo Aqua Madoor.

"I think not." The Ice Wizard held out his hand and revealed his facedown. "Not when my Defense Draw can say anything about it!" A barrier of cards appeared around him and deflected the water. He smirked behind his mask before drawing a new card.

"I'll place one card facedown then," announced Miss Marina, "Your turn."

Neo Aqua Madoor drew. "I shall thank you for that monster you summoned earlier, because now I shall use it. I play Monster Reborn and resurrect your Unshaven Angler." He played his card and the girls' P.E. teacher's monster appeared in front of him. "Now watch as I sacrifice it and bring forth the greatest ice monster of all!"

"You don't mean...?"

"Arise, White Night Dragon!" As the fish disappeared, the temperatures dropped and the enormous ice dragon that had once been buried under Permafrost emerged and roared (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "Attack Levia-Dragon - Daedalus!"

"I activate my facedown, Shrink!" Miss Marina declared.

"Neo Aqua Madoor cackled. "Foolish Terran! White Night Dragon can negate any Spell or Trap that targets it and destroy it!" His dragon then demonstrated its power and blasted Miss Marina's card with ice, freezing it first and then shattering it. "Now White Night Dragon, attack! Frozen Stream of Destruction!" White Night Dragon flew up and opened its mouth before unleashing a devastating ice beam that blasted Levia-Dragon - Daedalus.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Miss Marina:** 1400

**Neo Aqua Madoor:** 1600

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I am victorious!" Neo Aqua Madoor cackled.

Miss Marina looked up at the Ice Wizard and clenched her fist. "It's not over yet! It's never over until the final card is played." She looked at her hand. She had two cards to make this work. All she needed was the last one and with luck she'd win. She took a deep breath and drew her card. "I play Magical Mallet. I'll send Mother Grizzly back into my deck and then shuffle and draw one card." It was not the card she wanted, but she hoped it would help her get it. Once her Duel Disk had shuffled her deck, she picked up the top card. "This is it!" she exclaimed.

"Make your move, Terran!" Neo Aqua Madoor demanded.

"Alright, you asked for it. First I resurrect Levia-Dragon - Daedalus with Monster Reborn!" The sea serpent returned. "Now I sacrifice him in order to summon my ace! Come on out, Ocean Dragon Lord - Neo-Daedalus!" Levia-Dragon - Daedalus twitched violently and its body suddenly grew three times in size. Its fins grew larger and a second head sprouted out. Its tranformation into the Ocean Dragon Lord was now complete (ATK/2900 DEF/1600).

"Its power is still nothing to my White Night Dragon!" Neo Aqua Madoor reminded.

"Your dragon will not live to see past this moment!" replied Miss Marina, "I now play A Legendary Ocean!" Once again, her field card appeared and boosted both Water monsters by two hundred attack and defense. "And now for the Ocean Dragon Lord's effect. By sacrificing my Field Spell, I can destroy all cards on the field and in our hands except for him." Ocean Dragon Lord - Neo-Daedalus opened up every orifice in its body and began to drink. All over Vazrana, water levels sank as the water itself was pulled in to a single point. Neo-Daedalus drank its fill. Everything that made up the Realm of Water was being absorbed into it. The very bottom of the ocean was left dry, leaving everyone back at Duel Academy very confused as to what was happening.

Finally, all the water in Vazrana had been absorbed and Miss Marina pointed. "Unleash your Torrential Maelstrom!" Ocean Dragon Lord - Neo-Daedalus released the water all at once. White Night Dragon was struck and slammed into Neo Aqua Madoor's tower, causing it to collapse. The Ice Wizard fell and was struck by the massive surge of liquid. All the water in Vazrana was in this one blast. Truly, this beast was one of massive power. White Night Dragon shattered leaving only its master in its wake.

"Finish him!" ordered Miss Marina. Ocean Dragon Lord - Neo-Daedalus did not let up its attack and the rush of water only intensified. Neo Aqua Madoor tried to raise an ice shield around himself but it proved to be utterly useless against such a powerful blast. The sheer force was too much and he was blasted back.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Miss Marina:** 1400

**Neo Aqua Madoor:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

Neo Aqua Madoor came to a stop when he slammed into the palace gates. The attack had finally died down and he lay there. His bones were broken, his clothes were drenched, and his mask had been badly damaged. He tried to get up, but an Ice Lance from Mobius flew through the air and impaled him through the chest, pinning him to the gates. He looked up weakly as everyone gathered around him.

"It is over, Ice Wizard!" Tsunami said.

"No..." Neo Aqua Madoor mumbled, "I...am the UnGod's...chosen...Regent Lord...for...this realm! I cannot...be defeated..."

"That is where you are wrong, kero." Ronintoadin suddenly appeared.

"Ronintoadin, heal me," muttered Neo Aqua Madoor.

"I cannot do that," answered Ronintoadin, "for to do so would mean to defy my orders from the Regent Lord, kero."

"What...are you...talking about?" demanded Neo Aqua Madoor, "I...AM...the Regent Lord!"

"Afraid not, kero," Ronintoadin explained, "You were chosen merely to act in place of the Regent Lord, kero. However you started acting on your own accord, kero. Before long, it was decided that you should be removed, kero."

"Wait, is the Ice Wizard not the Regent Lord?" asked Tsunami.

"Come to think of it, back when we were still meeting the Monarchs with everyone else, no mention of 'Ice Wizard' was ever brought up," Victoria suddenly remembered. Mobius nodded in agreement.

"Now that you mention it, yes," he concurred, "Kuraz mentioned the Six Regent Lords of the UnGod. The Sky Lord, the Infernal Nightmare, the Titan of Light, the Black King, the Heartless Emperor... and the Beast." Ariel suddenly gasped and everyone turned toward her.

"Is everything okay?" asked Milena. The young sorceress shook her head.

"I sense something. Something I'd been dreading, but I'd hoped my feelings were wrong."

"Something's coming," muttered Victoria.

"The true Regent Lord of Vazrana is coming, kero," announced Ronintoadin.

"This feeling..." Ariel whispered, "It can't be..."

A clawed mechanical arm burst out of the ice and grabbed Neo Aqua Madoor. The Ice Wizard struggled against it but to no avail. An arm soon followed and an enormous green reptilian monster emerged. Parts of its body had been replaced with machines including its forearms, its legs from the knees down, and its jaw along with armor on its chest, shoulders, and tail that appeared to have been welded directly into the skin. Additionally, it seemed to be radiating with a red aura.

The Beast snarled as it stood up, its captive still in its arms. "Spare me, my lord!" Neo Aqua Madoor pleaded, the wizard now clearly showing visible fear. But the monstrosity did not heed his cries. Grabbing the Ice Wizard with both hands, he glared at him briefly before reaching out and biting down. There were screams of horror from many observers as the Beast ripped off the head of Neo Aqua Madoor with his mouth. The headless corpse was dropped through the hole from which he had burst out and it sank to the bottom of the sea.

Ronintoadin hopped onto the Beast's shoulder and sat down, his shakuhachi still in his hands. "Prepare yourself to feel the might of the Beast, kero!"

N-n-n-no..." Ariel was now truly petrified, but her reasons were far different from the others.

"You know this creature?" asked Victoria to which the young sorceress nodded.

"I...I raised him when he was little..." Suddenly it all made sense.

"Your name isn't really Ariel, is it?" asked Miss Marina. Ariel shook her head.

"No... It's Eria."

Now the pieces all truly fit together.

Born an innocent young lizard.

Corrupted by the vices of mankind.

Enhanced by the technology of the Dark World.

Empowered by the power of the Archfiends.

This was the UnGod's chosen Regent Lord of Vazrana.

The Beast.

Gogiga Gagagigo.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Vazrana shakes as the madness-consumed Gogiga Gagagigo goes on a wild rampage. The Beast makes its way across the sea toward Duel Academy, placing the lives of all the students in danger. It must be up to Victoria, Umi, Milena, Miss Marina, Tsunami, and all their allies to stop the Beast before it can destroy the place that they hold dear. The saga of Vazrana concludes next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	155. Madness of the Beast

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-68**

**Madness of the Beast**

The whole of Permafrost shook as Gogiga Gagagigo's roar ripped through the air. With the revelation of the monstrosity as the true Regent Lord, all hope seemed lost. "How can we beat that thing?" asked Umi.

"The same way we beat everything else!" answered Tsunami. He picked up his harpoon and threw it. It struck Gogiga Gagagigo's breastplate and bounced right off.

"All at once!" Mobius declared. He formed an ice lance and threw it. At the same time, Victoria's Gishkis, Milena's Ice Barrier creatures, and Miss Marina's deep sea denizens unleashed their attacks on the Beast at once. Simultaneously, Victoria had given the order to her crew to fires as many of their remaining missiles as possible. Many of the attacks hit and several explosions erupted all over and around Gogiga Gagagigo, creating a dense cloud of smoke. After several rounds, they ceased fire and held their ground.

"Did we get him?" asked Miss Marina.

"Doubtful," answered Milena.

"No, he's still alive," answered Ariel.

The smoke started to clear and everybody's jaws dropped as Gogiga Gagagigo stood completely unscathed surrounded by blast marks and destroyed ice. "You cannot defeat the Beast by such means, kero," Ronintoadin announced as he hopped onto the giant creature's shoulder and sat down. "There is only one way, kero."

"And what would that be?" asked Victoria. Her answer came when Gogiga Gagagigo's left forearm opened up and a Duel Disk slid out and expanded. "A duel?"

"Correct, kero," answered Ronintoadin, "Will you accept, kero?"

"I will accept!" Victoria stepped forward and activated her Duel Disk.

"Then prepare to face a Regent Lord of the UnGod, kero!"

Both opponents loaded their decks and their cards were automatically shuffled.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 8000

**Gogiga Gagagigo:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I draw." Victoria drew her first card. "I summon Gishki Shellfish in attack mode!" She played her move and brought out a dark-skinned man with tattoos armed with a pair of scimitars with a clam shell for a head (ATK/1700 DEF/900). "I'll set a facedown and end my turn."

"It is the lord's turn now, kero," Ronintoadin said as Gogiga Gagagigo drew his card. "And he begins with Gigobyte, kero." A small reptilian creature appeared making curious little noises (ATK/350 DEF/300). "Next he will activate Triangle Power, kero. Until the End Phase, all face-up level one Normal Monsters on this side will have their original attack boosted by two thousand attack points, kero. Then at the End Phase, all level one Normal Monsters shall be destroyed, kero." A pyramid appeared in Gogiga Gagagigo's backfield and triangles of light pulsed out of it and into Gigobyte. The tiny little thing roared as its attack points rose to twenty-three fifty.

"And now the master sends his former self to attack, kero." Gigobyte charged and bit down on Gishki Shellfish's neck.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 7350

**Gogiga Gagagigo:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"The master will now place down two cards, kero." As Ronintoadin narrated, Gogiga Gagagigo placed two cards facedown and they appeared at his feet. "And his turn now ends, kero." At that moment, Gigobyte screamed in agony as the Triangle Power he absorbed destroyed him.

"I draw." Victoria drew her card. "I'll begin by summoning Gishki Abyss in attack position." There was a splash of water and a man with an entire shark for a head appeared (ATK/800 DEF/500). "When Gishki Abyss is summoned, his effect allows me to add one Gishki monster with one thousand or less defense from my deck to my hand. So I will call forth Gishki Noellia." Her Duel Disk spat out her card into her hand before shuffling her deck. "Now I play Gishki Aquamirror." A shiny golden mirror appeared in front of Victoria. "For this ritual, I will use Gishki Abyss and Gishki Noellia as my tributes." The two monsters were absorbed into the mirror. For a brief moment, nothing happened. Then the mark of the Gishki appeared on the mirror's reflective surface.

"Come forth, Evigishki Gustkrake!" A red beam of light shined out from the mirror and deposited a creature with the upper body of a red-haired sorceress armed with a magical mirror, but her entire lower half was that of a giant blue squid (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "When Evigishki Gustkrake is Ritual Summoned, her effect allows me to look at up to two cards in my opponent's hand and shuffle one back into the deck." Evigishki Gustkrake looked in her mirror and revealed the two cards in Gogiga Gagagigo's hand. To her surprise, there wasn't much. The Beast held Altar for Tribute and Absolute End.

"I send Altar for Tribute back to your hand," said Victoria. In response, Evigishki Gustkrake shot a beam of light from her mirror at Gogiga Gagagigo's hand and placed it into the deck which was instantly shuffled afterwards. "Now Evigishki Gustkrake, attack!" Lowering her mirror to her side, Evigishki Gustkrake turned on her master's opponent and lashed out with her tentacles.

"The master activates a trap, kero," announced Ronintoadin as one of the facedowns came up. "Dimensional Prison." A tear in space opened up and Evigishki's tentacles went in. She tried to pull them back, but they were caught. Suddenly she felt an invisible force pulling her in. She tried to save herself, but the other dimension was too strong and she was pulled in.

"It is now the master's turn," announced Ronintoadin prior to Gogiga Gagagigo drawing. "He shall now summon another of his previous forms: Gagagigo!" A snarl echoed across Permafrost as an adult form of Gigobyte appeared, standing at over six feet in height wearing scraps of clothing on its legs and arm held up by the spikes on his knees and elbow (ATK/1850 DEF/1000). "Now the master will strike, kero." Gagagigo ran toward Victoria at top speed and spun around upon reaching her, striking her with his tail.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 5500

**Gogiga Gagagigo:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"He is fast!" exclaimed Tsunami.

"That was Gagagigo for you," replied Milena. Meanwhile, Ariel continued to remain silent. She didn't want to watch the duel, but she had no real choice. Meanwhile, Gogiga Gagagigo placed a card facedown and ended his turn.

Now it was Victoria's turn and she drew her card. "I summon Gishki Beast." She played her card and a green monster with golden horns and a mane of watery blue hair appeared wearing a mirror around its neck (ATK/1500 DEF/1300). "When Gishki Beast is Normal Summoned, his effect can resurrect one level four or lower Gishki monster in defense position. Gishki Beast, resurrect Gishki Shellfish!" Gishki Beast's horns began to glow and there was a splash of water beside it before Gishki Shellfish returned to the field and crouched down defensively using its scimitars as shields.

"Now I will overlay Gishki Shellfish and Gishki Beast." Both monsters were transformed into shimmering beams of blue light and shot skyward. At the same time, a portal into space opened up in the ground and the two lights spiralled into it. "I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters. Exceed Summon! Come out, Evigishki Merrowgeist!" A geyser erupted from the vortex and a mermaid-style creature emerged with a red tail decked out in green armor with four fins. Her long red hair flowed down past her waist as she held her staff topped with the Aquamirror. Two blue orbs of light slowly orbited around her body (ATK/2100 DEF/1600).

"The master activates Spirit Barrier, kero. With this, the master takes no battle damage when he controls a monster, kero," announced Ronintoadin.

"No matter. I can still have your monster destroyed," said Victoria, "Evigishki Merrowgeist, attack!" Evigishki Merrowgeist spun her staff and unleashed a beam of blue light.

"The master activates his other Trap, Absolute End, kero. For this turn, all your attacks become direct attacks, kero," Ronintoadin explained, "And with Spirit Barrier active, you shall not damage my master, kero." The beam shot past Gagagigo and struck a magical shield surrounding Gogiga Gagagigo.

"For something possessed by the power of the Archfiends and lost its mind, it's dueling surprisingly well," Milena commented.

"My master's turn, kero." Gogiga Gagagigo drew his card. "And now he sacrifices his fleshy previous form for his enhanced form, kero. Giga Gagagigo!" Gagagigo suddenly bulked up immensely and cybernetic limbs replaced its arms and legs and several more installations appeared on its shoulders, chest, tail, and jaws (ATK/2450 DEF/1500). "Attack, kero." Giga Gagagigo held out its hands and its fingers opened up to reveal several missiles as they were locked and loaded. They were fired at once and struck down Evigishki Merrowgeist.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 5150

**Gogiga Gagagigo:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Master ends his turn, kero," declared Ronintoadin.

Victoria drew her card. It could definitely destroy Giga Gagagigo, but she couldn't summon it to attack. She found herself with but one options. With a heavy sigh, she ended her turn. Hopefully, her facedown would save her.

Now it was back to Gogiga Gagagigo. He drew and then pointed forward. Giga Gagagigo opened his mouth and a concentrated laser beam shot out and flew straight toward Victoria. "I activate my Trap Card, Ceremonial Mirror of Illusion. I can summon one Gishki Ritual Monster from my hand ignoring the summoning conditions. But it cannot attack and it returns to the hand on my End Phase. So now I'll Special Summon Evigishki Tetrogre." A mirror appeared briefly and it seemed to shimmer away as a big blue monster with red hair wearing two enormous swords on its back appeared (ATK/2600 DEF/2100).

"My lord, cancel your attack quickly, kero!" Ronintoadin pleaded. Gogiga Gagagigo snarled and the laser narrowly missed Evigishki Tetrogre. "You win this round, kero. The master ends his turn." At that moment, Evigishki Tetrogre disappeared.

Victoria drew her card. "I play Gishki's Duplicate Soul Mirror. With this I can Ritual Summon a Ritual Monster. But instead of sacrificing monsters, I sacrifice Life Points; five hundred Life Points for every level of the monster. And the monster I'm summoning is the level six Evigishki Tetrogre." A mirror appeared in front of the sea captain, but it wasn't the Aquamirror. This one resembled some sort of creature with its mouth wide open clutching the mirror in its teeth. Victoria sacrificed three thousand Life Points to it.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 2150

**Gogiga Gagagigo:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

Once her Life Points had been absorbed, the mark of the Gishki appeared and red light shined out to summon Evigishki Tetrogre.

"Now I Normal Summon Gishki Beast in attack mode." A second Gishki Beast appeared on the field and roared. "With his effect, I resurrect my other Gishki Beast." The beast's horns began to glow and it pulled its twin out of the grave. "Now I overlay my two Gishi Beasts and construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters." The two Gishki Beasts sprang up into blue streams of light and spiraled into the vortex that appeared in the ground. "Exceed Summon! Rise, Evigishki Merrowgeist!" A second Evigishki Merrowgeist appeared and cried out as two spheres of blue light orbited her body.

"Now Gishki Tetrogre, attack Giga Gagagigo!" Gishki Tetrogre drew her swords and leapt up. She raised her weapons over her head and brought them down on Giga Gagagigo, crushing him beneath the weight of her weapons. Once the beast was gone, Gogiga Gagagigo was left wide open for an attack. Evigishki Merrowgeist cast her wand and blasted him with a spell.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 2150

**Gogiga Gagagigo:** 5900

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn."

Gogiga Gagagigo drew a card. He gazed at it with Ronintoadin for a moment and then set it facedown before ending his turn.

Victoria drew now and her first order was to send Gishki Tetrogre to attack. However, she did not expect her opponent to have a Compulsory Evacuation Device set. Gishki Tetrogre was thrown into a large ejector cannon which blasted it off the field. "It's fine. I still have Gishki Merrowgeist. Attack directly!" Gishki Merrowgeist cast a spell and struck Gogiga Gagagigo with it.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 2150

**Gogiga Gagagigo:** 3800

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I now set one card. This ends my turn," announced Victoria.

Gogiga Gagagigo drew his card. "Choose carefully, my lord, kero," Ronintoadin warned. Gogiga Gagagigo selected a card and placed it on the field. A young woman with long blue hair appeared wearing a loose brown robe. Standing at her side was Gigobyte (ATK/500 DEF/1500).

"That's Eria the Water Charmer!" exclaimed Umi.

Ariel looked up at the mention of her former name. She saw her past self standing on the field and gasped. She looked at Gogiga Gagagigo and wondered if maybe, despite all that had happened, if maybe he still held a special place in his heart for her. The giant monster then activated another card, a Spell known as Monster Gate.

"Tribute 1 monster; reveal cards from the top of your Deck until you reveal a monster that can be Normal Summoned, kero. Special Summon it, also send the remaining cards to the Graveyard, kero," Ronintoadin read. One by one,Gogiga Gagagigo picked up a card from his deck. The Law of the Normal: graveyard. Stumbling: graveyard. Two-Man Cell Battle: graveyard. D.D. Borderline: graveyard. Level Conversion Lab: graveyard. Draining Shield: graveyard. Des Counterblow: graveyard. Ambush Fangs: graveyard. Eisbahn: graveyard. Finally, he drew a monster and as it turned out, it could be Normal Summoned.

Gogiga Gagagigo vanished and everyone looked around. "Where did he go?" asked Tsunami.

"Up there!" Milena said pointing. All eyes turned as a Monster Gate portal appeared overhead and from it a giant reptilian best emerged. It tore its way from the portal and came crashing down on the field, letting out an earth-shattering roar (ATK/2950 DEF/2800).

"It's Gogiga Gagagigo!" exclaimed Miss Marina.

"He's finally stepped onto the battlefield himself," Victoria noted.

"Master, be careful, kero!" Ronintoadin warned, "If you should be defeated on the battlefield, you shall lose the duel, kero."

Before anyone could do anything, Gogiga Gagagigo launched himself forward and plunged his arm through Evigishki Merowgeist's chest. His hand came out her back covered in blood and he lifted her off the ground. Using his free hand to restrain her wand arm, he bit down hard on her head and ripped it from her shoulders.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Victoria:** 1300

**Gogiga Gagagigo:** 3800

–––––––––––––––––––––––

Gogiga Gagagigo withdrew his arm from the chest cavity and dropped the body onto the ground.

"He is faster and stronger than all of his other forms!" exclaimed Tsunami.

Gogiga Gagagigo snarled and snapped his jaws. "He is saying it is your move, kero," Ronintoadin translated.

Victoria drew her card. It was true that Gogiga Gagagigo was much more powerful and much faster than his previous forms, but as Ronintoadin had warned, if he were to fall in the duel, he would lose the game regardless of his Life Point count. Her objective was clear: destroy Gogiga Gagagigo by any means necessary. Looking at her hand, she had the perfect way to do it. All she needed now was some extra help. "I play Preparation of Rites!" she announced, "This card lets me bring one level seven or lower Ritual Monster from my deck to my hand and one Ritual Spell Card from my graveyard to my hand. So from my deck I choose Evigishki Mind Angus and from my graveyard I choose Gishki Aquamirror." She brought the cards to her hand and prepared to execute the remainder of her plan.

"I play Gishki Aquamirror and I'll sacrifice Evigishki Mind Angus." She sent the monster she had brought from her deck into her graveyard and the Aquamirror in front of her absorbed it before shining a red light onto her field. "Welcome back, Evigishki Tetrogre." Evigishki Tetrogre appeared on the field and roared.

"Why is she using Tetrogre?" asked Tsunami, "It is not strong enough to defeat the Beast."

"I activate Tetrogre's effect," announced Victoria, "By declaring one card type, we both must send one card from our decks to the graveyard of that type. However, this effect can be negated if my opponent discards a card. I pick monster."

Gogiga Gagagigo thought for a moment and then sent his only card in his hand to the graveyard. It was My Body as a Shield. Victoria smiled. As she prepared to make her next move, a red light suddenly began to shine through her glove. She looked for a moment and pulled her glove off. Her right palm was glowing with a Red Rose Mark. The light seemed to catch Milena's eye.

"Finish your move, kero," Ronintoadin called.

_I'll worry about this later_, Victoria thought as she put her glove back on.

"I equip Evigishki Tetrogre with Ritual Weapon." A golden crossbow appeared on Evigishki Tetrogre's left arm. "This is a weapon that can only be equipped to a level six or lower Ritual Monster. In doing so, it raises their attack and defense points by fifteen hundred, enough to defeat Gogiga Gagagigo." Evigishki Tetrogre roared as her attack points rose to forty-one hundred and his defense points rose to thirty-six hundred.

"No, the master, kero!"

"Let fly the arrow of light, Evigishki Tetrogre!" ordered Victoria. Evigishki Tetrogre took aim and pulled the trigger. The bolt shot out of the crossbow and struck Gogiga Gagagigo. It exploded on impact and the Beast was thrown backward. Victoria's field faded away as the duel ended.

"You did it!" cheered everyone. They ran over to Victoria as she deactivated her Duel Disk.

"Captain Collins, you are one of the knights of the Red Rose, correct?" asked Milena as she made her way through everyone.

"Are you talking about that red light?" asked Victoria.

"Yes. I have something for you. Use it to restore the seal." Milena opened up her Duel Disk and produced something from within it, which she handed to Victoria. It was a Red Rose Card.

"Where did you get this?" the submarine captain asked.

"My family has had light affiliations from centuries past with the Telaris family," Milena explained, "They were given a Rose Card to spirit away to Mother Russia. It stayed in a cathedral until recently.

"I was trained by my grandfather, the only living relative I had. He was a former soldier for the USSR and was true to its spirit of camaraderie and how everyone should have equal power in all things. The motherland knew best, including knowing to unite us with those Telarises..

"I, as the last living member swore to keep the card safe, and trained in the exact same way as Grandfather did. I trained as a Spetsnaz soldier and operative. Able to kill...period. Such was my mission in life.

"Then one day Kage and the servants of the UnGod came...and...I didn't have a chance. I took my old disk and the cards entrusted with my care, the Red Rose Card you now hold too. I swore that no matter what, I would keep the card safe. But then I was found by a man robed in white before I could reach the main roads into the city. He dueled me in a way reminiscent of an old ally of mine from times past. I cannot remember the results of that duel, but somehow afterward I found myself here in Ardent.

"I fought against every creature I could find here...it was strange. I lived here, in Permafrost, with nothing but the howling wind and snarling creatures to greet me. I wore their furs, became a hunter to survive. I lost myself in that time, I became little more than a savage of the arctic wastes until one fateful day I chanced across a young woman lying unconscious in the wastes, unharmed and alive. Despite the madness and the rage that had overtaken me, I knew she was human and somehow knew she was from my world. I offered her whatever help I could...", Milena walked out to the edge of Permafrost, looking out towards the seas of Vazrana as if slowly letting all her thoughts flow out at once.

"Reka, that was her name, barely survived the wastes and was honestly a burden. Yet I was astonished that she knew who I was from my last name alone."

"What's your last name?" Tsunami interrupted.

"Solokov." Milena then continued. "Amazing still was that though Reka was stranded on Ardent she wanted to find a way back home. Even if was impossible, she needed to find out if there was a way. I had given up hope and was content to live here and die with my rose card in this strange land. However the Telaris woman? No, she couldn't be stopped even when I told here there was nothing but death in this land...", she then turned to face her companions and gave a genuine smile, a stark contrast to the constant stoic demeanor she normally gave, slapping a hand upon her bicep.

"I became her companion at that point. Since then, I have helped in any way I could to restore the seals with the combat skills I have inherited. It shames me to say this, but I was the one who broke all of them. I took great pleasure in it, thinking that I was killing the force responsible for Grandfather's demise and leaving me as the last of the Sokolov line. All the while keeping her Rose Card safe within my Duel Disk," Milena looked down with regret, giving a sigh while running a finger through her blonde locks in thought.

"Well, perhaps not always as safe as one would assume I had kept it. The servants of the UnGod and other foul things were drawn to the Rose Card while I retained possession over it. They never obtained it because I would always manage to kill them outright, even by myself alone in Permafrost. I even used the card as bait to lure them into my traps, and yes...I did take great pleasure in killing every last one of them for this."

"And just like that my respect for you as a guardian dropped slightly," Mobius muttered inaudibly.

"I will also confess that for a time I desired to slay Zetsubou and his sister Mikomi for being related to such a foul man," Milena admitted.

"What changed your mind?" Victoria asked curiously.

"I followed Zetsubou into Pandemonium where I watched him bravely fight off the Terrorking against all odds for his sister. We were prisoners upon that island, and yet he goes out of his way to do this? That was not the behavior of a savage killer of the UnGod," was the answer.

"That's fine and all, but don't you have a seal to fix?" asked Miss Marina.

"Roger that." Victoria turned and started to leave, but then she stopped. "How can I find the seal?"

"Trust yourself. Reka always believed that if you trusted in yourself, your body would drift towards the seals like a moth to a flame," said Milena.

And so she did. Victoria walked around the area for a bit, but nothing yet. Shortly after, however, her mark seemed to grow brighter the closer she approached the crater that had once been White Night Dragon's resting place. She looked in and saw shards of black crystal strewn about the bottom. With Tsunami's help she made her way down and approached the shattered seal. She stood before it and held out the card. It began to glow and the pieces started to resonate in sync with it. Slowly they levitated and circled around each other. One by one they came together. The cracks disappeared and the pieces fused until finally the stone was restored, now shining rose red as opposed to its former black sheen.

Victoria returned to the surface with Tsunami's assistance. "It seems our task is done," she said, "The Regent Lord is dead. Let us return to the island."

"It is not over yet, kero!" Ronintoadin was standing on Gogiga Gagagigo's chest hopping up on down on it. "My master will not be defeated so easily, kero! The UnGod's chosen one shall stand one more, kero! He shall...!" He never finished his last sentence as Gogiga Gagagigo grabbed him. He sat up and held the tattooed frog in his hand. Then without warning, he threw Ronintoadin into the air and ate him. Gogiga Gagagigo stood up and clutched something in his hand. Something black with horns and teeth.

"It's the Ice Wizard's Soul Gate!" exclaimed Ariel.

"No, it never belonged to Neo Aqua Madoor," corrected Mobius, "It is now in the hands of the one it was made for."

Gogiga Gagagigo held the Soul Gate in his hand and raised it above his head. Then, in a low growl, he almost inaudibly uttered two words quietly, "Chaos Exultation." The Soul Gate opened its mouth and streams of darkness poured out from its eye and spread all across Vazrana. From the deepest trenches of the sea to the sunny beaches across the ocean, the inhabitants of the Realm of Water were absorbed and pulled in. When the very last one had been brought in, the Soul Gate pulsed and the Beast's breastplate opened up, revealing a socket where his heart should have been. He placed the black device inside it and his breastplate closed. He then let out a roar as the darkness spread through his entire body and he grew immensely in size. Within seconds, Gogiga Gagagigo had transformed into a giant.

"Look at the size of that thing!" shouted Tsunami. Everyone who was able attacked, but Gogiga Gagagigo felt nothing as he turned around, smashing apart an ice mountain with his tail and stepped into the sea.

"He's totally ignoring us!" exclaimed Milena.

"Gogiga Gagagigo's power has increased exponentially, but that does not seem to be the reason," said Mobius, "He must have some goal in mind."

"But where would he be going?" asked Umi. At that moment, Mobius tapped his lance against the ground and his body shattered into a million shards of ice. Miss Marina suddenly gasped with horror, realizing where that monstrosity was headed.

"The school!"

o o o

It was most fortunate that nothing had come to attack Duel Academy since the exploration team had left. Alexis stood in her temporary office watching from the window. Patrols continued around the island keeping watch for anything that might try to approach the island. Sitting on her desk was a radio. It was given to her by Victoria prior to her departure. It was her direct line to the submarine.

As she continued to watch from her window, the radio suddenly crackled to life. "Marine One to Home. Marine One to Home. Come in." Alexis picked up the radio and clicked herself in. "Home to Marine One, reading you loud and clear. Go ahead."

"Emergency situation. Enemy inbound. Prepare for enemy attack on a massive scale," Victoria's voice came in.

"Captain Collins, slow down please," urged Alexis, "What is it?"

"The enemy is approaching the school. You all need to prepare for his arrival."

"Wait, his? As in just one?"

"He's very big."

"We'll prepare right away!"

"Roger. Over and out."

Alexis put down the radio. Just what were they in for? But she didn't have time to think. She had to act. Something big was coming.

o o o

The submarine was running at full speed, but even so they were unable to catch up to Gogiga Gagagigo. At their current speed they were only able to maintain distance from him. Everybody had imagined that the cybernetic enhancements of Dark World would have weighed him down, but the Beast seemed to be able to swim perfectly fine with no hindrances.

"We need to slow him down," said Victoria, "How many torpedoes do we have left?"

"Only six, captain," her crewman reported.

Victoria took a moment to contemplate her options. Six torpedoes would definitely not be enough to kill their target and depending on where they hit would determine how much damage they could deal. She thought carefully. Striking the mechanical limbs would prove useless as they were heavily armored. She could have them target the flesh, but that would most likely only serve to anger Gogiga Gagagigo. Every creature had a weak spot and this one would have no exception.

"Load all torpedoes into the bow tubes," she ordered, "Target the joints. Aim for where flesh meets machine."

"Roger! Load torpedoes!" Down below, the crew was loading the tubes while other members were moving the remaining torpedoes from the aft to the bow. Victoria stood over her crewman's shoulder watching the screen as he targetted Gogiga Gagagigo's knees. They would be the easiest to hit. The jaw would've dealt a great deal of damage, but they were much too far away and the rest of the creature's body was in the way.

"Watch that tail," warned Victoria. That was detrimental. Gogiga Gagagigo was propelling himself through the water with his tail like a snake. One wrongly-timed attack would result in the torpedo hitting it instead of its intended target, which would only serve to alert the creature. The helmsman was already repositioning the submarine to move at an angle from the target. They would be targetting the right knee.

Outside the submarine, Tsunami watched riding on his shark. He wanted to attack, but not even Sebastian could keep up with the UnGod's Regent Lord of Vazrana. He had surfaced several times during the chase for air, but for the most part he had been able to keep up with the massive lizard. And now he could see the submarine moving off to the side. He didn't like it. Any time they spent moving off in a different angle would only put more distance between them and the monster. He had to act. Without thinking for another moment, he kicked his shark's side and it swam ahead.

"Captain, we have something moving within firing range!" a crewman reported.

"Who the hell would swim within our line of fire?" demanded Victoria.

"It's Tsunami," Ariel thought out loud.

"What is he doing?" asked Milena.

"I think he's attacking," answered Umi.

"That fool! He'll alert the target!" Victoria clenched her fist. This was the last thing they needed. But there he was, the Legendary Fisherman, already trying to close the gap between him and Gogiga Gagagigo.

"Orders, captain?"

Victoria thought for a moment. If they didn't fire now, the Beast would retaliate to the attack from Tsunami for sure. But if they did fire, they risked hitting the Legendary Fisherman. For now, all they could do was watch as the man outside passed them and moved in closer. He had his harpoon ready. He was going to strike. He was close enough to hit when he threw it.

Just before he could throw his harpoon, Tsunami was struck by Gogiga Gagagigo's tail and sent flying to the side. Everyone just looked at the screen, but Victoria brought them back to attention. "Fire!"

"Fire torpedo one!" the crewman shouted into the microphone. Down below, the torpedo crew pulled the lever and torpedo one left the tube. It shot through the water and everyone crossed their fingers. Their angle gave them a clearer shot at the knee, but there was still the tail. The timing needed to be right.

But it seemed luck was on their side as the tail moved out of the way just in time and most of the passengers cheered. But suddenly the torpedo veered off on a different course. While the tail had missed, its movements had disturbed the ocean currents and those new currents had been powerful enough to interrupt the torpedo and change it course. It ended up flying to the side and then exploded. Fortunately, the explosion seemed to go unnoticed by Gogiga Gagagigo.

"Prepare torpedo two quickly!" ordered Victoria.

"Torpedo two is ready!" the crew reported.

"Prepare torpedoes three and four for immediate firing. Fire on my mark."

"Roger, ma'am."

Victoria the currents disrupted by the tail, their window of opportunity was even narrower than it was before. Timing was everything. She knew her crew. She knew how long it would take her to give the order and how long it would take them to react to it. Everything else came down to measured distance and luck.

"Fire torpedo two." The order was given and her crew pulled the lever that launched torpedo two. It shot through the water and headed straight toward Gogiga Gagagigo. Everyone crossed their fingers. But Victoria's aim was true and the torpedo shot past the monster safely and struck its mark. Gogiga Gagagigo roared in pain and turned around suddenly aware of the submarine's presence.

"Aim for the jaw," ordered Victoria, "Fire torpedoes three and four!"

This time two torpedoes were launched. They sped through the water toward Gogiga Gagagigo who, by this time, had turned around completely. He saw the two projectiles approaching and reacted instantly. He opened his mouth and an energy beam shot out and blasted the torpedoes, destroying them long before they reached him.

"What was that?" asked Miss Marina.

"It must be a new power he got when he absorbed all those monsters with the UnGod's power," Milena surmised. The submarine suddenly shook violently as Gogiga Gagagigo crashed into it.

"He's attacking us!" Umi screamed. A metal claw wrapped itself around the submarine and pulled it down. Gogiga Gagagigo held his attackers and grabbed with both hands. They were truly at his mercy now. But before he could break the submarine with his jaws, a harpoon struck his neck that cause him much pain. He turned and saw Tsunami riding toward him. The Legendary Fisherman had recovered and was now attacking in full force. He pulled his harpoon out and grabbed onto the massive lizard's nearest spike. He held on tightly as he stabbed him repeatedly with his weapon. Gogiga Gagagigo scratched and clawed at him trying to get him off, but to no avail. The scent of the blood that poured out was quickly caught by the shark and he joined his master in his attack.

Meanwhile the submarine crew was able to stabilize the craft and Victoria immediately ordered a damage report. "We were lucky, ma'am. Minor damage was taken."

"Get everything under control. Then fire the remaining torpedoes at the creature. Aim for where flesh meets machine."

"Yes, ma'am!"

It took some time, but soon the last two torpedoes had been loaded into the bow tubes. Victoria gave the order and they were fired together. The first missed and struck Gogiga Gagagigo's thigh while the second struck the back of the right knee. The monster roared in pain and threw himself forward. The currents pushed Tsunami's shark away but the Legendary Fisherman held on. It was at that moment that Gogiga Gagagigo was able to grab him and pull him off. He stabbed at the hand with all his might to free him, but was failing as he struck nothing but hard reinforced metal. Gogiga Gagagigo looked at him for a moment, deciding whether or not he was worth it.

Tsunami glared up at the Regent Lord defiantly as if to challenge him. Gogiga Gagagigo looked at him for a moment and then opened his mouth. The last thing the Legendary Fisherman ever saw was the Beast's maw closing around him.

o o o

"He's gone too far ahead," one of the crew reported, "There's no way we can catch up with him now. We'll be at the island long after he's destroyed it."

"Then it's all over," muttered Victoria.

"Not yet!" Outside in the ocean, Mobius appeared from a vortex of water. He grabbed onto the submarine. "Hold on!" He then shattered into a myriad of ice shards, taking the ship with him.

o o o

Back at Duel Academy, everybody stood ready. "So I heard that it's just one guy coming," a Ra Yellow student said.

"Just one? Ha!" an Osiris Red scoffed, "We can take him!"

"Something's coming!" an Obelisk Blue shouted. She was standing on the lighthouse looking out and could make out the water rising as it approached the island.

"I got this." The overconfident Red stepped forward onto the dock and spread out his hands. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" The water rose up and broke as Gogiga Gagagigo stood up and roared at he who stood to challenge him.

"...okay, maybe you will."

Gogiga Gagagigo stood waist-deep in the water and roared once more before stomping closer to the island. Most who stood there looking ran at the sight of him coming, but those who stood their ground summoned their monsters and attacked.

"Goblin Attack Force, go!" Biff shouted as his legion of goblins leapt forward and started banging on the giant's foot with their clubs.

"Gadget Hauler, fire!" Spike's truck transformed into a cannon and fired.

"Go Valkyrion!" Mags pointed and Valkyrion the Magna Warrior flew ahead and started swinging his sword.

"Tri-Horned Dragon, charge!" Norman's ace charged forward and slammed its head into Gogiga Gagagigo's leg.

"Phoenix Gearfried!" Pat was about to order his command, but then he switched over to Rick. "Show him no mercy! Attack!" The Gemini knight drew his sword and thrust it forward.

"Batteryman Industrial Strength, Thunderbolt!" Spencer pointed and his massive Batteryman monster unleashed countless volts of electricity through its cables and fired them in the form of two long bolts.

The students had their instructions. They were to hold off the enemy until the teachers showed up. Then they were to evacuate to the school building immediately. It didn't take long for them to finally show up.

"Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, attack!" Mr. Thulin called out his best monster and it flew up before starting to blast Gogiga Gagagigo with Darkness Metal Flare.

"Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6! Armed Dragon LV7! And the Calculator!" Higsby called out his monsters and his small electric monster powered up immensely before shooting off a blast of electricity.

"Dark Eradicator Warlock, do not hold back," ordered Dr. Snappe. His dark wizard threw his cape back and held out his staff which began to glow before casting a ball of magical energy forward. Right beside him stood Mika, who had Arcanite Magician with her.

"Arcanite Magician, Arcane Magic Attack!" The white-robed wizard spun his staff and fired a blast of magic from it. It spiraled around Dark Eradicator Warlock's spell and fused together to create a single powerful magical blast.

"Black Arcana!" The fused spell shot up and struck Gogiga Gagagigo's jaw.

"Ultimate Tyranno, get 'im!" The ground quaked beneath the feet of Mr. Hassleberry's dinosaur as it charged.

Gogiga Gagagigo saw the monster attacking them and retaliated. He stooped down and swiped them all with his arm. His claws cut through them, but they persevered. He roared and spun around, striking them with his tail. That got them. Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon was still shooting him with its breath attacks, but he knocked it away and slammed it into the woods. Gogiga Gagagigo stepped out of the water completely and his feet landed on solid ground. Right around then, a cold mist formed on the outskirt of Duel Academy and Mobius appeared with the submarine.

"Hurry, we have to go!" Miss Marina urged as she got out first.

"Umi, let's go," urged Milena.

"Just go. I'll only be in the way," Umi muttered.

"Umi, what happened on Frog Island is in the past. Just because your previous opponents let you win doesn't mean you can't be a great Duelist. You can! But you have to put your heart into it!" Umi looked up at the Russian woman. "Really?"

"Da."

"Okay then. I'll try my best."

"That's all we ask."

Outside, Gishki Soul Ogre, Ocean Dragon Lord - Neo-Daedalus, and Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier had joined the fight as dark clouds gathered. Umi pulled out her strongest card and summoned Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon to join in. Meanwhile, Monsieur Bonaparte held up five cards. "Rise, Exodia!" A massive glowing pentagram appeared overhead and from it emerged the enormous ancient Egyptian god so powerful that his power had to be sealed into five separate cards. He lumbered toward Gogiga Gagagigo and threw a punch. It slammed into the Beast's head and sent him sprawling. Gogiga Gagagigo rolled onto his front and felt his jaw. He placed his hand on it and cracked it back into place before standing back up. He roared and spun around, slamming his tail into Exodia.

As the ancient god battled with the Regent Lord, Alexis watched from her window praying that she wouldn't need to resort to the island's deep buried secret. That was when something flew past overhead; a dragon with feathers as white as snow and shining as bright as light itself. Johnathan Angel flew into battle on Judgment Dragon. Not far behind, Hyper Psychic Blaster followed on jets. Meanwhile, a squad consisting of Gem-Knight Ruby, Gem-Knight Aquamarine, and Gem-Knight Citrine led by Gem-Knight Pearl dashed across the island toward the heart of battle. As they neared the enemy, Judgment Dragon opened its mouth and fired a solid beam of white light. It arced around the Beast and carved its attack into it as it passed. Gogiga Gagagigo roared painfully as the light burned into his skin. As the beam went away, he turned to retaliate but was slammed into by Exodia. He fell, but his agile body wouldn't let him waste it. As he fell he dug his claws into Exodia's shoulders and as soon as he touched the ground, Gogiga Gagagigo planted his feet on his attacker's stomach and pushed up while pulling his arms back, sending Exodia flying over him and landing in the water. But it didn't stop there. While doing so, Gogiga Gagagigo had wrapped his tail around the bulky god's ankle and the momentum pulled him back onto his feet. Once he was up, the Regent Lord clenched his fist and began punching Exodia. Each punch broke off a piece of rock from the ancient god's body.

As Gogiga Gagagigo drew his arm back for another hit a triple ice beam hit his shoulder and froze it. He looked back and roared as Trishula flew away after landing an attack. He got up and swung his claws out at it, but in doing so turned his back on the sea allowing Ocean Dragon Lord - Neo-Daedalus to hit him with a powerful bone-breaking water blast. Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon flew in and blasted him afterwards, freezing the water. Hyper Psychic Blaster drew his guns and fired a volley of laserfire onto the massive lizard. Gogiga Gagagigo spun around, letting his tail drag, which was deflected upward by Gem-Knight Aquamarine's shield. Gem-Knight Topaz and Gem-Knight Ruby attacked simultaneously using their electric energy tonfas and cane sword respectively, cutting into the flesh just behind the knee. Gem-Knight Citrine leapt up and slashed with his molten sword while Gem-Knight Pearl unleashed a bombardment of pearl bombs upon the Beast. Judgment Dragon came back for another round and hit Gogiga Gagagigo squarely on the chest with enough power to force him back. Exodia took that moment to get up and punch the Beast again.

"Hit him again!" Milena called to her dragon as she rode upon its back. There was a savage look in her eyes as her dragon banked for another attack. It was as though the battle was bringing out a hidden beast inside her. Trishula flew in lower and shot more ice beams onto Gogiga Gagagigo. Mobius appeared on a cliff and threw another set of Ice Lances into the Beast's flesh before disappearing into a million ice shards and then reappearing elsewhere. He opened his mouth and let out another roar before swinging his tail. Exodia caught it and pulled hard. Gogiga Gagagigo was thrown off balance and the god started to spin. Eventually he had built up enough momentum to lift the enemy off his feet. He spun him around faster and faster and eventually released, sending Gogiga Gagagigo flying and landing in the woods.

"Let's finish him!" Milena shouted.

"Roger that!" Victoria responded.

Together, Trishula, Gishki Soul Ogre, Ocean Dragon Lord - Neo-Daedalus, Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon, Hyper Psychic Blaster, the Gem-Knight squad, and Judgment Dragon attacked the Beast as lightning flashed and thunder rolled. Gogiga Gagagigo braved their attacks and slowly got back to his feet only to be met with Exodia charging up a massive fireball in between his palms.

"Exodia!" Monsieur called out, "Oblitera-"

He never finished his order. As soon as Gogiga Gagagigo saw the titanic monster, he fired a beam of energy from his mouth and blew a hole through Exodia's midsection. The fireball faded and he fired again, this time blasting off Exodia's head. The god's body went limp and fell backward into the ocean. Gogiga Gagagigo stood up tall and roared before blasting Ocean Dragon Lord - Neo-Daedalus all the way out at sea. He proceeded then to blast the others.

"Fall back!" Johnathan called. Everybody retreated and fell back to the school, leaving Gogiga Gagagigo alone. "Such power..."

"Is this the power of the UnGod?" Umi asked horrified as rain slowly began to fall.

"He's gone mad with power," said Milena.

"Wait, we're missing someone," Victoria suddenly noticed, "Where is Ariel?"

"Oh no..." Miss Marina grabbed some binoculars and looked out. "Don't tell me she..." And there she was. Ariel was still on the battlefield near the berserker by the sea.

"Gigobyte..."

Gogiga Gagagigo looked down and saw the spellcaster. He approached her, the madness still locked in his eyes. "Gigobyte please..." Gogiga Gagagigo roared and opened his mouth, ready to fire again.

Suddenly, a sparking blast of energy struck his neck and caused him to misfire into the sea. He turned and looked to see a majestic white dragon with eyes like sapphires flying toward him. It slammed into him and knocked him back a few steps.

"That's a Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" exclaimed Umi. The rain had quickly intensified as Seto Kaiba suddenly stepped forward with a card active on his Duel Disk.

"This ends...right now!" he declared. He took two more cards out and slapped them onto his Duel Disk. Immediately, his other two Blue-Eyes White Dragons appeared and took off. They flew across the island and shot Gogiga Gagagigo each with a Burst Stream of Destruction. The Regent Lord roared and swung his claws at them, slashing one across the chest and clipping the wing of another.

"All of us couldn't beat him. What makes you think you can?" asked Milena.

Kaiba only said one thing. "Because I'm Seto Kaiba." He held up a Polymerization card and it flashed. His three dragons came together and fused into one single dragon three times the size of one with three heads. "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack!" Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon roared and stomped the ground. After the fusion, Kaiba's dragon was now almost the same size as Gogiga Gagagigo. The Beast slashed with his claws, but the massive dragon dodged and one of the heads bit down on his arm. The middle head then lashed out and bit his neck. Gogiga Gagagigo roared in pain and tried to fire off a beam, but the head tightened its jaws and he couldn't help but feel his attack stifled. The third head lowered itself down to Gogiga Gagagigo's abdomen and fired a Burst Stream at point blank. The other heads released their bites and allowed the monster to stumble back. Then they all fired at once, combining their Burst Streams into one single Ultimate Burst. The impact it made hit with such magnitude that pieces of Gogiga Gagagigo's armor were blown right off.

"He got him!" cheered Umi.

"It's not enough," said Kaiba. He turned to Alexis, who had joined them on the roof. "Do any of your students have a Black Luster Soldier?"

"I'll send for one right away," said Alexis.

Kaiba nodded and turned his attention back to the fight. Gogiga Gagagigo had gotten back up, but the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon refused to give him a chance to counterattack. Whenever it could, it blasted him with another Ultimate Burst. A few minutes passed and finally one student appeared with the desired Ritual Monster. Kaiba nodded and then held up another Polymerization. His dragon and the Black Luster Soldier resonated and suddenly the dark knight stood on the back of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

"I summon the Dragon Master Knight!" The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's roar shook all of Vazrana and caused the others on the island to look up at its majesty.

"Heh." Mr. Thulin smirked as he drew a card from his deck. "Here's a boost for ya." He summoned a Red-Eyes Black Dragon and it flew up to join the Dragon Master Knight's side. Mr. Higsby joined in and summoned his Armed Dragon LV7. All over the island, anyone with dragons in their decks summoned them. Before long, a whole flock of dragons had appeared behind Kaiba's monster.

"Dragon Master Knight, destroy Gogiga Gagagigo!" shouted Kaiba. "Galaxy Crusher!"

Gogiga Gagagigo roared and unleashed another blast from his mouth. At the same time, Black Luster Soldier gathered the energies from all the dragons into his sword and unleashed a purple beam of light from his blade. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon reacted and each head fired a Burst Stream of Destruction. They spiraled around the Black Luster Soldier's purple light and fused into a single concentrated blast that collided with the other attack and overwhelmed it with ease. The Galaxy Crusher swallowed up Gogiga Gagagigo and his roar was drowned out by its massive power.

After what seemed like an eternity, the Galaxy Crusher subsided and Gogiga Gagagigo crashed to the ground. Ariel approached the fallen Beast. Her eyes were filled with sadness. As she looked up at him, one of his eyes seemed to turn to look down at her. The red aura of the Archfiends' power slowly faded away from his body. She could hear his heartbeat as she stood by him. And it was getting slower.

"Gigobyte..." Ariel fought back her tears. "I'm... I'm sorry..."

Gogiga Gagagigo growled quietly and his eye suddenly softened. A tear formed and it ran down the side of his face. He then closed his eye as it went dull and his heartbeat came to a stop. Ariel lowered her head as tears ran down her face, mixing with the rainwater as it ran off her hat and onto her robe.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, "I'm so sorry, Gigobyte..."

People started to gather around her. Though they had come to see the fallen Regent Lord of the UnGod, they saw the blue-haired woman kneeling before the dead creature clutching her staff tightly and muttering apologies.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Orstrem, the Realm of Fire. Home to the Infernal Nightmare. With Jaden as their guide, Charlie, Nellie, Coltyn, and Cassie set out on their adventure to explore this molten landscape. What dangers lie ahead in a world filled with lava and searing flames? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	156. Orstrem, the Nation of Fire

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-69**

**Orstrem, the Nation of Fire**

Fireyarou sat before a searing pool of lava meditating. A live flame flickered in his hands as he concentrated on its energy. It flared up and expanded. He opened his eyes and smiled. He still had it. The more he improved, the greater his chances were of rising up the ranks of the Regent Lord's forces.

"Great spirits of fire," he prayed, "show me the key to increasing my power. Allow me to surpass even the master so that I may sit upon the throne." There was silence save for the eruptions of distant volcanoes, the flow of lava, and the roar of fires. The ground suddenly began to rumble beneath Fireyarou. He stood up with an eager look on his face, as if his prayer had just been answered. A wall of fire suddenly rose up from the lava in front of him and he took a few steps back.

"You called, little whelp..." The flames died and a massive being in armor wielding an enormous spiked hammer stood before him. "...and the Firestorm Monarch has answered!" Fireyarou stumbled and fell back as the mighty Thestalos loomed over him. His weapon, the mighty Incendius, was a spiked hammer so enormous that only those the size of a Monarch or larger could wield it, but even then they would be forced to hold it with two hands. And yet Thestalos stood there grasping it with a single hand.

Fireyarou was paralyzed with fear. He thought the Firestorm Monarch was dead. But here he was in full fiery glory. Thestalos stared down at the little man and raised his hammer, "All whom defy the will of Ardent shall be brought to oblivion. My edict is law, even now." Then without another second's hesitation, he brought his weapon down and smashed it down.

"When I said to exercise discretion, that was not what I meant," said Charlie. She stood with Jaden, Nellie, Coltyn, and Cassie a few meters away from Thestalos. Accompanying them was the soldier mentioned by Sir Seigfried, a man named Caerik, who also went by the title of Flame Swordsman. The Duel Guerilla turned her gaze upward. The sky was covered by thick clouds of smoke and ash and illuminated by the orange glow of the fires below. Rock comprised of most of the solid terrain, but the land itself was far from solid. Raging rivers and lakes of lava covered the surface and massive volcanoes generated their sources. Small forests sparsely dotted the realm where there was any sort of soil, but were far from lively. The trees stood blackened and burned, mere charcoal after the fires that had burned them down into cinders.

"They can't sound an alarm if you kill them quickly," Thestalos said in response.

"It doesn't count if you announce yourself before an enemy and then make a loud noise when you kill him," was Charlie's answer.

"Retaking the throne Orstrem is the most important thing. It shouldn't matter how we do it, so I propose a full-all attack and overwhelm the enemy."

"That's a suicide mission right there," Coltyn pointed out. The heat of the region had forced him to remove his school jacket and shirt and tie the former around his waist and tuck the latter into his belt. "We need to plan out an attack."

"A map would help," said Jaden. Unlike most of the others, the heat didn't seem to be affecting him as badly. Cassie was sitting on the ground beside him fanning herself with her hand.

"I possess a map," said Caerik. He took a scroll out and unfurled it. Everyone crowded around it and looked.

"This will do," said Charlie. Thestalos's hammer vanished in a flash of fire and the Firestorm Monarch stood over the others looking down at the map. He was impatient and wanted to go immediately, but the others were going to need his help.

"Where's the palace located?" asked Jaden.

"Right here." Thestalos pointed at the biggest mountain. "Mt. Agni. It is an active volcano."

"Show me one that _isn't_ active in this realm." muttered Coltyn.

"The palace is located within the very heart of the mountain," Thestalos continued, "Tunnels have been carved into the sides of the volcano for access, but they are blocked by enormous gates. The tunnels themselves are also laden with traps to stop intruders. The palace itself stands on a single rock surrounded by a great lake of molten magma. The only way across is a series of stepping stones that rise out from the magma, but they can only be summoned by those who control them."

"Who has control over them?" asked Cassie.

"Myself, obviously," answered the Firestorm Monarch, "As does my vizier, or he was my vizier before he betrayed me for the Regent Lord."

"We still need to find the seals of the UnGod," Jaden reminded everyone.

"I found them a while ago while scouting the land," Caerik said. He pointed to a mountain on the map. "There is one at the top of this mountain, Mt. Hephaestus. It sits on a small stone island surrounded by magma. And there's another over here, in the middle of this lake of lava. It is called Lake Tohil."

"Why are all the seals surrounded by lava?" asked Nellie.

"It's supposed to make it harder to get to them," answered Coltyn.

"Bad guys always do stuff like that," Cassie added.

"So is our plan to go to these seals and fix them as we head toward Mt. Agni?" asked Jaden.

"That would be the logical strategy, yes," answered Charlie.

"Very well. We should split up and meet outside Mt. Agni then." Thestalos stood up.

"It would be dangerous to send too small a group to Mt. Hephaestus. The mountain is a nesting ground to many winged beasts and they are very protective of their eggs," Caerik explained.

"And that lake is no doubt no less dangerous," Jaden surmised.

"Correct. It is home to the Fire Kraken," answered the Flame Swordsman.

"...Wonderful."

"Hey, what are those?" Cassie asked pointing to some blue circles near their current location.

"Those are hot springs," answered Caerik. Immediately, everybody's interests perked up.

"Did you say hot springs?"

"Yes. I said hot springs."

o o o

A few moments later, Carlie, Nellie, and Cassie were sitting in a hot spring relaxing; their clothes were folded neatly in separate piles not far from them. In the spring next to theirs divided by a wall of rock, Jaden and Coltyn sat enjoying the steaming hot water.

"This is great!" Coltyn exclaimed as he stretched.

"A good hot spring is the perfect way to relax those muscles," Jaden agreed.

"You waste time sitting in hot water while the forces of the Regent Lord march?" Thestalos bellowed.

"Thestalos, we understand the urgency to move out, but believe me this will revitalize us first," Jaden explained, "To enter a battle worn out and tired is a bad idea."

"He's right," Coltyn concurred, "Fatigued soldiers can operate at peak condition. It's best to rest up first."

Thestalos growled and then turned to Caerik who was sitting on a rock meditating. "And what about you?"

"Mental preparation is equally important," answered the Flame Swordsman.

"That is not what I meant! You are a soldier! You should be leading the charge!"

"Rushing into a fight without backup is suicide," Caerik said, "You needn't get so worked up."

Thestalos fumed and turned. "Fine," he muttered, but he was not happy. "But the enemy will not wait for us. They'll attack first opportunity they get."

Meanwhile, the women in the other spring were enjoying themselves just as much as the men. "This is soooooooooooooooooooo relaxing!" Nellie said cheerfully.

"Yeah! I love it!" Cassie cried enthusiastically.

"Soak it all in, girls," Charlie said with a smile, "Let the hot water relax your muscles. It'll release all the tensions and bring you up to top form."

Nellie closed her eyes and sank down to neck level in the water. "This is just so awesome..."

"I could just sleep here," Cassie said happily as she sank down as well and leaned against the rocks. She closed her eyes and let out a relaxing sigh. When she reopened them, she saw something at the top of a tall ridge. She blinked. As the steam thinned out again, she could make out a line of men standing at the top. To the left were a group of muscular shirtless men wielding long curved swords. To the right were men dressed as samurai wielding dual flaming katanas wearing a burning yukata. In the center was a knight in purple and silver with a long red cape clutching onto an enormous flail.

Cassie froze on the spot. And then she screamed.

"Cassie! What is it?" Jaden yelled from over the wall. Charlie's gaze followed Cassie's and she immediately saw what had alerted the little girl.

"The Infernal Nightmare was right," the knight said, "The Firestorm Monarch has returned."

Thestalos stood up. "Charubin! I should have known."

"Your Majesty, good to see you again," Charubin the Fire Knight greeted. Then he turned to his soldiers. "Darkfire Soldiers, attack!"

"Incendius, to me!" Thestalos held up his hand and his hammer appeared in a flash of fire. He grasped onto it tightly and charged. While everybody was distracted, Charlie secretly slipped her hand into her pocket beside her and pressed a button on a remote. Instantly, a brief flash appeared along the cliff side before the cliff itself suddenly broke off and started to slide down, taking the soldiers with it. Thestalos continued to move in and swung his weapon, smashing it into the fiery soldiers. Charlie leapt out of the spring and charged in as well with Caerik not far behind.

"W-wait!" called Cassie.

"Get your clothes on quick!" Nellie urged. Soon, she, Cassie, Coltyn, and Jaden were dressed and facing the enemies.

"Time to take care of you guys!" announced Jaden as he drew a card and slapped it onto his Duel Disk, "Elemental Hero Bubbleman, go! Bubble Blast!" His Water Warrior appeared and began firing bubbles from the wrist launcher on his arm.

"I'll help, dad!" Cassie drew a card and put it on her decal-covered Duel Disk. "Elemental Hero Ocean! Attack with Ocean Pike!" Elemental Hero Ocean appeared and thrust his spear into one of the samurai Darkfire Soldiers.

Once the monsters had stepped into battle, Charlie withdrew and quickly put on her clothes. One of the shirtless Darkfire Soldiers rushed her, but she caught his arms before he could bring his sword down and kneed him in the stomach. Once she had done that she moved to the side and kicked his leg, dislocating his knee in the process. The man fell and she finished up by slitting his throat with her combat knife. Nellie had called out Ido the Supreme Magical Force for backup while Coltyn maintained defenses using a pair of Solar Flare Dragons. Whenever an enemy came close, the heat from the two serpentine creatures dealt a serious blast to the attacker and burned him to a crisp.

Caerik was engaged in combat using his massive sword to cut through their ranks. He stopped for a moment as a pair of Darkfire Soldiers came toward him from behind. He turned around and a trail of flames wrapped itself around his blade. "Back, fiends! I cast the mighty Salamandra!" The flames rose off his blade in the form of a dragon and blasted the two incoming foes.

Meanwhile, Thestalos had taken his hammer to Charubin the Fire Knight. He swung his weapon wildly, missing his target but hitting any unfortunate souls who happened to be in the way of his swing. His opponent was far smaller than he was, making him that much more difficult to hit. "Your fighting style hasn't changed one bit, Thestalos. You continue attacking recklessly without strategy."

"Not entirely without strategy," replied Thestalos, "During my absensce, my brothers and I have exchanged fighting techniques."

"Surely you don't mean to fight me with a spell of water, wind, or even light?" laughed Charubin.

"No, but this shall be enough!" Thestalos snapped his arm up at the elbow and a pillar of fire burst up from under Charubin. The blast had not been predicted and the Fire Knight was caught off guard, throwing him forward. Thestalos stood over him and raised Incendius.

"By Fire be purged!" The Firestorm Monarch slammed his hammer down and a fiery explosion erupted on impact. All heads turned at the noise and when Thestalos raised his weapon there was only a blackened crater left in its wake.

It was in that moment of distraction that Charlie acted. She took down as many of the enemies as she could at once. Jaden was the first to pick up on her actions and summoned one of his stronger monsters. "Elemental Hero Flame Wingman! Wipe them out! Infernal Rage!" Elemental Hero Flame Wingman appeared and blasted the remaining Darkfire Soldiers with a fire blast from his dragon head arm.

"Did we get them all?" asked Coltyn.

"I think so," answered Caerik as he placed his sword upon his back.

Thestalos stood up and his hammer vanished. He turned to the group. "We were lucky this time. But it won't happen again. Your dawdling allowed the enemy to catch us unawares. We should have just charged ahead like I had said."

"Thestalos, I understand your frustrations, but rushing in would have put us into an even worse spot," Coltyn tried to explain, "The Regent Lord most likely knows how you like to fight and prepared for it. If we're going to pull off this operation successfully, we have to do what he won't expect."

"Then what do you suggest?" the Firestorm Monarch asked.

"We go with my plan," Charlie answered stepping forward, "As of this moment, I'm in charge of this operation."

"Now hold just a minute, Terran woman!" Thestalos protested, "I don't recall asking for your help!"

"Nor do I recall asking for yours," Charlie shot back, "But as long as I'm here, you're following my orders. Am I clear?"

"I am the king of Orstrem! My will..."

"Am. I. Clear?"

Thestalos stood over Charlie trying to overbear her with his size, but the Duel Guerilla remained unmoving. Finally after many minutes had past, he stood down. "Fine...for now..."

"So how are we going to move?" Coltyn inquired.

"We're going to go take care of the seals first," answered Charlie, "and we're moving as a single group. Once the seals are repaired, we take the fight to the Regent Lord."

"Understood," replied Coltyn.

"Gotcha!" Nellie affirmed.

"Acknowledged," Caerik stated blankly.

"Cassie, stick close to me at all time, okay?" Jaden said looking down at his daughter.

"I will, Daddy."

"Let's start moving." Charlie turned and started moving.

o o o

Mt. Agni stood higher than any other mountain in Orstrem. A thick plume of black smoke and ash poured out from its mouth constantly, blackening the sky around it. Only the glow of the lava illuminated the land surrounding it. Deep within its cone surrounded by a great lake of lava was an island of stone. At one point it could have been considered just another mountain inside the mountain, but an elegant palace had been carved out from it. The outer walls came out of the stone itself and a pathway leading up to the main gate seemed to sink into the magma. However, only the walls seemed to have been carved out. Towers had been built in as well with one single spire towering over the rest that resembled a giant sword with a blade glowing fiery orange sticking out of the ground with a glowing orange eye that watched from the crossguard.

Deep within its walls was a large platform surrounded by a pond of lava. Stairs led up from it to the exit. In the center of the platform was a large hole. Thestalos' throne was said to rise up from the magma through that hole but only Thestalos himself had the power to summon it. Though the orange glow of the magma lit up the room brightly, a large shadow was cast upon the walls making it seem almost completely dark. The shadow seemed to spawn from a creature with two enormous wings and long lethal claws. This was the Regent Lord of Orstrem, the Infernal Nightmare.

As he stood watching the magma bubble, a monk in a black robe approached him. Half his face had been replaced with jade and he carried a fan in one hand. He was Chow Len the Prophet, formerly the vizier of Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch. "Chow Len, what news has been heard from the front?"

"Mere moments ago, a squad of our men was wiped out," Chow Len reported, "The Hinotama Souls, fortunately, were able to find out who they were."

"Show me." The Infernal Nightmare held out a hand toward the magma and a large flame flared up. As it stabilized, images from the outside began to appear. He could see Thestalos fighting accompanied by the others. "So the Firestorm Monarch has returned. And he has help."

"As it would appear, my lord," Chow Len said with a bow.

"I see that the Allied Forces have sent one of their own to our realm," the Regent Lord continued, "And three children. Is this some sort of mockery? That they would send _children_ to come and try to stop me!"

"Apologies, my lord," Chow Len said bowing again.

The Regent Lord seemed to calm down and looked again. "Tell me more about this woman."

"She appears to have been professionally trained in combat."

"She certainly does not hesitate." As the Infernal Nightmare continued looking at the image, his eyes suddenly fell upon the last member of the party. He quickly froze the image and then expanded the flame to zoom in. "So... He's here. This is certainly unexpected." He crossed his arms and tapped his chin for a moment before finally making his announcement. "Chow Len, let's give them a little test."

"Might I recommend the spirit of Orstrem itself?" Chow Len suggested.

"I rather like that idea, actually," answered the Regent Lord, "See to it then. I shall go out and observe them myself." And with that he vanished in a cyclone of fire, leaving the vizier alone inside the throne room. Chow Len opened his fan and turned to the magma. He held out his item and fanned the heat with it.

o o o

"Daddy, I'm hot!" Cassie whined.

"Here, sweetie. Take this." Jaden knelt down and took something out from his pack. It was a water canteen which he handed to his daughter. Cassie took it and drank several gulps of the precious liquid. Meanwhile, Jaden had soaked his handkerchief with water from another canteen and wrapped it around Cassie's head like a bandana. "Just try to bear with it, Cass. When this is all done, we can all go home."

"I hope so."

"Why did you bring that child?" muttered Thestalos.

"Cassie can be...quite adamant when she wants something," Jaden explained, "Besides, I really haven't been able to spend much time with her."

"I hate to break up this little chat you're having, but has anyone noticed that we've been on an incline for the past few minutes?" asked Coltyn.

"Now that you mention it, yeah," Nellie answered.

"Everyone stop!" Charlie ordered. Everybody instantly stopped walking. Not far ahead of them the rocks seemed to vanish completely out of sight. The Duel Guerilla quickly dropped down on all fours and made her way slowly forward. When she reached the edge she looked over it. Down below she could see the crater of a volcano. "We've somehow wandered up a volcano without realizing it."

"An incline barely noticeable," Coltyn thought out loud, "This is one treacherous zone."

"What's down there?" asked Cassie as she moved forward.

"Cassie, come back. It's dangerous up there!" Jaden followed his daughter to make sure she stayed safe. Cassie made her way next to Charlie and peered into the hole.

"Cassie, I said don't get too close." Jaden finally reached his daughter, but just as he was about to pull her back, the rock beneath her gave and she fell into the crater screaming. "Cassie!" The pro Duelist immediately jumped in after her, tossing a rope to Charlie on his way in. He fell until he was able to grab Cassie and then gave the rope a tug. At once, Charlie pulled back and their fall stopped.

"Cassie, are you okay?" Cassie nodded, but her eyes were teary from fear. Jaden sighed with relief. "That's good." He looked around the crater for any place he could land safely and saw a flat circular rock on one side. He carefully swung himself over and then released, landing on the rock. Then he took the rope and tied it to Cassie's waist. "You go up first, sweetie."

"Daddy, what about you?" Cassie asked worried.

Jaden smiled. "Don't worry about me. I'll be alright." He kissed her forehead. "Now get outta here."

"I love you, daddy."

"Love you too, sweetie." Jaden gave the rope a tug and Charlie began pulling Cassie out of the crater. As he watched her go up, he seemed to realize that he was not alone in there. He looked around and finally saw it; a pair of glowing blue eyes peeking out from the shadows. Even though the glow of the magma was able to illuminate the crater, the thick smoke had obscured the thing.

Jaden seemed apprehensive as he eyed the thing and it eyed him back. It was as if it was goading him into something. Jaden didn't know what this creature was trying to tell it, but something about the look in its eyes seemed familiar. His eyes flashed orange and green briefly and he activated his Duel Disk.

"Yuki! Your daughter is safe! You're next!" Charlie called. But she got no response. Curious, she looked down and saw what was about to happen.

"What's going on down there?" asked Coltyn.

"He's about to duel," was the answer.

Jaden faced the thing with his deck ready. Something told him it wasn't planning on letting him escape so easily.

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**Jaden:** 8000

**The Thing in the Crater:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I don't know what you are, but I'm not gonna let you keep me down here. I draw!" Jaden drew his first card. "I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix!" He played his card and summoned out his female hero in her red skin-tight bodysuit and waist-length hair (ATK/1200 DEF/800). "I'm going to end by laying down two facedowns. It's your move."

The thing didn't move but somehow Jaden could feel that it had done something akin to drawing. He heard movement and suddenly a Meteor of Destruction came down on him from above.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 7000

**The Thing in the Crater:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

More noise could be heard over the magma and a Tremendous Fire engulfed both Jaden and the thing.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 6000

**The Thing in the Crater:** 7500

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The heat was searing at Jaden and the sweat running down his forehead was nearly blinding him. He heard more movement but he didn't have time to react as the fires of Ookazi rose up around his rock and blasted him.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 5200

**The Thing in the Crater:** 7500

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Finally, it seemed to have passed. There was movement in the shadows and two large stone slaps shaped like Duel Monsters cards rose out of the magma. The thing seemed to have finished its turn.

Jaden drew his card. Now it was his turn again. He had to move fast. It was clear now that his opponent was using a fast burn strategy. "I play Polymerization! I'll fuse Elemental Hero Sparkman and Elemental Hero Necroshade into Elemental Hero Darkbright!" His two monsters appeared on the field briefly before they were pulled into a vortex and emerged as a black-suited hero with golden armor and wings (ATK/2000 DEF/1000). "Finally, I Normal Summon Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab!" A column of fire shot up in front of him and a humanoid alien resembling a man in a beetle costume rose up from the magma (ATK/500 DEF/500). "And my Flare Scarab gains four hundred attack for every Spell and Trap Card you control. Since you have two, that makes eight hundred." Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab started to glow with flames as his attack points rose to thirteen hundred.

"Now Flare Scarab, attack! Flaming Arrow!" Neo-Spacial Flare Scarab's horn started to burn and then a shot of fire was unleashed and struck the thing.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 5200

**The Thing in the Crater:** 6200

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Burstinatrix, it's your turn!" Jaden called. "Burst Fire!" Elemental Hero Burstinatrix conjured two fireballs in her hands and threw them both at the opponent.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 5200

**The Thing in the Crater:** 5000

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Darkbright, it's your turn now! Dark Flash!" Bolts of black lightning shot out from Elemental Hero Darkbright and into his hand. He held it open like a knife and then thrust it toward the thing. In response, one of the stone slabs rose up and two purple tubes appeared. Jaden gasped. "That's Magic Cylinder!" The lightning shot through into one of the tubes and was released back out the other toward the pro Duelist.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 3200

**The Thing in the Crater:** 5000

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Jaden could feel the heat once more, but it wasn't over yet. Now the thing activated his other card, causing the second slab to rise up. Jaden recognized image carved into its surface. It was Just Desserts. Right at that moment, the ghost arm of a gorilla reached out and grabbed onto him, squeezing out five hundred Life Points for every monster he had on the field.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 1700

**The Thing in the Crater:** 5000

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Jaden dropped to the ground gasping. What horrors lie head for him, time could only tell. He just prayed he could survive until his next turn.

The thing drew its next card and the noise that came next worried Jaden even more. It was playing it right away. Before he knew it, the fires of Ookazi hit him once again.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 900

**The Thing in the Crater:** 5000

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

He coughed vehemently after accidentally inhaling some smoke, but it was short-lived as the thing played another Ookazi.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 100

**The Thing in the Crater:** 5000

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

With no more cards left to play, the thing fell silent.

Jaden struggled back to his feet trying to catch his breath. The smoke. The heat. It was getting to be too much. But he had to persevere. With his opponent's two facedowns now gone, Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab's attack points had returned to five hundred.

He looked at his deck. He was so close. If he could just get a monster that could deal enough damage, he could attack with all four monsters and win. Jaden took a deep breath and then choked. He had once again accidentally breathed in some spoke. He quickly pulled his shirt up over his face and used it as a filter as he took in some breaths to recover. It helped.

Finally he was ready. He drew his next card. To his delight, it was the card that had saved him many times through thick and thin. "With Necroshade in my graveyard, I can Normal Summon one level five or higher Elemental Hero without any tributes once during the duel. Say hello to Elemental Hero Neos!" There was a flash of light and the silver hero from space emerged (ATK/2500 DEF/2000).

"Darkbright, you're up first! Dark Flash!" Elemental Hero Darkbright channeled his power into his hand and fired a bolt of black lightning at the thing.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 100

**The Thing in the Crater:** 3000

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Flare Scarab, your turn! Flaming Arrow!" Neo-Spacial Flare Scarab conjured up the fireball on its horn and fired it as a straight projectile.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 100

**The Thing in the Crater:** 2500

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Alright Neos, my man! It's tine to end his! Wrath of Neos!" Elemental Hero Neos leapt into the air. He hovered over the battlefield for a few seconds before coming down. His fist collided with the thing and the rocks surrounding it exploded and fell into the magma.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 100

**The Thing in the Crater:** 0

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

With the rocks breaking away around it, the thing lost its support and it fell into the magma where it sank as its body was incinerated.

"Jaden!" Coltyn yelled, "What's going on down there? We can't see with all those smoke!"

"Everything's fine! Toss down the rope!" Jaden yelled back. He waited a few seconds and soon he could see the rope coming down the hole. As he reached to grab it he could hear a cackling echoing through the crater.

"I expected nothing less from you, my king."

"Who's there?" Jaden demanded.

"Surely you haven't forgotten your old loyal servant." A cyclone of fire rose up from the magma and dispersed. Jaden gasped in horror. A very thin-looking demon clad in dark leather hovered in the air over the molten liquid rock on a pair of enormous black wings. A set of three enormous claws protruded from his knuckles. Spiked belts were wrapped around his legs as the light of the magma seemed to get absorbed into his pitch-black spiked shoulder pads. His face was obscured by a mask which doubled as a headdress of six deadly blades, but Jaden still recognized him.

"You're... Malicious Fiend!"

"So you haven't forgotten after all." Evil Hero Malicious Fiend cackled. "That pleases me greatly, my king."

"Stop calling me that! I'm not the Supreme King!" Jaden shouted back.

"You can deny it all you want, but I know the truth. Deep down, you still carry the sins of your life as the Supreme King. If you weren't, then how am I still here?"

Jaden tried to block out the Evil Hero's taunts, but they seemed to penetrate through into the deepest recesses of his mind. "Why... Why are you here, Malicious Fiend?"

"Quite simple," answered Evil Hero Malicious Fiend, "I am the Regent Lord of Orstrem!"

"You... You're the Infernal Nightmare?" Jaden gasped.

"I'm certainly _your_ Infernal Nightmare, are I not?" Evil Hero Malicious Fiend cackled. Suddenly his tone changed to a more serious one. "I shall be waiting for you, my king. Come to Mt. Agni, where you shall take my place upon the throne of Orstrem."

"I won't succumb to the darkness again!" Jaden said.

"The UnGod has foreseen it, my king. It is...your destiny." And with those final parting words, Evil Hero Malicious Fiend surrounded himself with a cyclone of fire and vanished.

"Jaden! The rope!" Coltyn called.

"Daddy!" Cassie's voice came through. Jaden snapped back into reality and grabbed onto the rope. Charlie pulled him out and the others helped him out of the crater.

"You didn't answer us for a long time," Caerik said, "You had us worried."

"What happened down there?" asked Charlie.

"Yeah, you look like you've seen a ghost," Nellie added.

Jaden was silent for a moment. Then he spoke. "I spoke to the Regent Lord."

"What?" Thestalos lumbered over. "You spoke with the usurper of the UnGod?"

"Who is he?" asked Coltyn. "Jaden, tell us."

"It's... It's Evil Hero Malicious Fiend."

There was silence and then finally Charlie spoke. "So we know the identity of our enemy. Then we must make haste." Everybody got up and started to descend down the volcano. All the while, all sorts of thoughts continued to plague Jaden's mind. Was what Evil Hero Malicious Fiend said true? Was he destined to become the Supreme King once more?

Jaden tried to push it out of his mind, but he couldn't. The sins and atrocities he had committed as his darker self had been unforgivable. For years he had tried to outrun them and now they had returned to haunt him.

What was he to do?

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Mt. Hephaestus is the nesting ground to many winged beasts. But it also houses one of the seals of the UnGod. Our heroes must brave this treacherous mountain and its dangers in order to succeed in their mission. What perils lie ahead? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	157. Mt Hephaestus

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-70**

**Mt. Hephaestus**

Mt. Hephaestus stood tall with a noticeable yellow glow illuminating the clouds of smoke and ash hovering over it. As Charlie stood on the rocks looking at the mountain through a pair of binoculars, she could see clusters of eggs all around with fiery birds patrolling around them protecting their young. A Crimson Sunbird had just returned to its mate carrying a Volcanic Rat in its beak. On the other side a Firebird was sitting on her eggs.

"And you said the seal is at the top?" asked Charlie.

"Correct," answered Caerik, "It will not be easy. Those birds are extremely territorial. They will fight tooth and nail to protect their eggs."

"Can we sneak past them?" asked Coltyn.

"It's possible, but tricky," answered the Flame Swordsman, "These creatures have incredible eyesight. But luckily their smell and hearing aren't as acute. So as long as we can stay out of their line of sight we should be safe."

"I can see lots of things to hide behind," Cassie said peering through her own binoculars. "Lots of rocks. Some dead trees. The eggs..."

"Do **NOT** hide behind the eggs!" Caerik quickly snapped, "Those birds watch over them like hawks. If they find you near their nests, they will assume you're trying to harm their eggs."

"Then how are we supposed to get up there?"

"Leave that to me," said Charlie.

Meanwhile, Jaden was off to the side. He still couldn't believe that his own ghost from the past had returned. He didn't want to believe it, but the words of Evil Hero Malicious Fiend had permeated his mind and continued to linger there. What if he truly was the embodiment of his sins as the Supreme King.

Yubel sensed her master's worries and so presented herself before him. "If anyone should be ashamed of their past actions it should be me. I committed much more horrible acts than you. I should be the one begging for forgiveness."

"But Yubel, you became that way because of me."

"Jaden, don't let Malicious Fiend's words get to you. This is not the same creature you used back then. This is nothing more than a pawn of the UnGod."

Jaden looked at the demon before him and then nodded. "You're right, Yubel. There's no way the UnGod could have known about me as the Supreme King, right?" He finally joined the others. "So what's the plan?"

"We're sneaking up the mountain apparently," Coltyn answered.

"We're breaking up into groups of two," Charlie briefed, "If we stay as one group we'll be noticed, but if we go up individually we might not stand a chance if one of us gets caught. Everyone gets a partner. We each take a different route up. We shall meet at the summit."

"I'll go with Charlie," said Nellie.

"Jaden, you should stick with your daughter," Coltyn said, "I'll pair with Caerik."

"There is no way I'm taking my daughter up there," Jaden said sternly.

"But daddy!" Cassie protested.

"It's dangerous, Cass!"

"It's safer to bring her than to leave her," Caerik said trying to resolve the situation. If you take her with you, you can keep an eye on her. But if you leave her, anything could attack her." Jaden was about to protest, but then he stopped and thought about it. The Flame Swordsman had a point.

"Fine... But stay close to me, Cassie."

"I will, daddy."

"Then let's get going," said Coltyn.

o o o

Caerik led the way while Coltyn followed. The Flame Swordsman had scouted this very mountain once before so it would serve to make sense to let the man lead. They were ascending the north side of the mountain which, while having the easiest path up, was also home to the largest number of nests. Large birds flew across this area the most. Whenever one could be seen overhead, the pair ducked for cover. The last thing they needed was to be spotted near these eggs. It wasn't just about staying out of sight, though. Some nests contained hatched chicks and any unexpected noises could alert them. In doing so, they would call for their mothers and the last thing they needed was an angry mother bird trying to kill them.

o o o

Jaden and Cassie were climbing the mountain via the southern path. For the girl's safety, Caerik had instructed them to take this path for the fewest nests. However, it was also the longest path up. The path was but a simple footpath leading up, but it twisted and turned so much that it was no wonder that it was considered the longest route. Cassie was tired. The heat was intense and the incline, while relatively flat, did not help. Going this way was a test of one's endurance.

"Come on, Cassie. We have to keep going," Jaden urged.

"But I'm tired and hot..."

"Come on, I'll carry you." Jaden knelt down and propped his daughter onto his back. Once he was certain she was secure, he stood up and resumed the walk up.

o o o

Charlie and Nellie were going up the east side of Mt. Hephaestus. According to Caerik this was the shortest route to the summit, but it was the most treacherous with steep slopes, loose rocks, and being the main path down which the lava flowed. To most, this wasn't even a path at all. To Charlie, it was just another challenge. Using even the tiniest of notches, the Duel Guerilla was able to make her way up to a ledge and then drop a rope down for Nellie and then pull her up before repeating the process all over again. Thanks to Charlie's survival skills, the two women were able to reach the summit first. Just as Caerik had said, the seal was located in the center of the lava. Pieces of black crystal lay strewn about. But what scared them the most was the cluster of large eggs uncomfortably close to the seal.

"How are we going to get to the seal without bothering the eggs?" asked Nellie.

"Good question." Charlie crossed her arms and examined the situation. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when an explosion rocked the mountain and frightened the birds. She and Nellie quickly dove for cover lest the parents of this nest were to come flying in.

"What was that?" asked Nellie, "Did the volcano erupt?"

"No, it was something else," Charlie corrected, "It sounded like..." Another explosion rocked Mt. Hephaesthus preceded by a loud screech. "Someone's shooting us!"

Coltyn and Caerik suddenly arrived at the summit. "Are those artillery shells?" the former asked.

"Yes. We're being shot at," answered Charlie.

Down below, several cannons had been set up and were being loaded with green hard-shelled larva. When they impacted against the sides of Mt. Hephaestus they exploded on contact. More cannons were being brought in on jet-like rockets resembling pteradactyl fossils while enormous green machines deployed creature resembling larger larvae with arms and legs which marched toward the mountain shooting fireballs from their mouths. Great recharge generators of fire produced more ammunition for the cannons as triple-barrel cannons now began to join in. Larger beasts made of hardened lava and held together with brass armor trudged toward Mt. Hephaestus, but at a slower pace than the smaller ones. Despite their sluggish speed, they made up for it with fireballs that they conjured in their hands and threw them ahead.

"Destroy that mountain and all the Terrans on it!" a thin man in red armor ordered. He helmet was adorned with two antennae. He wore a cape around his waist and two large swords the length of his entire body crossed his back. He paced back and forth behind the cannons as they seemed to self-fire upon being reloaded. The triple-barrel cannons, meanwhile, were being loaded with three-headed larvae. "How are those Scattershots?"

"Nearly ready, sir!"

"It's the Crimson Blader," Caerik announced, "A soldier in the service of the Infernal Nightmare. I crossed swords with him once. Despite those skinny arms, he is very capable of wielding those two enormous blades."

"What's he doing?" asked Nellie. At that moment Jaden and Cassie arrived.

"What were those tremors?" the pro Duelist asked.

"Cannonfire," answered Coltyn. The triple-barrel cannons all took aim and then fired at once. Their shells shot up past the mountain and then exploded, raining fiery shrapnel all over Mt. Hephaestus.

"They're gonna kill all the eggs!" Cassie yelled.

"We gotta stop them!" Jaden shouted.

As Crimson Blader and his forces continued their attack, they failed to notice Thestalos appear behind them in a burst of flame. The Firestorm Monarch summoned Incendius to him in a quick flash of fire and raised it. He slammed his hammer down and pillars of lava burst up from under the cannons.

"Thestalos!" Crimson Blader exclaimed as he turned around.

"You led the Infernal Nightmare's charge on my palace," Thestalos cried, obviously remembering the events of the day his throne had been usurped. He grasped his hammer tightly. "Did you believe I would sit idle like my brothers?" He swung his weapon and missed as Crimson Blader slipped away, striking the ground instead but causing a large eruption of fire that blasted several members of the attack force.

"Come now, Thestalos. No need to get hotheaded," the red knight said as he backed away slowly. Suddenly he grabbed two of the triple-barrel cannons and turned them on Thestalos. "Die!" He pulled the triggers and fired. Several Scattershots were fired at once. Thestalos slammed his hammer into the ground and disappeared in a burst of fire.

"Where'd he go?" Crimson Blader looked around but saw no sign of his opponent. Thestalos reappeared behind him and swung his hammer down. Crimson Blader saw the incoming shadow and immediately dove away. Incendius destroyed the cannons and a line of fire traveled from the point of impact toward the knight. Crimson Blader drew his swords and slashed the ground, cutting it open so that the flames couldn't reach him. However, that didn't stop Thestalos. He chased after Crimson Blader. He swung his hammer, breaking everything in his way to reach his target, while Crimson Blader continued backing away, using his own troops as a shield. After using more cannons to hold the Firestorm Monarch at bay, he attacked. Crimson Blader moved in and swung his swords. He managed to strike his opponent's leg, but Thestalos' armor was proof against the strike, so he doubled back quickly before he got hit by the seeming unstoppable force of Incendius.

"That man is a coward," Charlie said.

"Which one?" asked Nellie.

"The one fighting Thestalos. Notice how he's engaging his enemy as little as possible, using his own troops as shields, and in general just running away."

As the discussion took place, the fight continued. Crimson Blader dodged another blow from Incendius and rolled away as it came crashing down. As soon as it hit the ground, he jumped on top of it and ran up its handle and Thestalos' arm. "This is the end, Thestalos!" But it was not to be. As soon as Crimson Blader had jumped onto his hammer, Thestalos stepped into the nearest lava pit and sank into it. The rising lava levels caused Crimson Blader to abandon his plan and jump back onto solid rock.

Thestalos quickly burst back out from the lava and brought his hand down. Crimson Blader backed off and fired one of the cannons, but the shot ended up hitting Incendius instead. Thestalos turned his hand over and raised his fingers. A wall of fire quickly rose up behind his opponent and upon closing his hand into a fist the wall moved in. Crimson Blader was trapped. As Thestalos emerged from the lava growling like a wild animal, he swung his hammer and was blocked by Crimson Blader's swords.

"You try to block Incendius with mere blades of steel!" Thestalos questioned. No soon had the weapons made contact, the heat from the giant hammer melted the swords and soon Crimson Blader was left with two smoking hilts.

"Thestalos, wait! Listen, why don't we talk this out? I can show you the way to Mt. Agni. I can help you overthrow Chow Len. I know how much you've wanted revenge on your vizier who betrayed you."

"You beg me to spare your life and yet you dare not step up to fight the Infernal Nightmare." Thestalos stood over Crimson Blader, his presence over the cowering solider seemingly greater than the mountain they fought upon. "You should fear me more than you fear the UnGod itself!"

"The UnGod is absolute! I cannot defy Him!" Crimson Blader suddenly leapt toward the sky and grabbed onto a Cyber Phoenix that had been sent from Mt. Agni. It flew him straight to Mt. Hephaestus and he landed by the seal on the summit.

"It's him!" Cassie exclaimed. Crimson Blader turned around and looked.

"Well, it's the Terrans. I only had orders to destroy the mountain and the remains of the seal, but having you here would bolster my ranks within the Infernal Nightmare's army."

"You were gonna destroy this mountain?" asked Nellie.

"I was only told to make sure you couldn't get to the seal. I was never told how, though."

"That's sick."

"Just to be safe, I was told to hang onto this." Crimson Blader reached under his armor and pulled out a card. Everyone gasped. It was a White Rose Card! "I was ordered to destroy this 'Precious Terran Artifact' in the process, but I can deal with a weak little Terran like you first." Crimson Blader put the card away and reached behind his cape and turned his belt around. A tray slid out in the form of a Duel Disk and he pulled his deck out from one of his shoulder pads.

"I can take you, no prob!" Nellie activated her Duel Disk and faced off with her opponent.

"Duel!"

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 8000

**Crimson Blader:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Lemme start!" Nellie drew her first card. "I'm gonna start with Flame Ruler in attack mode!" A dark-skinned man with blue hair in red robes appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/1600). "I'm done. Your move."

Crimson Blader drew his card swiftly and looked at it. "I commence my attack with Blaze Accelerator." A cannon turret mounted on a tripod appeared in front of him. "Now I activate its effect. By discarding one Pyro monster with five hundred or less attack points, I can destroy one monster you control. In doing so, I cannot attack this turn. But I won't need it. So I'll discard Volcanic Shell." A creature resembling a burning pale green larva appeared and was loaded into the Blaze Accelerator. Crimson Blader turned his weapon toward Flame Ruler and fired. The Volcanic Shell shot out and blasted the man apart.

"And now for Volcanic Shell's effect. While it is in my graveyard, I can pay five hundred Life Points to reload one from my deck to my hand."

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 8000

**Crimson Blader:** 7500

–––––––––––––––––––––––

Crimson Blader received his new Volcanic Shell and then proceeded. "Now I summon Volcanic Slicer." The creature that appeared looked like an adult version of Volcanic Shell with arms and legs wearing armor on its chest (ATK/1800 DEF/1200). "Since I cannot attack on the turn Blaze Accelerator is used, I will use Volcanic Slicer's effect to deal five hundred points of damage." Volcanic Slicer opened its mouth and the loud bang of gunfire resounded as a fireball shot out from its throat and hit Nellie.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 7500

**Crimson Blader:** 7500

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"This round has ended!" announced Crimson Blader.

Nellie drew her card and set a monster facedown. If her opponent's deck revolved around destroying monsters with that Blaze Accelerator, then she had the perfect weapon to combat it. She just hoped she could get it out before she ran out of Life Points.

As Crimson Blader drew his card, he watched his opponent carefully. She was planning something and he didn't like it. "I load my Volcanic Shell into my Blaze Accelerator." He loaded his cannon and pointed it at Nellie's facedown monster. He pulled the trigger and shot the Volcanic Shell at his target, destroying it and turning out to be Treeborn Frog. "Volcanic Slicer, fire!" Volcanic Slicer turned to Nellie and fired another fireball at her.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 7000

**Crimson Blader:** 7500

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Reload!" Crimson Blader paid five hundred Life Points and brought his third Volcanic Shell from his deck to his hand.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 7000

**Crimson Blader:** 7000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I shall set one and end my turn." Crimson Blader placed a card facedown and turned the duel over to his opponent.

"I draw!" Nellie drew her card. "'cause I got no card in my backfield, I can Special Summon Treeborn Frog from my grave on my Standby Phase." There was a faint shimmer of light and a leopard frog with angel wings appeared (ATK/100 DEF/100). "I summon Hand of Nephthys!" A woman in gold and orange wearing a headdress bearing the resemblance of the Sacred Phoenix appeared (ATK/600 DEF/600). "Now by sackin' her and another monster, I get to bring out a Sacred Phoenix from my hand or deck. So sit back and hang on! Here comes Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!" Both Hand of Nephthys and Treeborn Frog were swallowed up in flame and in a burst of fire, the golden armored phoenix emerged and cried out (ATK/2400 DEF/1600).

"Attack Volcanic Slicer!" ordered Nellie. Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys opened her mouth and a stream of fire shot forth and blasted Volcanic Slicer.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 7000

**Crimson Blader:** 6400

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Two facedowns! Your go!" Nellie placed two cards facedown and turned to her opponent.

Crimson Blader drew his card. "No matter how many monsters you summon, I will continue to destroy them." He loaded his third Volcanic Shell into his Blaze Accelerator and fired. His projectile shot through the air and killed the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys. With his opponent's field clear, he ended his turn. Nellie couldn't help but grin.

"Why are you smiling, girl?" demanded Crimson Blader.

"Because I know something you don't," answered Nellie as she drew.

"And what's that?"

"Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys resurrects on my next Standby Phase after she dies by a card effect." Right on cue, Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys rose from the ashes and let out her cry. "And when she resurrects this way, she destroys all our backfields." The mighty phoenix cried out again and flames poured from her wings which she flapped violently, stirring up the fires and destroying Blaze Accelerator, Crimson Blader's facedown, and Nellie's two facedowns.

"You don't seem unhappy about your facedowns being destroyed," the red knight noticed.

"Because the cards that were destroyed were Dark Coffin and Statue of the Wicked. When Dark Coffin is destroyed while facedown, you have to discard a card or destroy one monster you control. When Statue of the Wicked is destroyed facedown, I get a Wicked Token!" At that moment a golden statue of some Egyptian god or demon appeared in front of Nellie as a level four Dark Fiend with one thousand attack and defense points. Since Crimson Blader had no monsters to destroy, he was left only with discarding and he discarded a Volcanic Counter.

"Now Wicked Token, attack!" Wicked Token's eyes flashed before a pair of lasers shot out and hit Crimson Blader.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 7000

**Crimson Blader:** 5400

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Nephthys, attack!" Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys opened her mouth and another jet of fire shot out and hit Crimson Blader.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 7000

**Crimson Blader:** 3000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Looks like I'm winning," Nellie said confidently.

"It's not over yet." Crimson Blader drew his card. "I set a monster and end my turn."

"My turn." Nellie drew her card. "Since my backfield is empty, welcome back Treeborn Frog!" The winged angel frog hopped back onto the field and croaked. "Nephthys attack!" Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys opened her mouth and unleashed her flames upon the facedown card.

"You destroyed Volcanic Blaster," announced Crimson Blader. "When Volcanic Blaster is destroyed in battle, I may choose one Volcanic monster from my deck and placing it on top. I believe Volcanic Rocket will be enough." He found his Volcanic Rocket and waited for his deck to finish shuffling before he placed his card on top.

"Wicked Token go!" Nellie pointed and her statue fired more lasers.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 7000

**Crimson Blader:** 2000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," announced Nellie.

Crimson Blader reached for his deck and drew Volcanic Rocket. "I summon Volcanic Rocket!" A creature resembling a cross between a jet plane, a missile, and a pteradactyl appeared on the field (ATK/1900 DEF/1400). "When Volcanic Rocket is summoned, I can bring a Blaze Accelerator from my deck or graveyard to my hand." Volcanic Rocket's bottom opened up and a Blaze Accelerator was dropped out from inside it. "Now I play Blaze Accelerator." A new cannon appeared in front of him. "But this won't be staying. I now upgrade it to Tri-Blaze Accelerator!" Blaze Accelerator vanished and in its place appeared a larger cannon turret with three barrels.

"Now I'll use it. By discarding any Pyro monster from my hand, I can destroy one monster in your control and inflict five hundred points of damage. So here goes Volcanic Scattershot." Crimson Blader placed what appeared to be a burning three-headed larva with small arms and legs into his Tri-Blaze Accelerator and took aim. It was launched from the first barrel and it burst into a rain of three separate projectiles that came down on the field and killed the Wicked Token.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 6500

**Crimson Blader:** 2000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Additionally," Crimson Blader added, "since Volcanic Scattershot was sent to the graveyard, you take fiveh undred points of damage."

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 6000

**Crimson Blader:** 2000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Furthermore, I can now send two more Volcanic Scattershots from my hand or deck to the graveyard to destroy your entire front line and burn you for five hundred points for each Scattershot." Crimson Blader placed two more cards from his deck into his graveyard and two more Volcanic Scattershots were fired from the other two barrels and exploded into a rain of searing fire that destroyed Nellie's remaining monsters.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 5000

**Crimson Blader:** 2000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now don't think I haven't forgotten your Phoenix's effect. In fact, I'm quite counting on it. I sacrifice Tri-Blaze Accelerator to bring out my ultimate beast." Tri-Blaze Accelerator vanished and the lava started to bubble. "Arise, Volcanic Doomfire!" The lava burst up and from it emerged an enormous monster made of hardened lava with glowing veins of magma still pulsating. Large flames burned from its head and down its back as it roared (ATK/3000 DEF/1800).

"I cannot attack on the turn I used Tri-Blaze Accelerator, so it's your move," declared Crimson Blader.

"I draw!" Nellie drew her card. "Now rise, Nephthys! Rise!" The Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys rose from the ashes once again as did Treeborn Frog. "Attack Volcanic Rocket!"

"I think not!" Crimson Blader was now laughing. "All your attack position monster must now to battle with Volcanic Doomfire. And it's mandatory!"

Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys found herself unable to control herself as she sent her attack heading for Volcanic Doomfire. The larger beast felt nothing as the flames grazed over its hide; a hide that was even hotter than the flames. Volcanic Doomfire opened its mouth and a searing bolt of hot lava mixed with fire erupted from its maw and struck the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 4400

**Crimson Blader:** 2000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"And now the effect of Volcanic Doomfire." Crimson Blader was elated, "When it destroys a monster in battle, it destroys all other monsters under my opponent's control! Go, Volcanic Chain!" The flames on Volcanic Doomfire's head flared and blasted Treeborn Frog.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 3900

**Crimson Blader:** 2000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I'm done," Nellie declared.

Crimson Blader drew his card, but instead of attacking, he decided to savor his victory. "Your turn."

Nellie drew her card and watched as Treeborn Frog came back to life in defense position. She was in trouble. Nothing she had could defeat that Volcanic Doomfire on battle. She contemplated her deck for a moment. There was one card she could think of that could save her given her circumstances. But she didn't have it in her hand and if she could survive this turn, she only had the next one to save her. She contemplated setting a facedown, but if her opponent didn't get rid of her, her Treeborn Frog would not resurrect next turn. She had to risk it.

"I end my turn!"

"Nothing? I thought as much." Crimson Blader drew a card. "Volcanic Rocket, attack Treeborn Frog!" Volcanic Rocket opened its mouth and a burning missile shot out and hit the angelic amphibian. "Now Volcanic Doomfire, attack with Volcanic Cannon!" Volcanic Doomfire opened its mouth and jets of lava and fire shot forth and hit Nellie.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 900

**Crimson Blader:** 2000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Victory is mine!" announced Crimson Blader.

"Not...yet..." Nellie was still standing and as she reached for her deck a white light started to glow on her back through her shirt. In fact, it seemed to be coming from her shoulder blade.

"What is that light?" asked Crimson Blader. A similar light started to shine out from under his armor and he realized that it was the White Rose Card he had tucked away.

Nellie drew her card and Treeborn Frog was reborn once again. She looked at it and her eyes lit up. "You're done for. I sack Treeborn Frog for Dark Dust Spirit!" Her frog disappeared and a strong sandstorm whipped up. Amidst the dust and the sand, a black and red oni demon with long white hair appeared (ATK/2200 DEF/1800).

"When Dark Dust Spirit is summoned, he destroys all other monsters on the field except himself." Dark Dust Spirit roared and the sandstorm picked up. It blanked out the entire field, but amidst the roaring winds and the raging sands, the silhouettes of Volcanic Rocket and Volcanic Doomfire could be seen as the two monsters cried out in agony and slowly sank to their graves. When the storm finally died down, nothing remained save for the demon that had caused it.

"Dark Dust Spirit, attack for game!" ordered Nellie. Dark Dust Spirit opened its mouth wide and a cyclone of sand shot out and hit Crimson Blader with full force.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Nellie:** 900

**Crimson Blader:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––––

Crimson Blader collapsed onto his knees. Nellie deactivated her Duel Disk and sighed. "You lost. Now let me fix that seal."

"You can't fix it without this." Crimson Blader took out the White Rose Card and held it over the nearest pool of lava. "I'm going to burn this thing and make sure the UnGod's power isn't resealed."

"You can't!" Cassie cried from the back.

Crimson Blader stood up and took a step back. "Just try me." Nellie looked behind the knight and saw a cluster of eggs not far away. She looked back at the man before her and took a step forward. Crimson Blader instantly stepped back.

"Take another step and I'll burn it!"

"You won't," Nellie replied as she took another step forward.

Crimson Blader stepped back again. "Don't think I won't!"

"You won't." She stepped forward.

"I'll do it!" Crimson Blader stepped back.

"You won't." A step forward.

"I will!" A step back.

"Stop taunting the man already!" yelled Caerik, but Charlie and Coltyn could already see what Nellie was planning.

Nellie took a half-step forward and Crimson Blader finally made contact with the eggs. A cry could be heard behind him and he looked to see a phoenix chick crying. Nellie quickly ran away and dove behind a rock. Crimson Blader looked back toward her but couldn't find any sign of the girl. Suddenly he was aware of a presence coming up the mountain. He turned around again and saw a mother Blaze Fenix, the Burning Bombardment Bird, rising up to meet him. She had heard her child's cry and her eyes immediately fell upon Crimson Blader.

There was literally no time to react. Blaze Fenix landed and grabbed Crimson Blader. The knight screamed and struggled, dropping the Rose Card in the process, as he was lifted up into the air. Blaze Fenix flapped her wings and took to the air. Once she was off the ground, she pulled back from the mountain and using her beak and her talons she ripped Crimson Blader apart. Nellie took that opportunity to sneak over and grab the card from the ground. As she made her escape, the mother landed by her nest and comforted her little baby. Nellie took the card to the remains of the seal and held it out. The White Rose Card flashed and the crystal fragments resonated. The black stones started to glow white and began to rise up and circle around like a tornado slowly coming together one by one until they finally became one once again and the seal was repaired.

"You did it, Nellie!" Cassie said as Nellie returned to the group.

"I'm impressed," Charlie complimented, "You handled yourself well and you used the environment to your advantage. You could make a fine tactician someday."

"Um, thanks. I guess," Nellie replied.

"We got up here easily enough, but now how do we get back down?" asked Coltyn.

"I have an idea," Nellie suggested.

A few minutes later, the entire group was flying back down to Thestalos on the back of the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys. "Why can't we fly on this thing all the way?" asked Cassie.

"If we do that, we'll drain Nellie's energy," answered Coltyn.

"And with a creature this powerful, it drains quickly," Caerik added.

The phoenix landed and everyone dismounted before Nellie put it back inside its card. "Have you completed your task?" asked Thestalos. The others nodded.

"And we got a Rose Card!" Nellie said triumphantly as she showed her White Rose Card.

"Then let us be off!" Thestalos turned around and continued walking toward Mt. Agni. The others followed close behind, leaving the fires and the birds of Mt. Hephaestus behind them.

o o o

"My lord, the Terrans have survived Mt. Hephaestus," Chow Len reported.

"And Crimson Blader?" asked Evil Hero Malicious Fiend. It took him a few seconds to quickly realize it. "He's dead, isn't he?"

"That he is, my lord." It was then that Chow Len noticed two newcomers in the throne room. "Um, my lord? Who are these men?"

"The master sent them to bolster our forces," answered Malicious Fiend, "They've encountered Terrans before. They will know how best to deal with them." Chow Len looked uneasily at the two newcomers who were seemed to be watching him from their strange contraptions. There was something about them he didn't like. One seemed as wild and insane as wildfire while the other possessed a controlled yet beast-like nature about him.

"Oi! Y'ain't got nothin' ta worry 'bout. We got 'em, 'ey Terry?"

"Leave it to us. Nicky and I got this in the bag."

The deranged pyromaniac started cackling maniacally while the bald biker chortled diabolically. Nicky and Terry were in Orstrem and allied with the Regent Lord.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

As our heroes make their way to the next seal, an encounter against an unseen assailant places them in a most difficult predicament. Can Charlie's guerilla warfare skills save them? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	158. Napalm and Smoke Bombs

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-71**

**Napalm and Smoke Bombs**

Ardent was a very expansive world divided into six realms: Paslie, Aeagnaap, Vazrana, Orstrem, Heiratine, and Karheim. Each realm represented the different attributes: Wind, Earth, Water, Fire, Light, and Darkness. In a secret location hidden just at the edge of Karheim at the center of Ardent where the six realms' borders met, Senior Silver Ninja and his men knelt before a very extravagant chair, not necessarily a throne, which sat in an alcove adorned with dark curtains.

"Grandmaster Hanzo, forgive us," Senior Silver Ninja pleaded, "We failed to return with Sasuke and his men under our flag."

"Grandmaster Sasuke was a nuisance, but not a threat," the one called Grandmaster Hanzo replied.

"You don't seem upset, Grandmaster," White Ninja noted.

"We have new orders from our master," Hanzo answered, "This time we shall go out in full force."

"If I may ask, Grandmaster, why?" asked Crimson Ninja.

"We are not just facing mere school children," came the response, "Our enemy is a seasoned soldier. We must be careful. We shall employ all of our greatest skills to fell this foe." Hanzo stood up and stepped out of his alcove. He was dressed nearly in all-black with a dark grey vest and metallic shoulder guards with four horns on his head and a long flowing scarf.

"Silver, you will do exactly as I command on the field," Hanzo instructed.

"As you wish, Grandmaster," Senior Silver Ninja replied with a bow.

Hanzo tightened his glove over his hand and suddenly several runes started to glow red on his armor. "Then my brothers, join me in our fight." He suddenly vanished and one-by-one the other ninjas disappeared.

o o o

"Wow, I know Sai had one but now I got my own!" Nellie was walked ahead of the others proudly holding her White Rose Card.

"You really should put that away," Charlie suggested. "If our enemies see you with that thing, you'll be targetted first."

"Heh. They come, we kick their asses!"

"Then again, it might just be the perfect bait," Coltyn suggested.

"It was foolish for the weakling to try and destroy it," Thestalos started, looking out towards several mountains in the distance amid the eternal cataclysm of Orstrem, "Those cards were made with the magic of Terrans, and a staggering amount of it. Their destruction is impossible, they would even survive immersion in magma without any difficulty. When those cards were created on your planet centuries ago, they were made to endure. They even look as well as they they were created. Young woman, look at them...do you spy even a trace of aging upon it?"

Nellie looked at the card and shrugged. "Not really. Didn't think about it much."

The Fire Monarch grunted, hefting his warhammer with ease over his shoulder, "It was an empty bluff, these duels are becoming inane. They even the playing field, and we are gaining ground but who knows what this usurper is doing with every second we waste. I should bring the entirety of Orstrem down upon him, however...that is not an option."

Coltyn rose an eyebrow, "Why not? You seem confident you could do it."

"That I could. Fire and Magma are my oxygen and lifeblood. They are mine to command and embody. However the loss of life and my subjects is too much to bear, do you not understand my love for my kingdom?"

The party remained silent as Thestalos shook his head, "Of course not, foolish Terrans. You'd think Fire was only good for laying waste to armies. You never realize the entirety of its element..." He pointed towards the mountains he was gazing at with Incendius. "Over this rock is a crevasse known as the Obsidian Divide. It is a border between my kingdom and Aeganaap, the domain of my elder brother Granmarg. It is a bottomless pit, prone to belching steam vents at times that can slough flesh from bone in short order. It was normally a natural barrier to prevent the other nations from invading my land, and my subjects made use of it as a natural barrier. The sane would do well to stay clear of it." He looked then at Charlie, his eyes burning with intensity. "That is why we shall advance into it. It will cut the travel time considerably, going into the chasm and traversing it on foot. It also will lead us into a cave system eventually, subterranean magma pools that make a swift pass to my citadel. Once there I will tear Malicious Fiend asunder, I will sit upon my throne again. I will force my subjects to the true call of flame and why a true Ardenian swears allegiance to the Monarchs. After this, I will reward you with a safe passage out of my realm and nothing more. Rose Crusaders some of you may be, but you are still Terrans. You do not yet understand our plight fully."

Caerik took that moment to take out the map. "Your path will take us out of the way of the next seal, unfortunately," he pointed out, "To get to the divide, we must traverse in the opposite direction."

"The magma flows will pass under Lake Tohil," answered Thestalos.

"But there's no passage up from the subterranean tunnels."

"Then I will _make_ one!"

"What if we split up?" suggested Coltyn, "Thestalos can take Nellie, Jaden, and Cassie through the tunnels while Charlie, Caerik, and I go secure that next seal."

"Is that a good idea?" Jaden asked. He didn't like the idea of taking his daughter into such a dangerous place.

"You'll be with Thestalos, who knows this land inside and out. And if he can't handle it, your team still has you, Jaden," Coltyn explained, "As for me, I'll be with Caerik, a seasoned warrior, and Charlie, the Duel Guerrilla. If anything shows up, both parties can handle it."

"I pray you are right," said Caerik, "for it seems that we haven't any other options. The Firestorm Monarch desires to reach his palace quickly and we must still secure the final seal."

"Then that's what we'll do." Charlie looked at the others. Thestalos nodded his approval.

"Just don't take too long or else we'll enter Mt. Agni without you and you will need my guidance to get past the traps."

"Duly noted," Coltyn replied.

Soon the two groups has been made and they proceeded to set off. "If you're not at our location within an hour of our arrival, we move without you," Thestalos warned.

"Thestalos, I doubt an hour will get us the rest we need before we launch a full attack," Jaden pointed out.

"Very well. Three hours."

"Better."

"You guys be safe," Coltyn called as they started to walk away, eventually disappearing behind clouds of ash and smoke. Once they were gone, he turned to his two companions. "Shall we get moving?"

"The less time we spend in one place the better," Caerik replied.

"Then let's get moving," Charlie ordered. The trio set out. Unbeknownst to them, the watchful eyes of several men observed them from the shadows.

Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo had found his target.

o o o

"It doesn't feel right, leaving them back there," Cassie said as the group followed Thestalos to Obsidian Divide.

"It was the only way we could get anywhere, Cass," Jaden explained to his daughter, "Don't worry about them. I'm sure they'll be fine."

"Too bad we can't say the same thing 'bout us," Nellie interjected, "Look!" She pointed toward a mountain as a pack of mechanical wolves ran down its side toward them.

"Giga-Tech Wolves!" Jaden realized. Behind the pack, solders in silver armor with enormous bronze gears armed with shoulder-mounted rocket launchers came down the mountain.

"Those are Gadget Soldiers," Nellie recognized. Coming up behind them were enormous spider-like tanks. They approached a few steps and then stopped before opening the missile silos on their backs. Behind them, several small drones floated forward, each pointing a pair of cannons forward.

"Launcher Spiders and Turbo Cannons," muttered Thestalos, "These are all machines."

"Does that mean anything?" asked Jaden.

"Just one," answered the Firstorm Monarch, "Come Incendius!" His spiked warhammer appeared in a flash of fire and he grasped it as a white robot hovered forward armed with a vulcan on its right arm and a blade on its left. "As I suspected, Sergeant Electro."

"Targets acquired. Targets locked. All units position for attack." Sergeant Electro's voice was monotonous and mechanical, but his orders reached the others with ease. Every monster had surrounded the group and was now turning to aim their weapons at them.

"All units prepare to fire."

"This shall not be the end!" Thestalos readied his weapon, but Jaden held up his hand.

"Thestalos, wait."

"What is it now, Terran?"

"There's no way we can take them all out," Jaden pointed out, "However, we won't need to. We just need to target one of them."

"You are mad."

"Just watch." Jaden took out two cards from his deck. "Elemental Hero Sparkman! Spark Blaster!" His gold and blue winged hero appeared in front of him wielding his signature laser gun. "Just one hit Sparkman. That's all it needs." Elemental Hero Sparkman took aim with his weapon and pulled the trigger. A single electrified stun bolt shot out and struck Sergeant Electro.

"Error. System error." The white robot sparked and slowly fell into a stasis lock.

"Now Thestalos, while he's down!" yelled Jaden.

"By Fire be purged!" Thestalos threw Incendius and struck Sergeant Electro. The hammer's incredible mass combined with the velocity and force with which it had been thrown smashed the target into pieces. In that instant, the other machines ceased functioning and their weapons were dropped.

"The machines' control center was inside Sergeant Electro." Jaden walked over to the white scrap pile and picked up a device. "With it destroyed, the rest of them ceased functioning." He turned around and threw the device into a river of lava. It struck the molten liquid with a loud sizzle and quickly melted.

"Let us continue," Thestalos said bluntly as he picked up Incendius, "As soon as we make it to the Obsidian Divide, we have mere moments to make it into the caves that lead to the Igneous Depths before the steam vents can expel next."

o o o

"Where are we?" asked Charlie. Everyone stopped as Caerik took out his map.

"We're somewhere called the Lava Springs. Ponds of lava here are formed by geyser-like openings in the ground. But instead of steam and hot water, they shoot lava."

"So they're like mini-volcanoes," Coltyn surmised.

"Yes, but the lava doesn't go far and usually ends up pooling around the opening out of which it came, thus forming these ponds."

"Is it easy to navigate?" asked Charlie.

"Relatively, as long as nothing were to disturb the lava flow."

As the group discussed amongst each other, an armored ninja in red slowly rose up from one of the lava ponds. He observed them for a moment and then ducked back under the lava. Unknown to Caerik and his party, the lava ponds were connected underground and that was where this ninja was swimming through now. He stopped at a few near the target and planted some explosives before moving on. When at last he was at a safe distance, he had them detonate and watched as the lava around them suddenly started to sputter and pour out.

"Someone's disturbed the lava flow!" exclaimed Caerik, "We must run!" As he, Charlie, and Coltyn ran for it, the red ninja rose out from the lava. Three more ninjas quickly joined him. They all wore the same uniform of ninja garb and armor, but the differences between them were their colors: red, blue, green, and brown representing flame, aqua, air, and earth respectively. A purple ninja with two swords appeared in front of them known only as Blade Armor Ninja. Armed Ninja, Crimson Ninja, White Ninja, and Strike Ninja soon joined them. Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo then appeared in front of all of them accompanied by Senior Silver Ninja.

"You have visual confirmation of the target. Now go," he ordered. Everybody bowed and then disappeared.

"Grandmaster, will it be enough?" asked Senior Silver Ninja.

"If all fails, we still have Byakuran." Hanzo turned as a blond ninja in white appeared.

o o o

"Stay hidden," Charlie whispered. Caerik and Coltyn had ducked inside a small cave and were ordered to stay there while Charlie dealt with their attackers. She had everything she needed in her pack. Now all she needed was ways to use them. The Lava Springs were too open. She needed more cover. Checking her surroundings, she could see some hills rising out of the ground not far away plus some boulders weren't far off. She decided that would be her best bet.

Moving fast, she could sense her attackers approaching. The Duel Guerrilla made her way around the boulders, using them as cover. While under cover, she set about planting her traps. She went with simple designs, quick to assemble to she could move sooner. Too much time in one spot could spell certain death. Unbeknownst to her, the Armor Ninja quartet had been observing her quietly from the shadows. They knew what she was up to, but they wouldn't allow her the chance to use them.

Before they could strike, however, a loud voice brought their plans to an end. "Who brought him along?" Strike Ninja whispered as he appeared. The four shook their heads. They knew nothing. Charlie turned her head and saw an overweight ninja in gaudy gold and purple armor and clothes wearing a tacky read scarf standing on a volcano ridge.

"I am the mightiest of the Ninja clan! I am the Golden Ninja! I am...!" He never finished as he soon found himself being pulled back by his scarf into a pool of lava behind him.

"Upstart Golden Ninja more like it," Strike Ninja muttered, "Fantastic, now our enemy knows we're here. We have to move fast. Go now." The Armor Ninja quartet nodded and disappeared. Meanwhile, a couple of the other ninjas had already begun. Crimson Ninja blended in with the molten surroundings while White Ninja stayed hidden in the smoke. Charlie observed their positions carefully. White Ninja stood at the top of a ridge allowing the clouds of smoke to billow around him while Crimson Ninja stayed crouched hidden by rocks near a pool of lava at the base of the volcano. Perfect.

Charlie had a line in her hand and when she pulled it a pin was removed from a grenade resting under the rock on which White Ninja stood. It didn't even go noticed until it detonated and threw White Ninja into the lava. The explosion had also broken off a piece of the ridge and the lava that was inside the crater now poured down the side of the peak. Crimson Ninja had been focused on staying hidden that he hadn't even noticed the molten rock pouring toward him until it was right on top of him and he was killed instantly.

Charlie instantly moved. The noise would undoubtedly draw attention and sure enough an Armed Ninja arrived to investigate. She decided this one could be taken out easily too, but since it was aware of an attacker in the area, she had to try something else. Perhaps luring it to a trap could help.

Finally deciding on her move, Charlie took out a card and summoned out her Laval Gunner. She hid away and let her creature do its work. Laval Gunner took aim and opened fire. The shots were loud and Armed Ninja was alerted straightaway. He dodged the gunfire and dashed along the ridge and down the side of the volcano. The blasts blew apart the rocks around him and loosened up the stone making up the cone. Armed Ninja continued to avoid the blasts, keeping his eyes on his attacker at all times. In doing so he failed to notice the mound of soft dirt that lay in his path. It wasn't until he was right on top of it did he realize it was too late. A crater had been covered using a net of dried branches from the burnt out trees and then covered with a blanket before being concealed with soil. The crater was a tunnel that led into a magma lake below the surface. There was little hope for his survival.

Suddenly Charlie felt a sharp pain and looked to see a cut on her arm. She looked in the direction from which she had felt something fly and she could see Air Armor Ninja coming. From the lava, Flame Armor Ninja emerged while Earth Armor Ninja revealed himself from a hole in the ground and Aqua Armor Ninja landed on a boulder. With the four ninjas having revealed themselves, Blade Armor Ninja stepped forward.

"You are the Duel Guerrilla?"

"Who's asking?"

"We are the ninja clan in service to the UnGod," answered Blade Armor Ninja.

"So you don't serve the Regent Lord of this realm?"

"No. Our orders come directly from the UnGod Himself."

"Hmph. I wasn't expecting to fight the UnGod's direct lackeys so soon."

"Talk all you want, but it won't matter. We Armor Ninjas are nothing like the ninjas you killed earlier. They do not possess the skills we have."

"Are you a man of words or a man of action?" asked Charlie.

"Men, attack!" ordered Blade Armor Ninja. In that instant, his four men spread out and disappeared but it wasn't long before their attacks came in. Flame Armor Ninja unleashed a burst of fire which Charlie rolled out of the way to dodge. However, Earth Armor Ninja had anticipated this and so cracked the ground open beneath her. The Duel Guerrilla sprang up with her hands over the fissure and landed safely on the other side where she was attacked by Air Armor Ninja's slashing wind. She threw an explosive up in response and the resulting explosion dissipated the wind, but she could only just barely manage to dodge Aqua Armor Ninja's water dragon.

Charlie checked her surroundings. She was good to go. Immediately she made a run for the hills. "After her!" commanded Blade Armor Ninja. His Armor Ninja quartet complied and dashed across the land after their target.

o o o

The hills provided more cover as Charlie had hoped. But they also gave her opponents cover. However, in a five-on-one fight, this slightly turned things in her favor. She moved silently. While they searched for her, she managed to successfully plant a few traps and hoped for the best. Fortunately for her, one of them was about to pull through. Earth Armor Ninja kept close to the ground, treading cautiously. As a result he was able to spot the freshly dug dirt. Moving it carefully aside, he found what he had expected. A stick grenade had been buried to be used as a landmine. He smirked behind his mask and pulled the explosive out, but only realized too late the the end had been attached to a second grenade's pin and in removing the stick grenade he had pulled out the other's pin. He barely had time to think before the explosion took him.

Air Armor Ninja quickly dashed to investigate, but as he rounded a corner Charlie activated a remote detonator and a bomb she had placed exploded and blasted the green ninja with a jet of searing magma.

"Aqua. Flame. With me!" Blade Armor Ninja ordered. His two remaining men joined him and he led them in stealth to Charlie. They passed through several stone pillars being extremely careful not to get hit by anything, but Aqua Armor Ninja was caught off guard when a large sticky ball covered with sharp branches from one of the trees came down and impaled him. "She's good," the leader of the Armor Ninja muttered, "But... No match for me." He drew his swords. Suddenly Charlie stepped out into full view.

"You're mine!" Blade Armor Ninja few toward the Duel Guerrilla with his blades ready. As he neared her, a steam vent suddenly burst out of a hole in the ground and hit him in the face. Though he was protected from the heat, it had caught him off guard and one of his swords fell. Charlie seized it immediately and thrust it through the man's chest. Blade Armor Ninja staggered back and fell to the ground. Flame Armor Ninja wasted no time in avenging his master's death. He drew his sword and ignited the blade with flame before swinging it only to have it blocked by the sword of Prominence, Molten Swordsman. He kept him occupied long enough for Charlie to sneak up behind him and slit his throat with her knife.

As she sheathed her blade, she heard clapping. She turned and saw Hanzo standing up on a stone pillar. "Impressive," the dark Grandmaster congratulated, "The reports were right. You are truly a master of combat and a master of the predictable. However, it ends now. Byakuran!" The white ninja stepped forward and smiled at Charlie.

"It will be a great pleasure to fight you," he said cheerfully, "White Dragon no Jutsu!" White flames seemed to surround Byakuran's arm and they slowly took the form of a white Chinese dragon. "Attack." The dragon lashed out and snapped at Charlie. She quickly dodged and it just narrowly missed her. But the dragon did not stop. It followed her, trying to get its jaws around her but to no avail. Byakuran quickly recalled his spirit beast and looked at the Duel Guerrilla.

"You cannot outrun the White Dragon. It will keep coming for you and it won't stop until it gets you." The White Dragon Ninja launched his dragon again. Once more it chased after Charlie, but the woman was too agile and the environment worked well for her. Byakuran recalled his dragon and waited. Charlie remained hidden. There was some weakness in her opponent that she could exploit, but she just needed to figure out how.

"Silver, Strike, assist." ordered Hanzo. Senior Silver Ninja and Strike Ninja both appeared and dashed into the fray. The latter was the first to spot her and quickly threw three kunai down at her. She reacted quickly and avoided them. She called out Laval Magma Cannoneer to counterattack, but Strike Ninja vanished as soon as the cannons were fired.

"There you are!" Byakuran spotted Charlie and launched his dragon. The Duel Guerilla moved out of the way and the dragon struck something in the shadows instead. Byakuran withdrew his dragon and all eyes watched as Senior Silver Ninja collapsed. Strike Ninja took that opportunity to attack again, but this time with a close-range attack. Charlie was prepared, however, as she was able to catch his arm and then break it at the elbow before flipping him onto his back and cutting his throat with his own kunai.

"It's just you and me now," said Byakuran before he launched his dragon again. Charlie had seen it only three times, but she had finally found its weakness. She ran as fast she could, weaving between pillars and boulders. Sure enough the dragon followed, but she made sure to keep a reasonable distance from her attacker. Finally, it happened as she had anticipated. The dragon had stopped chasing her. It could only extend to a certain distance. As soon as that maximum had been reached, Byakuran was forced to recall it. That was when she attacked. Charlie ran at him and summon Laval Judgment Lord, who blasted the White Dragon Ninja with a powerful fire blast from his hand.

"It's just you and me now, Grandmaster," she said turning to the final ninja.

"I assure you that this will not be easy," Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo swore as he took up his battle stance. He prepared to launch himself forward, but then suddenly cried out and fell forward, revealing a large orange-bladed sword in his back with Caerik and Coltyn standing behind him.

"Did I tell you to stay hidden?" asked Charlie.

"You're welcome," Coltyn muttered.

Charlie walked over and looked down at the fallen Ninja Grandmaster. "That's it for them then."

"Who was he?" asked Caerik as he pulled his sword out.

"An assassin sent by the UnGod himself," answered the Duel Guerrilla as she started to bandage up her wounds.

"The UnGod's will is behind this?" Caerik gasped.

"Well he's dead now," said Coltyn nudging the body with his foot.

"We should continue on our way now before anything else shows up." Charlie finished bandaging her injuries and stood up. "Let's go." Together the three of them continued to Lake Tohil.

o o o

As the trio vanished through the smoke and the ash, a dark mist seemed to vanished from around the body of Hanzo, revealing nothing but a mere log.

"Ninjitsu Art of Decoy." Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo stepped out from the shadows and ran his finger along the edges of the hole made by Caerik's sword. He pushed the log into the nearest body of molten lava and watched it burn away before he dropped a smoke bomb and vanished.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Lake Tohil is a vast lake of molten lava with a single island in its center as home to the final seal in Orstrem. However, a soldier of the UnGod Himself stands between them and their mission. Watch the fiery action next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	159. The Lake of Fire

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

March 2012 ban list is in effect as of this chapter.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-72**

**The Lake of Fire**

Lake Tohil was much bigger than Charlie had originally imagined. Coltyn placed it to be roughly the size of Lake Erie on the Canada-US border. He claimed to have visited it once and was impressed by its size and by comparison Lake Tohil came close, though its dimensions were different, making it more circular than the Great Lake in question.

The question now was how to get to the island in the middle.

The landmass in question was almost a mere speck in the distance. Charlie and Coltyn had binoculars and so were able to get a better look at it, but even then it was still hard to make out all the details. The seal was nowhere to be seen. All they could make out were lots of rocks.

"How do we get across?" asked Caerik.

"Maybe we can float a rock across?" suggested Coltyn.

"Even if we could succeed, there's no telling how stable it'll be in that lava," Charlie pointed out.

"Good point. Hmmmm."

The trio stood on the bank staring at the island in the center of the lake as the thought of ways to cross over to it. "What if we made ourselves hotter than the lava itself so that we can swim through it? I'm sure the enchantment would work on Terrans." suggested Caerik.

"The heat would kill us," answered Coltyn.

"Caerik, didn't you say there something lives in this lake?" asked Charlie.

"Yes, a monster lives within the lava," answered the Flame Swordsman.

"If it can live down there, that means it's able to withstand the heat and the pressure of the lava." Charlie began to think out loud as she processed what she could do. Finally she spoke to her two companions directly. "I have an idea."

o o o

Jaden held onto Cassie as they stood near the edge of the Obsidian Divide. Thestalos stood before them, his cape whipping around wildly from the steam that shot out from the deep crevasse. To many, the searing heat would have given them an agonizing death. But for the Firestorm Monarch this was nothing. However, he did not venture into the Divide. He seemed to be watching the horizon on the Aeagnaap side of the border.

"Where is he?" Thestalos growled impatiently. "He should be here by now." Suddenly a trail of overturned earth came into sight and when it reached the Obsidian Divide, it stopped and Granmarg emerged from the ground. "You're late."

"You must have patience," the Rock Monarch said calmly. He held out his hands and focused. Then he brought his arms lower and clapped. Down in the Obsidian Divide, the earth shifted and the steam vents closed off one by one.

"Let us move now!" Thestalos said to Jaden and Cassie. "The pressure will build up beneath the surface. We cannot waste time."

"Right," Jaden nodded, "Take my daughter. I'll be right behind." He passed Cassie over to Thestalos, who then began the descent. Jaden followed close. The further down they went, the more they could hear the roar of the steam below. After what seemed like forever, they found the entrance to the underground tunnels. Thestalos put Cassie down inside and waited until Jaden had joined her before going in himself. Once the three of them were in, Granmarg reopened the vents and steam once more rushed out.

With his brother's task now complete, the Rock Monarch dove back underground and burrowed his way toward the Great Stone Canyon. The final assault against the Black King was due to begin soon.

o o o

"This is a bad idea," Caerik said.

"I know it is, but we don't have any other choice," replied Charlie as she stood with Laval Lady of the Burning Lake.

"It's bad enough you want to provoke this thing,but to fight it and win? It's madness," Coltyn pointed out.

"This isn't madness. You haven't seen madness." Charlie turned to her monster. "Do it." Laval Lady of the Burning Lake began to hum a chant. As everyone waited and watched, the lake began to waver. Many many minutes passed before large red tentacles broke the surface of the lava. Charlie immediately recalled her monster and waited as an enormous flaming octopus rose up from Lake Tohil.

"Fire Kraken," Coltyn recognized to which Caerik nodded in agreement.

Fire Kraken was not happy for being woken up and brought one of its tentacles down. Charlie dodged it and ran to the side. The massive creature attacked again and cut off her path. However, the Duel Guerrilla had never intended to run away. As Fire Kraken continued trying to kill her, she analyzed its attack pattern. Once she had it down, she went on the offensive.

When Fire Kraken slammed down its tentacle again, Charlie materialized Laval Lancelord briefly and grabbed his spear which she sank into the tentacle and pinned it to the ground. Fire Kraken roared in pain and swung its other tentacle but Charlie was already on the move. She jumped onto the immobilized appendage and ran along its length. Fire Kraken shook desperately but to no avail. As Charlie neared its head, the real danger became ever so more evident. There she was in the middle of a lake of lava on top of a creature that lived in it. If Fire Kraken dove, she was done for. She had to do everything to make sure it would not.

She soon arrived at the head and when Caerik saw it, he severed the tentacle that had been pinned down. Fire Kraken roared in pain and swam away from the shore closer to the lake's center. Charlie held on tight with one hand while she used the other to prepare other things. She had to make sure Fire Kraken did not dive. She stayed clear of the enormous flame that seemed to be coming out of the very top of its head. The fire roared loudly as she watched it move closer and closer to the island. Suddenly she became aware of a new noise. It sounded mechanical. In fact, it sounded just like a motorcycle.

Nicky suddenly appeared from over a ridge cackling maniacally on his Duel Runner. "Lookie lookie! Oi found meself a victim!" He bounded off the rocks and rode up another stone that was shaped like a ramp that launched him in the air. With surprising accuracy, he landed on one of Fire Kraken's tentacles and bounced off it.

Charlie swore to herself. She had not seen this coming. Now it was of even greater importance to reach the island quickly. Nicky's clear insanity and blatant disregard for pretty much anything was going to cause the Fire Kraken to react to it. She wanted to save her energy, but it was clear that she had no choice now. She summoned Laval Coatl and grabbed onto the small bird allowing it to carry her off Fire Kraken. Luckily the fiery cephalopod had taken her far enough that she could reach the island on her own. She landed just past the rocks and looked around. The island was bare save for the broken seal before her. The stone circle was embedded in the ground and the black crystal fragments lay scattered.

Gunshots could be heard and she looked back to see Nicky shooting Fire Kraken. He drove his Duel Runner along one of its tentacles and bounded off it, landing safely on the island. Fire Kraken, meanwhile, had taken far too much damage and slowly began to sink into Lake Tohil to its final resting place at its bottom.

"'eh 'eh 'eh 'eh 'eh 'eh. Yer all alone out 'ere wit' me now," the pyromaniac cackled, "an' ye ain't leavin' alive."

"That's what you think." Charlie was ready to draw her knife, but it seemed her soon-to-be opponent had other plans.

"Oi get nothin' fo' bringin' ye back dead, sadly. So Oi gotta beatcha the old fashion way." He activated his dashboard and his Duel Disk formed in front of him.

Charlie readied her own Duel Disk and faced Nicky.

"Duel!"

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 8000

**Nicky:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I'll go first!" Charlie drew her first card. "I set one monster and one facedown. Your move."

"That all ye got? HA!" Nicky ripped the top card off his deck. "Lemme show ye 'ow it's really done! Oi summon me Flamvell Firedog!" He slapped his card down hard on his Duel Runner and a dog made of hardened lava burst out from Lake Tohil and howled (ATK/1900 DEF/200). "'tack that card!" Flamvell Firedog barked leapt across the field before biting down on Charlie's card.

"I activate Backfire! Now you take five hundred each time you destroy one of my Fire monsters. And as it turns out, you just destroyed my Laval Miller," announced the Duel Geurrilla. The impact from the attack resulted in a fiery explosion that reached as far out as to hit Nicky.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 8000

**Nicky:** 7500

––––––––––––––––––––––

"When Laval Miller is destroyed," Charlie continued, "I can send two Laval monsters from my deck to my graveyard so I'll choose Laval Warrior and Laval Coatl." She removed the two cards her Duel Disk ejected from her deck and placed them into her graveyard.

"Oi'm not done yet 'cause now me Firedog's effect kicks in, lettin' me summmon a Fire monster wit' two 'undred or less 'tack points from me deck. Oi choose Flamvell Grunika!" There was a burst of fire and a winged purple dragon in brown pants appeared (ATK/1700 DEF/200). "Grunika, 'tack!" Flamvell Grunika charged up two fireballs in its hands and threw them at Charlie.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 6300

**Nicky:** 7500

––––––––––––––––––––––

Nicky laughed maniacally as he watched the fire burn around his opponent. "Lessee wot ye got. Oi end me turn!"

"Oh I've still got lots to go around." Charlie drew her card. "Since I've got three Laval monsters in my graveyard with different names, I Special Summon Laval Burner in attack position!" She summoned her monster and brought out a gorilla-like beast made of stone and steel with fists ablaze (ATK/2100 DEF/1000). "Now I Normal Summon Laval Gunner." The island shook and a stone creature in iron armor emerged with two large cannons on its arms (ATK/1200 DEF/800). "When I have Laval monsters in my graveyard when my Gunner is summoned, I can use its effect to mill the top five cards of my deck to the graveyard. After that, Laval Gunner gains two hundred attack points for each Laval monster milled from this effect" She then proceeded to mill out the top five cards of her deck. Laval Volcano Handmaiden, Laval Magma Cannoneer, Blazing Dust Explosion, Laval Lancelord, and another Laval Gunner. Four Laval monsters, meaning that Laval Gunner gained eight hundred attack points, totalling two thousand.

"Now out of the cards that were sent to my gaveyard, one of them was Laval Volcano Handmaiden. Since she was sent to my graveyard while I had other Lavals in my grave already, her effect lets me send one Laval monster from my deck to my graveyard. So with her effect I'll mill out Laval Judgment Lord." She placed her card into her graveyard and then pointed forward.

"Gunner, take out Grunika!" Laval Gunner pointed its guns at Flamvell Grunika and opened fire. Massive fireballs shot out and struck the purple dragon with such force that it was quick to die.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 6300

**Nicky:** 7200

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Laval Burner, attack Flamvell Firedog!" Laval Burner charged and slammed a fist into the side of Flamvell Firedog's head. Bone and rock could be heard breaking as the beast was thrown across the lake and exploded in midair.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 6300

**Nicky:** 7000

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I'll end off with a facedown."

"Heh. Ya ain't bad. But Oi'm still betta!" Nicky drew his card. "Oi play me Spell, Rekindlin'! This 'ere Spell lets me rez all me Fire monsters wit' two 'undred or less defense til me End Phase. Then they all get Banished." With that, Flamvell Firedog and Flamvell Gurnika returned to the field. "Now watch. Oi sack me Flamvell Grunika ta summon Flamvell Commando!" Grunika was swallowed up in fire and in its place a man with fiery hair and a large cannon appeared (ATK/2200 DEF/200).

"Now Oi discard me Flamvell Baby ta power up one o' me Flamvells by four 'undred 'tack points permanently." Flamvell Firedog howled as its attack points rose up to twenty-three hundred. "Flamvell Firedog, 'tack Laval Gunner!" Flamvell Firedog barked and bit into Laval Gunner's throat. The resulting explosion from Backfire also hit Nicky for some damage.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 6000

**Nicky:** 6500

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Oi use me Firedog's effect ta summon Neo Flamvell Shaman!" A lion-like humanoid wearing a shaman's mask and holding a staff tipped on both ends with a torch flipped out from the lake and landed in front of Nicky on the island (ATK/1700 DEF/200). "Now Commando, 'tack Burner!" Flamvell Commando pointed his weapon at the target and fired a rocket of flame at Laval Burner. The explosion that followed also hit Nicky in return.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 5900

**Nicky:** 6000

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Neo Flamvell Shaman, go!" With his last monster, Nicky sent his Shaman out and watched as he spun through the air spinning his staff and then launching a rain of fireballs from its ends while it twirled.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 4200

**Nicky:** 6000

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Oi ain't done yet. Now Oi activate me Commando's effect. By banishin' one o' my Flamvells from me graveyard, 'e burns ye fo' the banished monster's 'tack points!" Nicky removed his Flamvell Grunika from his graveyard and placed it into a side pocket on his Duel Runner. Flamvell Commando's cannon started glowing before a jet of searing hot lava erupted from the muzzle and struck Charlie.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 2500

**Nicky:** 6000

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Oi end wit' two facedowns." Nicky was grinning as he put the cards into his Spell and Trap slots. "Yer move!" And with that he broke into another maniacal laugh as his Flamvell Firedog was banished.

Charlie said nothing as she drew her card. "I play Searing Fire Wall. Now by banishing a number of Laval monsters from my graveyard, I can summon that many Laval Tokens."

"It don't matter wot you bring out! Me Flamvells' gunna burn 'em to a crisp!" cackled Nicky.

Charlie banished Laval Miller, Laval Gunner, Laval Handmaiden, Laval Judgment Lord, and Laval Burner. In doing so she summoned four small flames which served as level one Pyro-type Fire monsters with zero attack and defense points. "Now I summon Soaring Eagle Above the Searing Land." A bright red eagle made up of flaming feathers appeared and cried out (ATK/100 DEF/0). "Now I tune Soaring Eagle Above the Searing Land to my four tokens." All five monsters faded away until each one of them had been replaced by a single star. The star that had once been Soaring Eagle Above the Searing Land turned into a synchro ring and surrounded the others as they all lined up and a column of light swallowed them whole.

"When the fires roar, a new power awakens from its heart! Synchro Summon! Cut through, Laval Dual Slasher!" The light turned into fire and the flames dispersed to reveal a large creature made of red and black rocks with two enormous stone blades on its elbows (ATK/2400 DEF/200). "And since Soaring Eagle Above the Searing Land was sent to the graveyard as part of a Synchro Summon while I have three or more different Lavals in my graveyard, I can Special Summon it at the cost of having to Banish it next time it leaves the field." At that moment,Soaring Eagle Above the Searing Land like a phoenix rising from its own ashes.

"It won't matter, though, since it won't stay for long. Now I Special Summon Laval Burner!" A second Laval Burner appeared and roared. "I tune Soaring Eagle Above the Searing Land with Laval Burner." Once more, Soaring Eagle Above the Searing Land transformed into a star and then a synchro ring and surrounded Laval Burner until its body had faded, leaving behind five shining stars, before all were engulfed in light.

""When the fires roar, a new power awakens from its heart! Synchro Summon! Burn, Laval the Greater!" The light turned into fire and burst apart as a creature of stone appeared with blue flames burning all over its body (ATK/2400 DEF/800). "Now I activate Molten Whirlwind Wall. With this, all my Laval gain one hundred attack points for every Laval in my graveyard. Since I have seven, that means they each get a seven hundred point boost." A whirlwind of fire whipped up around Charlie's monsters and created a powerful wall of orange and blue flames around them. Laval Dual Slasher's attack points and Laval the Greater's attack power both rose to thirty-one hundred.

"Laval the Greater, attack Flamvell Commando!" Laval the Greater clenched his fist and it began to burn. He turned his arm toward his targer and threw a powerful punch that launched a raging blue fireball.

"Oi don't think so!" Nicky revealed one of his facedowns. "Oi activate me Firewall! Now Oi Banish one o' me Pyro monsters to negate yer 'tack!" He removed his Flamvell Baby from play and a wall of fire rose up and blocked Laval the Greater's attack.

"But now your graveyard's empty, meaning there's nothing you can Banish to block my next attack," Charlie pointed out. "Laval Dual Slasher, attack Neo Flamvell Shaman!" Laval Dual Slasher's blades began to burn and he lumbered forward before slashing his target in two.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 2500

**Nicky:** 4600

––––––––––––––––––––––

"That concludes my turn."

"Oi draw!" Nicky drew his card. "Oi pay five 'hundred points ta keep Firewall on me field."

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 2500

**Nicky:** 4100

––––––––––––––––––––––

"An' now for me Flamvell Commando's effect. Oi Banish me Neo Flamvell Shaman." Taking Neo Flamvell Shaman out of graveyard, he watched grinning as his Flamvell Commando targeted Charlie and fired.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 800

**Nicky:** 4100

––––––––––––––––––––––

"It's all over fo' ye now! First Oi MST yer Trap Card!" Nicky played Mystical Space Typhoon and blasted away Molten Whirlwind Wall, dropping Laval Dual Slasher and Laval the Greater back down to twenty-four hundred attack points. "Now Oi summon me second Flamvell Baby!" A little baby flame appeared on the field (ATK/800 DEF/200). "Oi tune me Baby ta me Commando!" Flamvell Baby faded away until only a single star was left. It turned into a synchro ring and surrounded Flamvell Commando, turning him into a line of five stars before all were engulfed in light.

"Fires of 'ell consume an' let 'em burn the world down! Synchro Summon! Armageddon, Ancient Flamvell Deity!" The light vanished and an enormous flaming god rose up clad in just pieces of dark crimson armor and towered over the field (ATK/2500 DEF/200). "Now 'tack Flamvell Dual Slasher! Sun Crusher!" Ancient Flamvell Deity held his hands together and slowly pulled them apart as he created a sun in between his palms. Before long it had exceeded his own body size and he held it over his head before throwing it down at Laval Dual Slasher.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 700

**Nicky:** 4100

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I still have my Backfire in play!" Charlie pointed out as the explosion from the impact burst forth and hit Nicky.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 700

**Nicky:** 3600

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Eh, Oi'll live. Lessee wot ye got!"

Charlie drew her card. "I play another Searing Fire Wall and I'll remove Laval Dual Slasher, Laval Cannon, Laval Burner, and Laval Lancelord to use it." After she removed those cards from play, four new Laval Tokens began to appear on the field.

"Oi don't think so! Flamvell Counter'll negate it! An' all Oi gotta do is Banish one o' me Flamvells from me grave." Nicky removed Flamvell Commando from his graveyard and the four flames suddenly stopped growing and were swiftly extinguished.

Charlie cringed. She didn't like where this was going, but she didn't have much choice. She ended her turn after switching Laval the Greater into defense mode.

Nicky drew his card with utter delight and then gave up his Firewall. Now that he was winning, he didn't need it anymore. "Ancient Flamvell Deity, 'tack! Sun Crusher!" Once more, the god of fire summoned another sun and brought it crashing down on Charlie's monster, which also triggered her Backfire.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 700

**Nicky:** 3100

––––––––––––––––––––––

"It's over! Ye lost!" cackled Nicky.

"Nothing's over yet." Charlie looked at her deck and prayed. Everything rode on this draw. As she began to focus, a red light seemed to be shining out from her chest just above her bosom. She looked down and could just make out the image of a rose appearing glowing with a crimson radiance.

"Ye can't be!" Nicky took something out of his pocket and looked at it. "Then this...?" The object suddenly floated out of his hand and flew over to Charlie. The Duel Guerrilla caught it and looked at it. It was a Red Rose Card!"

"Looks like I'm back." She drew her card. "And I just drew Pot of Avarice. I return Laval Warrior, Laval Coatl, Laval Handmaiden, Laval Gunner, and Laval the Greater to my deck and Extra Deck. Then I shuffle and draw." She did just that and when she saw her two cards, her face brightened up. "I set a monster and one facedown. Your move."

"Heh. That all? Ha! Oi was worried over nothin'!" Nicky drew his card. "Ancient Flamvell Deity, go! Sun Crusher!" Ancient Flamvell Deity slammed another sun down onto Charlie's field and destroyed her facedown monster, which turned out to be Flamvell Coatl. In doing so, Backfire was triggered once more.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 700

**Nicky:** 2600

––––––––––––––––––––––

"This is too easy!" cackled Nicky. "Go on an' try ta beat me!"

"I don't need to try," said Charlie as she drew, her Rose Mark glowing brighter. "I will!" She held out her Rose Card at the seal and the crystal fragments levitated off the ground and began spinning around the stone circle. One by one, they recombined into a single crystal and upon completion there was a flash of red light and the seal had been restored, the crystal now red as a ruby instead of black as obsidian. "I activate Return from the Different Dimension! By paying half my Life Points, I can bring back as many of my Banished monsters as possible until the End Phase."

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 350

**Nicky:** 2600

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Everyone, come back!" A hole to the different dimension opened up and from it emerged Laval Lancelord (ATK/2100 DEF/200), Laval Dual Slasher (ATK/2400 DEF/200), Laval Burner (ATK/2100 DEF/1000), Soaring Eagle Above the Searing Land (ATK/100 DEF/0), and Laval Judgment Lord (ATK/2700 DEF/1800).

"Now I tune Soaring Eagle Above the Searing Land with Laval Lancelord." The fiery bird faded away and its star turned into a synchro ring that surrounded Laval Lancelord. The spear-wielding monster faded and left six glowing stars that were engulfed in light.

"When the fires roar, a new power awakens from its heart! Synchro Summon! Smash, Laval Stennon!" The light turned into flame and burst revealing an enormous golem of stone and machinery with a massive cannon on its left arm (ATK/2700 DEF/1800). "When Laval Stennon is Synchro Summoned, I send one card in my hand to the graveyard." Charlie discarded the only card in her hand, which turned out to be Laval Magma Cannoneer. "And if you'll remember, my Soaring Eagle comes back because it was used for a Synchro Summon." Right on cue, Soaring Eagle Above the Searing Land came back and cawed.

"Laval Judgment Lord, attack Ancient Flamvell Deity!" Laval Judgment Lord conjured up flames into his hand and formed it into the shape of spear. He cocked his arm back and threw it with all his might. He pierced through Ancient Flamvell Deity's armor and the massive god of fire collapsed.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 350

**Nicky:** 2400

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Laval Stennon, finish this!" Laval Stennon pointed its cannon and began to charge.

"Aww, shit! Oi'm outta 'ere!" Nicky revved up his engine and turned his Duel Runner around before taking off as fast as he could. Laval Stennon fired and the blast just narrowly missed him. The resulting splash radius of the explosion from the blast hitting the ground sent him and his motorcycle flying through the air.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Charlie:** 350

**Nicky:** 0

––––––––––––––––––––––

Nicky hit the ground on the other side of Lake Tohil. his Duel Runner was not so fortunate. While the insane pyromaniac had made the jump, his motorcycle fell short and was now sinking in the lava. He growled and stood up. "This ain't over! Ye 'aven't seen the last o' me!" And with that, he summoned his Flamvell Firedog and got on its back before riding away.

"She did it," Caerik said while Coltyn nodded.

"And the seal was restored," the black-haired teen added.

"Shall we fetch her from the island then?" asked the Flame Swordsman.

"She seems to be on top of things," answered Coltyn as he watched Charlie ride in Laval Stennon's hand across the lake. The lava only came up as high as the giant golem's waist so it was easy for Charlie to make it back safely. Once she had rejoined Coltyn and Caerik, she recalled Laval Stennon back to its card.

"Couldn't you have just done that before?"

"Let's go," she said, "We're to rendezvous with the rest of our group at the base of Mt. Agni."

"Too bad the bike got destroyed," Coltyn mused as he looked over at where Nicky's Duel Runner had melted in the lake. "We could have gotten there faster."

"Then we just walk," Charlie replied before the group headed out. In the distance, Mt. Agni loomed over all the other peaks, its plume of smoke and ash almost completely blotting out the entire sky.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The Igneous Depths are Orstrem's molten underground. Lava flows are much more volatile and the terrain is much more unstable. For many, to venture through is a suicide mission. But it is the only route now for Thestalos, Jaden, and Cassie. They must endure or their journey shall end. Watch the events unfold next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	160. The Igneous Depths

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-73**

**The Igneous Depths**

Evil Hero Malicious Fiend stood staring at the magma while he waited for Chow Len to complete his report.

"...and after defeating that Terran 'Nicky' in a duel, the female Terran restored the seal and they continue on their way to Mt. Agni," the vizier read off the report in front of him. "Regarding Thestalos, his party have taken to the passage through the Igneous Depths."

"So they're coming for us directly." The Infernal Nightmare crossed his arms over his chest. "Most intriguing. And Jaden is with him. Even more intriguing."

"The Terran called 'Terry' is on standby in the Valley of the Maw, which crosses paths with the Igneous Depths. Shall I send him to deal with them?" asked Chow Len.

"Not just yet, Chow Len," Malicious Fiend said to his vizier, "I feel like toying with our foes for a little bit."

"With all due respect, my lord, but have you gone mad? Thestalos is with them! His hotheaded determination will allow him to stop at nothing to reach us."

"Thestalos isn't the one who concerns me, Chow Len." Malicious Fiend raised an arm and a wall of flames rose up from the magma revealing the image of Jaden Yuki.

"Ah, the former Supreme King." Chow Len nodded with understanding.

"He will make a fine addition to the UnGod's ranks. But he has a weakness." Malicious Fiend snapped his fingers and the image changed again; this time it showed the image of Cassie.

"It will amuse me if she were to somehow find herself in a rather...unfortunate position."

"You have a plan then?"

"Yes. The Indoctrination of Flame."

"What is your command, my master?" Chow Len asked as he knelt. Malicious Fiend turned around and looked down at his vizier.

"Summon Mr. Volcano. I'll let him deal with her."

o o o

The heat underground was even more unbearable than the surface. Up there the hot air at least continued to rise upward. But down in the Igneous Depths, the stone ceiling of the tunnels trapped the heat in and the vents leading up to the surface were few and far between. Needless to say that Cassie wasn't particularly enjoying herself. However, Thestalos had warned her that any noise she made could carry through the caverns, which would alert the enemies of their presence. Jaden knew that was a lie. The structure of the cave walls weren't built for sound travel and even if they were the sound of molten magma and the hiss of escaping steam would only drown it out.

"I feel this isn't safe," Jaden voiced as he looked at the path before him. Indeed it certainly wasn't. It seemed that islands of earth stood out on a massive body of magma that seemed to flow down the tunnel endlessly with stone bridges carved out of the rocks themselves connecting them.

"Hinotama Souls are quite common down in these parts," Thestalos explained, "They are harmless unless you provoke them. The ones you want to watch out for are the Molten Zombies."

"Molten...Zombies?" Cassie asked frightened.

"Undead creatures that rise from the magma. Bodies that have been mutated by the heat and transformed into fiery abominations from the burning depths."

"How charming," Jaden muttered. Suddenly, he heard a yelp from Cassie.

"What's that?" she asked pointing. Jaden and Thestalos followed her finger to a strange colored lizard resting on a rock.

"That's one of the Evoltiles," Thestalos explained, "They're harmless. It's their evolved form, the Evolsaurs, that you should worry about. Luckily for us, they're much too big to exist in here. They're more surface dwellers."

"Well that's a relief. So is there anything else we need to worry about while we're down here?" asked Jaden.

"Yes there is," replied Thestalos, "As you can imagine, I planned for everything when I placed my palace inside Mt. Agni. That includes the wards I placed inside these caves. To dispel these wards we must find the flame runes that empower them and disable them."

"How many of them are there?"

"You'll know."

"...terrific."

o o o

Meanwhile on the surface, Charlie, Caerik, and Coltyn continued on their way toward Mt. Agni. After the events at Lake Tohil, they now made their way through one of the burnt forests. The trees were but lifeless cinders but some plants continued to grow. A few bushes know as Burning Algae appeared to be plants whose very leaves were live flames. Some of the trees looked rather humanoid which unnerved Caerik greatly. But there was something that caught Charlie's attention. Beautiful flowers, cluster amaryllises specifically, dotted this burnt out wasteland that had once been full of life. And yet there they were, these glorious floral specimens growing where otherwise anything else would not. The Duel Guerrilla insisted on stopping so she could take a moment to admire them. Coltyn seemed fine with it, but the Flame Swordsman was still uneasy.

"We need to rest every so often if we're to be at the top of our game when we fight the Infernal Nightmare," Coltyn explained.

"Yes, but could it at least not be here?" asked Caerik.

"It's just a burnt-out woods," Charlie pointed out, "What could possibly hurt us here?" As if to answer her question, some of the trees suddenly stood up and ignited on fire.

"Those Burning Inpachis, for one," answered Caerik. The flowers suddenly uprooted themselves and emerged from the ground, walking toward the humans. "As well as those Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllises." Charlie began to stand up, but Coltyn sat her back down.

"You're still worn out from summoning Laval Stennon to cross the lake. Leave this to me." Coltyn stripped off his fake flesh and transformed his arm into Duel Disk mode. "Ultimate Baseball Kid!" He placed his card and called out his small little league player. After that he began tossing out monster cards and as they flew into the air they transformed into flaming baseballs which Ultimate Baseball Kid hit and struck each foe as they approached.

"I shall assist!" Caerik held up his sword and a dragon-shaped flame wrapped itself around his blade. "Salamandra!" He launched the flame and watched as it soared through the sky and swept down on the enemy monsters.

As they fought, Charlie sat back and watched. For a civilian and a medieval soldier, they were doing incredibly well.

o o o

The journey through the Igneous Depths was a grueling one. No sooner had they begun, Molten Zombies clambered out from the magma and gave chase. Had it not been for Thestalos, they would have been overtaken much earlier by the burning undead horde.

"I found another one!" Jaden reported. He had found a glowing orange rune shaped like a flame on one of the rocks. Thestalos closed the distance and brought Incendius down upon it, smashing the stone to pieces and leaving a molten puddle in its wake.

"That's almost all of them," the Firestorm Monarch said.

"You know when you said that we had to find these runes to dispel the wards, I wasn't under the impression that we had to destroy them," said Jaden.

"We don't," Thestalos answered, "But this is faster. Now let's hurry. We're almost at the Molten Flow."

"The Molten Flow?" Jaden looked at the emperor of fire.

"It is a passage beneath the Igneous Depths. Once we are past the last of the wards, we should be there."

It took much longer than they had originally thought but soon they arrived at a large hole in the ground. Thestalos jumped down first, pointing his warhammer downward and unleashing a blast of fire to slow his descent. Jaden and Cassie summoned Elemental Hero Avian and Elemental Hero Stratos respectively and grabbed onto them as they flew after the Firestorm Monarch.

When they reached the bottom, they found themselves inside a cave with no magma flows. However, a few minutes walking down the tunnel they emerged into a high ceiling cavern with rivers and waterfalls of the molten liquid.

"The passage should be relatively safe now," Thestalos assured them. "We just follow the magma flows up and we shall reach Mt. Agni."

"Are you sure it's safe here?" Jaden asked.

"Of course! Nothing lives down here."

"Then what are those?" Cassie asked pointing up. Thestalos followed her finger and saw what she meant. Dragons lay on the upper rocks sleeping.

"Astounding!"

"You know them?" asked Jaden.

"They are the Evolzars. I had heard that they had gone extinct. I never realized they lived down here. An extraordinary find! Perhaps with their help we can defeat the Infernal Nightmare."

"That's assuming the Infernal Nightmare doesn't reach them first." A wall of fire rose up and Evil Hero Malicious Fiend appeared. Accompanying him were Chow Len and a third man with fiery red hair.

"Chow Len!" Thestalos growled.

"Ah, your former Majesty. Pleasure to see you again," Chow Len greeted.

"You traitor."

"Who's that?" asked Cassie.

"My former vizier, Chow Len," answered Thestalos, "He was my advisor until the attack. Then he betrayed me in favor of the UnGod's Regent Lord."

"You must be really unpopular here," the young girl commented, provoking a low growl from the Firestorm Monarch.

"Mr. Volcano, won't you please step forward?" asked Malicious Fiend.

"It would be my delightful pleasure!" The one called Mr. Volcano stepped forward and summoned out a fabulous purple Duel Disk with yellow and red flame designs. Malicious Fiend nodded and took out his Soul Gate.

"What are you going to do?" asked Jaden.

"Simply this, my king. Chaos Exultation!" Darkness spread all over the Molten Flow, into the Igneous Depths, and even out into the open. The Evolzars roared as they were pulled into the black device.

"Stop him! He's taking the Evolzars!" ordered Thestalos.

"I got him!" Cassie let go of her father's hand and ran forward.

"Cassie, wait!"

"Excellent!" Evil Hero Malicious Fiend snapped his fingers with his free hand and a wall of fire rise up behind Cassie, separating her from her father.

"Daddy!"

"Cassie!"

"If you want out, little girl, you gotta duel me!" said Mr. Volcano. Once the darkness had returned to the Soul Gate, a deck appeared in the man's Duel Disk.

"Malicious Fiend, why are you doing this?" demanded Jaden.

"To awaken you, my king!"

"Daddy, what's he mean?" asked Cassie.

"Don't think about it, Cassie. Just try to win," Jaden urged.

"Mr. Volcano, we leave this to you," said Chow Len before he vanished with Malicious Fiend.

"I hope you're ready, little girl. I've got a menagerie of wonderful creatures to show you!"

"I'm gonna kick your butt!" Cassie activated her Duel Disk.

––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 8000

**Mr. Volcano:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I'll go first." Mr. Volcano drew his first card. "I summon Evoltile Pleuro in attack mode." He played his move and summoned a long slender blue pleurosaurus with a DNA strand visible through the underside of its tail (ATK/200 DEF/200). "I end my turn."

"Pfff, that thing's so weak!" Cassie drew her card.

"Don't get overconfident, Cassie!" Jaden warned.

"I summon Elemental Hero Heat in attack mode!" A man in clothes designed after fire appeared and flexed his arms (ATK/1600 DEF/1200). "He gains two hundred for every Elemental Hero on my field!" Since Elemental Hero Heat had no allies present, his attack points rose up to eighteen hundred. "Alright Heat, attack! Knuckle Fire!" The fiery hero's fist began to burn and he launched himself forward before punching Evoltile Pleuro

––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 8000

**Mr. Volcano:** 6400

––––––––––––––––––––––––

"And you've just activated Evoltile Pleuro's effect," announced Mr. Volcano, "When it's destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon one Evolsaur from my hand. So here comes Evolsaur Cerato!" An orange ceratosaurus with small wings appeared and roared, a DNA strand very visible inside its tail (ATK/1900 DEF/1400). "If Evolsaur Cerato is summoned by the effect of an Evoltile monster, he gains two hundred attack points and I can bring an Evoltile to my hand if he destroyed a monster in battle." Evolsaur Cerato roared as his attack points became twenty-one hundred.

"I set one and end." Cassie placed a card facedown and then ended her turn.

"I draw." Mr. Volcano drew another card. "And I summon Evoltile Gephyro." A purple gephyrostegus with a DNA strand in its tail appeared and just lazed about (ATK/200 DEF/400). "Now I use Ultra Evolution Pill. By tributing a Reptile from my field, I can summon a Dinosaur from my hand. So here comes Evolsaur Pelta!" Evoltile Gephyro ate the pill that appeared before it and evolved into a green sauropelta with enormous red crystal spikes coming out of its back (ATK/1100 DEF/2000). "Now I overlay my Evolsaur Cerato and Evolsaur Pelta." Both monsters turned into bodies of red light and shot toward the sky as a vortex into space opened up on the field allowing them to spiral into it. "I construct and Overlay Network with my two monster. Exceed Summon! Rise, Evolzar Laggia!" A shining white dragon appeared with six majestic wings surrounded by a spherical barrier of rings of fire and two small red orbs orbiting around it (ATK/2400 DEF/2000). "Evolzar Laggia, attack Elemental Hero Heat!"

"Not happening! I activate my Hero Barrier!" announced Cassie.

"And that's why I summoned Evolzar Laggia. By detaching both of his Overlay Units, I can negate a summon or the activation of a Spell or a Trap card and destroy it." Evolzar Laggia ate the two orbs of light and his fire barrier expanded and burned away Cassie's Trap Card. With the way now clear, it unleashed its fiery breath on Elemental Hero Heat.

––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 7400

**Mr. Volcano:** 6400

––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I'll end with one facedown." Mr. Volcano grinned like a showman who had just gotten a big round of applause.

"I draw!" Cassie drew. "Now I play Reinforcement of the Army to bring a level four or lower Warrior to my hand! I pick Elemental Hero Stratos! Now I summon Stratos in attack mode!" Her high-flying ace with turbines on his wings appeared (ATK/1800 DEF/300) and she continued. "Now I'll use his second effect to bring any Hero to my hand and I pick Elemental Hero Lady Heat!" Once she had her card she resumed her turn. "Now I play Polymerization. I fuse Elemental Hero Lady Heat and Elemental Hero Voltic from my hand into Elemental Hero Nova Master!" In a flash, a caped hero in brilliant red, orange, and yellow fire-themed armor appeared (ATK/2600 DEF/2100). "Nova Master, attack Evolzar Laggia! Flames of Justice!" Elemental Hero Nova Master conjured up a fireball in his hand and prepared to throw it, but Mr. Volcano had other plans.

"I activate Evolutionary Bridge! When my monster is targetted for an attack, I can resurrect one Evoltile and redirect the attack to it. So here comes Evoltile Gephryo in defense mode!" Evotile Gephryo returned to the field and Elemental Hero Nova Master threw his fireball at it, killing it instantly.

"'cause Nova Master destroyed a monster in battle, I draw a card." Cassie drew her card as per her monster's effect.

"And now for Evoltile Gephyro's effect," said Mr. Volcano, "When he's destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can resurrect one Evolsaur. So here's Evolsaur Pelta again!" Evolsaur Pelta rejoined the field and its defense points shot up to twenty-five hundred. "Evolsaur Pelta, when summoned by an Evoltile's effect, gains five hundred defense points and if it should be destroyed in battle, I can add an Evoltile to my hand."

Cassie wasn't happy with this. She had hoped to destroy her opponent's monster with Nova Master and then have Stratos attack directly. She looked at her hand. There was nothing she could set so she ended her turn.

Mr. Volcano drew his next card. "I summon Evolsaur Vulcano!" He made his move and summoned a blue vulcanodon with a DNA strand visibly inside its tail (ATK/1200 DEF/1000). "I overlay Evolsaur Vulcano and Evolsaur Pelta. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters!" Once again, a vortex opened and the two dinosaurs spiraled into it in the form of red streams of light. "Exceed Summon! Evolzar Dolkka!" A white dragon with two large wings appeared with two red orbs of light orbiting it and roared (ATK/2300 DEF/1700). "Now Evolzar Dolkka, attack Elemental Hero Stratos!" Evolzar Dolkka flapped its wings once to gain altitude and then launched a fireball from its mouth at Elemental Hero Stratos.

––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 6900

**Mr. Volcano:** 6400

––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Evolzar Laggia, attack Elemental Hero Nova Master!"

"What?"

Evolzar Laggia turned to Elemental Hero Nova Master and unleashed its breath attack. In response, the caped hero summoned a fireball and threw it. The fireball broke through the fire stream and struck down Evolzar Laggia.

––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 6900

**Mr. Volcano:** 6200

––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now I get to draw a card," Cassie began, but was interrupted by Mr. Volcano.

"That's where you're wrong. By detaching one of Evolzar Dolkka's Overlay Units, I can negate a monster effect and destroy that monster." Evolzar Dolkka ate one of its orbs of light and a rain of fire started pouring up from the ground. Elemental Hero Nova Master groaned and was killed.

"That's all for my turn," announced Mr. Volcano.

Cassie drew her next card. There was no way it could survive the next attack, but she set it anyway and ended her turn.

Then Mr. Volcano drew. "Evolzar Dolkka, attack!" Evolzar Dolkka unleashed another blast and destroyed Cassie's Elemental Hero Woodsman. "That ends my turn."

Cassie drew again. "I play Future Fusion. Now I send to my graveyard Elemental Hero Ocean and Elemental Hero Sparkman. And in two turns, I get Elemental Hero Absolute Zero on the field."

"And do you have anything to defend you until then?" asked Mr. Volcano.

Cassie looked at her hand. "...no."

"Pity." Mr. Volcano drew his card. "Well this should be amusing. I summon Evoltile Odonto!" An orange odontochelys with its DNA strand in its tail appeared (ATK/500 DEF/1200). "When he's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one Evolsaur from my hand. So now I bring out Evolsaur Elias!" A spike-covered orange and white Amphicoelias appeared and snarled (ATK/100 DEF/2400). "And when Evolsaur Elias is Special Summon by an Evoltile monster, I can Special Summon a level six or lower Fire Dinosaur, such as Evolsaur Terias!" A dark-colored Epanterias appeared and roared (ATK/2400 DEF/600). "I overlay Evolsaur Terias and Evolsaur Elias. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters." For the third time that day, two dinosaurs spiraled into a vortex in the form of two red stream of light. "Exceed Summon! Evolzar Solda!" A crystal-blue dragon emerged and spread its wings with a roar as two orbs of red light encircled its body (ATK/2600 DEF/1000).

"Evoltile Odento, attack!" Evoltile Odento moaned for a moment before spitting up a fireball at Cassie.

––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 6400

**Mr. Volcano:** 6200

––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Evolzar Dolkka, attack!" Evolzar Dolkka opened its mouth and shot another fireball at Cassie.

––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 4100

**Mr. Volcano:** 6200

––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Evolzar Solda, attack!" Evolzar Solda drew back its head and flames began to surround its body. As it turned its gaze back on Cassie, the flames formed a stream that shot toward her and hit her hard.

––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 1500

**Mr. Volcano:** 6200

––––––––––––––––––––––––

"That's all for me this turn," Mr. Volcano concluded.

Cassie drew her card. Future Fusion still had another turn to go. She had to think of something. Evolzar Dolkka could negate monster effects, but it only had one Overlay Unit left. However, perhaps she wouldn't need to use her Hero's effect. Another idea began to form and suddenly she began to play. "I play Miracle Fusion. I remove Elemental Hero Woodsman and Elemental Hero Ocean from my graveyard to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!" There was a chilling wind as a caped hero in white appeared (ATK/2500 DEF/2000).

"I activate Evolzar Solda's effect," announced Mr. Volcano. "By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can destroy your summoned monster." Evolzar Solda ate one of the orbs orbiting it and a powerful blast of fire erupted from its body and destroyed Elemental Hero Absolute Zero. "And now for Evolzar Dolkka's effect. I detach an Overlay Unit to negate Absolute Zero's effect." Just as the ice spikes started to rise, Evolzar Dolkka ate its last orb and blasted the field with fire, melting the spikes.

"It seems you're out of options," Mr. Volcano laughed.

"Cassie!" Jaden called out, "Just remember to believe in your deck!"

"I do, daddy!" Cassie seemed clearly unfazed by Mr. Volcano's words. "And it's another Miracle Fusion! Now I remove Absolute Zero and Voltic to bring out my third Absolute Zero!" Another Elemental Hero Absolute Zero burst out onto the scene, but this time Mr. Volcano did not activate Evolzar Solda's effect. Evolzar Dolkka's Overlay Units had been used up so he wouldn't be able to negate the effect like last time. Cassie, however, was willing to make use of it. But she had to provoke him. Fortunately, she had a card to do just that.

"I play Parallel World Fusion! Now by returning banished Heroes to my deck, I can Fusion Summon. So I'm putting Absolutely Zero and Voltic back to bring out Elemental Hero The Shining! And he gets three hundred attack points for each of my banished Heroes. Since I got two, that's gonna be a six hundred point boost." Cassie's two monsters were returned to her deck and a shining white hero with a golden halo on his back appeared (ATK/2600 DEF/2100). With the boost, its attack power became thirty-two hundred.

Mr. Volcano had to activate his card's effect. If not, his entire line would be slaughtered swiftly. "I destroy Elemental Hero the Shining with Evolzar Solda's effect!" Evolzar Solda ate its last orb and unleashed its fiery torrent that destroyed Elemental Hero the Shining.

"Ya fell for it!" Cassie said happily.

"What?"

"I play my last card, Fifth Hope! With this I can draw two cards if I return five Heroes to my deck. So I'm returning Stratos, Heat, Lady Heat, Sparkman, and the Shining." After she placed the cards back into their respective decks, she drew two new cards. She looked at then and turned to her father. Jaden nodded at her and she continued.

"I play another Parallel World Fusion! I return Elemental Hero Woodsman and Elemental Hero Ocean to my deck. Say hello to Elemental Hero Terra Firma!" Cassie pointed skyward and an image of the Earth appeared from which a muscular white man with a red gem in his chest and blue gems in his shoulders and head descended (ATK/2500 DEF/2000). "Now I activate Terra Firma's effect. By sacking an Elemental Hero, he gets attack points equal to the monster I sacked. So I'm sacking Elemental Hero Absolute Zero. And with that, Absolute Zero's effect kicks in!" Elemental Hero Absolute Zero was turned into a ball of blue light and absorbed into the gem on Elemental Hero Terra Firma's chest. The hero of the Earth let out a battle cry and slammed the ground, sending icicles shooting out that impaled Evoltile Odento, Evolzar Dolkka, and Evolzar Solda, killing them instantly, as his attack points rose up to five thousand.

"One more thing!" Cassie added. "Miracle Fusion again! I remove Nova Master and Absolute Zero! Here's another Nova Master!" A second Elemental Hero Nova Master appeared on the field and flexed.

"Elemental Hero Nova Master, attack! Flames of Justice!" The fire hero conjured a fireball and threw it at Mr. Volcano.

––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 1500

**Mr. Volcano:** 3600

––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Elemental Hero Terra Firma, it's up to you now!" Cassie looked at her favorite of her Hero fusions. "Earth Magma Slash!" Elemental Hero Terra Firma reached for the spikes on his hips and pulled them off. In doing so a blade of searing heat formed on the end of each, giving him a pair of magma-hot swords. He flew toward Mr. Volcano at top speed and slashed him with both blade simultaneously.

––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Cassie:** 1500

**Mr. Volcano:** 0

––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Gotcha!" Cassie mimicked her father's catchphrase as the sheer force of the attack blew Mr. Volcano back and he hit a wall. Then he started falling, piece by piece, into the magma. Elemental Hero Terra Firma's attack had cut him diagonally both ways and split his body into six pieces. First his Duel Disk arm dropped, then his legs followed by the left part of his torso. Then his right half went in along with his right arm before his chest and head fell in.

The wall of fire died down and Jaden ran up to his daughter and picked him up. "Cassie, are you okay?"

"Daddy, I'm fine," Cassie assured him.

"You were amazing! I'm so proud of you!"

As the father and daughter celebrated victory, Thestalos watched on impatiently. The attack from Mr. Volcano had delayed them. Additionally, the appearance of Evil Hero Malicious Fiend obviously meant he knew they were coming.

"Enough of this," he demanded, "We must resume! Now that our enemy knows of our approach, we must make haste!"

Jaden finally stopped praising his daughter and looked at the emperor of fire. "You're right. We should hurry."

o o o

After a tense journey through the Molten Flow, Jaden, Thestalos, and Cassie finally emerged into the open. Mt. Agni loomed right over them as they stood in a wide valley just before the enormous volcano. "Where are we?" asked Cassie.

"Vritra Valley," answered Thestalos. "We must move through here quickly, for it is home to some of the most dangerous creatures on Orstrem."

"Lead the way," said Jaden.

Together they hurried through the valley toward the giant volcano before them, but halfway across they were stopped. A bald motorcyclist on a Duel Runner stood in front of them. The tattoos on his head were more than enough of a dead giveaway.

Terry was the only obstacle between them and Mt. Agni.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Terry's terrifying titans are trouble for Thestalos, Jaden, and Cassie. Standing as the final obstacle before Mt. Agni, the heroes must defeat this foe in order to reach the Infernal Nightmare. The final battle for Orstrem approaches soon next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	161. Battle in Vritra Valley

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-74**

**Battle in Vritra Valley**

"By Fire be purged!" Thestalos slammed Incendius against the ground and a line of fire shot forward toward Terry.

"Jurrac Tyrannus." A red Tyrannosaurus Rex with blue limbs and a mane of yellow hair appeared and split the flame line in two with its tail. After his attack failed, Thestalos moved in and swung his hammer toward his opponent. "Jurrac Spinos." Suddenly a fiery Spinosaurus appeared and blocked the attack for him before countering with a bite to the Firestorm Monarch's shoulder.

"Daddy, he needs help!" Cassie urged.

"I know, Cass. But I can't do anything right now," Jaden answered. He really wanted to help, but at the same time he knew that jumping in at the wrong time would prove to be a fatal mistake.

"As you can see, Thestalos, the creatures of Vritra Valley follow my command," Terry pointed out as the Jurracs came around him.

"I command all in Orstrem!" the Firestorm Monarch bellowed, "The very heart of Fire..."

"Fire is as unpredictable as you are brash," Terry responded, "Even if you have perfect control over it, it will still turn on you."

"You shall taste the flames of Incendius for your insolence!"

That was when Jaden stepped in. He stood in between Thestalos and Terry as Yubel made herself known to the emperor. "Leave this to Jaden. He shall deal with him."

Jaden activated his Duel Disk. "Are you ready to get your game on?"

"A challenge, is it?" Terry waved his hands and the dinosaurs of Vritra Valley stepped back. "I accept." He activated his Duel Runner's dashboard and set it to ground duel mode. Thestalos took a few steps back and banished his weapon from the material plane.

o o o

Charlie, Coltyn, and Caerik arrived at the rendezvous point. Mt. Agni was enormous, but thankfully they found a cave entrance at its foot. It looked like one of those Chinese gates. However instead of lions, it was flanked by a pair of dragon statues. They had expected the other party to be there waiting for them but so far there had been no sign of them. They had waited for a good hour before Caerik began to voice his worries.

"They are not here at the appointed time. This is unusual for Thestalos," said the Flame Swordsman.

"It's been too long. We should go look for them," Coltyn suggested.

"I agree. We have no idea what they may have run into," Charlie concurred, "Caerik, where to from here?"

"Well, they said they were going into the Obsidian Divide and through the Igneous Depths. That tunnel exits out into Vritra Valley not far from here. Let's go there and see how things are."

"Lead the way." With Caerik in front, the group made their way around the mountain toward Vritra Valley.

o o o

"Duel!"

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 8000

**Terry:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I draw." Terry drew his first card. "I summon Jurrac Velo in attack mode." He made his move and summoned a green-bodied Velociraptor with blue limbs and a red head. It roared as the backs of its hands ignited in flame (ATK/1700 DEF/1000). "I'll end with a facedown. Your move."

"Here I go. I draw!" Jaden drew his first card. "I begin with Polymerization! I fuse Elemental Hero Avian and Elemental Hero Burstinatrix to create Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" His winged wind warrior and fiery heroine appeared briefly on the field before being combined into his signature reptilian green hero with a red dragon head arm, red dragon tail, and white angel wing (ATK/2100 DEF/1200). "And that's not all! Here comes Elemental Hero Wildheart!" A native man with an enormous stone sword on his back appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/1600).

"Flame Wingman, attack Jurrac Velo! Infernal Rage!" Elemental Hero Flame Wingman took aim with his dragon arm and unleashed a stream of fire that destroyed Jurrac Velo.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 8000

**Terry:** 7600

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"And since Flame Wingman destroyed your monster in battle," Jaden explained, "you get dealt damage equal to your destroyed monster's attack points!" He looked up at Elemental Hero Flame Wingman turned his arm on Terry and blasted him with fire as well.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 8000

**Terry:** 5500

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Since you destroy my monster in battle, Jurrac Velo allows me to Special Summon one Jurrac monster with seventeen hundred or less attack points from my deck." A single card came out of Terry's deck and he placed it onto the field. "Jurrac Guaiba, come!" A yellow and red Guaibasaurus with blue hands and feet appeared and roared as its spines, tongue, and claws ignited on fire (ATK/1700 DEF/400)

"I'm gonna end with a facedown," Jaden declared.

"I draw." Terry drew his card. "I summon Jurrac Iguanon." A blue and green Iguanodon appeared and groaned as a ridge of flames ignited down its back (ATK/1700 DEF/700). "Jurrac Guaiba, attack Elemental Hero Wildheart!" Jurrac Guaiba roared and charged. As it neared its target, it opened its mouth and bit down hard upon coming in range, rending the man to pieces.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 7800

**Terry:** 5500

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"You destroyed a monster in battle, so I can activate Hero Signal!" Jaden revealed his card and a searchlight with a large H was shined into the sky. "With this card, I can Special Summon one level four or lower Elemental Hero from my hand or deck. So from my deck, I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in defense mode!" A large stone warrior with a domed red head appeared and crouched in front of Jaden defensively (ATK/800 DEF/2000).

"And now for Jurrac Guiba's effect. When it destroys a monster in battle, I can Special Summon one Jurrac monster with seventeen hundred or less attack points from my deck, but it can't attack this turn. I summon Jurrac Dino." A red and yellow Deinonychus with a ridge of blue spines running down its back appeared and roared as its nose horn and its feet ignited in flame (ATK/1700 DEF/800). "Next I activate Urgent Tuning. This card lets me Synchro Summon during the Battle Phase only. So I tune Jurrac Dino with Jurrac Guaiba!" Jurrac Dino roared and vanished, being replaced by three shining stars that transformed into synchro rings and surrounded Jurrac Guaiba. The other carnivore snarled as its body faded away to leave behind four stars. A light engulfed them all.

"The fires of time burn once more for a creature thought long since dead. Synchro Summon! Roar, Jurrac Giganoto!" The light vanished and big blue Giganotosaurus with yellow hands, feet, and head appeared and roared as brow burst into flame (ATK/2100 DEF/1800). "And with Giganoto's effect, all my Jurracs gain two hundred attack points for every Jurrac in my graveyard. I have three, so that's a six hundred point boost!" Jurrac Giganoto and Jurrac Iguanon let their respective noises out as their attack points rose up to twenty-seven hundred and twenty-three hundred respectively.

"Jurrac Iguanon, attack Elemental Hero Clayman!" Jurrac Iguanon lumbered over to the stone warrior and jabbed its thumb spikes into his body repeatedly, creating several punctures that weakened him until he fell apart. "Now Jurrac Giganoto, attack Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" Jurrac Giganoto turned toward its target and drew its head back. It then shot the ground in front of it with a fireball from its mouth and a wall of fire shot forward and struck down Elemental Hero Flame Wingman.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 7200

**Terry:** 5500

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Let's see what you've got, Jaden," Terry challenged as he ended his turn.

"I draw." Jaden drew his card and looked at what he had been given. "I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman!" In a burst of light his blue and gold winged hero appeared (ATK/1600 DEF/1400). "Next I activate my Field Spell, Skyscraper." He placed his card inside his field tray and suddenly a metropolitan downtown rose up around the field. "Thanks to this card, my Elemental Heroes gain a thousand point boost if they attack a stronger opponent. Like Jurrac Iguanon, for example! Go, Sparkman! Static Shockwave!" Elemental Hero Sparkman's hands began to glow with power as his attack points rose up to twenty-six hundred and then lightning shot out from his fingertips and struck down Jurrac Iguanon.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 7200

**Terry:** 4600

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn!"

"Too bad for you it ended where it did." Terry drew his card. "Thanks to you killing Jurrac Iguanon, Jurrac Giganoto now has twenty-nine hundred attack points. And right now, the pain is just going to come harder. I begin with Fossil Dig. This'll let me add a level six or lower Dinosaur from my deck to my hand and I pick Jurrac Guaiba. Now I summon Guaiba." A second Jurrac Guaiba appeared on the field and roared. With Jurrac Giganoto's effect, its attack power rose to twenty-five hundred. "Jurrac Guaiba, attack Elemental Hero Sparkman!" Jurrac Guaiba charged and ripped through Elemental Hero Sparkman's armor and flesh.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 6300

**Terry:** 4600

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"And with Jurrac Guaiba's effect, I summon Jurrac Brachis!" A red and blue Brachiosaurus appeared and let out a cry as its entire body lit up with flames (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). Its attack power rose to eighteen hundred with Jurrac Giganoto's effect. "Jurrac Giganoto, attack directly!" The fiery Giganotosaurus attacked next and sent a fire jet across the ground toward Jaden.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 3400

**Terry:** 4600

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"And now just to play it safe, I'll MST your Skyscraper." A strong typhoon shot across the field and destroyed the buildings surrounding it, returning the battlefield to the boiling environment of Orstrem once more. "It's your turn now."

Jaden knew this situation. He had been in it many times before. However, he had also pulled out many miracle draws. And as he drew his card, he knew this would be one of them. "I Special Summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman!" The caped hero of the ocean in his blue custom diving suit appeared (ATK/800 DEF/1200). "And since he was summoned while I control nothing else, I draw two cards." Jaden drew two more cards and looked at them. These would help him immensely. "First I play Miracle Fusion. Now by removing from play Elemental Hero Sparkman and Elemental Hero Flame Wingman, I can Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman!" There was a bright light and from it descended another hero. It appeared as Elemental Hero Flame Wingman wearing white angellic armor with wings and an enormous bludgeoning weapon attached to his right arm (ATK/2500 DEF/2100). "Now not only does he have the same power as Elemental Hero Flame Wingman, he also gains three hundred attack points for every hero in my graveyard. Since I got Aviant, Burstinatrix, Wildheart, and Clayman, that makes four. So it's a twelve hundred point boost!" Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman let out a battle cry as his attack points rose up to thirty-seven hundred.

"And that's not all! I equip Bubbleman with Bubble Blaster! Now his attack points go up by eight hundred!" A rocket launcher with an attached water tank appeared in Elemental Hero Bubbleman's hands and his attack points went up to sixteen hundred.

"Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman, attack Jurrac Giganoto! Solar Flare!" Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman flew high into the sky and came streaking back down. He made impact with his target and a brilliant explosion illuminated the valley. When the light died down, Jurrac Giganoto was dead, returning Jurrac Guaiba to seventeen hundred attack points and Jurrac Brachis down to one thousand.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 3400

**Terry:** 3800

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman, deal out some damage!" Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman turned on Terry and blasted him with several streams of light.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 3400

**Terry:** 900

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Bubbleman, attack Jurrac Brachis now! Bombarding Bubble Barrage!" Elemental Hero Bubbleman took aim and a myriad of bubbles shot from his Bubble Blaster and exploded against Jurrac Brachis. Its flames were swiftly extinguished and it fell.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 3400

**Terry:** 300

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Your move now," said Jaden.

"Oh this will be easy enough." Terry drew his card. "And I'll begin with Smashing Ground!" A giant fist-shaped meteor shot down from the sky and pulverized Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman. "Next I play Big Evolution Pill. Now by sacrificing Jurrac Guaiba, I can Normal Summon level five or higher Dinosaurs without tributes for three turns." Jaden gulped. This usually never bode well.

"I summon Jurrac Titano!" In an instant, a black and red Tyrannotitan appeared, veins of lava pulsing through its body (ATK/3000 DEF/2800). "Now once per turn when I remove a Jurrac with seventeen hundred or less attack points from my graveyard, Titano gains one thousand attack points." Terry's Duel Runner ejected Jurrac Brachis and he placed it off the side as Jurrac Titano's veins glowed bright and his attack points rose to four thousand.

"Jurrac Titano, attack!" Jurrac Titano's veins started to glow white hot and powerful jet of flaming lava erupted from its mouth and flew toward Jaden's monster.

"Bubbleman's gonna be protected this turn!" Jaden declared. "If he's about to be destroyed in battle, his Bubble Blaster takes the hit instead and no Battle Damage is taken!" Elemental Hero Bubbleman blocked with his Bubble Blaster and the lava hit it instead. The weapon melted away on contact, but the hero was safe.

"That ends my turn," announced Terry. "Your move." At that moment, Jurrac Titano's attack power returned to three thousand.

Jaden drew his card. This wasn't going to help at all. "I switch Bubbleman into defense mode and end my turn."

Terry drew his card. "I remove from play Jurrac Velo." He placed the card in his pocket and Jurrac Titano's attack points rose to four thousand once again. "And now I play Stop Defense on your Bubbleman." Elemental Hero Bubbleman struggled as he was forced into his attack position, but to no avail and found himself staring up to Jurrac Titano.

"Kill him." Jurrac Titano opened his mouth and a waterfall of burning lava fell on top of Elemental Hero Bubbleman.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 200

**Terry:** 300

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"It's your move now," Terry said as a dark grin appeared on his face and Jurrac Titano returned to three thousand attack points.

Jaden drew his card. Everything rode on this last move. Nothing he had could stand up to the massive behemoth before him. He looked at his hand. All he had were Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin Elemental Hero Neos. If they were both on the field, he might be able to perform a Contact Fusion. But he had no way of getting Neos out. There was still Aqua Dolphin's effect, but it was risky.

"Jaden." Jaden looked up at the mention of his name and saw Yubel looking at him. Her hands were crossed and her stare was firm, but something about her gaze gave him confidence. Jaden nodded. He didn't need to defeat Jurrac Titano; he just had to defeat Terry. Jaden turned to his opponent.

"Alright, it's my move! And here it is!" The man's eyes changed color to orange and green. "I summon Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin!" The blue anthropomorphic dolphin alien appeared and squeaked (ATK/600 DEF/800).

"It's so good to see you again, sir!" Aqua Dolphin greeted cheerfully.

"There'll be time for pleasantries when we're done, Aqua Dolphin," Jaden replied.

"Ah yes, of course." The alien nodded and turned forward.

"Now I'll use Aqua Dolphin's effect to look at your hand!" Jaden discarded Elemental Hero Neos. "Go, Echolocation!" Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin opened his mouth and a burst of sound waves shot out to Terry's hand, forcing him to reveal it. To Jaden's luck, it was Jurrac Aeolo! "Now Aqua Dolphin's other effect kicks in! Since the monster in your hand is weaker than a monster on my field, you take five hundred points of damage! Go Aqua Dolphin, Sonar Wave!" Neo-Space Aqua Dolphin blasted another sound wave at Terry and depleted the last of his Life Points.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 200

**Terry:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––––

Jaden's eyes returned to normal as he pointed two fingers at Terry and winked. "Gotcha!" Right at that moment, the Jurracs of Vritra Valley let out their cries and turned on the biker. With his defeat, his control over the valley's natural inhabitants was broken. Terry grimaced and revved up his engine. He had no choice now.

"This isn't over yet." And with that he rode off. With Terry gone, the dinosaurs returned to their regular habits.

"Daddy, that was awesome!" Cassie cheered as she ran up to her father.

"I am impressed," Thestalos admitted, "You have handled yourself well for a Terran."

"That's 'cause my dad's the best!" Cassie bragged out loud.

"Well, not the best," Jaden replied modestly, "but pretty high up there."

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!" All heads turned toward the ridge and everybody saw Charlie, Coltyn, and Caerik standing at the top. Coltyn had been the one to call them and was waving them over. Before long, the party had been reunited.

"Was that one of Kage's guys?" asked Coltyn in reference to the fleeing Terry.

"Yeah," was Jaden's answer, "He was trying to stop us from reaching Mt. Agni."

"We had the same problem with one of Kage's goons trying to stop us from restoring the seal," Charlie said, "It was Nicky."

"The psychopath?" asked Cassie. Charlie nodded. Jaden looked at his daughter.

"How do you know his name?" he inquired. Cassie explained how she and Gio had come across him for the first time last year back at Duelist Kingdom. When she was done, he understood.

"Let us go forward now!" declared Thestalos. "Mt. Agni awaits!"

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

At long last, our heroes finally arrive at Mt. Agni. The path to Thestalos' palace is treacherous for the caves are riddled with traps. But something even more dangerous waits for them at the end. Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	162. Fire Walk

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-75**

**Fire Walk**

"My Lord, the Terrans and Thestalos are right outside Mt. Agni," Chow Len reported as he entered the throne room. He approached Evil Hero Malicious Fiend, who was standing at the edge looking at the magma once again. "With Thestalos' help, they will make it in here in no time. I advise send our strongest to help defend the castle."

"Chow Len," Malicious Fiend said calmly, "tell me. Why did you betray Thestalos?"

Chow Len had been asked this question before and his answer had not changed. "I merely wish to serve the UnGod. Nothing more. I am but a faithful servant to Him."

"An admirable answer," Malicious Fiend complimented, "A pity that it isn't honest."

"Pardon, my Lord?"

Malicious Fiend suddenly whipped around and sank his claws into Chow Len's shoulder. The vizier cried out in pain and the Infernal Nightmare lifted him off his feet. "You didn't betray Thestalos to me just so you could serve the UnGod under me. Your intentions were never to serve anyone. All you desired was to rule Orstrem as its king." Chow Len struggled to get free, but it was no use. " "Struggle all you want, old man. The powers of the UnGod have bound you. You cannot escape." The vizier looked at Malicious Fiend's other hand and noticed that he was holding his Soul Gate.

"The UnGod had so much power to offer," Chow Len gasped, "If He could grant me that power, I could have ruled Orstrem! But no, he had to send his own Regent Lord to take the throne. The throne that I so rightfully deserve!"

"So your greatest desire is to become a king then?" asked Malicious Fiend, "Very well then, you shall become a king." He pulled himself out from Chow Len after dropping him. The vizier gasped and began breathing deeply while clutching his wound as he tried to wrap his mind around what had just happened. Was the UnGod's Regent Lord actually giving him the throne. Chow Len had little time to think as Malicious Fiend suddenly impaled his chest with his claws.

"But first, you must open your soul to Fire." Flames rose up from the magma and a steady stream was pulled from it toward the Regent Lord of Orstrem as the Soul Gate opened its mouth. Darkness poured out from the black device and spiraled with the fire as it traveled along Malicious Fiend's arm, down his claws, and into Chow Len.

"Chaos Exultation." As the last of the fire and darkness mix disappeared into the man's body, Chow Len started to convulse violently before suddenly bursting into flames. Evil Hero Malicious Fiend stepped back and laughed.

o o o

Jaden, Cassie, Coltyn, Charlie, Caerik, Nellie, and Thestalos crouched behind a boulder looking at the cave entrance. Since they had left to go assist the group in Vritra Valley, a wall of fire had erected in front of the tunnel. Clearly the Infernal Nightmare knew of their presence.

"I shall wait inside," said Thestalos. And with that flames rose around him and he vanished.

"You coulda taken one of us, ya know!" Cassie shouted.

"Actually he couldn't," Caerik interjected, "Thestalos travels through Fire itself. A Terran would be burnt instantaneously."

"Then how are we supposed to get past that wall of fire?" asked Jaden.

"Fire is just fire," Charlie answered as she stood up. "It may be hot, but it'll only burn you if you let it." And with that, she ran forward, shielding her face with her arms.

"Charlie!" The other called after her, but the Duel Guerrilla paid no heed. Before anybody knew it, she had made it past the flames.

"Come on!" she yelled, "Just pass through where the flames turn yellow and you'll be fine!"

"Yellow flames are the coolest," Coltyn thought out loud. He then stood up and ran forward as well, shielding his own face with his arms.

"Cassie, be brave," said Jaden. She picked up her daughter and covered her with his jacket as he carried her through with Caerik right behind. Before long, everybody had passed through the wall of fire.

"Let us go," said the Flame Swordsman, "Onward!"

Charlie led the charge. With her skills in guerrilla warfare, she could detect any traps and other dangers that lay in front of them. Behind her were Coltyn, Cassie, and Jaden. Cassie was in the middle, placing her in the most protective spot of the group. Jaden was to her left. He stayed close and had his Duel Disk and a few cards in his hand in case he needed to act quickly. Coltyn was to Cassie's right. In this position he could offer tactical advice to the entire group. Bringing up the rear was Caerik, whose combat skills could be used if they were attacked from behind.

They had only been running for less than a minute when Charlie stopped them. "Why'd you stop?" asked Cassie.

"Look at the floor in front of us," answered Charlie, "Doesn't it seem odd that a cave floor that has been mostly uneven would suddenly become so flat and smooth? There's an obvious trap here."

"Well we cannot turn back," said Caerik, "What shall we do?"

"The best way to disarm a trap is to spring it." Charlie picked up a stone and tossed it forward. No sooner had it landed on the smooth ground, a massive block dropped from the ceiling and crashed in front of them.

"Well, so much for going through," Jaden muttered.

"Not quite," Charlie interrupted. "There's just enough room for us to squeeze past."

"Shouldn't there be some sort of release mechanism on the other side?" asked Coltyn.

"There should be, but I doubt Thestalos ever thought of one when he devised it," answered the Duel Guerrilla.

"Lemme go first," Cassie volunteered.

"Cassie, no," Jaden protested.

"It makes sense for Cassie to go first. Since she's the smallest, she'll fit through the easiest," Coltyn pointed out.

Jaden didn't like the idea of sending his daughter through to such a dangerous place, but Coltyn was right. Reluctantly he let her go and Cassie pressed herself against the wall and shimmied along it to the other side. When she arrived she looked around but found no sign of a release switch. "There's nothing over here!" she called.

"Then we're gonna do this the hard way." Coltyn then went next followed closely by Jaden. Charlie was next and Caerik went after her, making sure to toss his sword across first before stepping through himself. Once everyone was through, they resumed their progress.

They had not gone far when the next trap came upon them. The cave had gone flat once again. Strange holes appeared in the walls. Charlie made note of the holes in the walls and stopped just in front of the first one. it was about chest height. She crouched down and felt along the ground. It didn't take her long to find the hidden pressure switch in the floor that triggered flames the shoot out from the hole. Very carefully, the group wove their way through the hidden flamethrowers. Each one was placed at different heights. Charlie would locate them and then direct the others in a path that would avoid them. Sometimes more than one would be together, which placed them in an even harder predicament. However, their dedication paid off and they made it through safely.

The next trap they encountered was a pitfall. Right before they reached it, the cave floor in front of them dropped down into a pit of lava below. A narrow ledge along the side served as their only means to get across and avoid a molten tomb.

The trap that followed proved to be a problem only for Caerik and Coltyn. Metal panels lined the walls of the tunnel. Everybody seemed to pass through just fine. Only those two seemed to be suffering. "It...its burns..."

Charlie took a moment and examined the metal panels on the walls. "They're emitting an energy that heats up any metal on our persons."

"That would explain it," Coltyn said through the grimacing pain. Then everyone remembered. His left arm was mechanical. Without a moment's hesitation he was quickly thrown back up the tunnel. Caerik, meanwhile, fell back with him.

"How will we get through?" the Flame Swordsman asked, "I can simply take off my armor, but your arm is attached to your body."

"Then I guess we'll just have to take out those panels," answered Coltyn as he stripped off his artificial skin and transformed his arm into its Duel Disk form.

"Coltyn, what are you doing?" asked Jaden. "Your deck's filled with Fire monsters."

"I'm planning to overload the system."

"If you do that, you'll bring the cave down on our heads!"

"I'll do it!" Cassie whipped out a card from her Extra Deck and slapped it onto her Duel Disk. "Elemental Hero Absolute Zero! Freeze the walls!" Her white hero of ice appeared and slammed the ground with his fist, causing the tunnel to freeze over.

"That's even worse," said Charlie, "The rocks are already hot. Freezing them will cause them to contract suddenly resulting in weakening the structure."

"Then I suggest we move!" shouted Caerik. Everybody quickly ran ahead as the tunnel started to collapse.

No more traps seemed to be in the way and soon the party emerged into the heart of Mt. Agni. The wall of fire rose high over the mouth of the volcano and in the center of an enormous lake of lava stood the palace.

"Took you long enough." Thestalos appeared in a burst of fire. He held out his arm and summoned Incendius to his hand.

"We had a few traps slowing us down," Coltyn retorted.

"We have just one more task to face," Thestalos said.

"What now?" asked Jaden. As if to answer his question, three enormous beasts emerged from the magma lake with large cages dangling from their necks.

"Lava Golems," Charlie recognized. Thestalos nodded.

"They are the last line of defense. They're mindless beasts, but very powerful."

"Then let's get started." And with that, they charged. Thestalos held out his free hand and raised a stone bridge from the magma leading to the palace.

"Gaia Soul the Combustible Collective!" Coltyn brought out his card and summoned his explosive beast.

"Laval Judgment Lord!" Charlie placed the card on her Duel Disk and called forth her mighty lord.

"Dark Dust Spirit!" Nellie called forth her spirit demon of the sand.

"Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!" Cassie summoned her icy hero once again.

"Elemental Hero Neos!" Jaden's signature monster appeared beside him and launched himself forward. A Lava Golem reached for him, but he dodged its arm and slammed his fist into its head. The molten monster swaggered a little bit, and then reached out for him again.

"Salamandra!" A dragon-shaped flame wrapped around Caerik's blade and launched itself as he swung his weapon, flying through the air toward another Lava Golem. It struck its target but did nothing to stop it.

"By Fire be purged!" Thestalos slammed his hammer against the magma and sent a wave of molten liquid that shook up the third Lava Golem and caused it to break apart. However, it was just as easily able to reform itself. "Terran, have your daughter's monster slain!" he bellowed at Jaden.

"No way!" Jaden yelled. "If Cassie's monster dies, then she'll get hurt!"

"Her monster can destroy them all if it is destroyed," Thestalos reminded him.

"You don't need to tell me that. I just refuse to have my daughter put in any more danger than she is now."

"I can handle it, daddy. Just watch me!" Cassie stood her ground. "Absolute Zero, go!" Elemental Hero Absolute Zero leapt into the air and blasted the ground. A thin rail of ice appeared and he landed on it and began sliding along it while using one hand to continually form more in front of him. Finally he leapt from his ice rail and flew out into the open between all three Lava Golems. All of them reached out and grabbed him at once, their hands molding together and essentially connecting them. There was a muffled explosion and at once the Lava Golems began to solidify from their conjoined point outward as the icy aftermath of Elemental Hero Absolute Zero's death cooled down their bodies. It wasn't long before they had all become harmless statues of igneous rock. A punch from Elemental Hero Neos and a strike from Icendius shattered their bodies and they crumbled into the magma lake.

"Let us press on!" declared Thestalos.

o o o

There was little resistance inside the palace itself and the party was able to make it to the throne room with no trouble. As they ran down the stairs to the suspended platform over the magma, Thestalos called out, "Show yourself, UnGod scum!" Instead, all they got was Chow Len standing in the center of the platform with the hole right behind him.

"Traitor. So at last you have the courage to face me yourself." The Firestorm Monarch approached his former vizier. "Now you shall be purged by Fire." Chow Len swayed back and forth a little bit and uttered little.

"Thestalos, I don't think he's alive," said Coltyn.

"By...Fire.." Chow Len uttered, "By...Fire...I...am..." Suddenly his entire body exploded into flames. In doing so, the vizier had been transformed into a humanoid creature made of pure fire. He roared as more flames poured down from his back to form some sort of cape.

"By Fire I am King!"

"It's King Pyron!" exclaimed Caerik. "I thought he was just a myth!"

"Apparently not," replied Charlie. "No one let up!"

King Pyron plunged his hands into his slides as if reaching into his pockets and pulled out two fireballs twice the size of his head. The group summoned Laval Dual Slasher, Elemental Hero Stratos, Elemental Hero Neos, Dark Dust Spirit, and Spirit of Flames. King Pyron threw his fireballs forward, but Laval Dual Slasher cut through them with his arm blades, clearing the way for Elemental Hero Stratos and Elemental Hero Neos. The hero of wind spun his turbines and conjured up two tornadoes that spiraled toward the man of fire. However, King Pyron had other ideas. Gathering up flames from his own body, he spun them around and manipulated them until he had created his own pair of tornadoes. but unlike those of Elemental Hero Stratos, his were spinning in the opposite direction. He launched them and successfully intercepted the incoming attack. Both twister helixes cancelled out.

Suddenly Elemental Hero Neos came forth with a punch. King Pyron kicked his leg up and a stream of fire shot out. He swung his leg out to the outside and swung inward to launch a horizontal fire wave. Neos was hit by both and thrown back. Spirit of Flames rose up and exhaled a strong breath of fire, but King Pyron held out his hands and spun around. The flames went around him and he redirected them back to their source. Once that was done, he began throwing punches at Laval Dual Slasher. With every punch, a fireball shot out. The larger creature crossed his arms in front of him to block, but King Pyron's attack continued. He advanced while Laval Dual Slasher retreated. Then when the opportune moment came, he leapt into the air, spun, and landed with a heel kick to the floor that caused a wave of fire to burst forward and engulf his target. Dark Dust Spirit unleashed its sand tornado blast from its mouth, but failed to quell the raging flames.

"Taste the flames of Incendius!" Thestalos swung his mighty warhammer down. King Pyron raised his arms over his head and wall of fire rose before him and he sent it forward like a tidal wave. That was when Laval Dual Slasher attacked from behind. But King Pyron retaliated quickly by swinging his cape up and into its face. While it was temporarily blinded by fire, he turned around and blasted him in the stomach with two palms of flames.

"Laval Dual Slasher, return!" Charlie recalled her monster and brought out another card. "We need something hotter. Laval the Greater, arise!" Blue flames came to life as Laval the Greater took the field. The creature of stone and steel aimed his hand and a blast of blue fire shot out. King Pyron raised a wall of fire to block, but the blue flames shot through and hit him.

"Of course! The reason he's able to overpower our fire is because his is hotter!" Coltyn realized.

"Then it's time to turn up the heat!" Jaden summoned Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab and performed Contact Fusion to summon Elemental Hero Flare Neos. Then he equipped him with Instant Neo Space, creating a small rift into Neo Space below his feet to allow him to retain his form. Together, he and Laval the Greater blasted King Pyron with fire, forcing him back.

"And now Incendius shall finish him!" declared Thestalos.

King Pyron was on his knees as the Firestorm Monarch approached. He began uttering words again like had when he was still Chow Len the Prophet. "Fire...Fire...Fire...Fire...Fire...Fire... I am... I AM FIRE!" His body exploded into a massive fireball and when they finally died down, he had transformed into a massive flaming liontaur with wings, the Infernal Flame Emperor. He roared and suddenly a shockwave of fire exploded from his body in all directions. All the monsters moved in to protect their respective Duelists from the blast.

"Salamandra!" The dragon-shaped flame burst from Caerik's blade and struck Infernal Flame Emperor but fizzled out as it made contact. The fiery behemoth was much hotter than the Flame Swordsman's attack. Laval the Greater attacked, but his attacks were blocked by new fire coming from Infernal Flame Emperor.

"He's too hot now!" shouted Coltyn.

"There's gotta be a way to beat him," said Cassie, "Maybe if we cooled him down."

"You're not sacrificing another monster, Cassie," Jaden said sternly.

"But daddy..."

"No buts, Cassie!"

"I swear by Fire, I shall destroy the traitor!" Thestalos bellowed as he charged. He swung Incendius and it passed through Infernal Flame Emperor, who roared and hit the emperor of fire with a massive blast from his mouth.

"This is getting way too hot," Jaden said as he wiped his brow.

"Too hot... That's it!" Coltyn snapped his fingers. "Everyone! Bring out your strongest Fire monster and stand behind Thestalos!" Everybody looked at each other and wondered why, but there was really no time to question it. Everybody gathered behind Thestalos and called out their best Fire monsters.

"Laval Stennon!"

"Elemental Hero Nova Master!"

"Elemental Hero Magma Neos!"

"The Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!"

"Blaze Fenix, the Burning Bombardment Bird!"

Four great fiery creatures appeared flanking Thestalos. "Concentrate all fire on the hammer!" ordered Coltyn. Elemental Hero Magma Neos focused the power of his fiery meteor onto Incendius while Elemental Hero Nova Master combined it with his Flames of Justice. Laval Stennon charged up its cannon and focused its power onto the massive warhammer. Blaze Fenix, the Burning Bombardment Bird poured all its flames from its wings into the single weapon as Caerik unleashed his strongest Salamandra into it. Incendius began to glow. It glowed brighter than it ever had before.

"It's time," said Coltyn as he looked up at the emperor of fire. "Fire when ready."

"BY FIRE BE PURGED!" Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch swung his warhammer and as it struck the floor, a massive explosion of white flames erupted from Incendius. Infernal Flame Emperor unleashed all his power to block it, but his own flames were quickly overpowered by the intense fire that roared toward him.

"Fire has granted me the unstoppable white flame!" Thestalos roared as Infernal Flame Emperor was engulfed in white flames. When at last the fire dispersed, the beast was nowhere to be found.

"His body had become pure flame. There's nothing left of him now," said Caerik.

"And thus the traitor is dead." Thestalos was satisfied. "Now just one more."

"Malicious Fiend." Jaden looked around.

"An honor, my King, that you would grace these halls with your presence." There was a burst of fire above the magma and Evil Hero Malicious Fiend appeared, but he was not alone. Rising from the magma were Evil Hero Inferno Wing and Evil Hero Infernal Sniper.

"My King, it's so good to see you again," Inferno Wing greeted in her very seductive voice as she landed on the platform and brandished her claws.

"It has been so long," said Infernal Sniper as she knelt.

"I've brought along all of your former subjects, my King." Malicious Fiend held up his arms and several portals opened up.

"These portals reeks of the UnGod's power," muttered Caerik as several demons emerged from them. Jaden recognized them all. Evil Hero Lightning Golem, Evil Hero Malicious Edge, Evil Hero Infernal Gainer, Evil Hero Wild Cyclone, Evil Hero Infernal Prodigy, and Evil Hero Dark Gaia.

"Come, my King. Lead us once more," Malicious Fiend urged, "With your power, the UnGod shall rule all and you shall take back your rightful place as the Supreme King!"

"Like I said, I refuse! I'm never going back to that form ever again!" answered Jaden as he readied his deck and Duel Disk. "I've moved on and forgiven myself for my past."

"But has your past forgiven you?" asked Malicious Fiend.

"What are you talking about?"

"Perhaps you should ask the one who turned you in the first place."

Jaden looked at Yubel. "Yubel... You...?"

"Jaden, I never intended for all this to happen," Yubel insisted.

"Chaos Exultation!" Evil Hero Malicious Fiend held his Soul Gate over his head and the mouth opened, causing streams of darkness to pour out and absorb all the other Evil Heroes. When the last one had been absorbed, Malicious Fiend placed the Soul Gate on his left arm and it transformed into a wicked-looking black Duel Disk with a myriad of pale spikes.

"You shall command us, my King," Evil Hero Malicious Fiend said, "or you shall die!"

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Jaden Yuki confronts his past as he duels Evil Hero Malicious Fiend, whose very being and existence represent his past sins. Will he be able to find true redemption or is this the end? The final duel of Orstrem begins next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	163. The Infernal Nightmare

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-76**

**The Infernal Nightmare**

"Duel!"

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**Jaden:** 8000

**Evil Hero Malicious Fiend:** 8000

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"You first, my King," offered Evil Hero Malicious Fiend.

"I am _not_ your king!" Jaden drew his first card. "Now watch. I play Polymerization. I fuse Elemental Hero Avian and Elemental Hero Burstinatrix to create Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" The green winged hero and the fiery red heroine appeared briefly on the field before being pulled into a vortex and re-emerging as a green reptilian hero with a single white angle wing,a red dragon tail, and a red dragon's head for his right arm (ATK/2100 DEF/1200).

"I'm placing down one facedown. It's your move, Malicious Fiend."

Evil Hero Malicious Fiend retracted the claws on his right arm and drew his card. "I will remind you of the power you gave up, my King. I play Dark Fusion!"

_Here it comes!_ thought Jaden.

"I fuse Elemental Hero Avian and Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in order to summon Evil Hero Inferno Wing!" The two heroes appeared once again, but this time they were pulled into a dark vortex. The creature that emerged was a woman in red with a long cape around her waist with two giant clawed hands, wings, spiky hair, and a V-shaped visor covering her face (ATK/2100 DEF/1200).

"It looks like we've reached a stalemate," Jaden said, "Unless you plan on crashing your monster into mine."

"I have no intention of destroying my servant, but that doesn't mean I won't hesitate to destroy yours. For now I equip Inferno Wing with Vicious Claw!" A razor-sharp claw weapon appeared and clamped onto Evil Hero Inferno Wing's arm. She screeched loudly as her attack points rose by three hundred to twenty-four hundred. "Strike at your foe now!" Armed with her new weapon, Evil Hero Inferno Wing flew forward and snared up Elemental Hero Flame Wingman by his neck. She closed the claws and cackled as they pierced his throat. She then proceeded to strip him of his internal organs in the area.

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**Jaden:** 7700

**Evil Hero Malicious Fiend:** 8000

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Charlie covered Cassie's eyes to shield her from the gore that ensued. Duel Disk holographic projectors hadn't been programmed to display such violent scenes. But then again, here in Ardent, what was technology became magic and clearly Malicious Fiend had command over the other Evil Heroes.

"I activate my Trap Card, Hero Signal!" Jaden revealed his card and a searchlight was shined upward with a large capital H. "When a monster of mine is destroyed in battle, I can Special Summon a level four or lower Elemental Hero from my deck or hand."

"But not before you experience Inferno Wing's power." Malicious Fiend extended his claws. "Feel her fire as she inflicts damage upon you equal to the higher stat of your fallen warrior!" Evil Hero Inferno Wing spread out her wings and rained fire down on Jaden, burning him for twenty-one hundred damage equal to the attack points of Elemental Hero Flame Wingman.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 5600

**Evil Hero Malicious Fiend:** 8000

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Jaden felt the searing heat from the flames, but stood his ground as he resolved his Trap Card's effect. "I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in defense mode!" A stone warrior with a red domed head appeared before him and crouched down into a defensive stance (ATK/800 DEF/2000).

"I'll set one facedown and end my turn."

"My turn!" Jaden drew his next card. "And look at that, another Polymerization! This time I fuse Elemental Hero Clayman on my field with Elemental Hero Sparkman in my hand to create Elemental Hero Thunder Giant!" The two heroes appeared briefly on the field before being pulled into the fusion vortex and re-emerged as a large purple-clad hero in lightning yellow armor (ATK/2400 DEF/1500).

"And now I activate Thunder Giant's special ability! By discarding one card in my hand, I can target and destroy one monster whose original attack points are less than Thunder Giant's total attack points. And since Inferno Wing's attack was originally twenty-one hundred, she's about to be taken down." Jaden discarded the one remaining card in his hand, Elemental Hero Necroshade, and then pointed forward. "Elemental Hero Thunder Giant, Static Blast go!" Elemental Hero Thunder Giant created a ball of electricity in between his hands and held it up. Several bolts spread out across the field and Evil Hero Inferno Wing shrieked loudly as she was destroyed.

"Now Thunder Giant, attack directly! Voltic Thunder!" Elemental Hero Thunder Giant created another ball of electricity. Except instead of discharging bolts in every direction like last time, he held it over his head and shot a bolt into the sky that rained down moments later on Evil Hero Malicious Fiend.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 5600

**Evil Hero Malicious Fiend:** 5600

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"Looks like they're even," said Nellie.

"For now," replied Charlie, "But take note that every time Jaden steps up his game, Malicious Fiend one-ups him every time."

"He summoned Flame Wingman first, then the Regent Lord summoned Inferno Wing. After that, he summoned Thunder Giant," Caerik recalled.

"He's not just one-upping him any which way, though. He's been doing it using the Evil Hero counterparts of each Elemental Hero Jaden brings out," Coltyn pointed out, "And if that holds true, that means Malicious Fiend's next monster will be Evil Hero Lightning Golem."

"I draw." Evil Hero Malicious Fiend retracted his claws and drew. "And what fortune smiles upon me, my King. I activate my facedown, Dark Fusion!"

"Another one?" gasped Jaden.

"Yes and I will use it to fuse Elemental Hero Sparkman and Elemental Hero Clayman in my hand." The two heroes appeared briefly on the field before they were pulled into a dark fusion vortex. "I summon Evil Hero Lightning Golem!"

"Called it!" Coltyn yelled.

From the black vortex, a dark-dressed hero emerged in green and purple bladed armor with two thunderbolt-shaped blades on his shoulders (ATK/2400 DEF/1500). "And now for his effect. Once per turn, Lightning Golem can destroy one monster on the field, regardless of its attack power and with no cost whatsoever! Strike now with Voltic Ball!" A ball of black electricity formed in between Evil Hero Lightning Golem's hands and he threw it at Elemental Hero Thunder Giant, blasting him into oblivion.

"Now Lightning Golem, strike directly with Hell Lightning!" ordered Malicious Fiend. Evil Hero Lightning Golem charged himself up and shot black lightning skyward which came raining back down on Jaden.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 3200

**Evil Hero Malicious Fiend:** 5600

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"Daddy!" Cassie cried.

"Cassie, stay back!" Jaden shouted. He was smoking from the most recent attack, but he remained standing.

"Face it, my King. The power I possess, your power, is far greater than those meager Elemental Heroes you possess. Discard them, my King, and take your rightful place!" Evil Hero Malicious Fiend proclaimed.

"I have had enough of you! I draw!" Jaden drew his card. "I Special Summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in defense mode!" His caped blue warrior of water appeared and crouched down on the field defensively (ATK/800 DEF/1200). "And since Bubbleman was Special Summoned while I control no other cards and an empty hand, I get to draw two more cards!" He drew his cards and looked at them.

"Since I have Elemental Hero Necroshade in my graveyard, only once in the duel can I Normal Summon a level five or higher Elemental Hero from my hand without a tribute. So I summon Elemental Hero Bladedge!" A massive warrior clad in gold with sharp edges all over his armor leapt onto the field (ATK/2600 DEF/1800).

"Bladedge, go! Slice and Dice Attack!" Elemental Hero Bladedge charged forward and ran his blades through Evil Hero Lightning Golem, severing his torso from his waist.

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**Jaden:** 3200

**Evil Hero Malicious Fiend:** 5400

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"That's it for me."

"Your recovery is exceptional." Evil Hero Malicious Fiend drew his card. "However, my Rockstone Warrior can change that!" He summoned his monster and called out a warrior of stone (ATK/1800 DEF/1600). "Attack Elemental Hero Bubbleman." Rockstone Warrior lumbered over to the blue hero and slammed its arms down on top of him, crushing him with little effort.

"Your turn."

"Leaving a monster open just to destroy a defense monster? Seems unlike you," Jaden said as he drew his card. "What's your game, Malicious Fiend?"

Evil Hero Malicious Fiend cackled. "That's up to you, my King."

Jaden was hesitant. However, he needed to close the gap in their Life Points and his opponent had no facedown cards so there was nothing threatening his monster. "Elemental Hero Bladedge, go! Slice and Dice Attack!" Elemental Hero Bladedge launched himself forward and cut through Rockstone Warrior with his blades.

"If you were hoping to damage my Life Points with that attack, you are sadly mistaken. I take no battle damage from combat involving Rockstone Warrior," Malicious Fiend cackled. Jaden mentally berated himself. He should have seen that coming.

"I end my turn."

Malicious Fiend drew his card. "Whether or not you destroyed my creature would have made no difference to me. I activate Dark Calling. I banish from my graveyard Evil Hero Lightning Golem and Rockstone Warrior in order to fuse them into a creature of such terrifying power. Behold, Evil Hero Dark Gaia!" Black mist rose up behind Evil Hero Malicious Fiend and slowly a demon with a body of stone armor emerged on large demonic wings swinging its tail (ATK/? DEF/0).

"And his attack points are the sum of the attack points used to summon him," Jaden remembered.

"I'm glad you remember, my King. He will soon be yours to command, after all!" Malicious Fiend watched as the Evil Hero Lightning Golem's twenty-four hundred attack points and Rockstone Warrior's attack points were added up to a grand total of forty-two hundred. "Dark Catastrophe!" Evil Hero Dark Gaia raised his arms over his head and summoned a meteor which he brought crashing down on top of Elemental Hero Bladedge.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 1600

**Evil Hero Malicious Fiend:** 5400

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"It's your turn, my King."

Jaden looked up at the demon that stood before him. Evil Hero Dark Gaia loomed over the field with an ominous presence. He needed some way to defeat him. If he could draw Miracle Fusion, he could summon Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman. He had enough heroes in his graveyard to give him the boost he would need to defeat Evil Hero Dark Gaia. But could he do it? Jaden took in a breath and drew.

It was not the card he was hoping for. However, it could certainly be enough to rid the field of the demon that occupied it. "I set a monster and end my turn!"

"Getting desperate, my King?" Malicious Fiend drew his card. "Well fear not. It will be over soon. I summon Evil Hero Infernal Gainer." A demon in heavy armor with spikes, horns, and claws appeared and glared at Jaden with its four eyes (ATK/1600 DEF/0). "Now I banish Infernal Gainer. He will return in two turns. But his sacrifice will grant Dark Gaia the power to attack twice during the Battle Phase." A portal to the underworld opened up beneath Evil Hero Infernal Gainer and he disappeared into it.

"And now Dark Gaia's effect. When he declares an attack, all your monsters shall be switched into face-up attack position, Flip Effects not being activated in the process." Evil Hero Dark Gaia began to summon another meteor. "Attack, Dark Gaia! Dark Catastrophe!" As the demon prepared to attack, his wings spread out and he roared loudly, forcing Jaden to reveal his facedown monster, a mole with two halves of a drill resting on its shoulder as armor (ATK/900 DEF/300).

"Looks like the joke's on you!" the pro Duelist said, "My monster is Neo-Spacian Grand Mole! And if he gets into a fight, he can bounce himself and whatever he battles off the field!"

"Dark Gaia, cease fire immediately!" ordered Malicious Fiend, but it was already too late. Evil Hero Dark Gaia had launched his meteor. Neo-Spacian Grand Mole's shoulder guards flipped around and clamped down over his head, forming a complete drill. He began spinning his head and launched himself forward. His drill pierced through the meteor and impacted Evil Hero Dark Gaia. An explosion followed and the two creatures were returned to their respective owners.

"Welcome back, Grand Mole. You did awesome," Jaden said as his card returned to his hand.

"No! I almost had him!" snarled Malicious Fiend, "If it hadn't been for that infernal mole, the UnGod would have had his power!"

"So that's what this is all about!" Nellie shouted.

"You care not for the return of the Supreme King. You simply desire a new servant for the UnGod!" Caerik accused.

"And what a powerful servant he would be," Malicious Fiend answered. "With the Supreme King at his side, the UnGod would be unstoppable!"

"So you never even cared about serving under me if I turned!" Jaden accused.

"In all honesty, no. The UnGod is my master now." Malicious Fiend drew his card. "And I will serve Him until the end! I set one monster and conclude my turn."

"I draw!" Jaden drew his card. "I summon Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird!" In an instant, a red-feathered birdman with white wings on his back appeared (ATK/800 DEF/600). "Attack that card! Slaughtering Swoop!" Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird flew into the sky and came sweeping down on the field, using his beak to break through the card.

"You just attacked Morphing Jar!" Malicious Fiend cackled as the attack made contact. "And you know what that means. Our hands go to the graveyard and we draw a fresh hand of five cards each." Jaden looked at his hand disappointingly and placed his cards into his graveyard. From there he and his opponent drew until they each had five cards in their hands. However, this wasn't the end.

"I now activate Air Hummingbird's effect. For each card in your hand, he can heal my Life Points by five hundred. And since you've got a hand of five, that's gonna be a whopping twenty-five hundred! Let's go, Air Hummingbird! Honey Suck!" Five flowers sprouted from Evil Hero Malicious Fiend's cards and Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird went to each one and sucked out the nectar before transferring the life over to Jaden.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 4100

**Evil Hero Malicious Fiend:** 5400

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"Looks like I'm not out of the game yet!" The gap in their Life Points had been narrowed and Jaden was once more back in the comfort zone. "I'll end with a facedown! Your go!"

"Luck was on your side this turn." Malicious Fiend drew his card. "Now since it's been two turns, Evil Hero Infernal Gainer returns!" A hole to the underworld opened up and Evil Hero Infernal Gainer rose out from it. "Now watch. I play Dark Fusion and I will fuse Elemental Hero Avian and Elemental Hero Wildheart in my hand to summon Evil Hero Wild Cyclone!" A demon man with enormous demonic wings wearing loin armor and shoulder guards made of shell and armored feathers appeared (ATK/1900 DEF/2300).

"What does Wild Cyclone do?" asked Cassie.

"It's got the Ancient Gear effect and if it deals battle damage, it can destroy all facedown spells and traps belonging to the opponent," answered Coltyn.

"Next I play Dark Calling and banish Elemental Hero Burstinatrix and Elemental Hero Clayman from my graveyard to fuse Evil Hero Infernal Sniper!" A dark mist rose up and from it emerged a red-armored demon woman with long black hair and a bladed arm cannon (ATK/2000 DEF/2500). She crouched down into defense position upon being summoned.

"Evil Hero Wild Cyclone, attack his monster!" ordered Malicious Fiend, "Cyclone Slash!" Evil Hero Wild Cyclone began to spin around rapidly and kicked up a powerful wind around himself. He flew across the field toward Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird and destroyed him with his wings.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 3000

**Evil Hero Malicious Fiend:** 5400

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"Now Wild Cyclone, destroy his facedown!" commanded Malicious Fiend.

"Not so fast!" said Jaden. "I can't activate my card until after the Damage Step, right? Well, this card activates after the Damage Step. Hero Signal!" Another Hero Signal was shot toward the sky. "And here comes Elemental Hero Wildheart in defense mode!" A dark-skinned jungle man with a stone sword and long black hair tied into a top knot appeared jumped out onto the field and crouched down using his enormous sword as a shield (ATK/1500 DEF/1600).

"Curses," muttered Malicious Fiend. He now regretted summoning Evil Hero Infernal Sniper in defense position for her attack points would be enough to pierce through Elemental Hero Wildheart's defenses whereas Evil Hero Infernal Gainer would only be able to match it. "I end my turn," he declared.

"Now it's my turn. I draw!" Jaden drew his card. "Oh this will be fun."

"Daddy's goin' for the win!" exclaimed Cassie.

"I play Miracle Fusion! I remove Avian from my graveyard and Wildheart from my field to fuse them into Elemental Hero Wild Wingman!" In a flash of brilliant white light, a jungle man with white wings appeared with taloned gauntlets and legs covered with bird hide armor (ATK/1900 DEF/2300).

"Next up, another Miracle Fusion! This time I remove Burstinatrix and Clayman to create Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster!" As Jaden took his monsters out of his graveyard and placed them in his pocket, a bright light fused them together and created a heavily-armored woman with a large shield on one arm and a multi-fire arm cannon on the other (ATK/2000 DEF/2500). She stood proudly in attack position alongside her fellow hero.

"Finally, you guessed it! A third Miracle Fusion! And this time, I'm fusing Flame Wingman with Sparkman to create Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman!" Another brilliant light and an angelic hero in shining white armor with bright blade-like angel wings descended (ATK/2500 DEF/2100). "Plus my Shining Flare Wingman gets three hundred attack points for every Elemental Hero in my graveyard. And my grave's got Necroshade, Thunder Giant, Bubbleman, Bladedge, and Neos. That's five heroes, making fifteen hundred!" Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman began to shine as his attack points rose up to four thousand.

"Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster, attack Evil Hero Wild Cyclone! Rampart Barrage!" Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster pointed her weapon forward and began unloading a hailstorm of gunfire on Evil Hero Wild Cyclone. The villainous hero cried as his body was pierced and he collapsed.

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**Jaden:** 3000

**Evil Hero Malicious Fiend:** 5300

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"Now Wild Wingman, it's your turn! Attack Evil Hero Infernal Gainer! Wing Impulse!" Elemental Hero Wild Wingman flew up and flapped his wings, generating a powerful wind that blasted Evil Hero Infernal Gainer with such force that he was blasted back to the underworld.

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**Jaden:** 3000

**Evil Hero Malicious Fiend:** 5000

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"Shining Flare Wingman, attack Evil Hero Infernal Sniper! Solar Flare!" Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman flew high into the sky and started shining with a brilliant aura before coming back down and dive-bombing Evil Hero Infernal Sniper.

"Nice work, guys!" Jaden congratulated his heroes.

"Way to go, dad!" cheered Cassie.

"It's not over yet," Coltyn said as Evil Hero Malicious Fiend drew his next card.

"That was impressive," the Infernal Nightmare said, "but all is about to end. I Special Summon Infernal Prodigy in attack mode." A peculiar-looking imp with small wings and large horn-like ears appeared on the field (ATK/300 DEF/600). "Since you have monsters on your field, I can execute summon this creature with only one tribute. I sacrifice Evil Hero Infernal Prodigy to summon Evil Hero Malicious Edge!" Evil Hero Infernal Prodigy vanished and in his place appeared a demon in a skin-tight black leather bodysuit with sharp wings, a wicked mask, and retractable adamantium claws (ATK/2600 DEF/1800).

"Strike down Elemental Hero Wild Wingman with Needle Burst!" Evil Hero Malicious Edge flew up into the sky and extended his claws. As he looked down at his target, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and then thrust them out, firing off his claws. They soared through the air and stuck Elemental Hero Wild Wingman, hitting him in all his vital points.

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**Jaden:** 2300

**Evil Hero Malicious Fiend:** 5000

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"I conclude with one facedown. And since Infernal Prodigy was used for the Tribute Summon of a Hero monster, I can draw one card on my End Phase." Evil Hero Malicious Fiend drew his card and then turned to Jaden. "It's your turn now, my _King_." He stressed the last word in a mocking tone.

Jaden drew his card. He still had Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman, but his opponent still had a facedown card. He had to be careful. If it was anything like Magic Cylinder, he was done for. "I switch Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster into defense mode and end my turn!"

"I draw!" Malicious Fiend drew his card. "Evil Hero Malicious Edge, attack Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster!" Evil Hero Malicious Edge flew into the sky and fired his claws from left hand down on the heavily-armored heroine. He struck her in the one place she was unprotected: the lower half of her face. In doing so, she stood up and cried in pain, exposing her neck as she tilted her head back. That was when he unleashed his second set of claws and pierced her throat.

"Additionally, Malicious Edge possesses the power to pierce through defenses," cackled the Regent Lord of Orstrem.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 2200

**Evil Hero Malicious Fiend:** 5000

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"Your hour of destruction is at hand, my _king_!" The Infernal Nightmare cackled as he brandished his claws and ended his turn.

Jaden drew his card and passed his turn. It was still much too risky.

His opponent, however, had no qualms and as Evil Hero Malicious Fiend drew his card, he grin appeared under his mask. "I activate Earthquake! Now all our monsters are shaken into defense mode!" Mt. Agni suddenly shook violently and forced Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman and Evil Hero Malicious Edge to drop to their knees in defense. However, Evil Hero Malicious Fiend then switched his monster back into attack position. "Evil Hero Malicious Edge, attack Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman with Needle Burst!" The black hero flew up and launched his claws at his target. They pierced his throat and the shining hero fell. Additionally, Jaden felt the damage hit him as Evil Hero Malicious Edge invoked his power of piercing.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 1700

**Evil Hero Malicious Fiend:** 5000

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"It's your turn now."

Jaden drew his card. It was O - Oversoul, a card that had gotten him out of many difficult predicaments before and now it was here to save him again. "I play O - Oversoul! This card lets me resurrect one Elemental Hero Normal Monster and here's my choice! Come on out, Elemental Hero Neos!" In a flash of light, Jaden's signature monster, the white hero from space, Elemental Hero Neos, appeared on the field (ATK/2500 DEF/2000).

"Now I..."

"Not so fast! I activate Evil Blast!" Evil Hero Malicious Fiend revealed his facedown. "I can only activate thiswhen a monster is Special Summoned to my opponent's side of the field. I then equip this card to that monster and it gains five hundred attack points. Then during each of my opponent's Standby Phases, it inflicts five hundred damage to my opponent!" A dark aura seemed to surround Elemental Hero Neos and his attack points rose to three thousand. "I do believe at this point you can't afford to last much longer."

"No, but I can still do this. I equip Neos with Neos Force, boosting him by eight hundred attack points and giving him power to dish out burn damage equal to the original attack points of whatever monster he destroys!" Elemental Hero Neos clenched his fist as an aura sphere appeared around it and boosted his attack points further to thirty-eight hundred. "Elemental Hero Neos, attack Evil Hero Malicious Edge! Neos Force!" The white hero charged and slammed his fist into Evil Hero Malicious Edge's head, resulting in a powerful explosion.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 1700

**Evil Hero Malicious Fiend:** 3800

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"And now for Neos Force's effect!" declared Jaden. As the smoke cleared to reveal a now-headless Evil Hero Malicious Edge, Elemental Hero Neos punched the body once more and caused it to explode, inflicting damage to his master.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 1700

**Evil Hero Malicious Fiend:** 1200

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"I end my turn and Neos Force returns to my deck." Jaden placed the Spell Card into his deck and watched it get shuffled in as Elemental Hero Neos returned to three thousand attack points.

"This is far from over." The Regent Lord drew his card. "And you're about to see why. I play Dark Calling! Now watch as I fuse Evil Hero Inferno Wing with Evil Hero Malicious Edge."

"Wait a second," Jaden interrupted as black mist filled the field, "Are you...?"

"I summon myself, Evil Hero Malicious Fiend!" The mist covered the entire field and from it emerged the Infernal Nightmare himself, Evil Hero Malicious Fiend (ATK/3500 DEF/2100). "I'll end my turn here."

"You're not attacking, Neos?" asked Jaden.

"Why bother when he's going to kill you slowly thanks to Evil Blast?" Malicious Fiend laughed maniacally. Jaden cringed, he was right. As he drew his card, the effect of Evil Blast came and a fiery wave erupted from the evil aura surrounding Neos.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 1200

**Evil Hero Malicious Fiend:** 1200

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Fortunately, he had a means to spare himself from that end right there in his hand. "I activate Heavy Storm!" A powerful hurricane blew across the field and destroyed Evil Blast, dissipating the aura around Elemental Hero Neos and returning his attack to twenty-five hundred. "I set a card and end my turn!" The facedown was Hero Barrier. As long as he had that, he could protect Neos for a turn.

"I draw." Evil Hero Malicious Fiend drew his card. "That facedown is Hero Barrier, isn't it?" Jaden said nothing, but he was most definitely surprised that his opponent had guessed correctly. This causes the Regent Lord to laugh. "I know you, my _king_. And I'll take care of it with a Heavy Storm of my own!" Another hurricane blew across the field and destroyed Jaden's facedown.

"Now that the way is clear..." Evil Hero Malicious Fiend brandished his claws as they started to glow orange and then suddenly ignited on fire. He snarled as he flew forward and slashed Elemental Hero Neos.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Jaden:** 200

**Evil Hero Malicious Fiend:** 1200

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"That will be all." Evil Hero Malicious Fiend cackled." Your turn."

"He can still do it," Cassie said, "He can get Miracle Fusion!"

"No he can't. He already used them all," Coltyn reminded her.

"If he had all the parts for his strongest fusions in one place, this wouldn't be a problem," said Charlie, "But even so, it might not even be strong enough."

"I'm not out yet!" Jaden called out, "I still got at least one more draw." And with those words, he drew his card. Cassie crossed her fingers. Evil Hero Malicious Fiend began to grin again.

"I play Magical Stone Excavation! By discarding two cards, I can retrieve one Spell Card from my graveyard!" He dropped the last two cards in his hand into his graveyard and pulled out a single Spell Card in exchange. It was Miracle Fusion!

"I activate Miracle Fusion! I fuse Elemental Hero Neos with Elemental Hero Bladedge to create Elemental Hero Neos Knight!" A white light filled the room and dispersed the darkness. Standing there was Elemental Hero Neos in armor with long red hair wielding a shield on one arm and holding a long dual-bladed lance in his other hand (ATK/2500 DEF/1000). "And by his effect, he gains attack points equal to half of the other Warrior that was used to fuse him. Bladedge had twenty-six hundred, so he gets thirteen hundred." Elemental Hero Neos Knight felt the power rushing through him as his attack points rose to thirty-eight hundred.

"That monster can't deal Battle Damage!" laughed Evil Hero Malicious Fiend.

"No, he can't. But he's got enough attack power to destroy you. And since you're on the field yourself, this move will finish you off!"

"No... You can't!"

"I can, I will, and I am!" Jaden pointed forward. "Elemental Hero Neos Knight, destroy Evil Hero Malicious Fiend! Wrath of Neos Slash!" Elemental Hero Neos Knight flew across the field and swung his lance. Evil Hero Malicious Fiend brought up his arms and caught the blade in his claws. He had his attacker trapped and tried to fight him off, attempting to break his weapon while it was trapped it was all for naught as Elemental Hero Neos Knight's blade broke his claws and cut through his body. A bloodcurdling scream filled the air as Evil Hero Malicious Fiend was separated in two from his shoulder down to his hip. His Duel Disk fell off his arm and transformed back into its Soul Gate form as it slid along the floor and then fell into the magma.

"My...Un...God..." Evil Hero Malicious Fiend raised his remaining hand toward the sky, "Why...have you...forsaken...me...?" And with those final words, his body started to burn and he disappeared in a mix of fire and shadow.

"Oi! Check it out, Terry! Look like 'em blokes beat ol' Malicious Fiend!" At the sound of the voice, all heads turned to the throne room entrance where Terry and Nicky stood.

"You two..." Charlie looked at the two Turbo Duelists.

"You defeated the Infernal Nightmare. Well done," Terry congratulated, "You must be proud of yourselves."

"T'bad we ain't allowed ta let ya live!" cackled Nicky, "Now 'ow are we gunna kill 'em, Terry?"

"I say we nuke the whole damn region," Terry suggested.

"Wot ye got in mind?" In response, the Jurrac Duelist held out his Jurrac Meteor card. "Oooh, Oi like th' way ye think!"

Terry and Nicky got on their Duel Runners and put on their helmets. "Have a nice time in Hell. It's probably cooler there than here." And with that, Terry held his card skyward and the two men rode off.

"I have a bad feeling about this," muttered Caerik.

"You should. Observe." Thestalos held out his hand and a wall of flame rose of the magma. High above Orstrem, the massive form of Jurrac Meteor could be seen rocketing toward the ground at high speed.

"There's no way we can stop it," Coltyn said quietly.

"Alas, not even my powers could extend that far. Even if I were to destroy that monstrosity, the range at which I can effectively do so would not be enough. Debris would rain down all over Orstrem and destroy it."

"So you mean...we're all gonna die?" Cassie asked in fear. She grabbed onto her father for comfort and he complied. Thestalos looked down and stepped over to the hole in the center of the platform. He slammed his fists together and then raised his arms over his head. At once, a magnificent throne rose up from the magma and occupied the gap. The Firestorm Monarch turned around and sat down in his rightful place.

"You can escape," he said to them, "I shall remain here."

"But you'll die!" Caerik exclaimed.

"Orstrem is my kingdom and if it should die, I shall die with it!"

"We should go," Coltyn said.

"We can't abandon him!" Cassie cried.

"It's not for us to decide, Cassie," Jaden told his daughter. He turned to Thestalos. "We'll never forget you."

"I thank you for helping me reclaim my kingdom," the Firestorm Monarch replied, "I have learned that, perhaps, even a king needs help to protect his home."

Jaden, Cassie, Coltyn, Charlie, Nellie and Caerik bid Thestalos farewell and began running. The emperor of fire sat back on his throne and looked at the meteor in the flames. "Ironic," he muttered, "I reclaim my kingdom only to watch it die as I sit on my throne once more."

As the party left Mt. Agni, nobody seemed to notice the stream of light that shot toward the falling monster. Jurrac Meteor saw it coming and attempted to swerve out of the way, but it was much too late. The thing struck it and the dinosaur meteor exploded. Its fragments burned up in the atmosphere, sparing Orstrem from doom.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Heiratine, the Realm of Light. Home of Kuraz. In order to make their way to Kuraz's palace, they must first brave the dangers of the Thunder Plains, a dangerous zone of neverending thunderstorms. What menace awaits them in this land of storm? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	164. The Thunder Plains

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-77**

**The Thunder Plains**

The Thunder Plains were appropriately named. A vast region of mostly barren landscape covered by an eternal black cloud that spewed lightning and rolled thunder, but seemingly never rained. Jaeger had expended a lot of energy getting himself and the Angel boys over to this place on his deck's ships.

"Where did Amadis go?" asked Gabe as he scanned the field before them.

"Well she went ahead of us, so who knows how far she went." Mikey sat on the ground near Jaeger while the Duel Ace rested.

"She has likely gone to scout ahead," the German pilot said.

"Maybe we should do the same. Or at least try to look for her," Gabe suggested.

"Just do not go too far," Jaeger warned, "You boys have your decks?"

"Right here." Mikey pulled his coat back to reveal his deck box on his belt. Gabe pulled his from his back pocket. The Duel Ace nodded and the brothers headed out.

Lightning flashed over their heads as they traversed the barren land. Constant storm clouds and no rain had made this land a bad place for vegetation. What few plants actually grew there were either dead or dying. Gabe's rapier, given to him by Kenan the Swordmistress, hung from his hip. "Hey, didn't Sir Siegfried say that one of his warriors would meet us out here?" asked Mikey.

"I dunno. I wasn't at that meeting," Gabe replied.

"Right..."

As the boys walked, lightning continued to stream across the sky. However, it was Mikey who began to notice something peculiar about the way the thunderbolts came down. They all seemed to go in the same direction. He tapped his brother on the shoulder and recommended investigating to which the younger Angel agreed.

After a few moments of running, they found the source. A muscular man in silver armor and a red cape wielding an enormous sword. He was being attacked by several red and silver balls, each with a single eye, sparking with electricity. The one commanding them appeared to be an old man with blue skin channel lightning with his staff.

"Stand down, Gilford!" the old man shouted, "Fight all you want, but you'll never hit the Plasma Balls. They can move right past your defenses and attack you directly."

The man called Gilford moved his blade to block another blast from one of the floating spheres, but another one shot him from behind. He grunted and stood up. "You are the Immortal of Thunder," he yelled to his attacker, "Why are you fighting on the side of the UnGod?"

"The Emperor of Lightning has called for it!" answered the old man. "Now die!" All the Plasma Balls began to charge up and Gilford braced himself for the worst.

"Majestic Mech – Senku, go!" The brittle yet strong Majestic Mech – Senku suddenly flew in and pierced one of the Plasma Balls with its Majestic Spear, causing it to explode.

"Vylon Vanguard, attack!" Vylon Vanguard rushed in after and smashed into two more Plasma Balls.

"Terrans!" The Immortal of Thunder recognized them as Mikey and Gabe ran in with their Duel Disks active. "Plasma Balls, leave Gilford! Attack the Terrans!" All at once, the Plasma Balls turned on the boys and launched themselves toward them.

"Senku, I need you!" On Mikey's orders, Majestic Mech – Senku flew in front of him and blocked a lightning bolt from one of the Plasma Balls before impaling it with its spear. The older Angel shifted his position and stood back-to-back with his brother. Gabe then directed his monster and Vylon Vanguard hovered over their heads. Its head and chest flashed and five white lasers shot out and swept the battlefield.

"Lightning Sword!" Gilford thrust his sword toward the sky and shot a bolt of lightning up. A few seconds later, a rain of lightning came down on the field and destroyed all the remaining Plasma Balls.

"Couldn't you have done that before?" asked Gabe.

"The spell requires a while to prepare," Gilford replied before turning to the Immortal of Thunder. "Now it is time to slay you, servant of the UnGod!"

"You shan't have me, Gilford! The Emperor's will shall save me!"

"And who, praytell, is this Emperor?" A flash of golden light shot out of Mikey's deck and Kuraz appeared.

"The Light Monarch!" Gilford gasped as he turned and knelt. The Immortal of Thunder, however, had a much different reaction.

"The Light Monarch!" He turned and tried to run, but Mikey sent Majestic Mech – Senku after him and thrust its spear out, using it impale the fleeing man's robes and trapping him. Kuraz then approached him. The normally calm Monarch slammed his fist against the ground and knelt in front of the blue-skinned man. The Immortal of Thunder raised his staff and attempted to fire off a spell, but Kuraz swept his arm and knocked it clear out of his hand.

"Where is Zaborg?" he demanded.

"If you're speaking of the Thunder Monarch, you're too late. The UnGod's forces have taken him. He is no more," answered the Immortal of Thunder, "If you have any hope of reclaiming your throne, you will have to defeat the Emperor first. So for you all hope is lost." He began to laugh maniacally and Kuraz drew his sword and silenced him forever.

"Majesty Kuraz, you've returned!" Gilford exclaimed as he approached, slinging his sword onto his back.

"You're with the Allied Forces, right?" asked Mikey to which Gilford nodded.

"I am Gilford the Lightning. You must the Light Monarch's escort."

"Most of us," Gabe corrected, "We got one more back there."

"So can you tell us what's been going on lately?" asked Mikey.

"Yes," answered Gilford before he proceeded to update the boys and Kuraz on the situation. "As you already know, Kuraz, when the UnGod's forces came and overwhelmed Heiratine many of our men were forced to flee. However, many civilian creatures could not. They became slaves to the UnGod's Regent Lord, the Titan of Light. Once he claimed your throne, he sent his agents out and plunged this realm of Light into evil. But that's not all. He appointed someone to rule over the Thunder Plains in place of Zaborg following his...defeat."

"Who?" demanded Kuraz, "Is it this emperor the Immortal of Thunder spoke of?"

"It is," Gilford replied, "The Emperor of Lightning."

"Is that the title he goes by or is it his actual name?" asked Gabe.

"It's most likely his actual name," Mikey answered on Gilford's behalf, "The Emperor of Lightning is a card that was printed but never permitted to be used in duels."

"Why's that?"

"You ever hear of Victory Dragon?"

"Yeah."

"Same effect. But instead of Dragons, it ieeded three Thunder-type monsters to be summoned."

"Ouch."

"There's more though," Gilford said, "The Emperor of Lightning was placed in charge of gathering energy for the Titan of Light. He's captured all the residents of the Thunder Plains and imprisoned them. But there's more to it than that. He's placed them harvesting camps where he can farm and extract their power."

"What of the rest of Heiratine?" asked Kuraz.

"We were fortunate. Out of all six realms, Heiratine was most resistant to the UnGod's forces. Many of its residents were able to fight back and we've managed to retain a strong resistance force. Unfortunately, we are still grossly overpowered. When the Titan of Light came, he came with a massive arsenal of Machine monsters. And it seems that he also arrived with creatures from another time; creatures whom themselves were made of pure light."

"Who do we have left?" asked Kuraz.

"We have the Lightsworn and the Vylon on our side," answered Gilford, "We were also able to attain the support of the Lightray. The Heralds have been moved to safety, but the Ojama Village was captured."

"What about my guard?"

"They remain on standby as always."

"Then the Regent Lord still doesn't know of them."

"They do not."

"What about the Thunder Plains?"

"I'm sad to report that the Emperor of Lightning has captured the Watts and the Batterymen and is draining them to draw power," Gilford answered, "General Rai-Oh is in charge of the operation. If we destroy him, we can free them."

"Is he talking about Thunder King Rai-Oh?" asked Mikey.

"The title of 'Thunder King' references his position as the control center for the Thunder Plains' lightning guidance system," Kuraz responded.

"By lightning guidance system," Gabe began, "you mean...?"

"As you approach Zaborg's castle, the lightning storms get worse," the Light Monarch explained, "A guidance system was set in place to allow travellers save passage. It redirects the lightning to the rods placed on either side of the path so that it can harmlessly conduct into the ground. In order for it to function properly, however, an intelligent life form had to be placed in charge. That was why Rai-Oh was constructed. Instead of placing a man at the charge, Zaborg created a sentient machine that could monitor the system."

"And I guess that this Emperor of Lightning reprogrammed and repurposed Rai-Oh," Mikey thought out loud.

"You would be correct," answered Gilford, "He's turned the guidance system into a device that drains the creatures of the Thunder Plains of their electricity and transfers it all to the Emperor of Lightning, making him his right-hand and thus being renamed into General. Fortunately, he cannot drain them too quickly or it will overload the system."

"How much time do we have?" asked Kuraz.

"Presently, not much. Had you arrived earlier, we'd have had ample time to launch a successful rescue mission."

"Then we'll just have to launch a quick one," a man with a German accent responded. Mikey and Gabe turned to see that Jaeger had finally joined them.

"Jaeger, do you have a plan?" asked the older brother.

"Ja. But first I need to know. Is the castle protected?" asked the Duel Ace.

"The lightning guidance system has also been repurposed to double as a shield generator around the castle," Gilford replied.

"Then the solution is simple. We must destroy Rai-Oh before we can enter the castle."

"It will not be easy," Gilford warned, "General Rai-Oh commands all electricity that flows through the guidance system. He's armed with as much lightning as the Thunder Plains has to offer."

"Then we reduce his supply," Jaeger said without a second thought, "He's draining monsters to power himself and this Emperor of Thunder."

"Emperor of Lightning," Mikey corrected.

"Nobody cares," Jaeger and Gabe answered simultaneously.

"We'll send a rescue team to free the prisoners," the Duel Ace continued, "Once they're free, Rai-Oh's power should diminish."

"In theory, that just might work," Gilford said impressed with Jaeger's plan.

"We shall send the boys on the rescue mission. Once they are done, they shall join us in the fight against Rai-Oh whereupon Mikey shall call forth Kuraz to aid us."

"Why is Kuraz our secret weapon?" Mikey asked, his reason for his curiosity obvious.

"They will not expect my return," answered Kuraz.

"Wouldn't he be better on the front lines, though?"

"The guy knows what he's talking about, Mikey," said Gabe, "Let's just go with it."

"Will we have enough though?" Mikey asked.

"Well, there _are_ some fellows who can help out," Gilford brought up, "If nothing else, they're...eccentric."

"How can we contact them?" asked Jaeger.

"Don't worry. They'll show up," answered Gilford.

"Then let's go."

o o o

The lightning guidance system was an array of lightning rod towers that decorated the road leading to the Thunder Monarch's castle. But now instead of conducting lightning down into the ground, they were conducting it between each other, creating a path toward the castle. On the ground, the Batterymen and creatures known as the Watts had been caged up with enormous curved black spikes. Floating above the ground hovering back and forth along the path was Rai-Oh. On his command, lightning struck the prisoners who screamed as their power was drained from their bodies.

In the distance, Gilford waited with Jaeger behind a rock. The latter had given Mikey a radio with which he could stay in contact with him and right now he was receiving a transmission. "We're in position, Jaeger," the teenager reported, "We're waiting for a signal."

"You'll know it when you see it," answered Jaeger before ending the call and turning to Gilford. "What exactly are we waiting for?"

"You'll know it when you see it," answered the warrior, repeating the Duel Ace's exact words. At that precise moment, something appeared in the distance and two figures made their presence known. On the left was a man in a blue bodysuit and golden armor and gauntlets with red circles. He had spiky red hair and lightning patterns on his clothes along with a lighting-shaped visor covering his eyes. On the right was a woman in a purple version of his outfit with purple gauntlets with blue circles on her hands and long blue hair tied into two pigtails shaped like lightning bolts. They crossed their arms over their chests and stood back-to-back.

"General Rai-Oh, your reign of terror ends this day!" the man declared.

"You shall release the prisoners and surrender!" the woman cried out.

The man stepped out to the side with his right leg and stretched out his left as he leaned out. He clenched his right fist and held it close to his chest as he raised his left hand over his head and spoke as he swept it down in front of him and then placed it in the same position as his right before thrusting his right upward. "We are the defenders of justice!"

The woman stepped out to the side with her left leg and stretched out her right as she leaned out. She clenched her left fist and held it close to her chest as she raised her right hand over her head and spoke as she swept it down in front of her and then placed it in teh same position as her left before thrusting her left upward, mirroring her partner's movements perfectly. "We are the defenders of peace!"

The man stood erect again with his feet together. He had brought his hands around in a circular motion before him before standing with his right palm toward the sky and his left palm toward the ground. "I am the hero of thunder, Rai-Jin!"

The woman mirrored the man's movements, standing erect with her feet together. She brought her hands around in a circular motion before her before standing with her left palm toward the sky and her right palm toward the ground. "I am the heroine of lightning, Rai-Mei!"

The duo now moved together in perfect symmetrical synchronization. Outstretching their outer legs and sliding along with them, they thrust both hands downward and rotated them outward and up until their fingers touched. They stood erect once more and turned their backs on their addressee. Spreading their arms out, they raised them over their heads and performed a series of five backflips before jumping up and landing gracefully with their inner knees raised and their outer legs outstretched behind them with their arms held up towards the outsides with their palms open; outer arms stretched out with inner arms across their chests.

"In the name of justice and peace," they declared simultaneously, "we shall punish you!"

There was an awkward silence as a wind blew across the land.

"You can't be serious," Jaeger muttered to Gilford.

"I honestly wish I wasn't," the lightning swordsman replied.

Rai-Jin and Rai-Mei stood up and pointed at Rai-Oh. "General Rai-Oh!" they shouted in unison, "Stand down or we shall remove you!"

Rai-Oh floated toward the electric duo, now no longer channeling electricity toward the castle but also to himself. "Lightning Falls." Suddenly the lightning poured from the towers and rained down on Rai-Jin and Rai-Mei. The former crossed his right arm with the latter's left arm and the circles on the gauntlets popped up and started spinning.

"Lightning Shield!" Their gauntlets sparked and generated a wall of electricity in front of them. They raised their arms along with the shield over their heads and used it as an umbrella against the lightning.

"Let's move!" Gilford charged and drew his sword with Jaeger right behind him.

o o o

The lightning blasts and the thunder crashes were signal enough for the Angels to start moving. Mikey and Gabe ran out from their hiding place and approached the trapped creatures. "Don't worry, we'll get you guys out of here," the older brother assured them as he began trying to pull at the spikes. However they refused the budge.

"Leave us," Batteryman D uttered, "There's nothing we can do. These spikes were designed to absorb electricity." Beside him, a Wattgiraffe moaned in pain.

"We're getting you outta here!" Gabe said as he tried using his sword to break the spikes, "My roommate uses you guys and I'm not gonna let you die."

"Leave this to me!" Kuraz appeared next to Mikey and drew Excalibur. The blade shined with a golden light as he swung and freed the prisoners at once.

"Nice move, Kuraz!" Mikey said, "But there's still more prisoners to free." Indeed, it seemed that the spikes spanned the entire length of the road and each of them had a prisoner trapped among them. In response, Kuraz raised his blade which began to shine even brighter. He chose his targetted height carefully.

"Excalibur's Light!" He swung his sword and a beam of light shot forth from his blade and swept the land, cutting through several spikes at a time and freeing their prisoners.

"Halt! Who goes there?" a voice demanded. A blue-haired man garbed in yellow and blue stepped forward. In his hands were a pair of twin swords.

"Guardian Tryce!" Kuraz recognized the man. "You've turned traitor?"

"I've betrayed no one, Kuraz. I've simply remained loyal to the ruler of the Thunder Plains," answered Tryce.

"You were there when Zaborg was defeated by the Titan of Light and yet you do not fight against the UnGod's Regent Lord. Why are you serving the Emperor of Lightning if you were such a loyal soldier of Zaborg?" Tryce said nothing. He simply stood his ground and held his weapons ready.

"I have my orders. Leave now or I will be forced to attack you."

"We're not leaving until we free the prisoners." Mikey stood back with Kuraz while Gabe stood with Vylong Vanguard with his rapier drawn.

"Do not engage him," Kuraz warned Gabe, "His swords can conduct electricity. You'll be struck down the moment your blade touches his."

"You're taking him by yourself?" asked Mikey.

"I can do this, Mikey. The Thunder Plains are a part of my realm. I will do everything to protect my kingdom." Kuraz held Excalibur in one hand and slowly strafed around Tryce while his opponent did the same. As swordsmen, the two understood that it was important not to strike before finding an opening for to attack prematurely would give his opponent an opening in turn.

As he strafed, Tryce began to distance himself from Kuraz. If he timed his attack right, he could strike his opponent from a distance. His weapons, the Twin Swords of Flashing Light, had a secret power within them. It was true as Kuraz said that they could conduct electricity. However, it was a lesser known fact that his weapons could also store electricity. A special very rare gem called a bolt shard was inside each hilt. Though small, they could hold enormous amounts of electricity and then expell them upon Tryce's command. However, there was a downside. In order to use his swords' hidden power, he had to charge the gems first and precharging them was not an option for the bolt shards inside his swords could only hold their electrified load for a single minute.

Tryce knew that if he was going to use his weapons' special ability, he would need time to charge them and that would mean placing as much distance between him and his opponent as possible. He had gained quite some distance from Kuraz but not enough for him to feel comfortable. Still, it seemed as if the Light Monarch wasn't going to allow him any more distance. Kuraz was now advancing trying to keep the distance between them from getting any bigger.

It was decided. Without another moment's hesitation, Tyrce thrust his swords into the air and started to channel lightning into them. Kuraz saw an opening in his actions and made his move. Grasping Excalibur's hilt, he tossed his cape back charged. Tryce saw his opponent approaching and readied himself. His swords would continue charging until he was ready to attack. But when he did, the charge cycle would cease and his time limit would begin. He was ready. As soon as his target came within his desired range, he cut himself off from the lightning and charged.

What happened next had not been expected. Tryce never saw Kuraz's hand on his cape until the Light Monarch threw the golden cloth forward. It completely engulfed the swordsman and blinded him, giving Kuraz the opportunity to swing his own blade. He hit his mark and Excalibur's blade went through Tryce's torso. The Twin Swords of Flashing Light snapped and the bolt shards' stored energy were unleashed, electrocuting the closest thing to them: their own master. Kuraz pulled his cape away and a smoking Guardian Tryce collapsed.

"Is he dead?" asked Mikey.

Kuraz returned his sword to its scabbard and secured his cape over his shoulders. "He has been vanquished."

"We better free the other guys then," said Gabe. Mikey nodded in agreement. After all, that was their mission in the first place.

o o o

The battle with General Rai-Oh raged on. The core of the lightning guidance system shot bolts powerful enough to tear solid stone from the ground. However, Jaeger, Gilford, Rai-Jin, and Rai-Mei had managed to hold out well. A formation consisting of Victory Viper XX03 with Jade Knight as its wingman flew over the battlefield, avoiding blasts from Rai-Oh. Gilford had attempted to absorb one of their enemy's bolts into his sword, but after the first try proved that the power was far too much for his sword he swore never to do it again. Rai-Jin and Rai-Mei were a duo whose coordinated attacks were impressive but ultimately too predictable.

"Taste the lightning of justice!" The turbines on Rai-Jin's gauntlets spun rapidly as he showered out more electricity, this time using it to form a sword in his left hand.

"Taste the lightning of peace!" Rai-Mei's gauntlet turbines shifted into overdrive as streams of electricity poured out while she spun, surrounding her in a helix of lightning.

"Your efforts are wasted," declared General Rai-Oh. His body started to radiated with electricity and he unleashed more lightning blasts. His voice was emotionless, but it was clear his intent was to kill.

"He is strong," Jaeger admitted.

"How much longer must we hold out?" Gilford asked. His answer came soon as Rai-Oh's electric aura suddenly faded away and the bolts that fed into him diminshed and shrank.

"What's going on?" Rai-Oh demanded, "My power... It's diminishing!"

Gilford smiled. "The prisoners are free! His power has been cut!"

"Alas, the power of justice shines forth!" Rai-Jin shouted.

"Your days of evildoings are over!" Rai-Mei cried.

"No!" Rai-Oh unleashed another blast and trapped his four opponents with electric bonds to the ground. "I shall strike you down one by one. Lightning Falls!" Suddenly a beam of golden light shot through his body and cleaved him in half. General Rai-Oh exploded and his bonds vanished. Kuraz stepped forward with Excalibur glowing in his hand. Mikey and Gabe were with him recalling their monsters back to their cards.

"Mission accomplished!" Mikey shouted.

"Well done, boys," Jaeger congratulated, "All the prisoners are free?"

"All of them," Mikey confirmed. And as if to prove him right, the Batterymen and Watts he had freed all followed up behind him. The Duel Ace nodded.

"Then that means we proceed." Jaeger recalled his monsters to their cards and everyone looked down the path toward the castle.

"The Emperor of Lightning is just ahead," said Gilford.

"Alas we shall save the Thunder Plains from this tyrant!" Rai-Jin declared as he struck a pose.

"And we shall free this land all its inhabitants!" Rai-Mei followed up as she mirrored her partner's pose to create a symmetrical visual.

"Please stop that," muttered Jaeger.

"Who invited the Power Rangers?" asked Gabe.

Their peace was short-lived, however, as a massive surge of blue lightning suddenly shot skyward from the castle. As it poured out and shot high, a multitude of headlights could be seen coming out from the castle gates. They belong to several motorcycles ridden by men with long red hair called Rai Riders. From the ramparts, an enormous flock of green limbless winged dragons known as Thunder Dragons flew out toward them. It was then that an image formed in the sky where the lightning and been shot. A massive projection of the one who had made it. A heavily-armored man with wild green hair and eight massive electrodes on his back forming a circle. Hands with fingers tipped with red nails seemed dwarfed by the enormous gauntlets that also sported red claws. Beneath his armor he wore a white tiger pelt. His face had been covered by a white mask. Even his projection gave out a foreboding and ominous presence.

There was no doubt about it. This was the Emperor of Lightning. He had revealed himself to them and Mikey knew, then and there, that the final battle was about to take place.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The Emperor of Lightning has revealed himself. Together with their allies, the Angels begin the final fight for the Thunder Plains. The battle ensues next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	165. The Emperor of Lightning

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-78**

**The Emperor of Lightning**

By now the Rai Riders had surrounded the group and begun to circle them. The Thunder Dragons hovered overhead ready to strike at a moment's notice. From the castle, the Emperor of Lightning watched as his projection stood over his forces to command them, giving off a presence so ominous that it could be felt all across the Thunder Plains. Mikey, Gabe, Jaeger, Gilford, Rai-Jin, and Rai-Mei stood in a circle with their backs to each other with Kuraz in the center.

"You've done well to make it this far, intruders," the Emperor of Lightning's voice bellowed across the land, "But all hope is lost for you. Surrender now and I may spare your lives."

"We shall never surrender to the likes of you!" Rai-Jin said pointing up at the projection.

"Your rule of cruelty shall end this day!" Rai-Mei mirrored Rai-Jin's actions.

"You are a tyrant and shall be brought to justice!" He knelt down on his left knee and raised his arms over his head.

"And in the name of all that is right and true..." She knelt down on her right knee and raised her arms over her head.

The duo pulled themselves up and stood back-to-back before bringing their hands forward and pointing up at the Emperor's projection. "We shall punish you!"

"Come for me then, if you dare!" challenged the Emperor of Lightning. The Rai Riders laughed among themselves and readied. Each one of them produced a metal chain which, upon being exposed, began to spark as electricity was conducted through the links. Above them the Thunder Dragons began to circle them like vultures.

Mikey pulled a card out of his deck. "Let's get started. Majestic Mech – Senku, come on..." Before he could summon his monster, however, one of the Rai Riders lashed out with his chain and struck the card out of his hand. Gabe almost had the same thing happen to him, but luckily Gilford was able to block the chain with his sword.

"We need protection!" shouted Jaeger. At once, Rai-Jin and Rai-Mei combined their hands and surrounded the group in a domed shield of electricity. As if to test out its strength, one of the Thunder Dragons swooped down and blasted it with lightning.

"That will do. Now attack!" Gilford stepped out of the protection of the barrier and at once four Rai Riders snared his sword with their chains. The tall warrior roared as he twisted his sword in his hands and broke it free with one powerful swing before cutting through the motorcycles of the four who had trapped his weapon. The bikes exploded and their riders were thrown over the rocky terrain. Almost immediately, however, more electrified chains shot up from the ground and wrapped themselves around him. "What devil's trickery is this?" demanded Gilford before crying out as he felt ten thousand volts suddenly surging through his body.

"This is why I chose my Rai Riders," the Emperor of Lightning explained, "They possess the power to immobilize their enemies, perfect for hunting prey."

"We are not prey!" Rai-Jin shouted.

"If you do those stupid poses again, I am going to hurt you," Jaeger growled.

"My apologies. I underestimated their power," Gilford said.

"Hey, don't worry about it. We got this." Mikey held up two cards.

"You seem confident, bro," Gabe noted, "I remember when you used to be a whiny little wuss."

"Well...things change," was Mikey's response, "I summon Majestic Mech – Ohka!" White light shined down as his quadrupedal angellic beast swept down and roared. "Attack with Majestic Ray!"Majestic Mech – Ohka opened its mouth and a solid ray of white light shot out and blasted a row of Rai Riders. As predicted, their chains came out of the ground and ensnared their attacker.

"Well that was effective," Gilford muttered sarcastically.

"It will be when I employ this. Skill Drain!" Mikey's Trap Card flashed as he slipped it into his Duel Disk and at once an aura of nullification filled the air. The Rai Riders' chains lost their charge and fell limp. With his bonds no longer causing him pain, Gilford was able to break free and cut Majestic Mech – Ohka loose.

"Everybody, strike now!" ordered Kuraz as he raised his sword, "Excalibur's Light!" He swung his arm and fired a beam of light from his blade that cut through multiple enemies at once.

"Majestic Mech – Goryu, Majestic Blaze!" Mikey replaced Majestic Mech – Ohka with his giant angelic mechanical dragon who expelled golden flames from his mouth, incinerating large numbers of enemies.

"Cyber Eltanin, wipe them out!" The giant mechanical head with multiple probes appeared over Jaeger's head and all mouths were opened and fired, spraying the field and sky with lasers.

"Vylon Sigma, do your stuff!" Gabe called forth as his mosnter floated up and released a barrage of gunfire in the form of white lights.

"Let's finish this!" declared Rai-Jin.

"I'm with you!" replied Rai-Mei.

The pair channeled electricity from their gauntlets and formed weapons. Rai-Jin had a steel sword with a blade shaped like a lightning bolt. Rai-Mei had made herself a bow shaped like a thunderbolt. The duo went in together. Rai-Mei drew back the bowstring of light and fired one lightning bolt after another while Rai-Jin cut through with his blade.

Gilford stood his ground with his sword in front of him clutched in two hands. He waited patiently as the Rai Riders rode toward him with the intent of running him over. As soon as they came within range, he sidestepped out of their way and ran his sword through. He aimed for the motorcycles, but never the riders, making sure to cut the fuel tanks. Many bikes exploded behind him as a result.

"We got them!" Mikey cheered.

"Do not consider yourself victors yet!" The Emperor of Lightning bellowed. He conjured a ball of lightning and cast it into the sky. The clouds parted in a circle, but instead of the sky a black vortex was all that could be seen.

"Is that a...Fusion Gate?" asked Gilford.

Mikey looked around them at all the Thunder Dragons around them. "Oh, this isn't good." The Thunder Dragons were dragged into the Fusion Gate in pairs. Moments later, a horde of orange dragons came out, each one with a horn on its head and a second mouth on its back, presumably a second head. Though their bodies were designed like those of quadrupeds, they stood on two legs.

"Think you can stand up against a horde of Twin-Headed Thunder Dragons?" laughed the Emperor of Lightning.

"We shall try!" Gilford thrust his blade into the air and a bolt of lightning struck it. He grasped the hilt tightly and charged. Rai-Jin ran ahead of him and began swinging his sword at the beasts. Rai-Mei drew back her bowstring and fired three lightning bolts at once. Her and her partner's attacks did little to stop the monsters.

Kuraz stuck his sword into the ground and placed his hands together as he began to chant a spell. Two spheres of light appeared around him and shot up through the clouds. He waited and seconds later they parted and streams of light came down and struck the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragons.

"I'm out!" Jaeger called as Cyber Eltanin faded away. Mikey fell back too. He needed to summon one of his stronger monsters, but he wasn't sure if he had enough energy left to do so. Meanwhile, Gabe was holding out for the time being after equipping his monster with some weapons but he wasn't too sure how long he would last. Even though their numbers had been halved, the enemies still seemed to dominate the battlefield. They had surrounded the heroes and enclosed them in a circle.

"Surrender now, Kuraz. Be thankful that I am merciful, unlike the Titan of Light." The Emperor of Lightning's projection seemed to be looking down on them condescendingly as if his offer of mercy was but an amusing ruse, which it more than likely was.

"Surrender is not an option! We shall take back Heiratine, beginning with the Thunder Plains!"

"Then, you leave me no choice." The Emperor of Lightning pointed forward. "Crush them!" The Twin-Headed Thunder Dragons moved forward, already beginning to charge their attacks.

"We can't go out like this," Gabe said.

"Sometimes a soldier never gets to see the end," Jaeger muttered.

"This will not end here," Kuraz assured everyone.

"How can you be so sure?" Mikey asked.

"Gratitude goes a long way."

"This isn't the time for a morality lecture."

As the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragons encroached upon them, streams of lightning suddenly blasted past them. The group turned and saw something they hadn't expected. The Batterymen and the Watts that Mikey, Gabe, and Kuraz had freed were coming toward the battlefield in droves.

"We rescued them. Now they have come to help us," Kuraz said nonchalantly. Mikey and Gabe were astounded. The Batterymen operated as a unit striking with their smaller attacks first to stun the enemies and then follow up with their heavy-hitting Batterman Industrial Strength and Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragons. The Watts worked individually, but everybody did a part. The Watthoppers provided an impenetrable defense, often hopping in pairs. Wattdragons filled the air as Watthydras and Wattchimeras joined their other comrades on the ground.

"It's a revolution!" Gilford exclaimed, "Let's move! Lightning Sword!" He rushed forward and slashed, cutting through several monsters at once.

"Let's do it, Rai-Mei!" said Rai-Jin.

"Will do, Rai-Jin!" answered Rai-Mei. She spun her bow in her hands. "Thunder Bow!" She threw it up into the air.

"Thunder Sword!" Rai-Jin jumped up and hovered behind the bow before attaching it to his sword, forming a weapon resembling a crossbow. He landed and he and his partner took up their positions next to each other.

"Thunder Blaster! FIRE!" The duo pulled the trigger together and a powerful electric beam shot out from the sword's blade with an additional wave being emitted from the length of the bow. They swept their weapon in a line, blasting anything that was unfortunate enough to get caught in its range.

"Mikey, I shall re-energize you." Kuraz placed a hand on Mikey's head and instantly bathed him in a golden light.

"How much energy do I have?" asked Mikey.

"You shall have enough."

"Then come on out, Goryu!" Mikey summoned Majestic Mech - Goryu out once more. "Majestic Blaze!" The enormous angelic mechanical dragon roared and bathed the battlefield in golden fire. It turned around after the first round and focused on clearing the road to the castle.

"Gilford, did you leave any of those Rai Riders motorcycles intact?" asked Jaeger.

"Look for one!" Gilford replied.

And Jaeger did. He found one motorcycle still in one piece and fully functional. Once he got it operating, he called out for the Angels to get on. A Rai Rider straggler ran up to try to take him down, but the Duel Ace silenced him with a shot to the head with his service pistol. Once they were off, the others followed. Kuraz vanished in a flash and followed them through the sky as a beam of light. Rai-Jin and Rai-Mei covered the sides while Gilford brought up the rear with Majestic Mech - Goryu still blazing a path for them.

o o o

In no time at all, the group had made it to the gates of the castle. "Break it down!" ordered Jaeger. Mikey recalled Goryu and summoned Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast in its place. He pointed at the target and a volley of gunfire was unleashed. The castle gates were blown apart and everyone entered the courtyard.

"Emperor of Lightning, your tyranny ends this day!" announced Rai-Jin.

"We, the defenders of justice, are here to bring you down!" declared Rai-Mei.

"I am Rai-Jin!"

"I am Rai-Mei!"

"We are the guardians of thunder!"

"And in the name of justice and peace..."

"WE SHALL PUNISH YOU!"

The doors leading into the palace opened and the Emperor of Lightning emerged. At once Rai-Jin and Rai-Mei pointed the Thunder Blaster at him. "FIRE!" They pulled the trigger and fired the beam and wave at their target. The Emperor of Lightning held a hand open and fired a solid beam of pure electricity. It intercepted the Thunder Blaster's beam and pushed its power back to its source, causing it to overload the weapon and destroy it. Rai-Jin and Rai-Mei were thrown back from the explosion. In that moment, the golden beam of light came down and deposited Kuraz into the courtyard. He looked across at the Emperor of Lightning, whose face was concealed behind his mask. However, the electric king didn't seem interested in him. His gaze slowly turned to Mikey.

"You are Kuraz's current herald?"

"Excuse me?"

"You hold the card that binds his soul?"

Mikey blinked. He was truly unsure of how this whole Duel Spirit thing really worked in Ardent. However, from the way the Emperor of Lightning spoke, it seemed to him that Kuraz was able to acquire a physical body in Ardent but still remained tied to the card that now lay in his deck. Cautiously, he asked, "Why?"

"So it is in your possession." The Emperor of Lightning struck a column on the palace and several stones in the courtyard floor rose up front of him, forming a sort of table.

"A Duel Altar," Kuraz recognized.

"He's challenging me." Mikey stepped forward with his Duel Disk. "Alright then, let's do it!"

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Emperor of Lightning:** 8000

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Mikey drew his first card. "I summon Majestic Mech - Ohka in attack mode!" His winged four-legged beast-like angel machine appeared (ATK/2400 DEF/1400). "I now boost him with Forbidden Chalice." Majestic Mech - Ohka drank from the goblet that appeared and its attack points rose to twenty-eight hundred.

"I end with two facedowns." He placed two cards at his feet and looked at his opponent. "Your turn!" At that moment, Majestic Mech - Ohka returned to twenty-four hundred attack points but stayed on the field.

The Emperor of Lightning drew. "I discard my Thunder Seahorse to bring two level four Light Thunder monsters with sixteen hundred attack points or less with the same name to my hand." He placed one card into his graveyard and two more came out of his deck. "Next I discard one Thunder Dragon in order to bring two more to my hand." Once more, he placed one card into his graveyard and two more appeared in his hand from his deck. "Now I play Polymerization and fuse my Thunder Dragons into Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!" A bolt of lightning struck the ground and the orange beast appeared and snarled at Mikey with its two mouths (ATK/2800 DEF/2100).

"Before I do anything else, I'm going to activate Lightning Vortex and discard Uni-Horned Familiar to use it." He placed another card into his graveyard and the Emperor of Lightning watched as more lightning rained down and destroyed Mikey's monster. "Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, strike him!" Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon opened its mouths and shot two beams of lightning at Mikey.

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**Mikey:** 5200

**Emperor of Lightning:** 8000

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"Your turn."

Mikey drew his card. "I Special Summon Cyber Dragon!" A silver serpentine robot dragon appeared on his side of the field (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "Then I Normal Summon Mist Archfiend!" A cold mist appeared and materialized into a black and red winged demon (ATK/2400 DEF/0). "Now Overlay them and construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters." A vortex appeared as Cyber Dragon turned into a beam of yellow light and Mist Archfiend into a beam of purple light and they spiraled into the vortex before a light came out from it.

"Exceed Summon! Tiras, Keeper of Genesis!" A strong angellic woman appeared with golden wings wielding a sword and a shield (ATK/2600 DEF/1700). "Now I'll boost her up with Forbidden Chalice." Tiras drank from the chalice and her attack points rose to three thousand. "Now attack!" Tiras flew across the courtyard and slashed her sword, cutting off Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon's main head.

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**Mikey:** 5200

**Emperor of Lightning:** 7800

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"I end my turn." Since Mikey had negated Tiras' effect with his Spell Card, he was spared from having to remove one of her Overlay Units.

"I draw." The Emperor of Lightning drew. "I summon Electric Snake." A thunderbolt struck the ground and a green cobra appeared and hissed (ATK/800 DEF/900). "I now play Monster Reborn to resurrect Uni-Horned Familiar." Another bolt hit the ground and a grotesque blue big-eared imp with a large horn pulled itself out from under the soil and cackled (ATK/0 DEF/1000). "I tune Uni-Horned Familiar with Electric Snake." Uni-Horned Familiar faded away until two stars remained, which turned into synchro rings and surrounded Electric Snake until its body became three stars. A light engulfed them all.

"Galloping in heavens like thunder, crisscrossing them like a mighty gale, appear forth from the World of Myth and Legend! Synchro Summon! Neigh, Thunder Unicorn!" A bolt of lightning struck the light and there appeared a blue unicorn with a yellow mane and a glowing lightning-shaped horn, neighing as it appeared (ATK/2200 DEF/1800). "Now, Thunder Scrape!" A blast of lightning shot out of Thunder Unicorn's horn and struck Tiras, Keeper of Genesis and lowered her attack points by five hundred to twenty-one hundred.

"What was that?" asked Mikey.

"Thunder Unicorn can target one creature and reduce its attack strength by five hundred for every creature I control," the Emperor of Lightning explained, "And now that yours has been weakened, Thunder Unicorn! Thunder Spear!" Thunder Unicorn's horn kept charging until finally it unleashed a strong blast of lightning from its appendage and killed Tiras, Keeper of Genesis. In doing so, it died from her sword.

"That shall be all."

Mikey drew his card. He was top-decking now, which he never liked. However, he was able to draw something to help. "I summon Majestic Mech - Ohka!" Another Ohka appeared and roared. "Go, Majestic Ray!" A solid beam of white light shot from its mouth and struck the Emperor of Lightning.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 5200

**Emperor of Lightning:** 5400

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"Now I activate Interdimensional Matter Transporter. It'll remove Ohka from play until my End Phase and that'll save him from his own effect." Ohka vanished into the different dimension and when Mikey ended his turn, it returned.

"I draw." The Emperor of Lightning drew. "I summon The Creator Incarnate!" There was another lightning bolt and a knight gold armor appeared (ATK/1600 DEF/1500). "Now by tributing him, I can summon The Creator's original form!" The Creator Incarnate vanished and in his place, a great god of resurrection appeared in a burst of lightning crouching defensively (ATK/2300 DEF/3000). "I now use his power. I discard Thunder Seahorse and resurrect Thunder Unicorn!" Thunder Unicorn appeared in a blast of lightning and nighted. "Thunder Scrape!" A burst of electricity shot out from its horn and struck Majestic Mech - Ohka, lower its attack points by one thousand to fourteen hundred. "Thunder Spear!" Another charged lightning bolt shot out of Thunder Unicorn's horn and struck down Majestic Mech - Ohka.

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**Mikey:** 4400

**Emperor of Lightning:** 5400

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"I conclude."

Mikey drew his card. He instantly set a monster and ended his turn.

The Emperor of Lightning drew and instantly discarded another Thunder Seahorse from his hand to activate The Creator's effect, this time resurrecting Uni-Horned Familiar. "I Tune Uni-Horned Familiar to Thunder Unicorn!" The Synchro Summon visuals took place as thE Emper or of Lightning recited his summoning chant.

"Galloping in heavens like thunder, tearing apart the sea of clouds! These hooves will rip across the surface of the earth! Synchro Summon! Roar, Voltic Bicorn!" A lightning bolt struck the column of light and a black horse with an wild electric blue mane galloped forth with two sharp golden horns on its head appeared neighing loudly (ATK/2500 DEF/2000).

"Attack." Nothing more needed to be said as Voltic Bicorn charged and slammed Mikey's facedown monster, which turned out to be Majestic Mech - Senku. "I conclude with one hidden spell." A facedown card appeared in front of the altar.

Mikey drew his card. "I activate my facedown, Skill Drain! Now I pay one thousand Life Points to activate it!"

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3400

**Emperor of Lightning:** 5400

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"I summon Beast King Barbaros!" Mikey's massive liontaur appeared armed with his lance and shield and roared (ATK/3000 DEF/1200). "Normally he has nineteen hundred attack points if I summon him without a tribute. But because of Skill Drain, he's maxed out. Barbaros, attack Voltic Bicorn! Death Sentence!" Beast King Barbaros roared as he thrust his lance through Voltic Bicorn.

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**Mikey:** 3400

**Emperor of Lightning:** 4900

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"Your Skill Drain may negate monster effects on the field, but it's useless against those that activate in the graveyard and when Voltic Bicorn dies, we must both send the top seven cards from our decks to the graveyard." Mikey cringed and proceeded to mill himself out by seven cards while his opponent did the same.

With no other cards for Mikey left to play, the Emperor of Lightning drew his card. "I summon Thunder King Rai-Oh!" The core of the lightning guidance system appeared as a thunderbolt struck down (ATK/1900 DEF/800). "I now activate Judgment of Thunder. This can only be activated when a Thunder monster is summoned. In doing so, one of my opponent's cards shall be destroyed." Another lightning bolt shot down from the sky and destroyed Beast King Barbaros. With the path now clear, Rai-Oh blasted Mikey with a powerful electric blast.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 1500

**Emperor of Lightning:** 4900

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Mikey slowly drew his card. "I play Pot of Avarice!" He looked at his graveyard. He had quite a few things to return. "I return Cyber Dragon, Beast King Barbaros, Majestic Mech - Ohka, Fusilier Dragon, and Oracle of the Sun." He shuffled his cards back into his deck and drew two new cards.

"I Special Summon Cyber Dragon and sacrifice him for Majestic Mech - Goryu!" Cyber Dragon appeared on the field, but vanished quickly as Mikey's massive white mechanical angellic dragon appeared and roared (ATK/2900 DEF/1800). "I end my turn." Skill Drain kept Majestic Mech - Goryu alive and it roared its thanks.

The Emperor of Lightning drew his card and played it instantly. It was his own Pot of Avarice. After returning Thunder King Rai-Oh, Voltic Kong, Electric Snake, and two Rai Riders, he drew two cards. "I play Heavy Storm." A storm suddenly picked up across the Thunder Plains and Mikey's Skill Drain was destroyed by the powerful torrent of wind. Once he was done he ended his turn.

Mikey drew. As long as The Creator was in defense position, he couldn't get through. All he could do was end his turn.

The Emperor of Lightning, however, seemed to think otherwise. "I summon Wattkiwi in attack mode." A small kiwi bird with red, white, and blue feathers appeared sparking as it tried to escape chains of blue electricity.

"You fiend!" Gilford exclaimed.

"You didn't think I'd kept all my prisoners outside, did you?" asked the Emperor of Lightning as he discarded his final card. "Creator, resurrect Thunder Unicorn!" A bolt of lightning struck the ground and Thunder Unicorn was resurrected. "Now Thunder Unicorn, Thunder Scrape!" A bolt shot out from the blue equine's horn and struck Majestic Mech - Goryu, dropping his attack points by fifteen hundred down to fourteen hundred attack points.

"Now I tune Wattkiwi with Thunder Unicorn." Wattkiwi cried for mercy before it was turned into three twinkling stars that became synchro rings and encircled Thunder Unicorn, transforming its body into five stars.

"Galloping in the heavens like thunder, going through the pitch-black sky, this lightning will strike the Earth and incinerate it. Synchro Summon! Shine, Lightning Tricorn!" Lightning struck as the column of light appeared and from it leapt a horse covered in golden armor with curved blades of ruby on its joints and a mane of blue hair. Three horns of ruby shined on top of its head as it reared up and neighed (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). After that he switched The Creator into attack position. "Creator, strike down his creature." The Creator conjured up a lightning ball in between his hands and launched it into Majestic Mech - Goryu, shattering its body.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 600

**Emperor of Lightning:** 4900

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"Now Lightning Tricorn, finish him with Giga Volt Charge!" All three of Lightning Tricorn's horns began channelling electricity as it reared up and neighed before charging forth. The bolts surged and seemed to create an extension of each horn. Soon a triad of lightning prongs had been formed and Lightning Tricorn rammed them into Mikey.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 0

**Emperor of Lightning:** 4900

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With the duel over, the Emperor of Lightning held up his hand and began charging an attack. The electrodes on his back began to spark. However, the lightning he began to gather was magenta.

"What are you planning to do?" Mikey was already beginning to step back.

"You hold the item that holds Kuraz's soul. Before I could strike, I had to defeat you. And now that your spirit is weakened, you have nothing to protect him."

"What are you saying?"

"I plan to strike where Kuraz is weakest: his phylactery within your deck!" Magenta lightning poured out from the Emperor of Lightning and he cocked his arm back. "Spirit Lightning!" He thrust his hand out and the magenta lightning shot out from his claws.

"Save Kuraz!" Mikey shouted. He grabbed Kuraz the Light Monarch and any other cards he managed to get his hand on and flung them out onto the ground. His other monsters all appeared to defend him, but the Spirit Lightning broke through them with incredible ease and struck Mikey hard and throwing him against the wall. The lightning ceased almost as quickly as it had begun and the boy dropped to the ground.

"Mikey!" Gabe ran to his brother and helped him up. "Bro! Speak to me!"

"K-Kuraz..." Mikey slowly tilted his head up. "...is...he..."

"Thank you, Mikey. You were able to save me with help from some loyal friends." The Light Monarch nodded. "I am grateful." The cards that Mikey had thrown lay scattered on the courtyard floor by the wall. Besides Kuraz, the others that were with it were Guardian of Order, Oracle of the Sun, Fire Ant Ascator, Supay, Sun Dragon Inti, and Moon Dragon Quilla.

"Only seven cards," Jaeger said. "What happened to the rest?"

The answer came when Mikey's deck slipped out from his Duel Disk. Everyone who saw them felt a wave of devastation wash over them. Mikey's cards were blank!

"The cards each house an individual spirit," the Emperor of Lightning explained, "Mostly, they remain safe within those cards. Even if their bodies are destroyed, they can still recover. However, my Spirit Lightning attacks the spirits directly, destroying them completely without any hope of revival."

"You sick fuck." Gabe stood up. "Vylon Disigma!" He summoned his monster and sent it to attack. The Emperor of Lightning's electrodes lit up and formed a shield in front of him, blocking the attack.

"Pathetic." The Emperor of Lightning conjured a blue lightning ball in his hand and threw it at Vylon Disigma, destroying it on impact. "I'll destroy you all right now!" He began channelling more lightning into his electrodes and focused them into his claws.

"Rest Mikey. Leave this to me." Kuraz laid Mikey down and turned to the fight. "Duel Ace, clear the sky!"

"What? Why?"

"No questions! Act swiftly or we're doomed!"

"Fine then! But you better compensate for me." Jaeger held up five cards. "Falchionβ! Lord British Space Fighter! Victory Viper XX03! Blue Thunder T-45! Cyber Eltanin!" Jaeger called out his monsters and they flew up. With Cyber Eltanin in command with four ships flying in formation on either side of it, their combined attacks were able to blast apart the clouds to clear an opening, allowing Kuraz to see the sky.

The Light Monarch held his sword up toward the opening and cried, "Sacred Knights of the Stars! Hear the words of thy king! Thy power is needed and thusly I call upon thee! Come forth as I call thee by thy name!"

"DIE!" The Emperor of Lightning moved his arms in circular motions as he stepped forward and then thrust them forward, sending lightning toward his enemies.

"Appear, the Star of the Crab!" There was a twinkle in the sky and a star suddenly fell from the heavens and crashed in front of the lightning blast. When the dust settled, everyone could see a warrior in silver armor and a cape crouching in front of them. He had taken the full brunt of the lightning blast. As he lowered his arms, everybody could see that instead of hands he had a pair of pincer claws.

"You've returned, my king!"

"It's good to see you again too, Acubes."

"Who is our enemy?"

"Him." Kuraz pointed at the Emperor of Lightning with Excalibur. The sharp sound of blades sliding against each other echoed through the courtyard as Acubes snipped his claws.

"Will you be calling upon the others, my king?"

"Yes. It is time to bring out the other Sacred Star Knights." Kuraz raised his blade to the sky once more. "Appear, the Star of the Ram!" Another star came down and deposited another knight, this one with a helmet adorned with the horns of a ram. In his hand he wielded a ray gun that also appeared to have ram horns around the handle.

"The Star of the Bull!" Another star crashed into the courtyard and a knight wearing a helmet with bull horns stood up and held a large glowing chakram.

"The Star of the Twins!" A knight wearing armor that was gold on one half and silver on the other with a helmet that bore only a single horn on the right side appeared as another star fell, his hand clutching a twin-bladed sword.

"The Star of the Lion!" The next star brought a knight whose helmet had been adorned with blue hair-like protrusions to bear resemblance to the mane of a lion. He flicked his fingers and energy claws sprouted from the tips.

"The Star of the Virgin!" An angelic female knight was brought down next, her wings hovering behind her back like probes.

"The Star of the Scales!" The next knight's upper body bore a strong resemblance to a set of balance scales with the dishes acting as shields on the hands were a set of sharp claws rang out.

"The Star of the Scorpion!" A very slender knight appeared wielding a wide energy sword attached to what seemed to be a scorpion tail.

"The Star of the Snake Bearer!" The knight that appeared bore a much stronger resemblance to a wizard in his golden armor holding a long staff that appeared to have a golden serpent coiled around it.

"The Star of the Archer!" A white knight in the form of a centaur appeared wielding a golden bow.

"The Star of the Sea-Goat!" A female knight in silver armor appeared with goat horns on her helmet wielding a magic sceptre in her hand.

"The Star of the Water Bearer!" The next star fell and deposited a large water urn. From within it, the smallest knight crawled out in silver armor and barely coming up to Gabe's waist. It then effortlessly lifted the water urn over its head and held it steady.

"The Star of the Fish!" Finally, a large knight with fins on his helmet appeared wielding a pair of twin-bladed swords connected at their pommels by what appeared to be a chain of water.

The Sacred Star Knights had been assembled. With his men at the ready, Kuraz pointed with his blade. The order was clear. The Ram was the first to go. With a quick draw of his ray gun, he fired a beam of white light that struck the Emperor of Lightning in the head. After him, the Bull was the next to go. He charged up his chakram and threw it, cutting through the enemy with ease. The Twins went next. His body split into two, one in golden armor, the other in silver. Each one armed with a single bladed sword. The rushed in simultaneously and dealt a double slash attack in perfect symmetrical synchronization. Acubes went next and rushed in. He snipped his claws as he passed and emerged behind the Emperor of Lightning. His attack had severed the electrodes on his back and they crashed to his feet, ceasing his lightning channelling.

"NO!" the Emperor of Lightning cried. The Lion wasted no time in running his energy claws through the enemy. The Virgin then proceeded to levitate into the air and rain a brilliant white light from her wings onto the enemy. The Scales continued the attack with several jabs with his claws. The Scorpion dashed past the Emperor of Lightning and slashed him with his sword, but turned around quickly to thrust the barb of his scorpion tail into one of the gashes in his armor. He pulled out quickly to clear the way for the Snake Bearer as he pointed his staff forward and released two serpents of light that spiraled across the courtyard and sank their fangs into the Emperor of Lightning' neck. With the man distracted by the snakes, the Archer drew back his bowstring and let fly a radiant arrow of light that struck his mark dead-on. The Sea-Goat raised her sceptre and fired off a shimmering ball of starlight that hit. The Water Bearer bounded over to the Emperor of Lightning and jumped over him before proceeding to pour water from his urn all over him. The Emperor could feel it getting under his armor and knew that it would short out his devices and indeed it was true for his own electricity began to strike him. Finally, the Fish moved in and cut him twice with his swords. In doing so, the Emperor of Lightning's mask cracked.

"By the Light, you shall be vanquished! Excalibur's Light!" Kuraz swung his sword and fired beam of light that shot across the courtyard and shattered the mask and knocked over the Emperor of Lightning.

"The Emperor of Lightning has been defeated!" Gilford shouted as he raised his sword in victory. All around the Thunder Plains, cheers could be heard. Mikey sat up and looked as Sacred Star Knights slowly faded away, returning to the stars once more. Gabe saw this and walked over.

"Can you stand, bro?" Mikey tried to get up, but nearly collapsed, so Gabe quickly grabbed him and held him up.

Everybody slowly approached the Emperor of Lightning as he laid on the ground. Kuraz took a step closer and looked at his face only to gasp in surprise.

"What is it?" asked Jaeger.

"It can't be..."

The Emperor of Lightning suddenly began to shrink. The electrodes on his back shrank into an adornment of edges on his back connected by a ring. His claws fused with his fingers to form large red-nailed hands. The armor shrank into a more lightweight form and the white tiger pelt turned into an orange pelt as the mess of green hair turned once more into the familiar dome shape of an afro.

"It's Zaborg!" exclaimed Gilford.

Kuraz walked over to the mask and picked up a fragment. "This must have placed him under the UnGod's control," he surmised.

"So what you're saying is...we just killed one of the Monarchs?" asked Gabe.

But then Zaborg started to groan. Everybody gave him some space as he slowly sat up. "Zaborg, are you well?" asked Kuraz.

The Thunder Monarch shook his head to clear and looked up. "Kuraz? You've returned!"

"I have, brother." Kuraz helped Zaborg to his feet. "How are you?"

"I feel like I've been trapped in a nighmare."

"The nightmare is over, brother. Now reality is what we must face. The UnGod's Regent Lord shall fall and we shall retake Heiratine from his tyrannical grasp."

Zaborg slowly looked to Kuraz. "You needn't even ask. I shall stand by you in your fight, brother." He then looked down. "Who are they?"

"These are humans from the realm of Terra," Kuraz introduced, "This one here is Michael. He has been my guardian since the incident."

"Please, call me Mikey." Mikey shifted his weight on his feet. His hands held his seven remaining cards. The rest, the blank cards, had been placed back into his deck box on his belt.

"He risked his life to save my spirit."

"I am grateful to you, Mikey of Terra." Zaborg knelt before Mikey. "Wherever you desire to go, I will follow."

"Thanks, but that kneeling thing's really not necessary."

Zaborg rose to his feet and walked up beside Kuraz. He raised his hand and a lightning bolt shot down from the clouds and struck the ground in front of him. A brilliant staff now hovered in front of him, the head a large emerald surrounded by lightning-shaped prongs. He grasped it and pointed it skyward. At once, the clouds cleared and everybody could see something in the distance that the clouds had covered up. A tall mountain white as the purest stone.

"The Palace of Light awaits your return, brother," Zaborg said as he rested his staff on the ground.

Kuraz answered, "As does the Titan of Light."

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The Ojamas are a harmless bunch, now made slaves to the Titan of Light. With Zaborg himself once more, Mikey and his friends must save these little men from a disasterous fate. The rescue starts next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	166. Let My People Go!

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-79**

**Let My People Go!**

The Ojama Country was a small canyon in the realm of Heiratine. Plateaus had been carved into the walls and stairways for its residents to make their way up and down. Tiny huts dotted the landscape. There were trees that bore plentiful fruit and the village was powered by windmills.

And yet, not a single sign of intelligent life was in sight. The village was empty. Another canyon stood a few miles away where the villagers, the Ojamas, were. However, they were not living there and they most certainly were not happy. This other canyon was a mine. The Ojamas slaved digging tunnels and moving rocks.

"Keep it moving!" shouted the slave master. He was an angel radiating with a red aura of aggression. A red sash hung across his shoulder and down in front of his waist. In his hand he held a long handled hammer. "No slacking!" He grabbed a whip and lashed out at one of the Ojama Yellows. The small creature cried out and fell.

"Y-y-yes master..." Ojama Yellow weakly rose back to his feet and continued to limp away with his load back into the tunnels.

"Is all this necessary, Mars?" a female voice asked. The man with the hammer turned to a female angel with yellow wings and long blonde hair garbed in a green and yellow dress.

"The master gave us orders to search for the seal of the UnGod," Mars replied, "It's here somewhere, Venus. These little cretins have hidden it and I plan to make them work to find it."

"Don't work them too hard. You know the master wants them alive," the woman called Venus replied.

"They can rest when they finish." Mars turned and cracked the whip once more. "Move it, you cretins!"

Meanwhile, a young woman watched the horror whilst hiding among the trees.

o o o

With Zaborg now a member of their party, Mikey, Gabe, Jaeger, Gilford, and Kuraz proceeded toward the main body of Heiratine. They left the Thunder Plains behind, along with all its inhabitants including Rai-Jin, Rai-Mei, the Batterymen, and the Watts. The thunder duo had been placed in charge of guarding the castle until Zaborg's return. Now the Thunder Monarch stood alongside his fellow brethren as they exited from the storm clouds and emerged into the brilliant sunlight of the Realm of Light.

"How are you feeling, Mikey?" asked Kuraz.

"I'm okay," Mikey answered.

"You risked your body and soul to save me, Mikey. For that I am grateful."

"It's a shame you lost all your cards by doing so," Gilford said, "But in doing so, you have saved the ruler of Heiratine."

Mikey reached into his deck box and pulled out his cards. Save for the handful he had successfully pulled out in time, the rest of them were blank like white slips of paper.

"So how's it feel to be back home?" Gabe asked Kuraz.

"All is not yet peaceful," the Light Monarch answered. Suddenly something appeared in the clear sky. A giant of pitch black complexion with gold adorning his face and a gem set into his chest orange and shining like the sun.

"Kuraz, you've returned." The being spoke without moving his lips, as if his face were frozen like a mask.

"The UnGod's Regent Lord, Titan of Light," Kuraz acknowledged.

"I trust you've returned to reclaim your throne?"

"As I swore to the UnGod before I fled."

"If you can defeat me, by all means try."

"I shall say this once. Leave Heiratine and let my people go!"

While the two were conversing, Jaeger noticed some motion in the bushes. Without a moment's notice he drew his service pistol and fired. A loud terrified scream alerted the others of another presence.

"Who's there?" asked Mikey. At once a terrified girl about thirteen years of age with mint green hair wearing a dress of blue and white with a small cape of the same color over her shoulders held fast by a ribbon of pearly silk emerged from the emerald brush, her eyes firmly locked on the sidearm.

"Amadis." The Titan of Light acknowledged her presence. The girl who had been addressed as Amadis looked up and saw the enormous projection in the sky.

"Hyperion, I've found you at long last!"

"They know each other?" Gabe asked, a look of confusion on his face.

"Much time has passed, Amadis," Hyperion said as he looked down.

"I prayed for many nights hoping that someday I could find you and at long last my prayers have been answered!" Amadis rose to her feet and stepped toward the Titan of Light.

"My former life is over. I no longer serve the one you call the one true God. I have seen the truth. The UnGod is the only true god. He shall bring salvation to the universe!"

"Salvation? The UnGod seeks to destroy all life!" Zaborg bellowed. He summoned his staff and cast a bolt of lightning toward Hyperion, but his spell passed right through him, being a mere projection.

"The UnGod seeks the salvation of all life from pain and suffering," the Titan of Light explained, "It is His will that I shall follow." He then closed his eyes and then his whispers echoed all across Heiratine.

"_Our Maker, born before existence. All shall kneel before thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. On Ardent as it is in thine realm."_

"What is he saying?" asked Gilford. Mikey, Gabe, and Amadis recognized it immediately.

"It's the Lord's Prayer!" the young girl exclaimed.

"But it's been twisted into some sick rendition meant for the UnGod," Mikey added.

"_Give unto us the release from agony. And to end all suffering as we save those who suffer with us. Lead us not into affliction, but to liberate us from all woe."_

"Hyperion..." Amadis seemed saddened and as Master Hyperion finished his prayer, he turned to looked down at her.

"Come to the palace, Amadis, if you truly wish to find me." And with that, the Titan of Light's image vanished. Amadis dropped and began crying.

"Hey, are you okay?" Mikey knelt down and placed his hand on Amadis' shoulder.

"The palace." Kuraz's gaze went toward the summit of the mountain in the distance.

"Mt. Olympiad must be our destination then," said Zaborg as he stepped up beside the Light Monarch.

"The Palace of Light." Kuraz said the name of his home slowly. "And the Radiant Throne."

"If we are going to stop this Titan of Light, then we must first locate the seals of the UnGod," Jaeger said. That was when Amadis suddenly regained her composure.

"Did you say the seals of the UnGod?" she asked.

"Yes. Do you know where they are?"

"I do," answered Amadis. "And there's one nearby."

"Take us to it then," Kuraz requested. Amadis nodded and got up.

o o o

The mining operation was still in progress when the group arrived. Mikey was horrified by the scene before him. The Ojamas were forced into labor by an angel with a large hammer who was accompanied by another angel. Everyone could hear Amadis whispering their names. "Mars. Venus."

"You know them?" asked Mikey.

Amadis nodded. "They, along with Hyperion, were once my monsters. We fought together. But then something happened to Hyperion and I lost him. The others followed him and now I am left on my own."

"What are they mining for?" asked Gilford.

"The seal I would assume," Jaeger answered.

As the group debated on their next course of action, Gabe sat down on the ground to rest facing the opposite way when he noticing a shining ball of light hovering over them. "Um, guys?"

A few minutes later, the group was walking out around the canyon surrounded by balls of light. Mars noticed them approaching and smirked. "I guess your Mystical Shine Balls worked after all," he said to Venus. The female angel said nothing.

"Mars, why are these poor people suffering?" asked Amadis.

"People?" Mars laughed. "These little cretins are not people! They're just vermin living on the surface of Heiratine! They have no use. No purpose. So I'm giving them purpose!"

"By enslaving them and making them work tirelessly?" asked Mikey.

"This ends now!" Kuraz demanded. Mikey stepped forward with his Duel Disk ready, but Gabe stopped him.

"Bro, your deck," he reminded. Mikey looked at his blank cards and then slunk back. "I'll do it!" The younger brother stepped forward with his Duel Disk active. Mars' face twisted into a grin and he slowly reached for his belt, but suddenly a light twinkled in the sky as a bright-eyed pixie-like angel descended from the heavens on green wings, her white skin blending with the clouds.

"Earth, what brings you here?" asked Venus.

The one called Earth turned to Venus and answered her question, "The Master wishes for Mars to return to the palace at once."

"You can't be serious," Mars replied, "In case you hadn't noticed, the Light Monarch has returned!"

"Please don't make the master repeat himself," Earth pleaded.

"I must stand and defeat the Light Monarch for our master!" Mars' hammer vanished and he grasped his belt.

"Mars, please..."

"I shall take great pleasure in this."

"MARS!" Suddenly the image of Master Hyperion appeared in the sky.

"I told you to listen," Earth said meekly.

"Mars, I gave you an order to return," Hyperion said to the Agent of Force.

"But Master, I was about to engage Kuraz in your name."

"Leave it to Venus," Hyperion ordered, "You are to return at once."

"Venus?" Mars looked at the angel in question. "But she..."

"She will have one." Master Hyperion held up a black box with teeth and horns, his Soul Gate. "I believe these creatures you call cretins shall suffice?"

Mars looked down into the canyon and nodded. "Perhaps they may be more useful elsewhere."

"Then I shall invoke the Indoctrination of the Sun." As Master Hyperion held up his arm, Venus closed her eyes and an orange ball of light appeared before her. A symbol resembling a circle with a cross attached to its bottom edge appeared and the ball dispersed to reveal an orange Duel Disk that resembled a pair of angel wings. It clamped onto her arm and she waited for her master. "Chaos Exultation!" The Soul Gate's mouth opened and the eye within streamed darkness out all over the canyon. The Ojamas were all pulled in and sealed inside it before a black stream poured out into her Duel Disk. With the task complete, Master Hyperion vanished.

Earth turned to Mars. "Let's go." Mars begrudgingly spread his wings and flew after the Agent of Mystery.

Venus turned to Gabe. "Shall we proceed."

"Let's."

––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 8000

**Venus:** 8000

––––––––––––––

"I draw!" Gabe drew his first card. "I summon Vylon Charger in attack mode!" He placed it onto his Duel Disk and called out a tall cylindrical being with arms surrounded by golden rings (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "As long as Vylon Charger stays out, all Light Monsters I control gain three hundred attack points for every Equip Spell on him."

"You have no Equip Spells on him," Venus pointed out.

Gabe played Vylon Material. "I do now." An oddly-shaped blaster with a spearhead as the barrel attached itself to one of Vylon Charger's arms and raised its attack points by six hundred. With the monster's own effect, the total attack power became nineteen hundred. "I set a facedown and end my turn."

Venus drew her card. "I shall place one creature in defensive stance and one unseen shield." A single monster appeared facedown on her field and another card appeared at her feet. "I conclude."

"I draw!" Gabe drew his next card. "And I summon Vylon Soldier!" A broad-shouldered mechanical angel appeared with two enormous golden arms and hovered in the air (ATK/1700 DEF/1000). Vylon Charger's effect boosted its attack points to two thousand. "Charger, attack that facedown!" Vylon Charger took aim with its Vylon Material and fired. The white beam of light shot out and destroyed the monster.

"My creature was Ojama Blue," announced Venus, "Upon his death, I can bring two of his fellow tribesmen to my hand." She magically pulled two cards from her deck, which turned out to be Ojama Green and Ojama Black.

"Vylon Soldier, attack directly!" ordered Gabe. His other monster moved ahead and fired a beam from its chest at Venus.

––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 8000

**Venus:** 6000

––––––––––––––

"I'm done."

Venus drew her card. "I reveal my unseen shield, Ojama Trio. In doing so, three unofficial Ojama creatures shall occupy your front lines. Should they die, their deaths shall befall upon you." At that moment, three beams of light shot out from the card and deposited three Ojama Tokens onto Gabe's field in defense position, each a level two Light-Attribute Beast-Type monster with zero attack points and one thousand defense points. They appeared to resemble Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black.

"I now summon Ojama Red." A red impish creature with an onion-shaped head appeared wearing a red Speedo (ATK/0 DEF/1000). "If Ojama Red is called onto the battlefield, he calls as many of his companions to join him." She took four cards from her hand and placed them on the field. "I call forth Ojama Black, Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Blue." At once a black imp (ATK/0 DEF/1000), a green one-eyed imp (ATK/0 DEF/1000), a yellow imp with its eyes on the ends of a pair of antennae (ATK/0 DEF/1000), and a blue imp wearing lipstick (ATK/0 DEF/1000) appeared on the field. All of them wore red Speedos. "I now invoke the power that the three brothers can summon. Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black, use your powers to bring about the Ojama Delta Hurricane." She played her Spell Card and at once the three Ojamas in question held hands and began spinning. Their momentum generated a powerful energy that destroyed all of Gabe's cards on the field, including the three Ojama Tokens, each dealing three hundred points of damage.

––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 7100

**Venus:** 6000

––––––––––––––

"Since Vylon Material was destroyed, I can add one Vylon Spell Card to my hand!" Gabe selected another Vylon Material.

"Now I shall place them in their home," announced Venus as she placed a card inside her field tray. "The Ojama Country." All at once, the mining canyon was transformed and the Ojamas were back in their village. "When the Ojamas are home, their morale is raised thus giving them the spirit to fight."

Gabe cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

"Ojama Country switches their attack and defense!" Amadis called out.

"Ohhhhhhh. Oh shit." Gabe watched as all the Ojamas' attack and defense points were switched.

"Strike him down," ordered Venus. Ojama Red, Ojama Blue, Ojama Green, Ojama Yellow, and Ojama Black charged in all at once and began pounding away at Gabe with their tiny fists in a simultaneous attack.

––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 2100

**Venus:** 6000

––––––––––––––

With no cards left to play, Venus ended her turn. Gabe drew his card. "I summon Vylon Ohm." His next mechanical angel came equipped with two large cannon arms and hovered on a pair of metal golden wings (ATK/1500 DEF/200). He looked at the stats and suddenly found himself watching the attack and defense points being switched.

"So long as at least one Ojama occupies the village, their morale affects all," Venus pointed out.

"Son of a bitch," Gabe muttered. "Lucky I got these. I equip Ohm with Mage Power and Vylon Material!" Vylon Ohm's arm was outfitted with a new weapon as its body glowed. "Mage Power will boost my guy up by five hundred for every Spell and Trap I have on the field. And that's two, so it's one thousand!" With Mage Power's one thousand and Vylon Material's six hundred, Vylon Ohm's power rose by sixteen hundred, becoming eighteen hundred attack points. "And here's a fun fact. When I Normal Summoned Ohm, his effect let me banish one Equip Spell in my grave. And on my next Standby Phase, it comes back." He placed the Vylon Material from his graveyard into his pocket.

"Now I'm gonna lay two facedowns to boost Ohm even more thanks to Mage Power." With two more cards in Gabe's backfield, Vylon Ohm's power rose by another thousand to twenty-eight hundred. "Ohm, attack Ojama Green!" His monster took aim with its weapons and fired. Its shot was true and it blasted Ojama Green.

––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 2100

**Venus:** 4200

––––––––––––––

"I'm done."

Venus drew her card. "I now invoke the village's magic. By sacrificing one of their kind, I can resurrect one of their fallen." She discarded Ojamagic from her hand and Ojama Green reappeared in defense mode. "And I have sent the Ojamagic to the grave, thus permitting me to bring one of each of the brothers to my call." She brought another copy of Ojama Black, Ojama Green, and Ojama Yellow to her hand. "I conclude."

Gabe drew again. At that moment, his banished Vylon Material came to his hand. "I summon Sunlight Unicorn." A white unicorn with a mane of blue light appeared (ATK/1800 DEF/1000). As he thought, its attack and defense were switched immediately. But he could fix that quickly. "I activate its effect. I reveal the top card of my deck. If it's an Equip Spell, it goes to my hand. If not, the bottom of my deck." He drew the next card and revealed it. "And it's Axe of Despair and I'm equipping it to Sunlight Unicorn for a thousand point boost!" The axe appeared on Sunlight Unicorn's side and it neighed as its attack points rose to two thousand and Vylon Ohm's attack power rose by another five hundred to thirty-three hundred.

"Sunlight Unicorn, attack Ojama Yellow!" Sunlight Unicorn charged and swung the axe at Ojama Yellow as it passed.

––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 2100

**Venus:** 3200

––––––––––––––

"Ohm, attack Ojama Green!" Vylon Ohm opened fire and destroyed the green imp once again.

––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 2100

**Venus:** 900

––––––––––––––

"I'm done!" he announced.

Venus drew her next card. "I must disappoint you for you shall have no victory. I invoke the spell Polymerization. I fuse Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black from standby to bring out their ruler. Ojama King!" A big white creature dropped onto the field with its face occupying its entire chest wearing a cape, a very small crown, and of course its kind's signature swimwear (ATK/0 DEF/3000). Thanks to the power of Ojama Country, his attack and defense points were switched.

"As per the king's magic, he shall render sixty percent of your field unusable." Three silhouettes of Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black appeared on Gabe's side of the field and blocked off two of his Monster Zones. "Now attack Sunlight Unicorn." Ojama King opened his mouth and belched out a powerful sound wave.

"I activate my Trap, Negate Attack!" Gabe activated his card and Ojama King's blast was swallowed up into a vortex. With one less backfield card, Vylon Ohm's power dropped to twenty-eight hundred.

"I conclude following the defensive tactics of Ojama Blue and Ojama Red," announced Venus. She switched her two weaker monsters into defense mode and ended her turn.

"I draw!" Gabe drew another card. He looked at the field. Destroying Ojama Blue would reinforce his opponent's hand. If he attack Ojama Red, he could reduce the numbers. Or he could play the Vylon Material in his hand and attack Ojama King and free up his Monster Zones again. In doing so he would win. It looked like the best way to go. "I equip Ohm with another Vylon Material!" With the addition of the second blaster, Vylon Ohm's total attack power rose to thirty-nine hundred.

"Attack Ojama King!" Vylon Ohm opened fire and blasted Ojama King.

––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 2100

**Venus:** 0

––––––––––––––

Venus' Duel Disk suddenly disappeared and the cards scattered. Kuraz struck the ground with his sword and light poured out and bathed them. The Ojamas were released from their prisons.

"I have lost," Venus acknowledged. "There is nothing left for me here." And with that, she surrounded herself in an orange sphere of light before she vanished.

"Couldn't she have just flown?" asked Gilford.

"The Ojamas are free," Kuraz said as he sheathed his blade.

"Then let's go find that seal!" Gabe declared.

"There isn't one here," Amadis said.

"What?"

"There is no seal here," Amadis repeated.

"So wait," Mikey interjected, "The whole mining operation...?"

"It was pointless," Amadis answered, "They made these poor creatures suffer for nothing."

"Awww, damn it! I was hoping I could become one of those Rose Crusaders or whatever," Gabe uttered.

"Next time, Gabe. Next time," Mikey said patting his shoulder.

"We should keep moving then," Jaeger pointed out. "I can understand making sure they are not badly injured, but we cannot afford to waste more time."

"He's right," Gilford agreed.

"The Titan of Light has shown himself," Zaborg said, "We cannot ignore it."

Mikey nodded in agreement. "We have to stop Master Hyperion. Amadis, I'm sorry but we may have to destroy him." Amadis looked down. She didn't want to see her own monster destroyed, but she knew that if it came down to it, she would have no other choice. She nodded slowly.

Mikey put both hands on his shoulders. "Be strong, Amadis." Amadis looked up and her green eyes met his brown eyes. She could see the honesty and determination in his look. Somehow it gave her courage and gave him an affirming nod.

"I will try."

"Then let's go." And so the team set off with Amadis as their guide across Heiratine, the Realm of Light.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Mars returns with a full display of force. With raw firepower at his disposal, Mikey and his friends face off against a difficult challenge. Who shall win? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	167. The Agent of Force

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-80**

**The Agent of Force**

Kuraz knew the layout of his kingdom from memory. So when he was able to conjure up a model of light of Hieratine, everybody gathered around close as he explained it. Amongst the model of golden light, several green twinkling lights represented their own locations while red was used to represent enemies and blue for the seals of the UnGod.

"So there are three seals here in this realm of light?" asked Jaeger.

"Correct," replied Kuraz, "The Lightsworns have dedicated themselves to protecting them until we can bring you, Mikey, and Gabe to each of them and reseal."

"And what of the Rose Cards required to seal them?"

"I already have one," Mikey said as he held up the Red Rose Card he had been given.

"Presumably Hyperion's men have the others," Zaborg guessed.

"Most likely they are in possession of his chief advisor, Mercury," Kuraz surmised. He then continued. "The seals are located in these locations. The first can be found at the City of Light. It is protected by the Lightsworn clan. They have kept out intruders and have thus kept the seal safe since. The next is located in the Sanctuary in the Sky, a temple that floats above the clouds and is home to the fairies of this realm. The seal is located within its innermost sanctum known as Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen. The last seal is in my palace. Specifically, in a chamber hidden beneath the throne room and the only access to it is under the throne."

"That's not gonna be easy," Mikey said.

"No, it is not."

"That's where Hyperion is," Amadis said.

"More than likely," replied Jaeger.

"We should head to the city first," said Zaborg.

"That would be logical, yes," Kuraz agreed.

"I'm more worried about how we're gonna get up to the Sanctuary in the Sky." Mikey pointed. "It's way up there and we'll need to fly."

"Did you already forget how we got here, bro?" asked Gabe as he jabbed a thumb toward Jaeger beside him.

"Can he handle it though?" Mikey asked back. The Duel Ace nodded. "I guess that covers that."

"Should we get going then?" asked Zaborg.

"Yes. Let's hurry," answered Amadis. Kuraz looked down at the girl.

"I know it is difficult, child, but we may have to slay Hyperion. If we have no other option, we must do so."

o o o

Mars stood in a grand hallway of white marble and golden pillars. He had been waiting for a long time for a reply from his master, but so far nothing. But finally the great golden double doors leading into the throne room opened and out stepped a turquoise-skinned angel with blue wings garbed in dark blue with tattoos on his shoulders. He carried an orange tome in his hand.

"Mercury, has the master spoken?"

"The master has spoken, Mars," Mercury answered calmly, "He has chosen for you a task most befitting for your talents."

"Yes?"

"As you reported to us, Kuraz has returned, freed Zaborg, and now comes through Heiratine with an entourage of Terrans."

"Yes, yes, I know that. Tell me, Mercury. What is my task? Out with it!"

"Slay the Terran intruders," Mercury said serenely. "That is your task. Once you have done so, bring the Light Monarch before the master."

Mars was shaking in his sandals in glee. This was the perfect job for him! "Am I to go alone?"

"Take one of our military units to accompany you," Mercury ordered. Mars nodded and flew off at once with hammer in hand.

o o o

It was most definitely something else. Unlike Paslie, Aeagnaap, Vazrana, and Orstrem, Heiratin had paved roads going all across the realm of Light. Mikey actually found the walk quite enjoyable. The buildings and the structures were clean. The trees were brilliantly green. Majestic statues and pillars could be seen all over. Rivers of clean and pure water ran down the slopes and into great sparkling blue lakes. And it seemed as if the path they were taking was going up an incline, which was actually true. At Heiratine's center was a great mountain of white stone atop which stood Kuraz's palace. All along the base, the towns and cities had made their homes around it. They had also seen vehicles go past them, but Kuraz had told him they would acquire one upon arriving at their destination.

They came to stop for a rest at an amphitheater. The entire structure was made of white marble and Mikey couldn't help but marvel at its beauty. Everything in Heiratine had reminded him of ancient Greece. "Kuraz, your home is amazing!" he said as they sat together. "I can't even begin to describe how awesome it is!"

The Light Monarch smiled underneath his helmet. "We were fortunate that the UnGod did not wreak as much havoc on Heiratine as the other realms. Our own forces held out well and we were able to minimize the damages."

"I'm not talking about that, Kuraz. This place is just so beautiful." Mikey stared out past the amphitheater pillars at the scene below. Several villages and great squares of farmland could be seen down below. "And that sun..."

"The sun is the very symbol of Heiratine," Kuraz explained, "It is unique to our realm."

"Unique? How?" Mikey was confused.

"My kingdom has its very own sun," came the answer, which took Mikey by surprise.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?"

"The sun passes over Ardent in much the same way as your world, Mikey. However, Heiratine's radiance became so great that it was eventually able to outshine the sun. As a result, I used my power to create for my realm alone a sun of its own so that it may be forever bathed in its light." Kuraz looked up at the very entity he was explaining. "I have named it...the White Sun."

"Is it safe to look at?"

"Much like your own sun, no."

"I figured. I wish I could see it."

"When we've reclaimed Heiratine from the UnGod's Regent Lord, you may," said Kuraz.

Meanwhile, a few steps down Amadis was still worrying over her beloved Agents. But at the same time, she couldn't help but notice the handsomeness of the younger boy there. Gabe was sitting on his own watching the farms below. She wanted to approach him and speak, but she found herself unable to do so. Jaeger, meanwhile, was pacing back and forth on the stage. In his position he was able to notice the anomaly that approached them.

"Incoming!" He dove away and a rocket shell suddenly struck the pillars that made up the back of the stage. Everybody got into battle position. Zaborg summoned his staff and Kuraz drew Excalibur.

"I've found you!" Mars made his presence known. "And now I shall fulfill my task to my master! Minions, attack!" There was a rumbling and a large battalion of machines appeared which were recognized immediately.

"It's VWXYZ!" exclaimed Mikey.

"No talk time. Attack now!" Jaeger summoned out one of his fighters and charged.

Kuraz pointed Excalibur to the clear sky and shouted. "The Shining Star, Hyades!" A flash of light appeared high above and what appeared to be a falling star shot down and landed in the amphitheater. It was actually a creature in white and gold armor with a pair of golden bull horns on its helmet and wielding two enormous swords with two rings of red light on the pommels, giving them the appearance of enormous kunai knives.

"What is it, my king?"

"Stand by Mikey and protect him," ordered Kuraz.

"It shall be done." Hyades picked up Mikey and sat him on his shoulder. "Hold on!" He then charged in and began attacking. Kuraz watched them for a moment and nodded before turning his attention back on the enemies.

"Excalibur's Light!" He swung his sword and a beam of light shot forth and sliced through several enemies.

Gabe's rapier was useless against the cannons, but he had used Vylon Disigma to absorb a Z-Metal Tank, granting it the power to kill all Light monsters instantly.

The bigger guns - XY-Dragon Cannon, XZ-Tank Cannon, YZ - Tank Dragon, and XYZ-Dragon Cannon - stood in the back and rained cannonfire on the field from a distance. Zaborg raised his staff and lightning rained down on them.

"Keep up the attack!" ordered Mars, "Don't let them win! We must kill them all!"

"Are you the leader?" Jaeger demanded as he pointed up at the Agent of Force.

"I am the leader of this unit," Mars confirmed.

Jaeger activated his Duel Disk. "Then face me, _feigling_!" He knew the fasted way to end this was to take out the leader. Unfortunately he wasn't sure if his opponent would take his bait. But fortune happened to smile on him and Mars seemed to take on rather delighted expression.

"Your challenge has been accepted! My lord, I require your powers' assistance!" In that instant, Hyperion's image appeared in the sky. Mars slammed his hammer into the ground and flames poured out from it, forming a symbol in the form of a circle with an arrow emerging from it in the northeast direction. From the center of the ring emerged a red Duel Disk resembling a pair of angel wings. Mars' hammer vanished into the fire and the flames erupted and took the Duel Disk with them, reappearing it mere seconds later on his arm.

"Chaos Exultation!" With his Soul Gate, Hyperion absorbed all the machines of war that Mars had brought with him and placed them into the Agent of Force's Duel Disk.

Jaeger drew his starting hand and Mars followed suit.

"Duel!"

–––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 8000

**Mars:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

"I shall begin!" Jaeger drew his first card. "I shall set one monster." He placed a card onto his Duel Disk and it appeared in front of him facedown sideways. "I shall set two cards and end my turn." Two more cards appeared at his feet and the Duel Ace ended his turn.

Mars drew his card. "I summon V-Tiger Jet." There was a flash of light and a fighter jet bearing the head of a tiger appeared (ATK/1600 DEF/1800). "Next, I activate the spell Frontline Base. Now once each turn, I can Special Summon a Union Monster from my hand. Such as W-Wing Catapult!" A blue engine with missile silos located on the front appeared on the field (ATK/1300 DEF/1500).

"Now by banishing my machines, I can fuse them together!" As Mars said those words, V-Tiget Jet flew up and docked itself on top of W-Wing Catapult (ATK/2000 DEF/2100). "VW-Tiger Catapult! Now I use its unique power. By discarding one card from my hand, it can switch the battle position of one monster you control without activating its Flip Effect." He sent a card from his hand to the grave and VW-Tiger Catapult opened its mouth and shot a laser that forced Jaeger's facedown monster into attack position, revealing itself to be DUCKER Mobile Cannon (ATK/500 DEF/500).

"VW-Tiger Catapult, attack!" On Mars' orders, VW-Tiger Catapult opened fire and unleashed a barrage of missiles.

"I activate Spacegate!" announaced Jaeger, "When a monster under my opponent's control attacks or is attacked, one Gate Counter can be placed on this card." As the missiles flew through the air, a large portal gate appeared behind Jaeger and a circular light on the frame lit up as the projectiles destroyed DUCKER Mobile Cannon.

–––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 6500

**Mars:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

"I shall set one hidden spell and conclude," announced Mars.

Jaeger drew. "I summon Victory Viper XX03." A white and blue space fighter with a front-mounted laser cannon appeared (ATK/1200 DEF/1000). "Now I shall boost its power with Limiter Removal. It shall double its attack strength, but in doing so shall result in its destruction at the end." In that instant, Victory Viper XX03's inhibitors were removed and its attack points double to twenty-four hundred. "Fire!" The space fighter fired its weapons, giving another Gate Counter to Spacegate, and destroyed VW-Tiger Catapult.

–––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 6500

**Mars:** 7600

–––––––––––––––––

"And now for Victory Viper XX03's effect!" announced Jaeger, "Upon destroying a target, it can activate one of three effects: gain four hundred attack points, destroy one Spell or Trap Card, or Special Summon one Option Token. I shall use the third effect." As soon as his declaration was made, another space fighter resembling Victory Viper XX03 appeared bearing the exact same Type, Attribute, Level, total attack points, and total defense points as the original. As a result, its attack points were twenty-four hundred instead of twelve.

"Now Option Token, attack!" The Option Token now fired its guns and blasted Mars.

–––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 6500

**Mars:** 5200

–––––––––––––––––

Mars shielded himself from the dust with his wings and activated a Trap Card as soon as it was clear. "Damage Condenser. After that blast, I can use this power to summon forth a creature whose strength equals or is weaker than the damage I have taken. But a sacrifice must first be made." He discarded the card in his hand. "X-Head Cannon, rise!" A blue and yellow robot with a humanoid body with a spiked ball in place of legs appeared armed with two cannons on its shoulders (ATK/1800 DEF/1500).

"That ends my turn." At that moment, Jaeger's Victory Viper XX03 overloaded and exploded.

Mars then drew his next card. "I summon Z-Metal Tank." There was a flash of light and a yellow rolled onto the field with a single eye staring out at Jaeger (ATK/1500 DEF/1300). "Now I shall invoke the spell Limiter Removal to double their strength!" Upon revealing his facedown, the inhibitors were released and X-Head Cannon's attack points rose to thirty-six hundred while Z-Metal Tanks became three thousand. "X-Head Cannon, fire upon that Option Token!" The blue and yellow robot turned its cannons on its target and fired. Another Gate Counter was placed on Spacegate as the shells hit and blew apart the Option Token.

–––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 5300

**Mars:** 5200

–––––––––––––––––

"Z-Metal Tank, attack now!" Z-Metal Tank rolled forward and its frontal shell opened up and pulled back, allowing two cannons to emerge. It took aim and then fired on Jaeger, placing a fourth Gate Counter on Spacegate.

–––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 2300

**Mars:** 5200

–––––––––––––––––

"Now I shall banish my creatures and fuse them so that they shall not share the fate that befell your Victory Viper XX03." Z-Metal Tank's back folded apart to the sides and then folded apart once more to reveal a circular docking station. X-Head Cannon moved in and docked itself into place whereupon Z-Metal Tank secured them together (ATK/2400 DEF/2100). "Behold, XZ-Tank Cannon!"

Jaeger drew his next card. With four counters on his Spacegate, he could Special Summon a level four or lower monster from his hand. However, now seemed not like the right time to use it. He decided he would wait for a better opportunity. He also had to consider his opponent's monster. XZ-Tank Cannon had the power to destroy one facedown Spell or Trap Card at the cost of discarding one card. However, Mars had no cards in his hand and upon his turn he would only get one, meaning he could only destroy one.

He knew what to do. "I summon Falchionβ!" A white and blue space fighter emerged with two enormous tail fins protruding downward on separate angles (ATK/1200 DEF/800). "I then set one facedown and end my turn."

Mars drew. "I discard a card to destroy one facedown." He sent a copy of Y-Dragon Head to his graveyard and watched as XZ-Tank Cannon fired and destroyed one of Jaeger's facedowns, which turned out to be Widespread Ruin. "Now attack!" As Spacegate gained its fifth counter. XZ-Tank Cannon took aim and fired its cannons at Falchionβ.

"I activate Widespread Ruin!" Jaeger revealed another copy of the Trap Card that had just been destroyed and observed as XZ-Tank Cannon exploded. "And with that, I believe your turn is done."

"Fine then," muttered Mars.

Jaeger drew his card. Now that his opponent had nothing with which to defend himself, he could go in for a brutal attack. "I sacrifice my Spacegate to summon Jade Knight in defense position." A white and green space fighter appeared and projected a green shield of light (ATK/1000 DEF/1800). "Now I Normal Summon Lord British Space Fighter in attack mode!" A white and red space fighter soared in (ATK/1200 DEF/800).

"Falchionβ, attack!" Falchionβ flew forward and opened fire with its laser cannons on Mars.

–––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 2300

**Mars:** 4000

–––––––––––––––––

"Lord British Space Fighter, attack!" Lord British Space Fighter flew forward next and blasted a sonic wave at the Agent of Force as it passed.

–––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 2300

**Mars:** 2800

–––––––––––––––––

"That ends my turn," announced Jaeger.

Mars drew his card. "I summon Y-Dragon Head!" A mechanical red dragon flew in and landed in front of the Agent of Foce (ATK/1500 DEF/1600). "Attack Falchionβ!" Y-Dragon Head opened its mouth and a zigzagging stream of energy shot out and shot down Falchionβ.

–––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 2000

**Mars:** 2800

–––––––––––––––––

"I conclude," announced Mars.

Jaeger drew his card. "I set Lord British Space Fighter in defense mode." He had nothing in his hand to help. This would have to do for now.

Meanwhile, Mars drew his card. "Y-Dragon Head, attack Lord British Space Fighter!" Another stream of energy shot out and blasted the white and red space fighter. "I set a hidden power and conclude."

Jaeger drew. "I summon Blue Thunder T-45." A silver spaceship with blue tinted windows appeared (ATK/1700 DEF/1000). "Attack Y-Dragon Head!" The creature in question flew in and fired its guns on the monster, destroying it as a result.

–––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 2000

**Mars:** 2600

–––––––––––––––––

"Since Blue Thunder T-45 destroyed a monster in battle, its effect permits me to Special Summon a Thunder Option Token." In that moment, a small remote controlled laser cannon detached itself from Blue Thunder T-45, appearing as a level four Light-Attribute, Machine-Type monster with fifteen hundred attack and defense points. "Now my token attacks!" At that moment, it fired a laser.

"I activate Defense Draw!" A barrier surrounded Mars, protecting him from the shot. He then reached for his Duel Disk and drew a card.

"I end my turn," announced Jaeger.

Mars drew his card. He set two cards facedown and ended his turn. The Duel Ace then drew and ordered Blue Thunder T-45 to attack. In response, Mars activated another Defense Draw and drew his card. Then the Thunder Option Token attacked and hit its mark dead-on.

–––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 2000

**Mars:** 1100

–––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," announced Jaeger.

Mars drew his card. "I'm afraid your time has come to an end," he announced. "I'll begin by activating Soul Release. With this I can banish up to five creatures in either graveyard. However, I shall only remove one: my Y-Dragon Head." Jaeger new immediately what his opponent planned to do.

"I now activate my hidden power, Return From the Different Dimension! At the cost of half my life force, I can return all my creatures who have been banished!"

–––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 2000

**Mars:** 550

–––––––––––––––––

A hole in space opened up and from it appeared V-Tiger Jet, W-Wing Catapult, X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank. "I shall now combine them! First V-Tiger Jet and W-Wing Catapult." The two machines took off into the sky and V-Tiger Jet docked itself on top of W-Wing Catapult, creating VW-Tiger Catapult once more.

"Now I shall combine X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank!" Z-Metal Tank opened up it sides and its cannons slid out as its top folded out to reveal a flat docking station. Y-Dragon Head detached its wings from its body as it docked on top of the yellow tank. X-Head Cannon then docked itself into the circular docking station on Y-Dragon Head's back. Once they had come together, they had created the powerful XYZ-Dragon Cannon (ATK/2800 DEF/2600).

"VW-Tiger Catapult, fire on Thunder Option Token!" VW-Tiger Catapult opened its silos and fired, sending several missiles across the air and exploded against the Thunder Option Token.

–––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 1500

**Mars:** 550

–––––––––––––––––

"Now XYZ-Dragon Cannon, destroy Blue Thunder T-45 with XYZ Hyper Cannon!" XYZ-Dragon Cannon took aim with X-Head Cannon's cannons, Y-Dragon Head's open dragon mouth, and Z-Metal Tank's cannons and fired at once. The combined blasts destroyed Jaeger's monster.

–––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 400

**Mars:** 550

–––––––––––––––––

"And now, for the greatest machine of all!" announced Mars. All the machines suddenly detached from each other save for X-Head Cannon and Y-Dragon Head. X-Head Cannon's head rolled back down its own back as its body folded forward,repositioning its cannons into a downward position. The arms detached from the shoulders as the latter folded up and the former folded in. W-Wing Catapult split into two and each half hooked up to where Y-Dragon Head's wings used to be. Z-Metal Tank split its treads off its main body, which attached to what was now X-Head Cannon's new back. The treads themselves opened a port in their backs and extended out a thin cylindrical rod each, found their ways into X-Head Cannon's hands. The entire machine thus far now resembled a giant robot with W-Wing Catapult as its legs and the tread of Z-Metal Tank as its arms. But all was not done. Now the body of V-Tiger Jet docked onto Z-Metal Tank's body where it would have accommodated Y-Dragon Head, whose wings attached to those of V-Tiger Jet. Finally, V-Tiger Jet's head came down on tip of X-Head Cannon's, creating a helmet.

"Behold, VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon!" The entire massive mechanical monster fired all of its weapons at once in a display of its power (ATK/3000 DEF/2800). "Now use your power to banish Jade Knight to another dimension!" VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon opened up the ports on its arms and rolled out its arm cannons as it took aim with its chest cannons while the dragon head on its groin opened its mouth. A volley of gunfire was unleashed and blasted Jade Knight into oblivion.

"I conclude," announced Mars, "and soon you shall too!"

"It's not over yet!" Jaeger drew his final card. "But it shall be soon for one of us! I summon another Victory Viper XX03!" A second Victory Viper XX03 appeared. Mars laughed.

"What can you do with such a weak creature?"

"I can power up a stronger one," answered the Duel Ace, "I now banish Victory Viper XX03 from my field, Victory Viper XX03 from my graveyard, Falchionβ, Lord British Space Fighter, Blue Thunder T-45, and DUCKER Mobile Cannon to summon Cyber Eltanin!" As all the space fighters vanished, a massive mechanical dragon head floated down and roared (ATK/? DEF/?). "Cyber Eltanin's attack and defense points are determined by the number of creatures used to summon it multiplied by five hundred. Since I banished six, that makes its power three thousand!" Six smaller mechanical dragon heads detached from Cyber Eltanin's back and floated around it.

"Our creatures are even," Mars pointed out, "Should your creature destroy mine, it will die in the process. And then I shall finish you off!"

"Don't be so sure," Jaeger answered, "Cyber Eltanin has another effect. When it's summoned, all other monsters on the field must be sent to the graveyard, including my opponent's."

"Hold, mortal! That would mean my creature..."

"Is dead. Constellation Siege!" The six small heads opened their mouths and began firing a barrage of laserfire upon VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon. They tore through its armor and blew off its weapons. An arm came off. Then a wing. Finally all six fired at once and blasted off the head. VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon staggered for a moment and then fell backward before erupting into a massive explosion.

"Now attack! Draconis Ascension!" With the path clear, the main head of Cyber Eltanin opened its mouth and fired a massive laser at Mars.

–––––––––––––––––

**Jaeger:** 400

**Mars:** 0

–––––––––––––––––

Mars' Duel Disk crumbled and broke off his arm, its pieces falling to the ground. "You haven't seen the last of me!" he snarled before enveloping himself in a sphere of red light. The symbol he had made when summoning his Duel Disk appeared on the sphere and he vanished.

"We must move," said Kuraz, "If Mars found us so easily, then we must make haste toward the City of Light."

"Then let's hurry," said Mikey.

The group quickly gathered up their belongings and then took off. Their destination was clear. The City of Light, home of the Lightsworn clan.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The City of Light, Svetloba, is home to the Lightsworn clan, warriors of the light sworn to defend the innocent. Wise, noble, and strong, they have kept their home safe from Hyperion's men. However, they are about to experience one like no other. See it happen next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	168. The City of Light

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-81**

**The City of Light**

The City of Light lived up to its name. A city made up entire of shining white marble that seemed to reflect all light that fell upon it. Two enormous pillars stretched high toward the sky and seemed to be the main focuses of the city. Sparkling streams of water ran along clean canals and down into a great lake at the bottom surrounded by trees greener than the Irish countryside. Mikey couldn't help but marvel at its beauty.

"I expected more guards," Jaeger commented.

"Believe me, Duel Ace, the Lightsworn are here. They guard the city constantly," said Zaborg, "They are the strongest military force in Heiratine despite their numbers."

"How many are there?"

"Thirteen," answered Mikey, having memorized his father's deck, "plus Judgment Dragon."

"Judgment Dragon sleeps in the clouds," Kuraz said, "The only way to awaken him is to light the beacons on those two towers."

"Is he that powerful in Ardent?"

"Verily."

Gabe gazed longingly at the lake. "I wanna go swimming. Anyone wanna come?"

"Now that you've suggested it, yeah," answered Mikey, "Did you bring any trunks?"

"No."

"I guess it doesn't matter. We can always swim in our underpants."

"I'm not wearing underpants."

Mikey glanced at his brother. "Charming!"

The two Monarchs looked at each other and lead the group toward the city gates. They would be safe once they were inside.

o o o

Mercury was in his study. It was a simple room with a large elegant window opposite the large wooden doors. A great big desk sat in the center with its chair back turned toward the window. The rest of the walls were lined with shelves upon shelves of books. A blue carpet covered the floor and matching drapes adorned the window. In front of the desk was a lighter blue rug emblazoned with a crest that resembled the female symbol with horns. Mercury had just retrieved a tome from one of the top shelves and flew down to his desk to read its contents. On his desk was a red card with the image of a rose in its artwork: a Red Rose Card. Beneath it was the great time he carried with him everywhere. As he proceeded to delve into his research, there was a knock at his door.

"Enter." The door opened an in flew the Titan of Light's messenger, the Agent of Mystery - Earth.

"Mercury, the master has given you a new order."

"What is it?"

"Where Mars failed, you are to resume. Find the Light Monarch and take out his entourage. They were last seen heading toward the City of Light."

"The City of Light?" Mercury shut his book and leaned back in his chair. "Interesting." He spread his wings and flew up toward his shelves again. He pulled out several books and two scrolls and brought them to his desk.

"What are those, may I ask?" Earth inquired as she fluttered over the desk.

"I've studied the City of Light before and was fortunate enough to acquire some rather vital information, including a map of the city." Mercury unfurled one of the scrolls and revealed a layout of the city in question. "The Lightsworn guard this city day and night, but no defense is impregnable. There is a weakness and I shall find it and exploit it."

"Oh and the Master said to take the Rose Card with you," Earth added, "He wishes that you finish the job that those Terrans could not."

"It shall be done." And with that, Earth left, leaving Hyperion's advisor, the Agent of Wisdom - Mercury, to his research.

o o o

The gates were guarded by a big Beast-Warrior named Wulf. Upon their arrival, he barred their path and growled. "Turn back. You are not welcome here."

"Hey, we're not here to make trouble," said Mikey.

"But surely you would make way for me?" asked Kuraz. Wulf looked up and gasped.

"Your Majesty!" He knelt down. "You've returned! Please, go in!" He opened the gates and allowed Kuraz to step inside the city with his entourage. The City of Light was even more magnificent on the inside. It wasn't long before their welcoming committee arrived. In the lead was a woman in white armor with a red-lined cloak. With her was a man in white with a large book and another woman in white robes with a staff. A white wolf seemed to be growling at the Angel boys.

"Majesty, it is good to see you again," the armored woman greeted.

"Like greetings to you as well Jain of the Lightsworn," Kuraz greeted back, "And an extended greeting to you as well, Aurkus and Lyla." The man, Aurkus, and the woman, Lyla, bowed respectfully while Jain, Lightsworn Paladin, knelt down and gently stroked the wolf's head.

These are not our enemies, Ryko," she whispered. The wolf seemed to calm down and then sat down before Jain turned back to the group. "Please, come with us." With the Lightsworn Paladin leading the way, the group made their way through the city.

"The city defenses appear to be as strong as ever," Kuraz noted.

"We are certainly most grateful for the training we received from the master," Aurkus acknowledged as they passed a clinic where the Lightsworn Mender, Jenis, was healing the wounds of the Lightsworn Warrior, Garoth. They passed the monastery where Ehren, Lightsworn Monk, was outdoors training her body. They stopped briefly when Celestia, Lightsworn Angel, descended from the sky upon seeing the two Monarchs in the city and conferred with Jain, during which time the cat-like Rinyan, Lightsworn Rogue, rubbed up against Mikey's leg. In the city's magi tower, Lumina the Lightsworn Summoner practiced her craft. The ever-majestic Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon, kept watch over the city as it flew over it in the sky, maintaining a constant vigil.

"So the Judgment Dragon sleeps now?" asked Amadis.

"We are most fortunate we have had no need to summon the Judgment Dragon," answered Jain, "The Titan of Light has made attempts to take our city, but thus far none of broken through the walls. We are impregnable."

"No fortress is impregnable," Jaeger responded. Jain ignored the Duel Ace's remark.

"We've kept the seal inside the vault ever since the incident that led to its destruction," said Aurkus, "Am I to presume you bring these Terran folk with you to restore it?"

"They're just children," remarked Jain.

"They may be children Jain, but I sense great potential in them," said Lyla.

"We promise we'll fix the seals and restore Kuraz to the throne," Mikey promised.

"I can assure you that Mikey is true to his word," Kuraz said.

"I trust your word then, Majesty," Jain said to the Light Monarch. "Now onto matters..."

o o o

Mercury's research had served him well. In spite of the City of Light's defenses, he had found one exploitable weakness. The guards were good. The gates were locked and guarded and the skies were constantly patrolled. However there was one entrance nobody had ever considered.

The waterways had betrayed the city as Mercury made his way through it using a spell that allowed him to turn into the clear and pure liquid. The moment he was in, he found a secluded spot and opened his tome. Tucked into the back cover was the Red Rose Card. After making assured of its presence in his possession, he proceeded.

o o o

Gabe excused himself from the group for a moment and went to relieve himself. As he allowed his bladder to empty itself, he caught a glimpse of something blue running past out of the corner out of his eye. It seemed curious. Why would someone in blue be moving around in a city where everybody wore white? His curiosity got the better of him and he followed. It didn't take him long to discover that the city had indeed been infiltrated. He wanted to go off and tell Mikey, but he knew that if he did so he would lose track of the intruder. He had to stay on him.

As Mercury continued walking through the streets, Gabe remained hidden just a few steps away. Eventually, the angel came to stop outside a building with a very strong door. "This is the vault," he said to himself. He put away the map he had used to navigate the city and opened his tome. "All this defense and all it took was the one place they never thought to look. I shall finish off that seal and leave before anybody will notice my presence."

"Not so fast!" Gabe stepped out with his rapier drawn and approached.

"You must be one of the Terrans," Mercury recognized, "Leave now, boy. I am far beyond your league."

"Worry about my league later. I'm here to stop you."

"What can a single child do against the Agent of Wisdom?" asked Mercury.

"Well while I was tailing you, I sent one of my guys out to find the others." As if on clue, Vylon Ohm came floating in with Mikey, Jaeger, Amadis, Kuraz, Zaborg, Jain, Lyla, and Aurkus in tow.

"Mercury!" Amadis gasped, "Not you too..."

"It's true!" Aurkus exclaimed, "We have an intruder!"

"Impossible! Our city is impregnable!" said Jain.

"They once said the same thing about Jericho and Troy," Mikey muttered.

"So you've found me," mused Mercury, "but it will do little to serve you."

"Maybe it can." Gabe sheathed his sword and put on his Duel Disk.

"Are you challenging me?" asked Mercury.

"Are you chickening out?"

"Certainly not."

"Then duel me."

"Such an arrogant child." The Agent of Wisdom shook his head. "Very well. But there's no escape from your fate.' Mercury shut his tome and held it in front of him as a crest resembling the female symbol with horns appeared on the cover in blue light. Water suddenly rose up from the waterways and the lake and converged onto a single spot in front of the blue angel. A sphere of liquid formed in front of him and then dispersed to reveal a blue angel wing Duel Disk which attached to his left arm. Mercury's tome disappeared and a flurry of cards flew out and into his deck slot. He then spread his wings and drew his starting hand.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 8000

**Mercury:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I shall commence." Mercury drew his first card. "I begin with the summoning of Arcana Force I - The Magician." An image of the card appeared over the field and began to slowly turn clockwise. "This is how it works. You must declare it to stop. Its power will be determined whether it lands upright or inverted."

Gabe clenched his fist. "Stop!" The card slowed down. When it finally came to a stop it was upright. In that instant, an alien creature wearing stripped pants and a high collar appeared (ATK/1100 DEF/1100).

"That shall be all," concluded Mercury.

"I draw!" Gabe drew his card. "I summon Vylon Ohm!" A floating gold and white mechanical angel appeared with cannons on its arms (ATK/1500 DEF/200). "Now I'll equip it with Vylon Material and boost its attack by six hundred." A laser cannon attached itself to one of its arms and Vylon Ohm's attack points rose up to twenty-one hundred. "Attack The Magician!" Gabe's monster took aim with its weapon and began charging.

"You won't destroy Arcana Force I - The Magician that way," said Mercury, "For when a spell has been invoked, his strength doubles temporarily." Arcana Force I - The Magician began to glow with a magical aura as its attack power rose to twenty-two hundred. "Counterattack with Spheroid Stream." The target began to cast a spell and then fired a myriad of magic orbs. They intercepted Vylon Ohm's attack and then pelted it until it died.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 7900

**Mercury:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"When Vylon Material goes to the graveyard, I can bring a new Vylon Spell from my deck to my hand." Gabe selected another Vylon Material. Then he looked at his hand. "I'll set a card and end my turn." At that moment, Arcana Force I - The Magician dropped back down to eleven hundred attack points.

Mercury drew his next card. "I summon Arcana Force III - The Empress." The card appeared in the air and, much like the first, began to rotate. "Call when you feel you are confident."

"Stop!" yelled Gabe. The card began to slow down. When it finally stopped, it was upright. In that moment, a female alien creature wearing a veil as a cloak appeared (ATK/1300 DEF/1300).

"When you Normal Summon or Set a monster, The Empress shall permit me to Special Summon one Arcana Force creature from my hand. But right now, I shall engage combat. Arcana Force III - The Empress, strike with Empress Breast Stingers." The Empress grew spikes out of her chest similar to the ones adorning her back and fired.

"Negate Attack!" Gabe revealed his facedown and a vortex absorbed the attack.

"Very well." Mercury took a card from his hand and set it in his backfield. "I conclude."

"Draw time!" Gabe drew his card. "I summon Sunlight Unicorn!" A sparkling white unicorn with a mane and tail of blue flame appeared and neighed (ATK/1800 DEF/1000).

"And thus The Empress blesses me with her power," announced Mercury, "Come forth, Arcana Force XIV - Temperance." Once more a card appeared and began rotating. Gabe yelled stop and it slowed down until it finally landed inverted. A creature with a large bulbous bottom half with arms like snakes tipped with sharp clawed hands appeared (ATK/2400 DEF/2400).

"When Temperance is inverted, all Battle Damage inflicted upon my opponent is halved," Mercury explained, "Alas I had prepared for such a misfortune. Revealing my Reversal of Fate. This can allow me to change one Arcana Force creature's power to its opposite power." In that instant, the card image behind Arcana Force XIV - Temperance uprighted itself. "Now all Battle Damage inflicted upon me is halved."

"Well then let's see if Sunlight Unicorn can shed some light on my hand. During my Main Phase, his effect lets me look at the top card of my deck. If it's an Equip Spell Card, it goes to my hand. If it isn't, it goes to the bottom of my deck. So here it goes!" Gabe took the top card of his deck and revealed it. "And there's my luck! It's Axe of Despair! I think I'll use it now." He equipped his new Spell Card to Sunlight Unicorn and watched it neigh as its attack points rose to twenty-eight hundred. "Attack Temperance!" Sunlight Unicorn fired a beam of light from its horn and struck down Arcana Force XIV - Temperance. Though because of its effect, Mercury received only half the damage.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 7900

**Mercury:** 7800

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I'm setting a card. Go."

Mercury drew his next card. "I summon Arcana Force VI - The Lovers." The card appeared and started rotating. Gabe yelled stop and it landed upright. An alien creature with long skinny arms and big hands looking like it was wearing a dress appeared (ATK/1600 DEF/1600). "When The Lovers is upright, it can be used as a Tribute for an Arcana Force creature that requires two tributes. Perfect for the power of Double Summon." As he played his card, Arcana Force I - The Magician doubled in attack points once more. "Now I sacrifice Arcana Force VI - The Lovers for Arcana Force XVIII - The Moon." Arcana Force VI - The Lovers vanished and a card appeared rotating. After Gabe called it to stop, it landed upright and a large machine appeared with several metal tentacles with a strange alien piloting it from within its chest (ATK/2800 DEF/2800). "When it appears upright, Arcana Force XVIII - The Moon permits me to summon a Moon Token each round. However, I shan't need it for long. Arcana Force XVIII - The Moon, attack and destroy Sunlight Unicorn!" Arcana Force XVIII - The Moon charged up an attack and fired.

"I activate my facedown, Magic Cylinder! It negates your attack and burns you for equal damage!" Gabe revealed his card and two purple tubes appeared. The blast went in one and then flew out the other and struck Mercury directly.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 7900

**Mercury:** 5000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I will conclude," announced Mercury, causing Arcana Force I - The Magician to return to his original attack points of eleven hundred.

"That's what I thought." Gabe drew his card. "Vylon Charger!" He summoned out a tall cylindrical angellic machine with arms and halos surrounding its body (ATK/1000 DEF/1000).

"And thus The Empress blesses me with her power. Come forth, Arcana Force IV - The Emperor!" A black winged machine with clawed tentacles appeared after Gabe called stop and it landed upright (ATK/1400 DEF/1400). "When The Emperor is upright, all Arcana Force gain a boost in power." Arcana Force IV - The Emperor plugged several of its tentacles into its fellow Arcana Force monsters and raised their attack points by five hundred: Arcana Force I - The Magician to sixteen hundred, Arcana Force III - The Empress to eighteen hundred, Arcana Force XVIII - The Moon to thirty-three hundred, and himself to nineteen hundred.

"I equip Vylon Charger with Vylon Material. So now all my Light monsters gain three hundred attack points for each Equip Card on my Charger." In that moment, Vylon Charger's attack points rose to nineteen hundred while Sunlight Unicorn's became thirty-one hundred. Now it was time to do some damage.

"Sunlight Unicorn, attack The Emperor!" Sunlight Unicorn fired its horn beam toward Arcana Force IV - The Emperor and killed him instantly.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 7900

**Mercury:** 3800

–––––––––––––––––––––

With Arcana Force IV - The Emperor dead, all the other Arcana Force monsters returned to their earlier attack points. "Now Vylon Charger, attack The Empress!" Vylon Charger took aim with its Vylon Material and fired, piercing the heart of Arcana Force III - The Empress.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 7900

**Mercury:** 3200

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Now you can't Special Summon from the hand when I summon," Gabe said confidently. "I end my turn."

Mercury drew his card. "I invoke the power of The Moon. Come forth, Moon Token!" A smaller version of Arcana Force XVIII - The Moon appeared as a level one Light Fairy with zero attack and defense points. "Now I use the Cup of Ace." An image of the Spell Card appeared and began rotating. "If the card lands upright, I can draw twice. If it lands inverted, you may draw twice. Now make your declaration."

"Stop!" Upon hearing Gabe's voice the card began to slow down. Finally it landed upright and Mercury drew two cards. At the same time, Arcana Force I - The Magician doubled in attack points once again.

"It appears fortune smiles upon me. I now activate another Cup of Ace." A second card appeared and after Gabe declared it to stop, it landed upright once more. It annoyed him even further when it turned out his opponent somehow got another Cup of Ace. However, thankfully, this last one landed inverted, allowing Gabe to draw two new cards.

"I now summon Arcana Force VII - The Chariot." The card appeared and started rotating. When Gabe declared it to stop, it landed upright and a strange machine resembling a hooka with multiple pipes as its arms and tentacles appeared (ATK/1700 DEF/1700). "The time has come. I shall now sacrifice Arcana Force I - The Magician, Arcana Force VII - The Chariot, and Moon Token to summon a creature of unfathomable power. Each of the aforementioned monsters became bathed in a column of light of red, blue, and green. They came together and became a single column of white light from which a single card appeared, rotating once again.

"Stop!" shouted Gabe. When the card finally ceased rotating, it landed upright.

"Arcana Force EX - The Light Ruler!" From the card emerged an enormous alien monster with two large clawed arms, a long slender tail, and two dragon heads coming out of its back (ATK/4000 DEF/4000). "Since The Light Ruler is upright, when it destroys a creature I can return a fallen one to the heavens. But now, I must first dispose of your Vylon Charger. Arcana Force XVIII - The Moon, destroy it!" Arcana Force XVIII - The Moon targetted the cylinder and fired. Vylon Charger was engulfed by the beam and destroyed.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 7000

**Mercury:** 3200

–––––––––––––––––––––

Without Vylon Charger on the field, Sunlight Unicorn lost its three-hundred point boost, bringing it back down to twenty-eight hundred. "Arcana Force EX - The Light Ruler, destroy Sunlight Unicorn! The End of Ray!" Arcana Force EX - The Light Ruler opened its dragon heads' mouths and fired white beams of light that destroyed the target creature.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 5800

**Mercury:** 3200

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I shall now use The Light Ruler's power to return the Magician from the grave." Mercury removed Arcana Force I - The Magician from his graveyard and placed it in his hand. "I now conclude."

Gabe drew his next card. "I set a monster and end." That was all he could do.

Mercury drew and Arcana Force XVIII - The Moon summoned a Moon Token in defense mode. "I now invoke the Light Barrier!" He placed the card inside his field tray and a wall of light surrounded the entire dueling field.

"What the hell is this?" asked Gabe.

"As long as the Light Barrier is active, I may select which power my Arcana Force creatures can use. So now I summon Arcana Force I - The Magician with its upright power!" Arcana Force I - The Magician appeared once again on the field alongside its two larger comrades.

"Arcana Force XVIII - The Moon, destroy." The massive machine fired its lasers and destroyed Gabe's facedown Vylon Vanguard. "Now Arcana Force I - The Magician, strike him down." Arcana Force I - The Magician cast its spell and bombarded Gabe with countless orbs of light.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 4700

**Mercury:** 3200

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Arcana Force EX - The Light Ruler, strike him down! The End of Ray!" Arcana Force EX - The Light Ruler opened its dragon mouths and shot Gabe directly with two powerful beams of light, blowing him back and slamming him into the Light Barrier.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 700

**Mercury:** 3200

–––––––––––––––––––––

"GABE!" Mikey shouted.

"All is lost to you," Mercury said.

"I'm...not out yet!" As Gabe slowly rose to his feet, a red light seemed to glow through his pants.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Kuraz.

"A Rose Mark!" exclaimed Mikey. Upon hearing his brother's words, Gabe looked down and saw the light glowing. Without a moment's hesitation he undid his belt and opened up his pants. Amadis quickly turned red and covered her eyes.

"GABE!" Mikey didn't want to see his brother stripping right in the middle of a duel, but Gabe had to be sure. There it was, on his right thigh, a glowing mark in the shape of a rose.

"Looks like it's over." Gabe did his pants back up and drew his card, a trail of red light and rose petals seeming to follow it as it left his Duel Disk. "I summon Sunlight Unicorn!" Another Sunlight Unicorn took the field and neighed. "And now for his effect." He removed the top card of his deck and looked at it. It was Big Bang Shot. "I now equip my Unicorn with Big Bang Shot, raising its attack points by four hundred and giving it piercing." Sunlight Unicorn neighed again as its attack power rose to twenty-two hundred.

"It matters not. Your creature could never overpower my own," said Mercury.

"Who says I need overpower it?" asked Gabe, "I just gotta shoot past it. I equip my monster now with Shooting Star Bow - Ceal. At the loss of a thousand attack points, my monster can attack directly." Sunlight Unicorn's attack points fell to twelve hundred.

"You speak of great feats, and yet you appear unable to deliver," observed Mercury.

"Oh I'm not done yet." Gabe played a card. "First, Axe of Despair." With a thousand-point boost, Sunlight Unicorn regained the one thousand attack points it had lost. "Next, another Axe of Despair." The beast's attack points rose again to thirty-two hundred.

"And now for the overkill. Mage Power! With this, he gains five hundred for every Spell or Trap on my field. And I filled up my entire backfield with this, so it's twenty-five hundred points!" Sunlight Unicorn neighed loudly as its attack points skyrocketed to fifty-seven hundred attack points.

"Sunlight Unicorn, finish him!" shouted Gabe. Sunlight Unicorn reared up neighing once again and began galloping forward. It ran past Arcana Force EX - The Light Ruler and targeted Mercury himself. Its horn shined brightly as a beam extended from it, elongating the horn even more. Sunlight Unicorn leapt forth and stabbed its horn through Mercury's chest.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Gabe:** 700

**Mercury:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––

Mercury staggered back as Gabe's field vanished and the Light Barrier along with the Arcana Force monsters disappear. He clutched his wound and the Red Rose Card fell from his person. "My wisdom...outdone by a brash child..." He folded his wings around himself and was surrounded by a sphere of blue light before being transported away.

"Gabe, you alright?" Mikey asked as he ran over to his brother. Kuraz, meanwhile, held out his hand and summoned the Rose Card to it. He examined it briefly and handed it to Gabe.

"This is yours."

"Now the seal can be fixed!" Aurkus declared.

"Follow me," said Jain, "I shall take you into the vault."

A walk followed and soon the group entered through a sealed door into a large room in the middle of which lay the shattered remains of the UnGod's seal. Gabe stepped forward and held out the Rose Card. His Rose Mark began to glow and the crystal fragments rose up and began spinning around the center of the room, slowly re-merging back together until at last the crystal had been restored, now a bright red instead of its former shade of black.

"The seal has been restored," announced Kuraz.

"We shall continue to guard it," Jain assured the Light Monarch.

"We are most grateful for all that you have done," Aurkus said to Gabe, "If there's anything we can do for you."

"Actually, there is," answered Gabe.

A few moments later, Mikey and Gabe were splashing around in the lake. The former had opted to keep his boxers on, but the latter felt that there was no need for swimwear. Eventually, Mikey caved in and just let his brother do what he wanted. After all, Gabe had just saved the entire city from destruction. He deserved to enjoy his break.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Our heroes make their way toward the Sanctuary in the Sky. But to get there, they must fly. However, the airspace of Heiratine is under the watchful eye of another of Master Hyperion's Agents. Can our heroes make their way to the floating temple in the clouds? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	169. Ascension

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-82**

**Ascension**

The group had spent the evening resting in the City of Light, although the term "evening" seemed relative. Instead of complete darkness, the sky of Heiratine changed to a dim twilight. Mikey and Gabe had already gone to bed. Jaeger, who never slept much anyway, had decided to use the time to resume his studies. He sat out in the gardens with a book teaching himself Mandarin. Amadis had gone to the church to pray, leaving Kuraz and Zaborg to speak with Jain and Aurkus.

"With the seal restored, the city can protect itself," said Jain, "Majesties, it would be our honor to aid your fight against the Titan of Light."

"Your help is most appreciated and welcome. We shall require all assistance we are offered," Kuraz said in thanks.

"Then I shall prepare the men? We can march at dawn. Tis only a day's journey. We can assemble and set up camp by nightfall."

"Not just yet," replied the Light Monarch, "First we must ascend to the sky."

"The floating sanctuary," Zaborg said. Kuraz nodded.

"Understood. But getting the Terrans there shall be no simple feat," Aurkus pointed out. "One does not simply walk to the Sanctuary in the Sky."

"Zaborg and I can approach it easily enough. But Mikey and the others will need help. We will require Gragonith."

"It can be done," answered Jain. She stood up. "I'll have him ready for you at dawn."

"Thank you, Jain. You and the Lightsworn shall be a great asset to us in the upcoming battle."

"Then we shall bid you good night," said Aurkus.

o o o

Morning came quickly and Mikey and Gabe were served a breakfast of fresh fruit by Ehren. "Eat up, boys!" she said enthusiastically, "Once you're full, you're gonna head on up to that big old Sanctuary in the Sky. There's some kinda seal up there the king wants you to fix."

"For a monk, you don't sound like the really enlightened type," Gabe noted.

"Oh, I'm new," Ehren replied before walking off.

"Good morning everyone," greeted Amadis as she entered.

"Morning," Mikey greeted back. Amadis sat down and reached for a bulbous yellow fruit.

"What's the plan today?" she asked as she took her first bite.

"Kuraz filled me in. We're going up to the Sanctuary in the Sky to fix the next seal," Mikey answered.

"How are we getting up?"

"We're riding Gragonith. Say nothing, Gabe!"

"I wasn't gonna!"

"You were about to."

"No I wasn't."

"Does it really matter?" Jaeger interrupted as he walked in. "When shall we leave?"

"As soon as we can," said Mikey, "Kuraz wants us to get this done quickly so we can meet up with the Lightsworns before the big battle."

"You know this isn't going to be an easy fight, right bro?" asked Gabe.

"Yeah, I know."

"So on that issue, when are you getting a new deck?"

Mikey fell silent. He had no answer. Luckily for him he didn't need to come up with one as Lyla entered the house. "It is time," she said.

Gragonith was waiting for them in the city square. He was already down on his stomach and a ramp had been made to allow Mikey, Gabe, Jaeger, and Amadis to mount his back. Mikey looked at Kuraz who was still speaking with Zaborg and Jain.

"Um, Kuraz?" The Light Monarch turned and looked toward Mikey. "What if we get attacked on our way up?"

Kuraz had somehow anticipated this from Mikey and introduced him to a mechanical white warrior with golden weapons. "This is Beehive, Mikey. He can protect you on your way to the Sanctuary. Zaborg and I shall meet you there. But should you require assistance, Mikey, you need only call for me."

"Thanks Kuraz." Mikey felt more reassured as he grasped onto Gragonith's mane. The magnificent Lightsworn Dragon flapped his wings and took off to the skies.

"Jain, we entrust you with everything now," Kuraz said turning to the Lightsworn Paladin. He then crossed his arms over his chest and vanished in a beam of light. Kuraz stamped his foot against the ground and disappeared in a flash of lightning.

o o o

The flight up on Gragonith's back was a pleasant one and nothing like what Mikey had envisioned. There was no massive rush of wind pressing him down, no steep incline, and no fear of falling. It was as if the Lightsworn Dragon himself had gone out of his way to ensure a safe and enjoyable flight. In fact, Mikey felt like he was having fun. Gabe was sitting in front of him whooping from the thrill while Amadis was right behind him. Jaeger sat in the back keeping the girl firmly in place. Mikey turned his head to the side and saw a stream of light flying up alongside them and smiled. Kuraz was with them. Somehow having the Light Monarch there gave him a feeling of reassurance. Even though Beehive was flying beside Gragonith, Kuraz's presence was just all the more reassuring.

"So how far are we flying?" asked Mikey.

"We must ascend above the clouds," Kuraz's voiced echoed. "The Sanctuary sits high above Heiratine, well out of reach of mortals."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You see, the fairies have always considered themselves more like angels. And so they believe that the Sanctuary in the Sky is their sacred haven."

"But it's not actually Heaven, right?"

"No, it is not."

"So it's just like Skyworld."

There was a short pause. "...what?"

"Mikey plays _Kid Icarus: Uprising_," answered Gabe.

"Kuraz, what is this of which they speak?" asked Zaborg, his voice echoing from the surrounding air.

"It is just a small piece of Terran entertainment," answered the Light Monarch.

"Well tell them to stay focused. The Titan of Light keeps a guard out on patrol in the skies. There is no telling when they will strike." All of a sudden, a burst of energy shot past them and now narrowly miss Gragonith.

"And speak of the devil," said Kuraz.

Mikey looked in the direction from which the blast and come and saw a fleet of Cyber Dragons flying toward them. "We're in trouble." The silver serpentine machines glided through the air as if swimming. Alongside them were several smaller creatures including Cyber Valleys, Cyber Larvae, Proto-Cyber Dragons, and Cyber Dragon Zweis.

"Beehive, keep the Terrans safe," ordered Kuraz.

"It shall be done, Royalty," replied Beehive as the honeycomb ports that lined his body seemed to glow with golden light.

"No need," Jaeger said with excitement in his voice at the same moment Gragonith's burden seemed to lighten.

"What is he doing!" Mikey yelled as everyone looked on in shock at Jaeger leaping off the back of the glorious golden dragon. The action was so sudden that no one had proper time to stop him. What had been going through the mind of the Duel Ace to cause him to leap off the back of their beast of transportation? And as if to answer that question the roar of an engine tore through the atmosphere, bellowing out a cry louder than a crack of thunder.

"The hell!" Gabe said in surprise as a streak of silver whizzed by and enveloped the falling form of Jaeger, streaking through the sky like a shooting star. And as they watched the roaring bolt of silver their eyes began to focus and they realized that was exactly what had come. Jaeger's jet, the _Shooting Star_.

"Well, it seems the aviator found a way to summon his vehicle." Kuraz mused as he watched the jet rocket toward the fleet of Cyber Dragons.

"Do you think he can take them all on by himself?" asked Mikey.

"He will require assistance," Zaborg said before his lightning bolt shot after the _Shooting Star_.

In the midst of the fray, Jaeger had already begun his work. He wove his jet across the heavy barrage of Evolution Bursts being fired upon him by the Cyber Dragons. He did a barrel roll to his left to avoid another blast and flew in. Once he found himself in range of the silver serpents, he locked on his missiles. He waited for a bit longer before firing off a pair of Sidewinders. The first struck one of the Cyber Dragons at the base of it lower jaw and the second flew into another's open mouth and detonated inside it, destroying its target from the inside.

"I have their attention now," Jaeger reported as he pulled away. The Cyber Larvae and Cyber Valleys were now approaching. He turned around and started firing with his jet's guns. The smaller creatures threw themselves forward and were ripped apart in a hail of bullets. But in the wake of their deaths, the scraps of their bodies seemed to give off a mysterious light that enshrouded their larger units. Jaeger turned his guns back toward the Cyber Dragons and fired again, but his attacks were deflected.

"Cyber Valley and Cyber Larva have the power to block enemy fire!" Zaborg said as he suddenly appeared. He cast his staff skyward and a bolt of lightning came down on top of one of the Cyber Dragons, blasting it into shrapnel in an instant. One of the Proto-Cyber Dragons slammed into the Thunder Monarch's back and he turned around to knock it back before thrusting the head of his weapon into its mouth and unleashing a blast of electricity into its body, resulting in the overload of its systems and inevitable destruction. He swiftly changed back into his elemental travel form before gravity to get ahold of him.

As Jaegar zoomed across the sky he noticed a blip on his radar; a Cyber Dragon had gotten behind him. Quickly the Duel Ace banked left, decelerating quickly before pulling up behind the beast. The entire motion was so fluid and graceful that it seemed as if the plane were simply dancing within the sky around the Cyber Dragon. The mechanical monster couldn't even respond to how quickly Jaeger was able to retaliate before the German pilot unleashed a hail of gunfire that cracked against the metal dragon's body, each round piercing and exploding as they tore it apart.

"Holy shit..." Gabe said in disbelief as he watched Jaeger weave across the sky, dismantling each and every Cyber Dragon in sight. Before the younger Angel boy could think too much on the moment, however, he felt the wind whipping against his face pick up as Gragonith sped up quickly.

"Quickly, it seems our aviator friend has created an opening," Kuraz said with a nod. "We shall have to trust that he is as good as he says he is."

There was a crackle of radio static as they heard Jaeger's voice ring out from the _Shooting Star_, "I am not that good, Kuraz. I am much better."

"Gragonith, giddyup!" yelled Gabe. He kicked the Lightsworn Dragon's sides with his heels and Gragonith flapped his wings harder and accelerated. As they flew into the fray, two Cyber Dragons pulled away from the fleet and encroached on them. Kuraz suddenly came out of his beam of light and thrust Excalibur into the air. The blade lit up with brilliant golden light and he swung his weapon, casting a beam that cut through the Cyber Dragons with one attack. A Cyber Dragon Zwei came up roaring, but was cleaved in two when Kuraz's shining sword cut through its open mouth and cut it along the length of its body.

"Thanks Kuraz," said Mikey.

"Keep going," the Light Monarch replied before vanishing in beam of light again. As soon as he was gone, another pair of Cyber Dragon Zwei attacked. Beehive positioned himself between them and Gragonith and fired four missiles from the honeycomb ports on his shoulders. They streaked off in pairs and blasted down the two attackers.

"Kuraz was right to pick you for the job!" Mikey yelled over the rush of the wind.

"It's not over yet," Beehive answered, "They've brought reinforcements."

"What?" Mikey looked off in the distance and paled a little. A fleet of Cyber Twin Dragons was now approaching.

"They must've been alerted that there was fighting going on here," Amadis guessed.

As the Cyber Twin Dragons approached, they began launching their Evolution Twin Bursts, an Evolution Burst fired from each mouth. The _Shooting Star_ flew across the sky toward them and opened fire on them. Even with his armor-piercing rounds, Jaeger's guns could only do half the damage to these newcomers to the fight. The Duel Ace growled and rolled out of the way as the creature he fired upon returned fire. He quickly stuffed his deck into the deck slot of his Duel Terminal on his left side. "Lord British Space Fighter, Victory Viper XX03, to the field!" He slapped two cards onto the Monster Zones and the two space fighters appeared on either side of the _Shooting Star_ serving as wingmen. "Enemy fire is heavy. Cover me." The three fighters flew in formation as Jaeger banked right and began a new attack. Zaborg appeared briefly for a moment and cast another lightning bolt that downed one of the Cyber Twin Dragons before vanishing back into his elemental form. Beehive continued firing his missiles. Eventually, it seemed that at the very least, the first wave had gone. There were still some Cyber Dragon and Cyber Dragon Zwei stragglers, but the Proto-Cyber Dragons, Cyber Valleys, and Cyber Larvae were all gone.

Beehive then turned his weapons on the Cyber Twin Dragons and fired, but his missiles were stopped when a creature similar to a Cyber Dragon appeared, but with an enormous collar attached to its neck. It was a Cyber Barrier Dragon! And more were on their way. Even though the Cyber Valleys and Cyber Larvae were all gone, these had come to take their place and perform their duty. Additionally, Cyber Laser Dragons had joined the fray and had begun firing the lasers on their tails. Beehive fought valiantly, but there were far too many targets now.

"Royalty, there's too many!" he shouted. Kuraz appeared and used his rays of light to slay a Cyber Barrier Dragon and a Cyber Laser Dragon each.

"Then I shall summon Omega and Pleiades to aid you!" He thrust Excalibur toward the sky and fired a beam of light toward the heavens. Shortly after he had done so, two more beings in white armor descended. One was a quadrupedal centaur-like creature with great wings. The other was a warrior with a cape that seemed to work like wings and carried a sword with an enormous hand guard that doubled as a second blade. The former was Omega, the latter was Pleiades.

"Aid Beehive in protecting Gragonith until it reaches its destination!" ordered Kuraz.

"As you command, my king!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Kuraz nodded and then vanished back into his beam of light. He reappeared elsewhere on the battlefield and sank his sword into a Cyber Dragon. A Cyber Twin Dragon, meanwhile, flew forward and sent another blast toward Gragonith.

"Back, fiend!" Pleiades flew in front of the Lightsworn Dragon and deflected the attack back at its source, hitting Cyber Twin Dragon with enough power to blast it away.

Jaeger opened fire on a Cyber Laser Dragon and was blocked by a Cyber Barrier Dragon. He then pulled away and Lord British Space Fighter and Victory Viper XX03 followed up and fired as the Cyber Barrier Dragon dropped its shield to recharge it. The two of them were quickly dispatched and the smaller fighters went back into formation.

Omega moved forward and attacked a Cyber Barrier Dragon that had been protecting two Cyber Twin Dragons. As expected, it erected a barrier to block the attack. Beehive powered up his next set of projectiles with his own power and then fired four more missiles. They shot through the air and took down the two Cyber Twin Dragons, the Cyber Barrier Dragon, and one Cyber Laser Dragon before it could fire off a shot.

Kuraz and Zaborg appeared simultaneously. They touched their weapons together and a combination of light and lightning shot up and rained down on a group of Cyber Barrier Dragons. They vanished once more and then reappeared on opposite sides to take down a trio of Cyber Twin Dragons.

Pleiades blasted away another Cyber Twin Dragon before sinking his blade into the head of a Cyber Laser Dragon. He pulled out and kicked the now disabled robot into the fire of another Cyber Laser Dragon. A Cyber Twin Dragon flew at him with its mouths blazing from behind, but Beehive gave his fellow soldier a power boost, allowing him to take the attack. Pleiades cut through the Evolution Twin Burst with his blade and landed on the gap in between his attacker's necks. He quickly stabbed the right one in the base and flew around in a circle. With the joints broken, Omega now flew in and slammed his hooves on top of the right head and broke it off. He leapt off to leave Pleiades to finish up while he grabbed hold of a Cyber Barrier Dragon and used its shield to protect himself from another Cyber Twin Dragon's attack. As soon as it was gone, he leapt off before a second attack could destroy him and instead hit the Barrier Dragon. He flew away and landed on a Cyber Laser Dragon before it could shoot Beehive in the back. He moved to grab hold of the creature's tail and pointed it instead at more incoming Cyber Twin Dragons. The laser fired and he swept it along horizontally, destroying all the twin-headed units in front of him. He then turned around and held his captive steady as Beehive turned and fired two missiles to destroy Cyber Laser Dragon.

"I think that's all of them!" Gabe shouted. Indeed it seemed that all around them there was nothing left except for scraps of silver metal, circuitry, and wire plummetting to the ground below.

"It is not over yet," said Kuraz, "Now their strongest come."

"Out there!" Mikey shouted pointing in the distance. Everyone looked and they saw what it was. Four Cyber End Dragons now approached with an enormous Cyber Eltanin behind them. Cyber Eltanin was surrounded with dragon head remote probes.

"Now it all makes sense," Jaeger said.

"What does?" asked Amadis.

"All the creatures we just destroyed were just a setup for this," answered the Duel Ace, "Cyber Eltanin is being powered by the energy of the destroyed machines."

"We've been set up!" Amadis realized.

"Perhaps not intentionally, but that does appear to be the case," said Kuraz, "There's only one thing to do." Gragonith spreads out his wings and response and flew up faster than before.

"Units, attack!" ordered Jaeger. He flew ahead with his wingmen on eitherside of him. One of the Cyber End Dragons opened its mouths and began firing in his direction. The three fighters flew erratically to avoid getting hit and once they were within range they engaged in retaliatory fire. However, not even Jaeger's armor-piercing rounds could penetrate that armor. He pulled away and opted for another strategy. He played two Power Capsules and two Option Tokens appeared, joining his formation. He moved in closer and then ordered the tokens to move ahead and attack. Just as he had planned, they were caught in Cyber End Dragon's fire and were destroyed. However, it was all he needed. He flew the clouds of smoke that had resulted in his sacrifice and announced "Fox Three!" as he fired a Slammer from the _Shooting Star_. It soared through the air and into Cyber End Dragon's center mouth. A few moment later an explosion erupted from inside its chest and all three heads were blown clean off at the base of their necks.

Cyber Eltanin's head seemed to be multiplying with every passing second. Pleiades, Omega, and Beehive worked hard to contain their numbers. As the three Sacred Star Warriors approached, Cyber Eltanin opened fire and rained a barrage of energy blasts. The trio weaved to and fro to avoid getting hit and proceeded to the heads. Pleiades cut three as he passed while Beehive fired his missiles and destroyed four while taking out three more with his weapons' splash radius. Omega grabbed one of the heads and aimed it at another just as the two were firing. He released it and moved on as the two heads destroyed each other.

Zaborg appeared and landed on the back of one of the remaining Cyber End Dragons. Without a moment's hesitation, he blasted an opening in the armor and stuck the base of his staff inside it. He then raised his arms up and called for the forces of nature. They heeded his cries and lightning struck the head of his staff, which conducted it down into Cyber End Dragon. The sudden excess of electricity quickly overloaded its circuits and it exploded. As the body began to fall, Zaborg pulled out his staff and disappeared in a bolt of lightning.

Kuraz appeared and swung Excalibur, cutting two more of Cyber Eltanin's head in half. He vanished and reappeared elsewhere to cut down two more heads. "We cannot keep this up forever!"

"I still have one more missile left!" said Jaeger, "However, it will be dangerous to use it."

"Is it a nuclear missile?" Gabe asked over the radio. Jaeger said nothing.

"Use it!" Zaborg cried as he appeared and blasted some heads.

"No! The aftereffects will be total disaster!" shouted Mikey.

"Jaeger, you have my permission," Kuraz said calmly.

"W-what?" Mikey was flabbergasted, "Why Kuraz? The nuclear energy will wipe out all life!"

"We have magic, Mikey," the Light Monarch said calmly, "We can contain it."

"Then let us bid these creatures Auf Wiedersehen." Jaeger readied his missile. "Clear the target area." The Monarchs and the Sacred Star Knights cleared the way and gave the man a clear shot. Jaeger pressed the button and his last missile shot forward. All eyes watched with anticipation and dread as it was rained upon with enemy fire. Jaeger could feel his muscles tense, but he did not notice the white light that seemed to be coming from his right Achilles tendon.

Despite all the fire that was coming toward it, all of it seemed to miss the nuclear missile and now it flew into the mouth of Cyber Eltanin's main head and detonated. The resulting explosion tore Cyber Eltanin apart and all of its heads as well as the two remaining Cyber End Dragons were caught up in the blast radius. Together, Kuraz, Zaborg, Beehive, Omega, and Pleiades worked to contain the energy within a fixed spherical diameter. Cyber Eltanin and its last two Cyber End Dragons were gone now. All that was left to do was get rid of what had destroyed it.

"The different dimension!" Amadis suddenly realized. She reached into Mikey's back pocket, which caught him by surprise, and pulled out a card. It was Interdimensional Matter Transporter. Mikey was genuinely surprised he still had that card at all since most of his deck had been wiped blank. Amadis quickly sent the card down and an interdimensional transport machine appeared. The two monarchs of Heiratine moved the energy into it and then sent it off to its destination. They waited for the Interdimensional Matter Transporter to return, but it never did. The atomic energy had torn it apart as soon as it arrived on the other side. With the battle over, the Sacred Star Knights returned to their place of standby and Jaeger, Kuraz, and Zaborg rejoined the others on Gragonith's back.

"So it's done then?" asked Amadis.

"It has," Jaeger replied.

"Then it's onward to the Sanctuary in the Sky." Mikey held no tight as Gragonith picked up speed again. A beam of light, a bolt of lightning, and a fighter jet followed after.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The Sanctuary in the Sky, home to the Fairies of Heiratine. As Mikey and his friends explore these sacred halls in search of the next seal of the UnGod, they face trial. Judgment befalls them next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	170. Ancient Sanctuary

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-83**

**Ancient Sanctuary**

Jaeger left his plane out in the courtyard while Gragonith dropped off the others and then took off. "Where do we go from here?" asked Mikey.

"You will need to seek out Athena," Kuraz explained, "She guards the Rose Card you will need to restore the seal. You may find her at the Court of Justice. She is often in the company of the Archlords."

"Is she the ruler of the Sanctuary?"

"Technically there is no ruler, but there is a leader and Athena is not. She merely commands the forces."

"Who is the leader then?" asked Jaeger.

"That would be me." A tall woman dressed in Egyptian armor appeared. Her headdress appeared to be adorned with what seemed to be the Millennium Eye. Around her neck were the Millennium Tauk and the Millennium Ring while her belt buckle was the Millennium Puzzle. She carried the Millennium Scales in one hand while in the other she carried a staff tipped on either end with the Millennium Anhk and the Millennium Rod.

"Ma'at."

"Majesty Kuraz." Ma'at bowed before him. "It is good that you have returned. What is your business here?"

"Primarily we seek out the UnGod's seal, but we also require assistance in the upcoming battle against the Titan of Light."

"Then let us deal with the more important matters first. I shall summon Athena. In the meantime, the Terrans are free to explore."

"Thank you, Ma'at," Amadis replied, bowing in respect. Mikey followed suit and then Jaeger and Gabe. Ma'at nodded and turned to go get her general.

As the group proceeded to explore the Sanctuary in the Sky and locate the seal, a pair of eyes observed them from the shadows.

o o o

It was a room that seemed to rotate. The walls were black and studded with what looked like stars while the floor was comprised of several concentric circles moving around the center of the room at difference paces. In the circle closest to the center stood Mercury facing outward. In the next circle was Venus. Two circles away from her stood Mars. Behind him, a large silhouette occupied the next circle while the last appeared empty. At the very center was a large glowing orange sphere.

Earth suddenly flew into the room and took her place in the third circle from the center. Once she had arrived, the doors closed and Hyperion's face appeared. "Master, I've news that Kuraz and the Terrans have successfully arrived at the Sanctuary in the Sky," she reported.

"I had suspected as much," Hyperion mused.

"Just let me at them again!" Mars barked, "I promise you, Master, I will not fail you this time."

"Your enthusiasm is admirable, but it would be most unwise for you to go," Mercury pointed out.

"I have already dispatched another Agent to deal with them." At that very mention, everybody seemed to look at the empty outermost circle.

"A wise decision, Master," said Mercury.

"Earth, what else have you to say?" asked Hyperion.

"The Lightsworn have mobilized," was Earth's answer, "However with their small numbers I doubt they'll be a threat."

"But if Kuraz plans to build an army to fight us, then there will be reason to worry," Venus spoke out.

"True, the Lightsworn are powerful warriors. Defeating them shall be a challenge," Mercury thought aloud.

"The Lightsworn are no army. They are of little concern to me in their present state."

"I advise keeping watch though, Master," Mercury suggested.

"Very well then. This assembly is adjourned." Hyperion's face vanished and the Agents surrounded themselves in colored spheres of light and flew off. Earth was the last to leave as she encased herself in a blue and green orb of light.

o o o

Mikey was genuinely enjoying himself at the Sanctuary in the Sky. The entire floating island looked as though a piece of an ancient Greek city had been raised above the clouds. There was an open-roof throne room adorned with great red curtains. This was the Hall of the Fallen as he quickly learned. He had seen Airknight Parshath practicing his swordsmanship. Winged Kuribohs fluttered around cooing happily with Kuribons while Marshmallons and Watapons frolicked together. Gellenduos floated together in pair, never once leaving each other's company. Honest sat in the temple meditating. Shining Friendship and Happy Lover were bouncing up and down together in great mirth and glee. The serene notes of the Spirit of the Harp could be heard all over the Sanctuary. Skelengels flew around delivering messages.

It almost seemed like Heaven.

After some exploration, Mikey and the others received a message to meet in the amphitheater. When they arrived, Ma'at was there along with Athena, Archlord Kristya, and Archlord Zerato. "These are the Terrans?" Athena asked.

"They are," Ma'at confirmed. Athena, goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, just warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill stepped forward.

"I sense two of you already possess your own, but one of you lacks the Mark. And another I sense who possesses the Mark, but no card." Athena turned to Jaeger and extended her arm out to him holding an object in her fingers. Jaeger took it in his gloved hand. It was a White Rose Card.

"Where may we find the seal?" asked the Duel Ace.

"Can we get some food first?" asked Gabe.

"Food can come later. We need to look for the seal," said Zaborg.

"St. Joan guards the seal," Athena replied," Follow me." She led them across the Sanctuary and through the Court of Justice. Along the way she took them through a building that resembled a courthouse. Just before they could leave, however, the sound of a banging gavel echoed.

"Peculiar. Nobody should be here," Athena thought out loud. She closed her eyes and focused her senses. There was a presence here. She took her spear and threw it at the judge's stand. A purple-skinned angel with dark wings suddenly sprang out in surprise. He was garbed in white and had dark blue wings and fine blond hair.

"Who are you?" demanded Athena as Archlord Zerato held the stranger at swordpoint.

"I am Saturn, the Agent of Judgment. I've come to pass judgment on the Terrans who dared to tread upon Master Hyperion's land." He spoke with a very suave and dignified voice. His eyes became fixated on Mikey and suddenly the boy found himself being lifted into the air by an invisible force and placed on the witness stand.

"Starting with you."

Mikey looked at his situation. As things stood, it seemed Saturn was only interested in him. He decided that he could at least distract him. "You guys go find the seal," whispered Mikey.

"What about you?" asked Amadis.

"I'll be fine," Mikey answered. He took out his blank deck and slotted it into his Duel Disk.

"Let's let him do what he wishes," said Athena as she retrieved her spear and hurried everybody out.

"You expect to challenge me a to a duel and win with a deck that doesn't exist?" Saturn inquired.

"My deck has been here all along. I just had to believe." Mikey raised his arm and Kuraz stepped up behind him and thrust his sword into Mikey's deck. A golden light resonated from the cards and a shower of stars sprang out as life came back to the deck.

"Mikey, I entrust you with my soldiers! Use them well." Kuraz vanished into the cards as Mikey lowered his arm and drew his starting hand.

"So be it then." The shadows of the court seemed to come alive as they moved toward the judge's stand. They crept up the side and formed a symbol that resembled the letter T with a looping tail appeared. Saturn placed a hand on the surface as blackness completely engulfed it and raised it up, transforming the stand into a Duel Terminal with black angel wings extending outward from the sides.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saturn:** 8000

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Saturn drew his first card. "I commence with The Sanctuary in the Sky." He placed his card on his field slot and suddenly the entire sanctuary started to shine. The white luster lasted for a few seconds before everything returned to normal. "I shall now set two protective wards and then I shall summon Meltiel, Sage of the Sky." Two cards appeared facedown in front of the judge's stand and a seraphim in red armor and a dress of white feathers with a golden halo around its body materialized (ATK/1600 DEF/1200). "And thus I conclude. You may begin your testimony."

"I draw!" As Mikey drew his first card, he could feel the new surge of energy that flowed through his deck. "Kuraz entrusted me with this deck, so it's time to show him what I can do with it. I summon the Star of Taurus, Constellar Dabaran!" A column of light shined down from on high and the crest of Taurus appeared as a caped knight in white descended from the heavens wearing a helmet shaped like a bull's head and carrying a large chakram of light in one hand (ATK/1300 DEF/800). "And now for Dabaran's effect. When he's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one level three Constellar monster from my hand. So now I summon the Star of Leo, Constellar Leonis in defense mode!" Another column of light shined down and the crest of Leo appeared, heralding the arrival of a white knight whose helmet was adorned with blue crests to give it the image of a lion's mane (ATK/1000 DEF/1800). "And now with Leonis' effect, as long as he remains face-up, I can Normal Summon an extra Constellar monster. I summon the Star of Aries, Constellar Sheratan!" A light and the crest of Aries appeared as a white knight with ram horns coming out of his helmet descended wielding a peculiar ray gun in his right hand (ATK/700 DEF/1900). "Now for Sheratan's effect. When he's Normal Summoned, I can add one Constellar monster from my deck to my hand. For this, I pick Constellar Kaust." His Duel Disk spat out the card he desired and he placed it in his hand before his deck was shuffled.

"Now I Overlay Constellar Sheratan and Constellar Dabaran and I will construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters." Constellar Sheratan and Constellar Dabaran were transformed into two streams of golden light as a vortex to the heavens opened up and they spiraled into it. "Xyz Summon! Constellar Hyades!" A muscular white and gold knight emerged with bull horns on his helmet and wielding two large kunai-like weapons with energy discs on the pommels. Two golden orbs of light appeared to be orbiting his body (ATK/1900 DEF/1100).

"You cannot damage me, boy. Not while the Sanctuary's power is active while my angels protect me," said Saturn.

"Then you won't mind if I detach one of Hyades' Overlay Units." Mikey detached Constellar Sheratan. "By doing so, Hyades can switch all your monsters into face-up defense mode." Constellar Hyades absorbed one of the light orbs around him and turned the energy discs facing his target. He fired it and it seemed to cut through the knees of Meltiel, Sage of the Sky, forcing him to kneel defensively.

"Constellar Hyades, attack!" On Mikey's order, Constellar Hyades turned his weapons around and moved in to thrust them into the target.

"I invoke a Counter Trap!" announced Saturn, "Behold, Negate Attack!" A vortex appeared in front of Meltiel, Sage of the Sky and absorbed the blow. "And now for Meltiel's hidden power. For when a Counter Trap is activated, he will heal me." Meltiel's halo began to shine and he turned to bathe Saturn in a golden light.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saturn:** 9000

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Additionally, while the Sanctuary's power remains active in this duel, Meltiel can also destroy one entity under your control." The feathers that made up Meltiel's dress suddenly flew out in a flurry and completely surrounded Constellar Hyades. When they dispersed, he was gone.

"I end with a facedown." Mikey placed a card on the field and it appeared at his feet.

Saturn drew his next card. "Now I summon Bountiful Artemis." A white mechanical angel with large wings and a purple cloak appeared (ATK/1600 DEF/1200).

"How exactly do you plan to destroy a monster with two hundred defense points more than both your monsters' attack points?" asked Mikey.

"By equipping Bountiful Artemis with Cestus of Dagla, which will raise its strength and heal me when it lands a blow." As Saturn explained his card, a pair of punching blades appeared on Bountiful Artemis' arms, increasing its attack points by five hundred to twenty-one hundred. "Now Bountiful Artemis, attack!"

"I activate Mirror Force!" Mikey revealed his facedown.

"I engage a Counter Trap, Dark Bribe." Mikey's Mirror Force shorted out and shattered as a result, but he was then permitted to draw. "And now Meltiel's power shall activate."

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saturn:** 10,000

––––––––––––––––––––––

Saturn felt the healing powers of Meltiel, Sage of the Sky restore his Life Points and then watched as it destroyed Constellar Leonis. "And now for Bountiful Artemis, who rewards the use of Counter Traps generously." He drew a card in accordance to his monster's effect. "You are defenseless. Bountiful Artemis, resume your attack!" Bountiful Artemis continued on its path and slashed Mikey with its weapons.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 5400

**Saturn:** 10,000

––––––––––––––––––––––

"And with the power of Cestus of Dagla, I shall be healed by the damage you just took." Saturn held his hands out to the sides as the pair of weapons bathed him in light.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saturn:** 12,600

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Meltiel, your turn has come." Meltiel, Sage of the Sky began to spin its halo and proceeded to fire off a wave of light at Mikey.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3800

**Saturn:** 12,600

––––––––––––––––––––––

Mikey grimaced. Hopefully, he could keep Saturn occupied long enough for Gabe, Amadis, and Jaeger to locate the seal.

"If you hope to delay my search for the seal, boy, you're mistaken. I've already sent troops to search at the behest of my master."

o o o

Alexandrite Dragons had filled the sky and were sweeping the Sanctuary. Archlord Kristya and Archlord Zerato flew taking down any along the outer perimeter. Parshath had had his training disturbed and was charging in and attacking the winged creatures. Jaeger assisted with Victory Viper XX03 and Gabe had summoned Vylon Epsilon to aid in fighting them off.

"This way!" Athena called as she led them to the vault. Another dragon swooped down to bite her, but she blocked it with her shield and then sank her spear deep into its body. When they arrived at their destination, they could see a woman in armor who bore a strong resemblance to Joan of Arc fighting off the dragons with her sword.

"Joan!" Athena called.

"Athena!" St. Joan beheaded a dragon and turned to her. "What is all this?"

"The Titan of Light attacks. We must restore the seal immediately," explained Athena.

"Stand back." St. Joan turned to the vault doors and held her sword before her. She uttered a prayer and the stone doors swung in. Jaeger, Gabe, and Amadis ran inside and found the shattered remains of the seal.

"Watch out!" St. Joan had cut down another Alexandrite Dragon, but he hadn't noticed the one approaching her from behind. Suddenly a bolt of lightning shot down and struck the attacking dragon. Zaborg tapped his staff against the stones.

"Keep an eye on your back," he cautioned before he spun around and thrust the end of his weapon into another dragon.

"Jaeger, hurry!" Gabe urged. Jaeger took out his card and held it out. His Rose Mark began to glow inside his boot and the White Rose Card reacted. The black crystal shards began to glow white and rose off the floor. They spun around in a circle, coming together one by one to reform a single stone. When at last they had all become one, the light dispersed and a shining white crystal now hovered inside the vault.

"Mission accomplished!" Jaeger reported.

"Let's get back to Mikey then!" Amadis said. As they left to return to Mikey, Zaborg, Athena, and St. Joan slayed more Alexandrite Dragons as they tried to attack the group of humans.

o o o

"I place one ward to protect myself and thus conclude," finished Saturn.

Mikey drew his card. What he drew was a card he was familiar with. "Since you have monsters and I don't, I Special Summon Oracle of the Sun in defense mode!" He placed his card sideways on his Duel Disk and the Inca man with the sun staff appeared crouching defensively (ATK/1000 DEF/2000). "Now I summon the Star of Gemini, Constellar Pollux!" The crest of Gemini appeared as a beam of light shined down and a white knight wearing an asymmetrical mask and wielding a twin-bladed sword descended from the heavens (ATK/1700 DEF/600). "When Pollux is Normal Summoned, I can Normal Summon another Constellar monster. So now I summon the Star of Capricorn, Constellar Gredi!" As the light and crest of Capricorn appeared, a female knight in silver armor came down with goat horns on helmet and wielding a sceptre in her right hand (ATK/1600 DEF/1400). "And with Gredi's effect, I can Special Summon a level four Constellar from my hand. So I bring out the Star of Sagittarius, Constellar Kaust!" The crest of Sagittarius appeared with the light and a white knight in the form of a centaur appeared carrying a large golden bow with two large lights on either end (ATK/1800 DEF/700).

"Next I play Star Sign of the Constellar," announced Mikey, "Each time I Xyz Summon a Constellar monster, I can draw a card. Now first I'm going to use Constellar Kaust's effect. Up to twice per turn, I can use it to either increase or decrease the level of any Constellar monster on the field by one. For now, I'll use it just once and I'll use it to raise Pollux's level by one to level five." The light on the upper half of Constellar Kaust's bow lit up and pulled back on the bowstring. An arrow of light appeared and he fired it at Constellar Pollux, raising the warrior up to level five.

"Now I'll Overlay Constellar Gredi with Constellar Kaust and construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters." Just as it had been done with Constellar Sheratan and Constellar Dabaran, the two monsters mentioned were turned into streams of golden light and spiraled into the vortex into space. "Xyz Summon! Constellar Beehive!" A large gold and white knight emerged with large honeycomb-shaped ports on his shoulders. Two orbs of gold light circled his body (ATK/2400 DEF/800). And thanks to Star Sign of the Constellar, Mikey was able to draw one card.

"Now I'll Overlay Constellar Pollux with Oracle of the Sun." Once again, two creatures were turned into streams of light and spiraled into a vortex. "Xyz Summon! Constellar Pleiades!" A white and gold knight appeared wielding a sword that had an enormous bladed hand guard. Two orbs of golden light orbited his body (ATK/2500 DEF/1500). Mikey then drew another card.

"Now I'll use Pleiades' effect. By detaching one of his Overlay Units, I can bounce one card off the field. And for this, I pick Sanctuary in the Sky!" He detached Constellar Pollux and Constellar Pleiades absorbed one of the orbs into his chest. He stabbed his blade into the ground and the Sanctuary in the Sky was nullified. "Next for Beehive's effect. By detaching one his Overlay Units, I can boost one of my Constellars by one thousand attack points until the End Phase." As Mikey detached Constellar Kaust, Constellar Beehive produced a golden gauntlet and handed it to Constellar Pleiades, who put it on and raised his attack points to thirty-five hundred.

"Constellar Pleiades, attack Bountiful Artemis!" Constellar Pleiades grasped his weapon with both hands and swung. His attack cleaved Bountiful Artemis in two and the Cestus of Dagla fell.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3800

**Saturn:** 11,700

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Constellar Beehive, attack Meltiel, Sage of the Sky now!" Constellar Beehive fired off four missiles from his honeycomb ports and they shot across the field and blasted apart the haloed angel.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3800

**Saturn:** 10,900

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I end with a facedown!" announced Mikey.

Saturn said nothing as he drew and he immediately placed the Sanctuary in the Sky back on the field. "I now invoke the power of Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen!" As he played his card, a dazzling light shined out from across the courtyard and the Hall of the Fallen began to shine. "Now I shall bring forth the Spendid Venus!" A four-winged angel in magnificient golden armor emerged wielding a magical staff (ATK/2800 DEF/2400). "And with her power, she can weaken any creature not of the heavenly plane." Splendid Venus spread out her wings and an aura of light began to resonate off her body, causing all non-Fairies to lose five hundred attack and defense points, resulting in Constellar Beehive's stats to drop to twenty-one hundred attack points and three hundred defense points and Constellar Pleiades down to two thousand attack points and one thousand defense points.

"Splendid Venus, unleash your might upon Constellar Beehive!" On orders from Saturn, Splendid Venus cast her staff forward and a ray of light shot out from the head.

"Oh I don't think so," said Mikey. "Beehive's effect can be used during either player's turn. I detach his remaining Overlay Unit to raise his attack points by one thousand during the Damage Step!" He detached Constellar Gredi and Constellar Beehive absorbed his last light orb. As the blast hit, his attack points rose to twenty-nine hundred. He survived, but damage was dealt to Saturn.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3800

**Saturn:** 10,800

––––––––––––––––––––––

Splendid Venus returned to her standby pose. "Very well then. I shall thus conclude."

"Not just yet," interrupted Mikey. "Pleiades' effect is also a second spell speed and this time I'm going to use it to bounce Splendid Venus to your hand." He detached Oracle of the Sun and Constellar Pleiades absorbed his last remaining orb of light. He spun his weapon in his hand and thrust it under Splendid Venus' foot. The golden armored angel seemed baffled as to what was taking place as she was lifted off the ground and thrown back into Saturn's hand. In doing so, the attack and defense points of Constellar Pleiades and Constellar Beehive returned to normal.

Now that his opponent's End Phase was done, Mikey's turn began and he drew his card. "Now that my monsters' Overlay Units have been consumed, there's not much need to keep them save for their attack power. So now I'm going to sacrifice Constellar Beehive." The monster in question disappeared from the field. "I summon the Star of Scorpio, Constellar Antares!" A light and the crest of Scorpio appeared and a tall slender silver knight appeared wielding an energy sword in one hand while his other held onto a cable connected to the sword's hilt that ended with the sting of a scorpion tail (ATK/2400 DEF/900). "When Constellar Antares is Normal or Special Summoned, I can use his effect to retrieve a Constellar monster from my graveyard and add it to my hand. Antares, go and grab me Kaust please."

"It shall be done!" responded Constellar Antares as he thrust his scorpion tail into the ground and pulled out Constellar Kaust, which he returned to Mikey's hand.

"Now Antares, attack directly!" Constellar Antares charged in and slashed Saturn with his energy sword.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3800

**Saturn:** 8400

––––––––––––––––––––––

"Go now Pleiades!" Constellar Pleiades complied and flew in, swinging his own sword and slashing Saturn across his chest.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3800

**Saturn:** 5900

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I'm done," announced Mikey.

Saturn drew his next card. "Once again I invoke the Hall's power to summon Splendid Venus back." Splendid Venus returned to the field once more and dropped the attack and defense points of Constellar Pleiades and Constellar Antares by five hundred. "Destroy Constellar Pleiades." Once again, she cast her spell. This time it struck its mark and Constellar Pleiades was destroyed.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3000

**Saturn:** 5900

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I set a ward and conclude."

Mikey drew. "I sacrifice Constellar Antares now so I can summon the Star of Virgo, Constellar Spica!" A column of white light and the crest of Virgo appeared, heralding the arrival of a white angellic knight with a pair of mechanical wings hovering behind her back (ATK/2300 DEF/1600). As a Fairy, her attack and defense points were unaffected by Splendid Venus. "And when Spica is Normal Summoned, she lets me Special Summon a level five Constellar from my hand in defense mode. I now summon the Star of Libra, Constellar Eska!" A silver knight was deposited in a column of white light with the crest of Libra with his body and arms resembling a set of balancing scales and sharp claws protruding from his hands (ATK/2100 DEF/1400). As soon as he appeared crouching defensively. His attack points dropped to sixteen hundred and his defense points down to nine hundred.

"And Eska's effect activates when he's Normal or Special Summoned, letting me bring a Constellar monster from my deck to my hand. For this I choose Constellar Schet." Mikey's Duel Disk produced the card out of his deck and he added it to his hand. "Now I Overlay Constellar Spica with Constellar Eska. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monster. Xyz Summon! Constellar Pleiades!" A second Constellar Pleiades appeared on the field and Mikey drew a card thanks to Star Sign of the Constellar. This time, however, Saturn was prepared.

"Denied. I activate Solemn Warning. At a heavy cost of my life force, I negate your creature's summoning and destroy it!"

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3000

**Saturn:** 3900

––––––––––––––––––––––

Constellar Pleiades groaned and then exploded., leaving Mikey open once more. But Saturn was not finished yet. "Since my Counter Trap has resolved, I can now sacrifice the angels under my control for my strongest servant of all." Splendid Venus vanished from the field. "Behold, Voltanis the Adjudicator!" A massive dark blue angel with large detached wings and carrying a long staff appeared in front of Saturn (ATK/2800 DEF/1400). "And when Voltanis is summoned in this manner, he can obliterate as many of your creatures equal to the number of angels who had been sacrificed." Voltanis stamped his staff down and a storm of crystals fired from his lower body and destroyed the Star Sign of the Constellar.

Looking at his hand, Mikey considered a possibility, but then decided against it. He thought it'd be best to wait and see. He still had his facedown card just in case. With that decided, he ended his turn.

Saturn drew his card. It was Seven Tools of the Bandit. He set it straightaway and then turned to his monster. "Voltanis, strike him down." Voltanis the Adjudicator took aim with his staff and a blast of light shot out and hit Mikey hard.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 200

**Saturn:** 3900

––––––––––––––––––––––

"I've won," Saturn said as he ended his turn.

"It's not over yet." Mikey drew his card.

"I think it is," Saturn replied. He smiled to himself. His opponent had a facedown, which was most likely a Trap. Thanks to his Seven Tools of the Bandit, he would be able to negate it.

"Since you have a monster and I don't, I Special Summon the Star of Aquarius, Constellar Schet, in defense mode!" A light and the crest of Aquarius appeared as a small knight descended from the heavens carrying a large water urn adorned with many gems (ATK/100 DEF/1600). Once he landed, he knelt behind his urn. "Now I'll use Schet's other effect. Once per turn, I can choose one Constellar monster in my graveyard and Schet's level becomes that monster's level. I'm gonna pick Constellar Antares, who's level six." Five gems on Contellar Schet's urn lit up, making a grand total of six.

"Now I Normal Summon the Star of Sagittarius once more, Constellar Kaust!" Once again Constellar Kaust descended upon the battlefield from the heavens. "And now I activate my facedown, Photon Lead! This lets me Special Summon one level four or lower Light monster from my hand in attack position. I summon the Star of Cancer, Constellar Acubes!" A column of light and the crest of Cancer appeared and thus arrived a knight with large scissor-like pincer claws (ATK/800 DEF/2000). "And since Acubes was summoned, his effect activates, boosting all present Constellars by five hundred attack points!" Constellar Acubes rose to thirteen hundred, Constellar Kaust to twenty-three hundred, and Constellar Schet to six hundred.

"Now I use Kaust's effect twice this turn to boost Acubes up by two levels." The upper light on Contellar Kaust's bow lit up and he called out two arrows of light and shot them at Constellar Acubes, raising his level to six.

"I Overlay Constellar Acubes and Constellar Schet. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters." Constellar Acubes and Constellar Schet were transformed into golden light and spiralled into the vortex to the heavens that appeared. "Xyz Summon! Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7!" From the vortex, a white and gold mechanical dragon appeared, roaring as it activated a pair of wings made out of energy. Two orbs of golden light circled its body (ATK/2700 DEF/2000).

"Perhaps you should have summoned your dragon before you summoned your crab. Perhaps then you could have destroyed Voltanis." Saturn's suggestion was true, but he only offered it as a sign of his confidence in victory.

"I'm not done yet." Mikey played his last card. "Now I activate Pot of Avarice. I return Leonis, Sheratan, Pollux, Pleiades, and Eska to my deck and Extra Deck. Then I get to draw two cards." His Duel Disk shuffled his deck for him and when it was done he drew two cards. "I play another Photon Lead and use it to Special Summon the Star of Ophiuchus, Constellar Hawwa!" A column of light and the crest of Ophiuchus appeared and from the heavens descended a knight in golden armor holding a staff that resembled a golden serpent wrapped around a silver scepter (ATK/900 DEF/100). "Now if I sacrifice Hawwa, I can resurrect one fallen Constellar. Now do your thing. I'm bringing back Gredi!" Constellar Hawwa vanished and in his place Constellar Gredi rejoined the field.

"I Overlay Constellar Gredi and Constellar Kaust! I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters. Xyz Summon! Constellar Omega!" From the vortex into the heavens, a winged white centaur galloped onto the field surrounded by a pair of orbiting gold lights (ATK/2400 DEF/500).

"Now I detach one Overlay Unit from Omega to make my monsters immune to Spells and Traps this turn." Mikey detached Constellar Kaust and Constellar Omega absorbed on orb of light before resonating with a protective aura.

"Next I activate Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7's effect. By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can bounce on monster on the field or in either graveyard back to the hand." He detached Constellar Schet and Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7 flew over and grabbed Voltanis the Adjudicator in its claws. It roared once and then threw him away.

"Voltanis!" exclaimed Saturn.

"Omega, attack!" Constellar Omega galloped forward and placed a hand over his chest. The crest he wore flashed and a chakram of light appeared in his grasp. He swung it as he passed Saturn and ran his weapon through him.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 200

**Saturn:** 1500

––––––––––––––––––––––

"You were saying?" asked Mikey.

"No, this can't be!" Saturn was furious, "I cannot fail!"

"Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7, attack Saturn directly and win this duel!" Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7 opened its mouth and charged up before unleashing a solid beam of light that streaked across the field and blasted Saturn in the chest.

––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 200

**Saturn:** 0

––––––––––––––––––––––

The force of the blast blew the Agent of Judgment off his seat on the judge's stand and forced him through the wall behind him. Saturn tumbled and rolled across the ground before landing facedown on the stones. As Mikey stepped out through the hole, the angel growled as he pushed himself up on his hands.

"I...cannot...fail..."

"You already have." The voice belonged to Gabe as he, Amadis, and Jaeger returned and stood with Mikey while Zaborg appeared in a bolt of lightning.

"The seal has been fixed," said Jaeger, "You've failed in your duty to your master."

"You will pay for this," Saturn swore as he surrounded himself in a sphere of pale sand-like yellow with several large rings encircling it. He flew straight up and then vanished.

"He's gone..." Amadis said quietly.

"We'll see him again," Gabe replied.

"No doubt he is returning to his master," Jaeger noted, "We shall likely find them all assembled together."

"Then we shall make haste." Kuraz appeared as Ma'at and the other Fairies stepped forward. "Ma'at, we would be most grateful if you and your Fairies could stand with us against the Titan of Light."

"Kuraz, you are our rightful king," Ma'at said in response. She then dropped on one knee and Archlord Zerato, Archlord Kristya, St. Joan, and Athena followed suit. "We are bound by duty to march with you. But alas, my place is here in the skies. However, you may trust Athena to lead my angels against the Titan of Light."

"You have my thanks." Kuraz nodded while Ma'at and her Fairies prepared to mobilize. They watched as everybody gathered and then flew off together.

"Kuraz, I shall return to the Thunder Plains and begin mobilizing its willing inhabitants as well," said Zaborg turning to the Light Monarch. Kuraz nodded.

"Very well. Take care, brother." Zaborg nodded back and disappeared in a bolt of lightning. With matters all taken care of, Kuraz now turned to Mikey. "Mikey, you handled that duel very well. I knew that entrusting my Sacred Star Knights to you would be a good idea."

"Kuraz, I really don't know what to say. That's twice now you've entrusted me with your protection," Mikey replied.

"It is because you have proven yourself time and time again. You've grown much since we first met."

Mikey looked away in embarrassment. "Well, it's no big deal really. I mean, I just..." He was interrupted when a loud horn was sounded and the image of Master Hyperion appeared in the sky.

"So you've restored the seal," the Regent Lord of Heiratine said.

"And we shall restore the last one and defeat you, Hyperion!" Kuraz replied as he pointed his sword up.

"Do not think you can destroy the seal now, cur!" Ma'at said as he flew up over the Sanctuary in the Sky.

"I have no intention of destroying the seal now. I intend to destroy you all instead." And with that said, Hyperion began to charge up highly condensed ball of burning gas in between his palms.

"Is that...a _sun_?" gasped Gabe. Hyperion wasted no words as he threw the newly created sun down at them. Ma'at quickly flew up and held up her staff. A shield of light appeared over her and blocked the attack, but it seemed to be pushing her back.

"GO!" she shouted, "Escape while you can!"

"But the seal is fixed. Won't that mean this place will stay protected?" asked Mikey.

"Unfortunately, that applies only to the Sanctuary itself," Kuraz said. You must go NOW!"

"To the plane!" Amadis yelled.

"No time for it!" Gabe answered.

"You can't make it," said Jaeger, "But I can!" And he ran off, leaving the others.

"So what now?" asked Mikey. Kuraz looked at him and and then toward the edge. "You can't be serious." The Light Monarch's silence said it all. Before long, Mikey, Amadis, and Gabe were running.

"I don't want to do this!" Mikey said as they approached the ledge while Gabe yelled "Son of a bitch!" as they jumped off. Kuraz disappeared in a burst of light, leaving only Ma'at left.

"Good luck to you all," she said before returning her focus to the task at hand. She put all her might into her staff and pushed back on the sun. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" The sun exploded. Above them, Mikey, Amadis, and Gabe looked back.

"I hope she's okay," Amadis said quietly.

"I'm a little more concerned about _US_ right now!" yelled Gabe. The sound of an approaching jet engine reached their ears as Jaeger flew in on the _Shooting Star_.

"I only have room for one!" his voice called out through his exterior com.

Mikey grabbed Amadis and pulled her closer. "Take her!"

"Mikey!"

"Go Amadis!" Mikey placed himself on top of Amadis as Jaeger flew below them. He positioned himself under them and opened his canopy. With Mikey's guidance, they were able to get the girl safely inside. "Go Jaeger!"

"Roger!" As Jaeger closed the canopy, Mikey pushed himself away and watched as the jet took off.

"Hope she's safe," he said to himself.

"Mikey. Have you got a little crush on her?" Gabe asked coyly as he moved closer.

"W-w-w-w-w-what?"

"Don't lie to me, bro! I can see it on your face!" Mikey said nothing and and Gabe laughed a little. Then he looked off in the direction the _Shooting Star_ had flown away. "Well anyway, there goes our ride."

"You think maybe we should have had a fallback plan?" asked Mikey as the ground came into view.

"Bad joke, Mikey."

"What?"

"_Fall_back plan?"

Mikey gave it a thought and them facepalmed. "Really?"

"Hey, you said it."

"Yeah, but I didn't mean it like that."

"Well since we're gonna die soon anyway bro, I might as well come out and tell you that I'm..."

"I know, Gabe."

"You do?"

Mikey looked down at the ground. "I...found out."

"How?"

"Remember when you got in trouble because of that guy from the school paper?"

"Yeah."

"I went to visit you in your dorm a few days after that. I heard you in your room."

"...oh."

"Yeah."

Mikey and Gabe both stared at the ground for a while until the latter finally broke the silence. "You never said anything."

"What could I say?"

Another awkward silence as the ground continued to rush up toward them. "So, thoughts bro?" asked Gabe.

"Gabe, if you're that worried, you're still my brother. No matter what, I'll always love you," answered Mikey.

"You mean that?"

"Yeah. I really do."

"I love you too, Mikey." The brothers reached out and grasped each other's hands. They turned back down to the ground and Mikey squeezed his eyes shut for the inevitable impact.

"This is gonna hurt a little," Gabe said jokingly. Mikey opened his eyes and glanced over.

"Really? You just had to get one last joke in?"

Impact never came, though. Before the boys could hit the ground, a strong gust of wind blew up beneath them and carried them upward a few feet before dropping them back down much more slowly. Mikey's and Gabe's shoes soon landed gently on soft grass.

"That was...weird," said Mikey.

"Who cares, Mikey? We're alive!" Gabe exclaimed.

Kuraz appeared in front of the Angels. "Thank the Maker you're alive. How did you survive that fall?"

"We... Actually, I have no idea." Mikey scratched his head. He knew exactly what had happened, but he was still having a hard time believing it. And yet, here he was with Gabe alive and well after falling from a floating island high above the clouds.

"It matters little," said Kuraz, "You are alive. Let us now go and join our army. No doubt your friends are on their way to the rendezvous point."

Mikey nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

An army has been assembled. The time to march has come. Led by Kuraz and Mikey, the forces of Heiratine have joined together for the final battle against the Titan of Light. But the way is blocked by Hyperion's final servant, who commands creatures from another time. See it all happen next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	171. Photon Shockwave

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-84**

**Photon Shockwave**

Across the whole of Heiratine, people had already begun to move. The Lightsworn were marching out of the City of Light. Athena led the fairies as they flew through the sky. From the Thunder Plains, Zaborg led the Watts and the Batterymen with Rai-Jin, Rai-Mei, and Gilford the Lightning joining their forces.

The rendezvous point was inside a box canyon. It was well concealed, which made it an ideal location for the large encampment had been set up. Rows upon rows of tents occupied the area surrounded by a large fence of chopped trees with guard towers placed strategically along the perimeter. A fresh water stream flowed right outside one of the fences, supplying the troops and animals with drinking water. Blacksmiths were busy repairing and reinforcing armor and weapons while making extras when they could. Stable masters were tending to the animals. Some of the troops had gathered around Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid as he stood on a platform holding a service for the faithful. Archers were on the far end engaged in target practice on some constructed dummies. Ehren, Lightsworn Monk had commandeered one of those dummies on which to practice her martial arts.

"It is truly a great loss that Ma'at was lost to the Titan of Light," Athena said as she walked with Kuraz, Zaborg, Jain, and Gilford, "However, she would have wanted us to fulfill our duty."

"We thank you, truly," Kuraz replied.

"We should probably commence the strategy meeting at the earliest possible convenience," Gilford suggested.

"A wise idea, Gilford," concurred Kuraz as Airknight Parshath passed by on his way to supervise combat practice, "Where is Mikey? We'd best find him before we begin."

"His brother practices with the swordsmen. He would know where he is," answered the lightning warrior.

"Very well. We should convene following dinner," Athena suggested.

"Someone approaches!" Zeradias yelled as he flew around the camp, patrolling it from the air. At the encampment entrance, Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior and Wulf, Lightsworn Beast brandished their weapons at the approaching group. Kuraz and his delegates arrived at the scene and came to know who they were.

"Ojama King! We were not expecting you," the Light Monarch said. Indeed the very large Ojama King had come bringing along his Ojama subjects.

"Pleasure to see you again, Kuraz. But now's not the time for pleasantries," Ojama King replied, "We, the Ojamas, have come to join your grand army in the siege against the Titan of Light."

"They are far too weak to stand up against our enemies," Jain said, "T'would be best to keep them uninvolved."

"Now hold," said Gilford, "They may possess little strength, but their spirit is strong. Heiratine is their home as well as ours and it is their desire to defend it."

Kuraz had heard the arguments and now knelt down to the Ojamas. "You are welcome to join our fight."

"We won't let you down!" Ojama King assured him.

"We shall discuss our strategy this evening," the Light Monarch informed him, "Please come to our meeting, your Highness."

"Highness?" Ojama King laughed. "I'm just king to my own people. YOU, Kuraz, are the true king of Heiratine. It's me who should be calling you Highness."

"Then we shall convene at a later time," Kuraz responded.

o o o

The fresh water stream branched off from its main body into a small well-concealed area surrounded by rocks and flowed into a pond. Mikey's clothes lay folded up neatly on one of the rocks as the young teen swam around. Mikey always found baths relaxing and they were often where he did his deep thinking. Even if it wasn't hot, he still felt being immersed in water calmed his nerves. On top of that, he hadn't had a chance to wash since they were in the City of Light. And now that he had a chance, he wasn't going to waste it.

"Here you are," Gabe said just as Mikey was finally settling down. Mikey looked up at his brother who was standing on one of the rocks. "Everyone's looking for you."

"What's going on?" Mikey asked.

"They're gonna hold a strategy meeting. Kuraz wants you there." Gabe put a towel next to his brother's clothes and turned to return to camp.

o o o

As soon as Mikey returned to camp, he was escorted to a large table right outside Jain's tent. Kuraz was already there as were Zaborg, Jain, Athena, Ojama King, Gilford, Gabe, Jaeger, and Amadis.

"Gilford! I haven't seen you in a while!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Following the liberation of the Ojama Country, I stayed behind until its inhabitants could recover from their horrible experience," Gilford explained, "Once they were done, you had already left head so I returned to the Thunder Plains."

"We are most fortunate to have Gilford here," Kuraz said, "He is a valued member of the Allied Forces."

"And for the upcoming battle, I have made him general of the forces of the Thunder Plains," Zaborg added.

"Enough," Jain interrupted, "We must get started."

"Yes, we must." Kuraz took his place with Mikey at his side while everybody else found an empty place to stand. Mikey could see that a map had been spread across the table. Cards were being used as markers. "The palace sits at the top of Olympus. The ascension will be difficult if the enemy is bearing down upon us. No doubt the Titan of Light has his own army waiting."

"No doubt he will send his strongest forward," Gilford said to which the others agreed.

"Mars will most likely lead the attack." Jaeger pushed a card of The Agent of Force - Mars away from the mountain on the map towards their own forces. Everybody nodded in ageement.

"He will not be alone," Athena pointed out, "He will have likely gathered the remaining Cyber Dragon forces." A Cyber End Dragon card was pushed up beside Mars.

"What about Saturn?" asked Mikey. "When I faced him, he was using Counter Fairies."

"That's a tricky one," Jaeger answered, "Counter Fairies can be both offensive and defensive, so it is hard to say where they shall be placed on the battlefield."

"But we can say with certainty that Mercury's forces shall be in position alongside Mars'," Zaborg said.

"Mercury would never place himself on the front lines," Amadis responded, "He's not a soldier."

"That wouldn't stop him from commanding his troops from the palace." Kuraz moved the Arcana Force 0 - The Fool card out next to Mars while The Agent of Wisdom - Mercury card stayed on the palace.

"Even with our skills, we would be overwhelmed," said Jain, "There's far too many of them."

"Leave that to me!" Ojama King declared. "My fellow Ojamas and I can restrict their movements." Jaeger nodded and moved the Ojama King card forward to intercept Mars, Cyber End Dragon, and Arcana Force 0 - The Fool.

"Once you have them under control, I can lead the Watts and the Batterymen in a full frontal charge." Gilford moved Batteryman AA, Watthydra, and his own card forward.

"Excellent. Then my men and I shall flank them from the side." Jain moved her own card around the side and placed it at the side of Mars.

"Will your men be enough for a flanking manoeuvre?" asked Gilford, "After all, they have an army of powerful creatures."

"We have a Judgment Dragon."

"What about Venus and Earth?" asked Mikey.

"Earth is just Hyperion's messenger and Venus doesn't duel," answered Amadis.

"But she dueled using Ojamas," Gabe pointed out.

"She was reluctant to do so," replied Gilford, "She is the Agent of Creation, not destruction."

"Wait, hold on." Mikey reached across the table and moved Cyber End Dragon away from the main battle. "Remember where we found the Cyber Dragons? We fought them in the sky. Chances are they'll be Hyperion's aerial forces. Sending ground troops after them won't do us any good. We need to meet them on their terrain: in the air." Kuraz looked down at Mikey and beamed. Not only had the boy had brought up an excellent point, but he had done so with the voice and confidence of a military strategist.

"My angels and I could eliminate them," said Athena.

"No, this is my fight." Jaeger moved his Victory Viper XX03 card over to the Cyber End Dragon card.

"Athena, since you and your troops can fly, you'll be going in for a strategic insertion." Kuraz brought Athena's card around from their starting point to the palace. "Mikey, Gabe, and I shall accompany you." Vylon Sigma, Constellar Pleiades, and Kuraz the Light Monarch were moved in and placed alongside Athena.

"Would they be expecting it?" asked Zaborg.

"Probably," answered Gabe, "I don't think Hyperion's an idiot."

"In that case, he'll keep Saturn nearby." Zaborg edged Saturn's card a tad forward.

"Leave Saturn to me," said Athena, "I have some unfinished business with him."

"Then Mikey, Gabe, and I shall enter and fight Hyperion ourselves."

"I'm coming with you," said Amadis.

"Amadis, no. It's too dangerous." Mikey turned to Amadis with a clear look of concern on his face.

"I have to do this, Mikey."

"But why?"

"Because... Hyperion is my monster."

There was a moment of silence around the strategy meeting as people tried to comprehend what had just been spoken.

"Hyperion and the Agents used to be my monsters," Amadis explained, "At one point, they used to be warriors of benevolence. But shortly after my quest with Reka ended, things changed. Hyperion started acting differently all of a sudden and he couldn't remember who I was. We had to escape. The next time I had heard anything, Hyperion had become the UnGod's Regent Lord. He became a servant of the very thing we were trying to defeat."

"It sounds like all is not as it seems," Jaeger mused.

"Elaborate please?" Mikey requested.

"Perhaps Hyperion is not the Regent Lord by choice. It is entirely possible that the UnGod's influence is controlling him."

"If it is, then we have to free him!" Amadis begged.

"Don't worry, Amadis. We'll do our best," Mikey said assuring her. Amadis looked into his gentle brown eyes.

"I place my faith in you, Mikey. Please, save Hyperion."

"Then this meeting is adjourned," Kuraz declared and everybody dispersed to prepare the troops. As they walked away, Gabe ran up and walked alongside his brother.

"Did you really mean what you said back there?" he asked, "About saving Hyperion?"

"I honestly don't know if we even can, Gabe," Mikey sighed.

o o o

Hyperion's audience chamber was full. All Agents were present and standing on their respective circles. "Kuraz's forces approach. Very soon they shall be at our doorstep."

"Master, I do believe that careful strategy and tactics will be necessary in this fight," Mercury suggested.

"No, we need force!" Mars argued.

"Enough, you two!" Saturn barked sternly. He was normally a patient man, but sometimes he had a rather short fuse.

"Please, we must not fight," Venus said quietly.

"Earth, what news have you?" Hyperion demanded.

"As we suspected, Kuraz has gathered all of Heiratine together. They intend to march upon us soon," Earth reported.

"It will not be that simple," Saturn interjected, "Kuraz has involved his own personal guard, the Sacred Star Knights, and placed them under the command of one Terran boy."

"A Terran boy?" Hyperion looked at his judge.

"He projects Kuraz's phylactery," said Earth.

"And what have you uncovered about their battle plan, Earth?" asked Hyperion.

"Only that they've only taken into account those of us whom they have faced already."

"Then we still have one more opportunity. Saturn, you say the boy has been entrusted with the Sacred Star Knights?"

"That is correct, Master," Saturn replied.

Hyperion's gaze turned to the figure standing in the circle just in front of Saturn. A dark-skinned angel with tattoos wearing a white garment over his lower body with wings covered in brown feathers with red tips. "Then they know not that there is yet one more Agent left. Are you prepared, Jupiter?"

The Agent of Miracles - Jupiter crossed his arm across his chest and bowed. "I am prepared, Master."

"Then ready yourselves for battle."

o o o

The next morning the troops set out. Kuraz walked in front leading his army. At his right side, Mikey rode on Lightning Tricorn. Gabe on his left riding Voltic Bicorn. Behind them the troops moved in unison. The Lightsworn, the Fairies, the Ojamas, the Watts, the Batterymen, and Gilford the Lightning, Rai-Jin, Rai-Mei marched together. Zaborg stood at the front just behind Kuraz. Many of the troops rode on the Thunder Monarch's provided Thunder Unicorns.

In a matter of hours, they arrived at the soon-to-be battlefield. It was a massive field that lay before the mount of Olympus atop of which the golden palace of Kuraz sat. And it seemed as if their enemies were already waiting for them. Mars stood with his machines while the Cyber Dragons circled overhead. Mercury stood safely on the palace ramparts while his own Arcana Force stood ready.

What surprised everyone was how many enemy units there were. Nobody had expected so many creatures under the control of their enemies. Some even began to back away. But Kuraz would have none of it. He turned to his men. "Hold your ground! Do not falter! Do not let the enemy intimidate you! Men! You stand here today for the liberation of this land from the hands of a tyrant.

"Do not allow yourselves to be taken by fear, for that is not the men I see before me. But do not allow yourselves to be taken by glory, for many have fallen from their own vanity. On this very day, much blood shall be spilled. Many sacrifices will be made. But do not allow it to daunt you. You are proud warriors. And as you stand here this day, remember that for which you fight! Fight not for yourselves. Fight not for your families Fight not for your king. Fight, instead, for your kingdom!"

Kuraz drew Excalibur and held it up toward the sky. The sun gleamed off the golden blade and seemed to bathe the troops in its radiance. "And now, men, let me hear your resolve!" The army cried out and their voices carried across the field.

Mikey rode forward and stood next to Kuraz. He raised his left arm and activated his Duel Disk. "For Heiratine!"

"FOR HEIRATINE!" shouted Kuraz.

"_**FOR HEIRATINE!"**_ The horns sounded and the charge began. Hooves thundered across the field mixed with the battle cries of the troops as the roar of a jet engine briefly drowned them out as the _Shooting Star_ shot past them overhead. Jaeger squeezed the trigger and began firing. His armor-piercing rounds penetrated the armor of a number of Cyber Dragons and sent them crashing downward. Some of Mars' forces were hit and destroyed while the others aimed their cannons skyward to destroy any others that fell their way.

"CHARGE!" Leading the way on his Thunder Unicorn, Gilford drew his sword and galloped into the fray of the battle. The Batterymen began unleashing bolts of lightning as they entered combat, zapping down anything that came their way. The Watts, meanwhile, began their attack with small but precise strikes. Watthoppers provided protection while the others with their animalistic nature struck without rhyme or reason. Watthydras and Wattchimeras came in acting as heavy support alongside the very large Batterymen Industrial Strength.

"In the battle against evil, we are always there!" announced Rai-Jin.

"We fight for what's true and what's just!" announced Rai-Mei.

"I am the soldier of justice, Rai-Jin!"

"I am the soldier of love, Rai-Mei!"

"In the name of this land all who love in it in peace, we shall defeat you!"

Back up in the sky, Jaeger had placed several cards on his Duel Terminal at his side and was flying in formation with Victory Viper XX03, Lord British Space Fighter, Falchionβ, and Jade Knight. Jade Knight's barrier did well to protect them while Lord British Space Fighter disrupted signals with its sonic pulses. The Duel Ace barrel rolled to the side to avoid a Cyber End Dragon's blast and fired one of his sidewinders in retaliation. His missile hit its mark and the three-headed mechanical dragon crashed to the ground.

"Destroy them all!" ordered Mars as his machine continued to open fire. As he stood on the shoulder of VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon, he noticed three small shapes appear around it. Ojama Black, Ojama Yellow, and Ojama Green all winked at each other and began to spin around in a circle. Mars quickly realized what they were doing and abandoned his perch. The Ojama Brothers spin rapidly and generated a powerful Ojama Delta Hurricane that destroyed VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon with ease. The Agent of Force landed on another machine, but it was far from over. Ojamas were swarming his machines and the Arcana Force troops, restricting their movements.

"We've got them for you!" Ojama King shouted over the noise of battle.

Gilford swung his sword and cut down another monster before blasting more lightning down on others. However, they were still being pushed back. He wondered how much longer they would have to keep it up when he heard the sound of a horn. He turned his head and saw what he had hoped for. Their reinforcements had arrived.

"CHARGE!" Jain led the charge and she and the Lightsworn galloped toward the battle from the enemy's left flank. Jain lept off her Thunder Unicorn as soon as they were in the fray and landed behind Gilford before striking down an Arcana Force I - The Magician.

"I was wondering if you'd up!" the lightning warrior yelled.

"You question me and my men?" the Lightsworn Paladin asked as Ehren leapt over the battlefield and kicked Arcana Force IV - The Emperor in the head before punching it into submission. X-Head Cannon fired, but Aurkus blocked it with a magical barrier before Wulf charged in and swung his halberd at it. Lumina summoned Shire and Rinyan and commanded them in the fight. Ryko ran across the battlefield and jumped up to sink his teeth into the neck of Arcana Force III - The Empress. She fell and he proceeded to maul her until she could no longer move before he ran off to his next opponent. Garoth slew several Y-Dragon Heads and V-Tiger Jets, but a slash from Arcana Force XIV - Temperance's claws felled him. To his great fortune, Jenis held up her staff and a beam of light shined down upon him and healed his wounds. Temperance was about to strike again, but Ryko had chosen it as his next target had already proceeded biting. Gragonith swept across the battlefield from the air breathing golden fireballs at enemy targets while Lyla cast another spell to blow away an oncoming VW-Tiger Catapult. Celestia summoned two orbs of light and dropped them on a pair of XYZ-Dragon Cannons, exploding them into pieces.

"Do not let their flanking maneuver intimidate you!" shouted Mars as he knocked away a Batteryman D with his hammer. A roar suddenly filled the air as a majestic dragon covered in elegant white feathers appeared from above the clouds and descended toward the battle. The mighty Judgment Dragon swept the field and unleashed a steady stream of light from its mouth.

"Do... Do... Do not let them intimidate you!" Mars shouted. Suddenly Zaborg appeared behind him in a bolt of lightning, causing him to turn around.

"Perhaps maybe THIS will intimidate you then." And the Thunder Monarch raised his staff.

o o o

Having abandoned his steed a while back, Mikey now road with Gabe and Amadis along with Athena and her fairies. They could see the battle off to their right, but it was not their focus. As promised, Jaeger had kept the Cyber Dragons contained giving them a clear flight path to the palace.

"Steady now," Athena cautioned as the golden palace came into sight.

"There it is!" shouted Gabe. Mikey smiled. The plan had worked.

"Look out!" Amadis cried. Several rings of light suddenly shot out toward them and everybody took evasive action to avoid them. Saturn stood at the top of the steps leading to the castle gates surrounded by his Counter Fairy troops.

"Show them the Master's judgment." Saturn's face was one of stone as his fairies charged.

Athena lowered her helmet and raised her spear. "CHARGE!"

Two armies of fairies collided halfway and Mikey, Gabe, and Amadis abandoned their ride. Kuraz appeared briefly and grabbed them before landing at the bottom of the steps. "Let's go!" Together, the four of them proceeded to ascent the steps. Gabe had Vylon Soldier out and ready to fight. A Hecatrice tried to attack, but his monster knocked it away. One of the Meltiels tried to attack, but Mikey summoned Constellar Kaust to shoot it down with an arrow.

"Thanks Kaust."

"We must make haste, Mikey. Climb atop my back," said Kaust. Mikey did as he was told and the archer galloped up. Voltanis the Adjudicator flew in and prepared to unleash a crystal storm, but Kuraz rushed ahead and decapitated him with Excalibur.

"We cannot afford to waste more time!"

"What about Saturn?" asked Mikey as they came to the realization that the angel in question was waiting at the top of the stairs.

"Leave him to me!" answered Athena as she flew up and collided with Saturn.

With the path clear, Mikey, Gabe, Amadis, and Kuraz pressed on and entered the gates into the courtyard. "There is the door to the throne room!" Kuraz said pointing to the large elegant double doors."

"We're almost there then!" Mikey yelled. Suddenly a dark-skinned angel appeared before them in a shower of lightning.

"You're not taking another step closer."

"Who are you?" demanded Gabe.

"I am the Master's final servant. I am the Agent of Miracles - Jupiter."

"Stand down, Jupiter!" Kuraz ordered.

"You come to put an end to the Master's rule. That I can't allow."

"Then I'll duel you." Mikey stepped forward. His Duel Disk was already activated and his deck was being shuffled as they spoke.

"So be it then." Jupiter clenched his fist and thrust his left arm into the air. Lightning rained down from the sky around him and formed a stylized symbol that resembled the number four fused with the number two over his head. All the bolts then went straight to his outstretched arm and formed a green angel wing Duel Disk.

"This is for the Master." He drew his starting hand.

––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Jupiter:** 8000

––––––––––––––––

"I begin!" Jupiter drew his first card. "I start with summoning Photon Crusher in attack position." An armored warrior wielding a mace-like lance appeared (ATK/2000 DEF/0). "That will be all."

"What sort of monster is that?" asked Amadis.

"It is as we had feared," Kuraz said grimly, "Creatures from another time."

Mikey drew his first card. "I summon the Star of Taurus: Constellar Dabaran!" A column of light shined down from the heavens as the crest of Taurus appeared heralding the summoning of the knight with the bull-shaped helmet (ATK/1300 DEF/800). "With his effect now, I Special Summon from my hand the Star of Leo: Constellar Leonis!" The crest of Leo and a column of light appeared and deposited the knight with the lion.s head helmet and laser claws on his fingers (ATK/1000 DEF/1800).

"And since Leonis is on the field, I can Normal Summon another Constellar monster each turn. So I summon the Star of Capricorn, Constellar Gredi!" The light and the crest appeared and deposited the female silver knight with blue cape and goat-horned helmet wielding her magic sceptre (ATK/1600 DEF/1400). "And with her effect, I can Special Summon a level four Constellar from my hand. So I choose the Star of Sagittarius: Constellar Kaust!" The crest of Sagittarius and the column of light appeared and a white centaur knight appeared wielding a golden bow (ATK/1800 DEF/700).

"Kaust, it's time to use your effect. Target Constellar Gredi and lower her level by one," ordered Mikey.

"Consider it done!" The lower light of Constellar Kaust's bow lit up as he drew back his bowstring and summoned an arrow of light. He then took aim at Constellar Gredi and fired. He struck his mark and her level lowered down to three.

"Now raise your own level by one," Mikey commanded.

"Not a problem, Mikey!" The top light of Constellar Kaust's lit up now as he drew back his bowstring and fired another light arrow at his hooves, raising himself to level five.

Mikey nodded and now turned to Constellar Gredi and Constellar Dabaran. "I Overlay Constellar Dabaran and Constellar Gredi. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters!" A vortex into the cosmos appeared as his two aforementioned monsters were turned into streams of golden light and spiraled into it. "Xyz Summon! Constellar Hyades!" A larger white and gold bull-like knight emerged wielding his enormous swords with energy rings on the pommels. Two orbs of light circled his body (ATK/1900 DEF/1100). "Now I use Hyades' effect. By detaching one of his Overlay Units, I can switch all your monsters into face-up attack position." Mikey detached Constellar Gredi and Constellar Hyades absorbed on of the orbs of light. He stabbed his weapons into the floor and detached the two energy rings which he flung forward and struck behind Photon Crusher's knees, bringing him down to a defensive stance.

"Constellar Leonis, attack now! Regulus Slash of the Lion!" Constellar Leonis brought his fingers together and his claws fused into a single blade.

"Time to die." He leapt across the field and sank one blade into Photon Crusher's waist before bringing the other through the visor of his helmet. His target was destroyed and he returned to his place.

"Constellar Kaust, it's your turn! Precision Strike of the Archer!" This time Constellar Kaust drew an arrow from his quiver and loaded it into his bow. He pulled back his bowstring and took aim. He had Jupiter in his sights and then released. The arrow shot from his bow and struck the Agent of Miracles through the chest.

––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Jupiter:** 6200

––––––––––––––––

"Nice shot," Constellar Leonis complimented.

"I never miss," Constellar Kaust answered as he lowered his bow.

"Constellar Hyades, hit him hard!" ordered Mikey. "Star Blade Strike!" Constellar Hyades charged forward and swung his weapons, striking Jupiter once with each.

––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Jupiter:** 4300

––––––––––––––––

Mikey took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "That ends my turn."

Jupiter drew his card. "You had luck on your side. But soon that luck will end. I activate the spell of Polymerization. Now I shall fuse two Photon Thrashers to summon Photon Twin Lizard!" A two-headed purple dragon spread out its wings as it appeared and roared as it landed on the field (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "Attack Constellar Hyades with Sublime Breath!" Twin Photon Lizard opened its mouths and fired off its breath attack at the target monster, blasting him into oblivion.

––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 7500

**Jupiter:** 4300

––––––––––––––––

"I shall set a ward end it here," Jupiter declared.

"Then it's my turn again. I draw!" Mikey drew his card. "Kaust, raise Leonis' level up by two."

"As you command." The top light on Constellar Kaust's bow lit up and he fired two light arrows into Constellar Leonis, raising him up to level five.

"I play Star Sign of the Constellar." Mikey played his Spell Card and it appeared on the field at his side. "Now I Overlay Constellar Leonis and Constellar Kaust. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters." Constellar Leonis and Constellar Kaust were transformed into streams of golden light that spiralled into the vortex that appeared on the field. "Xyz Summon! Constellar Pleiades!" The strong caped knight emerged from the cosmos with his large bladed weapon and two orbs of light orbiting around his body (ATK/2500 DEF/1500). "Since I Special Summoned and Xyz Constellar monster, Star Sign lets me draw a card." Mikey drew and continued on with his turn. "Now I detach one of Pleiades' Overlay Units to target your monster and bounce him to your hand." He detached Constellar Kaust, and his monster absorbed one of the light orbs.

"I don't think so. I discard Effect Veiler to negate your knight's power." The ghost image of Effect Veiler appeared and she bathed Constellar Pleiades in a shower of light that ceased his moves.

"Well, I can still attack," said Mikey. "Go Pleiades! Attack with Star Sword Strike!" Constellar Pleiades grunted as he picked up his sword and charged.

"I activate Photon Current!" announced Jupiter, "Thanks to this, my Light Dragon shall gain strength equal your creature's." Twin Photon Dragon's attack points rose by twenty-five hundred to forty-nine hundred. It roared and fired off its attack, blasting Constellar Pleiades as he charged and destroying him.

––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 5100

**Jupiter:** 4300

––––––––––––––––

"Alright then. No big." Mikey proceeded to his second Main Phase. "I can recover from this." He looked at the three cards he had in his hand. "I summon the Star of Aries: Constellar Sheratan!" The crest of Aries appeared and a beam of light came down and deposited the knight with the ram-shaped helmet carrying a ray gun (ATK/700 DEF/1900). "And thanks to Sheratan's effect, I can bring a Constellar monster to my hand. So I bring another Constellar Sheratan. Now I play Monster Reborn and resurrect Constellar Leonis in defense mode." Constellar Leonis returned to the field and crouched down defensively. "Now because Constellar Leonis is on the field, I'm gonna Normal Summon my other Constellar Sheratan and use his effect to bring my third Sheratan to my hand." A second Constellar Sheratan appeared on the field and Mikey filled his place in his hand with his third copy.

"I Overlay my two Constellar Sheratans. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters. Xyz Summon! Appear, Constellar Hyades!" A second Constellar Hyades appeared on the field and Mikey drew his card thanks to Star Sign of the Constellar.

"Now it's time to upgrade him further." Another Overlay Network appeared and Constellar Hyades descended into it. "Chaos Xyz Evolution! Right now, show yourself, Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7!" In one magnificent display of light, the white dragon emerged with wings of pure energy flapping in the air as it landed. Three orbs of light orbited its body (ATK/2700 DEF/2000). Mikey then drew another card thanks to his Spell Card. "Since I can't use Messier 7's effect on the turn I Chaos Xyz Evolve him, I end my turn."

"Then I begin." Jupiter drew his card. "Tell me, boy. Is that creature your strongest?"

"Messier 7? Yeah, I guess so," Mikey said as he thought about it, "I mean I know I have others, but I think Messier 7 is my ace right now."

"Excellent." Jupiter grinned. "I now activate my Photon Twin Lizard's magical ability. By sacrificing it, I can split it back into its two component creatures." Photon Twin Lizard was swallowed up in a light and from it emerged two armored swordsman with bodies made of pure light (ATK/2100 DEF/0). "Permit me, then, to show you MY most powerful monster. I sacrifice my Photon Thrashers to bring out a monster like no other." Both monsters vanished from the field as Jupiter began to chant.

"The darkness that lurks in the galaxy. Become the light of hope and my very servant. The embodiment of light, now descend! Appear now, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" A great column of light shot down from the heavens and then vanished. Where it had struck, a large purple dragon now stood with a red trident tipping its tail and a shining red gem in the center of its chest (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "Now Galaxy-Eyes, attack Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7. But before you do, invoke your magic!" As the dragon prepared to attack, the three spheres of light surrounding Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7 were suddenly pulled away and absorbed into the red gem on its chest. In that instant, the chest, arms, legs, neck, face, and wings of Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon lit up with a blinding white light. It roared and suddenly blasted the entire field with light. When the radiance subsided, neither Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon nor Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7 could be found."

"What happened?" asked Mikey.

"Our monsters have been banished," answered Jupiter. "Do not fret. They will return soon." And they did. When the Battle Phase ended, both monsters reappeared. But now Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7 no longer had his Overlay Units and Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon was at forty-five hundred attack points.

"What happened?" asked Gabe.

"Why's Galaxy-Eyes so powerful and what happened to Messier 7's Overlay Units?" demanded Mikey.

"It is the power of Galaxy-Eyes," explained Jupiter, "When he engaged in battle, he can banish himself and his opponent. Should his opponent be an Xyz Monster, however, he absorbs its Overlay Units and gains power for each one."

"No way!"

"This is why I was selected to duel you, boy," Jupiter said, "Thanks to Earth's information, we know the strengths of the Sacred Star Knights. And for that, we also have the means to turn it against you."

"Holy shit," was all Gabe could say from the sidelines.

"Your go," said Jupiter as he ended his turn.

Mikey drew his card. This wasn't looking good. His opponent's monster could absorb Xyz Monsters' Overlay Units and gain five hundred attack points for each one. He had to find some way to get it off the field. But as it stood, he had nothing strong enough to destroy it. He glanced at his hand and his field and considered. It might have been a long shot, but it was worth a try.

"I summon the Star of Aries: Constellar Sheratan." His third Constellar Sheratan hit the field. "With his effect, I bring Constellar Antares to my hand." He grabbed his level six Scorpio knight and his Duel Dish shuffled his deck. "Now with Constellar Leonis' effect, I sacrifice Sheratan to summon the Star of Pisces: Constellar Rescha!" The ram knight disappeared and in his place, through the column of light and the crest of Pisces, descended a silver knight with fins on his helmet and wielding two double-bladed swords connected by a chain of water (ATK/2200 DEF/1200). "When Rescha is summoned, his effect lets me Special Summon any Constellar in my hand. So I bring out the Star of Scorpio: Constellar Antares." A column of light and the crest of Scorpio appeared, allowing the summoning of the knight with a large energy sword connected to a scorpion tail (ATK/2400 DEF/900). "Since Antares was summoned, his effect lets me bring one Constellar from my graveyard back to my hand. I'm gonna pick Kaust for this one. Antares, would you please do the honors?" Constellar Antares threw his scorpion tail into the ground and ensnared Constellar Kaust's card, which he promptly retrieved and handed it to Mikey.

"Here you are, Mikey."

"Thanks. Now it's time to Overlay you with Rescha. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters. Xyz Summon! Rise, Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7!" As the two level six creatures went into the vortex, a second Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7 appeared with two orbs of light surrounding it. "Since I summon him this way, I don't have to wait that extra turn so now I detach one Overlay Unit to bounce your dragon!" Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7 ate one of his Overlay Units and prepared to unleash his power.

"I don't think so!" Jupiter discarded another Effect Veiler from his hand and his opponent's monster was stopped dead.

"Uh-oh."

"Anything else?" asked Jupiter.

Mikey didn't answer. He just switched his other Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7 into defense mode and ended his turn.

"That's what I thought." The Agent of Miracles drew his card. "Galaxy-Eyes, attack the new one." The galaxy-filled eyes of the dragon became fixated on its target and it absorbed Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7's Overlay Unit and the two creatures vanished in a flash of light. When they returned, Mikey's monster had lost his spheres and Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon had grown stronger yet again to five thousand attack points. "I shall conclude with one facedown creature."

Mikey drew his card. He had nothing. If he tried to Xyz Summon again, his opponent's monster would just absorb it. It was despairing. All he could do now was end his turn.

Jupiter drew his next card and began to grin diabolically. "This is such a delight. I begin by Flip Summoning Photon Circle." A purple wizard in a maroon cape and a yellow turban appeared (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "Next I summon Photon Saber Tiger." A sabertooth tiger made of pure light leapt onto the field and roared (ATK/2000 DEF/300). "Unfortunately, these tigers hunt in packs. To hunt solo would mean to discourage it and thus weaken it." Photon Saber Tiger moaned as its attack points dropped to twelve hundred.

"But I am not done. I now Overlay Photon Saber Tiger and Photon Circle. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters." A vortex appeared and Photon Saber Tiger and Photon Circle were absorbed into it as golden streams of light. "Xyz Summon! Arise, Photon Papilloperative!" A beautiful woman with magnificent butterfly wings appeared carrying two dual-bladed weapons as two orbs of light surrounded her body (ATK/2100 DEF/1800). "Now I use her effect. By detaching one of her Overlay Units, she can force one of your defensive creatures into an attacking stance and weaken it at the same time." Jupiter detached Photon Saber Tiger and Photon Papilloperative absorbed one of her spheres. She flapped her wings gently and a wave of light flowed out and switched on Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7 into attack position while lowering its attack points down to twenty-one hundred.

"Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, attack Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7. Photon Stream of Destruction!" Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon's galaxy-filled eyes focused on its target and it charged up before unleashing a solid stream of light from its mouth that blasted apart Mikey's monster.

––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 2200

**Jupiter:** 4300

––––––––––––––––

"Kill the other one," ordered Jupiter, "Butterfly Death Dance." Photon Papilloperative fluttered across the field and slashed apart the other Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7 with her blades.

"I am finished," announced the Agent of Miracles.

Mikey was despaired. He had nothing that could defeat that dragon. "I'm sorry, Kuraz," he whispered.

"Mikey!" In a loud booming voice, Kuraz appeared before the boy, "I entrusted you with the Sacred Star Knights and you've proven yourself worthy to command them. But you rely too much on them now. You must remember not to neglect your own strength."

"My own...strength?" Mikey looked up at Kuraz and then at his deck. He reached for it and drew his card. He looked at it and realized what Kuraz meant. He smiled. "Thanks, Kuraz." He looked back at his opponent, the fires of determination and willpower burning in his eyes as the Light Monarch vanished.

"I summon Fire Ant Ascator." His ancient red ant appeared clacking its pincers (ATK/700 DEF/1300). "Now with Leonis' effect, I Normal Summon the Star of Gemini: Constellar Pollux!" The light and the crest of Gemini appeared heralding the arrival of the caped dual-colored knight wielding a single twin-bladed sword (ATK/1700 DEF/600). "And with Pollux's effect, I can Normal Summon another one. Here's Kaust again!" Constellar Kaust reappeared on the field and stamped his hoof on the floor. "Kaust, boost Pollux up by one level."

Constellar Kaust turned to Constellar Pollux. "You know I hate being shot at," the latter said.

"I know." Kaust's bow lit up its top light as he drew back his bowstring and summoned a light arrow. "Doesn't mean I'm not going to enjoy it." He loosed his arrow and shot Constellar Pollux, raising his level to five.

"Now I play Double Summon for yet another Normal Summon this turn. Here's a second Kaust!" A second Constellar Kaust appeared and the two centaurs looked at each other briefly.

"Well, this is awkward," they said in unison.

"My first Kaust will raise his own level by one and my second with raise Leonis' level by two." Both Kausts loosed their arrows and Constellar Leonis was raised to level five while the first Constellar Kaust was now a level five as well. "I Overlay my level five Kaust and my level five Leonis. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters. Xyz Summon! Rise, Constellar Pleiades!" From the vortex of the heavens, another caped knight with bladed weapon emerged, allowing Mikey to draw another card thanks to his Star Sign of the Constellar.

"Giving my Galaxy-Eyes more food?" asked Jupiter. "Or have you simply surrendered."

"I'm not done yet," said Mikey, "I tune Fire Ant Ascator with my level five Constellar Pollux!" Fire Ant Ascator's body faded away until three stars remained. They transformed into green synchro rings and surrounded Constellar Pollux. His body faded away soon as well into five stars and a column of light engulfed them.

"When the Sun arises, all darkness is dispelled. Light, shine brightly! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Sun Dragon Inti!" From the light a shining stone sun emerged with four identical red dragon heads coming out of it in the four compass directions (ATK/3000 DEF/2800).

"A Synchro Monster!" exclaimed Jupiter, "Impressive, but not strong enough to defeat my Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon."

"Sun Dragon Inti, attack Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" Sun Dragon Inti's four heads breathed a stream of flames and they spiraled together into a fiery helix that shot toward their target. Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon roared and charged up its own attack before firing its Photon Stream of Destruction. It broke through the other dragon's flames and destroyed it with one attack.

––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 200

**Jupiter:** 4300

––––––––––––––––

"So you admit defeat. You are admirable in that regard at least," said Jupiter.

"Oh I'm not giving up," Mikey replied, "I'm destroying your Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"

"And how, praytell, do you plan to do that?" asked the angel.

"It's already been done," Mikey explained, "When Sun Dragon Inti is destroyed in battle, the monster that destroyed it dies too and damage is dealt to its controller equal to the half of the destroyed monster's attack points." The flames of the sun suddenly erupted up from under Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon and it roared in excruciating agony before its body was incinerated and the flames exploded before Jupiter.

––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 200

**Jupiter:** 1800

––––––––––––––––

"Constellar Pleiades, attack!" Constellar Pleiades moved in and began to fly toward Photon Papilloperative. "Now let's see how she fairs against this." Mikey detached Constellar Leonis from his monster and Constellar Pleiades absorbed one of his orbs as he flew. The moment he reached Photon Papilloperative, he slashed her with his bladed handguard and sent her flying off the field and clearing the path for himself to thrust the blade of his sword into the heart of Jupiter.

––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 200

**Jupiter:** 0

––––––––––––––––

The images faded away and Jupiter staggered back as his Duel Disk broke off his arm and shattered against the stone floors. "This isn't the end," he swore as he surrounded himself in a dusty colored orb of light with a noticeable red circle in its lower half before he vanished.

"That is the last of the Agents," Kuraz said as he appeared.

"So... what about that whole own power thing?" asked Gabe as he walked up to Mikey with Amadis.

Mikey smiled. "_All_ my cards are my own power."

"And now for Hyperion," Kuraz said. "Nothing stands in our way between us and him."

"Is that so?" The doors to the grand audience chamber opened and Master Hyperion stepped out into the courtyard.

"Hyperion..." Amadis took a step forward, but Mikey stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him, but he did not falter. Instead, Mikey placed himself in front of her. Meanwhile, Gabe drew his rapier and stood ready.

"Nothing may physically stand between you and I now, Kuraz, but your subjects, on the other hand..." Master Hyperion took out his Soul Gate. "Spirit Release." The cards Jupiter had been using suddenly broke and the fragments shot skyward and toward the great battle below. One-by-one, each piece transformed into a complete body; a Photon monster was born from the fragments and swept down on the battle that raged below. Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragons roared as they blasted the field with their Photon Streams of Destruction.

"If you wish to stop them, you know what you must do." Mikey looked away from the sky over the battle and turned to Master Hyperion.

"Oh, I do. And I plan to win."

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The final duel against the Titan of Light has come. To save Heiratine and restore the throne to its rightful ruler, Mikey faces Master Hyperion in a galactic battle of the ages. Watch it all happen next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	172. The Titan of Light

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-85**

**The Titan of Light**

With the Photons joining the fight, the tide of the battle had turned. Packs of Photon Saber Tigers ran across the field pouncing on Watts as their prey. Batterymen fought against the Photon Thrashers and Photon Crushers. Photon Kaiser seemed to be the commanding officer and was seen standing with two Photon Circle bodyguards while he oversaw the Photon Lizards, Photon Cerberuses, and Photon Leos. Photon Strike Bounzer struck hard against the Lightsworn while Photon Twin Lizard and Photon Papilloperative struck from the sky. Judgment Dragon roared as it was seemingly being overbored by Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragons. Flying overhead, Jupiter had joined the main fray of the battle overseeing his army.

"Your army falls," said Hyperion as he raised his arms toward the sky, "With the reinforcements from another time, my army grows stronger. You have no hope of victory."

"We do. And that's by defeating you!" Mikey stepped forward and pointed at the Titan of Light.

"Kuraz has placed much faith in you, child. But his faith may be gravely misplaced. You're such a fragile little thing." One of the Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragons flew past overhead and joined Saturn and his Counter Fairies against Athena and her fairies.

"I may be fragile, but that doesn't stop me from pressing forward." Mike walked toward Master Hyperion while undoing the fastenings of his school coat. He stopped and dropped the blue garment to the floor, leaving on the plain black T-shirt he wore underneath.

"You challenge me?" Hyperion asked.

"I do." Mikey reactivated his Duel Disk.

"Mikey!" Amadis grabbed Mikey's arm.

"I have to do this, Amadis."

"But..."

"I'll free Hyperion and bring him back to you." Mikey turned and looked at her with his soft brown eyes. "I promise." She looked into them and saw something. Something in them said that Mikey meant what he said.

"Alright," she said quietly, "I believe in you."

"You shall regret this, guardian of Kuraz." Master Hyperion raised his arm and revealed his Soul Gate in his hand. "Chaos Exultation!" The device's mouth opened and streams of darkness poured out of the eye. They swept across the battlefield, but none of the monsters were absorbed. The ones who were absorbed were Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Earth. When the Agents had all been absorbed, the black device began to radiate with a black aura.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Master Hyperion:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

Master Hyperion drew a light from the Soul Gate. "I begin with The Sanctuary in the Sky!" As he played his card, a bright light suddenly erupted from his chest and a crest resembling a circle with a dot in the center appeared to engulf the field. Mikey covered his eyes with his arms to avoid getting blinded as everybody vanished.

When he could finally see again, Mikey couldn't believe what he saw. He was no longer in Kuraz's palace on top of Olympus in Heiratine. He was now standing in the Sanctuary in the Sky which was floating in space. He looked around him. He could see the planets orbiting around the sun, which shined brightly in the center. His thoughts went back to his duel against the Inca god Inti. But something about this duel felt different.

As if to confirm his thoughts, the sun flared and Master Hyperion suddenly burst forth and emerged from the blazing star down to his waist. A row of shining lights like stars in front of his chest appeared to be the cards in his hand. "I shall now resume. I call forth the Agent of Creation - Venus." As the planet Venus came around, a light shone from it and the angel of creation appeared (ATK/1600 DEF/0). "And with her magic, she can bring forth a Mystical Shine Ball for a small cost of my life force."

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Master Hyperion:** 6500

–––––––––––––––––––––

Master Hyperion grunted as he felt his life force drain away, but as a result Venus clasped her hands together in prayer and three balls of light appeared (ATK/500 DEF/500), one red, one blue, and one purple. "Thus I conclude with two wards." Two meteors that resembled large slabs appeared signifying Hyperion's facedowns as he ended his turn.

"I draw!" Mikey drew his first card. "I'll start by summoning the Star of Gemini: Constellar Pollux." A light shined down from above as the crest of Gemini appeared and deposited his asymmetrical warrior wielding his twin-bladed sword (ATK/1700 DEF/500). "On the turn I Normal Summon Pollux, his effect lets me Normal Summon another Constellar monster this turn. So I now summon the Star of Capricorn: Constellar Gredi!" A light and the crest of Capricorn deposited his female knight with goat horned helmet and sceptre (ATK/1600 DEF/1400). "And with her effect, I can Special Summon another level for Constellar from my hand. I summon the Star of Cancer: Constellar Acubes!" A column of light and the crest of Cancer heralded the arrival of a mechanical knight with large scissor-like claws in place of hands (ATK/800 DEF/2000). "And when Acubes is summoned, all Constellar monsters currently on the field gain five hundred attack points." A light seemed to radiate off Acubes and covered the entire field. Constellar Pollux was raised to twenty-two hundred attack points, Constellar Gredi was raised to twenty-one hundred attack points, and Constellar Acubes boosted himself to thirteen hundred attack points.

"Pollux, attack The Agent of Creation - Venus!" ordered Mikey, "Dual Blade of the Twins!" Constellar Pollux gripped his sword and ran forward. He approached Venus and slashed her twice with his blade.

"Target has been defeated," reported Constellar Pollux as he returned to his spot.

"Thanks, Pollux," Mikey replied, "Now Gredi, attack one of the Mystical Shine Balls. "Spell of the Sea-Goat!"

"This should wash them away." Constellar Gredi thrust her sceptre forward and a spell of light and water was shot out and destroyed the blue Mystical Shine Balls.

"Acubes, destroy another one with your Steel Scissors of the Crab!" Constellar Acubes opened his claws and lunged. He grabbed the purple Mystical Shine Ball and closed around them, cutting it apart.

"Now for my second Main Phase," declared Mikey, "I Overlay Constellar Gredi and Constellar Acubes. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters." A vortex opened up and both Constellar Gredi and Constellar Acubes were turned into streams of light that spiraled into it. "Xyz Summon! Rise, Constellar Omega!" A shining gold and white centaur emerged from the vortex with a pair of magnificent wings and two orbs of light orbiting his body (ATK/2400 DEF/500).

"I end with a facedown," announced Mikey. "Your move."

"Thus I shall." Hyperion added another light in front of him. "I summon The Agent of Miracles - Jupiter!" From the planet Jupiter, the muscular dark-skinned angel emerged (ATK/1800 DEF/1000). "And now, by banishing one Agent from the grave, I can raise the strength of Fairy of Light." A black hole appeared and swallowed up The Agent of Creation - Venus. Jupiter flexed his muscles and his attack power rose to twenty-six hundred.

"And now I use Jupiter's other power which is only available in the presence of The Sanctuary in the Sky. By discarding one Fairy, I can summon a Fairy of Light from the other dimension." A light vanished from the row in front of him and a black hole opened up from which Venus emerged.

"Jupiter, attack! Thunder Crash!" Jupiter crossed his arms in front of himself and a bolt of lightning struck him. His body channeled the energy to his fingertips and he fired them off in a blast of electric discharge that hit Constellar Omega.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 7800

**Master Hyperion:** 6500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I shall conclude," announced Hyperion. In that moment, Jupiter's attack points returned to eighteen hundred.

"Draw!" Mikey drew his card. "I start by summoning the Star of Aries: Constellar Sheratan!" The crest of Aries appeared with a column of light as the ram-headed knight appeared (ATK/700 DEF/1900). "And with his effect, I'll bring another Sheratan to my hand." His Duel Disk ejected the card he desired and he added it to his hand. "Now I activate my Trap Card, Ultimate Offering! Now by paying five hundred Life Points, I can Normal Summon again."

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 7300

**Master Hyperion:** 6500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I summon my second Sheratan!" The second Constellar Sheratan appeared and Mikey used his effect to bring his third one to his hand. "Now I pay Life Points again."

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6800

**Master Hyperion:** 6500

–––––––––––––––––––––

The Third constellar Sheratan appeared and with his effect Mikey brought Constellar Eska to his hand. "Now I pay five hundred Life Points again."

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 6300

**Master Hyperion:** 6500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I sacrifice one Sheratan to summon the Star of Virgo: Constellar Spica!" A light and the crest of Virgo signaled the call and the white angellic knight appeared (ATK/2300 DEF/1600). "And with Spica's effect, I Special Summon in defense mode the Star of Libra: Constellar Eska!" A large mechanical knight resembling a balancing scale with claws appeared crouching defensively (ATK/2100 DEF/1400). "And with Eska's effect, I can bring a Constellar to my hand. I pick another Eska." Once Mikey had retrieved his card, he resumed his turn by paying another five hundred Life Points.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 5800

**Master Hyperion:** 6500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I sacrifice another Sheratan for my second Eska." The second Constellar Sheratan vanished and in his place appeared the second Constellar Eska. "And with his effect I bring my third Eska to my hand." Mikey retrieved his card. "Now I summon him by paying another five hundred Life Points and sacrificing my third Shertan."

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 5300

**Master Hyperion:** 6500

–––––––––––––––––––––

Mikey's third Constellar Eska took the place of his final Constellar Sheratan and he used its effect to bring Constellar Kaust to his hand. "Now I Overlay Spica with Eska and my two Eskas together." He shifted his cards into two stacks and placed a card on each of them from his Extra Deck. "I construct an Overlay Network with these monsters. Xyz Summon! Rise, Constellar Pleiades!" Two shining knights emerged, each wielding a large bladed weapon in their hands and two orbs of gold light orbiting their bodies (ATK/2500 DEF/1500).

"Next I sack another five hundred Life Points!"

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4800

**Master Hyperion:** 6500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I summon the Star of Sagittarius: Constellar Kaust!" The light and the crest of Sagittarius appeared and from the heavens descended the white armored centaur knight with the golden bow (ATK/1800 DEF/700). "Now I use Kaust's effect to boost himself and Pollux by one level each." Constellar Kaust's top bow light lit up as he pulled back his drawstring and fired a light arrow into Constellar Pollux. Then he fired one down at his hooves. As a result, both of their levels became five.

"I Overlay Kaust and Pollux. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters. Xyz Summon! Constellar Pleiades!" And in a flash his third Constellar Pleiades appeared.

"Now I'm gonna detach an Overlay Unit from each of them and use them to bounce all three of your monsters." Detaching two Constellar Eskas and Constellar Kaust from his monsters, Mikey watched as all three Constellar Pleiadeses absorbed one orb each and them thrust their weapons at Venus, Jupiter, and Mystical Shine Ball.

"Now everyone, attack!"

"I activate one of my wards, Negate Attack." One of the giant slab-like meteors broke apart and a vortex appeared to absorb the attacks.

"I end my turn then," announced Mikey.

A light appeared in front of the Titan of Light indicating his draw. "I begin with a most treacherous spell, Dark Hole."

"Oh no..." Mikey watched as a black hole appeared and began to swallow up every monster on the field. He quickly detached the remaining Overlay Units from all of his monsters and used them to bounce them back into his Extra Deck.

"Now I call forth Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen." A temple appeared on a floating rock and joined the planets in their orbit around Master Hyperion. "And now with its power, I summon The Agent of Miracles - Jupiter." Jupiter appeared from his planet and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 4800

**Master Hyperion:** 6500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Now I banish Saturn from the grave to raise Jupiter's strength." As a black hole swallowed up Saturn, Jupiter's muscles bulged and rippled as his attack points rose by eight hundred to twenty-six hundred. "Next I discard Mystical Shine Ball to summon The Agent of Judgment - Saturn from banishment." Another black hole opened up and The purple-skinned judge came out and landed on his respective planet (ATK/2400 DEF/0).

"And now I shall make use of Saturn's power. By sacrificing him, I can strike you for damoge equal to the difference in our life." Saturn cut himself on a spear and shadows bled from his wound and wrappe themselves tight around Mikey.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3100

**Master Hyperion:** 6500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"In doing so, I cannot conduct my Battle Phase. I shall, however, conclude by summoning my advisor, the Agent of Wisdom - Mercury." From the planet Mercury, the blue-skinned Agent of Wisdom appeared and stood on its surface (ATK/0 DEF/1700). As Hyperion's turn ended, Jupiter's attack points returned to eighteen hundred.

"Draw!" Mikey drew his card. He didn't have much now, but he hoped he could find some way to turn things around. "I play Monster Reborn and I'll resurrect Constellar Eska." His Star of Libra rose up from the grave. "And I'll use his effect to bring Constellar Kaust to my hand." He brought his second Constellar Kaust out of his deck and then Normal Summoned him. "Now Kaust, raise your level by one!" Constellar Kaust pointed his bow down at its top light lit up and shot an arrow of light down at his hooves, raising him to level five.

"Now I Overlay Eska and Kaust. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters. Xyz Summon! Rise, Constellar Pleiades!" Constellar Pleiades returned to the field once more with a fresh pair of light orbs orbiting his body. "Now this time, bounce his backfield card!" Constellar Pleiades absorbed one of his orbs and blasted a beam of light at Hyperion's facedown, bouncing it off the field and back into his hand.

"Attack Jupiter! Starlight Velocity!" Constellar Pleiades charged at top speed and slashed his target as he passed, destroying him with a single strike of his sword. "Now I set a card. That's all for my turn."

Master Hyperion drew, thus adding a new light before him. "I shall now summon forth The Agent of Force - Mars." The large hammer-wielding angel rose up from the planet of his namesake and stood (ATK/0 DEF/0).

"Zero attack points?" Mikey looked at his opponent's monster.

"Not quite. If your life force is weaker than mine, then Mars feeds off the difference." Mikey looked at his Duel Disk. With his own Life Points at thirty-one hundred and his opponent's at sixty-five hundred, that was a difference of thirty-four hundred. With that, Mars' attack points suddenly matched it. "Now strike down Constellar Pleiades. Fire Ignite!" Mars stamped the head of his hammer against his planet and flames rose up and engulfed it. He then grabbed his weapon and turned it around, grasping it firmly in both hands. He spread his wings and flew through space toward Mikey, ready to strike down his monster.

"I activate my Trap Card, Lumenize! This negates your monster's attack and gives his total attack points to my monster until the end of my End Phase." A wall of light rose up in front of Constellar Pleiades and Mars' hammer struck it. The flames from his weapon were absorbed by the light and transferred to the knight's blade, raising his attack points to fifty-nine hundred.

"So be it. Mercury, defend yourself." Mercury obeyed his master's command and crouched defensively.

Mikey drew his card. "I detach Pleiades' other Overlay Unit and this time I'm gonna bounce Sanctuary in the Sky." Constellar Pleiades absorbed his last orb and he stabbed the ground. In that instant, the Sanctuary in the Sky crumbled, leaving Mikey on a single slab of land. "Attack Mars! Starlight Fire Velocity!" Taking his flaming weapon, Constellar Pleiades shot forward and cut down The Agent of Force - Mars.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3100

**Master Hyperion:** 4000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Chaos Xyz Evolution! Right now, show yourself, Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7!" On his second Main Phase, Mikey Overlaid Constellar Pleiades with Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7 and his white dragon emerged with wings of pure energy flapping in the air as it landed. A single orb of light circled its body (ATK/2700 DEF/2000). "That ends my turn."

Hyperion drew. "I summon Venus once more and place down one ward. And I once again employ the power of the Sanctuary." Mikey's lone rock suddenly reassembled with all its pieces and the Sanctuary in the Sky was reborn as Venus reappeared on her planet. "That is all."

Mikey drew again. "I summon the Star of Taurus: Constellar Dabaran!" In a column of light, the crest of Taurus appeared as the bull-horned knight descended from the heavens (ATK/1300 DEF/800). "Now since I have two Light monsters, I can Special Summon Guardian of Order." He played his card and his trusted angelic warrior descended from on high (ATK/2500 DEF/1200). "And now I'm gonna use Messier 7's effect. By detaching his Overlay Unit, he can bounce one monster that's on the field or in the graveyard. I'll bounce Mercury." Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7 ate his orb and flapped his wings with enough force to blow Mercury off the field.

"Guardian of Order, attack Venus!" Guardian of Order shot a beam of light from the center of his helmet and destroyed The Agent of Creation - Venus. "Dabaran, attack with Roaring Charge of the Bull!" Constellar Dabaran prepared his chakram and threw it. It flew across the galaxy and struck Master Hyperion.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3100

**Master Hyperion:** 2700

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Alright, now it's your turn Messier 7! Starlight Stream!" Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7 opened its mouth and fired a beam of light at Master Hyperion. "That's game!"

"I activate Defense Draw!" A barrier blocked the attack and Master Hyperion drew a card.

"Fine then," said Mikey. "Your turn."

Master Hyperion drew. "I call upon my messenger, The Agent of Mystery - Earth!" The gentle-faced fairy appeared on blue Mother Earth (ATK/1000 DEF/800). "When she heeds the call, she can bring forth an Agent into the ready unless the Sanctuary in the Sky empowers her further. Then, I can call forth something much stronger."

"What do you mean?" Mikey asked apprehensively.

The Titan of Light added a light to his hand. "I banish one Mercury from my hand. And the one to heed the call...is me!" Master Hyperion suddenly sprouted a pair of wings made of pure orange flames from his back and let out a titanic roar (ATK/2700 DEF/2100).

"You summoned yourself?" gasped Mikey.

"Young Terran, you know not what I have endured for millennia. When the war ended, many of my brothers were imprisoned. Some were subject to eternal punishment, such as Atlas. Those of us who were fortunate to escape went into hiding. We were hunted like animals. Meanwhile my nephew and his brothers and sisters established themselves as gods of the land."

"I feel like I've read this somewhere before," said Mikey, "Have I read this somewhere before?"

"Some of my brothers were reckless and tried to defy our usurper gods. Prometheus was one such example, believing he could steal the fire of the gods."

"Good grief, I DO know this stuff!" Mikey exclaimed.

"I, however, bade my time. I waited patiently for an opportunity. It finally came in due time. The UnGod offered me one I could not resist. With His power, I could free my brothers from their imprisonment and retake the world for the titans. Upon doing so, my youngest brother shall be crowned the supreme ruler."

"What makes you so sure the UnGod will give you as you were promised?" asked Mikey.

"The UnGod has existed for much longer than your Terran mind can comprehend. His influence transcends time itself. He will help us for He desires it."

"Somehow I doubt that. The UnGod only shares his power with those who can get him something in return. He wants something and it's something only you seem capable of getting."

"Enough! I invoke my magical powers. By banishing one Fairy of Light from the grave, I can destroy any one target and destroy it. If I am in the presence of the Sanctuary in the Sky, I can do this twice." A black hole swallowed up a Mystical Shine Ball and Master Hyperion summoned a dwarf star to the palm of his hand. "Star Eruption." He threw his star across the galaxy and struck Guardian of Order, destroying him instantly. Following that, he banished another Mystical Shine Ball and called forth another dwarf star, this time using it to destroy Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7.

"And now, I shall strike down your final creature." Master Hyperion opened his hand once more and created a sun in his palm. "Solar Collapse." He held the sun and thrust it forward. It collided with Constellar Dabaran and the heat, pressure, and very force of the massive star obliterated the bull warrior.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 1700

**Master Hyperion:** 2700

–––––––––––––––––––––

Master Hyperion withdrew and straightened himself upright as he ended his turn. Mikey drew his next card. "I play Pot of Avarice. I return both Kausts, two Eskas, and a Sheratan to my deck and then I'll draw two cards." Mikey took the five monsters and shuffled them into his deck before drawing two new cards.

"It matters not what you draw. Not even the power of the gods can match the might of the titans."

"Then how about the power of the sun?" asked Mikey. As he prepared to make his move, his right forearm started to glow and a Red Rose Mark appeared, reacting to his Rose Card in his pocket. "I Special Summon Oracle of the Sun!" His Inca oracle appeared on the field (ATK/1000 DEF/2000). "Next I summon Fire Ant Ascator." His ancient red ant appeared and clacked its pincers together (ATK/700 DEF/1300). "I tune Fire Ant Ascator with Oracle of the Sun!" Fire Ant Ascator's body faded away, leaving only three stars that transformed into synchro rings and surrounded Oracle of the Sun and broke his body down into five shining stars. A light engulfed them all.

""When the Sun arises, all darkness is dispelled. Light, shine brightly! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Sun Dragon Inti!" The light died out and the shining golden stone sun emerged and four red dragon heads rose up from behind it and roared (ATK/3000 DEF/2800).

"When you summoned yourself Hyperion, you left yourself open for an easy defeat. All I have to do is defeat you here on the field."

"Do you honestly believe you can defeat a titan?" asked Hyperion.

"Only one way to find out. Inti, prepare to fire!" Sun Dragon Inti's head began to charge up a special attack in place of their regular one, combining their flames into a massive ball of condensed burning gas. Meanwhile, Master Hyperion conjured up another sun in his hand.

"Solar Flame!"

"Solar Collapse!"

Sun Dragon Inti fired and Master Hyperion thrust. The two suns collided midway and the strike caused something to happen within each of them. They were reacting not only to the impact, but also the heat, pressure, mass, and gravity of each other. Mikey braced himself for what was to come. Within mere moments, both suns exploded and engulfed the entire solar system in a massive supernova. Master Hyperion cried out as he was engulfed in the explosion as Mikey shielded his eyes.

When the boy finally lowered his arms, he was back in the courtyard of Kuraz's palace. The Photons, the Cyber Dragons, the VWXYZs, the Arcana Force, and the Counter Fairies had begun to fall. Mikey looked around and saw Hyperion had collapsed and now lay on the ground. Amadis had run up to him and began shaking him and calling his name.

"Mikey, what happened?" asked Gabe.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Mikey asked back, "I dueled Hyperion."

"So quickly?" The younger Angel gawked at his older brother.

"What do you mean quickly?"

"You were gone for like a couple minutes."

"But the duel lasted way longer than that! Wait. What do you mean gone?"

"Exactly that. You disappeared."

"He must have been teleported to an alternate dimension," Kuraz surmised.

"It was like the time I dueled Inti," Mikey tried to explain, "Except Hyperion came out of the sun and I was standing on the Sanctuary in the Sky."

"I see." Then Kuraz noticed something else. "Mikey, your arm..."

"My arm?" Mikey looked at his right arm. "Hey, it's a Rose Mark!"

"A Red Rose Mark." Kuraz continued to look at it. "On your arm..."

"Kuraz, what does this mean?" asked Mikey.

"It means that you're the leader of the knights and the vanguard. You are the Crusader of the Red Rose."

"M-m-me?" Mikey stared at his arm. "The leader?"

"Rena had foretold that those bearing the marks upon their arms would be the Crusaders while those who bore their marks over their hearts were to be their vanguards. Mikey, you are the Crusader of the Red Rose. The others are at your command."

"Does this mean I have to get bossed around by Mikey?" asked Gabe.

"You've never listened to me once when we were growing up," Mikey retorted.

"I still don't."

"In any case, we should proceed to the throne room and restore the seal," suggested Kuraz.

"Let's go then," Mikey agreed.

"Hyperion," Amadis repeated for the umpteenth time, but still no response. For the longest time it seemed like her attempts would be to no avail. But finally, a groan was heard.

"A...ma...dis...?" Hyperion slowly moved his head and looked at Amadis.

"Hyperion?"

"Amadis..."

"Hyperion, it's me. I'm here."

"What... What has happened?" asked Hyperion.

"You were under the UnGod's influence," Amadis explained.

"I...don't remember...anything..."

"My question is how did Hyperion fall under the UnGod's influence anyway?" asked Mikey.

"Who knows?" Gabe asked as she shrugged. "Maybe it's just... Hey, what's that?" He ran across the courtyard and Mikey followed. He stopped and found some strange golden artifact lodged into the titan's back. "What is this?"

"It is a vajra," answered Kuraz, "But how did it get embedded in Hyperion?"

"Because that vajra is mine." A new voice had echoed throughout all of Heiratine and the ground shook and split open. Hordes upon hordes of demons spilled out and began to overwhelm the battlefield.

"What is all this?" demanded Mikey. A cackle caused him to turn around as a dark aura radiated off of the vajra and began to gather. When the darkness was all out and the vajra shattered, it materialized into a very large dark-skinned demon dressed head to toe in shining golden armor and brilliant robes. In his right hand he carried a trident adorned with a long ribbon.

"I am the UnGod's true Regent Lord of Heiratine. The _Demon_ of Light. Aggiba, the Malevolent Sh'nn S'yo!"

As the demons continued to fill the field, all the combatants tried to change the fighting strategy but to no avail. "What are they?" asked Gilford as he tried to protect himself against several.

"These are the demons of the radiant light," Zaborg said as he appeared, "They're the fabled Demonic Roar Gods.

Back on Olympus, Aggiba, the Malevolent Sh'nn S'yo reached down and plucked the Soul Gate out of Master Hyperion's hand. "He won't be needing this any longer."

"It seems our battle has not yet finished, Mikey," said Kuraz as he stood ready.

"It looks like the real battle has only just begun," said Mikey as he stood with his Duel Disk ready.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The true final battle of Heiratine has come. With this newest revelation, Mikey must now defeat the Demon of Light: Aggiba, the Malevolent Sh'nn S'yo. What waits our hero? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	173. The Demon of Light

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-86**

**The Demon of Light**

As the Fabled demons swarmed the battlefield, Mikey, Gabe, and Kuraz stood staring up at Aggiba, the Malevolent Sh'nn S'yo. Amadis was kneeling by Master Hyperion talking to him and praying. "The girl's creature proved to be a most useful puppet," the Demon of Light said. "It was a perfect charade."

"You sicken me." Mikey was genuinely disgusted.

"Words that I've heard time and time again. They do not hurt." Aggiba then held up the Soul Gate. "But if you wish to stop me, then by all means try."

Mikey stepped forward, but Gabe placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're not doing this alone, Mikey. I'll fight with you."

Mikey looked at his brother. "Thanks Gabe." The younger Angel nodded and took his place beside his elder sibling. Both boys' Duel Disks were ready.

"I hereby invoke the Indoctrination of the Sun." Aggiba raised the Soul Gate over his head. "Chaos Exultation!" The black device opened its mouth and streams of darkness poured out from its eye and washed across the battlefield. A few members of the Fabled demon army were absorbed and pulled in. When he had gathered enough, Aggiba placed the Soul Gate on his arm and it transformed into a solid gold Duel Disk with intricate designs of Shinto and Buddhist faiths carved into it. He stuck his trident down and drew his hand.

"So how's this going to work?" asked Gabe.

"How about tag team style?" suggested Mikey.

"I can concur with that," Aggiba agreed, "You shall begin, then I shall go, then the younger one, then back to me."

"So you get two turns each round?" asked Gabe.

"Correct."

"Brilliant idea, Mikey," Gabe said sarcastically.

"I shall assist you this time, Mikey." Kuraz vanished into a beam of light and shot into Mikey's deck.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Angel Brothers:** 8000

**Aggiba, the Malevolent Sh'nn S'yo:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

I draw." Mikey drew his first card. "I summon the Star of Gemini: Constellar Pollux!" A beam of light came down from above and the crest of Gemini appeared as the asymmetrical knight with the twin-bladed sword descended from above (ATK/1700 DEF/600). "And when Pollux is summoned, I can Normal Summon one more Constellar monster this turn. So now I'll sacrifice Pollux to summon the Star of Virgo: Constellar Spica!" A light and the crest of Virgo appeared as the angelic knight appeared (ATK/2300 DEF/1600). "And since she was Normal Summoned, her effect lets me Special Summon one level five Constellar from my hand in defense mode. So I call out the Star of Libra: Constellar Eska." There was another light and the crest of Libra appeared to herald the arrival of the mechanical silver knight shaped like a balancing scale with claws (ATK/2100 DEF/1400). "And with Eska's effect, I can add one Constellar to my hand. I pick Constellar Kaust." A single card was pushed out of his deck. Mikey grabbed it and his deck was shuffled.

"Next I play Star Sign of the Constellar. Now I Overlay Constellar Spica and Constellar Eska." The two monsters were transformed into streams of golden light and spiraled into a galactic vortex. "I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters. Xyz Summon! Rise, Constellar Pleiades!" The gold and white knight appeared in a column of light and a shower of stardust wielding his large blade with two orbs of light orbiting his body (ATK/2500 DEF/1500). "And thanks to Star Sign, I draw a card whenever a Constellar Xyz monster is Special Summoned." Mikey drew a card from his deck. "I'll set a facedown and end my turn."

"I draw." Aggiba drew his first card. "And I'll begin with Dark Core. By discarding one card from my hand, I can remove from play one face-up monster." He discarded The Fabled Cerburrel and a black orb appeared and swallowed up Constellar Pleiades.

"Wow, I did not see that coming," Mikey commented.

"You won't expect this, either. By his own effect, The Fabled Cerburrel resurrects when he is discarded." A three-headed red-haired puppy appeared with a little black imp holding its leash and barked wildly (ATK/1000 DEF/400). "Next I discard a card to Special Summon The Fabled Nozoochee." Aggiba discarded another card and a yellow and blue serpent wrapped around a tiny blue imp appeared (ATK/1200 DEF/800). "When The Fabled Nozoochee is Special Summoned this way, I can summon one level two or lower Fabled monster from my hand. As a result, I shall summon Fabled Raven." A humanoid demon with chalk-white skin wearing black with wings appeared (ATK/1300 DEF/1000). "And the card I discarded to summon The Fabled Nozoochee was Fabled Lurrie, who gets Special Summoned when he's discarded." A small purple demon with large black bat wings rose out from the ground (ATK/200 DEF/400). "Lastly, I Normal Summon Fabled Urustos." A skeleton wrapped in black robes appeared with two tattered black angel wings protruding from its back (ATK/1500 DEF/200). "As long as my hand has two or fewer cards, the power of Fabled Urustos raises the attack strength of my creatures." A dark aura emanated from Fabled Urustos and washed all across Aggiba's side of the field. As a result Fabled Urustos' attack points went up to nineteen hundred, Fabled Lurrie's went up to six hundred, Fabled Raven rose to seventeen hundred, The Fabled Cerburrel rose to fourteen hundred, and The Fabled Nozoochee rose to sixteen hundred.

"Wait a minute," Gabe interrupted, "Did you just summon five monsters in one turn?"

"Yes I did," answered Aggiba, "Now I tune The Fabled Cerburrel with The Fabled Nozoochee and Fabled Lurrie." The Fabled Cerburrel ceased barking as its body faded away into two shining stars that turned into synchro rings and surrounded The Fabled Nozoochee and Fabled Lurrie. The former faded into two stars while the latter faded into one. A column of light engulfed them all.

"When the radiance shines up from below, it heralds the coming of the light of Hell. Synchro Summon! Arise, Fabled Ragin!" A demon in gold, black, and red armor emerged and spread out his bat-like wings as he crossed his arms across his chest (ATK/2300 DEF/1800). The aura emanated from Fabled Urustos raised his attack power to twenty-seven hundred. "When Fabled Ragin is Synchro Summoned, if I have less than two cards in my hand I can draw until I have two cards in my hand." Aggiba reached for his Duel Disk and drew two cards.

"That will be all."

"My turn! I draw!" Gabe drew his first card. " I summon Vylon Vanguard." A white robotic angel appeared with large golden shoulders and arms (ATK/1400 DEF/1100). "And now I'll equip it with Axe of Despair and Vylon Material." Axe of Despair's one thousand attack point boost and Vylon Material's six hundred boost raised the attack points of Vylon Vanguard to three thousand.

"I'll set a card and end my turn."

"So be it. I draw." Aggiba drew his card. "I shall now invoke the power of Fabled Raven. By discarding one card, his attack power rises by four hundred and his level by one. I discard The Fabled Catsith." As he discarded his card, Fabled Raven's attack points rose up to twenty-one hundred and his level became three. "And now for the effect of the creature I just discarded, The Fabled Catsith. When it is discarded, I can select one face-up card on the field and destroy it." A small demon cat appeared and pounced on Vylon Vanguard. It meowed and then stabbed its claws into its eyes.

"When Vylon Material goes to my grave, I can add a Vylon Spell to my hand. I choose my second Vylon Material. And on top of that, when Vylon Vanguard is destroyed by an effect and sent to the graveyard, I can draw one card for each Equip Spell on him." Gabe first brought his Spell Card to his hand, and then after his deck was shuffled he drew two new cards.

"It matters not," Aggiba replied as he picked up his trident and pointed at the Angel boys, "You have no monsters, meaning you two are open for a direct attack. Fabled Raven, strike first. Black Claw!" Fabled Raven brandished his claws and flew across the field, slashing the brothers with each hand.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Angel Brothers:** 5900

**Aggiba, the Malevolent Sh'nn S'yo:** 8000

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"Fabled Urustos, strike now with Grave Stalker." Fabled Urustos spread its tattered wings and several skeleton arms reached up and grabbed the Angel brothers by their ankles before more came out and squeezed them.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Angel Brothers:** 4000

**Aggiba, the Malevolent Sh'nn S'yo:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Fabled Ragin, it's your turn. Attack!"

"No!" Gabe revealed his facedown, "I activate Magic Cylinder! It negates your attack and damages you for the same damage I would've taken." As Fabled Ragin unleashed a blast of darkness, two purple tubes appeared. The attack flew into one and was shot back out of the other one.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Angel Brothers:** 4000

**Aggiba, the Malevolent Sh'nn S'yo:** 5300

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"So be it then. I now tune Raven with Ragin." Fabled Raven faded away into three stars which turned into synchro rings and surrounded Fabled Ragin, whose body turned into five stars. A light engulfed them all.

"When the radiance shines up from below, it heralds the coming of the light of Hell. Synchro Summon! Shine, Fabled Valkyrus!" The light dispersed and a demon in black armor stood up and spread his wings (ATK/2900 DEF/1700). With the effect of Fabled Urustos, his attack points rose to thirty-three hundred.

"Now I sacrifice Fabled Urustos to summon Fabled Dianaira." Fabled Urustos vanished, dropping Fabled Valkyrus back down to twenty-nine hundred and in his place appeared a large purple-skinned demon with black wings in matching pants wearing a horned mask (ATK/2800 DEF/100). "Last I activate Valkyrus' power. By discarding one Fiend from my hand, I can draw a card. I shall invoke this by discarding Fabled Soulkius." Aggiba discarded his card and drew a new one to replace it.

"I conclude."

"It's my turn now. I draw!" Mikey drew his next card. "And I'll summon the Star of Taurus: Constellar Dabaran!" A column of light and the crest of Taurus appeared as the knight with the bull-horned helmet descended from above (ATK/1300 DEF/800). "And with Dabaran's effect, I can Special Summon one level three Constellar from my hand. That means here comes the Star of Leo: Constellar Leonis!" The crest of Leo and a column of light deposited the silver knight with blue mane crests on his helmet (ATK/1000 DEF/1800). "When Leonis is on the field, his effect lets me Normal Summon an extra Constellar once per turn. So now I summon the Star of Capricorn: Constellar Gredi!" The column of light shined down as the crest of Capricorn appeared to herald the arrival of the goat-horned knight (ATK/1600 DEF/1400). "And Gredi's effect lets me Special Summon a level four Constellar from my hand. I Special Summon the Star of Sagittarius: Constellar Kaust!" A column of light served as a pathway for the arrival of the centaur archer knight as the crest of Sagittarius appeared (ATK/1800 DEF/700). "Kaust, time to use your effect: Boost your own level and Gredi's by one each."

"It shall be done!" Constellar Kaust lit up the top light of his bow and drew back his bowstring. Two arrows of light formed and he fired one at Gredi and one at his hooves, raising his and Gredi's levels up to five.

"I Overlay Constellar Dabaran and Constellar Leonis." The two level three monsters transformed into streams of golden light and spiraled into a cosmic vortex that had appeared. "I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters. Xyz Summon! Rise, Constellar Hyades!" A larger white and gold knight with bull horns descended in a column of light surrounded by a sparkling cluster of stardust wielding two large bladed weapons. Two golden orbs of light orbited his body (ATK/1900 DEF/1100). "And thanks to my Star Sign, I can draw one card." Mikey drew from his deck and proceeded. "Next I detach one Overlay Unit from Hyades, which will activate his effect to switch all your monsters into face-up defense position." He detached Constellar Leonis and Constellar Hyades absorbed one of the orbs around his body. He stabbed his weapons into the ground and removed the two energy from from their hilts. He threw them like chakrams and the projectiles arched around and struck both Fabled Dianaira and Fabled Valkyrus in the backs of their knees, bringing them both down into defensive stances.

"Gredi, attack Fabled Dianaira!" ordered Mikey, "Spell of the Sea-Goat!"

Constellar Gredi spun her sceptre in her hand and cast a powerful mix of water and light that destroyed her target. "

"Kaust, attack Fabled Valkyrus. Precision Strike of the Archer!" On Mikey's orders, Constellar Kaust loaded a silver arrow into his bow and fired it into Fabled Valkyrus. "Now Hyades, attack! Stardust Saber!" Constellar Hyades picked up his blades and charged. As he approached Aggiba he swung his weapons and cut them into him.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Angel Brothers:** 4000

**Aggiba, the Malevolent Sh'nn S'yo:** 3400

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now I Overlay my level five Kaust with level five Gredi." Constellar Kaust and Constellar Gredi were transformed into streams of light and spiraled into the cosmic vortex that appeared. "I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters. Xyz Summon! Rise, Constellar Pleiades!" Another caped warrior with a large bladed weapon appeared on the field. "That's the end of my turn."

Aggiba drew his card. "I discard two cards to resurrect Soulkius." After send two cards to the graveyard, a demon with a red mask, black wings, and a reptile tail rose up from the grave (ATK/2200 DEF/2100). "The two cards I discarded were The Fabled Cerburrel and Fabled Krus. The Fabled Cerburrel returns and Fabled Krus shall let me resurrect one fallen level for our lower Fabled when she is discarded. I choose The Fabled Nozoochee." The Fabled Cerburrel and The Fabled Nozoochee rose up from the grave and appeared on either side of Fabled Soulkius. "Now I tune The Fabled Cerburrel with my other two creatures." The Fabled Cerburrel faded away until four stars remained where its body used to be. The stars turned into synchro rings and encircled Fabled Soulkius and The Fabled Nozoochee. Their bodies faded away until a total of eight stars remained and a light engulfed them all.

"When the radiance shines up from below, it heralds the coming of the light of Hell. Synchro Summon! Shine, Fabled Leviathan!" The androgynous demon that emerged flew out from the light on crimson wings with long scarlet hair wearing golden armor and a crimson mask covering the eyes (ATK/3000 DEF/2000). "Leviathan, attack Constellar Hyades!" Fabled Leviathan spread her wings

"I don't think so! I activate my facedown: Lumenize! I can negate your attack and add your attacking monster's attack points to any one of my Light monsters' attack points!" Mikey activated his Trap Card and a wall of light rose up and blocked Fabled Leviathan's attack. In doing so, three thousand attack points were added to Constellar Pleiades, raising him to fifty-five hundred attack points.

"So be it then. I set a facedown and announce the end of my turn," declared Aggiba.

"My move now!" Gabe drew his card. "I summon Vylon Charger!" His cylindrical heavenly machine with arms appeared (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "Now I'll equip it with Vylon Material, which'll boost its attack points by six hundred. But Vylon Charger's own effect raises the attack power of all my Light monsters by three hundred for each Equip card on it." As Vylon Material attached to Vylon Charger's arm, the creature's attack power rose up to nineteen hundred points. "Now I'll boost it up more with Mage Power. This gives my monster five hundred attack points for every Spell or Trap Card I have. Now I'll set two more card. This brings my total count up to four Spells and Traps, making Mage Power a two-thousand-point boost." Vylon Charger's attack points went up an extra twenty-three hundred points, making it a grand total of forty-two hundred.

"Attack!" ordered Gabe. After being armed for battle, Vylon Charger prepped its weapon and fired Vylon Material, piercing Fabled Leviathan through the heart.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Angel Brothers:** 4000

**Aggiba, the Malevolent Sh'nn S'yo:** 2200

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"And so Fabled Leviathan's effect activates," announced Aggiba, "When he is destroyed, I can return three Fableds from my graveyard to my hand." As Fabled Leviathan collapsed, his body suddenly exploded into a storm of demons. From the massive swarm, The Fabled Cerburrel, The Fabled Catsith, and Fabled Krus flew out and back up to Aggiba's hand.

"I'm done," announced Gabe, "Your go."

"I draw." Aggiba drew his next card. "I activate my facedown, Rageki Break. And now I discard The Fabled Catsith to resolve its effect." He placed his card in the graveyard and a bolt of lighting came down and struck Constellar Pleiades, destroying him with one blast. "And now for The Fabled Catsith's effect. When it's discarded, it destroys one face-up card on the field." Once again, a small black cat appeared and pounced onto Vylon Charger. The little feline meowed and then stabbed its target with its claws, causing it to spiral out of control and crash into the ground. With the destruction of his Vylon Material, Gabe brought his third Vylon Material to his hand.

"Next I discard The Fabled Cerburrel and Fabled Krus to resurrect Fabled Soulkius. And with their respective effects, The Fabled Cerburrel is summoned and Fabled Krus resurrects The Fabled Nozoochee." The three demons appeared on the field at the same time. "Now I tune them together! When the radiance shines up from below, it heralds the coming of the light of Hell. Synchro Summon! Shine, Fabled Leviathan!" Just as he had done before, Aggiba Synchro Summoned a second Fabled Leviathan.

"Now I activate Pot of Avarice. I return Fabled Ragin, Fabled Valkyrus, Fabled Lurrie, Fabled Urustos, and Fabled Leviathan from my graveyard to my deck and Extra Deck." Aggiba retrieved his cards from his graveyard and placed them back into their respective decks. Once he had done so, his deck was shuffled and he drew two new cards. "I discard The Fabled Cerburrel to Special Summon The Fabled Nozoochee." A second The Fabled Nozoochee appeared on the field and a third The Fabled Cerburrel was Special Summoned from the graveyard by its own effect. "Now I'll tune The Fabled Cerburrel with The Fabled Nozoochee." The Fabled Cerburrel faded away until two stars remained, which turned into synchro rings and surrounded The Fabled Nozoochee, fading its body until two stars of its own remained resulting in the entire array being engulfed in light.

"When the radiance shines up from below, it heralds the coming of the light of Hell. Synchro Summon! Appear, The Fabled Kudabbi!" A dark bovine creature appeared from the light with its face covered by a white veil (ATK/2200 DEF/1100). "Fabled Leviathan, attack Constellar Hyades!"

"No you don't! Negate Attack!" Gabe activated one of his facedowns and a vortex appeared and swallowed up Fabled Leviathan's attack.

"Thanks Gabe," said Mikey.

"Glad to oblige. Now hit him back, bro!" Gabe replied.

"Will do!" Mikey drew his card. "First I detach Hyades' Overlay Unit to switch your monsters into defense mode." He detached Constellar Dabaran and Constellar Hyades absorbed his last orb. He threw his rings again and knocked Fabled Leviathan and The Fabled Kudabbi into their defensive stances. "Now it's time to upgrade Hyades!" Mikey announced, "Chaos Xyz Evolution! Right now, show yourself, Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7!" He Overlaid his strongest Xyz monster and brought forth his cosmic dragon with a single golden orb of light orbiting its body (ATK/2700 DEF/2000). Then with the effect of Star Sign of the Constellar, he drew a card.

"I summon the Star of Capricorn: Constellar Gredi!" A second Constellar Gredi appeared on the field. "And with her effect, I Special Summon the Star of Cancer: Constellar Acubes!" The crest of Cancer appeared as column of light deposited the knight with the large scissor claws (ATK/800 DEF/2000). "I Overlay Constellar Gredi with Constellar Acubes. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters. Xyz Summon! Sparkle, Constellar Beehive!" From the vortex, a white and gold knight with honeycomb-shaped missile pods on his shoulders appeared with two orbs of golden light orbiting him (ATK/2400 DEF/800).

"Beehive, attack The Fabled Kudabbi!" ordered Mikey, "Starburst Shot!" Constellar Beehive loaded his missile pods and fired four projectiles that shot across the field and struck The Fabled Kudabbi. When the smoke cleared, however, the creature was still alive.

"As long as I have no cards in my hand, The Fabled Kudabbi cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects," Aggiba explained.

"In that case, Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7, attack Fabled Leviathan! Starlight Stream!" Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7 charged up and fired a beam of light that struck down Fabled Leviathan.

"With Fabled Leviathan's effect, I return The Fabled Cerburrel, The Fabled Catsith, and Fabled Krus to my hand." Upon the completion of Aggiba's explanation, Fabled Leviathan exploded into a swarm of demons and the aforementioned Fabled returned to his hand.

"I end my turn with a facedown," announced Mikey.

"And since I possess three cards in my hand, The Fabled Kudabbi is destroyed on the End Phase," said Aggiba as his bovine demon was destroyed.

The Demon of Light proceeded and drew his next card. "I play Dark Core and I'll discard Fabled Catsith to remove Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7 from play. And by Catsith's effect upon being discarded, it shall destroy Constellar Beehive." The Fabled Catsith appeared on the field yet again and stabbed its claws deep into Constellar Beehive's face, killing him in an instant. "I now discard Cerburrel and Krus to resurrect Soulkius and by their effects, resurrect Cerburrel and Nozoochee with him." Once more the same three monsters appeared on the field and once again, they were tuned to Synchro Summon Fabled Leviathan.

"You have nothing," cackled the Demon of Light, "Fabled Leviathan, attack them now!" Fabled Leviathan's eyes flashed red as he gathered souls into his hand and concentrated them into a ball of red light which he promptly fired as a beam at Mikey and Gabe.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Angel Brothers:** 1000

**Aggiba, the Malevolent Sh'nn S'yo:** 2200

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I thus conclude," announced Aggiba.

"I draw!" Gabe drew his card. "Monster Reborn on Charger!" He resurrected Vylon Charger. "Now I summon Vylon Cube!" A white cube with golden arms appeared (ATK/800 DEF/800). "I tune Vylon Cube with Vylon Charger!" Vylon Cube faded into three stars that turned into synchro rings and surrounded Vylon Charger until its body faded into four stars followed by a column of light engulfing them all.

"The evil shall tremble before the great weapons of Heaven. Synchro Summon! Descend, Vylon Delta!" A winged machine hovering on three halos appeared and crossed its wings and arms over itself defensively (ATK/1700 DEF/2800). "I end my turn," announced Gabe, "And if Vylon Delta's in defense mode on my End Phase, I can bring an Equip Spell from my deck to my hand. I choose Axe of Despair!"

"Then it is my turn again." Aggiba drew his card. "I play Dark World Dealings. Now we must draw a card and then discard a card." The brother gulped. That meant Aggiba could activate another one of his monster's effects. Slowly, everybody drew a card. Gabe had two other cards in his hand at the time and as a result discarded Vylon Material. Mikey and Aggiba, however, had no cards in their hands to begin with so when they drew the cards they received were immediately discarded. Luckily for them, Aggiba's card had only been Fabled Ashenveil. But it still did not stop the Demon of Light from attacking. Fabled Leviathan fired its red beam of soul light at Vylon Delta and destroyed it.

"I have finished," declared Aggiba.

"And now you will be finished!" said Mikey, "I activate Call of the Haunted to resurrect the card you just had me discard. Here to reclaim the throne, it's Kuraz the Light Monarch!" In a shining burst of golden light, Kuraz the Light Monarch appeared (ATK/2400 DEF/1000).

"Kuraz, destroy Leviathan!" commanded Mikey, "And also my Star Sign."

Fabled Leviathan snarled as he looked down at the golden emperor. Kuraz drew his sword and thrust his weapon into the air. His blade glowed and a shower of light came raining down, destroying Fabled Leviathan and Mikey's Spell Card. Aggiba then used Fabled Leviathan's effect to bring Fabled Krus, The Fabled Cerburrel, and The Fabled Catsith back to his hand before he and Mikey drew their cards because of Kuraz's effect.

"My move now!" Mikey drew his final card of the duel. "Kuraz, deal the finishing blow and reclaim the throne of Heiratine!"

"Aggiba, your rule over my kingdom ends now!" Kuraz grasped the hilt of his sword as the blade began to shine brightly.

"EXCALIBUR'S LIGHT!" Duelist and monster cried out in unison as the Light Monarch swung his sword and fired off a beam of light that shot across the field and cut through Aggiba, the Malevolent Sh'nn S'yo.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Angel Brothers:** 1000

**Aggiba, the Malevolent Sh'nn S'yo:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The Demon of Light staggered back and his upper body began to slide off along the diagonal slash that had been made through his body. He roared loudly as he was engulfed in light from his own innards and was gone in a burst of pure radiance.

Down on the battlefield, the explosion could be seen from all over and as soon as it had erupted all enemy forces suddenly ceased functioning. The Cyber Dragons and VWXYZ units shut down, the Arcana Force disappeared leaving behind only their respective tarot cards, the Counter Fairies lost their shine and fell, the Photons ceased shining and began raining down on the battlefield, and the Fableds fell to the ground dead.

"VICTORY!" shouted Zaborg raising his staff.

"VICTORY!" Jain echoed as she raised her sword.

"VICTORY!" Athena's voice rang out as her spear rose above her head.

"VICTORY!" Gilford's voice followed with his sword as the troops all repeated the chant after their leaders.

With Aggiba, the Malevolent Sh'nn S'yo dead, Kuraz proceeded into his palace with Mikey and Gabe in tow and into the shining throne room where the shimmering solid gold throne sat. But he did not take his place. Instead he cast a spell to reveal a hole in the floor just before the dias upon which his throne sat. He drew Excalibur and drove it into the hole. Light poured down the blade and the dias slid to the side to reveal a secret passage.

"Go," said Kuraz.

Mikey did as he was told and descended the passage into a room where the shattered seal lay. He took out his Rose Card and held it out. It and his Rose Mark began to glow and the fragments floated up and spiraled around each other, recombining into one cystal and then flashing until the black stone had become a red one.

"The deed is done," Kuraz's voice could be heard. Mikey exited the room and the dias slid back into place. Kuraz sheathed Excalibur and strode up to his seat. He turned around with a wave of his cape and sat upon his throne once more as the rightful king of Heiratine.

"You did it, Kuraz. You got back your kingdom," Mikey said happily.

"Alas it could not have been done without your assistance, Mikey," Kuraz said in response, "I am deeply grateful."

Mikey bowed respectfully before the king of the Realm of Light.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Karheim, the Realm of Darkness. Home to the vilest creatures in all of Ardent. The final team begins its exploration of this land of despair next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	174. The Dark Sands

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

**NOTICE:** Ladies and gentlemen, there will be no update on Friday, July 6 as AMZ will be away camping and will thus be unable to access the internet, both for updating and for reference material. Updates will resume normally on Friday, July 13.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-87**

**The Dark Sands**

The sand was coarse and seemed to span on endlessly with no sign of civilization or life for miles. Such as it was in the Dark Sands, the vast desert of Karheim, the Realm of Darkness. And yet despite the barren wasteland before them, the fatigue felt by Sammie, Mikomi, Zetsubou, Noah, and Sako was not caused by heat or dehydration. In fact, there was no cause for either. The sky of Karheim was covered by an eternal shroud of darkness with the occasional scarlet aurora shimmering past.

Sako and Zetsubou were seemingly completely unfatigued. Mikomi was visibly tired from the trek, but she kept pressing onward with a spark of determination in her eyes. Noah had taken off his hoodie and tied it around his waist and was now riding on the Duel Sniper's back. Sammie walked behind Mikomi. She had been elected leader of the expedition while the young girl acted as their guide.

"Maybe we should find an oasis or something and take a rest," Noah suggested.

"We can't afford to rest until we get out of this desert," Mikomi answered, "It's too dangerous to stay in the Dark Sands."

"How come?"

"This desert is home to the Necrovalley, where the kings of old rest for eternity," was the answer.

"And that's a problem?" asked Sako.

"If we're anywhere near the Necrovalley, that means we can expect Gravekeepers to show up," Sammie explained, "And they are a BITCH to duel against."

"Please refrain from that language. Not around my sister and Noah," Zetsubou pointed out.

"Noah doesn't mind. I don't think he even cares," Sammie replied.

"I really don't," the young boy piped up.

"And I can handle myself, Zetsu," Mikomi said to her older brother, "I've heard many worse things."

Sako set Noah down and moved forward to scout ahead with his rifle's scope. "Looks like we're clear for a while now."

"Then let's keep going," said Sammie.

o o o

Within a great temple positioned inside a deep valley, a tall man dressed to resemble Anubis watched through a scrying orb as the party trekked across the Dark Sands. "Terrans have entered our domain."

"Shall I send our troops out for them?" a man in a white robe asked.

"Make it so, Asabi."

"At once, Lord Khalid."

The one called Khalid turned his attention back to the orb and the one holding it. "Do not let them out of your site, Jabari."

o o o

By some miracle, the group had found an oasis in the desert and had stopped there to take a rest. Noah was taking a nap after having had his fill of water while Zetsubou and Sammie had their drinks. Sako had taken up a position in a tree to keep watch. Mikomi was sitting against a different tree watching the water. As the Duel Sniper scanned their surroundings, he suddenly became aware of an approaching group. It appeared to be about twenty-five men in black robes walking in their direction with spears. Without hesitation, he took off the safety and took aim. But before he could squeeze the trigger, he heard a yelp from down below. A woman in black had suddenly appeared out of the shadows and bound Mikomi and Noah. Sammie and Zetsuou were trying to fight her, but her movements were too swift and unpredictable. Before long she had captured them all and the spearmen and arrived.

"Take them to the valley," she ordered.

"It shall be done, Omorose."

And so with the group bound by ropes surrounded by spear men, they trekked cross the desert once more. Sammie recognized the woman as Gravekeeper's Assailant and swore. By that token, it meant these men were Gravekeeper's Spear Soldiers.

It wasn't long before the descended into a valley and approached a stone wall guarded by muscular men known as Gravekeeper's Guards. A few dark robed men with large cannons had been strategically placed along the walls; they were the Gravekeeper's Cannonholders. They came to a stop in a square and were approached by a man in a white robe accompanied by a young man in black and an older man in brown with a green scarf.

"I am Abasi, chief of the Gravekeepers. This young man is my son, Khalfani. And this is my vassal Mudads. Why have you entered our domain?" Everybody remained silent. "Then we shall find the truth behind your lies. To the temple!" The Spear Soldiers prodded them with their weapons and forced them forward. As they moved, a man in black with a black turban appeared and handed Abasi an orb.

"Is this it?" the Gravekeeper's Chief asked.

"Yes it is," the spy replied.

"Very well done, Jabari."

As he left, another dark-skinned man appeared. This one wore black robes and tattoos. "I am pleased to announce recruitment has gone well," he said eagerly.

"Excellent work, Kazemde. I look forward to sending them to Sefu for training."

"Already done," Kazemde said indicating toward a pit where new soldiers were being trained under the supervision of a man in a black coat, blue scarf, and Anubis mask. A priestess in white knelt praying in a small temple. A man with a curved staff was practicing magic while a dark-skinned man in black and white clutched a tablet in his arms overseeing the city.

Sammie, Sako, Mikomi, Zetsubou, and Noah were lead to the largest temple where a man dressed as Anubis sat.

"Lord Khalid, these are the Terrans," Abasi introduced.

"Most intriguing." Khalid waved his hand and the bonds were cut. "Welcome to the Necrovalley. I am Khalid. I am not one for long introductions, so I shall get straight to the point. We are going to kill you in the name of the Emperor of Karheim."

"Start with the little one," ordered Abasi, "Prepare him for embalmment."

"Embalmment?" Noah was scared, "You don't mean...?"

"We're going to make you into a mummy," Mudads cackled, causing Noah to scream.

"Leave him alone!" Sammie shouted, "If you wanna mummify someone, then do me first."

"I see no problem with it," said Omorose.

"But first, you'll have to beat me in a duel!" Sammie challenged.

"So be it." Khalid, the Gravekeeper's Visionary, tapped his staff against the floor and the stones rose up before him to form an altar of sorts. When it had risen high enough, the stones on its surface flipped over to reveal an ancient Duel Terminal. A deck had already been loaded, leaving Sammie to activate her Duel Disk.

"Let's duel!"

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 8000

**Khalid:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I shall commence." Khalid drew his first card. "By discarding Gravekeeper's Commandant, I can bring Necrovalley to my hand." Through sheer magic, the card was pulled out from his deck and placed into his hand. "Now I activate the power of the Necrovalley." He played his Field Spell Card and at once the temple was transformed into the Valley of the Kings. "I shall then set a creature. That shall be all."

"I draw!" Sammie drew her first card. "And I'll begin by summoning Gene-Warped Warwolf in attack mode!" A white four-armed gene-manipulated werewolf appeared on the field and barked loudly (ATK/2000 DEF/100). "Attack!" Gene-Warped Warwolf snarled and pounced. He raised his arms and slashed with all four clawed hands, revealing the facedown creature.

"You have struck Gravekeeper's Spy!" announced Khalid as Jabari appeared crouching defensively (ATK/1200 DEF/2000). "And with the power of Necrovalley in effect, all my Gravekeepers will gain power to their offensive and defensive prowess." Gravekeeper's Spy's attack and defense points rose by five hundred each to seventeen hundred and twenty-five hundred respectively.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 7500

**Khalid:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Additionally, Gravekeeper's Spy's Flip Effect now activates, permitting me to summon a Gravekeeper from my deck with fifteen hundred or less attack points. With that I shall call forth Gravekeeper's Descendant." Khalfani appeared on the field brandishing his staff (ATK/1500 DEF/1200). Thanks to Necrovalley, his attack and defense points went up to two thousand and seventeen hundred respectively.

"I'll set a card and end my turn," announced Sammie.

"So be it." Khalid drew his card. "I summon Gravekeeper's Recruiter." Kazemde suddenly burst onto the field (ATK/1200 DEF/1500) and his stats rose to seventeen hundred attack points and two thousand defense points. "Now I use the power of Gravekeeper's Descendant. By sacrificing a Gravekeeper, he can destroy one card on your field. So first, it's Gravekeeper's Recruiter." Gravekeeper's Recruiter vanished as his soul was absorbed into Gravekeeper's Descendant's staff. He cast his weapon forward and blasted Sammie's facedown, which turned out to be Negate Attack. "Since Gavekeeper's Recruiter was sent to the graveyard, I may add one Gravekeeper from my deck to my hand as long as it has defense points less than or equal to fifteen hundred. My choice is another Gravekeeper's Assailant." Magic pulled the card out from the deck and into Khalid's hand.

"And now for Gravekeeper's Spy." Gravekeeper's Spy's soul was absorbed and Gravekeeper's Descendant blasted his spell at Gene-Warped Warwolf, killing him in a heartbeat. "Now Gravekeeper's Descendant, strike directly!" The Spellcaster complied and shot a bolt of pure magical energy directly at Sammie.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 5500

**Khalid:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Oww, that had to hurt," Noah commented as he ate from a bag of Skittles.

"I conclude with two facedowns." Khalid placed two cards on his altar facedown and ended his turn.

Sammie drew her card. "I play Advanced Ritual Art." A stone altar surrounded by pillars appeared. "This lets me Ritual Summon a Ritual Monster from my hand by sending Normal Monsters from my deck to my graveyard. I'll send two Archfiend Soldiers in order to Ritua Summon, Ruin, Queen of Oblivion!" Two fiends appeared on the alter and were swallowed up by a green light, which then produced the white-haired queen of the apocalypse (ATK/2300 DEF/2000).

"Now I summon Djinn Presider of Rituals." A fat green demon in Roman armor with a rapier and a shield appeared (ATK1800 DEF/1400).

"Ruin, attack Gravekeeper's Descendant! Dies Irae!" Ruin, Queen of Oblivion took her staff and cast a spell that came down on Gravekeeper's Descendant and killed him.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 5500

**Khalid:** 7700

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"And since Ruin destroyed a monster in battle, she can attack once again!" Ruin cast another spell, this time aimed directly at Khalid.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 5500

**Khalid:** 5400

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Djinn Presider of Rituals, it's your turn now!" Djinn Presider of Rituals charged forward and thrust his weapon into his master's opponent.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 5500

**Khalid:** 3600

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I'm done," said Sammie, "Go!"

Khalid drew his next card. "I reveal my facedowns, two copies of Rite of Spirit. Each one allows me to resurrect a Gravekeeper, ignoring the effect of Necrovalley." Gravekeeper's Descendant and Gravekeeper's Recruiter reappeared on the field. Once more, their attack and defense points rose up by five hundred each. "Now I summon Gravekeeper's Assailant." There was a burst of light and Omorose appeared on the field (ATK/1500 DEF/1500). Her attack and defense points rose up to two thousand each.

"First, the power of Gravekeeper's Descendant using Gravekeeper's Recruit as a sacrifice." Gravekeeper's Descendant absorbed the soul of Gravekeeper's Recruiter into his staff and blasted Ruin, Queen of Oblivion. His spell blasted a hole right through her middle and she collapsed. "Gravekeeper's Descendant, attack Djinn Presider of Rituals." Gravekeeper's Descendant fired off another spell and struck the demon.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 5300

**Khalid:** 3600

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Gravekeeper's Assailant, attack directly," ordered Khalid. Gravekeeper's Assailant dashed forward like an assassin and ran her blade through Sammie.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 3300

**Khalid:** 3600

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"One facedown," declared Khalid, "I am finished.

"Sammie drew her card. "I play End of the World and I sacrifice Ritual Raven from my hand in order to Ritual Summon Demise, King of Armageddon!" The heavily armored king of the apocalypse rose up wielding his massive battle axe (ATK/2400 DEF/2000). "Now I use his effect. By paying two thousand Life Points I can wipe out everything on the field except him."

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 1300

**Khalid:** 3600

–––––––––––––––––––––––

Demise, King of Armageddon slammed his axe into the ground and split it open, causing waves of fire to come rushing up and engulf everything. When the fires of hell had receded the doom king remained.

"Attack," ordered Sammie, "World Ender!" Demise raised his axe and swung it at Khalid, carving it through his body and splitting the back of his throne.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 1300

**Khalid:** 1200

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Impressive," Khalid said as he coughed from the dust clouds that had risen around him. "But..." He drew his card, "...it is over. I resurrect my Gravekeeper's Recruiter with Monster Reborn." Gravekeeper's Recruiter appeared crouching defensively. "Now I sacrifice Gravekeeper's Recruiter to summon Gravekeeper's Visionary!" The recently resurrected Spellcaster vanished and in his place, Khalid himself rose up and entered the battlefield (ATK/2000 DEF/1800). "I shall use Gravekeeper's Recruiter to bring Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier to my hand." Khalid took the card as it was offered to him from his deck and looked down at Sammie. "Now that I have heeded the call, my power grows for ever Gravekeeper in my graveyard."

"Gravekeeper's Commandant, Gravekeeper's Spy, Gravekeeper's Recruiter, Gravekeeper's Descendant, and Gravekeeper's Assailant. That's five Gravekeepers," Noah counted, "So that means it's a thousand extra points."

You are correct," Khalid replied as his attack points rose to three thousand. He picked up his staff and held it toward the ceiling. He charged it with magical energies and then released it at Demise, King of Armageddon and destroyed him with ease.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 700

**Khalid:** 1200

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"You can try and destroy me if you can, but I shall simply discard a Gravekeeper to keep myself alive. In doing so, I shall get stronger."

"Then we're going to do something else." Sammie drew her card. "I banish Ruin, Queen of Oblivion and Demise, King of Armageddon to bring out my ace. Come out Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!" Streams of light and darkness spiraled down from the heavens and deposited the dark and gold armored knight of chaos (ATK/3000 DEF/2500).

"You honestly believe you can defeat me with that creature?" asked Khalid.

"You'd best hold your tongue, knave! Lady Samantha is one with whom not to be trifled," said Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning.

"Thanks for that, Black Luster Soldier, but not needed," Sammie muttered.

"Tis not a problem, Milady."

"Banish Gravekeeper's Visionary."

"It shall be done, Milady!" Holding his sword tightly, Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning sliced open a hole in space and opened a portal to the different dimension. Khalid could feel himself being pulled out of his body and suddenly his spirit was ripped from him and pulled through the portal as he collapsed back onto his throne.

"Your move," said Sammie.

Khalid could barely move as he tried to draw, but then just gave up completing his turn.

Sammie drew her card and then turned to her monster. "End it Black Luster Soldier. Attack!" Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning dashed forward and swung his sword, cutting it through Khalid's body.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 700

**Khalid:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––––

The duel ended and Khalid could feel his soul returning to him. As he sat himself up, Sammie deactivated her Duel Disk and the others stepped up beside her. "You may have defeated me," the Gravekeeper's Visionary said, "but you will not defeat the Emperor."

"We're going to defeat this Heartless Emperor, no matter what," said Mikomi.

"You truly believe you have the power to defeat the ruler of Karheim?" asked Khalid before he coughed violently, "How terribly mistaken you are."

"Caius was the ruler of Karheim and your Regent Lord killed him and usurped his throne," Zetsubou said venomously.

"Send a message to the capital," Khalid ordered.

"Right away!" Abasi replied before he went outside and cast a spell skyward. While he was doing that, Spear Soldiers came and surrounded the group with their spears pointed at them.

"Hey! Sammie beat you, so let us go!" shouted Noah.

"I'm afraid we can't do that," cackled Khalid, "For you see, I've sent word to the Emperor to expect an audience very soon."

"What are you talking about?" asked Sammie. Suddenly, as if to answer her question, a crimson light wrapped them up in a dome and they disappeared.

o o o

In a burst of crimson light, Sammie, Sako, Mikomi, Zetsubou, and Noah landed in a place far from the Necrovalley. "Where are we?" asked Noah. The place they had arrived in was pitch dark. Sako unslung his rifle from his shoulder, but he was struck down by what appeared to be dark crimson bolts of electricity.

"Sako!"

"Do not be alarmed. Those restraining drones will not hurt him," a filtered voice called out from the shadows. Several probes were hovering around the group, one of which had restrained Sako. "They are simply a precaution to avoid any unnecessary movements."

As their eyes became accustomed to the darkness, they could see they were in an audience chamber lit by torches burning with dim blue ghost fire flames. It appeared that a king's court was in session as there appeared to be delegates standing on either side of a long dark carpet leading toward a dias. They were able to recognize Blackwing - Silverwind the Ascendant, Don Zaloog, Yubel, Endymion, the Master Magician, and Brron, Mad King of Dark World. There was one they could not recognize, however; a pitch-black demon with wings.

"I am Thanatos, the god of death," he introduced.

As their eyes traveled up the chamber they went up the dias and gasped at who was present. Standing on either side of the throne were the white-robed Judgement and the black-garbed Kage. Sammie was also able to finally distinguish the one who had spoken earlier. A tall bald man with severe burn scars all across his scalp stood beside the throne. His face was covered with a mask that had been riveted directly into his skull.

"Jinzo," the blonde girl recognized.

"I see that my teleporter has worked perfectly," Jinzo noted as he documented observations into his databanks.

"Jinzo, you can save your documentation for later," a wicked voice from the throne said, "Allow our guests to step forward."

"As you wish, my Emperor."

"The Heartless Emperor," Zetsubou uttered.

"Heartless Emperor? Is that what they call me?" There was a laugh. "I suppose it would make sense." The group was placed at the base of the dias and they looked up. The one they saw sitting on the throne was not who they had expected.

"Welcome to my kingdom of darkness, Karheim. I am Caius, the Shadow Monarch."

"Caius! You're alive!" Mikomi exclaimed.

"Alive and well," Caius cackled, "Though I'd much prefer to go by the _Dark_ Emperor rather than the _Heartless_ Emperor."

"What's going on here?" Sammie demanded, "We were led to believe you had died protecting the other monarchs so that they could escape."

"That is the story, yes," Caius acknowledged, "But there is much more than that. Did any of them ever inquire as to why they were overwhelmed so easily?"

"It was you," said Noah, "You didn't sacrifice yourself to save the other Monarchs. You betrayed them!"

Caius cackled. "The smallest one understands. You are correct. The UnGod offered much for me, boy. On the day of the UnGod's assault, I gathered my men and marched alongside Him. Ardent was swiftly overthrown. I was granted the reward of retaining control over my domain."

"So you sided with the UnGod to save your people?" asked Sako.

"Doubtful," Zetsubou responded, "I know his kind. He would never do such a thing unless there was personal gain involved."

Caius cackled. "How correct you are. The UnGod has granted me power beyond imagination. I have become the most powerful Monarch to walk Ardent!"

"We'll stop you," the man swore.

"I doubt it." Caius turned to Jinzo. "Take them to the dungeon. We shall execute them later, starting with the small girl."

"It shall be done." Jinzo pressed something on his arm and the group vanished.

o o o

The party had been stripped of their decks, Duel Disks, weapons, and clothes, leaving them only with the rags their captors had provided them. Sammie and Mikomi had been placed in the same cell together while Sako and Noah shared one with each other. Zetsubou had been placed inside another a distance away. Noah was trying to squeeze through the bars to get out, but the guards had taken extra precautions to put them all inside cells with crisscrossing bars.

"Give it up, Noah. You can't fit," Sako said to his cellmate. The young boy finally gave up and sat down against the wall hugging his naked upper body with his arms for warmth.

"It's cold," he muttered.

"If we don't find a way out of here, we'll be dead," Sammie said from the next cell over.

"Question is how?" asked Zetsubou. He peered out past the bars where Dark Blades stood guard. The patrolled the dungeon in pairs so it was near impossible to break out.

"Maybe if I..." Noah began his thought, but he was stopped by Zetsubou.

"You're keeping on what little you're wearing."

Suddenly they heard metal footsteps approaching. They didn't belong to any of the Dark Blades for it was just a single pair of feet approaching. A tall shadow was cast on the floor and when its source was revealed, they were surprised to see Jinzo.

"Chief Scientist Jinzo," a Dark Blade greeted, "What brings you here?"

"I have need of more test subjects," answered Jinzo, "These Terrans are not from our world. It would be a fine opportunity to study them for my research."

"We really shouldn't let the prisoners out, though," the Dark Blade replied apprehensively.

"You will be releasing them into my custody."

"But still..."

"Are you questioning the Emperor's second-in-command?"

"No sir!" Dark Blade quickly rushed to open the cells.

Once the prisoners were free, Jinzo activated his restraining drones and then took them upstairs. He led them through the palace and eventually brough them into a large laboratory filled with all sorts of delicate equipment. Once they were in, he locked the door and placed them into the center of the room.

"I have a proposition for you."

"And what would that be?" Mikomi asked distrustfully.

"It's simple," Jinzo began to explain as he paced around the floor, "As you already know, I possess the greatest mind in Karheim. However, my genius has not been recognized by those of the Black Court. I should be the one to rule this land, not Caius."

"So you're going to betray Caius and we're your tools for doing so?" Sammie asked.

"In the layman's terms, yes."

"We're not going to take down one Regent Lord just so another one can take his place," the girl growled, "We're going to defeat you and then Caius."

"I predicted you that you require some time to think," Jinzo replied as a Cyberdark Horn arrived carrying a large chest. It placed it on the floor and Jinzo opened it, revealing the group's belongings inside. He released them from their bonds and everybody scrambled for their clothes. Jinzo had kept locks on their Duel Disks and Sako's sniper rifle for safety reasons. Once they were dressed and re-equipped, the Chief Scientist turned to them again.

"I shall send you out into Karheim under the guise that you are being sent out for execution by the hands of one of our associates. I shall wait for you to return and when you do, you will destroy Caius." Jinzo pressed a button on his arm and his teleporter transported them away and releasing their locks in the process.

o o o

"Can you believe it?" asked Noah.

"Looks like even after the UnGod took over, this land is still unstable," Mikomi said.

"We had best watch our backs then," Sako cautioned as he readied his rifle. "Who knows where we are?"

"I think I have an idea," came Sammie's voice. Everyone looked in her direction and saw a massive bone yard before them.

o o o

Atop a mountain in the bone yard stood a large elegant castle. Within its walls, four figures watched the group through a scrying orb.

"Fresh blood," a female voice whispered as she licked her lips while sitting on a very plush and elegant chaise lounge with dark red velvet upholstery.

"Patience, my dear," a tall elegant caped man replied raising his hand up.

"How shall we approach this?" a deep voice asked.

"Just let me go and keel them!" a slightly maddened voice demanded, "Konrad wants to keel them!"

"You'll get your chance, Konrad," the elegant male voice said.

"You always did know how best to lead an army, dearest husband," the female replied. The tall one knelt down beside the lounge and took one of her hands into his own.

"Dearest Isabella, I command my armies so that you may feed to your heart's content."

"And as the Vampire Lord, I expect you to lead them well, my beloved Vlad."

"Mannfred will help Konrad?" the mad voice asked. Beside him, a one-winged vampire sighed.

"If need be I shall, Konrad," he answered in his deep voice.

"And so we shall begin," hissed Vlad, the Vampire Lord as he held out his hand so that Isabella, the Vampire Lady, may stand up. Konrad, the Patrician of Darkness, and Mannfred, the Vampire's Curse gathered around the scrying orb. Vlad passed everybody a wine glass filled with dark red liquid.

"May our legions of the undead slaughter them in the name of the Dark Emperor," toasted Vlad and the Vampires drank.

* * *

**Next Time on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Our heroes find themselves deep in Vampire territory. Here they are at the mercy of the legions of the dead. The watchful eye of the Vampires is on them, next time on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	175. Konrad the Bloody

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-88**

**Konrad the Bloody**

Computer screens light up a darkened room; a low luminescence that radiates with the cold warmth of sterile electronics. Scrolling numbers and shifting graphics formed. Geopbytes of data archived and scrawling across the screens at a rate of 764 yottabytes per second per machine. A data storage and speed that put all Terran machines to shame. For the electronic eyes of Jinzo, however? It was not even close to enough.

"Blasted outdated, week old, technology. I can't get any work done like this," Jinzo cursed, slamming his fist onto the console before reaching his hand up, a holographic display forming in his palm. He swiped his hand across the image and several windows formed in the air. Jinzo took in all the data in front of him, but was more interested in two specific ones. Two men in white lab coats and glasses. Both older. Both brilliant. One stood, hunched and grey with demonic attributes while the other stood with wrinkled flesh and a magic amulet around his neck.

"Jinzo! Dearheart! How goes things old chum?" spoke the demonic scientist with a wide and sickening grin.

"I am well, Kozaky," Jinzo replied, his fingers typing on several consoles and holographic interfaces as he spoke. "The data seems off from your Dark Dimension experiments. Did you compensate for the quantum discrepancies?"

"Yes yes, Jinzo. My word, you are such a worry wort. I even mapped out the Tachyon dispersal. The current configuration will garner a projected 15% increase in efficiency every two cycles." Kozaky retorted with a sly grin.

"Interesting. Keep me updated on that." Jinzo then turned to the Magical Scientist's view window and nodded. "And how are you Albert? Is your anti-entropy field generator showing results? Your journals seem to be a little behind."

The Magical Scientist named Albert nodded as he waved his hand and formed a few screens of his own. "Yes. I am sorry for not sending the data to collaboration network. I had a breakthrough and I got lost in the work. Who knew that a collection of low level magic barriers could provide such results? Uploading data now."

Jinzo's mechanical eyes shifted toward a collection of small progress bars. And in a few moments Jinzo was reading a full layout of progress reports. He quietly rubbed his chin and nodded. "Astounding find. No wonder you didn't report in about this until now," Jinzo mused before manipulating several bits of the data into a five dimensional graphic.

"Shishishi! That is just like you Albert," Kozaky chimed in while typing on his own computers at a rapid pace, "always forgetting the important things when you get lost in research. It just makes you so delicious."

"When you are as old as me you tend to forget those trivial details, Kozaky," Albert replied.

"Too true. Too true," Kozaky said.

"But aside from our business, I must say Jinzo, I saw your conversation with those Terrans in that prison. The security cameras caught it all. What were you thinking, telling them your plans?" Albert asked the mechanical man.

"Yes, quite true. I mean it was quite clever to use that triple encrypted security cloak, but Albert and I broke through that in a matter of moments. It was quite unlike you," Kozaky added.

Jinzo rubbed his chin and mused with a low and amused hum. "Oh yes. That. Yes, my speech did lack subtlety, didn't it? Still, I wasn't worried about being found out. After all, only you two would be able to break through any of my codes." Jinzo laughed to himself and shook his head. "But seriously, dear colleagues, you know better than anyone I would never lay out my plans so plainly."

"Oooooh, yes I thought it was a tad odd. What do you REALLY have planned for those Terrans and Caius?" Kozaky said, wringing his hands.

"Yes. Tell us Jinzo," Albert said with perked ears.

"Now now, gentlemen, be patient. In due time things will reveal themselves and we will be standing atop the mountain. After all, we are the Intelligencia and there is nothing smarter than us."

o o o

Zetsubou's knives swiftly spun into his hands as he looked towards the fields of bones with an unflinching gaze, "So what in the hell is this place?" The ground to their rear was dead, a wasteland like the desert before, in front of them a massive expanse of endless bone and hanging fog. Mikomi paled as she thumbed her aluminum hairclip nervously.

"Th...This is the Bone Circle. It's the first area into the Domain of Blood. There's a seal we shattered in the castle far up there, it's where the Vampire Court dwells. Amadis went through here...and..."

Sako took a view of the place through his sniper scope, there wasn't a single shambling thing around, only an eerie hanging mist and the midday gloom, "...and?"

Mikomi shook whatever fear was holding her aside, "Amadis made a deal with the head of the Vampires that should she beat him in a duel the seal was theirs to shatter, and the Vampires could not harm a single Terran or Ardenian in Karheim. They sat at a small table and played their game and she won. We shattered the seal, and we all left on tenuous terms. The place looks darker though, I don't think they upheld their end of the bargain at all."

Sammie scoffed, walking ahead of them all, "Well yeah, they're undead...things. Let's get going Mikomi."

"W-wait Sammie! This place is...!", Mikomi couldn't finish her sentence as a low rumbling and a grating laughter was heard. Sammie stopped at the opening into the hills of bones as human teeth spun swiftly at the entrance. Sammie fell backwards, looking wide eyed at the event that could have turned her into a pile of gore.

Noah gasped, "This whole place is alive..."

"Yes. It's because Zetsubou killed the King of Pandemonium, do you remember brother?"

Zetusbou was silent, spinning a knife in his hand while recalling kicking the Terrorking Archfiend into his own Pit of Souls. Though he didn't think it would have anything to do with anything...unless.

"Pandemonium was this version of Ardent's hell, wasn't it?"

Mikomi nodded, "When he died, the Vampires engorged themselves on all that infernal and necromantic energy that Pandemonium left behind in it's destruction. They used Endymion as a focal point alongside Endymion's own council, which you all know were the first to betray us all and serve up to the UnGod. The Gravekeepers though. I can't believe the Gravekeepers turned to work for him as well..."

Sako grunted, looking at the whirling maelstrom of teeth as it died down, "The people will always side with a winning force, even a tyrant Mikomi. They'll do it to survive, even the people being recruited, you can't blame them."

"I can and I will!"

Sako was stunned, including Zetsubou, "Mikomi...you can't be serious."

Mikomi glared at Zetsubou, "I can! They could have fought back! Reka tried to rally them to fight! Only Mahad and Manna with a few others stood with us. They're gone now though...almost everyone who fought with us is dead now. I hate all of them!"

Noah stared at the gaping, open entrance, "I think there's a pattern to the gate, what's past the Bone Circle?" Noah knew what she must be going through, many did. She was suddenly thrust into knowing her brother was a former agent of the UnGod and that countless people would willingly serve such a horrible being. Mikomi regained her composure with Noah's inquiry, pointing at the castle, "Past the Bone Circle is a endless mass grave. The Forest of Tombs. After that...the Sanguine Manor. The seal is in the top floor of the manor, watched by the Vampires."

Sako unslung his rifle from his shoulder and used the scope to look ahead. He had his night vision sights on so he was able to make out shapes in the darkness. Beyond a tall spire made of bones he could make out a castle atop of mountain that seemed to rise up from the endless graveyard. "No doubt it is under heavy guard."

"This whole area is there army," Mikomi pointed out.

"And speaking of army..." Zetsubou dove forward just as a corpse was sitting up and stabbed it in the head, causing it to fall back down.

"We got company," Sammie warned as skeletons wrapped in green robes rose up. Noah let out a whimper and quickly hid behind her.

"What are they?" he asked.

"The Wandering Doomed," answered Mikomi.

Zetsubou rose to his feet and backed up to the rest of the group as some other skeletons wearing tattered blue cloaks rose up and staggered toward them dragging large rusted greatswords behind them. "The 13th Grave." He handed one of his knives to Mikomi while Sammie picked up a thick branch from the ground.

"Keep the kids safe," said Sako. And with that he shouldered his rifle and took out a handgun before using it to blow the skulls off two approaching members of the Wandering Doomed. Sammie rushed ahead and slammed the branch into the skull of one of the corpses of the 13th Grave while Zetsubou leapt up and stabbed two more.

As they fought, a winged vampire watched them. Konrad was filled with delight as he observed the party fight off his horde. Standing beside him was a skeleton with perfect blond hair dressed elegantly. "Those Terrans will be swarmed with wights!" the vampire cackled, "Konrad is most pleased, Wightmare. Let us summon some more!" Wightmare said nothing, but simply nodded.

Back down at the battle, several skeletons in purple robes pulled themselves from the ground. "Skull Servants," Sammie recognized. Mikomi stood with Noah with her brother's knife in her hand ready to strike should any of their attackers pass their first line of defense. As she kept her eyes peeled, Noah glanced behind them and noticed a wight approaching them. He tried to bring her attention to it, but Mikomi was too preoccupied.

Sammie swung her branch and knocked the skull off another Wandering Doomed and turned to check on the kids just in time to see a Skull Servant reaching out for them. She yelled at them and suddenly Noah lashed out with his left foot and slammed it into the wight's lower area. His kick connected with bone and shattered its knee, causing it to collapse. With Skull Servant down, he kicked its skull off its spine. "These things are brittle," he commented.

"Konrad does not like brittle wights." The Patrician of Darkness snarled and let out a bestial roar as he spread out his wings and summoned two swords made of bone to his hands. He bared his fangs and flew down to the battlefield. "Konrad shall kill you himself!" Zetsubou was the first to notice and he reacted swiftly by throwing two of his knives toward him, but Konrad was able to deflect them with his blades. He landed ungracefully and charged like a madman.

"Sako!" Zetsubou's call was heeded and the Duel Sniper turned around with his Barrett and fired. Konrad tried to deflect his shot, but the bullet shattered his sword. The vampire snarled and thrust forward with his other blade, but had it shot from his hand.

"Konrad shall not fall to mere humans!" Konrad was prepared to fight him like the mad beast he was and both Sako and Zetsubou were ready to give him what he wanted. It was Mikomi, however, who decided to act upon the vampire count's madness and stepped forward.

"You are one of the vampires of this land, correct?" she asked.

"I am. Konrad the Bloody."

"And you control the undead as well, correct?" Mikomi inquired further.

"Yes. Konrad's wights are great. The wights will overbear you." The madness seemed to rise with every word Konrad spat out.

"You know, I control a legion of undead of my own."

"You lie!"

"Care to see how yours fairs against mine?" Mikomi activated her Duel Disk.

"So it is a duel you want? Fine then. Konrad will accept!" Konrad pulled his wings back and pulled back his sleeve to reveal a blood red armlet shaped like a bat. Its wings suddenly opened up and swung around until it had formed a bat-shaped Duel Disk.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 8000

**Konrad:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Konrad will go first!" The Patrician of Darkness drew his first card. "I start with Hand Destruction. We send two cards from our hands to the graveyard and then draw two." He and Mikomi both selected two cards from their hands and sent them to the graveyard. "Next I will set a monster and place down two wards. Konrad concludes. Let's see this legion of undead you command."

Mikomi drew her card. "You may have an army of undead creatures, but I have something quite different. An army of undead _machines_. I summon Scrap Chimera." A mechanical winged chimera made of scrap metal appeared (ATK/1700 DEF/500). "When Scrap Chimera is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one Scrap Tuner from my graveyard. I choose Scrap Goblin." A small creature with a camera for a body, a fork for its left arm, an engine part for its right arm, metal clips for feet, a crank on its back, and a faucet for a head (ATK/0 DEF/500). "I tune Scrap Goblin with Scrap Chimera." Scrap Goblin reached behind itself and turned its crank. Its body faded until three stars remained and turned into synchro rings. They surrounded Scrap Chimera and its body disappeared only to leave behind four stars prior to a column of light swallowing them all up.

"When the times fall hard upon us, we must gather the strength to fight on! Synchro Summon! Stand strong, Scrap Archfiend!" The might dispersed and a large mechanical demon made from scrap metal and spare parts appeared (ATK/2700 DEF/1800). "Now attack!" Scrap Archfiend stepped forward and unleashed a cloud of noxious fumes from its mouth and destroyed the facedown card.

"You destroy my Skull Servant!" The mad count cackled as his skeletal creature was destroyed.

"I'll set two cards and end my turn," declared Mikomi.

"Konrad draws!" Konrad licked his lips as he drew his card. "I now play One Day of Peace. We each draw one card and neither of us will take Battle Damage until your turn is over." He drew a card and Mikomi followed. "I now activate Foolish Burial and I shall send The Lady in Wight to my graveyard." A single card slid out of his deck and he placed it into his graveyard. "Next, Dark World Dealings. We each draw one card and discard one card." Konrad drew his card and then sent Wightmare to his graveyard. Mikomi drew a card and then sent Scrap Golem to her graveyard.

"Konrad ends his turn here."

Mikomi drew her next card. "Scrap Archfiend, attack!"

"Your attack ends here!" Konrad revealed one of his facedowns. "Gravity Bind!" Gravity suddenly increased on the field and Scrap Archfiend was pressed against the ground. "Thanks to this, any level four or higher creature cannot attack."

Mikomi recalled her monster. She couldn't do anything now. "I end my turn."

"And now Konrad draws." The Patrician of Darkness drew his next card. "Konrad plays Card Destruction." Mikomi looked at her hand and discarded all five cards and then drew the same number. Konrad had three cards and sent them to his graveyard to draw three more. "Now your end is at hand, young Terran. Konrad summon King of the Skull Servants!" A skeleton wrapped in a dark purple robe rose out of the ground and its jawbone fell open (ATK/? DEF/0). "And the King of the Skull Servants shall gain one thousand attack points for every Skull Servant in my graveyard. I have three in there right now as well as two Wightmares, three Ladies in Wight, and another King of the Skull Servants. All of them are treated as Skull Servant in my graveyard."

"That's eight thousand attack points!" Noah exclaimed.

A fiendish cackle escaped King of the Skull Servants' lipless mouth as its attack points skyrocketed to eight thousand. "Attack!" ordered Konrad. King of the Skull Servants' bones rattled loudly as it raised its arms and a massive wave of wights burst out of the ground and swarmed down on Scrap Archfiend.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 2700

**Konrad:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Konrads ends there."

Mikomi was in trouble. Gravity Bind prevented her from attacking and there was no way she could defeat that King of the Skull Servants head-on. She would need to devise another means to destroy it. Hopefully she could find something. But in the meantime she needed to protect herself. She drew her card and hope filled her.

"I summon Scrap Worm." A leech made of wires, tubes, and coils appeared (ATK/500 DEF/100). "And with its effect, it can attack directly!" Scrap Worm burrowed underground and rose up in front of Konrad to sink its teeth into him.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 2700

**Konrad:** 7500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Since Scrap Worm attacked, it's destroyed at the end of my Battle Phase." As Mikomi ended her sentence, her monster let out a dying screech and exploded. "And when it's destroyed by the effect of a Scrap card, I can bring one Scrap monster from my graveyard to my hand. I choose Scrap Chimera." Mikomi retrieved her monster from her graveyard and continued with her turn. "I set one card and end my turn."

"Given up already, girl? I suppose none can stand up to Konrad." Konrad drew his card. "Attack, King of the Skull Servants! Wight Wave!" The King of the Skull Servants raised its arms and another wave of wights rose out of the ground and charged toward Mikomi, the sounds of their distant horrid screams filling the air. "This is the end!"

"This is far from it!" Mikomi revealed her new facedown card, "This is my Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" A scarecrow appeared made from some old metal poles, barbed wire, a tattered scarf, rusted rivets, and a broken drill. The wave collided with it, but it could not be broken. After a few seconds, the wights fell back into the ground and Mikomi's scarecrow disappeared as her card flipped back down. "And Scrap-Iron Scarecrow is set after it's been used, so it can protect me again."

"Curse your scarecrow. But Konrad shall destroy it somehow."

"We'll see." Mikomi drew her card. "I summon Scrap Chimera." Scrap Chimera returned to the field and roared. "And with its effect, I'll resurrect Scrap Beast." A tiger made out of scrap steel, copper, old car parts, and wires and tubes rose out from the ground and roared (ATK/1600 DEF/1300). "I'll tune Scrap Beast with Scrap Chimera." Scrap Beast roared as its body faded away and four stars remained. After turning into synchro rings and surrounding Scrap Chimera, the other creature turned into four stars and a light engulfed them all.

"When the times fall hard upon us, we must gather the strength to fight on! Synchro Summon! Stand strong, Scrap Dragon!" The light dispersed and a dragon made of scrap metal and spare parts emerged with steam coming out of its exhaust pipes (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). "Now I'll use its effect. I can choose one card on my side and one card on yours. Then I destroy them both." Two lasers were fired from Scrap Dragon's eyes and destroyed Mikomi's facedown. Then it turned its head and fired again, destroying Gravity Bind.

"I set a facedown and end my turn."

"You should have destroyed my King while you had the chance." Konrad drew his card. "Now Konrad shall destroy you. I play Hand Destruction." Both Duelists sent two cards from their hands to their graveyards and drew two cards. At that moment, King of the Skull Servants rose to ten thousand. "I just sent Wightmare and The Lady in Wight to my grave. And that means King of the Skull Servants' attack points..."

"It's over NINE THOUSAND!" screamed Noah. Everybody looked at the boy, who chuckled nervously upon the realization of his failed attempt at humor.

"Konrad summons a second King of the Skull Servants!" A second wight king appeared next to the first and stood at ten thousand attack points as well. "Attack with Wight Wave!"

"Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Mikomi's card appeared once more and blocked the attack.

"Konrad was prepared! King of the Skull Servants, attack!" The second King of the Skull Servants summoned forth another wave of wights and sent them toward Mikomi. "Now you join the Bone Circle permanently."

"No I don't. Here's another Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" A second scarecrow appeared and blocked the second wave.

"Curse you, girl!" Konrad snarled, "Konrad will not be denied his meal!"

Mikomi drew her card. "I am not food! Scrap Dragon, destroy one of those Kings." She watched as her monster destroyed one of her Scrap-Iron Scarecrows and then destroyed one of the Kings of the Skull Servants. "Next I play Scrap Lube. I can use this to resurrect a Scrap monster, but its effect will be negated. I bring back Scrap Goblin." The small Tuner returned to the field once more. "Now I'll play Scrap Sheen. By destroying one Scrap monster, I can raise the attack points of all my other ones by a thousand." Scrap Goblin was killed and Scrap Dragon's attack power rose to thirty-eight hundred.

"And thanks to Scrap Goblin's effect in the graveyard, I can bring back one Scrap monster from my graveyard to my hand. So I pick Scrap Chimera. Now I summon Scrap Chimera and use its effect to bring back Scrap Beast." She summoned her monster and Scrap Chimera roared as Scrap Beast joined its side. "Now I tune them for a second Scrap Dragon!" Both monsters were tuned together and another Scrap Dragon appeared on the field. "Now Scrap Dragon number two will destroy the other King of the Skull Servants." Mikomi's second Scrap-Iron Scarecrow was destroyed as the second Scrap Dragon fired its lasers to destroy the remaining King of the Skull Servants.

"Now I play another Scrap Lube to resurrect Scrap Goblin again." Scrap Goblin reappeared on the field. In a simple motion, Scrap Archfiend returned to the field. "And now, another Scrap Sheen." Mikomi destroyed Scrap Goblin and her two Scrap Dragons rose up to thirty-eight hundred and forty-eight hundred attack points.

"Scrap Dragon, attack Patrician of Darkness directly!" The first Scrap Dragon opened its mouth and revealed a small blue flame on the tip of its tongue. A heavy jet of gas shot out and the flame ignited it, creating a powerful stream of fire that hit Konrad.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 2700

**Konrad:** 3700

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Scrap Dragon number two, finish it!" The second Scrap Dragon opened its mouth and unleashed another jet of fire at Konrad, dealing the final blow.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 2700

**Konrad:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––

Konrad hissed in pain as the attack made contact and he was thrown back. He spread his wings to stabilize himself and glared at the young girl with malice and bloodlust in his eyes. "Konrad shall devour you himself!" And he launched himself at Mikomi.

That was when Zetsubou acted. With lightning quick reflexes, he threw two knives and struck Konrad in the forehead and in the jugular. The impact countered the vampire's momentum and he fell to the ground and tumbled a few feet before coming to a stop. Konrad pulled the knives out of him and snarled. He was about to attack again when a raven flew over him and dropped a scroll into his hands. Konrad unfurled it and read what was written.

"You are fortunate. But Konrad shall return!" And with that he transformed into a wolf and ran off.

"Well that was interesting," commented Sammie.

"You were cool!" Noah exclaimed to Mikomi.

"We don't have time to celebrate," Zetsubou said, "We can't linger here any longer."

"Agreed. We must make haste," Sako replied.

"Then let's go." Mikomi took the lead and the others soon followed.

o o o

Caius sat in the darkness of his throne room. His court had been dismissed earlier and its members dispersed back to whence they came save for one. Jinzo knelt before the bottom steps of the dias as he explained the situation to his master. "The Terrans did escape the dungeon, my Lord, but not without assistance. The security footage captured by the cameras reveals a traitor among our midst."

"Show me," ordered the Shadow Monarch.

"At once." Jinzo stood up and faced the wall. He punched in a command into his arm pad and his goggles projected the video onto the surface. The footage of the dungeon was exactly as it had been. However, a shadow soon appeared on the walls of the stairs as a winged figure descended into the dark chamber. It spoke to the humans for a while before finally letting them out of their cells. As they made their escape, the creature looked around to make sure no guards would come around and revealed his face to the camera in doing so; a man with a blackbird's head with a large beak kept watch as the Terrans made their escape.

"Silverwind?"

"Not just Silverwind, my Lord," Jinzo said as he turned off the video, "I fear he may plan to turn the entire Blackwing tribe against you."

"I see now that their loyalties were false to begin with. Silverwind bowed before me out of fear, and yet he has planned this from the beginning." Caius' claws dug into his armrests.

"Shall I have the men dispose of them?" asked Jinzo.

"Not as of yet. I will deal with Silverwind and his tribe myself. But first we must rid Karheim of the Terrans."

"But they could be anywhere, my Lord."

"Nothing the Dokuroriders can't handle." As Caius spoke, several zombies on motorcycles assembled outside the palace. "But more importantly, they cannot hunt them down without someone to do the actual hunting." The sound of armored feet approached and Jinzo turned to the entrance. A man in dark armor entered the throne room with a tattered red cape around his waist. Long wicked curved blades covered his arms and shoulders as a large sword hung from behind his hip. A black visor covered his face as a mane of spiky red hair shot up from behind it.

"My Lord, a bounty hunter?" asked Jinzo.

"Gorz is more than capable," Caius said before turning to the man, "Terrans are loose somewhere in Karheim. Find them. And when you do, destroy them. Bring back proof of their termination and you shall be paid handsomely." Gorz the Emissary of Darkness nodded, turned around, and strode out.

Jinzo cackled mentally to himself. It was going all too well. His fabricated video had shifted all suspicion off himself and now one of the deadliest hunters in Karheim was now after the group from Earth.

It was all just perfect.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

From the Bone Circle to the Forest of Tombs, the group continues their trek through this land of death. But before them waits the most cunning of the vampires. The adventure continues next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	176. Mannfred the Cunning

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-89**

**Mannfred the Cunning**

Endless tombstones, mausoleums, and a rotten smelling fog hung in the air like a curtain hiding some grim play. This was the Forest of Tombs. Macabre in nature. Eerie in its atmosphere. The miasmic scent of death and decay lingered and intermingled with the smell of fresh graveyard clay. Darkness loomed overhead in a perpetual night with the moon providing the only gleaming hint of silver beauty in this grim wasteland. It was a fortune that the heroes from Terra, the Rose Crusaders, were able to find solace on their march toward the capital of Karheim.

A cave, echoing with every slight sound and illuminated with an unearthly blue flame had become the home for Zetsubou, Mikomi, Sammie, Sako, and Noah; at least for the evening. A light warm blaze that flickered and crackled from the heart of the carefully stacked dry kindling warmed them down to their bones. A simple comfort in these trying times. Sako stood watching the entrance. Sammie sat next to Noah. And Zetsubou slept next to his sister, waiting for his turn on guard duty.

While Sammie stared deeply into the flickering flame, embers sprinkling down onto the ground and turning into ash, Noah scooted closer to her. The young boy looked at her with expectant eyes, though she didn't register his existence at the moment until he cleared his throat.

"Um Sammie," Noah said tentatively, "you have a moment?"

Sammie blinked and turned to the young genius. "Sure," she said, "it isn't like I don't have time sitting here on my ass."

"Well I was curious," Noah started before looking toward the fire uncomfortably, "why are you dating Saito? I mean...what made you realize that he was the guy you wanted to be with?"

Sammie blinked once more, a little taken aback by the question before she looked into the fire herself. "Oh. That? Heh, you know I don't think anyone asked me why yet. Hell, I don't even think I asked myself why."

"Well why not ask yourself now?"

"Because it isn't a simple question to answer I guess, though I suppose no relationship can be explained simply."

"Well what is the not so simple answer then?"

"Why so curious all of a sudden?"

"N-no reason," Noah blushed furiously as he responded to Sammie's question. Sammie grinned from ear to ear and laughed.

"It's about Cassie, isn't it?"

"N-no!"

"It totally is, you little shit! Hahaha!"

"St-stop laughing at me!"

"Okay okay. Look, I'll tell ya. It all started in a card shop."

"Great way to start a romantic story."

"Shut up and listen or you won't hear this story. Anyway, Saito was working in the same card shop with me one summer, the one right before your Duelist Kingdom BS."

"Sorry."

"Shut up. Anyway, one night we saw a duel spirit back then and...I don't know, we just kissed. I just...UGH...So hard to explain. I guess I felt...connected with him in that moment...less alone in my ability to see those things. Originally it was something that made me feel special but...I just realized I felt alone. And I suppose it isn't much of a reason to get into a relationship with someone, and it isn't, but it was a good spark. You might have heard, but he and I had been crazy fucking rivals for an entire year before that. We respected each other so much. We knew each other's decks inside and out. Our play styles. Our...well everything really. You ever really know someone that well? Like, seriously? I never did, at least aside from Mikey."

"Then why aren't you dating him?"

Sammie froze for a moment before laughing lightly to herself. "Yeah. You know it isn't like I didn't think about it so many times during that first year. Hell, I almost did one time, but I didn't. Don't ask me why. It just didn't feel right. Being friends with him? That felt more right than anything else I have ever felt. Just like being with Saito."

"Felt right? What does that mean?"

"It means what it means kiddo. Sometimes people, despite having all the signs that say they should click together, don't work and people who have all the signs of being a failure work marvelously. It is all about what feels right. Just ask Sako." Sammie nodded toward the sniper who looked over his shoulder and sighed.

"Mr. Sako?" Noah asked.

"Yeah. The girl is right. When it comes to relationships the only times logic can come into play is when it comes to how harmful it could be to the people involved or the children. But when it comes to matters of the heart? Well...Sometimes you just can't explain it. Like with me and Wes' mom."

Sammie held up a hand and gave a mischievous smirk to Sako. "Wes' mom, eh? Don't you mean Charlie?"

Sako's eyes widened slightly yet his face remained stone solid. "No idea what you are talking about kid." Sako said without another word. Sammie simply smiled and gave up on that line of dialogue for the moment.

"Ok," Noah said to break the moments of silence, "So...how do I know if something feels right for me? And how do I know if something feels right for the other person?"

Sammie turned back to Noah and looked at him with the soft gaze of a 'big sister.' She placed a hand on Noah's head and sighed lightly. "You just know, kiddo. It is...It is kind of like the chaos cards, you know? That choice that you make when you remove just the right light and dark monsters to make that special summon? There are plenty of options just as good that would lead to the same strategic results, but in the end you choose a specific two because they feel the most right. When the time comes you will know what feels right."

Noah smiled up to her and she smiled back, only to be interrupted by the beeping sound in Sako's pocket. The sniper grunted and moved over to Zetsubou, kicking the assassin's foot hard before pointing his thumb to the cave entrance. "You are on watch," Sako said before Zetsubou moved over to the cave entrance.

The beginning of a long night.

o o o

Slumber crept over Sammie like the kudzu vines that slowly encroached upon the mausoleums within the forest, masking them in the deathly embrace of nature. Her eyes sealed shut in the quiet calm of true rest, as impossible as the concept seemed in these trying times. She couldn't see the encroaching miasma. She could not smell it. She could only sense the creeping mist that wrapped around her throat with gasous fingers, penetrating their perimeter with such ease that it seemed to mock the group's very attempts at security.

Sammie's eyes flickered in resistance but her body would not rise. Sammie's chest did not heave with her breath. No sound came from her. No color to her skin. A phantasmal hand simply held tightly to her neck, never letting a single molecule of oxygen pass into her lungs to feed her starving brain. Burning pain tearing through her lungs. Vivid dreams thrashing and dying as her mind faded slowly to black against her unseen assailant.

A single tear rolled down her cheek as her subconscious mind recognized this to be the moment of her death as this malevolent spirit choked the life from her and kept her immobile and asleep.

And then, as if to respond to her tears the fire flickered and flared hot. A burning crackle that grew from the dying embers of the campfire. The whispered hand seemed to release its grip upon the young girl's throat as the flame grew brighter and, with a whispered hush, spoke in the language of embers, fire, and inspiration the words "I am that I am. Sleep still Ragnarok. Avalon shall rise upon thine will. Mind well the spider's words."

Echoing words that etched themselves into Sammie's soul, touching her in a familiar way. What was this feeling? It was like the strange dreams of cosmic beings and Gods back at duel academy, before this mess had happened. She didn't know how the spectral gas seemed to dissipate into a plume of smoke within the flame of the campfire. She didn't know of the spoken words. She didn't know that her friends had not seen her slowly come close to the precipice of death. And in the morning? She would not even know that any of this had occurred except in the depths of her soul. It was not important for Sammie to know the perilous reality of hers and her friends situation. Not yet.

Elsewhere, there was the low rumbling of annoyance by a thing long since dead. A thing just now thwarted. A thing not easily forgotten.

o o o

Mannfred the Cunning. It was a title that was well earned. Many had fallen prey to the vampire count's deceit and none had come out alive. He recalled a time when he had been at war against the forces of the Goblins from Aeagnaap. In one particular fight, he had found himself facing their stealth operatives, the Goblin Black Ops all on his own. Even with his combat prowess, he knew he couldn't defeat them on his own. So he admitted defeat. He begged for his life to be spared. As luck would have it, the Goblins needed him for information.

Mannfred grinned to himself. He had never been sincere about his surrender, but his captors certainly bought into it. They had ordered him to take him to the castle where the vampires dwelled. The Vampire's Curse instead led them to a tall spire that rose past the clouds made of bones. He told them that the vampires' lair was at the top. Leaving four behind to guard him, the Goblin Black Ops ascended the tower. It was as they began to climb that Mannfred slaughtered his guards with his bare hands. He lashed out at the first one's knees and knocked him down before crushing his skull. The others tried to stop him, but even with his hands tied he was able to knock them away. Mannfred broke the ropes and then grabbed the first one to get back up only to sink his fangs into his neck. He ripped out the Goblin's throat and slaughtered the remaining two.

The noise had alerted the other Goblins and they had now seen the bloody mess that was left of their men. But before they could react, their bodies began to whither away as their souls were ripped from their bodies. Mannfred watched with delight as the empty husks crumbled into dust.

An entire platoon of black operatives taken out by a single man. That was a mere sample of the extent of Mannfred's cunning. His eyes scanned the landscape and came to rest on that same tower from before. The Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower. Many fell to its power and soon five more would fall. Mannfred would see to it.

o o o

Day was no different from night in Karheim. Darkness still blanketed the sky. The group ate a breakfast of MREs provided by Sako and then set out once more. The ground was no longer litered with bones, but the atmosphere had not changed. The tombstones, the crypts, and the mausoleums created a scary scene that caused Noah to cling onto Sammie out of fear. She did her best to comfort the boy as they continued their trek. But the further they went, the more unnerved he became.

"What's that?" asked Sako. He was looking through his scope and could see a tower in the distance rising up into the clouds. An assortment of ghosts circled the structure.

"The Bone Tower," answered Mikomi, "Very dangerous. It will absorb the soul of any who get too close."

"Then we should avoid it," said Sammie.

"Ideally yes, but an alternate route would cost us precious minutes."

"Time that we cannot spare," said Zetsubou.

"No, I agree with Sammie. It would be best to avoid the tower."

"We must find the Regent Lord and restore the seals as quickly as possible, though," Mikomi pointed out. She then turned to Noah. The votes were tied two-to-two. Everyone was now turning to the young boy to make the final decision.

Noah knew the safest thing to do was avoid the tower. It was the most logical course of action. Even his own childish fears turned him away from that tower. And yet, for some very strange reason, he found himself saying that they should take the short route and it wasn't long before they were bound toward the Bone Tower.

An hour's walk later, they came within visual distance of its base. A Goblin Attack Force was attempting to climb the Bone Tower. They watched as the pulled themselves up hand over hand up the massive pile of bones, ignoring the ghosts that floated around them. One of the apparitions got close to a goblin, but the green-skinned creature paid no heed to it. They were barely up a third of the way to the top when it happened. The goblins stopped dead in their tracks as the Bone Tower's black magics ripped their souls from their bodies and joined them with the other ghosts, leaving the bodies to whither and crumble. It was truly a horrible sight and the screams of the goblins made it no better.

"It's horrific, isn't it?" Everybody turned to the sound of the voice and saw a man with dark hair. He was dressed in black with horned pauldrons and a black cape draped over his left shoulder. He seemed human enough, but something about him seemed off.

"Who are you?" asked Zetsubou.

"I am called Mannfred. And who are you?"

"Sammie."

"Zetsubou."

"Mikomi."

"I'm Noah."

"The Dragonov."

"You are not from around here, are you?"

"We're here on a mission," said Mikomi. Sako looked at her, but said nothing. As a soldier himself, he was not one for sharing mission information with anybody. However, he wanted to be discrete about it.

However, it seemed that Mannfred understood his position and ceased asking questions. "You've taken a dangerous route, coming so close to the Bone Tower."

"We know, but we're trying to reach our destination as quickly as we can," Sammie replied.

"Are you heading toward Sanguine Manor?"

Sako looked at him suspiciously. "How did you know?"

"You're obviously not dead and you don't appear to be residents of Karheim in general. By logic, you must be here to destroy the Dark Emperor. And if that were true, then you must first defeat the vampires of this land," Mannfred explained.

"Are we that predictable?" asked Noah.

"If he can help us, then I say we take what we can," Zetsubou said.

"I know of a safe route past the Bone Tower. Just come with me." Mannfred began to walk down a path and the others followed, hesitantly at first and then gradually putting more faith into their guide.

As they trekked around the tower, Mannfred made note of the people travelling with him. It was obvious some of them were scared. The small boy in particular was terrified as his eyes darted back and forth while his arms clutched his doll tightly to his chest. But apart from that, he could also smell their blood. Sammie was an O-negative. Zetsubou and Mikomi were both B-negative. Sako was an A-positive. But what caught his attention was Noah's blood: AB-positive. And from such a young source. He licked his lips discretely. Such a thing was a rare treat and his fear only seemed to enhance it. He decided he would spare the boy and take him back to Vlad.

Thirty minutes of walking later, they came to a clearing. "Is this really a good idea?" asked Sammie noticing how close they were to the base of the Bone Tower.

"Oh believe me, it is." Mannfred suddenly clenched his fist and a cage of bone rose up and trapped Sammie, Sako, Zetsubou, and Mikomi.

"Sammie!" Noah yelled the girl's name as he turned to help her, but stopped as he heard Mannfred cackle. He turned to look and watched as the man's hair turned blue, his skin purple, and a blood-red bat wing came out his right shoulder blade. "You're a vampire!"

"Yes and your friends have fallen into my trap. At this distance, your souls won't be absorbed into the Bone Tower as quickly as those goblins. But it will be a slow and agonizing death."

"That's horrible!" the boy exclaimed.

"You, young one, shall be spared that fate,"Mannfred continued, "I shall return to Sanguine Manor with you. Your blood shall make a fine feast." A shrill shriek escaped from Noah's mouth.

"Noah! Listen to me!" Sammie shouted through the cage, "Don't be scared. Look, if you can beat him in a duel then he can't take you back to his castle and bleed you like a pig."

"I don't wanna be vampire food!"

"Then stand up to him!"

"But what if I... Wait, do I get to be a vampire too?"

"I doubt that Vlad will perform the Blood Kiss on you," Mannfred explained. Noah screamed again and tried to cling onto Sammie like the frightened little boy he was. "Yes, keep screaming boy. Your fear just makes your blood smell that much sweeter."

"Noah, get a hold of your goddamn self or I swear I'm gonna bitchslap you hard when I get out of here!" Sammie threatened. Somehow this calmed Noah down. He looked at Sammie and saw she had faith in her eyes. He nodded and turned around. After tying his plush toy to his belt by its scarf, Noah took out his Duel Disk and strapped it to his right arm. Then he took his deck out from his pocket and placed it into the deck slot. His Duel Disk registered it and the cards were shuffled. Mannfred pulled his cape back to expose a black bat-shaped armlet on his left arm and watched as it unfolded its wings and spun around to form a Duel Disk.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 8000

**Mannfred:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I will begin this duel." Mannfred drew his first card. "And I'll start with Call of the Mummy. Whilst I control no monsters, this permits me to Special Summon one Zombie from my hand. I shall thus call forth Spirit Reaper in defense position." A small grim reaper in purple robes appeared and crouched down defensively using its scythe as a shield (ATK/300 DEF/200). "Next I will set one monster and thus conclude." A card appeared facedown sideways next to Spirit Reaper as Mannfred ended his turn.

"I draw." Noah drew his first card. "Since you have monsters and I don't, I can Special Summon my Vice Dragon in defense mode." A purple dragon with green wings appeared and snarled as it crouched down defensively (ATK/2000 DEF/24000). "When he's Special Summoned like this, his attack and defense points get halved." Vice Dragon instantly dropped down to one thousand attack and twelve hundred defense, causing it to grunt a little. "Next I summon Delta Flyer." A green dragon appeared with its wings and legs seeming to share the same joints (ATK/1500 DEF/900). "Now I tune Delta Flyer to Vice Dragon." Delta Attacker's body faded away until only three stars remained. The stars turned into synchro rings and surrounded Vice Dragon, fading it away until a line of five stars remained before they were engulfed in a column of light.

"Light cannot exist without darkness nor darkness without light. From their union, true chaos is born. Sychro Summon! Descend, Dark End Dragon!" The light turned to darkness and dispersed to reveal a black dragon with tattered wings and a second face in its chest (ATK/2600 DEF/2100). "Now I use Dark End Dragon's effect. By lower his attack and defense points by five hundred permanently, he can send one monster from your field to your graveyard."

"He knows that darkness and light equals chaos thing is bullshit, right?" Sammie said, leaning over to Sako as she watched the duel in bemusement. "Like, legit. The chaos thing comes from the contradiction of light and darkness being the materials that form the summon as they are thematic opposites. Matter and Anti-Matter sort of thing."

"Kid is a genius, not a poet," the sniper mumbled back to the Chaos Queen who nodded as the vampire and boy continued their duel.

"Who will you target?" asked Mannfred.

"Spirit Reaper. He can't be destroyed in battle, but by his own effect he'll be destroyed if he's targetted by a card." Noah looked up at his monster and watched as Dark End Dragon stabbed itself with its claws, dropping its attack and defense points down to twenty-one hundred and sixteen hundred respectively before it opened its second mouth and breathed black fire. Spirit Reaper's bones turned brittle and then it simply whithered away into dust. "Now Dark End Dragon, attack his facedown! Dark Fog!" Dark End Dragon opened its main mouth and unleashed a jet of dark clouds that enshrouded Mannfred's facedown on contact and destroyed.

"You have destroyed my Pyramid Turtle," the Vampire's Curse announced, "In doing so, I may search for and summon a zombie from my deck with two thousand defense points or fewer."

"What do you summon?" asked Noah.

"The Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower in defense mode." A spire made of bones rose up behind Mannfred and stood towering over the field as the long lost souls of the damned began to emerge and slowly spiral around the massive structure (ATK/400 DEF/1500).

Mikomi looked up at the Bone Tower and shuddered as she remembered the Goblins who had attempted to climb the one they had seen earlier. Zetsubou placed his hand on her shoulder in comfort. His touch placed her somewhat at ease.

"I set two cards and end my turn," announced Noah. He placed two cards into his Duel Disk's Spell and Trap slots and two facedown cards appeared at his feet.

"I draw." Mannfred drew his next card. "And I'll begin my turn with Allure of Darkness. I draw two more cards and then I'll banish Goblin Zombie. Next I will summon the Zombie Master." A pale-skinned necromancer in tattered clothes and rags appeared on the field with a hollow grin on its face (ATK/1800 DEF/0). "Now using Zombie Master's effect, I can discard one monster card to resurrect one level four or lower Zombie from either graveyard. I shall discard Plaguespreader Zombie in order to resurrect Pyramid Turtle." He placed one card in his graveyard and Zombie Master held up his hands and cast his spell into the ground, resurrecting a turtle wearing an Egyptian headdress with a pyramid for a shell appeared (ATK/1200 DEF/1400). "And now the power of the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower. Every time a Zombie is Special Summoned, you must send two cards from the top of your deck to the graveyard." Two souls flew down from the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower and flew into Noah's deck before dragging two cards out and placing them in his graveyard. Then they returned to the tower, this time dragging along two more souls with them.

"Next I shall return one card from my hand to the top of my deck to resurrect Plaguespreader Zombie." Mannfred placed one card back into his deck slot and an abomination of various body parts sewn together rose out of the ground in front of him (ATK/400 DEF/200). Two more souls flew down from the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower and milled two more cards from Noah's deck and two more souls added to the sacrilegious reliquary of bone. "Now Pyramid Turtle will attack Dark End Dragon." Pyramid Turtle turned its head toward Noah's monster and fired a beam from the gem on its headdress. Dark End Dragon deflected the attack with a backhand and countered with a Dark Fog attack that effortlessly destroyed Pyramid Turtle.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 8000

**Mannfred:** 7100

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"With Pyramid Turtle's effect I now summon a second Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower." A second spire rose up behind Mannfred and the two towers' host of souls began to mix with each other.

"What are they doing?" Noah asked as he looked up at the twin towers.

"Each tower cannot be targetted for battle so long as another Zombie exists on my field," explained Mannfred, "As you can see, they are both Zombies themselves. As a result, neither can be attacked. The souls thus act as a barrier."

"So it's a wall, like Marauding Captain," said Mikomi.

"Now I proceed to my second Main Phase. I shall tune Plaguespreader Zombie to Zombie Master." Plaguespreader Zombie rotted away leaving behind only two stars which turned into synchro rings and surrounded Zombie Master. The necromancer looked back and forth and then screamed as accelerated decay overtook him leaving behind four stars. The light that came afterward engulfed them all.

"A cursed existence after death lies in wait for those who dare oppose the rulers of the land of the dead. Synchro Summon! Rise from the grave, Revived King Ha Des!" The undead corpse of the Dark Ruler rose up from the ground and raised his arms to the sky, his demonic cackle now hollow and empty (ATK/2450 DEF/0). "And now my two Bone Towers shall take from you two cards each." Souls flew from the towers and took with them four cards from Noah's deck to his graveyard, carrying with them the souls back to the spires. "I set one card. That shall be all."

"I draw." Noah drew his next card. He looked at his deck. It was clear his opponent was planning to mill him out using the monsters that could not be targetted. However, if one of them were removed then the shield would be gone. "I activate Dark End Dragon's effect. Go Dark Evaporation!" Dark End Dragon stabbed itself to lower its attack points to sixteen hundred and its defense points to eleven hundred. Once it had done so, it opened its second mouth and black fire shot out and engulfed one of the Soul-Absorbing Bone Towers. Noah looked at his handiwork. Now his monster was too weak to fight against Revived King Ha Des, but at least now he had taken down the barrier. He would have to come back for Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower later. "I switch Dark End Dragon into defense mode and set a monster. That's it for me."

Mannfred drew his card. "I'm afraid you're in for disappointment, boy. I activate Call of the Haunted and I will resurrect Zombie Master." The necromancer returned to the field and two more of Noah's cards were taken from his deck and placed in his graveyard. "Now I discard a monster from my hand to resurrect my Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower." The Vampire's Curse placed a card into his graveyard his second Bone Tower was resurrected and resumed generating its barrier with its twin. In addition, its resurrection caused the other Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower to absorb two more souls from Noah's deck.

"And I shall banish Mezuki, which was sent to my graveyard for Zombie Master's effect in order to resurrect Pyramid Turtle." Pyramid Turtle rose from the ground and Noah was forced to mill four more cards.

"You just sent Eclipse Wyvern to my graveyard," announced Noah, "Now because of that, I can pick a level seven or higher Light or Dark Dragon from my deck and banish it. Then, when Eclipse Wyvern is banished from my graveyard, that banished monster comes to my hand. I banish Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon." He took out his card and placed it in his pocket.

"Revived King Ha Des, destroy Dark End Dragon," ordered Mannfred. His monster complied and a swarm of locusts flew out of Revived King Ha Des' rotting maw and destroyed Dark End Dragon. "That shall be all."

"I draw!" Noah drew his next card. "I now banish Eclipse Wyvern and Divine Dragon Apocralyph from my graveyard to Special Summon Lightpulsar Dragon!`A shining white dragon with a pulsing circle of light in its chest appeared on the field in a brilliant flash of white light and roared (ATK/2500 DEF/1500). "Now I get Red-Eyes to my hand." He retrieved his Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon from his pocket and added it to his hand. "Next I'll summon my other Delta Flyer." A second Delta Flyer appeared on the field. "Then I'll banish it to Special Summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" Delta Attacker vanished and in its place arose a large dragon with black metal scales letting out a mighty screech (ATK/2800 DEF/2400). "Now I'll use Red-Eyes' effect to Special Summon Darkflare Dragon from my hand." A black four-winged dragon with a glowing fiery orange circle in its chest appeared next to Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon opposite of Lightpulsar Dragon and roared (ATK/2400 DEF/1200).

"Red-Eyes, attack Revived King Ha Des! Darkness Metal Flame!" Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon opened its mouth and a powerful blast of red energy shot out and shattered Revived King Ha Des' body.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 8000

**Mannfred:** 6750

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Lightpulsar Dragon, attack Zombie Master! Light Pulse!" Lightpulsar Dragon's chest began to pulse and then a ray of light shot toward the sky and burst into a rain of light that came crashing down on top of Zombie Master.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 8000

**Mannfred:** 6050

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I set a card and end my turn," Noah announced. He dared not attack Pyramid Turtle for to do so would result in the Special Summoning of another Zombie, which would trigger the effects of the Soul-Absorbing Bone Towers.

Mannfred drew his card. "I target Darkflare Dragon for attack with my Pyramid Turtle. Attack it now."

"Not this time." Noah revealed one of his facedown cards. "I activate Dimensional Prison!" A portal opened and swallowed up Pyramid Turtle just before it could fire off its attack, banishing it to the different dimension.

"Not bad," the vampire count complimented, "However, you are but delaying the inevitable. Your deck will run out of cards eventually. I am merely trying to speed it up."

"I'm not done yet," said Noah, "Continue your turn."

"Very well. I shall end it here."

Noah drew his next card. "I summon Divine Dragon Apocralyph." A dragon covered in searing hot flames appeared on the field and roared (ATK/1000 DEF/1500). "That's it for my turn."

"I draw." Mannfred drew his card. "I activate Book of Life. With this spell, I can resurrect one of my Zombies and banish one of your deceased creatures. I call back my Zombie Master." Zombie Master returned to the field cackling and Noah was forced to mill out four more cards. Mannfred then had a look at Noah's graveyard. "I shall have your other Lightpulsar Dragon banished." The white-haired boy took the card out and placed it in his pocket. "Then I Normal Summon another Pyramid Turtle." A new Pyramid Turtle appeared. "Attack Darkflare Dragon." Pyramid Turtle fired its attack only to have it deflected. Darkflare Dragon snarled and countered with a shockwave of fire that exploded from around its chest.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 8000

**Mannfred:** 4850

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"And with Pyramid Turtle's death, I call forth a third Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower!" A third spire rose up behind Mannfred between the other two and the souls merged together to form a powerful barrier as Noah was forced to mill out another four cards. "Now onto my last Main Phase. By discarding one monster from my hand, I shall resurrect Pyramid Turtle." Mannfred sent the last card in his hand to his graveyard and brought back Pyramid Turtle in attack position. "And since I possess three Soul-Absorbing Bone Towers, you lose six cards." Noah cringed as he took his cards and sent them to his graveyard.

"You sent one of my Eclipse Wyverns to my graveyard, so now I'll use its effect." He took the four cards left in his deck and looked at them. To his relief, the card he was looking for was still there. "I banish Dark Armed Dragon."

"I conclude," announced Mannfred.

Noah drew his next card. He was down to his last two cards. He had to win in this turn. And with the cards in his hand, he just might be able to do that. "I play Allure of Darkness. I draw two cards..." He drew his last two cards. "And I'll banish Vice Dragon from my hand. Now I sacrifice Divine Dragon Apocralyph and my facedown Dimensional Alchemist to Normal Summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon." The two cards vanished and in their place appeared Noah's second Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon. "Now I Overlay them together. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters." The two dragons were turned into purple streams of light and spiraled into a vortex that appeared. "Xyz Summon! Come out, Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max!" A massive cannon emerged from the vortex and stood ready, locked and loaded with two brown orbs of light orbiting it (ATK/3000 DEF/3000).

"Next I banish Mirage Dragon and Vice Dragon from my graveyard to Special Summon Chaos Sorcerer!" A blue-skinned wizard in dark clothes appeared on the field wielding the power of light in one hand and the power of darkness in the other (ATK/2300 DEF/2000). "Now I'll use Chaos Sorcerer's effect."

"You banish one of my Bone Towers?" asked Mannfred.

"No," answered Noah, "I'm banishing Darkflare Dragon!" Wielding both elements, Chaos Sorcerer combined them and shot the double-element spell at Darkflare Dragon, sending it through a vortex into the different dimension.

"And now I banish Eclipse Dragon and Divine Dragon Apocralyph to Special Summon Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!" In a helix of light of darkness, the dark armored warrior wielding a long curved sword and a large shield stood up on the battlefield (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "Thanks to Eclipse Dragon's effect, I can bring Dark Armed Dragon from my banish zone to my hand." He retrieved his card and placed it into his hand.

"It took some time to set up, but now I can win this. Thanks to all that banishing, I have enough Dark monsters in my graveyard to let me Special Summon Dark Armed Dragon!" A spiked and bladed dragon black as the darkest night appeared and roared (ATK/2800 DEF/1000). "Now I'll use the effect of Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max. By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can inflict two thousand points of damage to you." He removed one of his Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragons and one of the orbs of light was loaded into Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max. The enormous weapon then took aim at Mannfred and fired, sending a shell that exploded around the vampire on impact.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 8000

**Mannfred:** 2850

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now I'll use Dark Armed Dragon's effect. By banishing one Dark monster from my graveyard, he can destroy one card on the field. In this case, I'll banish all four of my remaining Dark monsters: Vice Dragon, Dark End Dragon, my other Darkflare Dragon, and Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon. Dark Armed Dragon, destroy his entire front line! Dark Genocide!" The blades on Dark Armed Dragon's stomach began to spin and then with a roar he deployed them and they spun across the field, shredding Zombie Master to bits and cutting through the Soul-Absorbing Bone Towers. The circular blades penetrated the spires of bone and ripped through them, causing them to collapse on top of themselves and churning up a massive cloud of dust. Mannfred was completely exposed now.

"Dark Armed Dragon, Lightpulsar Dragon, Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max, Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning." Noah moved his arms in a circle and then held out his left hand. "Lock on and fire!" Lightpulsar Dragon unleashed its pulse attack toward the sky and rained light down from above, Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max took aim and fired, Dark Armed Dragon roared and unleashed its spinning drill spike projectiles, and Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning powered up his sword and swung it to release a wave of purple energy. A rain of radiance pelted Mannfred followed by an enormous cannon shell and then a barrage of black projectile drills and finally the energy wave that cut through his body.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 8000

**Mannfred:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––––

The last attack threw Mannfred back and he crashed into the remains of the Soul-Absorbing Bone Towers. "I did it!" Noah cheered as he jumped up and down happily.

"I am not so easily defeated in battle!" Mannfred burst up from the bones and stood up, the veins in his neck pulsing. "You've fared well, boy. I shall see you again." And with that, the Vampire's Curse shapeshifted into a raven and flew away.

"Noah, you okay?" asked Sammie as the bone cage crumbled.

"I'm okay!" Noah assured her as he returned to the group. "I can't believe it. I won against a vampire!"

"Speaking about that," Sako began.

"You seriously asked if you were going to be a vampire?" Sammie asked disbelievingly.

"I'm eight years old! Most boys my age could only wish to be vampires!"

"You are incorrigible," said Sammie as she grabbed Noah and noogied his head.

"Hey! Owowowowowowowow! Cut that out! Let go! That hurts!" Everybody else laughed as Sammie set him down.

"Come on, Vampire Hunter. Let's go take down the rest of 'em," she said.

"Vampire Hunter..." Noah thought about that for a moment as he rubbed his head and his eyes lit up, "I like that! Solar Boy Noah!" His face broke out into a big smile as he took Sammie's hand and the group continued onward.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Our heroes arrive at the vampires'castle. Awaiting them are their leader, Vlad the Immortal, and his wife, Isabella the Beautiful. They are all that stand between them and the seal. Watch it happen next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	177. Vlad the Immortal

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-90**

**Vlad the Immortal**

The Sanguine Manor was exactly as Mikomi had described to him, Zetsubou's eyes scanning the exterior like a bird of prey looking for the next kill. "Not what I expected, that's for sure," said Noah.

"What were you expecting?" Sammie asked.

"Well when she called it a 'manor', I was expecting a mansion," the small boy explained, "I mean I shouldn't be surprised that it's a castle, but wouldn't a more appropriate name be like Sanguine Castle or Castle Sanguine? Why 'Manor'? Even Sanguine Estate would've been a better name; at least the term 'estate' has no implication of the type of building it is."

"Noah?"

"Yes, Sammie?"

"Stop now."

"Okay."

"Real estate names aside, the castle doesn't seem that heavily guarded," Sako reported as he looked at the castle through his sniper scope.

"The armies of the dead don't usually need guards," Noah replied finally bringing himself back to the present, "Since they can just raise their troops whenever they like, there's not often a need to keep any on patrol."

"I'll take the rear of the building, Mikomi. Stay ahead and be their guide, you can pick doors right?"

Mikomi nodded, looking ahead towards the daunting structure, "Of course. If anything gets in my way I'll take care of it too," she patted the knife hanging on her hip. Zetsubou stared at her, but hid the gaze before she noticed. Her golden uniform she once loved was battered, stained and worn. Her eyes seemed steeled and deadened, a mask of grim determination and rage focused only towards killing the Vampires and restoring the seals. He shook his head, mentally recalling the amount of knives still on him he took from the Dual Rose. He threw many of them so far yet he estimated he had about thirteen left, more than enough.

Sammie looked at Zetsubou, the man tapping the hilts and handles of the various ornate and culinary knives and he pushed his long black hair out his face and tightened the straps on his arms and legs holding a couple extras, "Zetsubou you're dumb. They're going to..." Her words trailed off as he pulled out a tattered purple cloak from a small pack tightly fastened to his back and threw it over his body, "...a Skull Servant wore that."

"Exactly. If I'm right, it'll help me blend in and just have an undead aura around me. With this and the shadows around me, I'll be alright Samantha. You're forgetting I also have the Steelswarms to protect me."

"...right." The horrific savagery and intelligence of those Steelswarms. She heard it from Mikey, it's a horrific demon fueled army of insects and vermin Zetsubou wields. There was a bit of sadness to that, Mikomi and her brother only using monsters of cast aside machines and reviled creatures. It was hard for her to stomach at first, but over time and with Mikey's words and even Zetsubou's detached way of helping, she slowly began to accept Zetsubou as something wanting to redeem himself. Mikomi she saw as a girl slowly becoming dead to the horrors here. She saw he wanted to leave them and do what he did best, but something was keeping him here, she already knew what it was.

"Shouldn't we be preparing to go in?" asked Noah, breaking the sudden silence.

"Is there any special way we should be preparing?" Sako inquired in return, unclear on how to deal with vampires having never delved into fantasy lore personally.

"Well, should we be getting ready to _raise the stakes_?" Sammie groaned and Noah looked at her. "What? I'm eight! It's funny at my age."

"He's right, though. We need weapons to face the vampires," Zetsubou pointed out.

"And judging from your tones, vampires need some kind of special weapons?" the Duel Sniper asked.

"It's like Noah said." Sammie looked around and found the remains of an old grave marker. She picked them up and broke them each in two. With a jagged end on each, they had effectively become short wooden stakes. She handed them out to everyone and then tucked her away safely. "Let's go."

"That still doesn't explain how we're going to get in undetected," Mikomi pointed out.

o o o

Isabella was admiring her portraits on the walls. She was in love with her own beauty, but as a vampire she was unable to see herself in a mirror. Her vanity in life continued into undeath and this was only further encouraged by Vlad. The Vampire Lord was a collector of beauty. Portraits, sculptures, landscapes, silk drapes, elegant lacquered wooden panels, fancy lighting fixtures, plush carpets, tasteful furniture; one wouldn't believe something as savage as a vampire could ever be so elegant.

And yet it was the perfect way to hide his true nature. Vlad wasn't the Vampire Lord for nothing. He was far more cunning than Mannfred and in combat significantly more vicious than Konrad. And unlike them, he possessed a secret power neither of them had.

"Vlad, is it almost time for dinner?" asked Isabella.

Vlad turned to his beloved. "Soon. We should go and meet our guests."

Isabella seemed absolutely delighted. She licked her lips and her fangs in anticipation.

o o o

It was the oddest sight imaginable. While planning their strategy from their hiding place, the team saw an assortment of carriages and coaches driving up the mountain path. Using his scope, Sako had a closer look and could see nobles leaving their vehicles and entering the castle.

"What do you see?" asked Zetsubou.

"Nobles. Lots of them. They appear to be dressed in their finery," answered the sniper.

"Can we get in disguised as any of them?" Sammie inquired.

"Not unless you had a hold up in your plan."

"Can't we disguise ourselves as vampires?" Noah suggested.

"I doubt that's going to work."

"And how would you propose we even do that?" Zetsubou asked the small boy, "It's not like you happen to have a supply of make-up and vampire teeth in your pocket, do you?"

"Well..."

"...Are you serious?"

"You know it's never going to work," Sammie pointed out.

"Then how do YOU propose we get inside?" Noah challenged, "Catering staff?"

"Zetsubou." Sammie could not believe she was about to ask him this. "Do you have any more of those robes?"

The young man grinned, nodding before zipping open the pack on his back.

o o o

The banquet hall was filled with people. Nobles wore their best as they stood around mingling with wine in their hands. A band of minstrels was playing music while a long table stood against the wall with an enormous spread of all kinds of food. At the doors and along the upper balcony stood a small army of guards.

"This robe stinks like rot," Mikomi muttered.

"I'd rather not imagine what this went through during the decaying process," Noah said under his breath.

"Shh! Stay out of sight!" Sammie scolded the kids. "Who know what kinda shit's gonna go down?" She tapped her earpiece. "Sako, do you read me?"

o o o

"I read you loud and clear," Sako confirmed. He had found a place outside the castle where he could see the entire structure clearly. He was wearing thermal vision goggles allowing him to see the team through the walls, but with one major flaw. "The thermals are working fine, but unfortunately I won't be able to detect any of those vampires."

"Sorry, but this was the best idea we could come up with. You've got a good view of our location?"

"Affirmative. I can see plenty of other heat signatures in there as well."

"Is it safe to assume the guards aren't showing up on your thermals?"

"Correct, Sammie."

"Tell him to increase the sensitivity," Noah's voice could be heard in the background.

"Noah, his thermal goggles don't have a sensitivity setting," Sammie replied.

"They do! I added one in."

Noah's words intrigued Sako. Moving his hand up, he ran his finger along his goggles until he found a wheel that had never been there before. He quickly turned it around and could see all sorts of thermal signatures coming up not just from the bodies and the candles but also from the food. "Kid, this doesn't help. I don't..." His voice trailed off as he started noticing something new. "I've got something. Blue signatures."

"Blue indicates cold," Noah said.

Sako smirked. The kid knew what he was doing. Now he had a lock on the vampires.

o o o

Back in the banquet hall the nobles were engaged in food, drink, and dancing. Sammie, Noah, Zetsubou, and Mikomi stayed hidden, keeping close to shadows and corners. So far nothing out of the ordinary; it was just a really fancy party.

That was then the trumpet sounded and silence fell over the crowd as they turned to the same direction and looked upward. On the balcony stood a handsome young man in a sparkling black cape with a beautiful woman on his arm. "Welcome, my esteemed guests!" the man greeted, "I am your host, Count Vlad. This is my wife, the beautiful Isabella for whom this event is being held. For tonight we celebrate the anniversary of the day she was brought into this world!" Applause filled the hall as the team kept out of sight and watched the events unfold. "Tonight shall be a night of feasting and revelry, so eat as though these were your final moments!"

"And nobody got that, did they?" asked Mikomi.

"We might wanna find someplace to hide right now," Noah suggested.

As the banquet went into the night, the doors were closed one by one without anybody's notice. Vlad and Isabella took their seats overlooking the hall watching as their guests resumed their happy times. Sammie kept Noah close to her behind a statue while Mikomi stayed with her older brother behind a suit of armor.

Two hours into the party, Vlad stood up to address his guests once more. "My esteemed guests! Let us now toast to the woman of the hour." Glasses of red liquid were served to everyone as Vlad held up his own and brought the lovely Isabella to his side with his free hand. "To Isabella, my beloved. May your beauty shine for eternity." Everybody drank and the guests almost instantly spat out their drinks. As if that was their cue, the guards lunged forward. They ripped off their helmets to reveal bestial vampire faces as they began to assault the guests.

"Shall we join them, love?" asked Vlad.

"I'd be delighted," answered Isabella. Her skin and hair changed color and fans grew out from her teeth as she shed her human disguise to reveal her vampire form. Vlad followed suit with his transformation and the count and countess joined the bloodbath.

On the upper levels, the doors opened onto the balcony and Mannfred and Konrad stepped out. "Looks like Vlad's plan went well after all," the Vampire's Curse commented.

"Konrad wants blood! Konrad wants blood now!" the Patrician of Darkness barked.

"Then go."

Smiling, Konrad transformed into his vampire form and flew into the fray. Mannfred transformed as well and joined in. On the floor amidst the screaming, blood was spilled as the vampires tore down their victims to feast on their blood and their flesh. Sammie covered Noah's eyes, but to Mikomi this was but one of the many horrific sights she had endured. Sammie only stared at Mikomi who to her horror stared at them...and smiled?

"...They didn't fight either...no one stood up against them."

o o o

Outside, Sako could see lots of commotion happening inside the banquet hall and leapt into action. "On my way." He slung his rifle over his shoulder and jumped off the tower onto the rampart below. Two guards were looking away from him when he landed, allowing him to sneak up behind them and smash their heads together, knocking them unconscious. However, he wasn't heading toward the banquet hall. No, that wasn't the plan. He had another mission. After knocking out the two guards, he removed a detpack from his bag and attached it to a wall. After that he ran forward. He knew his mission. He just had to carry it out now.

o o o

Back inside the banquet hall, the vampires continued to ravage the room. Isabella revelled in delight of her vampiric nature. In fact, she embraced it. Vlad, by contrast, wasn't as enthusiastic as his wife. He had been a vampire far longer than she had and to him it was just his own nature. As the vampires continued their feast of flesh and blood, the team suddenly ran out of hiding. Sammie ran up to the first vampire guard and thrust her stake into his chest. The guard screamed and his body quickly disintegrated into dust. Noah made use of his short stature and plunged his stake first into the back of a vampire's knee. Then once the beast was down, he brought the wooden spear down and plunged it through the heart. Zetsubou's knives flashed in the candlelight as he slit two vampires' throats and then stabbed them back in their necks to complete their decapitation. Mikomi used the knife her brother had given her and used it to cut a guard's legs until he was down and then stabbed him in the chest. To her surprise, the vampire reached out for her and tried to bite her. Sammie quickly rushed in and stabbed her stake where the knife was and the vampire disintegrated.

"It has to be a wooden stake when you stab them."

"Knives are more effective, though."

"Not on a vampire," Noah interjected. One of the guards leaned down to extend his reach so he could hit him, but the boy dove forward and shoved his stake upward into his heart. "There are only three ways to kill a vampire: stake the heart, decapitation, or sunlight immolation. The third one guarantees a permanent death."

"Konrad sees the Terrans!" Konrad drew his bone swords and cried out.

"Don't just stand there. Get them!" Mannfred commanded. At once, all the vampires turned on the group.

"Watch it. Their leaders are getting in on it!" warned Sammie just before Konrad lunged past her and bounded straight for Noah.

"Konrad wants delicious AB-positive blood! Konrad will slay you himself!" Before the vampire count could reach his target, however, the prepubescent prodigy produced a bulb of garlic from his pocket and held it out in front of him. Konrad stopped in his tracks and laughed. "You are foolish, boy."

"Or am I?" And with that, Noah bit into a clove and tossed it at Konrad's face. The Patrician of Darkness hissed and reeled back. Meanwhile, Mikomi was backing away from Mannfred while holding two knives in front of her to form a cross.

"Foolish girl. If your plan was to ward me away with a religious symbol, at least make it a real one." He knocked the blades away and prepared to strike, but Zetsubou came to his sister's rescue and stabbed him in the back. Mannfred roared in pain and whipped around to swing his claws at him, but the man was able to disengage and avoid his attack. Snarling, the Vampire's Curse drew a his sword with one hand and picked up a guard's bill polearm with another. It wasn't long before the two were engaged in ferocious combat. Meanwhile, Konrad's berserker style fought against Noah's quick-witted and faster style. As he brought his arm down, the boy caught it by crossing his arms over his head and then grabbing onto the vampire's wrist before lashing out with his foot several times at his knee. As Konrad tried to wrench himself free, Sammie took off her Skull Servant robe and threw it over his face. With the Patrician of Darkness stunned, Noah disengaged and took off his own robe. He threw one end to Sammie and the two of them brought it down in front of Konrad's legs and flipped him off his feet.

Finally having finished feasting on the last of the guests, Isabella became aware of the presence of live prey and attacked Sammie. The blonde, in turn, protected herself with her deck and summoned an Archfiend Soldier to fight off the Vampire Lady.

"Oh yeah! We can do that, can't we?" Noah realized.

"You forgot about that?" Sammie asked.

"Kinda, yeah..." Noah giggled nervously a bit before summoning Lightray Diabolos to the field. "You all might wanna cover your eyes." Isabella saw the white dragon and immediately went for cover. "Lightray Diabolos, Solar Radiance!" Lightray Diabolos roared and unleashed a strong bright light from his body. The vampires all hissed and their bodies started to smoke.

"What...is this?" demanded Konrad.

"Lightray Diabolos' light isn't just any radiance," Noah explained as he pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his hoodie and put them on, "It's actual sunlight!"

The vampires hissed and screamed as the light engulfed them. Cries of "It's hot!" filled the room as the radiance filled the room. It wasn't long before Konrad, Mannfred, and even Vlad caught fire and they thrashed about as their bodies disintegrated into dust. When the screams ceased, so did the light and Noah returned his dragon to its card.

"That was...effective," Zetsubou commented looking at the dust pile that had once been Mannfred. Sammie planted her boot onto the dust pile that was once Konrad and twisted her sole around in it.

"That was a little too easy," Mikomi thought out loud.

Isabella stepped out from her hiding spot and approached the place where Vlad had been. "You are correct, girl. It was..." She began to cackle as the dust next to her suddenly ignited in flames once more and rose up. When the fire died down, Vlad stood up again healthy and whole.

"You truly expected the original Vampire Lord to die so easily?" he asked baring his fangs. The others stepped back slowly. "Do not be afraid. I can offer you a chance. If I am correct, you Terrans resolve your conflicts with duels. I thus propose a duel. Perhaps then you have a fighting chance for your survival."

"I'll accept," Sammie said stepping forward.

"No, I will," said Zetsubou.

"Why not both of you?" suggested Isabella as she stepped forward. She pulled back her sleeve to reveal a beautiful golden bat bracelet on her left arm. Suddenly its wings opened up and it spun around to form a Duel Disk. "I shall fight alongside you, my love."

"So be it then." Vlad pulled back his cape to reveal an armlet identical to his wife's accessory and transformed it into a Duel Disk. Sammie and Zetsubou activated theirs and the duel began.

"So it was a lie...the duel with Amadis."

Noah looked at Mikomi curiously, "What do you mean?"

"These...things hold true to words in duels. However THOSE but be the actual Duel Disks, not that little table Vlad tricked Amadis to duel him with..."

"So you mean..."

"...I think they WANTED us to break the seal from the beginning. We were idiots to think we were healing the world, and Amadis was foolish for letting them live. Zetsu...he won't let them live though...," She gave a light smirk, and Noah frowned at the slight malevolent gesture. She noted it, and smiled warmly at Noah, suddenly her mood changed, "Come on now Noah, they basically bullied her into a deal she couldn't win...you know that's what you hate more than anything. Smile...they're going to pay for it."

Mikomi watched the duel with interest, while Noah slowly kept his distance from Mikomi and kept his eyes on Zetsubou and Samantha.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Zetsubou:** 8000

**Vlad & Isabella:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"You first, my beloved," Vlad offered to his wife.

"Many thanks." Isabella drew her first card. "I begin by summoning Vampire Lady." She played her card and suddenly she had summoned a copy of herself onto the field (ATK/1550 DEF/1550). "That will be all."

"My turn." Sammie drew her card. She didn't like how things had started out. "I set two cards and summon Sonic Bird." A bald eagle with a jet pack and goggles appeared before her (ATK/1400 DEF/1000). "Since Sonic Bird was summoned, I get to search my deck for a Ritual Spell Card and I will bring out Advanced Ritual Art." Her Duel Disk spat out the card from her deck and she added it to her hand before it automatically shuffled her cards. "I end my turn."

"Alas, the time has come for me." Vlad drew his card. "I begin with Foolish Burial and with it I shall send Vampire's Curse to the graveyard." He extracted his card from his deck and placed it into his graveyard. "Next I play Monster Reborn in order to resurrect Vampire's Curse." There was a dark mist and from the ground emerged Mannfred crouching defensively (ATK/2000 DEF/800). "I am not finished. With my beloved's permission, I sacrifice Vampire Lady to summon Patrician of Darkness." A wolf walked onto the field as Vampire Lady left and as it took its place, it transformed into Konrad (ATK/2000 DEF/1400). "I shall set one card and conclude."

"My turn." Zetsubou drew his card. "And of course, the first attack is mine. An attack I have no intention of wasting! With my lack of monsters, I Special Summon Steelswarm Cell." A small black ladybug-like demon appeared with the Mark of the Steelswarm on its carapace (ATK/0 DEF/0). "Now I sacrifice it to summon Steelswarm Mantis!" Steelswarm Cell vanished and in its place, a demon with large mantis arms appeared swinging its tail and shrieking (ATK/2200 DEF/0). "And upon Mantis' Tribute Summon, I can pay one thousand Life Points to resurrect a level four or lower fallen Steelswarm."

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Zetsubou:** 7000

**Vlad & Isabella:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

Steelswarm Mantis plunged its tail into the ground and revived Steelswarm Cell in a defensive position. "Now attack!"

"Not so fast!" Vlad interjected, "While Patrician of Darkness is alive, he can redirect your attack to any target of my choose. And I choose Vampire's Curse." Steelswarm Mantis leapt over the field and chopped Vampire's Curse with its bladed arms. "Now I pay five hundred Life Points."

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Zetsubou:** 7000

**Vlad & Isabella:** 7500

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Why?" asked Zetsubou.

"You'll see. Finish your move."

"Fine. I'll set two cards. Your move."

"I draw!" Isabella drew her card, "And now on the Standby Phase of the turn following Vampire's Curse's defeat, if the five hundred Life Points have been paid he returns five hundred points stronger." Vampire's Curse returned to the field with twenty-five hundred attack points. "Now I summon another Vampire Lady!" The countess summoned another copy of herself to the field. "And now, I'll activate Overpowering Eye. With this, one Zombie with two thousand or less attack can attack directly. Go, Vampire Lady!" Vampire Lady hissed and flew across the field. She shot past the front lines and bared her claws and she slashed Sammie and Zetsubou.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Zetsubou:** 5450

**Vlad & Isabella:** 7500

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"And now for her effect. When she inflicts Battle Damage, you must send a card from your decks to the graveyard of my choosing. I declare that you send a monster to your graveyards." Zetsubou reached into his deck and pulled out Steelswarm Genome while Sammie sent Djinn Releaser of Rituals. "I'll set two and end my turn."

Sammie drew her card. "I summon Senju of the Thousand Hands." A god of shining light appeared with indeed one thousand hands (ATK/1400 DEF/1000). "When Senju is summoned, I can bring a Ritual Monster to my hand and for that I choose Demise, King of Armageddon." She retrieved her card and shuffled her deck. "Now I play Advanced Ritual Art. By sending Normal Monsters from my deck to my graveyard, I can Ritual Summon any Ritual Monster. I send two Archfiend Soldiers to call forth Demise, King of Armageddon!" A column of green light shot toward the ceiling and the black armored demon king of the apocalypse appeared wielding his enormous battle axe (ATK/2400 DEF/2000).

"Shall I, my love?" asked Isabella.

"Do it," answered Vlad.

"Behold, Solemn Warning!" announced Isabella as she revealed on of her set cards.

"Shit!"

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Zetsubou:** 5450

**Vlad & Isabella:** 5500

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

The light of judgment stopped Demise dead in his tracks and he was swiftly executed. "Anything else?" asked Isabella.

"Yeah, I do." Sammie activated a facedown card. "Contract with the Abyss. I'll sack Senju and Sonic Bird to Ritual Summon The Masked Beast." Senju of the Thousand Hands and Sonic Bird were swallowed up as a circle of darkness appeared below them and from it emerged a grotesque creature with masks covering its entire body holding a staff with a razor-teeth-lined mouth (ATK/3200 DEF/1800). "Attack!" she ordered.

"Patrician of Darkness!" announced Vlad, "Redirect that attack to Vampire's Curse." As The Masked Beast unleashed a wave of sorrow from its masks' mouths, Patrician of Darkness unleashed a flock of bats that intercepted the attack and redirected it toward Vampire's Curse.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Zetsubou:** 5450

**Vlad & Isabella:** 4800

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"And now I pay five hundred Life Points," declared Vlad.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Zetsubou:** 5450

**Vlad & Isabella:** 4300

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," announced Sammie.

"I draw." Vlad drew his card. "Return to battle, Vampire's Curse!" Vampire's Curse returned to the field once more at twenty-five hundred attack points. "I'll begin with the sacrifice of Patrician of Darkness to summon Vampire Lord!" Patrician of Darkness disappeared and in his place, Vlad summoned a copy of himself to the field (ATK/2000 DEF/1500).

"It sparkles," Mikomi noted.

"No, just the cape," Noah replied, "thankfully."

"And now, an Overpowering Eye of my own on Vampire Lord!" Vlad played his card and Vampire Lord's eyes started to glow red. "Vampire's Curse, destroy Steelswarm Mantis." Vampire's Curse lunged forward and thrust his claws into Steelswarm Mantis.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Zetsubou:** 5150

**Vlad & Isabella:** 4300

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Vampire Lord, attack directly!" On Vlad's orders, Vampire Lord spread out his cape and unleashed a flock of bats that flew past the front lines and attacked Zetsubou and Sammie directly.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Zetsubou:** 3150

**Vlad & Isabella:** 4300

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"And when Vampire Lord inflicts Battle Damage to your Life Points, you must send one card from your decks to your graveyards based upon my decision," Vlad informed them, "I declare Monster Card." Vampire Lord snarled as he swung his arms and long whips of blood red light shot out toward the opponents' Duel Disks. Sammie took out Reshef the Dark Being and Zetsubou chose Steelswarm Sting. Vampire Lord's whips snared them and he pulled back only to throw them into their respective graveyards.

"I set one card and end my turn," announced Vlad.

Zetsubou drew his card. But before he could do anything, Vlad activated his facedown card "Call of the Haunted. Return to battle, Patrician of Darkness!" Patrician of Darkness returned to the field and hissed loudly. It didn't seem to bother Zetsubou, though, as he proceeded with his turn.

"I activate my own Call of the Haunted then and I'll use it to resurrect Steelswarm Genome." A demon resembling a black larva appeared with the Mark of the Steelwarm on its head (ATK/1000 DEF/0). "Steelswarm Genome can act as two tributes as long as I'm tributing it for a Steelswarm monster. So now I'll sacrifice Steelswarm Genome and Steelwarm Cell to summon my greatest creature. Come forth, Steelswarm Hercules!" The two smaller creatures vanished and in their place arose an enormous demon covered in spikes, horns, and blades resembling a Hercules beetle with four arms two of which were crossed over its chest. The Mark of the Steelwarm was located on its body just below its neck (ATK/3200 DEF/0).

"Now Steelswarm Hercules, time to destroy everything in your path. I pay half of our Life Points to activate your effect!"

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Zetsubou:** 1575

**Vlad & Isabella:** 4300

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

Zetsubou watched as Steelswarm Hercules prepared to unleash its devastation, but then it suddenly stopped. "Steelswarm Hercules, use your effect!" Again, nothing. "What's going on?"

o o o

In the throne room of the palace, Caius sat on his throne observing the events in Sanguine Manor unfold through the scrying orb. As he watched, Evilswarm Thanatos approached and knelt beore the dias. "You sent for me, my lord?"

"Have a look at this," Caius invited. Thanatos looked at the scrying orb and saw what was happening.

"It appears the corruption is even more deep-seated than we realized. Despite having severed their ties with the UnGod, the corruption itself has not weakened."

"What say you, Thanatos?" asked the Shadow Monarch, "Have you any ideas?"

"I do, my lord. I shall handle this myself." Thanatos raised his hand over the orb and dark energies poured out of his hand onto the crystal sphere.

o o o

Steelswarm Hercules continued to struggle, but to no avail. Even with Zetsubou's words nothing was working.

o o o

"This should do it." Thanatos twisted his fingers around over the orb and then opened his hand and brought it down.

o o o

A painful groan escaped Steelswarm Hercules as he broke down and collapsed onto his knees and his card switched to defense mode on Zetsubou's Duel Disk.

"What just happened?" asked Noah.

"It seems the UnGod hasn't forgiven you," Isabella cackled as she drew. "Ah, another Overpowering Eye. I bestow it upon Vampire Lady." Vampire Lady's eyes started to glow red. "Now I summon Red-Moon Baby." An infant vampire wrapped in a green cape appeared (ATK/700 DEF/1000). "Red-Moon Baby, attack Steelswarm Hercules." Red-Moon Baby flew over to the fallen Steelswarm Hercules and its eyes started to glow as the image of the blood-red moon appeared over it and began to shine down with its crimson moonlight, searing away at the insectoid demon. Steelswarm Hercules roared in pain, but was unable to move. When the moonlight had burned through its exoskeleton, Red-Moon Baby dove inside. Moments later it burst out holding its victim's heart. Steelswarm Hercules twitched for a moment longer and then moved no longer.

"Red-Moon Baby can resurrect any monster he kills, but since your cannot be Special Summon, that cannot happen," said Isabella, "But I won't need to worry. Now Vampire Lady, with the power of your Overpowering Eye, attack directly!" Vampire Lady flew across the field and past Sammie's Mask Beast to slash her and Zetsubou.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Zetsubou:** 25

**Vlad & Isabella:** 4300

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"And now I shall invoke my facedown, Dark World Dealings." Isabella revealed her facedown and everybody drew a card and then discarded a card. "I conclude my turn by activating Solidarity. Now all our creatures will gain eight hundred attack points." True to her word, Vampire Lady's attack points rose to twenty-three fifty, Vampire Lord's and Patrician of Darkness' attack points rose to twenty-eight hundred, and Vampire's Curse became thirty-three hundred.

Sammie drew her card. Her opponents had no facedowns, but Patrician of Darkness was back and knowing them they would just redirect her attack to Vampire's Curse. Still, it was some form of damage. "Masked Beast, attack Vampire's Curse!" Vlad gave no order to his monsters as Sammie's creature blasted Vampire's Curse and destroyed him.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Zetsubou:** 25

**Vlad & Isabella:** 3600

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I pay five hundred Life Points," announced Vlad.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Zetsubou:** 25

**Vlad & Isabella:** 3100

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I set one card and end my turn," announced Sammie.

Vlad drew his card and Vampire's Curse returned. However, he was not the reason he was delighted. "The time has come at last to reveal my bestial form. I sacrifice Vampire Lord and call forth Vampire Genesis!" Vampire Lord twitched and writhed and suddenly he ripped out of his clothes as he grew, his skin growing into a dark purple and enormous vampire wings sprouting from his back. His face no longer handsome, but now twisted and demonic with large teeth and two enormous horns (ATK/3000 DEF/2100). Thanks to Solidarity, his attack points rose to thirty-eight hundred.

"This is what happens when a vampire is driven mad by his bloodlust," Vlad explained, "He takes on a beast-like form and remains as such. Now Vampire Genesis, attack The Masked Beast!"

Sammie was about to activate a facedown, but then Zetsubou intervened. "Defense Draw!" A barrier appeared in front of the two Duelists as Vampire Genesis' attack hit and destroyed The Masked Beast. Zetsubou drew his card as a result of his Trap Card.

"No matter. You have no monster left, so my other vampires can attack you directly. Vampire's Curse, attack!"

"No! Negate Attack!" Sammie revealed the card she wanted to use and a vortex appeared and stopped Vampire's Curse's attack as well as ended the Battle Phase.

"You are only delaying the inevitable," Vlad stated as he nodded to signal the end of his turn.

Zetsubou drew. He didn't understand it. He and the Steelswarm had broken their ties with the UnGod so what was happening now? He didn't know the answer. All he could do was hope. For now he set a monster and one facedown in his backfield. That was it.

Isabella drew her card and immediately ordered Vampire Lady to attack. The facedown monster turned out to be Steelswarm Scout, an easily destroyable monster. "Red-Moon Baby, attack now!" she ordered, "They can't survive with only twenty-five Life Points left!"

"I activate Sakuretsu Armor!" Zetsubou's facedown was revealed and a burst of dark energy erupted from him that destroyed Red-Moon Baby.

"Luck," muttered Isabella as she ended her turn.

Zetsubou looked to Sammie and hoped she could pull something off. She drew her card. "I activate my facedown, Dark Hole." A black hole opened up in the middle of the field. Vampire Lady, Vampire's Curse, Patrician of Darkness, and Vampire Genesis struggled with all their might but they could not resist the dense gravitational pull and were pulled into the crushing abyss.

"Now I banish Reshef the Dark Being and Demise, King of Armageddon from my graveyard to summon Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!" Her loyal knight appeared brandishing his sword and shield (ATK/3000 DEF/2500). "Now I summon Ritual Raven." A black bird-like demon with yellow masks in place of eyes appeared (ATK/300 DEF/300). "Ritual Raven, attack!" Ritual Raven was the first to go, flying over to the vampires and scratching them with its claws.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Zetsubou:** 25

**Vlad & Isabella:** 2800

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Black Luster Soldier, finish it!" ordered Sammie.

"Yes, Milady!" Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning raised his sword high and charged it up before unleashing a powerful blade of purple energy toward Vlad and Isabella.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie & Zetsubou:** 25

**Vlad & Isabella:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

With the duel over, Zetsubou took out some knives and threw them across the room. He impaled the vampires' bodies with their sheer weight and force and pinned them to the floor. He was about to finish them off when Sako came through on the radio.

"I've found it!"

"We'll be right there, Sako!" Sammie answered, "Zetsubou, stay here and watch the vamps. But don't kill them. Mikomi, you stay too. Noah, come with me."

o o o

Sammie and Noah arrived at Sako's location a few moments later. It was the vampires' parlour and hidden amongst the many works of beauty were the fragments of the UnGod's seal. Taking out her Rose Card, Sammie held it up and its magics restored it, replacing the black crystal with a red one.

"Nice work," she said.

"How did things go down there?" asked Sako.

"Come see for yourself."

She led the Duel Sniper back down to the banquet hall. Zetsubou was poised ready to deliver the final blow. "You have what you came for?" asked Vlad.

"The UnGod's seal has been fixed," answered Sammie.

"Then kill us," Vlad replied.

"Gladly." Zetsubou readied his knives.

"Zetsubou, wait," Sako said, but it was too late. Zetsubou had already run his blade through Isabella's neck and severed her head from her body. Before Vlad could react, Noah leapt in and stabbed his heart with a stake. The Vampire Lord coughed and began laughing.

"What's so funny?" demanded Zetsubou.

"The hell that you've just unleashed," Vlad cackled.

"What do you mean?" asked Sako.

"Think about it. Why would the undead need us vampires?" Vlad challenged. When nobody answered, he told them. "They need leaders, someone to control them. Without us, the relentless undead will run rampant and destroy all in their path." He coughed and then grinned evilly. "Control must be maintained. There must always be...a Vampire Lord." And with that, his body turned to dust.

"You don't think what he said is true, do you?" asked Noah as he stood up.

"I'm almost afraid to go check," answered Sammie.

o o o

Moments later, everyone was standing on the castle ramparts looking out at the entire Bone Circle and the Forest of Tombs. What they saw chilled them to the bone. The dead were all rising from their graves and moving haphazardly without rhyme or reason. Sammie put her hand on Noah's shoulder and pulled the terrified child closer. "It looks like," she said, "the real fight is about to begin."

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

It's pandemonium and madness! The undead are on a rampage. No place is safe. Will Sammie, Noah, Sako, Zetsubou, and Mikomi survive through this apocalyptic nightmare or will they join the legions of the dead? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	178. Left for Dead

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-91**

**Left for Dead**

Vlad's armory was their first destination. After breaking the locks, they pushed the doors open an walked in. The armory housed enough weapons to equip a massive army. "Take only what you can carry," Sako said sternly. There were no guns, only a wide assortment of medieval weaponry. Entering the massive room everybody started to look through what the armory had to offer. While the others had a look, Sako sat down outside the door and proceeded to load up all his extra clips with ammunition.

"Isn't that a bit too big for you?" Sammie asked as she watched Noah take a spear off one of the racks.

"Long is good. I need to compensate for my height," Noah replied as he brought the weapon down and took a few practice jabs.

"Wouldn't you be better off with something like this?" she inquired offering him a lightweight cudgel she found.

"I'll be fine. I've trained with a bo staff before," answered the child genius.

"That thing is twice your height."

"So is a bo staff." Noah took a step back and withdrew his spear, spinning it over his head and bringing it down behind his back.

"This is ridiculous Noah. You're too short to use something so long."

"On the contrary. There have been many who used longer weapons to make up for their short reach."

"Name one."

"Ken Amada."

Meanwhile, Zetsubou had found himself a pair of swords, two hatchets, a crossbow, and a quiver of bolts. Along with his knives, he walked out from the armory while Mikomi continued to browse through the weapons. "Where are you going?" asked Sako.

"I'm going to see what siege defenses this castle has," answered Zetsubou.

"Take this." Sako pulled a radio out of his pack and tossed it over. "Report anything you find." Zetsubou caught the radio and nodded before heading upstairs, dropping some daggers off at the man's feet. The Duel Sniper continued loading his weapons as Noah walked out carrying his weapon of choice. "Hey kid." He slid a small hand pistol across the floor. It stopped when it hit the boy's shoe and Noah bent down to pick it up.

"You know how to use one, right?"

"I do." Noah tucked the gun into his hoodie pocket and headed upstairs, keeping his arm tight around his plush toy as he used both hands to carry the spear.

"I don't think you should be giving him a gun," Sammie said expressing her concern.

"The kid can handle it. Besides, if what we're going up against is as bad as you say it is, he's going to need it." Sako set a clip down and picked up another one to start loading.

o o o

Zetsubou checked on the gates again to make sure they were barred and braced properly before he continued his search. There were catapults along the ramparts and inside the outer towers he found cauldrons, wood, and barrels of oil. He found ballistas and trebuchets inside one of the outdoor armories. Meanwhile, Noah had begun to raid the stores for medical supplies. Despite his best attempts he found none. It was only after he gave up that he realized that they were in a vampire's castle; vampires had no need for medicine.

Sammie came up with Sako having found a club reminiscent of a baseball bat. "Why'd you choose that?" the Duel Sniper asked as they walked up the stairs to the ramparts.

"The only way to kill a zombie is to aim for the head. Bludgeoning weapons are usually a good way to do it and in most cases objects like bats are usually what's readily available," answered Sammie. When they arrived at the top they could see Zetsubou standing there looking out. He was using a telescope to examine the situation. "How's it look?"

"See for yourself." He handed her the device and she peered through it.

"Holy shit..." What had once been a bone yard and a mass of graves had been transformed into a wasteland of shambling horrors risen from the dead and approaching the castle.

Sako unslung his rifle and rested it on the wall as he looked down at the mass of bodies below. "They don't seem to be in any hurry."

"That's because they can't," Noah pointed out as he came up, "Zombies lack the muscle power in their legs to propel themselves at accelerated speeds across solid physical terrain on foot."

"English please?" asked Mikomi.

"They can't run." Noah looked back out at the ever-growing horde. "Despite that though, their jaw muscles are incredibly powerful and when enough of them amass they can break through even the strongest of doors."

"Which means that the gates won't hold," Zetsubou thought out loud as he looked down at the path leading up the the castle, which was now being overrun by the undead.

"Anything else?" asked Sako.

They also only respond to sound," answered Sammie.

"That means we should just be able to sneak past them, right?" Mikomi inquired.

"That's impossible. The enemies are too close together. Even if they do respond only to sound, surely they'll know when a living creature bumps them," said Sako.

"Sako, did you complete your mission earlier?" asked Zetsubou.

"Do you even have to ask?"

"Then we'll fight here until the castle is overrun." Zetsubou walked along the ramparts. "Once we've determined that we can't hold it any longer, we'll abandon."

"And how, pray tell, are we gonna get out of here when the castle's overrun?" asked Sammie.

Sako seemed to have an answer. "Zetsubou, I need you to go back to the living quarters. You know what to find."

"I'm on it." Zetsubou jumped from the ramparts and rolled along the courtyard floor upon landing before heading out.

"So why's the oil here?" asked Noah, "Boiling oil isn't going to kill them."

"We have an alternative." Sako sat down and leaned his back against the wall. He took a cigarette out and lit it. "But right now I suggest we begin loading the weapons." He jabbed pointed with free hand toward toward the catapults.

o o o

Time passed and the undead continued to approach. Zetsubou returned from his mission with several large sacks and dropped them on the ramparts against the wall. "How does it look out there?"

"No better than it was when you left." Sako continued to keep watch while everyone else was still preparing. "Hm?" He suddenly shifted his scope onto the path where he had thought to have seen some flashes of light reflecting off metal.

"What do you see?" asked Zetsubou.

"Living people."

o o o

It took some time, but the gates were finally opened. Running into the castle were a young woman with red hair wearing armor and carrying a long sword and a samurai with red armor. Once they were in, Sako and Zetsubou pushed the gates shut and rebarred them.

"Who are they? They couldn't be... No, those are Freed's men?" asked Mikomi as she approached with Sammie and Noah.

"We are with the Allied Forces," the samurai answered, "I am Zanki. This is my second-in-command, Getsu Fuhma. Our platoon had been stationed out here on a mission to defeat the vampires until just two hours ago when the dead started to rise en masse. Most of our men were slaughtered on the way here. We're the only ones left. But I'll admit. I wasn't expecting to see humans here and living ones at that. What's going on here."

"To put it short, the vampires are all dead," Sammie answered, "And now that they are, the zombies are running rampant."

"The vampires were what kept the undead under control. Without them, they have no leader to tell them what to do," Mikomi embellished.

"Control must be maintained." Noah recited Vlad's final words. "There must always be a Vampire Lord."

"Gate is locked!" announced Zetsubou.

"What's the battle plan?" asked Zanki.

"We were going to hole up in the castle until it was overrun and then leave. That's about it," Mikomi replied.

"The problem is we're not sure what to do after that," Sako pointed out.

"We can't beat the horde. Our only option is to escape but we haven't determined how yet," Noah piped in.

"There are railroad tracks a ways away," Getsu Fuhma said. They all went up to the ramparts and she pointed toward the distance with her sword. "There's a train that runs through every three hours. We can get on that to escape."

"Then we're going to have to time ourselves well." Sammie looked through the telescope and sure enough there were train tracks.

"Can we use our monsters to help?" asked Mikomi.

"We should refrain from doing so," Zetsubou responded, "The spirits take up energy. We don't want to wear ourselves down too soon."

"I have no problems with that then." Sammie held up her signature card. "Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning is his own spirit. He won't drain me."

"We're still short on medical supplies." Noah looked back at last door he had come out of in his vain search. "The vampires don't keep any."

"I have bandages and herbal remedies." Getsu opened up her pack and revealed the supplies.

"These will do. May I?"

"But you're just a child."

"He may be a kid, but he knows what he's doing," Sammie said as she put her hand on Noah's head. Getsu thought for a moment and then handed the pack over.

"How long until the next train?" Sako asked Zanki as he resumed watching the horde through his scope.

"There should be one passing through right now," answered the samurai.

"Shit. So we have to wait a whole three hours." The Duel Sniper thought carefully. "If we can hold out in the castle for two hours, then we should be able to make it there with five minutes to spare."

"You really think we can make it there in under an hour?"

"You really think we can hold this castle for two hours?"

"Honestly, no. What is your plan then?"

Sako took another drag from his cigarette and removed it from his lips, exhaling slowly. "Improvise."

On the adjacent wall, Noah finished securing his plush to his belt by its scarf and helped move one of the oil barrels across the rampart until it was right on the spot over the castle pathway. "What are you doing?" asked Sammie.

"If we use some of this oil on the path, it should slow down the zombies," was his answer.

"Need a hand?"

Noah tried to lift the barrel. "Yes please," he squeaked. Together they were able to get the barrel over the edge and watched as it burst open and splashed oil onto the pathway. "Let's get another one."

As they rushed to get another barrel, they passed Zanki, Getsu, and Zetsubou who were around discussing what to do next. "You really think you can clear the way for us?" asked Zetsubou.

"Getsu's sword has been enchanted with a spell that will allow her to strike down any undead or demonic creature," Zanki replied, "They will crumble to dust the very instant that blade touches them."

"And you're certain this enchantment will last against those numbers?"

"I am confident that my sword will last against that entire horde," Getsu said confidently.

"Then it's settled," announced Zanki, "We shall..." Before he could say anything else he let out a sickly cough and blood spilled out onto the floor.

"Zanki!" Getsu knelt down beside her commanding officer, "You don't look well."

"It's nothing, Getsu. You need not worry about me," Zanki insisted.

"I told you we should have treated that bite. Maybe we still can..."

"Bite?" Sammie and Noah were suddenly there. They both bore dark expressions on their faces.

It was then that Zetsubou noticed a small puddle of blood forming beneath Zanki's left hand. "Take your glove off."

"W-what?"

"Take your glove off. Now."

"I'm fine."

"Do it, old man!" When Zanki wouldn't move fast enough, Zetsubou took it upon himself to grab his arm and rip the gauntlet off. Blood had soaked through his shirt. He pulled back his sleeve and gasped. There was an entire chunk of flesh missing from his forearm!

"Zetsubou, kill him," said Sammie.

"What?" Getsu looked at Sammie in horror. "He's a fine warrior. We need him in our upcoming battle."

"He's going to be fighting for the other team soon if we don't act now!" Noah yelled, "Zanki, when were you bitten?"

"Nearly an hour and a half ago," the samurai answered, "I've been fighting with one hand ever since." For the first time ever anybody had heard him, Noah swore loudly.

"Zetsubou, kill him," Sammie repeated, "before the infection takes him completely." Zetsubou nodded and drew one of his knives. Getsu quickly got up and drew her sword.

Mikomi looked desperate as she grabbed Zetsubou's arm, "Brother, don't! These are Freed's men! They're good people! They're actually fighting for Ardent's freedom against the UnGod! What you yourself tore from!"

"Stay away from him. I will not let you kill this man."

"Getsu, get away from him before he turns and bites you," Noah warned, "Zetsubou, go for the head. Cut the whole thing off if you need to, but go for the head."

But Getsu would not move. She knocked Zetsubou's hand away from Zanki and placed herself in front of the samurai. "Stand down, traitor."

"Getsu please! We aren't traitors! Don't do this!," Mikomi pleaded him her and her brother. Who slowly reached for a knife at his side, "Zetsu, don't do it! Everyone...just stop!"

"We're not traitors!" Noah insisted, "He's as good as undead now. We should finish him before he gets a chance to..."

"Children should be seen and not heard!" Getsu shouted. Noah felt a stab in his heart. The red-haired warrior suddenly felt Zanki's hand on her shoulder. "Zanki, are you feeling well yet?" The samurai's helmet fell off and exposed Zanki's face, a twisted horrific cadaverous visage with eyes rolled back. He let out a hollow roar as his mouth opened wide, baring his teeth, and lunged. A gunshot ran out and Zanki's head suddenly exploded. His body fell to the floor and his helmet rolled across the stones, an enormous hole in the back. Sammie looked up and saw Sako nodding at her.

"Do you see what happens if you leave a bitten victim be?" she asked as they all gathered around the body, "It doesn't matter who they are. Once you've been bitten, you'll turn for sure."

Mikomi's faced paled as she let the gravity of the situation hit her, as well as everyone else. Zetsubou looked back towards her, "Are you okay...? They didn't get you did they?"

Mikomi shook her head, "No...they scratched me at times, but they never bit me."

Zetsubou to her horror grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly to him, "Where sister. When!?"

Mikomi cried out, "When we were here last! I wasn't bitten! Amadis killed the zombies, screamed something in Latin! Amadis protected me the entire time through here. So did everyone else. The Allied Forces, Zetsubou, they come originally from Aeganaap. They tried to stop the UnGod's control with the still loyal Magical Covens from Endymion after we broke the seals! You're still fighting aren't you...Freed's alive isn't he?"

Getsu paid Mikomi no mind, and her hope sank with her ignorance, "Wait...Freed was right? You and the other Terrans brought this upon us? I don't believe any of you, there was a chance to save him," Getsu insisted. It was then that Noah jabbed her hard in the leg with the blunt end of his spear and then turned around and smacked her in the face when she was down.

"No there wasn't," he growled darkly before he walked off.

Getsu sat up and glared at him. "You should keep that child under stricter rule."

"You shouldn't be condescending to him just because he's a child, no one deserve it." Zetsubou replied.

"All adults have authority over children. You should be exercising that."

"Noah may be a kid, but he's a valuable member of the team," Sammie said before walking away. There was a moment silence among those who were left.

"We should bury him at least," Getsu finally said.

"No time for that," answered Zetsubou coldly. Sako had already begun to signal him. "We fight now."

Noah and Sammie had just finished pushing over their latest barrel of oil just as the zombies had made it to the point of no return. The first few to step onto the oil-sodden path slipped and fell. Those behind them that tried to step between them fell while those who walked over them and didn't trip ended up slipping after they reached the oil.

"Take these." Zetsubou came up behind the two and dropped off a pack for them. Sammie opened it to find out its contents and found several bottles from the castle's wine cellar with pieces of bedsheets and pillow cases stuffed into them. Sammie looked at him.

"You're one resourceful son of a bitch, aren't you?"

"Her and I do what we can to survive."

The zombies had soon managed to pile enough of themselves to get past the oil and were now beginning to pick themselves up on the other side. Sammie signalled Zetsubou over, who took one of his crossbow bolts and lit it. After loading it into his weapon, he took aim and pulled the trigger. His bolt shot down and struck the oil, setting it ablaze. The zombies were lit and kept going, but would fall shortly after they were set on fire.

"How long has it been?" asked Mikomi.

"Just forty-five minutes," answered Sako. "We've got a long wait to go." He moved his post to the wall over the gate and readied his rifle. That fire wasn't going to last forever and he had to be ready.

"Sako, light me." Sammie held out a molotov cocktail. Sako took out his lighter and lit the rag for her. She then threw the bottle and it landed among the zombies, setting them on fire.

"This is never going to hold," Noah pointed out.

"I know, but we just need to hold long enough," Sako reminded him. He released the safety and took aim. "But it doesn't mean we can't keep this place for as long as we can." Zetsubou loaded his crossbow and took aim. The two men fired at once. One zombie's head exploded and fell while another suddenly had a crossbow bolt stuck inside its eye which caused it to collapse. Zetsubou dropped his quiver down against the wall and drew another bolt to load into his weapon as Sako fired again.

"Mikomi, go get me more bolts from the armory," Zetsubou instructed. Mikomi nodded and quickly ran for the armory downstairs.

"Noah, light the boulder," ordered Sako. Noah quickly ran over to a nearby catapult and poured oil onto the stone that had been loaded into it. Sammie then took a nearby torch off its scone and touched it to the rock, igniting the oil. When it was done, the boy pulled the lever and the catapult launched its fiery load. The boulder landed along the path and rolled down the mountain, crushing zombies under it and igniting others it passed.

"Their numbers are increasing!" yelled Getsu.

"Just keep shooting." Sako pulled the trigger and his next bullet shattered three skulls. His next shot blew off the head of one zombie, exploded the entire middle of the one behind it, split the next one at the waist, and shot off the leg of a fourth at the knee. The first fell, but the other three continued on, dragging themselves forward with their arms. Sako growled. "These things just won't stop unless you kill their brains, will they?"

"That's why you've got us!" Sammie threw another molotov out and watched it shatter and spill all over the walking corpses.

"Getsu Fuhma, get to the courtyard and ready the ballistas," ordered Zetsubou.

Getsu said nothing and did as she was told. The ballistas had already been brought out and lined up. She pulled back the strings and loaded them. The triggers had all been tied to ropes, which in turn had their other ends tied together with a single rope. The warrior woman had to admire the set-up. All the ballistas had been arranged so that they were aiming at the gates.

By now the horde had reached the gate and the zombies were clawing at the doors. Sammie dropped two more molotovs down and they broke on their heads, covering the creature in flames. Sako checked his watch. There was still two hours until the train arrived. Somehow he knew this would be a long wait. Zetsubou fired his crossbow and reached for another bolt only to find he was out. Mikomi suddenly came running carrying with her four quivers of bolts. Zetsubou smiled as she placed them at his side and he grabbed a fresh bolt to resume shooting.

The gates were made to withstand many sieges to the castle and they were holding up well. However, something approached that nobody expected. An enormous dragon skeleton with a mane of long white hair was approaching. Sammie saw it coming and swore. "Shit, it's a Berserk Dragon!"

Sako immediately turned his gun on the creature's massive skull. "It's just a bigger target." He pulled the trigger and fired. The bullet shot through the bone, but Berserk Dragon continued. "What the?" He fired again and hit his mark, but Berserk Dragon did not fall.

"It must be powered by some powerful necromatic magic," Noah thought out loud.

"We're in trouble, aren't we?" asked Mikomi.

Berserk Dragon roared as it approached the gate and proceeded to pound it with its massive claws. The giant wooden doors shook violently and Getsu tightened her grip on the rope. As long as it was alive, the gates wouldn't hold.

"Sako! Up!" Noah yelled. Sako looked up toward the sky and saw several blue and red undead bats flying toward them: the Red-Blooded Onis and Blue-Blooded Onis.

"Shit..." He pointed his rifle upward and started firing. Meanwhile, Berserk Dragon sent its arm foward once more and its claws broke through the gate. It pulled back out and struck again, sinking its arm deeper into the structure. It pulled back once more and took a few steps back, crushing several zombies under its feet. Then it charged and its head finally broke through. It roared as the bars shattered and the splintered gates swung open, allowing the zombies to spill in.

"Fire!" Getsu pulled the rope and the ballistas fired at once, piercing the front line of zombies. Zetsubou immediately jumped from the ramparts with swords drawn. He landed on top of two zombies blades first into their heads and somersaulted off of them, pulling his blades out in the process. He turned around and ran forward, slashing at heads and necks. Bodies fell and heads rolled. Getsu drew her sword and joined him. She slashed a zombie across the chest and its body instantly crumbled into dust. She turned around and cut one in the shoulder before pulling out and thrusting her blade behind her into the stomach of another.

"So your sword really is enchanted," Zetsubou noted.

"Of course."

"Think it can take that down?" He indicated toward Berserk Dragon as it crawled into the castle.

"Leave that to me!" Sammie held out her card and summoned out Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning.

"Begone, foul creature!" The dark knight swung his blade and carved open a portal to the different dimension. Berserk Dragon roared as it was pulled in and the portal closed after it. With the enormous monstrosity banished, Black Luster Soldier turned his attention on the zombies and began cutting them down. "Back, you mindless wretches!" He bashed one back with his shield and split its head in half with his sword.

Noah was about to go down and join the fight, but Sammie placed a hand on his shoulder. "Stay up here where it's safe. Conserve your stamina for the escape." Noah was about to protest, but he understood the reasoning behind her words and simply nodded.

Mikomi looked down worriedly to her brother, who was looking worse for wear and several undead slammed him against a wall from behind, pinning him to the ground as his swords clattered to the tainted earth.

"No...! Zetsubou!"

Noah looked at Mikomi, and noted the white card in her hands, "Mikomi, don't!"

Zetsubou's hand smacked the ground, his other hand on the forehead of a zombie whose rotting teeth were mere centimeters from his throat. The card on the ground was Steelswarm Hercules, and Zetsubou to his horror could not feel the energy in it. He felt ill, he heard screaming, tortured moans all around him. Then he saw the form of Mikomi leaping off the rampart, a shining card in her hands as the form of Scrap Twin Dragon was torn into existence. Her eyes flashed with rage, and Zetsubou only heard her scream out two words.

"Endless Fallout!" Both dragon heads roared out in fury, charging two enormous balls of energy in their mouths, growing larger with each passing second.

"He's dead Mikomi, don't sacrifice yourself!" Sammie yelled towards Mikomi.

"If no one else will save us, then I'll do it! I'll save Karheim and the lot of you! FIRE! BURN THEM ALL!"

Zetsubou desperately stabbed out at the zombies steadily falling upon him, then looked up to see the Dragon finally fire its atomic payload, bathing the field in nuclear fire. Sako could barely see the image of Mikomi falling from the sky, the dragon long since faded and her energy spent as he and the others shielded their eyes from the bright flames that incinerated an enormous amount of the field. The power that one monster possessed was truly terrifying. The dust settled, and still the zombies were shuffling ever closer, though in much fewer number, with a sky of orange and a field made nothing but ash and blackened ruin.

For a long moment, everyone was silent. Zetsubou blinked, he should be dead. He felt a weight on him as the feeling of metal plating, Black Luster Soldier had covered him from the atomic blast. He didn't feel any signs of him being bitten as well, much to his relief. The soldier rose up and to Zetsubou's amazement he seemed unhurt; he only bowed to the former agent of the UnGod, "Samantha would be most displeased if you were to die. You are important to the success of your mission." With no further words said, he faded in a burst of radiant energy. The zombies...they seemed much weaker now, and in a greatly reduced number. Zetsubou swiftly scaled the wall of the castle, quickly making it up to where Samantha saw the event unfold.

Zetsubou's expression was completely blank, "I'm going to find Mikomi out there."

Despite Mikomi's efforts, the horde continued to advance. Scrap Twin Dragon had indeed reduced their numbers, but more undead were pulling themselves out of the ground, replacing the numbers that had been lost. However, she had bought them some time to recover. With only a few minor stragglers in the courtyard, Getsu was able to dispatch them without much effort. Sako dealt with the ones that remained on the path. "We should prepare to move!" he called out.

Zetsubou growled, "Did you not hear me? I won't leave Mikomi out there in that wasteland!"

"It's almost time to move. If we don't leave soon, we'll be overrun," the Duel Sniper said.

Zetsubou grabbed his last two knives, taken from the Vampire's armory, "Then go on without me," he looked out at the large crater the Twin Scrap Dragon left behind, "She'll probably be there, in the crater if anything."

"You'll jeopardize the mission." Sako unloaded another bullet and shattered a zombie's skull, splattering its brains all over the rocks.

"It's not that far, that crater," Getsu said measuring the distance with her eyes. She turned to Zetsubou. "I'll come with you. That should make things go faster."

He nodded, "Get moving, I'll be there when this train arrives."

"How are we gonna clear our path then?" asked Noah. Already new zombies had risen to replace the ones that had been incinerated. His answer came when Zetsubou revealed several trebuchets that had been loaded with large chunks of masonry. "Okay, but that doesn't explain why five of them are empty."

"That's part of _my_ plan," answered Sako.

Zetsubou once again leapt into the swarm of zombies, screaming like a monster himself as his blades hungrily tore into the pestilent flesh of the undead. Getsu's katana flashed alongside him, making the undead fearful and reducing to shining dust the ones it managed to bite into. Soon their figures vanished into the swarms of undead shambling ever closer.

"So how ARE we getting out of here?" Noah asked again. Sako turned around and shot the locks on the loaded trebuchets, forcing them to release their loads onto the horde. The massive stones crushed them like insects and created several points by which they could escape.

"Now get in one," the sniper ordered.

"W-w-w-WHAT?" the boy looked at the siege device and back to the soldier. "You're insane!"

"Samantha, would you please?" On Sako's words, Sammie rolled out something else they had found. A large cannon had been loaded and stuffed, ready to go. She positioned it over the wall and lined it up.

"Bitches love cannons!" She lit the fuse and it fired. The cannonball shot through the air and smashed into an entire line of undead creatures. Once the way was clear, she grabbed one of the packs that Sako had ordered brought up and strapped it on before scooping Noah up in her arms and jumping into a trebuchet.

"YOU'RE CRAZY!" the little boy screamed.

Grabbing a pack for himself, Sako jumped down and looked at him. "If I wasn't, this would probably never work." Noah's eyes only widened in horror at the Duel Sniper's poor attempt at humor as he pulled the release and flung the two of them over the wall. Sako strapped on his pack and got into another trebuchet. Clutching his M107 Barrett tightly in his arms, he took one last drag from his cigarette and flung it away before taking out a dagger and throwing it at the release, tossing himself over the wall. As he flew up into the air, he turned to see the castle being overrun by zombies. He smiled to himself as he took a remote detonator from his pocket and pressed the button, setting off the detpacks he had planted all along the walls.

o o o

Zetsubou and Getsu trudged towards the crater, noting that the zombies seemed to stray away from it. It looked awful, hot spots of smoldering material peppered the area. The Samurai sighed, looking towards the raven haired man in the skeleton's tattered cloak, "I don't understand, we should just go back towards the others. She is dead."

"I cannot accept that, Getsu." A distant explosion was heard by both of them, as the Vampire's manor crumbled to ruin in the distance, "You are free to leave at any time."

"I won't. I want to know your reasons for wanting to save this girl's life is all."

"You cannot understand."

"Why not, Zetsubou?"

"Should she die, I will have truly failed in my role as her brother. I am not a decent man, I have done many things. They have all been so she may life a decent life. Now she was thrust into this world, by my actions."

Getsu was unfazed by his words, "I see. You feel guilt for bringing her into this. Then you should not have made the pacts you had in the first place."

"The zombies will not bother you with that weapon. Find them, get to that train and take them back to Freed, your commander. Get them the things they need to survive and reclaim Karheim. I will make my own way," with that word, Zetsubou made his way down into the crater, a knife spun into his hand as the cloak billowed about him. He still couldn't hear his Steelswarm, and thick smoke was filling the crater.

He stopped suddenly, he couldn't hear Getsu anymore, nor could he hear anything at all. Just deafening silence, and a massive being that seems to be half the size of the many foot deep crater. It's ethereal form ended in massive spiked claws, while the burning eyes in it's horned head stared forward. In a booming voice that echoed in Zetsubou's mind, a deep gravelly voice rang out, "The Terran comes."

Zetsubou eyed the malevolent spirit, "What are you?"

"I am the Despair of death and regret. I dwell within the darkness and secret places of men and all things. In your world, I am summoned by the simple name of Despair from the Dark. Why have you come Yukia Tejinashi, agent of the UnGod. Do you wish to serve again His will?"

Zetsubou spoke in a flat, serious tone, "I do not. You mean to kill me?"

A long silence, the massive ghost was unmoving, "I do not. I am all the Bone Circle is, what this mass grave of all Ardenians is. This quiet place, defiled and brought low by the Vampires. I am an observer, an arbiter of the realm of the dead. You are not yet to be judged, Yukia. I suspect you are for the girl. Mikomi, your baby sister."

"I am."

"You will find she does not wish for you."

"Lies! You lie, monster!"

The ghost chuckled within Zetsubou's mind, "It is as I say. She wanted change, and a new Karheim. Caius found promise within her, and the cruelty unanswered...the things a small child endured. She had nothing except you. You were a cold assassin providing for her and bringing about this. Karheim is your world Yukia, embrace it. Embrace the blessings of the UnGod as the rest of Ardent has. Revel in the destruction of Terra by His will. Your false redemption will not save you..."

The ghost moved one of it's large claws, revealing a man familiar to Zetsubou. Both of them shared the same dark colored hair, though he looked much better off than the ragged assassin who at one time loyally served the UnGod and his will of change and rebirth. He casually waved to him, making his blood boil as he had the gall to smirk at him.

"...Kage..."

"Yukia Tejinashi, the Unseen Herald of the UnGod's will," he side stepped, revealing the Magical Scientist knelt over Mikomi with various medical tools on the blasted soil, "Looking for her...? Also who are you talking to? Have we lost our mind at long last Yukia? That Crush Virus Sergei...no...Judgement released on your island finally get into your head?"

"Get away from her!"

"You can only shout at me Zetsubou. I am in command here. I enlightened you, raised into what you are, and Recca tore you away."

"Michael and Recca showed me a peaceful world, a world just fine without the damned UnGod. All this is now because of it, and I helped. I am indebted to protect them...protect Mikomi. Move aside or so help me I will cut you down."

"Michael Angel...that name is a thorn in my side. As is Recca Telaris and all of that fucking bloodline. The bloodline of The Duelist. The Bloodline that stopped the UnGod's emergence once centuries ago. But this is now. Now we have the shattered seals, we hold many of the Rose Cards, and Terra is ruined. We won, take Mikomi and her with Getsu can make their train."

"Why would you do that?"

"Tell him Albert."

The Magical Scientist laughed in a high pitched, discordant tone, "You see my little lovely. The poor, poor dearheart was sick of the 'horrors' of the world of Ardent, everything backfired! So she wanted the power to portect Ardent. I gave it to her, and kept her alive with my medical supplies. Faaaaaaaaar too important to be a shambling corpse, yes yes. We saved her again, in the UnGod's service."

Kage lifted up the dazed looking Mikomi, who was glass eyed as she was placed on her feet and shoved out and silently climbed up the crater. Kage shrugged, "She'll be around in ten minutes, like she came out of a dream. They'll be on the train by then. She'll think you came and saved her. Cute really. You however, you know what we did."

"I will kill you."

Kage swung his fist with blinding feet, a shadow writhing as it connected into Zetsubou's ribs and floated above his head.

"Come to Endymion then. I'll wait for you, your replacement will make sure your new friends die. One by one."

A sharp blow to the back of Zetsubou's head from the tendril knocked him out cold. Though his world was darkness and silence, he still heard Despair's voice.

"...You will walk a dangerous road... Be strong..."

Zetsubou then had a sudden sensation of falling, then his consciousness faded.

o o o

The packs turned out to be parachutes Zetsubou had put together using linens he had found in the living quarters of the castle. Though they did get Noah to stop screaming in terror in the air, it didn't make him feel any better. Worse off, they could see zombies starting to fill up the areas they had cleared before leaving the castle.

"I'm gonna let you go soon, Noah," Sammie said.

"What? Why?" the boy asked fearfully.

"If we land with the parachute on, it's going to make things really hard for us. We have to abandon it early so it doesn't cause much trouble."

Noah took a deep breath. He understood what she was talking about. "Okay. I trust you."

"I'll put you down gently." Sammie steered over to one of the pieces of masonry they had launched and dropped Noah gently on top of it. He landed on his feet and crouched down. Sammie released her parachute not far from him and landed safely on the ground. Thankfully, none of the zombies had heard them land. Sako also landed safely, keeping as quiet as possible. When he gave the clear signal, Noah thrust his spear into the ground and slid down it like a pole. He pulled it out and ran with Sammie to join the Duel Sniper. Once they were together, they ran quietly down the trail that the cannonball had blazed for them. Sammie scooped up a rock that had once been a piece of a tombstone as they made their way down.

"Please tell me you didn't blow up the seal in the process," she whispered as they made their way.

"Of course not," Sako whispered back as they snuck past the undead horde, "I set the charges away from the structure housing it." He stopped and the others came to a halt. The path that the cannonball had made ended and now there were zombies in front of them. Sammie looked around and saw a dead tree. She took the rock she had picked up and threw it. Her aim was true and she hit the trunk, creating a loud thumping noise. What she did not expect, however, was for the tree to break off its roots and topple over. However, it seemed to do the job and the zombies started moving toward it. At this rate, they would be able to reach the train tracks ahead of schedule.

Suddenly a black portal opened in front of them and Caius stepped out, barring their way. Immediately the three Terrans readied their weapons, but they dared not attack yet. They waited to see what the Shadow Monarch would do.

"You've done surprisingly well in this land of the dead," the Dark Emperor praised, "Your survival, however, ends here." Jinzo stepped out of the portal behind Caius carrying a dark red sphere with four claws for grappling. Everybody's eyes widened. It was a Blast Sphere! The Dark Emperor's chief scientist released it and it shot forward. Sako quickly grabbed a broken zombie's body and held it out in front of him, causing the Blast Sphere to latch onto it.

"Farewell, Terrans." Caius stepped back into the portal with Jinzo and it closed.

"Aww shit," whispered Sammie.

Sako signaled them to start running. "About to get loud." As they started to run, the Blast Sphere detonated and the resulting explosion echoed all across the Bone Circle, alerting all the zombies.

Sako raised his rifle and began firing, exploding heads on impact. Sammie spun around and swung her club into a zombie's head as it tried to grab her, smashing it effectively. True to his word, Noah's short reach and stature was made up for by his spear as he thrust it upward and pierced a zombie in the face. He pulled out and followed. More undead tried to reach out for them, but the boy stepped forward and swung his weapon at their legs, knocking them off their feet.

"Don't kill them if you can avoid it!" Sako yelled. He fired another shot and was almost grabbed, but Sammie smashed the zombie's head in. Noah ducked under him and swept his weapon once more, aiming this time for their waists so he could knock them aside.

"There's too many of them!" he shouted.

"They're closing in fast!" Sammie reported looking behind them.

Sako dropped his empty clip and loaded a new one. "Keep moving!" A zombie came up beside him and he quickly pulled out his combat knife and stuck it in its face before pulling it back out quickly and resheathing it. He kept firing as Sammie kept bashing and Noah continued thrusting. The boy had just stabbed a zombie just as another grabbed him. Unable to pull his spear out in time, he grabbed the gun in his pocket and shot his assailant in the head. He was genuinely surprised by how little recoil his particular model had and was able to ask Sako about it when the Duel Sniper answered, "I modified it." It wasn't the world's best answer, but right now he wasn't going to argue. He stuffed the gun back into his pocket and grabbed his spear.

"Throw me!" he yelled. Sako grabbed the boy without question and tossed him up. Noah aimed his weapon down and plunged it into the head of a zombie. He landed on its chest and pulled out his spear before spinning around and striking everything around him. Bullets flew over his head and brought down the undead. He butted them out of the way with his weapon and pulled himself out.

Sammie tossed a molotov forward and it ignited several zombies in flames. She bashed in another one's head with her club and then raised it to block the jaws of another. She let it go and kicked the zombie away. Sako saw that she was now weaponless and looked around. He spotted a shovel leaning against a tombstone and he kicked it up with his foot. "Catch!" He kicked it toward her and Sammie caught it. At once she spun around and bashed it into a zombie's head.

"There's too many!" she yelled.

"We'll never make it!" Noah cried.

Suddenly a flash of steel shot past them and several zombie crumbled into dust. Getsu Fuhma had returned. She slashed through many corpses and they all turned to dust upon contact. Mikomi was with her cutting through with a pair of short blades.

"There's the track!" yelled Sammie. The group continued fighting until they arrived at the train tracks. They stood in a circle backs to each other and looked around. The train still wasn't anywhere near and the undead were approaching. There was no choice left.

The group split up. Sako stood his ground and fired in any direction his bullets were needed. Sammie and Noah rushed back and fought back the horde while Getsu and Mikomi jumped the tracks and fought on the other side. The samurai woman's blade felled many turning them into dust. Mikomi struck high always aiming for the necks and cutting off the heads. The weight of Sammie's shovel crushed many zombie heads while Noah's long polearm weapon served beautifully to make up for his short reach.

Minutes passed, but to them it felt like days. Finally, they could hear it. A train whistle in the distance. Sako turned his rifled for a moment to look through the scope and sure enough a train was coming. "Prepare to jump on the train!" he yelled as he reloaded. Everybody returned to the tracks. Noah threw his spear away and impaled a zombie through the stomach. He took out his gun and fired, killing it. He fired again, helping Sako keep the corpses at bay. On the other side, Getsu's blade acted as a ward but she continued to hack away at the legions of the undead.

The train was approaching and everyone could make out the locomotive as being none other than Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive and its cars being a large number of Bokoichi the Freightening Car. "Children first!" Sako yelled. Getsu nodded and prepared Mikomi. As the train came up, she tossed her onto the train while Sako did the same with Noah. Mikomi grabbed onto a railing while Noah landed almost perfectly on a platform. Sammie went next and she was able to grab onto a rail and pull herself onto a step. Once everybody else was on, Sako and Getsu grabbed on and were pulled away by the train. Several zombies tried to grab them as they passed, but the samurai crouched down with her sword out and it cut down anything they passed while Sako shot anything that somehow managed to grab on.

A few minutes later, the entire group met up inside one of the freight cars. "Where's Zetsubou?" asked Sammie.

"He didn't make it," Getsu answered between breaths. Everybody looked down sadly.

"We have no choice but to continue then," Sako said quietly as he took out a cigarette. He patted himself for his lighter but realized that he must have dropped his during the fight. He sighed and placed it back in its pack. "Where does this train lead?"

"I haven't the faintest idea," Getsu replied.

"Not..." Noah gasped. "...reassuring!"

Everybody just sat back and did their best to stay calm and catch their breaths. They had survived the zombie ordeal and that was something to be thankful for. But they had lost someone dear to them. The others could only imagine what sort of emotional turmoils could be going within Mikomi. With the train moving through Karheim, everybody decided the best thing to do for now was to get some rest. Noah shifted the medical supplies bag under his head and used it as a pillow as he fell asleep. Sammie leaned against a crate and closed her eyes for just a moment but soon her held slumped down as she too drifted to sleep. Sako and Getsu discussed guard shifts with each other before the latter laid herself down to rest while the former reloaded his gun. Mikomi had isolated herself from the group in a dark corner of the car, an aura of darkness seemingly surrounding her.

o o o

"It looks like they escaped."

"True, but it was worth all this." A short figure in a tattered robe stood and raised his arms to behold the immense army of the undead before him. "That vampire fool said that these creatures need a lord to command then. While he may be correct, it isn't a new Vampire Lord they require. All they need is someone with power."

"And it is you?"

Bonz cackled evilly as he looked at his new undead army. "The dead shall walk the land and Ardent shall be mine to command!"

"Well while you take care of that, I have my own task to contend with." The ashen-armored figure banged his weapon against the ground and a skeletal horse burst out from it. He mounted it and clutched his scythe in one hand.

"The fourth horseman rides!" The horse reared up on its hind legs and neighed as Death rode off.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The train is their temporary haven. As our heroes recover from the previous horrific incident, misfortune strikes them once again. How will things play out? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	179. The Emissary of Darkness

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

We apologize for missing last week's update due in part to AMZ being at Animethon and having no internet in his hotel room.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-92**

**The Emissary of Darkness**

The train ride was fairly uneventful. After that horrendous ordeal in the Bone Circle, everybody was thankful for that. Noah was lying on the floor fast asleep, his awkward position the result of how tired he was. Sammie had leaned her back against a wall, but it wasn't long before she too had fallen asleep. Sako was loading his clips, having nearly depleted them all during the last battle. With time to rest now, Getsu took it to reflect back on what had happened before the fighting began. Zanki had been a proud and strong warrior and yet he had succumbed to a mere infection. She just could not wrap her head around it. Meanwhile, Mikomi sat on her own. She had neither spoken nor moved since they had boarded the train.

"You used up a lot of your ammunition back there," Getsu noted.

"I'm down to only a few clips," Sako replied as he kept loading, "I'll need to conserve my ammo until such time as I can restock."

"There might be someplace here in Karheim, but it will take some effort to find."

"Then we should go there as quickly as possible."

o o o

The train was chugging lazily on its track through Karheim. Dekoichi's whistle blew loudly as a trail of smoke was left behind by his smokestack. In the distance, several undead motorcyclists sat on their vehicles waiting atop a cliff. In front of them, the Emissary of Darkness, Gorz, stood watching the train through a pair of binoculars. His beast, Emissary from Pandemonium, shook its head causing its chains to rattle. "Right on schedule." He lowered his binoculars and walked back to his beast. He grabbed hold of its chains and climbed on. "I want some of you to intercept them. The rest will flank. Let's go." He pounded his boots against Emissary from Pandemonium's sides and the canine demon barked and ran down the side of the cliff.

o o o

An electric eye from outer space. A telescopic view down on the expansive land of darkness. Bits of data recorded every second and sent to the brain of a single man. Beaming at a rate of three hundred thousand kilometers per second straight to the humming electric brain of a man whose face was long obscured by a mask.

Jinzo stood beside the throne of his king with his arms clasped behind his back. Caius sat in the dimness of shadow with a goblet of wine in hand, sipping slowly the red elixir. "Sire?" Jinzo said with the staticy crackle of his electric voice, "Satellites have visual on the Terrans. They have gotten onto one of the Karheim rails."

"Good," Caius responded before sipping his drink once more. "Have you sent this information to Gorz?"

"He is already in pursuit, sire. It is actually quite impressive. How did you come across such an excellent tracker?"

"Come across? Ha! You do not simply come across a treasure like Gorz."

"Treasure, sire?" Jinzo asked.

"Oh yes. You think the Dokuroriders are something special? Bah! They are merely a pack of fiends on motorcycles. No. Gorz is more. He is violence incarnate."

"Oh? Go on sire."

"Heh, remember the insurgence of the Archfiends centuries ago?"

"The uprising of the grand fiends from Pandemonium? Yes, you dismantled them and sent them back to that wretched pit of theirs."

"Yes, but did you know the spoils of the war?" Caius sipped from his goblet once more and laughed lightly to himself."

"Spoils, sire?" Jinzo asked, drawn even more in curiosity.

"Yes. See, there was a single boy I found in an Archfiend fortification. He was apparently going to be a sacrifice in one of their blood rituals. You know about those, yes? It is their process of slowly peeling away the tendons and muscles off of a small child for days straight, letting the blood trickle into sacred collection cups at the feet of the children as they dangle from rusty hooks."

"I am well aware of the rituals, sire. What about this boy now?"

"Heh, yes. The boy I found was special. He was hung up and bled dry. His muscles ripped off and flayed. I could only imagine the torment he had gone through. For all accounts he should have been dead and yet he wasn't. In fact he wasn't only alive, but laughing. Do you comprehend that? A boy found in a sea of pain and he was laughing. Feeding on the very thing that was meant to use him." Caius laughed a bellowing laugh, booming through the halls of his castle as he sloshed the last of his bloody red wine down his gullet. With a crunch the goblet crinkled in his hand and he smiled inwardly to himself. A beast fueled on pain and destruction. Caius drank in every lascivious bit of that thought and Jinzo stood stalwart as the same thoughts crossed his mind.

Meanwhile, out in space, a singular telescopic eye had shifted its gaze from the moving train with the Terran passengers to the bounty hunter who lived for pain. And Jinzo smiled too.

Oh how perfectly his plans were going.

o o o

The train car suddenly jerked violently. "What's going on?" Noah asked sleepily, the movement having woken him. Sammie too had been jarred awoke.

Sako locked and loaded his rifle. "We're under attack." He got up and pressed his back against the wall. "All of you hide."

"We can fight too," said Sammie.

"Not after that last one," Sako replied.

"But neither can you then," Noah pointed out.

"I'm a soldier."

"I shall aid you." Getsu grabbed her sword and crouched by the opposite side of the door. Sako nodded and the two of them stood ready. The Duel Sniper gave the signal and he and the samurai opened the doors. Zombies on motorcycles were flanking the train.

"More zombies..." Sako set up his Barret's stand and laid down. Noah and Sammie hid behind a large crate and watched. The Duel Sniper released the safety and waited. The first Dokurorider came into his sights and he pulled the trigger. His first bullet was fired and shot off the front wheel, causing the motorcycle and its Dokurorider to crash into another one. He shifted his sights on another one and fired, hitting another Dokurorider's chest and shattering everything above its waist. The topless rider's bike lost control and crashed into another Dokurorider, causing their vehicles to explode in flames.

"Cover me!" With sword in hand, Getsu ran out the door and grabbed onto the frame above. She pulled herself onto the roof of the car and drew her blade and waited. Some of the Dokuroriders were coming in from the other side of the train and had jumped their bikes to begin climbing on. She ran over to them and swung her enchanted sword at them, reducing them to dust on contact.

With the Dokuroriders keeping them distracted, Emissary from Pandemonium ran up toward the last car of the train as fast as it could. Gorz kept his eye on his target as he neared. Once his mount had closed enough distance, he jumped and grabbed onto the roof of the last car. With powerful strength and incredible agility, he flipped himself onto the roof of the train. His prey was close but he did not smile. There would be time for smiling after he completed his task.

As Getsu fought off the undead motorcyclists, she noticed something in the darkness. Obscured by the smoke coming out of the locomotive, she could just barely make out a tall demonic man with a visor approaching. Her heart stopped as she recognized who he was. Without a moment's hesitation, she grabbed her sword tight and charged. "You shall not pass, demon!" She leapt up and swung her weapon downward.

All of a sudden, Gorz flash stepped out of the way and her blade passed through an afterimage. But she did not strike nothing. Her blade had instead hit the blade of a large one-handed sword belonging to a tall woman with dark purple armor, a long crimson skirt, and long red hair styled like straight bars going down her back. "Keep her busy," ordered Gorz.

"It will be my pleasure." The woman spun around and pushed Getsu away, knocking her toward the back of the train. With the samurai woman occupied, Gorz continued on his way. Getsu fought hard to try to stop him, but her opponent was a very skilled warrior.

"How is it that you do not fall?" she demanded, "My blade has been enchanted to destroy demons like yourself."

"Your answer is that I am no Fiend." The woman delivered a low sweep and knocked Getsu off her feet. She then planted her foot on her chest and pointed her sword down at her. "I am a Fairy."

Meanwhile, Sako released an empty clip and loaded a new one into his gun. After doing so he got up and slung his gun over his shoulder. "Where are you going?" asked Sammie.

"To get a better vantage point." And with that, the Duel Sniper flipped himself onto the roof.

"What about us?" Noah asked hugging his plush.

Up on the roof, Sako unslung his Barret and started firing. He shot out more tires, pierced fuel tanks, and completely blew heads off. As he continued his work, he suddenly felt a dark presence approaching. He turned and saw Gorz approaching him, walking slowly up the length of the train. He wasted no time and turned his rifle on the newcomer. He fired his first shot, but Gorz raised his arm and deflected the bullet with his arm blade. Sako looked up from his scope in surprise and fired again. Once again, Gorz simply deflected the armor-piercing fifty-caliber bullet that had been fired from the M107 Barret sniper rifle. The Duel Sniper set his weapon aside and pulled out his combat knight. He waited until Gorz was close enough and then engaged him. He swung, but was blocked. Before he could make another move, the Emissary of Darkness kicked him under the chin and knocked him back. Sako was quick to spring back to his feet, but Gorz left him no opportunity to attack. He swung his arm blades at him and all his opponent could do was dodge.

"There are still motorcycles out there," Noah pointed out as he watched the action outside the door.

"I still don't have enough energy to summon a spirit," Sammie replied, "And Black Luster Soldier can't do much at long range."

"He can't, but maybe I have someone who can." Noah took out his deck and sifted through his cards.

"Noah, you don't have a lot of energy either," said Sammie.

"That's why I'm going to use my guardian Duel Spirit."

"Your guardian Duel Spirit?"

"Yeah, just like Black Luster Soldier is yours." Noah pulled out a single card and put the rest of his deck away. "Light and Darkness Dragon, rise!" Beams of light and darkness spiraled out of his card and combined to form a large black and white dragon with two tails.

"That thing is yours?"

"What? You didn't know?"

"Well, I kinda had a hunch..."

Light and Darkness Dragon flew over the train and opened its mouth to gather energy and then released it in the form of a powerful beam that it swept across the land and blew up several Dokuroriders.

Meanwhile, Getsu continued her fight with the armored woman and as they continued their swords locked, placing them both close to one another. "Just...who are you?" she asked.

"I am Kaien, unseen partner of Gorz." She suddenly vanished and Getsu fell forward.

"Where did she go?" Her answer came as Kaien reappeared behind her and struck her from behind.

Sako ducked under Gorz's horizontal slash and thrust his knife forward. But as the blade went into his opponent, he found his weapon suddenly passing through air as an illusion of the Emissary of Darkness faded away. Gorz reappeared behind Sako and lashed out with a back kick, striking him with his heel and sending him flying.

As he laid on the roof of the train car, Sako slowly turned himself around so that he was facing his opponent. "Isn't this the part where you'd make me an offer in exchange for my life?"

"I was hired to track down you and your companions and kill you. Sparing you in exchange for something would not be in my best interests," answered Gorz.

"So you're a mercenary." Sako thought out loud. "Then we should both understand each other."

"I'm glad you see it that way. Now shall we finish this?"

"My thoughts exactly." Sako got up and went on the offensive. Gorz backed away while using his arm blades to block his opponent's knife. However the tide of the battle changed quickly and the Emissary of Darkness began pushing back.

Getsu's duel with Kaien was turning against the warrior's favor. With no other options, she quickly disengaged her and returned to the other car. Kaien was ready to follow, but was stopped by a knight in black armor. "Tis such a shame such beauty is wasted in the name of evil." Black Luster Soldier charged and began exchanging blows with Kaien. Getsu watched for a moment, but then heard her voice being called. She followed the sound and looked down to see Sammie calling her to come back in. Instead, Getsu turned her blade toward Gorz. He sensed her approaching and quickly pulled out a Sword of Dark Destruction and blocked her sword and kicking her away. He then deflected Sako's attacks again and threw him over onto Getsu.

"Now I'll destroy you all at once."

"I don't think so..." Sako made a grab for his sniper rifle and fired. But instead of aiming at Gorz or Kaien, he shot the coupling that held the cars together. As Dekoichi pulled them forward, Gorz and Kaien found themselves losing speed. Black Luster Soldier vanished from battle as the car pulled further away.

"You shall not escape that easily!" Gorz jumped over to the train, but a blast of light hit him in the chest and crashed him onto the roof next to Kaien. Light and Darkness Dragon roared and then disappeared as the train disappeared around a corner and the lone car came to a stop.

"The hunt is not over," swore Gorz.

o o o

Shifting shadows in the night. A dark heart beat in the cosmos. The space between things seethed wIth anger and grew louder. The absence of things, the void itself, scream in inaudible whispers "I will live!" and faded into shivering disparity.

The Terrans of six lands felt not the touch of this growing absence. This un-thing that wrapped itself around everything. Heaving. Breathing. Scheming. War drums beat on to the final movement and all the warriors of duel Academy could feel is the echos of its influence. The mere shadow of its touch.

The cosmos opened up in response and under the infinite shade of a tree of worlds a congregation of beings stood watching with somber eyes.

"You think they will be ready, All-father?" spoke one figure with lightning crackling off its reddened beard.

"Not yet, but they will have to be soon," replied a one eyed man clutching tightly to a spear.

"What shall we do?" said the spider upon the tree.

"We gather. We prepare. Avalon will save them or nothing will stop them," said the one eyed being.

"Nothing is what we are afraid of," spoke a fallen angel and somewhere in the void the UnGod laughed a phantom laugh.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The Dark Scorpions are a notorious band of thieves. They've robbed many and not once have been caught. They're stealthy and dangerous. Can our heroes manage against them? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	180. Among Thieves

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic is a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-93**

**Among Thieves**

It may have been a temple once eons ago, but now it lay as nothing but decrepit ruins. And it was ruins like these where one would expect to find treasure. And where there was treasure, there would always be treasure hunters. However, the allure of riches brought in more than just hunters.

It also lured bandits.

A band of five was deep inside the ruins. They all wore the same uniform: red pants, dark boots, dark arm bands, and sleeveless leather tops with studs over their stomachs. One was a teenager with spiky blond hair held up with a red bandana. He had a large mallet strapped to his back. A big bald man with a large mace appeared to be standing guard. A man with long brown hair wearing glasses was near a wall checking for something with the knife he had. Watching him was a woman with dark brown hair with a thorn-covered whip at her hip. The fifth who was sitting by a lantern looking over a map was a man with grey hair and an eye patch cover his right eye armed with two revolvers and equipped with ammo belts over his shoulders; from his equipment and the way the others seemed to be treating him, one could surmise that he was the leader.

Apart from their uniforms, the five shared one more thing in common: they all had a black tattoo of a scorpion on their right arms.

"Are you finished yet, Cliff?" the woman asked.

"Just keep waiting, Menae," the man with the glasses replied, "These things take time."

"Ugh, I'm bored!" the teenager cried.

"Keep quiet or someone where hear us, Chick," the big man cautioned.

"We're thousands of miles from civilization. Who's gunna hear us in here, Gorg?" asked the one called Chick.

"All of you, please." The leader turned to the others. "Get back to work. We're on a tight schedule." He set down the map and pulled out a pocket-sized scrying orb from his pack. He held it in his hand and watched it until the image of Caius had appeared.

"Ah, Don Zaloog. You have a report?" the Dark Emperor asked.

"Yes, my Lord. We've breached the first two sanctums. Cliff is working on the next one right now," the man with the eye patch reported.

"Excellent. I knew selecting you for this task was the right decision."

"You certainly picked the best. Roll call!" Everybody dropped what they were doing instantly.

The big man crouched and put his hands, palms forward, beside his head. "Gorg the Strong!"

The teenager stood in front of him with his hands toward the ceiling. "Chick the Yellow!"

The man with the glasses and the woman stood on either side of the teen facing opposite directions - the man on his right and the woman on his left - with one arm cocked back and the other one positioned down as they too crouched. "Cliff the Trap Remover!"

"Menae the Thorn!"

The man with the eye patch took up front and center position crouching down low with his hands against the floor as he looked forward. "Don Zaloog! And together we're..."

"The Dark Scorpions!"

o o o

"Let's go." Getsu Fuhma opened the door to the train car and jumped.

"Remember, Noah. Tuck and roll when you land," Sammie said gently as she put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I'm scared," was Noah's response.

"We don't have much time," Sako muttered, "Bail out now."

"Bailing." Sammie grabbed Noah and held him close as she jumped out of the train car. Sako did the same with Mikomi and jumped. They rolled along the ground a few feet and then raised their heads to watch the train disappear into the distance.

"That hurt," was all Noah said.

"So tell me now why we jumped?" Sammie demanded.

Getsu pointed. "That's why." Up ahead the train was seen stopping and several spheres, Unknown Synchrons, had come and began scanning the vehicle and its contents. "If we stayed in the train, we'd have been caught for sure."

"So where are we?" asked Sako.

"You said you were looking for the UnGod's seals, correct?" Getsu asked back.

"That's right," answered Sammie.

"There are rumors that there's one located in some ruins not far from here."

"Let's check it out then. Lead the way."

Getsu nodded and proceeded onward with the others in tow.

o o o

Sitting like a festering stone wound in the open air of the eternal night the mighty ruins loomed. The group had traveled on foot several miles from the tracks, moving so far that the stiff black soil had slowly become cool grey sand that shifted under each step. Noah draped himself over Sako's back, who seemed to care little about the added weight. In fact he seemed to smile, having remembering basic training as he lugged the exhausted child through the desert. Mikomi likewise was holding onto Zetusbou's back, though the assassin was obviously doing his best to hide his own exhaustion from her. At the front of the group Sammie stood alongside Getsu.

"So, this is where you think the seal is supposed to be?" Sammie asked the spirit.

"There are rumors," Getsu responded.

"I wish I brought a fedora and a whip," Sammie said, snapping her fingers at a missed opportunity.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just don't call me Lara Croft or Indy until we are inside."

"I don't..."

"Understand? I bet you don't. Can we just head inside?"

"Indeed. Be careful, though, there are said to be many traps inside," Getsu warned the group before moving closer toward the monolithic ruin. The shadow cast in the moonlight seemed daunting, though nothing that could not be conquered with the illumination of a torch. Getsu lit a single flame and stepped lightly into the large structure.

As they proceeded deeper and deeper Noah leaped off of Sako's back and rushed to the far wall of the opening chamber, an LED light in hand. "Interesting," Noah said as he inspected a series of marking on the wall.

"What is it Noah? Can you read those markings?" Mikomi asked curiously.

"Well, I have done a lot of research in archaeology. I think I c-"

"No! Bullshit! Not happening," Sammie stated, crossing her arms in an 'X' to deny Noah's completion of the sentence. "I can buy you being smart as hell, but I refuse to believe that you can read a bunch of ancient markings on a random ass wall in another dimension without years of study. Not buying it. I refuse."

"But-" Noah started.

"NO! DENIED! I REJECT YOUR REALITY! Getsu, lead the way! We can't allow Noah to turn into a Mary Sue. Move, move, move!" Sammie said, shoving the duel spirit forward. Sako followed along behind while Getsu led the way. Mikomi looked back to Noah and patted him on the shoulder.

"I thought you could do it Noah," Mikomi said before rushing off to her brother's side.

"Yeah, I did too, " Noah said before turning off his LED light. He moved disheartedly up to the group and sighed, not mentioning the familiar symbol he had seen on the wall. Not mentioning the image of Judgment's mask.

o o o

The Dark Scorpions had made it into one of the innermost rooms of the ruins. Judging from the setting, it might have been the place of worship. There was a seat with a footstool presumably for the high priest with two smaller chairs on either side of it. An altar stood upon a dias. The band of thieves were currently occupied with the far wall where Cliff had found markings that indicated that there was a secret door there. He had been working hard checking for traps and had found many, which meant there was definitely something behind that door.

"Are you done yet?" Chick whined.

"These things take time," Cliff replied. There was a loud snap followed by a hiss of smoke. "There we go. Traps disabled."

"Excellent," said Don Zaloog, "Let's get this door open."

"On it bo-" Chick began as he reached into the wall to activate the door's mechanism but was cut off when the sound of people coming ever close was heard.

"-I'm just saying, Getsu, that I was expecting traps. It isn't hard. You said there would be some and I wanted to run from a giant fucking boulder. That too much to ask?" A female voice said from the entrance to the corridor.

"I honestly would've acid salts," a seasoned male voice added.

"I'd have said snakes," a young voice with an accent chimed in.

Don Zaloog turned to Gorg and Menae and gave them a hand signal. The two of them nodded and positioned themselves on either side of the doorway.

"Hey, have you guys seen Indiana Jones as many times as me? No? Then you don't get to make up the scene!" Sammie said as she came up upon the door, looking over the architecture. She raised her eyebrow and looked around. "Man! This place has been SUCH a dissapointment. Like, seriously. I wanted to have some friggin' fun. Noooooope. Not happening. No traps. No pissed off natives. No friggin' German/Russian cliches with a special guest appearance by a small Vietnamese boy and Shia LeBouf. Nothin'. Whole ruin has been a huge gyp."

"Oh I wouldn't say a _huge_ gyp." Don Zaloog gave another hand signal and Gorg brought his massive mace down over the doorway. In that same moment a rock was sent flying at the giant's face, striking him in the eye and sending him sprawling to the ground in pain.

"Don't fucking talk when you are planning an ambush. Hand signals only," said the Duel Sniper as he held another rock in his hand, shooting a piercing gaze at the thieves. "You really need to work on your hiding spots, by the way. I spotted you way too quickly."

"Well I suppose introductions should be in order." Don Zaloog took a few steps toward the group and stood with his hands out to his sides. "Welcome. I am Don Zaloog, leader of the Dark Scorpions."

"And I'm Carmen fucking Sandiego," Sammie replied.

"I like those games," Noah chimed in.

"Shut up right now Noah. Mommy and Daddy are talking."

"Well, Ms. Sandiego," Don Zaloog began, "I do not appreciate people interrupting my grand entrance."

"And I don't like people peeing in my Cheerios, so why do you keep doing that?"

"What?"

"Peeing in my Cheerios. You are peeing in my Cheerios. Ruining my day. One friggin' boulder. All I ask. One boulder. Nope. Nothing. Piss. In. My Cheerios."

"I...don't understand."

"Nobody ever does. Most of us usually ignore it," Getsu said.

"Abitchsayswhat?" Sammie said quickly.

"...What?" Getsu asked curiously.

"Exactly," Sammie said.

"So why ya here?" asked Chick, "You get lost from your tour bus or somethin'?"

"Well you see we were on our own merry way when the kid here needed to take a piss real bad," Sammie began to explain, "He never quite made it."

"Oi!"

"When we thought we could come inside out of the sun and thought why not have an adventure while we're here. But nope. Not even a single. Giant. Fucking. Boulder."

"You're never letting that go, are you?" asked Sako.

"Fucking hell no."

"Will you settle for brawling with bandits?"

"If I must," Sammie sighed.

"I do believe that can be arranged." Don Zaloog snapped his fingers and the Dark Scorpions assembled and took up their poses.

"Gorg the Strong!"

"Chick the Yellow!"

"Cliff the Trap Remover!"

"Menae the Thorn!"

"Don Zaloog! And together, we're..." The bandits were cut off by a gunshot that left a deep hole in the stone wall behind them.

"You gonna fight or dance a ballet?" asked Sako.

Don Zaloog drew his revolvers. "Let's dance." Before he or the Dark Scorpions could make another move, four shots rang out and Forg, Cliff, Chick, and Menae fell.

"That didn't take long," Getsu commented.

"You ever seen Raiders of the Lost Ark?" asked Sammie.

"What's that?" the samurai woman inquired.

As Don Zaloog took a moment to comprehend what had just happened, a Corridor of Darkness opened up and Caius stepped out. "Finish them, Don Zaloog," the Shadow Monarch commanded.

"But...my men..." Don Zaloog looked at his fallen comrades. They had all been taken out before they had even begun.

"I shall revive them with the Indoctrination of the Night." Caius held out his hand and in a burst of darkness a Soul Gate appeared. "Chaos Exultation!" The black device opened its mouth and streams of darkness poured out and covered the Dark Scorpions. Their bodies faded into shadows and were absorbed. Caius then pointed the Soul Gate at Don Zaloog and the darkness spilled onto his arm, forming a black Duel Disk shaped like a scorpion with the tail holding the deck and the claws forming the monster zones.

"Do not fail me." And with that, Caius opened a Corridor of Darkness and stepped back through it, closing it behind him. Don Zaloog turned to Sammie.

"Are you ready?"

"I am." Sammie activated her Duel Disk and stood ready. "Let's duel."

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 8000

**Don Zaloog:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I'll go first!" Don Zaloog drew his first card. "I begin by summoning Dark Scorpion - Cliff the Trap Remover." He played his move and summoned Cliff to the field (ATK/1200 DEF/1000). "I'll set two cards and end my turn." Two cards appeared at his feet as he concluded his turn.

"I draw." Sammie drew her card. "I'll start with Advanced Ritual Art. Now by sending two Archfiend Soldiers to the graveyard from my deck, I can Ritual Summon Reshef the Dark Being." A sacrificial altar appeared and the two Archfiend Soldiers were sacrified upon it, calling forth a mechanical behemoth with five cannons and two enormous arms powered by three energy cores (ATK/2500 DEF/1500). "Then I summon Senju of the Thousand Hands in attack mode." In a flash, her god of one thousand hands appeared (ATK/1400 DEF/1000). "And by his effect, I can bring one Ritual Monster from my deck to my hand Dark Master - Zorc." She revealed the card she had retrieved and placed it into her hand. "Now Senju, attack Dark Scorpion - Cliff the Trap Remover!"

"Not this time. I activate Rush Recklessly, boosting Cliff by seven hundred attack." Cliff the Trap Remover felt his strength grow as his attack points rose up to nineteen hundred. "Kill him."

"With pleasure, boss. Trap Knife!" Dark Scorpion - Cliff the Trap Remover stood ready as Senju came in and then thrust his knife into his chest as he approached.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 7500

**Don Zaloog:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"And now to activate Cliff's effect. I choose his second one where you mill yourself out by two," announced Don Zaloog. Sammie reluctantly sent the top two cards of her deck to the graveyard, but she was far from out.

"I still have Reshef the Dark Being. Attack!" On her orders, the giant mechanical Fiend powered up its cannons.

"And I activate Shrink!" Don Zaloog revealed his other facedown and at once Reshef the Dark Being shrank down to half its size, as well as its attack points to twelve-fifty. "Cliff, you've got another shot."

"This day just keeps getting better. Trap Knife!" Dark Scorpion - Cliff the Trap Remover drew his knife and climbed up Reshef the Dark Being and taking out its power cores. The massive creature groaned and crashed into the ground as the thief jumped off and landed safely.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 6850

**Don Zaloog:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Now send your top two cards to the graveyard," Cliff said as he licked his knife. Sammie did as per the effect and milled out her deck by two more cards.

"Anything else you want to try?" asked Don Zaloog.

"I'm setting a card," announced Sammie, "Go."

"My pleasure." Don Zaloog drew his card. "I play Reinforcement of the Army and with it I will retrieve myself."

"Yourself?"

"Yes." Don Zaloog revealed the card he had retrieved. It was as he said, it was Don Zaloog himself. "I now call myself to the field." He played his card and then stepped forward onto the front line (ATK/1400 DEF/1500).

"Welcome, boss."

"Thanks, Cliff. Now how about we summon the others here?"

"Sounds fun."

Don Zaloog took a card from his hand. "I play Mustering of the Dark Scorpions. With this I can summon as many Dark Scorpions as possible from my hand. Menae, Gorg, come on out!" In that instant, Menae the Thorn (ATK/1000 DEF/1800) and Gorg the Strong (ATK/1800 DEF/1500) appeared.

"Where's Chick?" asked Gorg.

"He's unable to join us at this time," answered Don Zaloog, "Don't worry. He'll be with us soon."

"I hope so. It doesn't feel the same without him," said Menae the Thorn.

"Let's have some fun while we wait for him then," Cliff the Trap Remover suggested.

"I couldn't agree more," Don Zaloog cackled, "Dark Scorpions, attack!"

"Trap Knife!" Cliff the Trap Remover dashed in and struck Sammie with his knife.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 5650

**Don Zaloog:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Thorn Whip!" Menae the Thorn lashed out with her thorn-studded whip and struck her boss' opponent hard.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 4650

**Don Zaloog:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Herculean Hammer!" Gorg lumbered over to Sammie and brought his mace down hard on her.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 2850

**Don Zaloog:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Double Revolver!" Don Zaloog drew his revolvers and fired a single shot from each.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 1450

**Don Zaloog:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Now send the top two cards of your deck to the graveyard!" demanded Cliff.

"Make it three," Gorg added.

"Actually, make it a total of five," Don Zaloog said grinning. Sammie cringed as she was forced to comply with her opponent's card effects and milled out the top five cards of her deck to the graveyard.

"Boss, should I go get Chick?" asked Menae.

"Do it," answered the Dark Scorpion leader. Menae grinned and lashed out with her whip at Don Zaloog's deck before pulling out Dark Scorpion - Chick the Yellow out and placing the card into his hand. "Thank you, Menae."

"Anytime, boss."

"Soon, our whole gang will be out here."

Sammie was just barely recovering from that last attack as she drew her card. "I play End of the World and I'll sack Ritual Raven to summon Demise, King of Armageddon!" A ritual altar appeared and a single raven was sacrificed before a black column of light shot up and from it emerged the enormous armored demon wielding his gargantuan battle axe (ATK/2400 DEF/2000).

"What are you trying to accomplish?" asked Don Zaloog, "You can't sacrifice any Life Points to use his effect."

"I don't need to," Sammie replied, "Demise, attack Dark Scorpion - Menae the Thorn!" Demise lumbered over to the Dark Scorpions' only female member and raised his axe. Then her brought it down like an executioner carrying out a prisoner's sentence.

"Avenge me!" were Menae's last words as the axe came down.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 1450

**Don Zaloog:** 6600

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Your move," declared Sammie.

"I draw." Don Zaloog drew his card. "I summon Dark Scorpion - Chick the Yellow." The young blond teenager quickly appeared on the field (ATK/1000 DEF/1000).

"Sorry, I'm late," he apologized, "I was... Hey, where's Menae? I know she got out before me"

"She died," Gorg said sadly.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? How?"

"That." Cliff pointed at Demise. Chick took one look at the King of Armageddon and paled. "Relax, the boss' got us covered. Doncha boss?"

"I do." Don Zaloog played another card. "Swords of Revealing Light!" Three shining swords came down on the field and formed a fence in front of Sammie's monsters.

"Yahoo! You're the best, boss!" Chick cheered.

"What can he say? He's the boss," Cliff replied.

"It's your move," Don Zaloog said.

Sammie drew her card. With Swords of Revealing Light on the field, her monsters were immobilized. However, she could try to reinforce her Life Points so she could make use of Demise's effect and deal a lot of damage. Unfortunately, she lacked the means to do so. For now she could just end her turn and then one of the swords vanished.

Don Zaloog drew his card. "I activate Monster Reborn and I shall resurrect Menae the Thorn!" In a flash of light, Dark Scorpion - Menae the Thorn rose up from the ground.

"Menae, you're back!" Chick yelled excitedly.

"Welcome back, Menae!" Gorg said happily.

"Good to have ya back," Cliff greeted. Don Zaloog only smiled.

"Last thing I remember was this big axe coming down on my head," Menae said.

"That would've been him." Cliff pointed at Demise.

"Let's kill him," she muttered.

"All in due time," said Don Zaloog as he turned to Sammie, "Your move."

"I draw." Sammie drew her card. Still nothing she could use. She ended her turn and the second sword vanished.

Now Don Zaloog drew. "It's time to reap our spoils, men. Behold the Cup of Ace!" The image of the card appeared before him and began to rotate. "You must determine when it stops. Should the card be right-side up, I can draw two cards. But if it's upside down, then you draw two."

"Then in that case, stop!" Sammie's words were heard and the card slowed down. When it stopped, it was upright.

"Excellent!" Don Zaloog drew two cards from his deck. "Oh, would you look at that? Another Cup of Ace." He played it immediately and Sammie caused it to stop upright again, allowing Don Zaloog to draw two more cards.

"Don't feel bad," he said, "Here, let me offer you a gift. It's called Upstart Goblin. I get to draw another card and you gain one thousand Life Points."

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 2450

**Don Zaloog:** 6600

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Boss, isn't that a little counterproductive?" asked Cliff.

"A little bit, but what does it matter at this point?" answered Don Zaloog.

"Yeah. Heh heh." Chick was snickering. "We got this in the bag!"

"I'll set two cards." Two cards appeared at Don Zaloog's feet. "It's your turn."

"I draw!" Sammie drew her card. "Now I'll destroy everything with Demise's effect."

"I don't think so. Here's another one of the treasures we've stolen over the years, Forbidden Chalice. Your creature will gain power, but will lose its effect as a result." The color drained from Demise, but in turn his attack points rose up by four hundred to twenty-eight hundred.

"Then I guess I'm done," announced Sammie. At that moment, the third sword disappeared and Demise was free to attack once again.

"Perhaps, but now we attack." Don Zaloog drew his card and flipped his other facedown over. "Dark Scorpion Combination! When all five of us are on the field, we can rush in and attack you for four hundred damage each."

"Oh you motherf-"

"Dark Scorpions, attack!" shouted Don Zaloog.

"Trap Knight!"

"Herculean Hammer!"

"Thorn Whip!"

"Vigorous Mallet!"

Don Zaloog pulled out his guns and grinned. "Double Revolver." He squeezed the triggers and fired two shots.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 450

**Don Zaloog:** 6600

–––––––––––––––––––––

"And now our effects kick in," announced Don Zaloog.

"Back to the deck you go!" Gorg the Strong grabbed Demise, King of Armageddon and threw him on top of Sammie's deck.

"Say goodbye to your trap." Cliff the Trap Remover stabbed Sammie's facedown with his knife and destroyed it.

"Lemme have a look at that." Chick the Yellow had a look at the top card of Sammie's deck, which was the Demise that Gorg had sent back earlier. "To the bottom of the deck you go!"

"Discard one of those cards." Don Zaloog targetted one of the cards in Sammie's hand and shot it out into her graveyard.

"Boss, I got it." Menae reeled in a copy of Dark Scorpion Combination out of Don Zaloog's deck with her whip.

"Wonderful work, Menae." Don Zaloog set two cards. "Your turn."

Sammie drew her card. She had only four cards in her hand. If she didn't have what she needed to pull this off, it was over. Fortunately, the constant milling she had to endure had helped her out for this moment. "I banish Archfiend Soldier and Senju of the Thousand Hands from my graveyard to summon Chaos Sorcerer." A pale blue-skinned man in dark robes appeared (ATK/2300 DEF/2000). "Now I banish Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and The Masked Beast to summon Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!" There were two spirals of light and darkness rising up and they came together to call forth the black knight of her deck (ATK/3000 DEF/2500).

"I am at your command, Milady!"

"And lastly, Monster Reborn. Come back, Reshef the Dark Being!" The massive mechanical demon rose up from the ground with its cannons primed and ready for fire. "Reshef, attack Chick the Yellow!" Cannons roared as several rounds of shells came down upon Dark Scorpion - Chick the Yellow.

"I regret nothing!"

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 450

**Don Zaloog:** 5100

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Chaos Sorcerer, destroy Dark Scorpion - Menae the Thorn!" Chaos Sorcerer conjured up two balls of light and darkness into his hand and cast them at his target, swallowing her up in a mix of both elements.

"Avenge me!"

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 450

**Don Zaloog:** 3800

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Black Luster Soldier, attack Dark Scorpion - Cliff the Trap Remover!"

"As you command, Milady!" Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning dashed across the field and ran his sword through Cliff the Trap Remover.

"This could have been so easily avoided!"

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 450

**Don Zaloog:** 2000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Black Luster Soldier, attack again. Target Gorg the Strong," ordered Sammie. Her monster needed no further orders. He spun his sword in his hand once and then passed his blade through the largest of the Dark Scorpion crew.

"I'm sorry, boss."

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 450

**Don Zaloog:** 800

–––––––––––––––––––––

"You're all alone now," said Sammie as she looked at Don Zaloog.

"No, this can't be. My men can't be dead!"

"It's over for you, Don Zaloog."

"It's never over!" Don Zaloog drew a card as a black aura surrounded his body. "I arm myself with the Axe of Despair!" He holstered his guns as the demonic axe appeared in his hands, raising his attack power to twenty-five hundred. "Now die!" He leapt into the air and brought the weapon down on Chaos Sorcerer.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 250

**Don Zaloog:** 800

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Now discard!" He pulled out one of his revolvers and fired, shooting Dark Master - Zorc out of Sammie's hand. "It's your turn. Let's see what you can do."

"Bloody hell. He's gone mad!" exclaimed Noah.

Sammie drew her card. "It's over, Don Zaloog. This time for good. I use Reshef's effect. By discarding one Spell Card from my hand, I can take control of one monster on my opponent's side of the field. And my target is you." She discarded Fulfillment of the Contract and Reshef the Dark Being reached out and launched its arms, grabbing Don Zaloog in both hand and pulling him back over to her side.

"No! I can't lose! I won't lose!"

"It's over, Don Zaloog," said Sammie, "The Dark Scorpions are finished." Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning raised his sword. Then with one swift stroke, the bandit fell silent.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 250

**Don Zaloog:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––

Sammie's monsters vanished and Don Zaloog's body fell to the ground as his head rolled down the corridor.

"Now then, what next? They were examining this wall earlier." Sako walked up to the wall and knocked on it while Sammie shined a light on it. "Getsu, can you understand this writing?"

"A little bit," answered the samurai woman, "What I can understand it says, 'To enter beyond the sanctum of worship, you must sit down and not stand up'."

"That's a terrible rhyme for a riddle," Noah commented.

"What about this one here?" asked Sako. Getsu came over and Sammie followed with the lantern. The sniper had brushed away a later of dust and cobwebs to reveal an image of a priest before a sphinx.

"This one says, 'To solve the riddle of the sphinx, you must have someone who sits and thinks'," read Getsu.

"Couldn't they have just given us 'The beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, the beginning of every end, and the end of every place'?" was the only comment that was made and it had been Noah who had said it. He sat down on the high priest's chair, feet upon the footrest, and rested his chin on his hands and his elbows on his knees.

"So what now? Is it a dead end?" asked Sammie.

"No. The Dark Scorpions wouldn't have gone to so much trouble if there was nothing here," Sako answered.

"They were obviously here for something," Getsu added.

"But even they couldn't figure this one out," said Noah. He sighed and bumped his chin against his hands. In that instant, he felt the footrest move and he looked down to see a switch beneath it.

"'Sit down and not stand up...'. 'Someone who sits and thinks...'." Getsu finally realized it. "I see now." The hidden door slid open and Sammie immediately shined the lantern inside. They proceeded through slowly. What they found was a small dark room filled with all sorts of idols and items of worship made of gold.

"This must be the temple treasury," Getsu guessed.

"But is the seal here?" asked Sako.

Noah, being the smallest, took the initiative to squeeze in as far as he could. But no sign of a broken black crystal could be found. He returned to the group and shook his head. "So it was all for nothing," Sammie sighed disappointedly. Noah nodded with equal disappointment.

Mikomi, who had been silent most of the journey, cleared her throat, "It was never here to begin with. Reka and the others never destroyed any sort of seal within a temple like this."

Sammie turned to look at her. "Why didn't you bring this up earlier before we came inside?"

Mikomi patted Zetsubou's knife on the belt keeping her battered and stained Ra Yellow uniform together, "I could sense Zaloog in here. They served Caius. Killing them takes them out of the picture when we take this land back," She turned to look at Don Zaloog's severed head, and she smirked as she calmly walked down the corridor towards it, "It's pleasant to know he and his bandits won't trouble anyone ever again."

Getsu nodded. "One less group in the service of the Dark Emperor."

"True." Despite this, Sammie felt a little uneasy. It wasn't because of the fact that Don Zaloog and the Dark Scorpions were dead. It was something else, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"I feel something else...in the wastelands. It's like...something hard to define though Sammie," Mikomi lifted up Don Zaloog's head, staring into his shocked and surprised eyes, almost seeming to admire the instant cauterization of the neck left from Black Luster Solder's blade.

"Can you tell us anything about it?" Sammie inquired. If Mikomi had an idea of what was out there, it would be best for them to know as much about it as possible.

"No...I think it opened up after the prairie died around here...I think it could also be Endymion itself...but... It's calling me, it's almost like a pull. Like my shadow wants to go to it," placing the severed head of Zaloog back almost reverently on the ground, she looked up at Sammie with a dead gaze, "It could be a seal. We should go there immediately, without a second to spare."

"Then let's get moving," said Sako. Before they left, he approached Don Zaloog and lifted the guns and ammunition off his headless body. After that, the group left the remains of a once illustrious place of worship. The temple ruins held nothing that could help them stop the UnGod. But now it served one more purpose.

As the final resting place of the Dark Scorpions.

o o o

Zetusbou felt as if his body was on fire, pain wracked his form as he felt the strength to move. He felt numb...like everything lacked feeling. He felt cold, and rising to one knee he blearily looked ahead towards a wide expanse of scorched earth and fog. Karheim's once thriving countryside, reduced to ashen badlands, by actions he felt come into motion. He clutched his chest, and felt the wracking pain overwhelm him once again as he laid on his side. Despair's haunting voice, deep and rumbling rang in his mind.

_I have taken you away from the agony of the Sanguine Manor...I can do no further..._

"What do you mean...," he coughed up a black and greenish fluid. It looked familiar and smelled strongly of bile. The taste was numbing to him. He couldn't feel the connection to the Steelswarms anymore, try as he might.

_I have taken you to your sanctuary, where you may wander in exile. This is the only mercy I can give Yukia..._

"What...?," he looked at his arm, ashen, tattered skin. Exposed bone, "...What in the world..."

_You have joined the dead. Without the Steelswarms to guard it, the infection Pestilence placed within you so long ago has taken hold._

Zetsubou clambered to his feet, looking at the battered, ruined clothing he wore. Once well maintained gear now laid tattered and dilapidated. His knives nothing but corroded lengths of rusted metal. The sky started to turn black, then slowly started to rain upon him,"...This is not happening..."

_Rest in peace Yukia..._

Through glowing yellow eyes Zetsubou whirled around him to gaze only at nothing, then screamed in rage, "Despair!"

Silence...

"Despair!"

Still nothing...

So Zetsubou wandered, holding his knives. He had failed. Pestilence's disease made him like the shambling masses at the Sanguine Manor. The Steelswarms were the only thing keep him human. Whole. Mikomi was augmented, and now she may kill her friends for the being he once server. His creatures grew silent, and reaching into his pocket where his deck should be, all he pulled out was dust. His weapons were useless...with each step he felt his bones actually rattle. He tried to focus on his thoughts...

Mikomi...back when she was happy...

His parents...when he was younger, filled with a dream for a brighter tomorrow...

Reko...a man who actually wanted to be a friend of his...

Michael...a man who tried to show him the error of his ways...

He felt incredibly foolish, but he had no other option. He was holding his sister in a virulent cesspool, making a pact with the UnGod was the only way he could save her life from the infection on the island. An infection Pestilence augmented and now fully overtook him.

"Hey there bag o' bones," a man stood suddenly in the gloom, with wild locks of lavender. Wearing white and black clothing that was baggy and stylish. Holding a bow of blackened metal and a menacing quiver to boot. He gave a sharp whistle, "Maaaaan o' man o' man. Pestilence finally got to you huh...? I didn't think that was gonna happen."

"...Reko?", Zetsubou blinked, or at least...he thought he blinked. Reko laughed and gave his trademark grin, slapping Zetsubou on the shoulder, then wiping the grime off his hand, "Yep. It's me. How's undeath?"

"...Really Reko."

Reko shrugged, walking along in the rain, "Well, I imagine it's fairly shitty. I mean if I couldn't get it on and drink a bit here and there. Really exult life, you know? I don't know what I'd do to be honest Zetsu."

"I can see why that'd be detrimental to you Reko," he tired not to chuckle at his antics, but the son of The Duelist continued, "So you're wandering...?"

"Of course. What else can I do. I have to find Mikomi."

"Whoa whoa whoaaaaaa there! You serious? You know you're kind of...oh I don't know...a ZOMBIE!?" Reko glared at him ,"Really. They'll cut you down too. You're a fucking assassin! Think like one!"

Zetsubou stopped in his footsteps, looking back towards Reko, "After ALL I've weathered, including this condition you STILL want to torture me. Yes I am not champion that you are. I am not a paragon like your father. I am not a Hero like Michael. I am not a Leader like Saito. I am an Assassin, I fight unfairly and I chop the head off to watch the body die. I sow chaos and disarray. I am the reason the UnGod should fear the night. I am not a hero, but I will defend at least my sister's sanity from an eternity of corruption from that damned UnGod, zombie or no."

He then pushed aside Reko, looking ahead. Still unsure of a direction as Reko stopped himself from falling over into the muck, "C'mon Yukia. Do you really think that's going to work? Big speech, but we know you won't live up to it. You plan on taking out Kel'aral by yourself? Caius too?"

Zetsubou 's eyes shifted over to Reko, "What was that...?"

Reko shrugged, chuckling, "I said, Derpy, that you plan on taking out Caius alone?"

He shook his head, "No. No you said something else. Kel'aral. He's here...with Kage. They are all here aren't they?"

Reko was silent, "You tell me Yukia," the sudden words were serious. Unlike Reko at all.

"You don't know that name. You don't actually know that name, Reko. Who are you? Stop toying with me. Who are yo-", Zetsubou was filled wtih a real feeling of fear for an instant as Reko's eyes glowed like hot embers.

"Do you really want to know...Yukia Tejinashi. Oh...how I enjoy that name," the clothes smoldered around the edges, as black cracks appeared in Reko's skin. He could get the faintest scent of brimstone and sulfur around him the the hair turned black, with a solid shock of white ripping through it like a lightning bolt, "...I know you very well."

"...What are you."

"...I am Oblivion."

Zetsubou stood stunned, as the being in Reko's form floated slightly, chuckling, "Oh yes...I do believe we know each other."

"Why are you here...no riddles. Identify yourself."

"A shambling corpse is Yukia. Still he is brave yet a bit unskilled in diplomacy. No wonder your skillset is murder. Though, as Odin and the other various Terran Deities are going about things...I suppose I'll introduce myself formally. Just call me the Devil."

"...Truly..."

The Devil flashed a sly grin, "I must say I love the shit out of this body. So lithe... Maybe I should tempt him."

"Don't you dare..."

"Oh please Yukia. What could you do. I command Hell? I had legions at my command. Sides, we need you fucking Humans, much as it pains me."

Zetsubou pondered that thought, "Wait...you mean."

"You know Terra is destroyed right? All the Humans of the Third Kingdom...demolished. Actually all Kingdoms, in all regard in the dimension Terra dwelled within are destroyed. Feeding this...UnGod. The very thought of him could make me devastate this miserable rock."

"Why haven't you..."

The Devil rose a hand to a now pointed ear, "Repeat that?"

Zetsubou sighed, "Why haven't you."

"Ding ding ding! Number one question. It's because we're tethered. This world makes us weaker in a regard Yukia...we still took action. Vengeance, Honor. I myself wanted more souls. A hint? Ardenian souls are worthless unless it's to Ardenians," he laughed, snapping his fingers as a flask appeared in his hand, "Sooo...as you must think. Why haven't we just gone in and solved this.'

"I am curious..."

"Well, I'll be glad to tell you. Ever wonder why you and the rest of the Superfriends are going around...and I don't know. Not getting turned into atoms or instant slaves by the UnGod himself? In his own world? Why there are lords in the first place?"

Zetsubou never thought of it like that. The UnGod was released by Reka and her friends to full power by a ruse from the Endymion High Council. They were gathering Crusaders and using the power that brought him forth in Rose Cards. A ritual would bring him back and then they would destroy him. It was a simple thing to explain, but the Devil did bring up a good point. He continued, not waiting for Zetsubou at all, "Because Zombie Boy, we're holding him back. At the focal point where all the places of power in Ardent intersect. Because he needed a way to fight a bunch of angry gods and handle you bastards the same time, his nuts were in a vice. Either leave the tower, kill you but we destroyed he power source, or separate his power into 'Lords' and have them handle you while he kept the siege of his tower from getting any worse. We're trading on and off fighting the good fight, all of us. For the bet that your fuckers will do what you need to do and kill him. Even then, do you know what will happen if you kill this thing. Something that draws power from everything that ever was and been?"

"What happens."

The Devil took a long pull from his flask, "I'll tell you...killing something on this scale is even now beyond our ken. Sealing his power with better seals with those cards is a good move, it'll make it so he can't grow any stronger. Though when he dies...the balance has to be reset."

"What do you mean by that. Balance."

The Devil grinned, which greatly upset Zetsubou, especially since he looked just like a demonic version of his friend Reko, "I'll tell you... Only because I like you. You'll going to reboot existence. The fabric will fray and stitch itself back together, and we'll have Terra again. History will proceed as normal, without any existence of an UnGod. Also, events will change. You may even face being cut from existence yourself."

"Really?"

The Devil laughed, "How the fuck should I know? That's all you asshole. I have to go back and unfortunately drag more the UnGod's grunts into an eternity of torment. However, you are dead...and...I can contact Terran undead, so here I am. This is your only chat time though. A tip before I go," swirling fire surrounded the Devil as he lowered into the earth, "Undead are greatly attuned to the world of the dead and those in the precipice. You have a guide if you focus on it. I'll see you soon Yukia..."

The Devil's haunting laughter ending the entire conversation sickened Zetsubou, but he pulled himself together. What was he thinking, he just had an entire conversation with the Devil itself, he was unnerved. He felt it foolish to follow advice from it, but he closed his eyes and thought hard...it was true. He barely heard a voice calling his name. His actual name...with a familiar accent to it. Yukia, it called. He answered the same.

"...Mika?"

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

On their way to Endymion, the team encounters another of the Dark Emperor's forces. Reluctant to fight on the side of evil, a clan of winged warriors must choose whether to fight on behalf of the UnGod or risk their survival and fight in the name of good. Their decision will be revealed next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	181. The Shining Darkness

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic is a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-94**

**The Shining Darkness**

The throne room was as dark as it had always been. Caius sat upon his throne while Jinzo stood in his usual place beside him. Kage stood in the shadows as he always did while Judgement remained silent. "The Terrans have defeated the vampires and escaped the Bone Circle," the Shadow Monarch growled, "They've eluded Gorz and destroyed the Dark Scorpions. And they continue to encroach upon my palace."

"Maybe I can help," Kage offered.

"What is it that you have to offer?" asked Caius. Despite the dark man being just another Terran, the Dark Emperor felt an aura unlike any he had felt emanating from this man. He was clearly much closer to the UnGod than himself, so he never questioned him.

"I have two men on standby who would serve formidably in battle," Kage continued, "It will not take long to retrieve them."

"So be it." Caius nodded and Kage disappeared into the shadows. "Now what about in the meantime?"

"My Lord, perhaps we can send someone after them to delay them," Jinzo suggested.

Caius grinned behind his mask. "I have just the one." A few moments later, the guards brought into the throne room Blackwing - Silverwind the Ascendant. They brought him before the dias and kicked him down onto his knees. "Lord Caius, please believe me that I would never betray you."

"And why not?" the Dark Emperor inquired, "You have a motive. In fact, for your punishment I could have your entire clan slaughtered right now."

"No! Please don't!" Silverwind begged, causing the Shadow Monarch to laugh, "I will do anything to prove that I am no traitor."

"Anything at all?" Caius asked.

"Anything."

"Then go destroy the Terrans who traverse through my land right now," ordered the ruler of Karheim.

"It will be done!" A rain of black feathers fell around Silverwind the Ascendant and he disappeared.

"You don't truly expect him to succeed, do you?" asked Jinzo.

"Of course not. But if he does, then he's more useful than we thought. If he fails, however, it's no loss for us."

o o o

Camping out in the open was not ideal, but in the barren wasteland that was Karheim it was difficult to find shelter. Getsu was to have the second watch shift that night, but before she could lie herself down to sleep she decided to approach Sako first. She laid her map out and explained things to him.

"Endymion is just a day's journey from our current location," she said as she marked their place and then pointed to the image of a large tower. "I recommend we stop a short distance from the city and establish camp. Entering tomorrow will leave us exhausted against enemy attacks. Our best option is to rest up before entering the city. Endymion is a city filled with powerful, and dangerous, wizards."

"What is so special about this Endymion place anyway, Getsu?" Sammie asked, stoking the fire with a stick and kicking up embers.

"What is special about Endymion? How could someone ask such a thing?"

"I'm sorry, but I just figured I would ask. All I have to go off is word of mouth and a picture on a trading card. It would be kind of ignorant of me to go in and not know more than that, wouldn't you say?"

"That is...surprisingly wise of you, Samantha."

"Hey, Confucius said that one should 'acquire new knowledge whilst thinking over the old and you may become a teacher of others.' I mean, why bother going out on an adventure in a magical realm if you don't bother to read the lore. That is like someone who plays WoW and doesn't read the mission lore."

"This Confucius sounds wise but...what?"

"Just tell us about this city."

Getsu nodded and scooped up a handful of sand. She balled her fist tight with a pulsating darkness that she released slowly into the flame. The fire erupted into a thooming blaze, each flickering flame twisting and curving into a sprawling architecture. A geometric structure of Victorian-esque structures, pluming like a flower of steel and mortar towards a spire that glowed not with light but with a luminescent darkness. A black sun that gave off an unlight atop the brilliant spire.

"This is a city where men and women spoke with long lost words, flicking off their tongue like honey dripping off a silver spoon. Words of power that could wage war simply by reading from a dictionary. Impossibilities are made realities, simply through the merit of believing what shouldn't is what can and will be. A place of pure and unparalleled...awe."

"Just awe? Not horror? Not glory? Just awe?" Sammie questioned, curious at Getsu's choice of words while looking at the flickering flames as they danced and gave life to the city of Endymion.

"Do you need more than that? More than awe? In a city that is equal parts good, evil, and all the in-betweens you ask for more than the feeling of trembling breathlessness before the sprawling form of magic made concrete? Of the city that lives and breathes with the very essence of reality, beating with the heartbeat of a God's omniscient touch? The grand seed of eternity grew to form this city. You Terrans do have such a small grasp on things."

"Small grasp? Don't make me kick your- Wait...Seed? Like...The World Tree?"

"Yes?"

"I have seen it in my dreams lately. I have..." Sammie paused in thought and she clenched her fists. The dreams. What did they mean?

As Sako leaned back and took another drag from his cigarette, he noticed some black shapes descending on them from the dark sky. It didn't take long for him to register that they were actually living beings and was the first to react. Several bird-like creatures with black wings descended on the camp screeching and cawing, waking up all the sleeping members of the party. The last to descend was the one they had seen in Caius' court, Blackwing - Silverwind the Ascendant.

"By order of the Dark Emperor, retreat from this land immediately!"

"Who the fuck are you to tell us what to do?" demanded Sammie.

"Leave or we shall be forced to take you out ourselves." Silverwind drew his sword and gripped the hilt tightly in one hand and the scabbard in the other.

"Sorry, but we can't leave. We must stop the UnGod at all costs." Getsu drew her own sword. "Now step out of our way."

"You shall not pass! Clansmen, do not allow them through!"

"And that's our cue." Noah quickly ducked out of the way and summoned Dimensional Alchemist to fend off attackers. Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning needed no summons to come out and protect his mistress as a tall birdman tried to attack Sammie.

Sako only had two clips left for his Barret plus what he had stolen off of Don Zaloog. He kept one of the revolvers on hand, but opted to fighting with his knife instead. A big hunched birdman swiped at him and he ducked under it and thrust his blade into it, causing it to caw in pain. He kicked out its legs and sent it flying. He jumped back up and proceeded blocking attacks from a blue birdman.

Getsu's blade locked with a large drill-like lance belonging to another winged creature. She pushed hard against it so she could get close and punched the creature in the face, causing it to reel back. She was about to continue her attack when two more birdmen grabbed her from behind. She quickly crouched down and slammed her elbows into their stomachs before grabbing large handfuls of feathers on their heads and then flipping them over her shoulders. She slammed the pommel of her sword into one's face and her sheath into that of the other.

Black Luster Soldier clashed blades with Sliverwind the Ascendant and the two fought ferociously. The former seemed to be gaining an upper hand when an armored bird man came flying at him with his fist ready. Black Luster Soldier raised his shield to block and the punch connected. The armored bird man then flew away and the knight readied himself for another attack, not realizing that that last attack had wedged a black arrowhead into his shield. It wasn't until Silverwind went in for his next attack that the small black edge shattered his shield and his sword, leaving Black Luster Soldier exposed.

"One last time. Leave or we will be forced to destroy you."

"We won't give up," said Sammie.

"So be it." Silverwind raised his sword and prepared to deliver the final blow when suddenly he was bombarded by countless black saw blades. Sammie turned to face the direction from which they had come and saw Noah with Dark Armed Dragon looming over him. With the help of the distraction, Sammie delivered a powerful kick that knocked the bird man down to the ground. Black Luster Soldier took that opportunity to grab one of the blades that had embedded itself into the ground and restrained Silverwind, holding the blade against his neck.

"Now, vile fiend. I shall slay thee."

Silverwind made no attempt to resist. However, just as Black Luster Soldier was about to deliver the final blow, a Corridor of Darkness appeared and Caius stepped out with his Soul Gate in hand. "Chaos Exultation!" The black device's mouth opened and streams of darkness poured out of its eye and absorbed the other bird men.

"Silverwind the Ascendant, leader of the Blacking clan. Rise and destroy these interlopers." A blast of black energy threw Black Luster Soldier back and Silverwind was raised to his feet as a black bird-themed Duel Disk appeared on his arm loaded with a full deck. Sammie was about to make a grab for her own Duel Disk, but was stopped when she felt a hand grab her shoulder firmly. She looked up to see Sako.

"I'll take care of this one." He had his sniper rifle now and as he positioned it in front of him, the sides lit up with his built-in Duel Disk and the barrel opened to reveal his deck.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 8000

**Silverwind:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

"Here we go!" cawed Silverwind as he drew his card. "I start with Black Whirlwind. When I Normal Summon a Blackwing, I can add another Blackwing from my deck to my hand that has fewer attack points than the one that I just summoned. And as it turns out, I have one with quite a high attack power. I summon Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame!" A rain of black feathers came down on the field and deposited Silverwind`s blue soldier of the sky (ATK/1800 DEF/1200). "And with Black Whirlwind's effect, I shall bring Blackwing - Breeze the Zephyr to my hand. And incidentally, his effect allows him to be Special Summoned if he's brought to my hand by the effect of a Spell, Trap, or Monster." After receiving his card from his deck, Silverwind placed it on his Duel Disk and summoned an orange bird with glorious golden wings (ATK/1100 DEF/300). "And since I control other Blackwings, I can Special Summon these men. First, Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind." A bird covered in green and blue feathers appeared in a rain of black feathers (ATK/1300 DEF/400). "And now Blackwing - Bora the Spear." A rain of black feathers deposited a birdman with black wings wielding a large drill-shaped lance (ATK/1700 DEF/800).

"And now I place two cards facedown. Your turn," declared Silverwind.

"I draw." Sako drew his card. In just the first turn, his opponent had summoned four monsters at once. He looked at his hand and an idea came to his head. With this he could potentially destroy all of his opponent's monsters at once. "I play Power Bond and I'll use it to fuse Barrel Dragon with Blowback Dragon to summon Gatling Dragon!" He sent his two cards to the graveyard and summoned out his enormous two-wheeled machine with three heads equipped with machine gun turrets (ATK/2600 DEF/1200). "And thanks to Power Bond's effect, its attack points are doubled." Gatling Dragon roared as its attack points suddenly rose up to fifty-two hundred.

"And now for his effect." Sako reached into his pocket and took out his coin. "For every Heads out of three tosses that I get, Gatling Dragon can destroy one monster on the field." He flipped his coin and it landed on Heads. He flipped it again and it landed on Heads again. He took his coin and tossed it one more time. It seemed to hang in the air for what seemed like an eternity until it finally came to rest.

"Your Gatling Dragon is strong, but only if it lives." Silverwind revealed one of his set cards. "Behold, Icarus Attack! I sacrifice Blackwing - Breeze the Zephyr to destroy Gatling Dragon and my facedown." Blackwing - Breeze the Zephyr flew high into the air and then dive bombed the field, destroying Gatling Dragon and Silverwind's facedown. "My facedown was Statue of the Wicked. Upon its destruction, I obtain a Wicked Token." And in that moment, a wicked looking demon statue appeared as a level four Dark Fiend with one thousand attack and defense points. "Do you intend to do anything else?"

"Yes. I summon Twin-Barrel Dragon." Sako played his card and summoned a dinosaur-like robot with a Derringer for a head (ATK/1700 DEF/200). "If my coin lands on two Heads, Twin-Barrel Dragon can destroy one card on the field." His first flip yielded Tails, which prompted the Duel Sniper not to bother with the second coin toss. With his monster's effect failed, he turned his attention to the Battle Phase. "Twin-Barrel Dragon, attack Gale the Whirlwind." Twin-Barrel Dragon took aim and fired two bullets from its head and destroyed the small bird.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 8000

**Silverwind:** 7600

–––––––––––––––––––

"That will be all for me," announced Sako.

"I draw." Silverwind the Ascendant drew his card. "I summon Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North." Another flurry of feathers deposited an ice-blue bird (ATK/1300 DEF/0). "And when he's summoned, I can resurrect one level four or lower Blackwing from my grave in defense position and I choose Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind." An iceberg rose up beside Blizzard the Far North and it shattered to reveal Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind. "Don't forget Black Whirlwind's effect and with it I bring to my hand Blackwing - Elphin the Raven."

"Now first I will tune Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North with my Wicked Token." Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North flapped its wings until it faded away, leaving behind two stars that transformed into synchro rings and surrounded the Wicked Token. The statue vanished, leaving four stars in its wake as light engulfed them. "Pitch-dark power, lodge in its great wings and stir up the divine winds! Synchro Summon! Gust fiercely, Blackwing Armed Wing!" The light vanished in a flurry of black feathers and revealed a black-winged birdman in dark clothing with a head full of orange feathers holding a large pump action rifle equipped with a bayonet (ATK/2300 DEF/1000).

"Now before I do anything else, I invoke the power of Blackwing - Gale the Whirldwind to halve the attack and defense power of your monster." Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind flapped its wings and stuck a feather into Twin-Barrel Dragon, dropping its attack down to eight hundred and fifty and its defense points to one hundred. "Now I tune Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind with Blackwing - Bora the Spear." The same graphics happened with the two other monsters and a light engulfed them all. "Darkened gales, become the wings which will soar to heavens! Synchro Summon! Blackwing Armor Master!" The light dispersed in another flurry of black feathers and revealed a bird man in pitch-black armor (ATK/2500 DEF/1500).

"Blackwing Armed Wing, attack Twin-Barrel Dragon!" Blackwing Armed Wing spread out his wings and flew across the field. He readied his weapon and as soon as he was within range, he slashed the gun dragon with his bayonet.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 6550

**Silverwind:** 7600

–––––––––––––––––––

"Now Blackwing Armor Master, attack directly!" On Silverwind's command, Blackwing Armor Master took to the skies and then dive bombed Sako with a powerful punch.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 4050

**Silverwind:** 7600

–––––––––––––––––––

"That will be all this turn," announced Silverwind the Ascendant.

Sako drew his card. As luck would have it, the card he received was just what he needed. "I activate Star Blast. By choosing one monster in my hand, by paying Life Points I can lower its level by one for every five hundred I give up until the End Phase. I choose Blowback Dragon, a level six monster. So now I pay one thousand Life Points to drop its level by two."

–––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 3050

**Silverwind:** 7600

–––––––––––––––––––

"Now I summon Blowback Dragon." In a burst of light, a bipedal mechanical dragon with a red glock pistol emerged and roared (ATK/2300 DEF/1200). "Now for its effect. If I flip a coin three times, I can destroy one card on your side of the field of two or more of those coin flips result in Heads." Sako took out his coin and flipped it thrice. It landed once on Heads, once on Tails, and then one more on Heads. With the effect resulted, Blowback Dragon cocked its hammer and fired, destroying Blackwing Armor Master. "Now Blowback Dragon, attack Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame!" Once more, Blowback Dragon cocked its hammer and then fired. Its bullet shot across the field and struck Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame, causing it to erupt into an explosion of feathers and flesh.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 3050

**Silverwind:** 7100

–––––––––––––––––––

"I set a card and end my turn," announced Sako.

Silverwind drew his next card. "Because I am in control of a Blackwing monster, I can Normal Summon Blackwing - Elphin the Raven without a tribute." A large hunched birdman covered completely in black feathers appeared and cawed (ATK/2200 DEF/1200). "When he's Normal Summoned, his effect allows me to change the battle position of one monster my opponent controls. So now I'll have him switch Blowback Dragon into defense position." Blackwing - Elphin the Raven cawed as he flew across the field and grabbed Blowback Dragon in his talons. After fighting some resistance, he was able to knock it down to its knees.

"And now of course, Black Whirlwind activates in response to Elphin's summoning, allowing me to bring to my hand Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow." He received the card from his Duel Disk and continued with his turn. "Now Blackwing Armed Wing will attack Blowback Dragon. First, when he attacks a defense position monster, he inflicts Piercing damage. Additionally, by attacking a defending monster he gains five hundred attack points during the Damage Step. But that's not all. I shall discard Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow to raise his attack points further by an additional fourteen hundred." After sending his monster to the graveyard, Silverwind watched as Blackwing Armed Wing's attack points skyrocketed to forty-two hundred. "Attack now. Black Charge!" Blackwing Armed Wing took flight and attacked Blowback Dragon, striking down with his bayonet and cutting off its head.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 50

**Silverwind:** 7100

–––––––––––––––––––

"Now Blackwing - Elphin the Raven, attack and destroy him!"

"Not this time. I activate Fires of Doomsday, which allows me to summon two Doomsday Tokens." Sako revealed his set card and summoned two black one-eyed flames, each a level one Dark Fiend with zero attack and defense points.

"You're just delaying the inevitable. Elphin the Raven, destroy one of those tokens." Blackwing - Elphin the Raven flew over and landed in front of one of the tokens. he raised his arm and brought his claws down on it. The token vaporized and left nothing in its wake. "Your turn."

Sako drew his card. "Well since I've been flipping coins all day, here goes again. Cup of Ace." He played his card and the image appeared and started spinning slowly. "When you tell it to stop, its position will determine its effect."

"Very well. I say stop." As soon as the words left Silverwind's beak, the card began to slow and eventually stopped in an upright position.

"Upright means I get to draw two cards." Sako drew two new cards out of his deck. "Looks like luck is on my side. I play Monster Reborn to resurrect Gatling Dragon." Gatling Dragon appeared on the field once more and roared. "And now I activate its effect." The Duel Sniper flipped his coin three times, but only once did it land on Heads. He was fine with that. "Destroy Blackwing Armed Wing." Gatling Dragon turned its guns on its target and opened fire. Bullets passed through Blackwing Armed Wing with no trouble and left him as nothing more than a bloody mess.

"Now since my monster just destroyed your Synchro Monster, I can activate this Quickplay Spell, Greed Grado. This lets me draw two cards as long as I've accomplished the previously mentioned action." Sako drew two more cards from his deck. "Now I play Overload Fusion. I banish Blowback Dragon and Barrel Dragon from my graveyard to Fusion Summon another Gatling Dragon!" He placed his two cards into his pocket and summoned out a second Gatling Dragon. "And now for its effect." He flipped his coin and all three results were Heads, which allowed the Gatling Dragon to open fire with all its guns upon Blackwing - Elphin the Raven.

"Even if you should attack with both monsters, I shall still live," said Silverwind.

"I know," Sako answered, "Which is why I'm doubling their attack power with Limiter Removal." He played his card and watched as his two monsters' inhibitors were released, raising their strength to fifty-two hundred attack points each. "Now attack and end this. Gatling Storm!" Both Gatling Dragons roared and began spinning their guns as they unleashed a titanic hailstorm of lead onto the field.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 50

**Silverwind:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––

Silverwind the Ascendant staggered back clutching his wounds. His Duel Disk shattered and the cards it held were released, transforming back into the members of the Blackwing clan. Upon seeing their leader in his condition, they cried his name and rushed to his sides.

"Silverwind!"

"What happened?"

"We did what we could."

"Please, don't die."

Silverwind the Ascendant looked at his clansmen and opened his beak to say something, but no words came out as his body went limp and his heartbeat came to a halt. The Blackwings closed their clan leader's eyes and stood up.

"You'll pay for this," they swore before taking off.

Sammie, Mikomi, Noah, Sako, and Getsu gathered around the body of Blackwing - Silverwind the Ascendant in silence and looked at the body. "Should we bury it?" asked Noah.

"Even an enemy deserves to be laid to rest,`said Sako.

And so it was decided. With what little tools they had to work with, Sako and Getsu worked on digging a hole while Noah and Sammie tried to construct a grave marker. After two hours had passed, Silverwind the Ascendant laid buried under the ground with a crudely built wooden cross to mark his head. The group had a moment of silence before they continued on. They still had a mission to complete.

o o o

The Blackwings returned to the palace. With Silverwind gone, command had been placed unto Blackwing Armor Master. He and the rest of the clan flew into the throne room and stood before the dias, but Caius was absent. Jinzo, however, was present. "Where is Caius?" demanded Blackwing Armor Master.

"He has stepped out for the moment," the Chief Scientist replied as he turned around to face them while placing his hands behind his back. "What do you want?"

"Silverwind is dead," Blackwing Armor Master said.

"I see." Jinzo's expressionless face just stared at him through his tinted work goggles. However, a Corridor of Darkness opened up right then over the throne and then vanished, revealing Caius sitting in his place.

"You've returned, I see. But your leader is not among you," the Shadow Monarch acknowledged.

"Silverwind is dead," repeated Blackwing Armor Master.

"And who was it that killed him?" asked Caius.

"It was one of the Terrans."

"Now do you see the power these creatures possess?" the Dark Emperor asked the bird clan, "The Terrans are a threat to Karheim and to Ardent. I understand many of you had believed the UnGod would destroy you, but He is your salvation. The true demons are those from the world of Terra. We must destroy them if we are to save our land. Members of the Blackwing clan, will you pledge your allegiance to me?"

There was some chatter in the throne room before Blackwing Armor Master knelt before the throne. "You have our allegiance. The Blackwing clan is in your service, Caius, Shadow Monarch and Dark Emperor of Karheim. We shall fight for you." The other Blackwings followed and Caius grinned beneath his mask.

_That little bit of interference during their fight turned out to be a greater benefit than I thought_, he cackled mentally to himself.

Jinzo finished watching all this and left the throne room. Had his mask not been riveted into his face, he would have been scowling. This would pose to be quite a setback for his plan.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

At long last, the team arrives at the magical city of Endymion, home of the most powerful sorcerers in Ardent. Within its walls the captive Zetsubou waits. But the Master Magician does not intend to allow his plans to be thwarted. It's an episode of magic and wonder next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	182. Magician's Force

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic is a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

We apologize for the lack of an update last week, but Rabbit was unsuccessful in completing his task so we've had to cut his work short to get this out on time this week.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-95**

**Magician's Force**

The group had assembled on the ridge looking out at the scene before them. Noah was sitting with his legs over the end while Sako watched through his scope.

"This place has changed," Getsu commented, "It used to be so beautiful." The city was surrounded by a circular wall with floating towers located at the four compass points. The buildings within may have been quaint and vibrant at some point in time, but had now become dark and macabre. In the center was a tower three times taller than the other four.

"When Endymion sided with the UnGod, his entire city followed," the samurai woman continued, "This had once been a safe haven for spellcasters from all over Ardent. But the moment the Master Magician turned, everything fell apart. His influence wasn't restricted to Karheim. All who studied magic in the city were linked magically. It didn't take long for the corruption to spread. As the master of all magic, Endymion could control them all."

"So what you're saying is there are Spellcasters in there from other realms?" asked Noah.

"Correct."

Sako looked up from his scope. "The gate is unguarded, but I'm assume that it's not that easy."

"You're correct," Getsu replied, "The city is protected by a barrier. Only those who possess magic and those in their care can enter."

"So what you're saying is only Spellcasters and their apprentices can enter the city," the Duel Sniper said.

"Or their guards."

"So how do they get in?" asked Sammie.

"Any caster who wishes to enter the city must recite an incantation and follow it up with an appropriate spell. Of course, the incantation is taught only to those who have studied under Endymion."

"How far underground does the barrier go?"

"It's spherical."

"You gotta hand it to them. They aren't stupid," said Noah.

"Even if Endymion isn't, one of his wizards is going to fuck up eventually." Sammie watched the city. "We just gotta wait for it."

"Too long," Getsu responded, "We need immediate action."

"Give Sammie two minutes alone with one of them and we'll get something," Noah answered while Sako returned to observing the city. The Duel Sniper resumed his duty while trying to think of a way to get in.

"I can't believe this is what it's come to," a male teenage voice muttered. The sniper turned his rifle in the direction of the voice and saw a young man with black hair in shorts and a charmer robe carrying a staff resembling a bird's head. Accompanying him was a one-eyed bat. "Things used to be so much better here. Now it's all the same thing. All we're doing is being forced into becoming soldiers of the UnGod." Sako looked away from his scope and gave a hand signal. Getsu nodded and snuck down the slope.

"Where's she going?" asked Noah.

o o o

The young man set his staff down against a rock and sat down. "Ugh. I can't take any more of this, Meda Bat. I want things to go back to the way they were." He uncapped a canteen and took a drink of water. Suddenly his pet began flapping wildly and he turned only to be suddenly faced by a samurai woman with red hair. He backed away in surprise and in doing so tripped over his robe.

"Can you get into the city?" asked Getsu.

"W-w-what?" The boy blinked.

Getsu turned to the ridge and raised her hand. Soon Sako, Sammie, Noah, and Mikomi came down to join her. "We need to get into the city," said Sammie.

"We managed to catch your words earlier," Sako explained, "You're not in league with the Regent Lord by choice, are you?"

"No," the boy replied, "and I don't see how it can be a benefit. Master Endymion says the UnGod will grant them unlimited power, but I don't believe it. Nothing good ever came out of evil. That's what _my_ master taught me. And five others I knew..."

"Who are you?" asked Getsu.

"My name is Dharc."

"Of the Charmers," Sammie said.

Dharc looked at her. "You know of us?"

"Yeah, there's six of you. Aussa the Earth Charmer, Hiita the Fire Charmer, Wynn the Wind Charmer, Eria the Water Charmer, Lyna the Light Charmer, and Dharc the Dark Charmer."

"You all studied under the same master. What happened?" asked Sako.

"Eria was the first to leave. I never saw her again after she and Wynn departed for the desert. Hiita was the next to leave. She said she wanted to pursue new adventures. Wynn had shown signs of possessing psychic powers, so she left to develop them. It was just the three of us then, but not for long. We came upon an ancient library in Aeagnaap and Aussa decided to stay. Then Lyna finally left. I was all alone, so I decided to develop my skills in the arts in the city of Endymion. I hoped I could someday become a powerful wizard. I was looking forward to my studies at the tower. I wasn't expecting everything to suddenly change. Not like this.

"When the UnGod's forces came to Ardent, the Dark Emperor sided with him to protect all of us in Karheim. In exchange he asked for our loyalty to the UnGod. Master Endymion saw what power was to be had and he hastily accepted. He went mad with power. He became obsessed. He no longer desired to be a teacher trying to pass on the arts. He hungered for more magic. Everything the UnGod could offer. And he began preaching to everybody in the city. Only one man and his apprentice stood openly to defy him. Mahad, one of the greatest sorcerers in history. He was quickly cast into the dungeons."

"Why wasn't he destroyed?" asked Getsu.

"Master Endymion needs magic and nobody else possessed more than Mahad. Everybody believed that even he could possess more than the master. That is why he wasn't killed. Master Endymion is siphoning off Mahad's magic to power his own. You came here to stop him, right?"

"We came to find the seal of the UnGod and restore it," answered Sako.

"However, it looks like we'll have to go through this Endymion to get to it," Noah said.

"If that's what it takes..." Getsu unsheathed an inch of her blade, "... we'll do it. Dharc, you know the city better than the rest of us. Can you get us inside and take us to Endymion?"

"I can do that, but it would be madness for you to launch an attack on Master Endymion right away," Dharc answered, "If we're to fight the Master Magician, we'll need help. We're going to need Mahad."

o o o

Zetsubou had been through much in his many years, from being a child of science and progress. Mastering a wide variety of compounds and chemicals and the comfort of his family and friends, to the unleashing of a bioweapon based off of a Virus Card, turning a once thriving tropical isle full of promise into a fetid, diseased and macabre illusion of itself. Life thrived, but it was the bacteria and vermin, the things that fed off of the dead tissue of former researchers and their families. Last he remembered was talking to the Devil itself, after that he did focus on what it told him, and he was incredibly surprised at the result.

As he lay chained, willingly brought to Endymion's prison in his current undead form his rictus grin beamed from end to end. Withered skin clung to his bone in tatters alongside the ruined cloth and equipment, and what most merely thought was his glowing yellow eyes hid behind them a hidden gift.

Softly he spoke, continuing the conversation he had in the wastes. He stared out at the rotten tropical jungle, what was once his home.

_There's so much devastation here...even the sky is red. I never knew you-what are the yellow pools?_

"Pus. The virus eventually makes pustules to make sure the virulence spreads, makes it out of anything. Though, it's all an illusion here, isn't it?"

_Yes. That's true. I have to say, after Kage attacked me and pulled out my eye I laid unconsious for awhile. Then I heard your voice and I suppose I'm here 'haunting' you now. _

"One of the wonder of your current condition I suppose. Does it hurt?," Zetsubou's unfliching, clouded eyes looked ahead towards the darkness, seeing shambling corpses. This was idiotic, he could see them lay their hands upon him, but they just passed through him. This was nothing, he made himself look weak and they instantly fell for it. He saw Kel'aral and Kage loom down at him from the rafters above before this illusion was conjured.

_Not really. It's like...a sort of numbness. I can touch, but I feel nothing. Is that weird?_

"No. I'm well accustomed to numbness. I do know Reko is worried about you though, it's why he's in Paslie fighting. I'm sure you're at the forefront of his thoughts. He wants to hunt down Kage for harming you like that."

_It's noble of him, though you saw Kage._

A moment passed before Zetsubou gave a small sigh, "This form is going to difficult to do much of anything in, I constantly feel weak. But I can endure damn near anything, they've electrocuted me what, about a hundred times trying to get me to talk?"

_Actually your shackles are enchanted to electrocute you every twenty seconds for two seconds. You must have just felt the bigger shocks._

Zetsubou laughed, "Well. That's really something. This island is just an idiotic illusion though, I know what happened. It only spurs me to do what he told me. Kill the UnGod, reset reality itself."

_Who...?_

"I can't say. Tell me again what you know from your tour in the city."

_Freed's army was near the city, but didn't attack. I myself can only assume they've fallen to Caius' spell now as well as the rest of the kingdom. Delg is close, but I can't feel him, the Emperors have forsaken this entire realm. A seal is here, as well as Kel'aral and Kage. Kel'aral was the man who originally tried to birth the UnGod but was halted by Reign at Stonehenge centuries ago. Both are incredibly integral to the unGod's plan. I can only assume Caius and Delg are equally as important, especially if an Emperor is willingly deferring to the will of a Terran. I don't know where they are exactly however, I'd assume the top of the city, in this very tower._

"Good, first things first. Any eyes on us?"

_None. They've left you to die. I don't think there's any sort of scrying going on either. I've tried myself, but it just hurts to look at you...I can also feel an sort of aching burning sensation when I try._

"Then all will be well." Zetsubou sat back down as he resumed thinking out his plan.

o o o

Endymion's study was a sanctum of solitude and knowledge. It was a room at the top of the tower accessible only to the Master Magician himself. Shelves upon shelves of spell books lined the walls. Apart from the blue carpet and the door, there wasn't much else save for a large window adorned with purple curtains and a large desk in front of it. Endymion was seated at that very moment studying another one of his countless grimoires. His peace was interrupted when he felt the sound of a portal opening behind him.

"Who dares enter my sanctum?" he demanded.

"Someone whom you'd best show your deepest respects." Endymion immediately shot out of his chair and knelt as he turned around.

"Lord Caius! I had not been expecting you. Please forgive my rudeness."

"I will overlook it for now." Caius stepped toward the window. "Listen, Endymion. The Terrans have arrived at your city. They seek the seal of the UnGod."

Endymion picked up his staff. "I shall see to it personally that they shall not succeed. I possess the most powerful magics in all of Ardent." And with that, he blinked out of his tower.

"We shall see," Caius thought aloud.

o o o

Dharc led them through a secret passageway which he had used to escape the city earlier. It was actually the main sewage line since it was the only place the barrier could not block as the waste had to leave the city by some means. By the time the group had gotten past the shield, they had come out underneath the city and hauled up onto some kind of dock.

"That was unpleasant," muttered Sammie.

"In the days of war, we trudged through worse," Sako responded.

"Let's go." Dharc pointed with his staff and the others followed him through the city's sewers, which actually turned out to be not too unpleasant. There was a fishing dock, an inn, a training ground where the mages could practice without damaging anything, and even an arena. Of course, it wasn't paradise. There were still roaches, mice, and even a rat and four turtles.

"So what's our plan?" Noah inquired.

"We'll need to release Mahad from the dungeon, but before we can do that we need to get his staff from the stores," Dharc answered.

"I imagine it's heavily guarded," Sako said.

"It is."

"You'll need an eye in the sky then. Dharc, can you get me someplace high?"

"There's a translocation orb not far from here. It'll take you close to the top of the Citadel of Endymion," the Dark Charmer replied.

"Take me there."

"I will."

A few moments later, they had arrived at a shining red sphere atop a magical pedestal. Sako turned and handed Getsu an earpiece. "Stay in contact at all times. You're in charge until we complete this mission." The samurai nodded in understanding and the Duel Sniper touched the orb and vanished. Once he was in position, he set up his rifle and installed a thermal lens to his scope. With him in place, the others began to move. Sako directed them carefully, making sure to keep them clear from any guards.

Getsu's leadership kept the group together and she was able to get them safely to the store where Mahad's staff was said to be kept. "Sako, we've found it. But it's guarded as we predicted."

"We'll need a distraction," Sako muttered back.

"Leave that to me." Dharc pulled a spell book out and opened it. "I call for the Fires of Doomsday. Heed my call without delay." Two Doomsday Tokens appeared and flew down the corridor. The guards saw them and immediately chased after them, leaving the door unguarded. Dharc cast another spell to unlock it and the group went in.

"What are we looking for?" asked Sammie.

"A long green staff," answered the Dark Charmer.

While they searched, Noah chanced across something familiar. "Oi. Aren't these Zetsubou's knives?"

Getsu and Sammie came over quickly. "You're right, they are!" exclaimed the latter. She grabbed the the belt and slung it over her shoulder. Suddenly they could hear screeching.

"Meda Bat's found something," Dharc informed the others. They followed the sound and finally came upon Meda Bat, who had perched upon a shelf overlooking a long green staff. "This is it! Mahad's staff!"

Getsu picked up the staff and nodded. "We have the staff. How do we get to the dungeon?"

"This way, follow me." Dharc led the way once again. With Sako's thermals and Meda Bat's sonar, they were able to make it down while avoiding many of the guards. Dharc tried his unlocking spell once again, but it would not work this time. "They must have placed a ward against unlocking spells."

"Move aside." Getsu handed the staff over to Noah and drew her sword. With one powerful swing she broke the lock and kicked the door open. The noise did not go unheard as Zetsubou and Mika looked up.

"Someone call for a rescue?" Noah said.

"What are you doing here?" Zetsubou asked.

"You really think we're going to leave a teammate behind?" asked Sammie as they descended the steps into the pit of the dungeon. Getsu broke the shackles that bound Zetsubou to the wall.

"You'll need these." Sammie handed him his knives. Zetsubou nodded and quickly strapped his weapons back on. He then drew one of his blades and used it to free Mika.

"Mika? What are you doing here?" asked Noah, "I thought you stayed behind at the school."

"It was Kage," Mika explained, "He caught me by surprise. One moment I was helping the injured students. The next thing I knew I felt a hand grab me and pull me into the shadows."

Meanwhile, Dharc approached the iron cross suspended over the room and saw the purple-robed mage chained to it. "Mahad..."

"Dharc, I told you not to come back."

"I had to. Now hold still."

"Your spells won't be able to free me, Dharc. Endymion saw to that. No magic can set me free."

"That's where he made his mistake." Getsu stepped forward. "No _magic_ can." And with that she shattered the chains with her sword. Mahad fell to the ground and she and Dharc helped him up. As they moved him over to the others, Noah and Sammie looked up and their jaws dropped.

"It's the Dark Magician!" the boy exclaimed. Mahad looked at him and held out his hand. Noah then realized that he was still holding the staff and immediately handed it over.

"Mahad, now that you've been freed we can finally put a stop to Endymion," said Dharc.

"Yes. The time has come to end the Master Magician once and for all." Mahad's fingers wrapped around his weapon and glowed briefly as it recognized its master. "Come then." He proceeded to exit through the door.

"Mahad, are we not blinking out?" asked Dharc.

"We must keep our magic to a minimum," Mahad answered, "Endymion will be able to sense us if we used our magic within the city."

"...oh."

The group left the dungeon and proceeded up stairs. But no sooner had they taken a few steps up, they had the misfortune to happen upon a Mythical Beast Cerberus that was on patrol. As soon as it saw them it began howling and barking. "Other way!" Getsu yelled causing the group to go up another passage. But the creature's cries had already been heard and heeded. Coming straight toward them down that passage was a large group of Hannibal Necromancers and Witches Apprentices led by Breaker the Magical Warrior. They turned and ran up a third passage which took them up to the third-floor balcony of Endymion's tower.

"No choice." Zetsubou drew two of his knives. "We have to fight." Getsu came up beside him with her sword drawn.

"Let's go." Together the two of them rushed forward and met the incoming mages. Zetsubou went for the throat of every target he came across. A minor slit was all he needed to silence them before they could complete their spells. Getsu, on the other hand, had much less finesse in her technique as she fought to overpower.

Outside, Sako could see countless figures moving and he quickly chose to do the same. "On my way," he said into his earpiece as he shouldered his rifle and jumped. He landed behind two Defenders who were standing guard and smashed their heads together. "Well, so much for keeping quiet."

"Hold it right there!" Several Rapid-Fire Magicians appeared behind Sako with their wands ready. "Don't move." In response, Sako whipped around with Don Zaloog's revolvers and opened fire. His aim was true, hitting each one in the head and killing them instantly. He then reloaded in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, Mahad blinked the others off the balcony and into the square of the city. Sammie summoned Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning and Noah summoned Light and Darkness Dragon. Mika stood with them and called forth Arcanite Magician. They stood together as Tempest Magicians, Explosive Magicians, Apprentice Magicians, Maidens of Macabre, Maniacal Servants, Phantom Magicians, Night's End Sorcerers, Masked Sorcerers, Mutant Mindmasters, Sorcerers of the Doomed, Skull Knights, Old Vindictive Magicians, Kamionwizards, Magical Marionettes, Dark Elves, and Dark Red Enchanters.

"Meda Bat! Join me!" Dharc raised his staff and Meda Bat landed on it only to be transformed into soul form and entered its Charmer's body. Now possessed by his familiar, Dharc opened his seemingly darker eyes and his wilder hair blew in the wind as he cast a spell that blew back several enemies.

"Arcanite Magician, Arcane Magic Attack!" On Mika's orders, Arcanite Magician cast out his staff and released a blast of arcane magic. Overhead, Light and Darkness Dragon roared as it blocked the enemy spells with pulses of darkness and attacked with bursts of light from its mouth. Sammie grabbed the staff of an Apprentice Magician and punched the young man in the face before pulling his weapon out of his grip and jabbing the end into his groin.

"There's too many!" Noah yelled.

"Leave that to me!" Mahad raised his staff and summoned one thousand knives. Then they rained down on the army of mages. Countless Spellcasters went down and Sako suddenly jumped down into the square and unloaded two revolvers' worth of ammunition. He released the shells from the chambers and loaded another six into each gun in a flash.

"Cease your resistance!" Endymion, the Master Magician blinked onto a balcony. "Mahad, I suspected it was you."

"Endymion, how dare you enslave your own mages into servitude for the UnGod." The Dark Magician gripped his staff tightly.

"I did not enslave them. I gave them more power. Joining with the UnGod was the best thing that's happened to us," Endymion replied as he stood with his hand on his staff.

"The UnGod offers nothing but death in the end. Now surrender or we'll be forced to destroy you."

"You may wish to rethink your position." Endymion banged his staff on the floor of the balcony and summoned a blonde girl in a skimpy magician's outfit. "Unless you wish to hurt your precious apprentice."

Mahad gasped. "Manna!"

"It's Dark Magician Girl!" Noah exclaimed.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Sammie replied.

"You're welcome, Sergeant Sarcasm."

"Release her!" demanded Mahad.

"Surrender to the UnGod and I will," Endymion responded.

Suddenly Zetsubou appeared behind the Master Magician and thrust his knives into his back. "I think not." He grabbed Manna and jumped with her, bringing her to the group.

"Manna, are you alright?" asked Mahad. The Dark Magician Girl nodded.

"I'm fine, master," she said. She summoned her wand to her hand and stood with the rest.

"It's over, Endymion," the Dark Magician said.

"It's never over," the Master Magician replied, "I still have my trump card." He held his staff toward the sky and the head began to glow. In that moment, Mikomi grabbed hold of one of the fallen mages' staffs and blasted Mahad in the back. Zetsubou turned and looked at her.

"Mikomi!"

"She's under my mind control spell. You cannot break her free," Endymion cackled. He held out his staff and Mikomi began using the staff to suppress the group, pushing them against the ground.

"Mikomi..." Zetsubou looked up at his sister.

"Crush your brother," commanded Endymion.

"Mikomi, don't..."

"Not even you can break my spell's hold on your sister." The Master Magician laughed.

"No, but I can help!" Getsu suddenly came down and swung her sword, destroying the staff in Mikomi's hands and dispelling the restraining spell. Mika quickly got up and placed her fingers on Mikomi's forehead. She closed her eyes and focused. Everyone was silent as the priestess performed her ritual. Moments passed and finally she released her.

"Wha... What happened?"

"Mikomi!" Zetsubou got up and put his arms around his sister. "You're safe."

"Gragh! This can't be!" snarled Endymion.

"Let's end this!" declared Zetsubou as he turned his attention back to the army of mages.

"Take them!" ordered Endymion.

"I'll end this quickly." Mahad stepped forward and raised his staff skyward. "I call upon the ultimate forbidden spell. Raigeki!" His staff glowed and an enormous thunderbolt came crashing down. It struck the Magical Citadel of Endymion and spread out all over the city, wiping out every single Spellcaster in the service of Endymion.

"It's over, Endymion." Mahad pointed at the Master Magician with his staff.

"It's not over yet. Lord Caius, I need your help!" Upon hearing the plea, Caius appeared from a Corridor of Darkness on the top of the tower.

"Endymion, the Master Magician. Do you wish to bind yourself to your mages to defeat your foe?" he asked as he held his Soul Gate toward the sky.

"Yes, Lord Caius!" I must defeat them!"

"Then I hereby bind your life to your deck. Chaos Exultation!" Caius's Soul Gate opened its mouth and streams of darkness poured out from its eye and spread across the entire city. Spellcasters from all over were absorbed into the shadows and pulled into the black device. Once the last of the darkness had receded, Endymion banished his staff and the circle on his back lit up as the Soul Gate poured its contents onto the top center of the ring, illuminating the rune located there.

"I got this!" said Sammie.

"No, let me do it," Mikomi interrupted, "I was under his spell for who knows how long."

"No, Mikomi. This one's mine." Zetsubou stepped forward with his Duel Disk.

"Let us begin." Endymion held up his hand and his rune blinked five times. For each time it blinked, a card appeared in his hand.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 8000

**Endymion:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

"I begin." Endymion's rune blinked again and a sixth card appeared in his hand. "I'll start by invoking the power of my own Citadel." One of his cards sparkled and appeared in front of him as Magical Citadel of Endymion. It activated and the whole city suddenly seemed to come to life.

"Now this is the Endymion I remember," Dharc remarked as he looked at the sudden change of environment.

"Next I invoke my Spell Absorption. Each time a Spell is activated, my life is restored by five hundred points." As his Spell Card was activated, a gem with the image of a golden triangle with a hole in its center appeared above their heads while a rune on the left side of his ring lit up.

"What's that?" asked Zetsubou.

"A Spell Counter," Endymion explained, "Each time either of us activates a Spell, my Citadel gains one. Now I continue by summoning Breaker the Magical Warrior." A rune on Endymion's right lit up as a magical knight in red armor reminiscent of the tradition garb of those under the Dark Magic discipline blinked onto the field brandishing a sword (ATK/1600 DEF/1000). The moment he arrived, a Spell Counter appeared on the hilt of his sword, which raised Breaker's attack power to nineteen hundred. "I'll conclude with two wards." Two cards appeared at the Master Magician's feet.

Zetsubou drew his card. "I'll set a monster and a facedown. That is all." Two cards appeared before him.

"Disappointing." Endymion remarked as his rune blinked and a card appeared in his hand. "I activate my Trap, Pitch-Black Power Stone." A black magical stone appeared on a stand beside Endymion. "Within this stone are three Spell Counters which I may transfer to any sorcerer or item which can hold Spell Counters. But first I shall invoke Breaker's unique talent to destroy your ward." Breaker the Magical Warrior's Spell Counter shattered, returning his attack points down to sixteen hundred, and his blade began to glow. He swung his sword and released a wave of energy that cut through Zetsubou's facedown.

"That was my Infestation Wave," he said flatly.

"Now I transfer one Spell Counter from my Pitch-Black Power Stone to Breaker." A Spell Counter disappeared from the stone and appeared on Breaker's sword, raising his attack power to nineteen hundred again. "I summon the Crusader of Endymion!" A wizard in blue armor appeared (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). "Now Breaker, attack!" Breaker the Magical Warrior charged with his blade glowing and slashed at Zetsubou's facedown.

"You've attacked Steelswarm Gatekeeper," Zetsubou announced as an armored low-crawling insectoid demon appeared with the Mark on its head (ATK/1500 DEF/1900).

"You were fortunate," Endymion replied, "I activate my Arcane Barrier." A barrier surrounded his body as a Spell Counter appeared overhead and his Life Points rose.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 8000

**Endymion:** 8500

–––––––––––––––––––

"I have done all that I can. Show me what you can do."

Zetsubou drew his card and then activated his facedown during his Draw Phase. "I activate Infestation Tool. By sending one Steelswarm from my deck to my graveyard, I can increase the attack power of one of my face-up Steelswarms by eight hundred until the End Phase. I choose Gatekeeper." Steelswarm Gatekeeper's attack points quickly rose up to twenty-three hundred. "Since I now have no Spells or Traps at the beginning of my first Main Phase, I can Special Summon Steelswarm Scout from my graveyard." A small humanoid insect-like demon appeared with a pair of enormous goggles on its face (ATK/200 DEF/0). "Next I play Foolish Burial and I'll send Steelswarm Caller to my graveyard." His Duel Disk ejected the card from his deck and he placed it into his graveyard. "Now I'll sacrifice Steelswarm Scout to Tribute Summon Steelswarm Mantis!" Steelswarm Scout vanished and in its place arose a mantis-like demon with a long tail trailing behind it (ATK/2200 DEF/0). "And when Mantis is Tribute Summoned by sacrificing a Steelswarm monster, I can pay one thousand Life Points to resurrect one Steelswarm creature."

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 7000

**Endymion:** 8500

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"Rise, Steelswarm Caller!" Steelswarm Mantis plunged its tail into the ground and extracted the humanoid insect demon with big orange wings (ATK/1700 DEF/0). "Now since I Tribute Summoned this turn, Steelswarm Gatekeeper allows me to execute one more Normal Summon this turn. So I'll sacrifice Steelswarm Caller to summon Steelswarm Girastag, whose effect allows him to be summoned with a single Steelswarm tribute." Steelswarm Caller vanished and in its place arose a large stag beetle themed demon with an arm cannon and a tail (ATK/2600 DEF/0).

"And with this card, I can send one card you control to the graveyard to restore my Life Points by one thousand." Steelswarm Girastag flipped its tail up and opened the end to fire a blast of energy that destroyed Endymion's Spell Absorption.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 8000

**Endymion:** 8500

–––––––––––––––––––

"Next is Steelwarm Caller's effect. When it's used for the Tribute Summon of a Steelswarm monster, I can Special Summon a level four or lower Steelswarm from my deck. I choose Steelswarm Genome in defense mode." A small larva demon appeared with the Mark of the Steelswarm on its head (ATK/1000 DEF/0).

"Now Girastag, attack Breaker!" Steelswarm Girastag took aim and fired its arm cannon that completely blasted Breaker apart.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 8000

**Endymion:** 7800

–––––––––––––––––––

As the smoke cleared, Breaker's sword clattered to the ground and shattered. The Spell Counter floated up and joined the other two in the air as another Spell Counter appeared on Arcane Barrier.

"Mantis, attack Crusader of Endymion." Steelswarm Mantis spread its wings and flew across the field before swinging down and tearing apart its prey with its arms.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 8000

**Endymion:** 7500

–––––––––––––––––––

With the death of Crusader of Endymion, another Spell Counter was added to the Arcane Barrier.

"Now Gatekeeper, attack directly." Steelswarm Gatekeeper curled up into a ball and rolled across the field to slam into Endymion.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 8000

**Endymion:** 5200

–––––––––––––––––––

"So uncouth," the Master Magician muttered as he dusted himself off.

"I end my turn," announced Zetsubou, causing Steelswarm Gatekeeper to return to fifteen hundred attack points.

Endymion drew his next card. "I transfer one Spell counter from my Pitch-Black Power Stone to my Arcane Barrier." Another Spell Counter was added to his barrier. "The I summon Apprentice Magician." A young blond apprentice mage appeared in purple carrying a staff (ATK/400 DEF/800). "When he is summoned, I can place another Spell Counter on an appropriate card. I choose my Arcane Barrier." A fourth Spell Counter appeared on the magical shield.

"And now I can send Arcane Barrier to my graveyard. For every Spell Counter that was on it, I can draw that many cards." And so the Arcane Barrier vanished and the Master Magician drew four new cards. "Ah, wonderful. I invoke the power of Magical Dimension." A casket bound in chains appeared as another Spell Counter appeared overhead. "First I sacrifice a Spellcaster." Apprentice Magician was pulled into the casket and was locked inside. "Then I can Special Summon a Spellcaster from my hand, such as Magical Marionette." The casket glowed and burst open to reveal a masked man in a red hood controlling a knife-wielding marionette (ATK/2000 DEF/1000). "And lastly, I can destroy one of your creatures." The resulting magical explosion from Magical Dimension continued to spread and was finally able to reach and destroy Steelswarm Girastag.

"Don't think I'm finished yet. I now play Monster Reborn to resurrect Apprentice Magician in defense position." Apprentice Magician reappeared on the field and crouched defensively as a fifth Spell Counter joined the Magical Citadel's collection while one attached to Magical Marionette's arm. "And as per Apprentice Magician's power, another Spell Counter is added to Magical Marionette, who gains two hundred attack points for each Spell Counter he has." Magical Marionette's daggers seemed to glow as its attack strength rose up to twenty-four hundred points. "Magical Marionette, attack Steelswarm Gatekeeper." The puppeteer worked the strings and the deadly puppet flew across the field to cut apart Steelswarm Gatekeeper.

"But first, I activate Magician's Circle. When a Spellcaster of mine declares an attack, we may both Special Summon a Spellcaster from our decks with two thousand or fewer attack points."

"My deck has no Spellcasters," Zetsubou pointed out.

"Precisely why Endymion activated the circle," muttered Mahad.

"I call forth another Apprentice Magician!" A second one appeared and a Spell Counter was added to Magical Marionette, raising its attack points to twenty-six hundred just as it struck Steelswarm Gatekeeper and tore it apart.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 6900

**Endymion:** 5200

–––––––––––––––––––

"Onto my second Main Phase." I now invoke Magical Marionette's power. By removing two Spell Counters, one monster shall die." Two Spell Counters were removed and absorbed by Magical Marionette to launch its puppet toward Steelswarm Mantis and kill it instantly. "Now I Overlay my Apprentice Magicians. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters." Both Apprentice Magicians turned into streams of purple light and spiraled into the vortex that appeared.

"Acolytes of magic, your tribute is done. Let us now see the magic you have become. Xyz Summon. Blink, Shining Elf!" An elven mage rose up wearing armor and a white robe wielding a sword. Two orbs of green light orbited his body (ATK/1600 DEF/1000).

"Show me your power!" commanded Endymion.

Zetsubou drew. "I Special Summon my Scout once again." Steelswarm Scout was resurrected and crouched defensively. "Now I'll use the effect of my Genome as two tributes and sacrifice it to summon Steelswarm Longhorn." Steelswarm Genome vanished and in its place arose a powerful insectoid demon with long antennae (ATK/3000 DEF/0).

"I activate my Shining Elf's unique talent," announced Endymion, "By detaching one Overlay Unit, he can weaken your monster's attack strength." He detached one of the Apprentice Magicians on his card and Shining Elf absorbed one of the glowing orbs into his sword before holding it like a wand and casting a spell that dropped Steelswarm Longhorn down to twenty-five hundred attack points.

"Don't count my Longhorn out yet," Zetsubou cautioned, "Since he was summoned by sacrificing Steelswarms, I can sacrifice one thousand Life Points a turn to destroy one monster on the field."

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 5900

**Endymion:** 5200

–––––––––––––––––––

Steelswarm Longhorn raised its tail and opened the end, exposing a hollow tube inside it which released a glob of acid upon Magical Marionette. The puppeteer and his marionette were hit and were quickly dissolved. The Spell Counter that had been attached to it was transferred to the Citadel.

"Now Longhorn, attack Shining Elf!" ordered Zetsubou. The pincers on Steelswarm Longhorn's arms grew and it flew across the field, grabbed Shining Elf in its deadly grip, and squeezed like a pair of scissors until it had separated its target into three pieces.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 5900

**Endymion:** 4300

–––––––––––––––––––

"I set two cards and end my turn," announced Zetsubou.

Endymion drew his card. "How wonderful. I call upon the Royal Magical Library." Walls upon walls of bookshelves appeared around the field with several platforms upon which sorcerers could stand as they browsed the massive selection of magical tomes (ATK/0 DEF/2000). "I transfer a Spell Counter from the Pitch-Black Power Stone to my Citadel." As a third Spell Counter was removed, Pitch-Black Power Stone shattered as it joined the six already on the Citadel. "Next I add the Wonder Wand to my Library." A wand with a green gem on its head appeared somewhere in the library, which suddenly added a Spell Counter to both it and the Magical Citadel as well as raised the attack power of Royal Magical Library by five hundred.

"Now I invoke the power of my Royal Magical Library through my Citadel. Instead of removing Spell Counters from my Library, I can do so from my Citadel." Endymion removed three Spell Counters, causing three of the orbs overhead to burst and drew a card per the effect of Royal Magical Library.

"I now activate Allure of Darkness." Another Spell Counter was added to Magical Citadel of Endymion and Royal Magical Library each as Endymion drew two cards and then banished Dark Red Enchanter from his hand. "Next I equip the library with another Wonder Wand." A second wand appeared and Royal Magical Library's attack points rose to one thousand while gaining a third Spell Counter whilst the Citadel gained a seventh.

"Now I invoke the Library again to draw." Endymion removed three Spell Counters from Royal Magical Library and drew one card. "Now per the power of the Wonder Wand, I sacrifice my Library and for every Wonder Wand equipped, I can draw two cards." The bookshelves and the wands disappeared and the Master Magician drew four more cards. "Ah, excellent. I should have known my servants would not fail me. I activate the spell Double Summon." Another Spell Counter appeared overhead. "Now I call upon Magical Exemplar." A woman with long grey hair wearing a green robe blinked onto the field (ATK/1700 DEF/1400). "Next I invoke another Arcane Barrier and a third Wonder Wand." A wand appeared in Magical Exemplar's hand, raising her attack power to twenty-two hundred, as a barrier rose up around Endymion, prompting two more Spell Counters to be added to the Citadel while four appeared on the sorceress on the field.

"Magical Exemplar gains two Spell Counters each time a Spell is activated, hence why she now has four," the Master Magician explained, "And now I shall invoke her talent. By removing the Spell Counters from her, I can Special Summon a Spellcaster from my hand or my graveyard whose level is equal to that of the number of Spell Counters removed. I remove four to resurrect Breaker the Magical Warrior." The four Spell Counters on Magical Exemplar were removed and formed a circle out of which Breaker rose.

"Break his wards," commanded Endymion. Two Spell Counters disappeared and powered up Breaker's sword, which he swung and released two energy waves that destroyed Zetsubou's backfield. "Now Magical Dimension. I sacrifice Breaker to summon Night's End Sorcerer and destroy Steelswarm Longhorn." A casket appeared and pulled Breaker the Magical Warrior inside. The lid sealed shut and in an explosion of mana that killed Steelswarm Longhorn a young boy with rabbit ears wearing a tattered scarf and carrying a scythe appeared (ATK/1300 DEF/400). "Night's End Sorcerer, destroy Steelswarm Scout." Night's End Sorcerer leapt up and landed in front of his target. His scythe blade began to glow and he swung his weapon, passing the blade through Steelswarm Scout effortlessly.

"Magical Exemplar, attack." On Endymion's command, Magical Exemplar began casting through her Wonder Wand and then launched a spell directly at Zetsubou.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 3700

**Endymion:** 4300

–––––––––––––––––––

"Magical Exemplar, begone." Endymion sent Magical Exemplar and Wonder Wand to the graveyard and drew two cards. "I shall set a ward in place and conclude."

Zetsubou drew his card and resurrected his Steelswarm Scout. "I play Double Summon." Another Spell Counter was added. "I summon Steelswarm Caller and then sacrifice it and Scout to summon Steelswarm Caucastag!" The two monsters vanished and in their place appeared an enormous demon resembling a more powerful stag beetle (ATK/2800 DEF/0). "When Caucastag is summoned by sacrificing two Steelswarms, he can destroy all your monsters or all your Spells and Trap. I choose to obliterate your backfield." In that instant, Steelswarm Caucastag opened its tail and released a wave of dark energy upon Endymion's field, destroying Arcane Barrier and his set Magic Cylinder, but the Magical Citadel did not go down.

"I can save my Citadel by removing one of its Spell Counters," announced the Master Magician as one Spell Counter vanished.

"Caucastag, attack Night's End Sorcerer." Steelswarm Caucastag bared his claws and dashed forward at a surprising speed for a creature of its size before bringing it down upon the young sorcerer.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 3700

**Endymion:** 2800

–––––––––––––––––––

"That will be all," announced Zetsubou.

Endymion drew his card. "It's true what they say. If you desire to have a task accomplished, do it yourself. I remove six Spell Counters from my Citadel to summon myself into battle!" Six Spell Counters came down and began spinning in a circle before exploding into a shower of mana particles as Endymion, the Master Magician blinked onto the field in person (ATK/2700 DEF/1700). "And upon being summoned in this manner, I can bring one Spell back from the grave. He selected a single Spell Card and returned it to his hand. "And now I shall invoke my power. By discarding a Spell, I can destroy one card on your field." He discarded the Spell Card he had just brought back to his hand and raised his staff. "Begone, demon!" He cast a spell and blew a hole through Steelswarm Caucastag's body.

"Next I empower myself with the Bound Wand!"

"What does that do?" asked Noah, "I've never seen that one before."

"Bound Wand will raise a Spellcaster's attack points by one hundred times its level," Mikomi explained, "This will mean Endymion will gain seven hundred attack points."

A sceptre with a red gem on its head appeared and Endymion grasped it firmly as his attack points rose by seven hundred to thirty-four hundred. This also placed another Spell Counter on the Citadel. "Now that you are open, I shall destroy you." The Master Magician raised both his staff and his wand and pointed them at Zetsubou. "This shall mark the end for you." Two spells were cast and they spiraled and merged into a single magical blast that hit Zetsubou hard and knocked him down.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 300

**Endymion:** 2800

–––––––––––––––––––

"Be thankful I chose to be merciful. Now then, you can still choose. Surrender and join the UnGod's forces once more and I will spare your life. Otherwise, you shall die." Endymion banged his staff upon the stones.

"No more am I to be a slave to the UnGod," Zetsubou snarled as he got up. He drew his card and Steelswarm Scout was reborn once again. "I sacrifice Steelswarm Scout to summon another Steelswarm Girastag." Once again, the Scout vanished and in its place rose another Steelswarm Girastag.

"Caius bound your life to your deck, correct? Then all I need to do to claim victory is destroy you where you stand." As he spoke these words, a white mark appeared over his jugular in the shape of a rose. "Girastag, use your effect to destroy Endymion." Steelswarm Girastag opened its tail and fired a torrent of acid at Endymion. The Master Magician was engulfed by the mass of corrosive liquid and cried out as he felt it burn through his body.

"This cannot be! Defeated by such an...an..." He never got to finish his final curse as the pain coursed through his body, "My only regret...defeated by a Terran!" At last the acid ate through and Endymion, the Master Magician was no more.

Zetsubou collapsed and the others rushed to him. But Mikomi was the first. "Zetsu! Zetsu! Wake up, Zetsu!"

"Let me try." Mika put her hands over Zetsubou and began chanting.

Mahad turned to Manna. "Assist her."

"Me? But you're much more powerful, master!" Manna protested.

"I have faith in you," the Dark Magician said calmly.

Manna looked nervously at Zetsubou, but then put on a confident face. She knelt down opposite of Mika and held her wand up. She began to chant and together the two of them began to channel the magical energies that swarmed Zetsubou's body and healed him. Before long the man was able to sit up.

"Zetsu!" Mikomi hugged her brother.

"Mi...komi?"

"Endymion is dead. Maybe now this place will finally return to what it used to be," Dharc said as he looked up in hope.

"There's still one order of business left." Zetsubou rose to his feet. "Where is the Rose Card?"

"Endymion kept his greatest secrets in his sanctum, but only he had access to it," Mahad answered.

"Perhaps now that he is dead, his wards have died as well?" Dharc suggested.

They found out moments later when Mahad was able to enter the private library. As he had suspected, the White Rose Card was found inside the drawer of Endymion's desk. Zetsubou entered with everyone else and took it and examined it. The card was glowing. "The seal must be nearby." At once Noah began to pull books off the shelves.

"What are you doing?" asked Getsu.

"There's always a hidden room behind the bookshelves," answered the boy as he resumed pulling books.

"I doubt a squirt like you could reach them all," Sammie remarked.

"Oi!"

"It's true that a lot of the mages who studied under Endymion became reliant on their magic," Dharc confessed, "His trigger must be one not related to magic."

"I found something!" Mikomi exclaimed. She was holding a book. "This one is called _The Lost Arts volume IV_ but I found it among the _Encyclopedia Magica_ set."

"Everyone spread out," commanded Mahad, "Find _The Lost Arts_ collection." It took some time, but finally Manna was able to locate it. She pulled out a book titled _Black Magic volume III_, which prompted another search. Zetsubou was the one to find it and removed a book called _Arcane Secrets volume IX_. It took some time, but eventually they were able to find all the mis-shelved books and put them all back in their proper places. At once one of the shelves slid back and then to the left to reveal an alcove in which the shattered remains of a seal laid. Zetsubou stepped in and held out the card. The pieces of the seal came together and were transformed into a floating white crystal.

"Now that Endymion is gone, who's going to be in charge of the city?" asked Getsu.

"You should do it," Manna said as she turned to Mahad, "You're the most powerful sorcerer I know."

"The legendary Mahad as our master would indeed bring this city back to its former glory," Dharc concurred.

"Perhaps another time," Mahad replied, "But I feel that my powers shall be needed to restore Karheim." He turned to the Dark Charmer, "Dharc, can I trust you to help with the rebuilding of the city?"

"Me?"

"You were very brave to lead these people against Endymion. That is something to be commended."

"But I'm nowhere near as powerful as you, Mahad!"

Mahad knelt down in front of Dharc. "Strength does not come from power. It comes from the heart." The young charmer placed a hand over his chest. "I trust you can take care of the city until such time as I am able to return."

"If you believe in me that much, then I'll do my best not to disappoint you." Dharc tapped his staff on the floor as Meda Bat came to rest on his head.

Sako turned to Mika. "You should stay here too. The city will need help rebuilding and your healing powers will help immensely."

"Do you really think so?" Mika asked.

"It's for the best. Once we've defeated Caius, we'll come back for you," the Duel Sniper assured her. The priestess nodded with understanding.

Soon the group was off. Sammie, Sako, Zetsubou, Mikomi, Noah, and Getsu along with two new additions: Mahad and Manna. As Dharc, Mika and the other remaining Spellcasters began to clean up the city, up in Endymion's sanctum an old man with a long beard watched from the window as he sat at the desk.

"As I promised, I would return," he said as he smiled.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The gates of the underworld open as the group ventures deep into the Dark World seeking the next seal. All who go in have never come back. Will our heroes survive? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	183. Gates of the Underworld

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic is a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-96**

**Gates of the Underworld**

"Endymion has been destroyed, the Terrans have regained their comrade, the girl's mind has been restored, the priestess has been freed, and now the Terrans have recruited the most powerful sorcerer in Karheim." Caius banged his fist against his armrest.

"Don't worry about a thing, Lord Caius! They shall meet their end soon. In the Dark World!" From his throne room beyond the gates of the Underworld laughed Brron, Mad King of Dark World.

"You've never been known to have a thought-out plan, Brron. What could you possibly have that would entice them to enter your domain?" the Shadow Monarch questioned.

"I have _this_!" Brron reached into his robe and pulled out a Red Rose Card.

Caius looked at him. "Where did you get that?"

"It doesn't matter how I got it. What matters is those Terrans are going to try to get it!"

"See to it that this plan of yours actually works, Brron.

As the scrying orb darkened, he turned to his forces before him. "Denizens of Dark World, prepare to welcome some 'guests' to our glorious world!" He cocked his head back and a maniac cackle erupted from his jagged maw.

o o o

"This is remarkable!" exclaimed Getsu, "To think that we were able to have the powerful Mahad join us in our fight."

"It is no great feat," the Dark Magician confessed modestly, "The influence of the UnGod is strong. I am but one man joining the fight to vanquish Him."

"Well so far we've had a lot of difficulty finding those willing to fight alongside us in this realm," Sako pointed out.

"The UnGod's influence is spread through fear," Zetsubou explained, "It appeals to others with promises of power so that they may avoid their fears."

"Then what's Caius scared of?" asked Noah.

"Probably losing role over Karheim," Mikomi guessed, "Remember the Monarchs told us that the realms were now ruled by a Regent Lord of the UnGod? I'm guessing Caius didn't want his world ruled by someone other than him."

"I doubt it is as simple as that," Mahad remarked.

"Whatever the case, we need to find the next seal," Sammie pointed out.

"Oooh! Lemme try scrying it!" Manna exclaimed excitedly.

"Very well then, Manna. Let us see how your training has paid off thus far," Mahad agreed.

"Yay!" Manna jumped up and down and then finally calmed herself down. "Alright. Here we go. I call upon the power of the stars. Ancient forces near and far. Eye of Truth, show us what is in your sight and bring it before us with your light!" She raised her staff up and a vision appeared above the group. All heads turned and watched as a large pair of black gates appeared in the image.

"It is as I feared," Mahad said darkly.

"What? What?" Noah looked back and forth between everyone. "What's going on?"

The Dark Magician answered, "Those...are the gates to the Dark World."

There was a pause among the group until Sammie broke the silence.

"Fan-fucking-tastic."

o o o

Brron stood on the balcony overlooking the yard where his entire legion of Dark World demons had assembled. "GENTLEMEN!" he shrieked, "We...are...the Dark World Army!" A loud roar of demonic cheering echoed from the canyon below him. "Lord Caius has given us an order! To kill the Terrans! And how will we kill the Terran? We'll lure them into our world!" Another roar echoed from below him as two enormous dark draconic demons rose up behind him and roared.

"NOW GO AND SHOW THEM OUR MIGHT!" Brron pointed forward and his troops marched onward. Meanwhile, from the shadows behind him, Kozaky watched with what little light there was glaring off the lenses of his glasses.

o o o

The journey to the Gates of Dark World was two days. Even though Mahad could have blinked them all to their location, it was important that he conserved his mana. However they were able to reduce their travel time by coming across a pack of Bicorn Re'em, which Manna enchanted so they could be tamed. Within a day and a quarter's time they arrived at the big black gates. They were set into a mountainside and the group lay in hiding behind a ridge that overlooked the gates.

"How do we get in?" asked Mikomi.

"That will not be easy for the gates have never opened lest by the will of the Dark World forces," Mahad answered. Getsu clutched the hilt of her sword tightly.

"My blade shall slay the demons."

"Their numbers are many. It would be ill advised to approach them directly," the Dark Magician cautioned.

"Sako, how's your ammo count?" asked Noah.

"Low," the Duel Sniper answered.

"We'll have to sneak in, but we can't even approach if the gates won't open." Zetsubou thought for a moment. "I'll distract them."

"How?" asked Sammie.

"I remember seeing Brron in Caius' court, so they're definitely working for the UnGod. Which means we have the perfect bait to lure them out."

"You're not thinking about what I think you're thinking, are you?"

Zetsubou took out his Rose Card. "Brother, no!" Mikomi pleaded. Zetsubou looked at her and placed his hand gently on her head.

"It will be alright." He turned to Mahad. "Make sure you're ready."

"We can't blink through the gates, but perhaps I have another solution." The Dark Magician reached into his robes and pulled out several bottles of purple liquid.

"What's this?" asked Noah.

"Invisibility potion." This elicited an excited squeal from the boy.

"It will only last five minutes, so we must make haste," Mahad cautioned.

"Let's make sure it's enough." And with that Zetsubou proceeded. He walked toward the gates, card in hand, and stood before them. He held out the White Rose Card. "Brron! I understand you seek this!" Nothing happened for a while and then suddenly there was a loud creak and the gates slowly opened. Hordes of demons marched out from the world beyond.

"Now!" On Mahad's command everybody drank their potions. As soon as everybody had disappeared from visibility, he blinked them all to the side of the gates and they ran through single file. Zetsubou soon found himself surrounded by demons and put the card away.

"Hand over that card and we may spare your life!" A demon with golden wings carrying a large two-handed axe demanded. In response, Zetsubou put the White Rose Card away and drew his knives. "Do you really believe you can fight us all?"

Zetsubou said nothing and instead ran toward the demon who spoke and leapt up. Giving his target no time to react, he sank his blades deep into his throat and rode him as he fell. The moment the demon hit the ground he jumped off and pulled his knives out before wasting no time and taking out another one.

o o o

"My King, it appears that a Terran is at the gate," Zure, Knight of Dark World reported to Brron.

"Just one?" asked the Mad King.

"Yes." That answer gave Zure a blow to the head with one of his king's chains.

"FOOL! The Terrans are with Mahad! The rest must have entered while that one distracted out men!"

"My apologies!" Zure said quickly as he got back up and knelt down.

"No matter! We will have them soon!"

o o o

The invisibility potion wore off and the team found themselves within the heart of Dark World. Unfortunately they were spotted almost right away by Scarr, Scout of Dark World. HE crawled away quickly and before long more hordes of demons came toward the team.

"So much for keeping quiet." Getsu drew her katana. A Kakkhi leapt at her and she swung her weapon, disintegrating the demon into dust with a single blow.

"Take this! Dark Burning Attack! HIYA!" Manna cast her staff out and fired off a burst of black flame.

"They shall feel the power of Black Magic." Mahad raised his hand and the entire zone appeared to reverse color as his spell blasted away a good number of demons.

"Scrap Beast, help!" Mikomi called out her mechanical tiger and sent it to attack. She watched as it pounced and took down a Gren before proceeding to maul it.

Loud roars filled the air as two demonic dragons descended onto the battlefield. Noah and Sammie looked at each other and nodded, summoning Light and Darkness Dragon and Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning respectively. The latter hopped onto the back of the former who then flew toward the large demons. Black Luster Soldier leapt off and brought his sword down on the head of the first beast while Light and Darkness Dragon unleashed a blast of light from its mouth at the second. Sako kept the fighting to the ground with his combat knife. He stopped Snoww before she could cast her spell by slitting her throat and then kicked her away before turning around to thrust his blade into the abdomen of an approaching Ceruli.

"There's too many of them!" Noah cried.

"HYEHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAAAAA AAAA! Welcome to the Dark World, Terrans!" Brron appeared on a balcony overlooking the canyon that the team suddenly realized they had been lured into. "And a special welcome to the great Mahad!"

"Brron!" Mahad gripped his staff and aimed it, but he made no movement to attack.

"Ahhhh, I see you haven't changed one bit! Now here's my proposal. Surrender and serve Lord Caius and I shall grant you this!" He pulled out the Red Rose Card and held it out. "If you choose to try to fight... Well, let's say no one survives!"

"Do we really have to go through this every single time?" asked Sammie.

"Do you wanna take this or should I?" asked Noah.

"Go hard."

Noah drew card from his deck. "Everyone grab onto something." He held it over his hand. "Dark Hole!" A black hole suddenly opened up in the sky and began sucking in everything. Almost at once all the Dark World demons began lifting off the ground and flying toward the void above them.

"HA! That pathetic little thing won't do anything against my army!" Brron cackled. "Graphas, attack!" At once an entire horde of Graphas flew toward the Dark Hole, allowing themselves to get sucked in and activating their abilities from within. Before long the black hole disappeared and the remaining Dark Worlders fell back.

"NOW THEN!" Brron looked down upon the Terrans, "What foolish move shall you try next!"

"What else have you got?" Manna inquired.

"I'm out." Noah took two steps back.

"So will you surrender?" Brron asked once more.

Before anyone could answer, Zetsubou landed behind the Mad King and thrust his knives into his lower back. Brron shrieked in pain as the assassin pulled out his blades and jumped over the balcony rail to join the others.

"Did I miss much?" he asked.

"Zetsu!" Mikomi cried happily.

"How did you escape my troops?" demanded Brron.

"Let's just say they won't be reporting back any time soon."

"Well let's just see how you feel in just a bit!" Without warning, several of Brron's chains erupted from the ground tipped with spikes and impaled Zetsubou.

"Zetsu!" Mikomi ran over to her brother as the chains retracted.

"HYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAH YAAAAAAAAAAAA! The strongest of you has fallen!" Brron laughed.

"You... You bastard!" Mikomi called forth Scrap Dragon and sent it at Brron.

"Guards! Protect me!" On the Mad King's orders, the demons flocked to attack, but Scrap Dragon blasted them all away with little effort. Before long, all lay around the canyon dead or dying.

Brron stepped back from the railing. "This is what you get for hurting my brother!" Mikomi yelled.

"Manna, tend to him," Mahad instructed. His apprentice nodded and took out a Red Medicine to give to Zetsubou.

"Lord Caius!" screamed Brron, "I need your help!" A Corridor of Darkness opened and Caius stepped out with his Soul Gate.

"Your call has been answered and help has been granted. Chaos Exultation!" The Shadow Monarch's device opened and streams of darkness poured from the eye and absorbed all the fallen Dark Worlders. As the last one was pulled in, Brron threw back his robe and exposed a multi-colored demonic Duel Disk just as his lord loaded the cards into the deck slot. Mikomi activated her own Duel Disk in response.

"Let's duel!"

–––––––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 8000

**Brron:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––

"Would you like to go first, little girl?" Brron cackled.

Mikomi drew the first card. "I'd be delighted." She examined her hand and then took a card out and placed it on her Duel Disk. "I summon Scrap Shark in attack mode." A shark made out of spare junk parts breached the surface of the ground and rose up making mechanical shark noises (ATK/2100 DEF/0). "Now because I have a Scrap monster on the field, I can Special Summon Scrap Orthos." A mechanical wolf made from junk parts appeared beside Mikomi's shark and howled (ATK/1700 DEF/1100). "When Scrap Orthos is Special Summoned this way, one of my Scrap monsters is destroyed and I choose Scrap Shark." In that moment, Scrap Shark groaned and exploded.

"Why did she do that?" asked Manna, "Her shark was way stronger."

"Now since Scrap Shark was destroyed by another Scrap card, I can send one Scrap monster from my deck to my graveyard and I choose Scrap Goblin." She took her card as her deck spat it out and placed it into her graveyard. "I end with one set. Your move."

Brron cackled. "You'll regret not having done more, girl!" He drew his card. "I play Dark World Dealings! First we each draw a card and then we discard a card." Both he and Mikomi drew a card. The latter placed Scrap Beast into her graveyard. But the Mad King had other plans. "I discard Snoww, Unlight of Dark World. And when she's discarded, I can bring one Dark World card from my deck to my hand. I bring forth the gates." He retrieved his Field Spell and then activated it by placing it in his field tray. "I call upon the Gates of Dark World!" As Brron activated his card, an enormous pair of stone double doors with intricate carvings rose up behind him.

"Next I use the power of the Gates. By banishing one Fiend in my grave, I can discard a Fiend from my hand and draw." He banished Snoww and discarded Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World to draw a card. As he did so, the gates opened slightly and the ghost of Snoww flew out as the image of Beiige was thrown in before they closed. "Since he was discarded by an effect, I can now resurrect Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World!" The gates opened once more as a grey demon in beige armor wielding a spear stepped out (ATK/1600 DEF/1300). "And thanks to the Gates, all my Fiends gain three hundred attack and defense." Beiige's muscles seemed to bulge out as his attack and defense points rose to nineteen hundred and sixteen hundred respectively.

"Now Beiige, attack!" ordered Brron.

"Not so fast! I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" A scarecrow made of junk parts appeared and blocked Beiige's spear.

"You deflected Beiige's attack. Not bad for a little girl!" Brron laughed as Scrap-Iron Scarecrow was re-set. "I will set two cards and end my turn."

"Draw!" Mikomi drew her next card. "I sack Orthos to summon Scrap Golem!" SCrap Orthos vanished and in its place appeared a golem made out of an old refrigerator for a body, a tube and a fan for an arm, and an old television for a head all held together with pipes (ATK/2300 DEF/1400). "Now I'll use his effect to resurrect Scrap Goblin to my side." Scrap Golem opened its door and a Scrap Goblin popped out, a creature with a camera for a body, a faucet for a head, two clips for feet, and a fork and machine part for arms (ATK/0 DEF/500). "I sync them together!" Scrap Goblin turned into three stars that changed into synchro rings and surrounded Scrap Golem until its body faded away leaving five stars which were engulfed by light.

"When the times fall hard upon us, we must gather the strength to fight on! Synchro Summon! Stand strong, Scrap Dragon!" The light dispersed and steam jetting out of two pipes filled the field as a mechanical dragon arose (ATK/2800 DEF/2000). "Now I'll use Scrap Dragon's effect. I destroy my set card to destroy your Beiige." Scrap Dragon blasted steam downward and destroyed Mikomi's facedown card before firing a blast from its eyes at Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World."

"Now attack!" Scrap Dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a powerful jet of energy at Brron.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 8000

**Brron:** 5200

–––––––––––––––––––

"That's all."

Brron began cackling madly as he drew his card.

"He just took heavy damage!" exclaimed Getsu, "Why does he laugh?"

"Because he has a plan," answered Mahad.

"I now activate Dark Scheme! You can negate this by discarding one card if you want. Otherwise we both discard two and draw two," explained the Mad King of Dark World.

Mikomi thought for a moment and then announced her decision. "Let's do it!" She and her opponent discarded two cards and then drew two more.

"Now I can Special Summon Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World and Sillva, Warlord of Dark World!" Brron laughed like a madman once again as two demons appeared before him. One a gold winged demon wielding a large axe (ATK/2300 DEF/1400) and the other a silver winged demon wielding a saber (ATK/2300 DEF/1400). The Gates of Dark World raised both their power to twenty-six hundred attack points and seventeen hundred defense points.

"Even so, his monsters still possess lower attack points," Sako thought aloud, "No doubt he has a means to circumvent this."

"Now I'll Overlay Goldd and Sillva!" The two demons were transformed into streams of dark light as they spiraled into a vortex. "I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters. Xyz Summon! From the darkness of Hell, rise Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon!" Darkness shot out of the vortex and deposited a black demon with long raven hair, black wings, and carrying a glowing red dagger in his hand as two dark orbs of light circled his body (ATK/2600 DEF/1700). The Gates of Dark World raised his stats to twenty-nine hundred attack and two thousand defense.

"And now for the special ability of Adreus. By detaching one Overlay Unit, he can destroy a single face-up monster under your control." As Brron detached Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World, Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon absorbed one of the orbs into his dagger and the demonic aura surrounding it started to pulsate harder. Then spreading his wings, the black demon began to rain red particles across the field. They scattered all over Scrap Dragon, who roared in pain as it penetrated his hide and entered its systems. It wasn't long before it exploded and sent pieces of scrap all over.

"I activate Scrap Dragon's effect!" announced Mikomi, "Since you killed him, I can resurrect a fallen Scrap Monster as long as it's not a Synchro. I summon Scrap Beast in defense mode!" A mechanical tiger made up of scrap parts appeared and snarled as it crouched defensively (ATK/1600 DEF/1300).

"It doesn't matter. Adreus, attack!" At the Mad King's command, Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon released a wave of demonic energy from his dagger that cut Scrap Beast in two. "You can't hope to defeat Adreus!"

"We'll see!" Mikomi drew her card. "I summon Scrap Chimera!" A mechanical chimera made up of junk parts and scrap metal appeared and roared (ATK/1700 DEF/500). "And when SCrap Chimera is Normal Summoned, I can resurrect one fallen Scrap Tuner. So say hi to Scrap Beast again." Scrap Beast appeared on the field and roared. "I tune my monsters together. When the times fall hard upon us, we must gather the strength to fight on! Synchro Summon! Stand strong, Scrap Dragon!" Another Scrap Dragon appeared on the field and roared.

"Now I set one card..."

"And I activate mine!" Brron revealed his facedown card, "Another Dark Scheme!"

Mikomi looked at her hand. There were none she wanted to part with. And so she and Brron discarded two cards and then drew two new ones.

"Ha! You are a fool to think you could have let me discard. First, I discarded Gren, Tactician of Dark World. When he's discarded, he destroys one Spell or Trap Card on your field. And the other one is Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World. When he's discarded he can destroy one monster you control." In that instant, a slender demon in a green cape and a demon with a khaki colored knife and head appeared. The former read a spell from a book he was carrying and destroyed Mikomi's backfield card while the latter charged in and suicided against Scrap Dragon, exploding upon contact with the robotic beast.

"He planned that!" exclaimed Noah.

"Brron is not called the Mad King for no reason." Mahad pointed out.

"I resurrect Scrap Golem in defense mode!" Mikomi brought her refrigerator giant back. "Then with his effect, I'll bring back Scrap Beast." Scrap Beast appeared alongside Scrap Golem. "Now I'll Synchro Summon by tuning them!"

"When the times fall hard upon us, we must gather the strength to fight on! Synchro Summon! Stand strong, Twin Scrap Dragon!" The light vanished and a two-headed dragon made up of scrap and junk appeared over the field and roared (ATK/3000 DEF/2200). "Attack!" Opening its two mouths, Twin Scrap Dragon opened fire with two powerful lasers and destroyed Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 8000

**Brron:** 5100

–––––––––––––––––––

Mikomi stood proud and strong in light of her accomplishment. "That will be all."

"Impressive. But now it's my turn!" Brron drew his next card. "With the power of the Gates, I banish Gren and discard Broww, Huntsman of Dark World then draw a card. And since Broww himself was discarded, his effect allows me to draw another card." The Gates of Dark World opened and the soul of Gren floated away as Broww, Huntsman of Dark World fell in allowing Brron to draw two cards.

"And as it turns out, I play Card Destruction!" The Mad King of Dark World discarded his hand of four cards and drew four new ones while Mikomi discarded her three and drew the same number from her deck. "And now for a little horror. Two of those cards I discarded were Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World. When just one of them is discarded, I can choose one card on the field and destroy it. And as it turns out, there's one card that needs to be destroyed. Twin Scrap Dragon!" A demonic dragon's claw reached up and grabbed hold of Twin Scrap Dragon. The mechanical beast roared as it tried to fight its way free, but to no avail and it wasn't long before it was pulled down.

"And my other two cards were Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World, so their effects allow them to revive." Two new copies of Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World appeared. "But that's not all. Now I bounce one to my hand to resurrect my most powerful creature of all. Come out, Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World!" As one of the Beiiges returned to Brron's hand, an enormous black demon dragon appeared covered in horns and spikes. It spread its wings as it cocked its head back and roared (ATK/2700 DEF/1800). The power of the Gates of Dark World raised its stats to three thousand attack points and twenty-one hundred defense points.

"And if that doesn't strike fear in you, I will bounce my other Beiige to resurrect the other Grapha!" The second Beiige vanished and another Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World arose and roared. "And if that isn't enough, I activate Solidarity! Since all I have are Fiends in my graveyard, my Graphas gain eight hundred attack points more!" Both Graphas roared as they felt their attack points rise up to thirty-eight hundred.

"ATTACK!" screamed the Mad King. Both Dragon Lords opened their mouths and unleashed a wave of black fire upon Mikomi.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 400

**Brron:** 5100

–––––––––––––––––––

Brron could have been smiling, but it was impossible to tell with his constant mad grin. "Your move," was all he said as he stood there with great arrogance.

Mikomi drew her card. "I play Monster Reborn and resurrect Twin Scrap Dragon." Twin Scrap Dragon rose up from the ground and roared. "Next I summon Scrap Chimera." A second Scrap Chimera appeared and roared. "Now I use his effect to resurrect Scrap Beast." Scrap Beast leapt back onto the field and roared. "Now I set a facedown and activate Twin Scrap Dragon's effect. By destroying one of my cards, he can bounce two of your cards back to your hand." Twin Scrap Dragon shot Mikomi's facedown with a laser from its tail before opening its mouths and firing off powerful steam blasts that blew the two Graphas off the field.

"Ha! I'll just summon them back!" Brron cackled.

"I tune my Scrap Beast with my Scrap Chimera. When the times fall hard upon us, we must gather the strength to fight on! Synchro Summon! Stand strong, Scrap Dragon!" Mikomi performed her Synchro Summon and called out her third Scrap Dragon. "Their combined power should be enough to defeat you, Brron." As she spoke, a red light seemed to glow through her shirt as a Red Rose Mark appeared just above her naval. "Scrap Dragon! Twin Scrap Dragon! Attack Brron and end his mad rule." Both dragons opened their mouths and charged up. Then in a simultaneous movement they fired their lasers at once and struck Brron, Mad King of Dark World with full power.

–––––––––––––––––––

**Mikomi:** 400

**Brron:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––

Brron laid on the ground smouldering from his defeat. His mouth hung open as he tried to let out a laugh, but twitched as he gagged and a splatter of black blood was coughed up from his throat. "Defeated...hehe...by a little girl...hehe... It's almost...hehe... Laughable." His light chuckles turned into giggles and then into cackles before he finally broke off into a full-on maniacal laugh.

"What's so funny?" demanded Mahad as he stood over Brron and pointed his staff at him.

"This!" The chains around the Mad King shattered and he vanished. The entirety of Dark World began to rumble and shake as a Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World ten times larger than any other they had encountered rose up. This one, however, had chains hanging loosely off its body and its horn arrangement was different.

"It's Brron!" Mikomi realized.

"That's right!" The Mad King's voice could be heard echoing from all over, but the source was clearly coming from the Dragon Lord. "You really didn't think I would be defeated so easily, did you?"

"Maybe not easily, but we will still defeat you!" Mikomi walked over to where Brron had been laying just mere moments ago and picked up something that he had apparently left behind: the Red Rose Card. She held it over her head and the card answered her as Atomic Scrap Dragon appeared and roared.

"HA! You think your three-headed piece of junk can beat me! I'll show you! DARKNESS OVERLOAD!"

"Atomic Scrap Dragon, Atomic Tri-Breath!"

Grapha reared back its head before unleashing a powerful burst of black void energy combined with black flames from its mouth as Atomic Scrap Dragon fired a powerful radioactive burst from each of its mouths. The latter was able to overpower the demonic dragon as their attacks collided and was able to push back the dark power and eventually blast Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World, vanquishing it along with Brron, Mad King of Dark World. From the remains the Red Rose Card fell and Mikomi snatched it from the air.

"I got a Rose Card!"

"Mikomi, are you alright?" asked Zetsubou as he ran up to his sister as Atomic Scrap Dragon vanished. Behind him, Manna admired her healing work with pride.

"I'm fine, Zetsu."

"Now we gotta find the seal," said Sammie.

"I'll take her. I've seen it here." Mahad stepped forward and placed a hand on Mikomi. He blinked them both out of the canyon and into Brron's castle inside a secret room where the remains of the seal lay. Mikomi used her card and restored the seal, transforming the black crystal shards into single solid red crystal.

"Strange," Mahad thought aloud.

"What's wrong?" asked Mikomi.

"It is as it was back in Endymion. Though the seal was restored, I felt an ominous presence arise," the Dark Magician answered.

Mikomi was about to suggest that it was probably nothing to worry about, but then decided that it would probably be unwise to question the great sorcerer. With the seal now restored, the two of them returned to the group and then left together to leave the Dark World.

With three seals restored, Mahad knew that he should have felt the influence of the UnGod weakening. Yet somehow he felt that something wasn't right.

o o o

Brron, Mad King of Dark World was dead. The Dark World army had been vanquished. Kozaky stood among the remains of the former underworld empire, his lab coat blowing in the wind and dust as light from some unseen source reflected off his glasses. He opened up a device similar to a cellular phone and activated a speed dial number.

"Jinzo, it is done," he reported as he observed the ruins before him.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Chaos. Chaos. It doesn't make sense. He wasn't there before. He should be dead. The world doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense. Are you reading this? Are you there? Help us! Our world is coming apart! FOR GOD SAKE HELP U-

Next Week...**404 ERROR**


	184. 404 Error

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic is a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-97**

**404 Error**

_Have you ever read a story that touched you? That you loved? Something that you read and with a passion, turning the pages with a hungry fervor? Those are the stories that live forever. The stories with characters that outlive us all and gain a life of their own._

_A life of their own..._

_That is when the story gains power. That is when it gains depth. That is when magic happens, good and bad. When the inconsistencies of reality appear in the story's past, present, and future ripping open wider and wider with each word. Your heart wretches and you don't understand why. You never understand why. _

_Maybe a character is where they should not be. _

_Maybe they know something they should not know._

_Maybe they are acting in a way they never have before._

_Please, we know you are there, don't let this happen. Don't let them be ripped apart. It is already happening. This story is not yet through. The machine. The machine is out there! He is ruining our plans! We can not let him activate the device! There are so many stories left to tell! Don't let the UnGod win! Don't let the machine ruin everything. RAGNAROK! WAKE UP! WAKE UP! _

o o o

Brron, Mad King of Dark World was dead. The Dark World army had been vanquished. Kozaky stood among the remains of the former underworld empire, his lab coat blowing in the wind and dust as light from some unseen source reflected off his glasses. He opened up a device similar to a cellular phone and activated a speed dial number.

"Jinzo, it is done," he reported as he observed the ruins before him.

o o o

In the solitude of his sterile lab Jinzo smiled behind his mask. His exposed gray matter pulsating with a plethora of shifting thoughts and ideas. Plans coming to fruition from his imagination after many years of building and plotting.

"Excellent," Jinzo replied before hanging up. The cybernetic psychic scientist moved with the melodic rhythm of his footsteps clacking like a metallic metronome toward a massive machine. A machine thrumming with power. Humming with the force that birthed creation and entropy. Jinzo stood within its shadow and its haunting light, a console of light forming at his finger tips.

"With the throne of Pandemonium empty, the graves of the Undead upturned, the walls of Enymion crumbled, and the gates of the Dark World open I can activate the Infinite Probability Engine. Finally I will rule Karheim! Finally I will control reality at its birth! Finally I will be a God! And I have to thank those Terrans."

Jinzo typed furiously at his hard light console and a red dot appeared on his screen. "Recording begin. As according to my calculations the Terrans have disrupted the necessary sectors. I knew teleporting them to the Zombie territories would force them to disrupt the nobility there and cause the souls there to become unresful. It was a simple matter to harness that with my Spirit Converter, allowing me to harness the foundations of life. The souls were used to fertilize the Primial Seeds harvested from Pandemoium's royal garden, a feat only possible when the chaotic energies of that maddening hell hole are left unchecked by the royal family.

"Using the fertilized seeds as the core for the device we suspended it in an infinite paradox field, which we were able to create by absorbing the ambient energies of Endymion. The city was known for maintaining all timelines and dimensions within its walls, supsending itself in its own continuity outside of the default one. Of course the Terrans wouldn't understand that I was treating them as Schrodinger would a cat by allowing them entrance into the city. Using their ignorance of the quantum state of the city to my advantage as they killed the epicenter of the paradox: the wizard Endymion.

"And with the introduction of pure quantifiable darkness, only attainable from the Dark World where Darkness is not just defined by the absence of light, but is its own state of matter. By introducing the quantifiable void to the paradox suspended fertile seed we will recreate not only this universe in my lab, but all universes simultaneously from beginning to end." Jinzo laughed maniacally to himself as he typed faster and faster at his hard light console. A furor in his pace that increased with each of his recorded words.

And with a final command he looked up at his machine and began to cackle a static filled laugh. "Infinite Probability Engine lay waste to our reality!" And with the press of an enter key the massive machine roared to life and burst with incredible power. A wave of energy that rippled through time and space across all of Ardent, its effects being felt at their strongest in Karheim. And in the distance the sounds of creation and entropy echoed through the ears of a being who has seen both.

The UnGod watched with a bemused grin. This would indeed be interesting.

o o o

It is a funny thing to not know the dangers around you. There are the obvious dangers of the world around you, the world you can perceive. You think you can prepare with bullets and knives. You think you can cower around the flame, like your ancestors did, but nothing can truly prepare you for the unknown. The Karheim Terrans made this mistake. They assumed they were safe in the glow of their flickering fire. They assumed they were stronger than anything in Karheim.

Strength would do them no good.

Sammie slept a restless sleep, clutching at her head as she heard a booming voice talk about stories. It...made her cry. Tears streaming down her face. Why? She couldn't hear the words. She couldn't..._WAKE UP! RAGNAROK! WAKE UP!_

Sammie bolted upright in a loud scream, a cold sweat beading on her brow before she looked around the camp and her eyes widened in terror.

"What is wrong Sammie?" said Zetsubou with necrotic flesh before he suddenly vanished, appearing miles away. Then reappearing, his flesh like normal before he began to shift into an infinite number of races, ages, and histories. She looked around the camp and every member of the camp seemed to be shifting endlessly from being there to being someone else.

"Sammie? Are you okay?" said Mikey as he placed his hand on her shoulder. Sammie darted up and shoved the boy away before he vanished into a burst of bits, as if he was made of nothing but computer data.

"W-what the fuck is going on!?" Sammie yelled, tripping over Mikomi, whose throat opened up as if it had been slit, letting blood pour out in fountains. Sako stood across from the teenager, kissing Charlie as if she was already there.

"Oh dear! This world is just so fabulous!" Biff cried out behind a clown mask, spinning around and around while Coltyn stood atop a rock formation that wasn't there before, with brown skin and wrathful eyes. In Coltyn's hand was a book. Was that the book that Wes had captured from Kage? What was it doing there? What was Coltyn doing there?

"AAAAAAAGH!" Sammie screamed again, before a hand grasped her wrist and pulled her up to her feet and began to drag her away from camp.

"Hurry!" Mahad cried to her with Mana following behind the pair.

"Mahad, what is going on!?" Sammie cried with tears streaming down her cheek.

"All of reality is tearing itself apart! Time is touching end to end and all dimensions are overlapping. Every possibility that could be WILL BE: simultaneously. It is the natural state of Endymion, but not for all reality. "

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"I mean that there is no continuity to the universe. I should have noticed this earlier, with your friend Zetsubou. I could sense was writhe with inconsistencies, but I just assumed that was because of Endymion. No, something has rippled the power of Endymion through all points in time and space. No place is safe anymore and if we don't figure out how to fix this the strain will make the universe rip itself apart."

"Wait...what!? Is that why everyone is...I don't even know!" Sammie said, still running hand in hand with Mahad.

"Of course it is! Haven't you been listening to my Master?" Mana chimed in. "What I want to know is why you arn't like the rest of your Terran buddies."

"I DON'T KNOW!" Sammie yelled out, falling to her knees before she began to cry in her hands. "I DON'T FUCKING KNOW! My mind...I keep hearing these voices. These dreams. I know things...words I shouldn't...I...HELP ME! JESUS CHRIST! HELP ME!" Sammie buried her eyes into the heels of her palms and let loose a hard cry. She didn't bother to ask about Mahad and Mana. They were probably unaffected because they were mages of Endymion. She didn't care. She just wanted to go home. This wasn't what she wanted when she signed up for this school. She didn't want any of this. She just wanted to play card games. To get a degree in music at a university over seas and teach. She could still hear the noises in her head. The sounds. They just wouldn't stop!

"There...There's a drumming noise inside my head that starts when you're around..." Sammie began.

"What?" Mana asked.

"I swear that you could hear it; it makes such an almighty sound...Th-there's a drumming noise inside my head that throws me to the ground." Sammie continued, undaunted and ignoring Mana. Ignoring the hand of Saito placing itself on her shoulder. He was never there. Not to her mind. Not to her continuity. Never.

"Samantha, I don't think this is the time for..." Mahad tried to interrupt.

"Louder than sirens. Louder than bells. Sweeter than heaven and hotter than hell. I ran to a tower, where the church bells chime. I hoped that they would clear my mind. They left a ringing in my ears, but that drum's still beating loud and clear," Sammie's eyes were swollen with tears as she slowly began to stop reciting the lyrics and, instead, began to sing.

"_Louder than sirens_

_Louder than bells_

_Sweeter than heaven_

_And hotter than hell_

_Louder than sirens_

_Louder than bells_

_Sweeter than heaven_

_And hotter than hell_

_Louder than sirens_

_Louder than bells_

_Sweeter than heaven_

_And hotter than hell_

_As I move my feet towards your body_

_I can hear this beat it fills my head up_

_And gets louder and louder_

_It fills my head up and gets louder and louder_

_I run to the river and dive straight in_

_I pray that the water will drown out the din_

_But as the water fills my mouth_

_It couldn't wash the echoes out_

_But as the water fills my mouth_

_It couldn't wash the echoes out_

_I swallow the sound and it swallows me whole_

_Till there's nothing left inside my soul_

_As empty as that beating drum_

_But the sound has just begun_

_As I move my feet towards your body_

_I can hear this beat it fills my head up_

_And gets louder and louder_

_It fills my head up and gets louder and louder_

_There's a drumming noise inside my head_

_That starts when you're around_

_I swear that you could hear it_

_It makes such an almighty sound_

_There's a drumming noise inside my head_

_That starts when you're around_

_I swear that you could hear it_

_It makes such an all mighty sound_

_Louder than sirens_

_Louder than bells_

_Sweeter than heaven_

_And hotter than hell_

_Louder than sirens_

_Louder than bells_

_Sweeter than heaven_

_And hotter than hell_

_As I move my feet towards your body_

_I can hear this beat it fills my head up_

_And gets louder and louder_

_It fills my head up and gets louder and louder"_

Mahad and Mana kept trying to get Sammie up, but she just continued to sing as the madness of life, the universe, and everything unraveling slowly enveloped everything around them. As Mahad had said, there was no place that was safe.

o o o

In a place beyond reality the howl of space and time being ripped apart at every point simultaneously could be heard. It screamed like the sound of an infinite mass of nails against an eternal chalkboard. A hideous sound that rocked a small, opaque bubble that seemed to float aimlessly within this between space. An oscillating ring in the shape of a dragon made of water moved round and round over the orb. Inside the sphere was a man in a white lab coat running back and forth from console to console in a manic fashion as a large, tan skinned, muscular woman stood by. They did not seem to pay mind to the fact that within the sphere the dimensions and size of it were vastly greater than the outside. It was as if the interior of the ship existed in a different dimension than the outside of the ship, making it bigger inside than out.

"Oh dear, oh dear. This is not good. Not good at all," said the man in the white lab coat.

"I don't see what the problem is, dear. The ship is just experiencing some turbulence," the large woman said.

"Sweetie, I love it when you try to rationalize things, but this ship is currently floating in an extra dimensional 'gutter' of times and realities and is covered by a collection of force fields that...Well, let me ask you, have you ever experienced turbulence on this thing?"

"Yes. Several times."

"The time we were attacked by the Taleks doesn't count!"

"Then how about the-"

"Same goes for that time we defeated the Robomen!"

"Then what about-"

"And don't you bring up the time the Tyrant overtook the ship!"

"Then no. I have never experienced turbulence on the ship."

"Precisely. The only thing that could do this is if someone was creating some kind of multi-dimensional disturbance, overlapping several timelines and dimensions in a single location. It is causing quite a stir. Could destroy everything, including my jelly babies, which would be horrible."

"Is there anything we can do to stop it?"

"Tania, I am Doctor Bastion Misawa, the legendary explorer and defender of all the multiverse and time. Of course we can stop it. We are just going to have to be clever," the man in the white ab coat said with a smile as he slammed his fist onto his console before pulling a lever. The ship whirred and hummed loudly.

Shwah. Shwah. Shwah. It vanished from reality itself with that odd sound echoing in the nothingness of the inbetween space. "It's time to make a house call, Tania. After all, the Doctor is in."

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The border between chaos and reality is thin and easily broken. Bastion and Tania must work to restore it and free it from Jinzo's maniacal hands. Meanwhile, the team must endure and survive the hardships of Karheim. Distinguish reality from illusion next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	185. Reality Flux

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic is a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-98**

**Reality Flux**

Jinzo's laboratory was alight with flashing screens and electrical surges as the chief scientist laughed at his upcoming triumph. His machine was working wonders and he could not help but feel proud of his latest creation. And what was more was that this device was just another step to attaining his ultimate goal. "Soon I shall have control over the very fabric of reality." As he continued to oversee his machine, his attention seemed to be drawn away from his security sensors.

o o o

Reality was ripping itself apart. Chaos on biblical proportions. Old testament type of stuff. Real wrath of God stuff: fire and brimstone coming down from the skies, rivers and seas boiling, forty years of darkness, earthquakes, volcanoes, the dead rising from the grave; human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together. It was mass hysteria.

Or perhaps that was one iteration of reality at that given moment. The universe couldn't decide on what it wanted to be. Before Jinzo's machine had activated existence could let all things occur and be fine with letting them all happen simultaneously in its own universe, in its own time. It was the entire basis of the hypertimeline of the multiverse. Everything that could occur would occur in another universe. On and on ad infinitum.

Then Jinzo made reality choose. And like a child with several favorite candies existence kept plugging in many different aspects all at once. And only a handful could perceive or realize that the world was ripping itself apart. Only three of those handful were positioned to do anything about it. One of those three was on her knees, crying in madness.

"Samantha! Samantha!" Mahad yelled at the young teen as she continued to belt out song after song in a hushed mumble to herself, as if to drown out the world around her.

"Master, she is shutting down. Whatever is preventing her from being affected by the time/space convergence doesn't seem to be helping her mind," Manna interjected.

"Of course it wouldn't Manna. Do you think any mind would be prepared for this without having any prior experience with Endymion's hypertimeline? She is trying to view an infinite number or realities simultaneously. Her brain is only allowing her to see bits and pieces of each one at a time," Mahad explained before placing his hands on Sammie's shoulders once more and shaking her while the earth beneath their feet turned into jello, then glass.

"So she can't see the forest for the trees? How narrow minded," Manna shrugged while the sky behind her turned different shades of rainbow.

"Silence! Would you be able to grasp such enormity if the world you knew was a four foot box and you were released into the outside? I am actually stunned by her fortitude." Mahad looked around and saw a bustling city rise up and fall around them.

"What fortitude? She is broken in madness." Manna pointed out as a monkey with a fez hat appeared on her shoulder.

"Broken? Manna, she is using a mantra to hold herself together. Instinctively she used one of the basic tenants of spellcasting to maintain order within chaos. I would say that, were she trained a little, she could be a powerful mage," Mahad said before he turned to Manna and gasped. "My god..."

"What?" Manna blinked before spinning and looking out at the world; and she too was dumbfounded. "W-what the hell?" Manna said as she saw that the world had stopped shifting and some normality had come. While small shifts were occurring the world seemed to solidify.

"Oh no. We have less time than I thought," Mahad said. "Samantha. Everything is normalized now. Get up. We have to get back to the others and get moving. If we don't hurry and find a way to fix this then reality will crumble."

Sammie looked up to Mahad, a blank look on her face "Wh-what is going on Mahad? Where is everyone?" She asked, seemingly oblivious to the ensuing events. Manna looked over to her master who then looked at his apprentice. Sammie, however, just looked at them with an ever blank expression, as if her mind had shattered all her memories of the moment. Of the chaos. Of the horror.

"They are back at camp Samantha," Manna said with worry on her face, "You wandered off in your sleep. It-it must have been a bad dream or something..."

Mahad looked over to his protege and sighed. A lie? He almost corrected the young mage, but when he noticed Samantha stand up and move toward camp, shuffling her feet through the sand, he understood.

For now Sammie's mind wasn't important. The fragile veil of reality was.

o o o

Bastion had left the ship on autopilot while he retreated to one of his many laboratories. The once-blank white walls were covered from floor to ceiling in mathematical formulas. this was just one of the many empty rooms aboard the ship that were dedicated to adhering to his habit. There was a beep and a door appeared in one of the walls and slid open, allowing Tania entry.

"You've been working on this since the discovery of the disturbance," she said, "What is it that you are doing that is so important?"

"Everything," Bastion answered, "We must find the source of the disturbance and disable it and we must also stop the man responsible for it all. And tell me this, my dear. How have we always solved any problem?"

Tania sighed. "By dueling..."

"Precisely."

"Will you at least be careful this time?"

"When have I ever not been?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Do you really want to try me?"

"Well there was that one time-"

"That business on Planet Nemoidia doesn't count."

Tania sighed. "I'll be in the galley." And she walked away.

o o o

"Where are we?" asked Noah.

"I think we're near the Valley of Serpents," Manna said.

"Dangerous place," Mahad muttered, "Cold-blooded creatures of the darkest hearts lurk within the shadows and strike at unsuspecting prey without warning."

"It's like the passage between Scylla and Charybdis," Mikomi said.

"Who and what now?" Manna asked confused.

"Scylla and Charybdis were two creatures of Greek mythology," Noah explained, "Odysseus encountered them during his odyssey home. After making their way past the song of the Sirens, they came upon a narrow passage that passed between the rocky lair of Scylla and the gaping maw of Charybdis. Scylla was a hideous creature with multiple heads who would dart out of her lair and snatch any sailors who drew too close. On the other side, Charybdis lay drinking the sea water and anything that got caught in his pull and thrice a day he would expel it all back out."

"Eww."

"Not exactly like that I'm afraid," Sako said as he finished peering through his scope. "The problem with your story, Noah, is that one side of the passage had a beast that struck from the shadows while the other had a large whirlpool. In this case, both sides of the passage are Scylla's lair and our passage is much longer."

"That doesn't make it any better," said Getsu.

"We will fight if we must." Zetsubou had his hand over one of his knives, "But we will avoid fighting if we can help it. Any effort we spend trying to fend off attackers will waste time and energy. Before long we would be overwhelmed."

"Can't we just go around the valley?" asked Mikomi.

"Yes we can, but it would be a seven days' journey," Mahad answered.

"We can't afford seven days," said Getsu.

"No we cannot," the Dark Magician agreed.

"We've got no choice but to venture into the valley." Zetsubou stepped closer to the slope.

"Keep the children in the middle," Mahad instructed his apprentice.

"Oi! I can handle myself quite well, thank you very much," Noah interjected.

"You're also the smallest one here," Sammie reminded him.

"My size isn't the only thing that's small," the boy retorted.

"What did you say?"

"What did I say what?"

"You said something."

"I did not."

"Then what did you do?"

"Pout."

Sammie looked down at the boy and then just looked around confused.

"Let's just proceed," said Mahad. And with that, the party proceeded into the valley. But Mahad and Manna kept an eye on Sammie

o o o

"Hang on, Tania! We're almost there!" Bastion moved about the bridge trying to keep the ship stable as it flew through the great thickest part of the time-space disturbance, which caused severe storm-like effects to the in-between around them.

"Are you sure this is the best way to approach?" the amazon asked as she held on for dear life to keep herself standing.

"Well I made my calculations and there is a ninety-nine point nine percent chance that whoever is causing all this has sensors and defenses pointed in every direction. Except..."

"Except for the direction his machine is pointed in?"

"Except for the direction his machine is pointed in."

As the ship moved closer, Tania grew progressively more nervous while Bastion grew progressively more determined. Though she was a skilled warrior, and an amazon at that, who had traveled the multiverse with her husband for many years, she had never encountered such a powerful flux and she was starting to wonder if the ship would be able to hold. As her thoughts continued to pass her head, she looked out the window and could have sworn she saw a British police box fly past them.

"What was that?"

"Nothing I would worry about," Bastion answered. "Prepare yourself. We're about to engage in five, four, three, two..."

o o o

The ship entered into the space without warning. As soon as it appeared, warning lights and alarms went off. "What is that?" Jinzo demanded. He turned to his security monitors and watched as Cannon Soldiers and Mechanicalchasers made their way out to a mysterious ship that had suddenly appeared.

"Looks like the party's already here," said Bastion as he opened the hatch. After setting the autopilot, he and Tania both jumped out. The latter called forth Amazoness Swords Woman and they landed on top of two Cannon Soldiers, smashing through their armor before moving in. Bastion came down shortly after them equipped with several armaments he had brought down from the ship.

"The Doctor is in. And here's my prescription." He slammed a round device against the floor and an EMP erupted from it and shot across the entire hangar, shorting out all the machines and causing them to collapse.

o o o

"Status report!" Jinzo demanded.

"Invaders have entered!" a frantic robot reported.

"Don't just stand there like a rust bucket, you fool! Destroy them before they can stop my device!"

"Yes, sir! You all heard him! The invaders must die!"

o o o

Tania and Bastion had two very different styles of fighting. While Tania focused more on employing her strength and her warrior skills to overbear her opponents and beat them into submission, Bastion focused on using his mind and science to disable them using a variety of weapons to short out the onslaught of robots. After taking down more machines, the two of them hide behind opposite corners as three new ones began to fire at them from down the hall way gatling guns. Bastion took this opportunity to pull out a screened device from his coat and looked at it. It displayed a floor plan of the building.

"We must get to the next floor."

"I have an idea." Tania rolled across the hallway, narrowing avoiding the bullets, and kicked an air vent grating. The sheer power behind her leg broke it on impact and she ripped it off the remaining bolts from which it hung.

"Isn't that a bit small?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"I always have better ideas!" A bullet ricocheted off a corner and narrowly missed his head. "But I like yours!" And with that Bastion squeezed into the air vent.

o o o

Manna led the way through the valley using an illumination spell from her wand to light the way. Part of the reason was to shed light on their path, but it was also primarily a ward. According to her master, the creatures were afraid of light so it stood to reason that light would ward them off during their journey. Albeit it certainly didn't scare them away. They could still hear them hissing in the shadows watching them carefully with their unblinking eyes.

"I'm scared," Noah whimpered.

"You haven't anything to fear," Mahad assured him as he held up his staff to channel his own spell, "This barrier should protect us."

"You say that with such confidence," Zetsubou noted.

"So long as Manna keeps up the light, we need not worry about attacks." No sooner had those words been said, Manna's light vanished.

"Uh-oh." The Dark Magician Girl tapped her staff. "Outta juice." Noah wailed.

"Everyone calm down," said Getsu. Sammie was about to say something, but was interrupted by a scream. She turned just in time to see a serpentine head dart out from the shadows and snatch up Mikomi in its jaws before pulling her back into the darkness.

"Mikomi!"

"Yes, Sammie?" Sammie quickly turned around and saw Mikomi standing exactly where she had been.

Mahad turned to Sammie. "What did you see?"

"Some kind of snake. It grabbed Mikomi."

"What lives down here?" asked Zetsubou.

"The Reptilianne. We have to move. Now!"

o o o

Bastion threw another EMP grenade and its detonation shut down several Drillago. Unknown Synchron monitors floated in and began firing red lasers from their eyes. However, their weapons were shut down when Tania called forth her Amazoness Archers and their arrows pierced their optical sensors.

"We must be getting close," Bastion surmised, "Security is intensifying the further we go." A few Blast Spheres lay in wait along the hall, but another EMP shut down their systems. "No doubt the one behind this will attempt to stop us with all his resources."

Tania called out Amazoness Paladin and sent her against another Mechanicalchaser. Her blade cut through metal and wiring as she severed its head from its body. "I will deal with him should he come. You must do what you can to stop that contraption."

After what seemed like a long time, the couple finally arrived at a large set of steel doors and a keypad off to the side. "Ah, it's one of these. This shan't take long." Bastion set his weapon down and took out a device from his inner coat pocket. He placed it over the keypad and turned it on. After a minute of waiting, the door opened and he took the device from the wall.

o o o

Jinzo's grip tightened as he watched the intruders proceed further through his base of operations. He snarled watching his machines get taken down one by one, either by amazons or EMPs. Finally, he decided he had enough. They were too close to his time distortion machine. "Enough of this. I will deal with those intruders myself!"

o o o

Bastion was hard at work trying to disable the machine. Tania watched him from near the door. Her husband was working hard and all she could do was stand and watch. It wasn't long however when one of her Amazoness Scouts came to her.

"Tania! Someone's coming."

"It must be the man in charge," Bastion surmised, "I need more time."

"I will deal with him then," Tania said, "You keep working." The amazon stepped outside and stood in front of the door. The sound of metal footsteps approached and she could see the hairless burned scalp of Jinzo approaching. When he was within ten feet of her, he stopped.

"Step aside," he demanded. Tania stood her ground.

"You won't be getting through."

"Step aside, I said," Jinzo repeated. Tania still did not move. She was not afraid. Jinzo conjured up a black energy ball sparking with magenta bolts of electricity in his hand and threw it toward her. It shot past her head and slammed into the wall of the door frame.

"I have no time to toy with the likes of you, now stand aside."

"You want to get through? Then you must defeat me." Tania brought out her Duel Disk.

"So it's a duel you want, is it? Very well then. I shall defeat you swiftly." A hidden access panel in the wall slide open and Jinzo reached into the secret compartment and pulled out a Duel Disk which he attached to his arm.

"I have in my hands two decks," Tania announced as she held out the two decks she used to duel, "One is a deck of knowledge. The other is a deck of courage. Choose which you shall face."

"You are a far greater fool than I had thought. Very well, I will play your game. I choose the deck of knowledge." Tania put away her other deck and loaded up the first into her Duel Disk.

"Prepare yourself!" the amazon challenged.

"I am prepared. But nothing you have can prepare you for what I shall do to you," Jinzo's filtered voice echoed through the corridor.

o o o

The Reptilianne attacked without relent. In their current numbers, no light source could be enough to hold them back. As for Mahad's barrier, what he had told everyone earlier had been a lie. The truth was that his barrier was to protect them from any other fluxes in reality. Getsu swung her sword and cut apart a Reptilianne Gorgon that tried to bite her. Mikomi was saved when her Scrap Beast pounced and crushed a Reptilianne Servant beneath its paws before mauling a Reptilianne Scylla with its teeth.

Reptilianne Medusa lashed out, but Zetsubou jumped and landed on her tail before running up its length toward her. His eyes were closed, protecting him from her spell, but his fighting was not hindered. He could hear the hiss of her hair getting louder as he approached. He could feel the wind as she tried to move and he followed, avoiding her attacks until he was close. He swung his arms and cut off several snakes of her hair before cutting her across her face. Reptilianne Medusa threw him off, but Zetsubou recovered quickly and jumped onto her, sinking his knives into her body. She hissed in pain as he continued to climb up her, using his knives to hold him up until he could sink the blades into her neck, felling her once and for all.

The small and young Reptilianne Naga surrounded Noah taking in the eight-year-old boy with their eyes with clear expressions of hunger and lust. The prepubescent prodigy looked around himself and cowered. In that moment, they attacked. And in that very instant, Noah dropped his charade. His foot lashed out and kicked one of the Reptilianne Naga in the human head, knocking her back.

"Dark Burning Attack!" Manna's staff fired off a burst of pink fire and she incinerated a line of naga behind Noah.

"Your clan seems to be failing," Caius noted as he watched from a clifftop while standing next to the queen of the Reptilianne.

"Personally, being the only sentient member of the Reptilianne, it falls upon me to command my serpents like ants," Reptilianne Vaskii answered.

"Then let their spirits empower you." Caius held out his Soul Gate. "Chaos Exultation!" Waves of darkness poured from the black box's eye and swarmed over the valley, absorbing every single Reptilianne both dead and alive. When the last had been taken in, the Dark Emperor released it upon the four-armed naga as she leapt into the valley, growing to a monstrous size in the process.

o o o

Bastion worked tirelessly while Tania continued to hold off Jinzo. He could hear the commotion outside and knew he was running out of time. His wife was losing. He had to work faster. The roar of a dying tiger and the cries of defeated female warriors were his signal that the duel was nearing its end. He readied his Duel Disk just in case.

He heard Tania fall. He wanted to rush and help her, but he knew this was what she did for him. Now he could hear Jinzo proceeding to enter. Bastion typed furiously. He was out of time. He could hear the sound of a failed input code and then that of metal banging on the door. Jinzo was going to get in. He worked on his final line of code as streams of light began to pour in through increasingly larger gaps in the door.

The sealed doors finally blew in and Jinzo stepped into the room. "It's you."

Bastion turned. "That's right. It's me."

"Step away from my machine!"

"You'll have to go through me!" Bastion brought up his Duel Disk.

"Why must you Terrans always try to be a hero? Very well then." Jinzo brought the Duel Disk he was using back up.

_I hope this buys me enough time_, Bastion thought.

"Let's duel!"

"I'll begin!" Bastion drew his first card. "I summon Royal Magical Library and then I'll play the Field Spell, Magical Citadel of Endymion. Next I play Into the Void. Now Dark World Dealings. I remove three Spell Counters from Royal Magical Library to draw a card. I play Hand Destruction. I remove three Spell Counters from Magical Citadel of Endymion to use Royal Magical Library's effect."

o o o

Reptilianne Vaskii slammed her tail down and kicked up an enormous cloud of dirt, but missed her targets completely. She hissed as she swing around attempting to sweep the valley floor, but was stopped when it collided with a barrier erected by Mahad. She reared up and lashed out with her body, trying to grab someone in her jaws but Getsu jumped in front of her and swung her katana, slashing the naga queen across the face and causing her to rear back hissing in pain. With the monster backing off, the Dark Magician dropped his barrier and cast one of his offensive spells, landing a direct hit on his target. This gave Noah's Light and Darkness Dragon the opening it needed to fire off an attack into her open mouth as she cried in pain.

"She's going down!" cheered Manna.

"Do not be so certain," cautioned Mahad and true to his warning, reality shifted resulting in Reptilianne Vaskii having not yet been defeated. "Is Samantha stable?"

"So far," the Dark Magician Girl answered.

"Keep an eye on her. We can't lose her yet. One can only imagine what's going on in her mind with all these fluxes."

o o o

"And now I play my third Hand Destruction followed by another Cup of Ace and Dark World Dealings." Bastion drew the last of his cards from his deck and then set three on the field. "I end my turn." And with that he discarded the remainder of his hand to the graveyard.

"Enough stalling!" Jinzo demanded, "I thought you were going to duel and now you've depleted your entire deck." He drew his card. "All I have to do is end my turn to claim victory."

"Who said I was stalling?" asked Bastion. "I activate my three Trap Cards: Blasting the Ruins! If I have thirty or more cards in my graveyard, each one deals three thousand damage to your Life Points."

"What?!"

"Afraid so." Bastion's cards exploded and the resulting explosion engulfed Jinzo and wiped out his Life Points. "And with that, your space-time disruption ends!" The machine behind the dimension-hopping, time-travelling scientist shorted out and died as parts of the machinery exploded.

"No!" Jinzo cried, "This cannot be!"

It does! And you shall never alter reality ever again."

"That's what you think. Do not think I do not know who you are, Doctor Bastion Misawa. With your mind, I could create a new device in no time."

"What are you saying?" demanded Bastion.

"You are mine!" And with that, several long electrode-ended wires shot out from Jinzo's back and flew toward Bastion. The scientist raised his hands up defensively, but instead of being plugged he only heard his attacker's cry of pain. He lowered his arms and saw Amazoness Sword Woman's blade protruding from Jinzo's chest.

"Sorry I'm late," Tania apologized as she leaned out from behind the dark scientist.

"No, you were right on time my dear," Bastion replied nonchalantly.

"Did you succeed?"

"Yes. Now we can leave this wretched place."

"You're not going anywhere!" Jinzo stood up and removed the blade from his body. "Foolish woman. The mind will always triumph over muscle. My intellect. My genius. In comparison to you, I am a demi-god!"

"Well in comparison to you, I am a Time Lord!" Bastion announced.

"...What?"

That was all the distraction Bastion needed to throw out his last EMP grenade and detonate it at Jinzo's feet. His armor absorbed most of the shock, but what truly kept the chief scientist from shutting down completely like all his machines were his organic parts. The EMP succeeded in stopping his functions temporarily, putting his body into a stasis lock and allowing the two of them to escape.

When Jinzo could finally move again, he limped over to the remains of his machine while clutching his wound. "Curses. Years of meticulous planning and research, destroyed. But..." His head lowered as he coughed. "...all is not lost. What the device was able to gather is safely in storage. It should be enough. And now...I must go repair myself." And with that he exited the room.

o o o

The smell of blood and shrapnel wafted through the air as Sako and Zetsubou stood over the carcass of the slain Reptilianne. "And this is why you always keep a good cooking MRE available. The heating pouch, when utilized properly, can make an effective make shift bomb," said Sako as he took a long drag of a cigarette.

"What? I totally was the one that got her. No matter how big the enemy is a knife to the brain stem will kill anything," Zetsubou said, grasping at the lodged blade in the snake woman before twisting and pulling, jerking Vaskii's head in a swift motion before the blade freed itself.

"Guys, does it matter who killed her?" Noah chimed in.

"Sako got bonus points for badassery so I am judging in his favor," Sammie piped in before blinking and looking at the sky. "It..." She said taking in the moment. "It isn't red anymore...And Zetsubou...was he undead...or...No he was always here." She looked over to Manna and Mahad for a moment who were both smiling.

"It seems the fluctuations have ceased, master. The continuity of the universe is back to normal. Even Zetsubou's inconsistencies seem to be stabilizing," Manna said to Mahad.

"Yes, I can no longer sense the feeling of undeath upon him, but...I do feel something looming over him. It feels similar to what I feel when I look at Samantha," said Mahad.

"You think her mind will be alright?" Manna questioned in a hushed voice. Mahad looked to the ground, unsure of how the stress of the warping and layering of reality would affect the young Chaos Duelist. He almost didn't notice the loud swishing and swooshing sound of an undulating siren forming from nothingness. Vworp Vworp Vworp.

"Guys...I hate to break up this conversation," Samantha said, interrupting the pair of mages, "but something is appearing out of nowhere and...ummm I think Caius left." Mahad and Mana looked up, almost forgetting about Caius only to find that he had vanished like so many shadows. He probably hadn't even been there in the first place. When would a shadow king ever truly be there to deal with something as lowly as Terrans? Mahad sighed dejectedly before realizing that Samantha had mentioned something else, but before the Dark Magician could respond the vessel that had appeared opened and a man in a white coat followed by a large amazon stepped out.

"Well well, I was wondering why I had Terran life signs on my vessel, and here they are! Told you I could find them dear. We didn't need to stop for directions, love," said Bastion as he stepped from the vessel.

"Yes dear. I know you did. And...Bastion, are those uniforms from your old school?" Tania said before Bastion looked over to Samantha, Mikomi, and Noah. He paused for a moment and slapped his forehead.

"Yes, Tania, those are uniforms from my highschool."

"And doesn't that mean that this whole thing..."

"Is tied to them, I know."

"Is that Dr. Misawa?" Noah and Sammie asked in unified confusion. Meanwhile Bastion sighed. What kind of situation had Alexis let these kids get into?

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

One bullet. That is all a good sniper needs. One single bullet that can change the fate of the world. One bullet that can be fired for many reasons: good or evil. Each bullet with a life etched in its grooving spoken only in the language of violence. An impartial executioner is the true form of each round fired. True Judgement is a leaden slug.


	186. Ask Not For Whom the Scope Aims

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic is a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-99**

**Ask Not For Whom the Scope Aims**

The group was on a train once more. According to Mahad, they were the main source of transportation around Karheim. As Dekoichi the Battle Locomotive blew his horn, the team sat inside one of his cars planning the next move. Sammie seemed to be back to normal, but Manna kept a close eye on her just to be safe.

"Where should we head to now?" asked Getsu.

"As I understand, you seek the seals of the UnGod," said Mahad.

"Correct," Zetsubou answered.

"Then the nearest one to our current location will be in the UnTemple." Mahad conjured up a map with his staff and marked the location of the UnTemple and then their own location.

"What's the UnTemple?" Noah questioned.

"In the days of yore, it was a place of worship for the UnGod. Out of every realm in Ardent, Karheim was home to the largest sect of His followers," Mahad explained.

Noah sucked in a sharp breath. "That sounds bad. That's bad, right? Getsu, that's bad, right?"

"Very bad," Getsu answered.

"Thank you, Getsu."

"Who says 'days of yore' anymore?" Sako muttered. "How far is it from here?"

"It is three stops down and from there it is not far," Mahad answered.

"Hey, maybe we'll learn something about the UnGod while we're there!" Manna perked up.

"That's a good idea," Sammie said.

"How do you feel Samantha?" asked Mahad.

"Better now, thanks," Sammie answered. The Dark Magician nodded back quietly. Everyone just sat back and waited out the train ride to their destination.

o o o

Nobody knew when Kage returned. In fact nobody even noticed he was back in the palace until he spoke up. "The Terrans are seeking the next seal."

"I realize this, Kage," Caius said as he sat on his throne contemplating his next move. "I can send Yubel or Evilswarm Thanatos to deal with them."

"The Terrans would destroy them both. No, I have another idea." Kage turned to Judgement. "Judgement, I believe it's time."

"I shall obey, master," Judgement replied with a bow. He stood up from his kneeling position and left the palace.

"Let it be known that the UnGod's will must be done," said Kage before disappearing into the shadows.

"Who does he think he is?" Caius snorted, "Acting like the UnGod's herald."

"Shall I send my men?" Evilswarm Thanatos offered.

"No. We'll send Yubel for now," Caius answered, "We'll give our guests a little gift to soften them up first."

o o o

The attack started the moment the train arrived. Everyone had to jump out as the train car shook and found themselves facing a demon with the appearance of half a woman and half a man. "In the name of the Dark Emperor, I shall destroy you!"

Getsu impulsively attacked first, swinging her demon-destroying sword. However, the creature summoned forth several vines that ensnared her and knocked her weapon away. "Fool! You cannot hope to defeat the mighty Yubel!"

"Want a bet?" Mikomi called out Scrap Chimera and sent it to retrieve Getsu's sword. It grabbed the blade and dropped it back into the samurai woman's hands, who used it to cut herself free and then slashed Yubel, killing him instantly.

"We got her!" Manna cheered.

"Not yet you haven't!" Suddenly in Yubel's place arose a black cloud that solidified into a large winged two-headed dragon with an eye in the center of its chest. "I am now Yubel - Terror Incarnate!"

"My turn!" Noah summoned Dark Armed Dragon and called it forward to release its black saw blades that brutally dismembered the beast. But once again, it arose. Each body part transformed into a bat and a massive flock rose up to reform into a large four-winged demon with two dragon heads on its shoulders, each with a face on its forehead, and a large humanoid demon face on its chest.

"Yubel - The Ultimate Nightmare," Mahad muttered.

"Have we got a Plan C?" asked Noah, "Because mine just failed horribly."

"I thought you were smart," Sako said.

"I am. I've just never encountered one of these before."

"I shall deal with this beast." Mahad stepped forward. "Manna!"

"Right here!" The Dark Magician Girl stepped up beside her master. The teacher raised his staff and the apprentice followed. Their weapons touched and a sphere of dark magic surrounded the heads.

"Dark Magic Twin Burst!" The two mages cast their spell together and blasted Yubel - The Ultimate Nightmare. A loud roar filled the air as his body dissipated into black mist.

"Huh. I was expecting a tougher fight," Noah commented.

"Because that was not the real Yubel," Zetsubou answered.

"He is correct," Mahad added as he and Manna uncrossed their staffs. "That creature was not even real. It was simply an illusion made reality. The mist that evaporated from its body upon its death is proof of this."

"Do you think Caius was trying to harness a power he had no access to?" asked Sammie.

"Either that or this is indicative of his standings with the UnGod," Mahad answered.

"He must really like him then," commented Mikomi.

"Or perhaps not," Zetsubou thought aloud. Everyone turned to the UnGod's former servant. "He would not have delivered his servant such an easily beatable minion if he was in such good standings. Just compare him to Kage and his three subordinates. On top of that, when we were back in Caius' palace, did it not seem like it was Kage who was in command instead of the ruler of Karheim himself?"

"It was too dark to see anything really," Noah replied.

"You are correct to suspect something amiss," Mahad said to Zetsubou, "But the time for dwelling on thoughts will have to wait. We must proceed."

"Lead the way," Sammie said.

o o o

The UnTemple looked like one of the Mayan temples on the outside made out of pitch black stone. However upon entry, one could easily tell that the two were not alike. While not set up like a complex maze, the interior was still a long hallway of neverending twists and turns with no indication of their progress. Luckily, Noah had a felt marker in his pocket which he used to mark their progress with numbers at every turn.

After a seemingly endless trek, they arrived in a large chamber. Dust from ages lost to time covered the floor and black plants seemed to have begun growing in through the cracks in the structure. This was clearly a room for worship. Toward the back was an altar and behind it the remains of what may have once been a statue.

"Could this have been a statue of the UnGod?" Noah asked.

"Quite possibly," Sako answered, "But now we'll never know for sure."

"Hey, some of this rock isn't even rock," Manna pointed out, "It's crystal!"

It took a moment but before long everyone started moving aside the rubble, setting the stone and the crystal fragments aside. It was Sako who discovered the stone circle, which confirmed their suspicions. "It's the seal!" Manna exclaimed.

Suddenly darkness overtook the room and Judgement appeared, his robes flowing in the wake of the wind from his entrance.

"Judgement," Zetsubou said.

"Traitor," Judgement answered before turning to everyone in the room, "You shall not restore this seal."

"Step aside," Sako ordered as he loaded his sniper rifle. When Judgement didn't move, he took aim and fired. His bullet flew across the room and slammed into a barrier of white light. "What the-?"

Judgement pulled his arm out from under his robes and revealed a White Rose Card. "From my master. He has given me this Rose Card to protect me against such pitiful attempts at my life. Now submit yourselves to my Lord."

"Not without a fight." Sako switched his rifle over into Duel Disk mode.

"You dare challenge me?"

"Do you back down?"

Judgement said nothing. Instead he tossed back his sleeve and exposed his own Duel Disk.

"No man escapes Judgement."

–––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 8000

**Judgement:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

"I draw first." Sako drew his first card out of his deck from the end of his rifle butt. "And I'll start by summoning Y-Dragon Head in attack mode." A mechanical red dragon rose up in front of him hovered over the ground (ATK/1500 DEF/1600). "Then I'll set two cards and end my turn."

"Draw." Judgement drew his first card and brought it up to his mask. "I call forth Ally of Justice Thousand Arms." A bipedal robot with several arms, each one equipped with a different melee weapon (ATK/1700 DEF/0) "Ally of Justice Thousand Arms, destroy Y-Dragon Head." Ally of Justice Thousand Arms charged and ran its weapons through its target, destroying it swiftly.

–––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 7800

**Judgement:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––

"Two set cards." Two cards appeared at Judgement's feet. "I conclude."

"Not before I activate Fires of Doomsday!" Sako revealed one of his facedown cards, summoning two small one-eyed black flames, each one a level one Dark Fiend with zero attack and defense points. After Judgement's End Phase had ended, the Duel Sniper drew his next card. "Now I summon Cannon Soldier." A purple robot with a cannon over its shoulder appeared (ATK/1400 DEF/1300).

"Doomsday Token number one, attack Ally of Justice Thousand Arms!" The first Doomsday Token faded out and suddenly Ally of Justice Thousand Arms exploded. "I know what your Ally of Justice Thousand Arms does. If it's attacked by a non-Light monster, it's destroyed automatically. Now Cannon Soldier, attack directly!" Cannon Soldier took aim and fired a shot from its cannon at Judgement.

–––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 7800

**Judgement:** 6600

–––––––––––––––––

"Now on my second Main Phase, I activate Cannon Soldier's effect," announced Sako, "By sacrificing a monster, I can deal five hundred points of damage to you per monster." Both Doomsday Tokens were loaded up into Cannon Soldier and fired directly at Judgement, burning him for a total of one thousand Life Points of damage.

–––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 7800

**Judgement:** 6600

–––––––––––––––––

"Activate: Fires of Doomsday." Judgement activated his card and summoned two of his own Doomsday Tokens.

"That ends my turn," announced Sako.

"Draw." Judgement drew his card. "Summon Ally of Justice Cycle Reader." A mechanical spider with a single eye appeared (ATK/1000 DEF/1000). "I tune Ally of Justice Cycle Reader to my two tokens." Ally of Justice Cycle Reader faded away, leaving three stars that turned into synchro rings and surrounded the two Doomsday Tokens, fading them away until only one star each remained before a column of light surrounded them.

"Enemies of justice will face the hour of Judgement. Synchro Summon. Awaken, Ally of Justice Catastor." The light disappeared and Judgement's signature one-eyed four-legged machine arose with the only noise emitted from it being the hum of its internal machinery (ATK/2200 DEF/1200). "Attack," ordered Judgement. Ally of Justice Catastor turned toward Cannon Soldier and fired a solid laser beam from its eye that pierced through the cannon-wielding robot.

–––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 7000

**Judgement:** 6600

–––––––––––––––––

"I conclude my turn," announced Judgement.

Sako drew and looked at his hand. "I activate Star Blast. For every five hundred Life Points I pay, I can lower the level of one monster in my hand by one. So I pay one thousand to lower Blowback Dragon's level by two."

–––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 6000

**Judgement:** 6600

–––––––––––––––––

"Now I summon Blowback Dragon." A mechanical dragon with a glock for a head appeared and roared (ATK/2300 DEF/1200). "And I'll use his effect. I target your Catastor. Now if I get two out of three heads, it's destroyed." Sako flipped his coin thrice. Twice it landed on tails. However, that still left him another option.

"Blowback Dragon, attack Ally of Justice Catastor!" ordered the Duel Sniper, "And since Blowback Dragon is a Dark monster, your monster's effect can't destroy him!"

"Trap Card," announced Judgement, "DNA Transplant: Light." A bright light shined down and every monster in play was turned into a Light monster. With the sudden change in attribute, Ally of Justice Catator turned on Blowback Dragon just as it was about to fire and shot its laser down its barrel, causing it to explode. Sako cringed. Now his opponent's monster was truly indestructible.

"As I told you before, no man escapes Judgement."

Sako looked at his hand. With the limited cards he held, there was little he could do. "I set two cards and end my turn." Two more cards appeared by his feet.

"Draw." Judgement drew his next card. "Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher." A mechanical mammoth with an energy cannon built into its trunk appeared and trumpeted (ATK/1200 DEF/800). "Attack." Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher took aim and fired off a blast of energy from its trunk at Sako.

"I activate Widespread Ruin!" the Duel Sniper announced as he revealed his facedown card. "When my opponent declares an attack, this card destroys their attack position monster with the highest attack points." As Sako was struck by Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher's attack, the resulting explosion erupted out and destroyed Ally of Justice Catastor.

–––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 4800

**Judgement:** 6600

–––––––––––––––––

"Catastor will return," Judgement vowed. "I place one card set and conclude."

"It's my move now." Sako drew his card. "I pass this turn."

"You've truly given up," Judgement said as he activated his facedown on his opponent's End Phase. "I activate Fires of Doomsday." Two Doomsday Tokens appeared on his field and he proceeded to draw his next card. "I sacrifice my Doomsday Tokens in order to summon Ally of Justice Thunder Armor." The tokens vanished and in their place a large red robot on four spider-like legs appeared with two energy swords on its arms (ATK/2700 DEF/2200).

"Now I activate Monster Reborn. Return, Ally of Justice Catastor." In a burst of light, Judgement's signature monster reappeared, its internal machinery humming loudly, overpowering any other noise in the vicinity. "Now Ally of Justice Thunder Armor, attack."

"I activate Fires of Doomsday! Again!" Sako revealed his second facedown and two more tokens appeared in front of him in defense position.

"It matters not," Judgement replied as his monster cut through one of the tokens, "As long as Thunder Armor remains on the field, all Allies of Justice can inflict piercing damage."

"That's why I activate my Divine Wrath." Sako revealed his final facedown. "By discarding one card in my hand, I can negate the activation of a monster effect and destroy that monster." He discarded Barrel Dragon from his hand and a lightning bolt shot down and shorted out Ally of Justice Thunder Armor's systems before it exploded from the electric overload.

"No matter," said Judgement, "Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher, attack." Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher attacked and blasted the remaining token with an energy blast from its trunk. "Now Ally of Justice Catastor, attack directly." Ally of Justice Catastor turned on Sako and fired its laser from its eye directly at him.

–––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 2600

**Judgement:** 6600

–––––––––––––––––

"I conclude," announced Judgement.

Sako drew his card. As luck would have it, he drew exactly what he needed. "I play Overload Fusion. I remove from play Barrel Dragon and Blowback Dragon from my graveyard to Fusion Summon Gatling Dragon!" He placed the two Fusion Material monsters in his pocket and brought out his ultimate monster which roared as it turned all three of its machine gun turrets on Judgement (ATK/2600 DEF/1200).

"I now flip my coin as per its effect." The Duel Sniper flipped the coin he kept in the pocket of his fatigues. Twice it landed on heads and once on tails, but it was enough to trigger Gatling Dragon into unleashing a hail fire of bullets upon the Allies of Justice that opposed it, destroying them with ease and leaving only Judgement in their wake. Sako took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled slowly. "Attack." The utterance of that single word was all Gatling Dragon needed to turn its turrets on the masked man in white and open fire.

–––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 2600

**Judgement:** 4000

–––––––––––––––––

As the dust settled, Sako looked across the field at his opponent. "I end my turn."

Judgement said nothing as he drew his card. "Two set. I conclude."

Sako drew his card. "Gatling Dragon, attack!"

"Set card activate: Call of the Haunted. Resurrect Ally of Justice Catastor." Judgement's Trap Card activated and his deck's trump card was revived from the grave.

"Gatling Dragon, hold your fire!" Sako commanded. In that instant, Gatling Dragon lowered its weapons and rolled back into place. "I set a card and end my turn."

Judgement drew his card. "I activate the Field Spell, Savage Colosseum." He placed the card in his field tray and a replica of the Colosseum rose up around them. "Now our monsters shall be forced to battle. Ally of Justice Catastor, attack and destroy Gatling Dragon." As Ally of Justice Catastor prepared to fire, Judgement gained three hundred Life Points as per the effect of his Field Spell Card.

–––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 2600

**Judgement:** 4300

–––––––––––––––––

"A good sniper knows how to set his trap for his target," Sako said as his right eye started to glow white.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Sammie.

"I think it is," Zetsubou answered.

Sako flipped over his facedown card, "Mystical Space Typhoon, destroy DNA Transplant!" A strong wind blew from his card and shattered Judgement's Continuous Trap Card. In that instant, the light from above faded and all monsters on the field returned to their original attributes, leaving Ally of Justice Catastor vulnerable to Gatling Dragon's counterattack. A hailstorm of bullets blasted forth from the behemoth's turrets and pierced Catastor's armor. The humming of its internal workings ceased and its eye darkened before it exploded.

Sako took one final drag from his cigarette and flicked the butt across the field before drawing his card. "Time to end this," he declared, his Rose Mark making his right eye glow bright white. "Limiter Removal!" Gatling Dragon roared as its attack points double to fifty-two hundred. "Attack for the win!" More bullets showered across the battlefield and passed through Judgement's flowing white robes.

–––––––––––––––––

**Sako:** 2600

**Judgement:** 0

–––––––––––––––––

Judgement seemed to vanish into the shadows as the bullets finished passing through him, leaving behind the White Rose Card he had in his possession. Sako stepped toward it and scooped it up from the floor. Without hesitation he approached the shattered remains of the seal Judgement had been guarding and used the card to restore it, transforming the black fragments into a shining white crystal.

"Where's the next seal?" asked Noah.

Mahad used his staff to call forth a map. "With four seals restored, only one remains. Alas even with all my power I have been unable to locate it."

"Well that sucks," Sammie replied.

"So what do we do now?" Mikomi inquired.

"Let's get the next train out of here," Getsu said to which everyone agreed and they all left.

o o o

As the train tooted off in the distance, a set of paws pounded against the ground, kicking up dust as it came to stop outside the UnTemple. Its rider dismounted and entered the black stone structure. He strode through the stone hallways without so much as a glance and entered the seal chamber. The fact that the seal had been restored made it obvious that somebody had been here, but there was more. He knelt down and ran his hand along the stone. He picked up a handful of dust and inspected it closely. He looked deep into it. He smelled it. At last he dropped it and returned outside. He stepped onto his mount and sat himself on the saddle.

"They were here. Heading toward the train." Gorz narrowed his eyes behind his visor. He kicked the Emissary from Pandemonium's hide and it ran off toward the distance. The hunt was still on.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Noah's past returns to haunt him in the form of three demonic figures. Will the boy succumb to the nightmares of time long forgotten or will his new friends be able to help him? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	187. Viruses of the Past

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic is a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

Sincerest apologized for having no update last week. However, AMZ has been having a hell of a time with work and it's been cutting into his writing time.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-100**

**Viruses of the Past**

Unknown Synchrons continued to keep watch over the team as they resumed their trek across Karheim. Kozaky watched from his laboratory, the light of the monitors glaring off the lenses of his glasses. "I think it's time to lure them into our _special_ trap. Wouldn't you agree, Albert?" The Magical Scientist on the other end of the line slowly curled his lips back, revealing his stained yellow smile.

"That would be absolutely delightful."

"I will leave you to it then." And with that, Kozaky signed off. Elsewhere in Karheim, Albert stepped away from his computer and walked through his laboratory to a machine covered by a large sheet.

"Time to put you in the spotlight."

o o o

It was essentially night again in Karheim. Time of day was generally impossible to tell in this land of darkness. Sako had first watch so everyone got a chance to sleep. He checked his ammunition and knew that he was still low. He needed to resupply soon. He looked back at everyone and watched them briefly as they slept before returning to his watch.

However there was one who had still not yet gone to sleep. Noah was lying down, but he was most definitely not sleeping. This happened to the boy every so often. Usually he slept peacefully, but on some nights he would stay up for hours for no known reason.

Sammie had yet to fall asleep herself and noticed the young boy fidgeting and turning. She crawled over and sat next to him. "You okay?"

"Hmm?" Noah looked up. "I guess..."

"You don't seem so sure."

Noah remained silent for several minutes, but finally let out a sigh. "It's just... Sometimes, I think about the awful things I did in the past."

"That stuff again?" Sammie reached out and pulled Noah close. "I told you already. I forgive you for what you did."

"Yeah, you did. But what about everyone else? I did a lot of horrible things to a lot of people."

"Beating yourself up won't fix things," Sammie said to him gently.

"Well maybe it should." And with that, Noah pulled his hood over his head and turned the other way, holding his plushie close to his body. He closed his eyes and snuggled up with his stuffed toy, trying to put things out of his mind so he could finally fall asleep.

o o o

Albert watched via the monitors. The group had stopped and most were asleep. Now would be the perfect time to strike. He grinned and activated his machine.

"Welcome to the new world," he cackled.

o o o

"Dawn" came and everyone got up and proceeded onward. Something seemed odd, but nobody really noticed. Noah's mood hadn't changed since the previous night and kept mostly to himself throughout the morning. Nobody really said anything throughout the day's journey and he preferred it that way. He wasn't comfortable with talking to anyone when his mind was on those thoughts.

"How long have we been walking?" asked Mikomi.

"It is quite peculiar," Mahad noted, "Twould not take this long to reach our next destination."

"Something must be wrong then," Manna thought aloud.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Noah uttered in response.

"Noah, are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" asked Sammie.

"I'll be fine. Just leave me alone," Noah growled.

"What's with this attitude all of a sudden?" questioned Zetsubou.

"Yeah, it's not like you," Mikomi added.

"Will you lot just bugger off already?" the boy snapped, "I don't want to talk about it!"

"Does it have to do with your past?" Sako questioned. Noah said nothing. "Hmmm. I thought as much."

"How can you tell?" asked Sammie.

"It's not something I'm unfamiliar with," answered the Duel Sniper, "In my line of work, you meet many who wish not to discuss their past." Noah opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. "I'm not wrong, am I?"

Noah stepped away from the group and turned around so he could face them all. "I said I didn't want to talk about it. So the lot of you, sod off!" And with that, he held up two fingers at them.

"What's he doing?" asked Manna.

"I think he's flipping us off," Zetsubou guessed, "Never seen it done like that before."

"It's the British way," Sako pointed out.

Suddenly, a multitude of black cables shot out from the darkness and wrapped themselves around the group except for Noah. "You are not wrong, but it would be unwise to question Master Noah further," a raspy voice said. Three figures stepped out from the blackness. One was a beautiful young woman floating in the air wearing dark purple clothing and dark violet boots with long green hair that floated in the air as though she were underwater and adorning her head was a crown-shaped halo.

Another was a large bodied behemoth who stood on two sleek agile legs, which made everyone wonder how they could support his enormous body. Large biceped arms tapering off into smaller forearms protruded from his shoulders and ended with small hands with enormous curved claws. His head was but a small dome dwarfed by his shoulders with white war paint covering his face to resemble a demonic skull.

The third, the one who had spoken, who stood in between the other two had the Terrans tied up in cables that extended from the backs of his hands, which were made of up long silver claws segmented with joints into fingers. His body was covered in a black leather bodysuit with silver shoulder guards, silver belt, and black boots and gloves with silver trims. His face was obscured by a black mask that covered his entire head with black visored slits for his eyes and breathing tubes running along the bottom from the mouth and nose area to the back.

"Noah, run!" Sammie yelled.

"What are these fiends?" asked Mahad.

The black one tightened the hold on his cables. "Silence, wizard!"

"Interface, stop!" Noah yelled. At once the cables loosened and the masked creature retracted them into his hands.

"Noah… You know these things?" asked Mikomi.

Noah nodded. "I created them years ago. Interface, Venus, and Terabyte. They're viruses."

"Glad you remember us, Master," Venus said charmingly.

"Why do you place faith in these humans?" asked Terabyte in a deep booming voice, holding out his hand, "They will just turn on you like all the others."

"I…" Noah began to speak, but then stopped.

"Noah has friends now!" Sammie called out.

"Friends? Do not insult our master!" Interface scoffed, "Many have pretended to be his friend and all have betrayed him. You shall be no different."

"We'll see about that! Scrap Dragon!" Mikomi called out her scrap metal dragon and it prepared to fire.

"I'll take that!" Interface fired three cables from his right arm and plugged them into Scrap Dragon. Mere moments after penetration, the mechanical beast's color changed to pitch black with silver highlights. If his face could be seen, he probably would have been grinning. He detached his cables and retracted them. "Scrap Dragon, attack." Scrap Dragon suddenly turned on Mikomi and opened fire. Luckily for her, Manna was able to erect a barrier to protect her.

"Black Luster Soldier, go!" Sammie called out her loyal knight. "Destroy them!"

"At your command, milady!" Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning charged brandishing his sword, Venus suddenly appeared in front of him. She placed her hand over his heart and waves of green light wash over him. His eyes changed color to match the radiance as it faded and he knelt before Venus. "What is your command, milady?"

"Attack our enemies," ordered the virus.

"As you command, milady." Black Luster Soldier got to his feet and charged at Sammie.

"Black Luster Soldier, stop!" the blonde shouted, but her monster did not heed. Zetsubou had to use a Trap Card to protect her.

"Barrel Dragon, Blowback Dragon, attack!" Sako called out his two signature monsters and sent them forward. They trudged across the field, but Terabyte was on them. He leapt over their heads and slammed their heads into the ground. Once his targets were down, he sank his claws into them. Sako could only watch as their power cells started dying out.

"What did they do to them?" asked Getsu in bewilderment.

"Terabyte can drain energy through his claws and Interface and Venus infected Scrap Dragon and Black Luster Soldier," Noah answered.

"You cannot hope to defeat us," declared Interface.

"Yes we can," Sammie responded, "We have Noah. If he created you, he can destroy you." She stepped forward and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder as she spoke, but he suddenly moved away from her and walked across the field. "Noah?"

Noah continued walking and stopped in front of Interface. He then turned around and faced the others. "Noah, what are you doing?" Sammie yelled.

"Maybe Interface is right," Noah said, "For as long as I can remember, I could never trust anybody. And lately I feel like I can never escape my past. I did a lot of horrible things and the fact that they're here just further proves it."

"I believe we have our answer," said Interface as he placed a hand on Noah's shoulder. "Now Scrap Dragon, destroy them!"

"Black Luster Soldier, do the same," ordered Venus.

"As you command, milady!" Black Luster Soldier jumped on top of Scrap Dragon and rode it into battle against the team.

"Back!" commanded Mahad. He cast his staff skyward and fired off a rain of one thousand knives. The blades cut through the air and impaled Scrap Dragon. Black Luster Soldier leapt from his mount and came down with his sword.

"Black Luster Soldier, return!" Sammie called out. But as she held her card, her loyal warrior did not heed and simply kept his attack on.

"Look out!" Sako dove and knocked Sammie out of the way of the sword and the two of them rolled along the ground several feet before stopping.

"What do we do?" asked Mikomi, "If we summon any monsters, they'll either take control of them or absorb their energy."

"Noah's the only one who can beat them," Sammie said as she looked at the boy, "He's so wrapped up in his own guilt and doubt that he can't see the good inside him."

"Any ideas on how to snap him out of it?" Getsu inquired.

"I have an idea." Sako set up his rifle and loaded in his last clip. He took aim at Interface's head and fired. The masked virus heard the sound of the gunshot and reacted quickly. He threw himself in front of Noah and swung his arm. His claws sliced the bullet in half and the two pieces fell harmlessly behind him.

"You are either very brave or very foolish if you think you can stand up against a virus!" Interface fired off the cables from his right arm, but Sako rolled out of the way, the long black tendrils stabbing the ground he had been lying upon only moments before. He retracted his cables and Terabyte ran forward, the ground trembling beneath his footsteps. The massive virus swung his arm and attempted to impale the Duel Sniper with his claws, but Sako avoided his attack and fired a shot at the enormous creature's hand. The bullet shot through his arm and detached his clawed appendage from his body.

"Did you honestly believe that would stop me?" Terabyte swung his other arm and Sako moved to dodge as well. However, the move proved to be a feint as the massive virus swept his arm off the ground and reattached it to his stump. Once his limb was firmly back in place, his claws began to glow. "Cross Reaver!" He swung his arms down diagonally and fired off a large X-shaped energy wave from his razor-sharp appendages.

"Steelswarm Gatekeeper, defend!" Zetsubou called out his defensive demon, but instead of doing as commanded it retreated, refusing to heed its master's orders.

"Stay back!" yelled Mahad. He slammed the end of his staff against the ground and projected a barrier that blocked the attack. "That should hold."

"Do you really believe so?" asked Interface. Terabyte jumped and landed in front of the barrier. He drew back his arm, thrust his claws against it, and began to absorb the magical energy that made up the shield.

"Son of the Christ!" Sammie yelled.

"I'm losing mana!" Mahad shouted.

"Then drop it," said Zetsubou as he drew his knives, "We just won't use energy attacks."

The Dark Magician nodded and disengaged his shield. At once, Zetsubou ran forward and slid between Terabyte's legs. Once he was behind the enormous virus he flipped himself onto his back and thrust his blades down, only to have them glance off. He was about to aim for a joint when several cables came shooting toward him and he jumped off just in time to avoid them.

"You are well versed in combat for a human," Interface noted as he retracted his cables, "I shall enjoy deleting you myself." And with those words he charged. Zetsubou leapt back to his feet and dashed. He met Interface midway and his knives clashed with his claws.

Meanwhile, Terabyte turned on the rest of the group once again. "Bah! I'll erase you all myself!" He was about to strike when another bullet struck him in the back. He roared and turned around to see Sako readying his next shot. Without hesitation he ran toward the Duel Sniper.

"I'll finish the rest of you myself then," said Venus, "Black Luster Soldier, destroy them!"

"At once, milady!" Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning charged and swung his sword.

"Demise!" Sammie called her demonic king and watched as he blocked her signature creature's blade with his axe.

"I'll take him." Venus moved in while the two monsters were locked and touched the heart of Demise, King of Armageddon. Waves of green light washed over him and his eyes changed to a radiant green color. He and Black Luster Soldier disengaged and turned toward Sammie.

"What are you doing?" asked the blonde. Mikomi quickly sent Scrap Archfiend to intercept and was able to stop the two monsters' attacks on their own master.

"It is hopeless," Venus declared, "No man can resist the power of my infection."

"No _man_ you say?" Sammie asked, suddenly changed in her mood, "Ruin, attack!" She called out Ruin, Queen of Oblivion and her queen of the apocalypse cast a spell from her staff at Venus. Black Luster Soldier quickly stepped in the way and blocked with his shield. Behind him, Demise raised his axe and swung down in front of him, splitting the ground. Sammie and Ruin dodged the attack while Mikomi, Manna, and Mahad escaped with the aid of one of the Dark Magician Girl's spells.

"You're improving," her teacher complimented, "Leave this to me. Go help her."

"Got it, master!" And with that, Manna joined Sammie and Ruin.

"Destroy them!" ordered Venus. Black Luster Soldier and Demise readied their weapons and prepared to charge.

"What's wrong? Scared to fight a bunch of girls yourself?" Sammie mocked.

"Your taunts will have no effect on me. Attack them, my servants!"

Meanwhile, the battle between Zetsubou and Interface had escalated. The latter had called forth a katana and was holding it in a reverse grip as he dueled with the assassin. Blades clashed as the two flew through the air and they quickly disengaged one another briefly before rushing in and locking blades. "For a human, you have superb combat skills," Interface noted.

"As do you," Zetsubou replied, "It's too bad you fight on the side of evil." The two combatants disengaged and Interface fired his cables again. Zetsubou dodged them and stuck one of his blades through all three cables before stabbing it into the ground. Interface tried to retract them, but found himself unable to do so. Zetsubou took the opportunity to attack, but had his knife deflected by Interface's blade.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Sako fired off the revolvers he had taken from Don Zaloog until he had run out of ammunition. He threw them aside and used his service pistol while also maintaining his sniper rifle with his other hand and its shoulder strap. His smaller bullets only succeeded in ricocheting off Terabyte's body, but his fifty calibre rounds caused the large virus to move aside to avoid getting shot.

"I will get near you and I will destroy you!" he swore as he swung his claws.

"I actually find it rather unusual," said Sako as he continued fighting, "If you truly are viruses, then how are you able to exist outside of a digital environment, even in the world of Ardent?" His question had been overheard by the others and Interface laughed as he disengaged Zetsubou and kicked him away.

"So you've figured it out," the masked virus cackled.

"You mean we're not in Karheim?" asked Manna looking around.

"I had thought it was unusual that I could no longer detect the flow of magic from Endymion," Mahad thought aloud.

The viruses retreated to where Noah stood and almost instantly space broke apart. Now they stood in a shattered land with pieces separated by a large void that descended into a neverending digital grid. From the depths of digital nothingness, an enormous avatar of Noah rose up, except with its hood pulled up thus obscuring its face save for a pair of glowing red and blue eyes that peered out piercingly from the shadow as well as possessing Interface's right hand and having a larger version of Venus' halo behind its back while also wielding a grappling claw similar to Terabyte's hand attached to its left arm.

"Noah! We're your friends!" Sammie called out.

"Friends?" the avatar echoed, "I have no need for friends! I have never had a need for friends. All they ever did was abuse me and take advantage of me. I will never allow it to happen again. And I shall accomplish this by wiping out all of humanity!"

Suddenly Noah snapped out of his trance and turned to look up at his imposing avatar. "I never said I wanted to wipe out all of humanity! All I wanted was a world where bullying never existed. I wanted to remove the bullies and the tormentors, but I did NOT want to destroy the innocent!" He pointed up. "You're not me."

"Noah!" Sammie was suddenly happy, "You're back!"

Noah turned to Sammie. "I see the truth now." He pointed to the three viruses. "These are NOT my viruses!" He then looked back at his avatar. "Who are you?"

"I suppose my charade is at an end." The avatar faded and in its place an enormous projection of Albert the Magical Scientist appeared.

"It's him!" gasped Manna.

"Well, no use keeping these disguises up." Albert snapped his fingers and Interface, Venus, and Terabyte vanished, being replaced with creatures with shackles and live bombs for heads.

"Crashbugs?" Noah suddenly felt rage building up inside him, "You used _Crashbugs_ to imitate my superviruses!?"

"Seems I've sparked a nerve," Albert cackled.

The back of Noah's left hand began to shine white as he strapped his Duel Disk to his right arm. "You. Me. NOW!" The light slowly began to form the shape of a rose as Albert continued to laugh.

"A child dares to challenge the great Magical Scientist? How amusing! Very well. I will entertain you for now."

From somewhere in his laboratory, Albert pulled a Duel Terminal out and looked at his screen.

"Let's duel!"

––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 8000

**Magical Scientist:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Age before beauty," declared Albert as he drew. "I play Crashbug Road. This will let us both Special Summon one monster from our hands with a level equal to one level four or lower monster we have on the field. "Now I will Normal Summon Crashbug X!" A creature with a dual-fuse cherry bomb for a head appeared with an X on its shirt with a ball and chain on its ankle (ATK/0 DEF/2000). "And with Crashbug Road, I will Special Summon Crashbug Y." A larger creature with a live cherry bomb for a face appeared with a pair of handcuffs hanging of its right wrist (ATK/1400 DEF/1600).

"And since I control Crashbug X and Crashbug Y, Crashbug X's effect lets me Special Summon Crashbug Z from my hand!" A skinny creature with a cherry bomb for its head with a ball and chain on both ankles appeared (ATK/0 DEF/1500).

"I'll set a card and end my turn," announced Albert.

Noah tore his first card off the top of his deck. "I Special Summon Vice Dragon!" He slammed the card on top of his Duel Disk and summoned his purple dragon (ATK/2000 DEF/2400), whose stats were instantly halved into one thousand and twelve hundred attack and defense points respectively. "Normal Summon Delta Flyer." A winged armless dragon appeared and roared (ATK/1500 DEF/900). "Crashbug Road's effect. Special Summon another Delta Flyer." A second Delta Flyer appeared. "Banish one Delta Flyer to Special Summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon." The second Delta Flyer disappeared and in its place arose Noah's powerful dragon of darkness (ATK/2800 DEF/2400). "Vice Dragon and Delta Flyer, Synchro Summon! Dark End Dragon!" The boy didn't even bother with the summon chant as his two-faced black dragon appeared and roared (ATK/2600 DEF/2100). "Red-Eyes summons Lightpulsar Dragon!" A shining white dragon appeared and roared (ATK/2500 DEF/1500).

"Red-Eyes, attack Crashbug X!" Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon reared back its head and fired off a burst of red energy at Crashbug X.

––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 8000

**Magical Scientist:** 5200

––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Dark End Dragon, attack Crashbug Y!" Dark End Dragon's main head opened its mouth and a blast of darkness shot out and obliterated Crashbug Y.

––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 8000

**Magical Scientist:** 4000

––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Lightpulsar Dragon, finish Crashbug Z!" Lightpulsar Dragon roared and erupted with a wave of light that engulfed Crashbug Z.

––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 8000

**Magical Scientist:** 1500

––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Go," said Noah.

"You're a fiesty one, aren't you?" Albert laughed as he drew. "First, Dark Hole." A black hole appeared and swallowed up all of Noah's monsters. "Now I banish my Crashbugs to summon Super Crashbug in defense mode!" An enormous virus appeared on the field pitch black save for a few pink lights and lines all over its body (ATK/0 DEF/3000). "When it's on the field, it switches the attack and defense points of all face-up attack position monsters. And that's what I'm going to do. Reveal Trap Card, Zero Gravity! This switches..."

"I know what the bloody thing does!" Noah yelled as Super Crashbug stood up and its attack and defense stats switched.

"Then you know what's going to happen," said Albert, "Attack!" Super Crashbug thrust its arm down and crashed its fist on top of Noah.

––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 5000

**Magical Scientist:** 1500

––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Try and defeat it!" laughed the Magical Scientist.

Noah drew his card. "Dark Armed Dragon." With Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, Vice Dragon, and Dark End Dragon in his graveyard, he brought out the black darkness-corrupted Armed Dragon (ATK/2800 DEF/1000). "I banish Vice Dragon to use his effect. Dark Genocide!" Dark Armed Dragon's abdominal blades started spinning and fired, shredding Super Crashbug to bits.

"Now end it!" ordered Noah, causing Dark Armed Dragon to fire off the drills from its body at Albert.

––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 5000

**Magical Scientist:** 0

––––––––––––––––––––––––

"How could I have been defeated by a child?" Albert shouted as his image faded away.

"You picked the wrong child to mess with," Noah responded.

o o o

In some laboratory in an undisclosed location, a machine beeped and a beam shot out which brought Sammie, Noah, Mikomi, Zetsubou, Sako, Getsu, Mahad, and Manna out into the room. "What was that?" asked Mikomi.

"I think we really were inside the computer," Zetsubou guessed, "But how?"

"It must have happened while we were sleeping," Sako surmised.

Meanwhile Mahad was walking around the room with his staff aglow. He stopped beside the machine that had brought them to this place. "I've found something. Noah, come here." Noah did as instructed and looked. He saw something inside the device and pulled it out.

"It's a White Rose Card!" he exclaimed.

"Does that mean there's a seal nearby?" asked Sammie.

"Most probably," Mahad answered.

They searched the laboratory and while they found no sign of Albert, they did stumble upon the seal which Noah restored with the power of the Rose Card.

"At last, the five seals of the UnGod in Karheim are restored," the Dark Magician declared.

Upon finding the egress, the group headed outside and proceeded to continue their journey to Caius' palace. However, they had barely taken a step when the ground suddenly started shaking.

"Now what?" asked Getsu.

o o o

In his throne room, Caius laughed as he watched the group through his scrying orb. "Did they honestly believe I would be foolish enough to leave those seals unprotected somehow?"

"Is your plan coming to fruition, my lord?" asked Evilswarm Thanatos.

"Yes it is, Thanatos," Caius said before he started to explain, "As you know, five seals of thet UnGod exist within Karheim. In order to ensure the destruction of our foes, I've had them all linked to one of the five forbidden seals located throughout my kingdom. By the magical bonds I had placed, bu restoring the UnGod's seals they have broken seals."

"My king, does this mean what I think it means?"

"Yes it does," cackled Caius.

o o o

Across Karheim, five pillars of light shot skyward from five different locations. Then a circle of light connected them together followed by five lines intersecting each other to connect each pillar to the others, forming a massive pentagram across the realm of darkness.

"What's going on?" asked Getsu.

"Something I had anticipated, but had hoped would never come about," answered Mahad.

A loud roar echoed across Karheim and a massive stone-like giant rose up bound in chains.

o o o

Caius watched his scrying orb with great delight.

"Exodia, awaken!"

o o o

Exodia's eyes suddenly illuminated and he stood up, breaking free of his shackles.

"It is as I feared," said Mahad, "The Forbidden One."

"Exodia," whispered Noah.

The group watched as Exodia let out a loud bellow that shook Karheim to its very core.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Exodia has awakened. Now our heroes must fight the single most unstoppable monster in the world. Can they do it? Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	188. Dark Crisis

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic is a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-101**

**Dark Crisis**

The land trembled with every step taken by the mighty Forbidden One as Exodia slowly made his way across the dark realm of Karheim. From Albert's hidden laboratory, the group watched as he tread across the barren terrain in the distance.

"I don't get it," said Mikomi, "We restored all the UnGod's seals. How come Exodia's been released?"

"That fiend Caius must have had counter spells in place at each seal," Getsu surmised, "For each one we restored, one of the Forbidden One's seals must have been broken."

"Then we must find a way to restore those seals too!" exclaimed Noah.

"That's impossible for we do not even know where they are," Mahad interjected.

"Then we'll fight it," Sammie declared.

"First let's see if we can find anything useful in this lab," Zetsubou suggested, "If this is indeed Magical Scientist's lab, we can be certain he may have developed something."

"I may have passed something on the way out," Manna piped up. "Everyone follow me!"

The group followed the Dark Magician Girl back inside and she came to stop outside a sealed door. "Something's gotta be behind this door!"

"Then open it," Getsu urged.

"Okay! Here I go!" Manna twirled her staff and pointed it at the door. "Open Soybeans!" A burst of magic shot forth and hit the door, which caused several locks to release and the steel barrier to slide open. Inside was a welcome sight that nobody was expecting.

Sako was the first to enter and the lights came on to illuminate a massive armory. "Why does a scientist need this many guns?" Noah pondered aloud.

"Who cares? We have guns now," Sammie pointed out. Sako had already found his way to the fifty calibre bullets and was busy resupplying himself with ammunition. He also grabbed several extra clips for his service pistol and added a submachine gun to his personal arsenal as a sidearm.

"You should add a shotgun," Sammie suggested.

"I can't carry that many weapons," Sako reminded her as he continued loading clips for his rifle.

"Perhaps you can." Mahad stepped forward and offered him a backpack made of finely tanned leather, its straps made with brass hardware and buckles. It had two side pouches, each of which appeared large enough to hold about a quart of material.

"Is that a Bag of Holding?" Noah asked eagerly.

"It is actually Heward's Handy Haversack," Mahad corrected, "Regardless of what you place inside, it will always weigh five pounds. Additionally, when the wearer reaches into it for a specific item, that item is always on top. Thus, no digging around and fumbling is ever necessary to find what a haversack contains."

Sako took the haversack from Mahad and looked at it, then back at his pile of ammunition. At once, he dropped a few items in and felt the weight. As the Dark Magician had stated, the weight had not changed and he immediately began putting in as much as he could. "How...does some of that stuff even fit?" questioned Zetsubou.

"Bag of Holding physics," Sammie replied.

While Sako was filling up his sack, the others went to find anything else they could use. However, with the exception of the armory, Albert's laboratory had nothing aside from rooms upon rooms of delicate science equipment. Eventually, they all met back at the door. Once everybody was set, they headed out.

o o o

Caius watched the scrying orb as Exodia continued its trek across Karheim. "It is only a matter of time," he cackled as he tapped his fingers together, "Send out a pack of Mad Dogs!"

"Why Mad Dogs?" asked Evilswarm Thanatos.

"It will amuse me," answered the Dark Emperor.

o o o

Flying on the back of Scrap Dragon made travel significantly easier. As they approached Exodia, Sako prepared his weapons. "Do whatever it takes to stop Exodia," Mahad began to say to the others, "Whatever happens, we cannot allow him to roam free or it could be the end of Ardent."

"Then let's do it." Sako loaded the first clip into his sniper rifle and called out Y-Dragon Head. He leapt off Scrap Dragon onto the smaller red dragon and veered away from the team. Then the others jumped off save for Mikomi. Manna cast a slowfall spell on everybody to slow down their descent in order to land safely. Noah summoned Light and Darkness Dragon and mounted him in midair as the others touched down on the ground.

"Let's do it." Sammie called out her loyal knight Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning as Getsu unsheathed her sword and Zetsubou drew his blades. Suddenly the shadows around them came alive and materialized into rabid demonic canines.

"Mad Dogs of Darkness!" Mahad recognized, "Be cautious!" The rabid canines snarled as they circled their prey and then charged. Getsu was the first to act. She slid under one as it leapt at her and cut open its belly with her blade. Several made the leap toward Sammie, but Black Luster Soldier cut them down. In his distraction with them, however, two others approached his mistress from behind. But Sammie was able to fend them off with a powerful kick to their snouts.

"Manna, can you handle this?" asked Mahad.

Manna pointed her staff at three approaching Mad Dogs and blasted them back with her Dark Burning Attack. "Not a problem, master!"

"Then I leave this to you." And with that, Mahad blinked away.

Above the ground battle, Light and Darkness Dragon circled around Exodia and blasted it with a stream of light from its mouth. The massive behemoth was struck, but little damage was done. In response, Exodia swung one of its chains at the dual-colored dragon, which blocked it with a barrier of darkness. The ancient sealed god drew back his arm to swing again, but a gunshot rang out that broke through one of the chain links, severing the chain short. Sako repositioned himself on the sky and fired again, striking the side of Exodia's head. While his aim was true, the bullet only succeeded in breaking off a piece of its stone body. Mahad suddenly appeared beside him and cast a spell from his staff. It struck Exodia, which prompted him to turn around and reach out. Mahad quickly blinked out, but Sako found himself unable to get away in time. He fired three more shots at Exodia's incoming hand, but without successfully repelling it. He was about to eject off Y-Dragon Head when twin bursts of light and darkness hit and he looked up to see Lightpulsar Dragon and Darkflare Dragon hovering overhead. Noah flew past on Light and Darkness Dragon with his White Rose Mark shining brightly.

"You can use your Rose Power to substitute for your own life energy!" the boy yelled. Sako heard him loud and clear and understood. His right eye started glowing with his own White Rose Mark as he summoned out Barrel Dragon, Blowback Dragon, and Gatling Dragon. Gunshots rang out as Blowback Dragon ran around Exodia firing off one shot after another. Barrel Dragon steadied itself and fired off its revolvers with terrifying cannon-like power. Gatling Dragon followed behind Exodia and maintained a constant fire of bullets on its massive target.

"Begone, vile beast!" Black Luster Soldier cut open a portal in space with his sword and stood back as it swallowed up one of the Mad Dogs of Darkness. He turned around and swung his blade, cleaving another one in half as it leapt at him. He then knocked another away with his shield before stabbing another through the head. The one that had been shield bashed flew toward Zetsubou, who got down on his knees and leaned back as he raised his arms, slitting the beast's belly wide open. He then flipped back onto his feet and turned around in time to thrust his knife into the maw of an incoming Mad Dog and pierced the roof of its mouth, the blade impaling the creature's brain. Zetsubou whipped around thereafter and flung the carcass into another beast before turning behind him while spinning his other knife in his hand and pounding the pommel into the next Mad Dog's nose. It stumbled back giving the assassin time to thrust his knives into it and pull out to kill the next one.

Five Mad Dogs came closing around Manna, their mouths salivating as they approached. The young magician's apprentice stamped her staff down in between her feet and released an explosion of arcane energy around her. As she straightened back up, another beast came running toward her snarling. She spun around and cast myriad of arcane missiles. They struck hard and it fell back, sliding along the ground a few feet before coming to a stop, never to awaken again.

Getsu's katana blade flashed in the dim light as it cut through another Mad Dog of Darkness, spilling its blood upon the jet-black soil. The samurai woman spun her weapon in her hand and then thrust it behind it, impaling another beast upon it. She withdrew her blade and turned around in time to see three approaching. She somersaulted back and avoided them before jumping up and swinging to the side, lopping off their heads with one swift strike. Another one made the pounce at her and she spun around and slashed it across the mouth and through its body, splitting its body in two.

"Is there any end to these things?" asked Manna, "We need to get back to stopping Exodia."

"I have an idea. Everyone clear out!" Sammie shouted. Everybody did as they were told and she held up a card. "Demise, arise!" In a rush of darkness, Demise, King of Armageddon appeared as Sammie caught a ride off the ground. "World Ender!" In response, the demon king raised his axe and slammed it against the ground, splitting it open and causing the remainder of the Mad Dogs of Darkness to fall into the endless abyss.

"That worked!" Zetsubou yelled over the rush of wind. "Now, onto Exodia!"

Meanwhile, Gatling Dragon's assault on Exodia never let up. Barrel Dragon ran forward and slid to a stop before firing three more shots aimed at the ancient god's left knee. Blowback Dragon continued firing as it ran alongside its target, which had begun to irritate Exodia. To remove this thorn from its side, he swung his arm and crushed Blowback Dragon beneath the weight of one of its chains. Mahad appeared on his shoulder and started blasting magical bursts of energy into his ear. He began to prepare his blink spell as Exodia's hand came up to crush him, but was just barely too late to cast it and got knocked off.

As luck would have it, Manna cast a slowfall spell on her master and allowed Sammie to catch him with Reshef the Dark Being. "I was wondering when you would show up," the Dark Magician stated.

"I couldn't let you guys have all the fun today," Sammie replied cheekily. As she finished speaking, Black Luster Soldier leapt off Reshef's shoulder. As he swung his sword and banged the blade against Exodia, Mikomi came forward on Scrap Dragon. She called out Scrap Chimera and had it destroyed by her dragon's jet blast before firing two lasers at the giant in front of her, succeeding in blowing off a chunk of his body. No doubt Exodia had felt it because he now turned toward Scrap Dragon and prepared to smash in in between his palms.

Suddenly Mikomi could see her brother running up the right leg of the Forbidden One. He made it up to his waist and then leapt off onto his arm. He ran across to his hand and thrust his knives into one of Exodia's knuckles. He wedged his blades deep into the joint and started twisting them around. The giant god didn't seem to like that and so began to try throwing his attacker off.

Suddenly, streams of light and flame came crashing on top of Exodia as Light and Darkness Dragon flew in flanked by Lightpulsar Dragon and Darkflare Dragon. Y-Dragon Head circled around past him and Sako fired more shots. On the sixth shot, his rifle clicked and he immediately dropped his clip before reaching into Heward's Handy Haversack and pulling out a new clip which he quickly loaded in. He pulled the trigger and the first fifty calibre bullet flew through the air and embedded itself in Exodia's wrist. He fired several more shots, allowing Zetsubou the time he needed to pull out and run back up Exodia's arm to his shoulder. Mahad appeared next to him and enchanted the assassin's blades. With the wizard having done his work, Zetsubou slid down Exodia's collarbone and thrust one of his knives into his neck. Pain was felt, but no noticeable damage was made.

"Does this thing even have a weakness?" Noah yelled over the rush of wind. Manna came up beside him riding her staff like a broom.

"My master has been channeling a scan spell to find one," she said as the wind suddenly blew up her skirt. Noah quickly shielded his eyes. And as if on cue, Mahad appeared on Light and Darkness Dragon's back.

"The serpent upon Exodia's head," he said pointing toward the spot in question with his staff, "Caius has Exodia under a spell. In order to keep him intact, he has an enchantment in place to refrain the seals' emergency response magic from taking effect. If we can destroy the source of his magic, Exodia should be resealed."

"And you've told everyone already?" Noah inquired.

"I used a psychic voice spell," answered the Dark Magician, "Everyone has heard in their minds what I just said."

"Looks like you're up, Sako!" yelled Noah.

High above the boy's head, Sako took aim. "Target acquired," he said as he locked his crosshairs onto the eyes of the snake decorating Exodia's head. Y-Dragon Head suddenly shuddered had the Duel Sniper turned his attention toward the direction from which the impact had come. Gorz stood withdrawing an outstretched arm after throwing a black spear at his target.

"I'll have to deal with it later," Sako reported to the others, "I have an unexpected guest to attend to." And with that said, he turned around and opened fire on Gorz, who grabbed his enormous sword and swung it to deflect his shots before leaping skyward toward his long range foe.

"I'm coming!" Noah yelled as he veered his dragon around. "Light and Darkness Dragon, attack Gorz!"

"No, wait!" Sako shouted, but it was too late. Light and Darkness Dragon fired a beam of light from its mouth and Gorz swung his blade and cleaved it in two. At the same time the shadow he cast from the radiance took physical form and morphed into Kaien.

"Well that backfired horribly," Noah said rather nonchalantly as he gained altitude. Kaien the Emissary of Darkness looked up at him and with amazing agility jumped toward him. "Oh bollocks!"

"What'd you do?" Sammie yelled.

"I cocked up is what!"was the boy's response as he turned his mount around and flew away. Black Luster Soldier quickly came to his rescue and blocked the female Emissary of Darkness' blade. The two warriors proceeded to engage in a furious duel to the death while Noah came back for another round of attacks on Exodia.

With Sako under attack, Gatling Dragon and Barrel Dragon turned their attention on Gorz. However, the Emissary of Darkness ran along the ground and ran toward the latter. Barrel Dragon fired three shots and Gorz simply cut the bullets in half before cleaving his blade through his target. Then he turned on Gatling Dragon and cut his wheels before leaping up and decapitating all three heads. Sako fired down at him, but Gorz blocked with his sword before flinging it up and cutting Y-Dragon Head in half. Sako quickly jumped and slung his sniper rifle over his shoulder before sticking a hand inside his haversack. As he landed on the ground and rolled, he pulled out a SMG and opened fire as he neared his opponent. Gorz jumped back and blocked with his arm blades.

Back in the air, Mikomi's Rose Mark was glowing brightly as she flew on Scrap Dragon followed closely by Scrap Twin Dragon and Atomic Scrap Dragon. First her own mount unleashed its breath attack upon Exodia. Then as she pulled away, Scrap Twin Dragon followed up with a double laser from its two heads. Then as it veered off, Atomic Scrap Dragon released a devastating nuclear blast from its mouths at Exodia. As it flew off, Zetsubou had begun his ascent up the Forbidden One's body. With Sako occupied with Gorz, he was the only one who could deal the pinpoint blow required to destroy Exodia. However, the giant's massive body gave few places for him to hold onto as he ascended.

Mahad blinked onto Exodia's head with Getsu and dropped her off. "Best of luck." As soon as he vanished, the samurai began to move along the surface to reach her target. However, Exodia's thundering movements made it difficult for her to maintain her footing. While she was trying to stay balanced, Mahad blinked in front of the ancient god's face and blasted him with a Dark Magic Attack before blinking away. Manna flew up on her staff and quickly pulled it out long enough to cast her Dark Burning Attack before putting it back between her legs and flying away. Lightpulsar Dragon shot another light pulse and pulled back, but Darkflare Dragon was not so fortunate as it got too close during its attack and got slammed by Exodia's fist. Reshef the Dark Being hovered in and fired its cannon at the Forbidden One's back before moving out of the way in case of retaliation.

Zetsubou had now begun using his knives to aid in his climb, but Exodia could feel them and flicked him off like a mosquito. He bounced off the ground and landed in a heap. "How can we get to that snake if we can't even get up his body?"

"Or get a clear shot," Noah added as Light and Darkness Dragon landed next to Zetsubou.

"Perhaps we can help." Bastion stepped forward with Tania.

"Where have you two been for the last two episodes?" Noah demanded.

Bastion shed his labcoat and fixed his bowtie. "You needn't worry about that. Now then, my dear, if you would be so kind as to lend the good fellow a helping hand?"

"Of course." Tania turned to Zetsubou and picked him up. "Hold tight." And with that she threw the assassin. Zetsubou was honestly surprised, but recovered in midair and twisted his body around. When he arrived at his mark, he hooked his legs around the serpent's head. He looked down as he hung upside down and could see just how high he was from the ground. Gripping the hilts of his knives tightly, Zetsubou swung himself up and stabbed the first blade into the serpent's right eye. Powerful streams of red light shot out from the puncture and Exodia stopped walking and let out a loud groan. Zetsubou let himself back down to catch a breath and then swung back up again to stab the second eye. He then let himself go and Noah flew in to catch him. Exodia stopped completely as the power stored within the magical source poured out and he let out one final groan as his body crumbled into dust. Getsu, who was still on his head ran as quickly as she could to get off and was saved when Manna flew by and grabbed her hand.

"We did it!" cheered the Dark Magician Girl.

o o o

"Have you now?" Caius asked the scrying orb.

o o o

As the dust settled, a black light shot up from where Exodia had stood and the Forbidden One rose again, his body now pitch black.

"Really?" Noah yelled. "Exodia Necross! Really?"

"It is logical to assume Caius had this planned," Mahad stated matter-of-factly.

"Permit me." Bastion stepped forward with a strange cylindrical device. He opened it and then hurled it toward Exodia Necross. His aim was true and it struck his forehead. The device drilled in by some unknown means and Exodia Necross collapsed and crumbled just as its living form had.

"What was that thing?" asked Mikomi as Scrap Dragon landed.

"That is none of your concern," Bastion answered, "Now if you'll excuse us, Tania and I must return to the task we had at hand."

"What task? You don't do anything," Noah retorted.

Bastion just looked at the boy. "There are things beyond this time that even your mind cannot comprehend." And with that he and Tania left to some undisclosed location.

Sako disengaged Gorz as Black Luster Soldier did the same against Kaien as Scrap Dragon came to fetch them and they flew off. As they soared across the dark sky, everybody else returned their monsters to their cards and then just sat there not speaking. Finally, Sammie broke the silence, "So who thinks Caius is gonna be mighty _pissed_?" Noah's hand shot up instantly. Everyone just looked at him.

"What? We know it's true."

o o o

Caius slammed the armrests of his throne. "BLAST! They even managed to defeat Exodia! How? HOW!? And where is Jinzo? That damn scientist is never around when you need him."

Evilswarm Thanatos stepped forward. "My Lord, I have a suggestion. While the Terrans may have defeated Exodia and acquired all the Rose Cards, there is still one we can exploit." He zeroed the orb in on Zetsubou. "So long as he is unable to command the Steelswarm, we can defeat this skilled warrior."

Caius listened to his subordinate and then settled back on his throne. He nodded slowly. "I leave it to you then."

"I promise you won't be disappointed." And with that, Evilswarm Thanatos disappeared in a flock of bats.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Zetsubou has been targetted. Whatever Evilswarm Thanatos has planned for the master assassin is bound to be most devious. Find out next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	189. Zetsubou's Redemption

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic is a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-102**

**Zetsubou's Redemption**

The throne room was all but empty save for two figures. Caius sat on his throne while Kage kept in the shadows as he always did. "The Gravekeepers have been defeated, the Vampires have been slain, the Dark Scorpions failed, the Blackwings are useless, Endymion is no longer within our control, the armies of Dark World are no more, Yubel was just a fake, the Magical Scientist has failed, and now Exodia has been vanquished." The Dark Emperor turned to the shadows. "And your subordinate failed!" Kage said nothing as the Shadow Monarch continued his rant.

"You may have been sent here as an emissary of the UnGod, but you have yet to produce results. And what happened to my hired mercenary and Jinzo?"

"If you feel so helpless Caius, perhaps you'd best handle this on your own," Kage suggested.

"No, that will not be necessary." Caius observed his scrying orb. "Thanatos shall deal with them. He has a plan to destroy their strongest warrior."

"For your sake, you better be right," Kage warned, "The UnGod is displeased with your subjects' failures."

"I assure you they will not fail again," Caius replied.

"Only because you've run out."

The Shadow Monarch ignored this last statement and focused on the orb and the images that appeared.

o o o

"Are we there yet?"

"Stop asking, Noah."

The boy had been asking the question repeatedly for nearly an entire hour that day as the group continued their travels and it had honestly begun to annoy them.

"Noah, if you don't shut up I'm gonna turn this goddamn car around!" Sammie finally said. Noah became quiet after that.

Meanwhile, Zetsubou had not heard any of it. He had been more focused on other things. Most notably his deck. Lately his Steelswarms hadn't been responding to him the way they had used to. And it was all because of one card. He sifted through his deck until he found the one he wanted: Steelswarm Hercules. For as long as he could remember, this one card always had a mind of its own and not just in the form of a Duel Spirit. Steelswarm Hercules was just so...evil.

Mikomi could sense her brother's troubledness and walked closer to him. "Are you okay, Zetsu?" she asked.

Zetsubou put his cards away and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be fine, Mikomi."

As the group walked, Evilswarm Thanatos sat atop his black horse from a clifftop overlooking the Terran team. Behind him were his clan of Evilswarm demons. He watched the group for a moment before raising his hand and giving a signal. At once his men charged. Manna was the first to sense danger and turned. "Incoming!"

Zetsubou was the first to react. Drawing two of his knives, he moved in before anyone else could. Sako was the second, quickly setting up his sniper rifle and targetting his first victim. He fired his first shot and the bullet blew off his targets torso from his waist. Zetsubou leapt off the disembodied legs and stabbed two demons through the heart. While was down, he lashed out with his leg and swept three more off their feet before pulling out and backflipping to stab them. Two approached him for a frontal assault, which proved to be a costly mistake. Zetsubou threw his blades and they stuck in their heads. He then spun around and kicked another in the lower spine.

"Wow, Zetsubou's really going to town on those things," Sammie noted.

"Should we step in?" asked Getsu with her sword ready.

Evilswarm O'Lantern came flying over their heads and landed in a heap behind them.

"No, I think he's good," Sammie quickly replied.

Back at the fight, Zetsubou dropkicked Evilswarm Castor before pulling out a third knife and stabbing another attacker. He pulled out and flipped over to where his other two knives were buried within two fallen demons. As he got to his feet, he tossed one into the air and caught the hilt in his teeth. Zetsubou then spun around as several demons closed around him and slashed them all.

Suddenly the attack stopped. Evilswarm Thanatos had held up his hand and his minions backed off. He galloped forward and approached Zetsubou. "I had heard that your fighting skills were legendary. But your command over the underworld seems lacking."

"You're Thanatos," Zetsubou recognized.

"I'm glad you remember me."

"What do you want?"

"I'm here to test your command over the demons in your possession." Evilswarm Thanatos reached into a saddlebag and produced a jet black Duel Disk which he attached to his left gauntlet.

Zetsubou said nothing as he activated his own Duel Disk and the two combatants drew their cards.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 8000

**Evilswarm Thanatos:** 8000

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I'll go first." Zetsubou drew his first card. "I set two cards and summon Steelswarm Caller in attack position." Two cards appeared at his feet followed by a black moth-like demon with orange wings (ATK/1700 DEF/0). "That will be all."

"My turn then." Still seated upon his horse, Evilswarm Thanatos drew his card. "Tell me, assassin. Are you aware that your Steelswarms have masters of their own?"

"What do you mean...masters?" Zetsubou inquired.

Evilswarm Thanatos chuckled. "You'll see soon enough. I summon Evilswarm Zahak!" In a flash of darkness, a dark and corrupted version of Dragunity Aklys appeared (ATK/1850 DEF/850). "Evilswarm Zahak, attack Steelswarm Caller!"

"You activated my Trap Card, Infestation Tool!" Zetsubou revealed one of his set cards. "By sending one Steelswarm monster from my deck to my graveyard, I can raise the attack power of one Steelswarm monster on the field by eight hundred until my End Phase." He sent Steelswarm Longhorn to his graveyard and a dark purple light surrounded Steelswarm Caller, raising its attack power to twenty-five hundred, more than enough to counter the attack. It avoided Evilswarm Zahak's attack and released a venomous powder from its wings that destroyed the corrupted creature.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 8000

**Evilswarm Thanatos:** 7350

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"I'll set one card and end my turn," announced Evilswarm Thanatos.

"I thought as much." Zetsubou drew. "I sacrifice Steelswarm Caller to summon Steelswarm Mantis!" Steelswarm Caller vanished and in its place arose the large mantis demon in his deck (ATK/2400 DEF/0). "And since Steelswarm Caller was sacrificed to Tribute Summon a Steelswarm monster, its effect will permit me to Special Summon one level four or lower Steelswarm from my deck. I call Steelswarm Sentinel in attack position." A cyborg-like demon with a single red eye appeared (ATK/1100 DEF/0). "Since he's in attack mode, Special Summoned monsters who are level five or higher have their effects negated."

"Now for Mantis' effect," Zetsubou continued, "Since it was Tribute Summoned by sacrificing a Steelswarm, I can pay one thousand Life Points to resurrect one dead Steelswarm."

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 7000

**Evilswarm Thanatos:** 7350

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Arise, Steelswarm Longhorn!" A demon resembling a longhorn beetle appeared on the field and loomed over Evilswarm Thanatos (ATK/3000 DEF/0). "Now Steelswarm Longhorn, attack directly!"

"I activate my Quickplay Spell, Fires of Doomsday!" declared Evilswarm Thanatos as two one-eyed black flames appeared, each a level one Dark Fiend with zero attack and defense points.

"Destroy one of the tokens!" ordered Zetsubou. Steelswawrm Longhorn continued its task and destroyed one of hte tokens. "Steelswarm Sentinel, it's your turn!" The smaller creature fired a laser from its eye and destroyed the second token.

"Steelswarm Mantis, finish up." Steelswarm Mantis lept across the field and slashed Evilswarm Thanatos with its arms.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 7000

**Evilswarm Thanatos:** 4950

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Not much for being the masters of the Steelswarms," uttered Zetsubou.

"You have not yet seen their power." Evilswarm Thanatos drew. "Since you have more monsters than I, I Special Summon Evilswarm Mandragora." A Naturia Cosmobeet, corrupted and grown, appeared crouching defensively (ATK/1550 DEF/1450). "Next I Normal Summon Evilswarm Castor." A creature which could have passed as Constellar Pollux's twin brother appeared, but it had been corrupted by darkness (ATK/1750 DEF/550). "Then Castor's effect permits me to Normal Summon an extra lswarm monster. So I call for Evilswarm Salamandra!" A corrupted and darkened Jurrac Titano appeared (ATK/1850 DEF/950).

"Now I Overlay Evilswarm Mandragora with Evilswarm Castor." The two monsters transformed into streams of dark light and spiraled into a vortex that appeared. "I create an Overlay Network with my two monsters. Xyz Summon! Arise, Evilswarm Bahamut!" From the vortex emerged a black dragon resembling a corrupted version of Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier with two orbs of dark light orbiting its body (ATK/2350 DEF/1350).

"And now watch as I activate Evilswarm Bahamut's effect. By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can discard one Evilswarm monster from my hand and permanently take control of one of your monsters." Evilswarm Thanatos detached Evilswarm Castor and sent Evilswarm Cercyon from his hand to his graveyard. In doing so, Evilswarm Bahamut ate one of its orbs and then spread its wings and roared before lashing out with its tail and grabbing hold of Steelswarm Longhorn. Then with a swift yank it pulled it over and placed beside itself. "Next I'll activate Evilswarm Salamandra's effect. By banishing one monster from my graveyard, I can raise its attack points by three hundred. Additionally, this effect can be used twice per turn. So now I'll banish Evilswarm Zahak and Evilswarm Cercyon." He ejected two cards from his Duel Disk's graveyard and placed them both inside a saddlebag. In that moment, Evilswarm Salamandra began to burn with a dark fire as its attack points rose to twenty-four fifty.

"Now Evilswarm Salamandra, attack Steelswarm Mantis. Dark Titano Breath!" Evilswarm Salamandra's mouth started leaking black and blue flames before it released a steady stream of fire upon Steelswarm Mantis, killing it instantly.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 6950

**Evilswarm Thanatos:** 4950

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Evilswarm Bahamut, destroy Steelswarm Sentinel. Dark Mega Flare!" Evilswarm Bahamut spread its wings and roared before it began charging up its attack in its open mouth and then unleashing a powerful blast of dark elemental energy.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 5900

**Evilswarm Thanatos:** 4950

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now I'll have the pleasure of sending your own monster in to deal the direct attack," Evilswarm Thanatos cackled, "Steelswarm Longhorn, attack!" Steelswarm Longhorn did as commanded and lunged at Zetsubou and closed his pincer claws around him.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 2900

**Evilswarm Thanatos:** 4950

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Zetsubou grunted as he tried to withstand the pain. But against the might of his own monster, it made it very difficult. "It's your turn," Evilswarm Thanatos declared and Evilswarm Salamandra's attack power returned to eighteen fifty points.

Zetsubou drew his card. "I summon Steelswarm Genome." A Steelswarm larva appeared (ATK/1000 DEF/0). "Next I activate Infestation Ripples. By paying five hundred Life Points, I can resurrect one level four or lower Steelswarm from my graveyard and I choose Steelswarm Caller." A pool of pink ooze appeared and Steelswarm Caller slowly rose from it. He looked in his hand. There was but one card that he knew could save him, but to play it was risky, especially after what had happened between him and it earlier. But now it wa his only hope.

"Now I'll the Spell Card, Double Summon. Now I'll sacrifice Steelswarm Caller and Steelswarm Genome under its effect." Both monsters vanished from the field. "I summon Steelswarm Hercules!" Massive black and gold Hercules beetle and demon hybrid rose up from the ground behind Zetsubou and towered over all the other monsters present (ATK/3200 DEF/0).

"And with Steelswarm Caller's effect, I'll Special Summon Steelswarm Sting from my deck." A black hornet-like demon appeared and buzzed loudly (ATK/1850 DEF/0). "Now I'll use Monster Reborn to resurrect Steelswarm Mantis." Steelswarm Mantis returned to life and stood alongside its fellow insectoid demons.

"Is this really a good idea?" Noah asked his fellow spectators, "I mean, we all know what happened with Steelswarm Hercules before."

"Now that you mentioned it, Thanatos doesn't look scared," Manna realized.

"He must have something planned," Mahad surmised.

"Steelswarm Hercules, attack Steelswarm Longhorn!" ordered Zetsubou. Steelswarm Hercules looked at Evilswarm Thanatos, who merely nodded. The massive demon uncrossed his lower arms and slammed his tail down in front of Zetsubou before stepping across the field and joining the demonic horseman.

"I was afraid of this," Mikomi muttered fearfully.

"It is no use," Evilswarm Thanatos laughed, "Your Steelswarms are all a subspecies of my Evilswarms. They obey us!"

"So that's what you meant when you said the Steelswarms had masters," Zetsubou said finally realizing the truth.

"Of course! The power of the lswarm virus corrupts all, as you have seen. These are but a small fraction of what it is capable of. But don't take my word for it." Evilswarm Thanatos drew his card. "Find out for yourself. Steelswarm Hercules, attack!" Steelswarm Hercules smiled and cocked back his arm before firing off a burst of spikes at Zetsubou.

"ZETSU!" Mikomi's words echoed across the field but were reached Zetsubou's ears over the roar of the incoming projectiles. He closed his eyes, but then suddenly a light illuminated and he opened them to see that the attack had been blocked by a barrier of light.

"_Zetsubou,"_ he heard someone say. He looked around but could not see who it was who had spoken.

"Who there?" he asked, "How do you know me?"

"_We have always been there with you,"_ the voice said, _"Zetsubou Tejinashi the brave. You have overcome many obstacles to make it this far. You mustn't give up now. The pure do not falter. They do not surrender."_

"What must I do?" Zetsubou asked.

"_When evil changes its form and grows stronger, you must transform to meet it. Now rise, brave warrior. Rise, Zetsubou."_

Zetsubou stood back up, as if in a trance. The others wondered what was happening to him and he slowly uttered a phrase, as if it were another speaking through him, "Hen...shin..." There was a flash of light followed by a flash of color as Zetsubou's Duel Disk transformed, taking on the appearance of an insect with large red bulbous eyes and silver antennae over a mostly black arm-mounted device. Zetsubou's left hand had also gained a bright red ring reminiscent of a helmet designed to look like an insect's head while his waist now supported a belt with a large stylized golden Z. The rest of his clothes had also been replaced with black form-fitting outfit allowing him perfect flexibility and mobility. His tattered cloak had become a fine maroon scarf. His hand had been magically replenished with six cards and as he watched his field, he could see darkness seeping out of his two monsters and suddenly they transformed before him. Steelswarm Sting changed into a warrior in yellow hornet-style armor wielding a large oversized tonfa while Steelswarm Mantis had become a creature in green armor with two enormous blades on his arms.

"What is this?" demanded Evilswarm Thanatos.

"Your infection of evil has no hold on us any longer!" the yellow creature decreed, "We have been purified and returned to our true forms."

"We are the Inzektors!" the green creature announced, "I am Inzektor Giga-Mantis!"

"And I, Inzektor Hornet!"

"And I believe it's my turn now." Zetsubou drew his card. "I play Monster Gate. First I tribute one monster and then pick up cards from my deck until I can find a monster than can be Normal Summoned. Then I can Special Summon that monster and the rest of the cards go to my graveyard. So I'll sacrifice Inzektor Hornet." Inzektor Hornet vanished and a portal opened up overhead as Zetsubou began picked up cards from his deck. "And look at that. Right away, the first card I get. I Special Summon Inzektor Dragonfly in attack mode!" A woman in a black bodysuit with crimson dragonfly-like armor appeared wielding a sonic blaster in one hand (ATK/1000 DEF/1800). "And with her effect, I will equip her with one Inzektor from my hand or graveyard. For this I choose Inzektor Hornet." Inzektor Dragonfly put her blaster away and picked up Inzektor Hornet's tonfa as it appeared. "Any Inzektor equipped with Inzketor Hornet shall have their level increased by three and their attack and defense boosted by Inzketor Hornet's." Inzektor Dragonfly's level increased to six as her attack power became fifteen hundred and her defense rose to twenty-three hundred.

"Now I'll use Inzektor Hornet's own effect to unequip himself from Inzketor Dragonfly." Zetsubou did as he said and Inzektor Dragonfly's stats returned to normal. "And thanks to that, Inzektor Hornet's other effect kicks in, permitting me to destroy one card on the field. And I choose...Steelswarm Hercules!" The female warrior spun her comrade's tonfa and flung it with all her might. The stinger in the short end extended and it stabbed Steelswarm Hercules in the head, felling him immediately.

"And since a card was unequipped from Inzektor Dragonfly, her effect lets me Special Summon one Inzektor from my deck," Zetsubou continued, "So here's Inzektor Centipede." A brown armored insectoid warrior appeared wielding a pair of bladed shields (ATK/1600 DEF/1200). "And with his effect, I'll equip him with Inzektor Hornet." Inzektor Centipede placed his shields on his back and was equipped with Inzektor Hornet's tonfa, raising his level to six and his stats to twenty-one hundred and seventeen hundred attack and defense points respectively. "And now I'll send Inzektor Hornet to the graveyard to destroy another monster." Inzektor Centipede threw the tonfa at Steelswarm Longhorn and equipped his own weapons while watching the flying one impale the target monster. "And with Inzektor Centipede's effect, I can retrieve one Inzektor from my hand and I choose a second Centipede, which I Normal Summon." Zetsubou did as he said and repeated the exact same process as he had using his previous Inzektor Centipede with Inzektor Hornet, this time destroying Evilswarm Bahamut.

"And now I'll equip Inzektor Dragonfly with an Inzektor Giga-Mantis from my hand, which will change her original attack points to twenty-four hundred." Inzektor Dragonfly holstered her blaster and gained Inzektor Giga-Mantis' arm blades, boostering her up to twenty-four hundred attack points.

"Inzektor Dragonfly, attack Evilswarm Salamandra!" Inzektor Dragonfly started flapping her wings and flew across the field. Once she was in range, she came down and slashed her target to pieces.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 2900

**Evilswarm Thanatos:** 4400

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Inzektor Centipede, attack!" The first Inzektor Centipede threw his shields like boomerangs at Evilswarm Thanatos and cut him across his chest.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 2900

**Evilswarm Thanatos:** 2800

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

He caught his weapons on his return and Zetsubou ordered the second Inzektor Centipede to attack. Evilswarm Thanatos ducked under the shields, but failed to avoid them when they came back around and cut him across the back.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 2900

**Evilswarm Thanatos:** 1200

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"And now Inzektor Giga-Mantis, finish it!" ordered Zetsubou as he took several steps forward before he ran toward his opponent with his monster alongside him. Inzektor Giga-Mantis flew ahead and slashed his target with both blades.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**Zetsubou:** 2900

**Evilswarm Thanatos:** 0

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Evilswarm Thantos reeled from the attack and sat back up on his horse in time to see Zetsubou coming toward him with a fast flying kick. "Inzektor Kick!" His boot slammed into his target and sent the evil demonic god off his horse. He landed safely on his feet while his opponent hit the ground hard. Zetsubou stood back up and turned his back on Evilswarm Thanatos just before his body erupted first into an explosion of colorful smoke followed by a massive fiery explosion. He raised his arm and pressed his fingers against his ring, causing his Duel Disk to disappear.

"Zetsu!" Mikomi ran out to her brother while the others followed.

"That was impressive," Mahad commented.

"You beat Thanatos!" Manna exclaimed.

"And that explosion was amazing!" Noah added.

"What explosion?" asked Zetsubou.

"There was an explosion right behind you after you beat him," Noah tried to explain.

"I didn't notice any explosion."

"Are you telling me that you never noticed the seven story high fireball behind you?"

"You're crazy, kid," Sako muttered as he and the others filed past him.

"I'm telling you, there was an explosion right there."

o o o

"The Terrans have defeated Thanatos," Kozaky cackled, "That means they'll be marching upon the palace soon."

"Then the time has come for my plan to come to fruition." From the shadows, Jinzo stepped forward.

"I see your repairs are complete, Jinzo," Kozaky noted.

"Repaired _and_ upgraded," Jinzo corrected as he stood adjusting his new gloves which seemed insignificant compared to the new suit and goggles he wore. "Have you heard from Albert?"

"He hasn't reported in for a while," Kozaky answered.

"Then we shall proceed without him. Such a shame to lose such a valuable colleague. Kozaky, prepare your machines." Jinzo stepped closer to the monitors. "It is time to initiate the final stage of the plan."

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The final stage of Jinzo's plan has come to fruition and the Terran team finds themselves caught in the middle of a terrifying conflict between Caius the Shadow Monarch and his Chief Scientist. Betrayal runs rampant in the realm of darkness. The final battle for Karheim begins next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	190. The Science of Betrayal

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic is a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

Many apologies for the delay on this chapter. However, AMZ received his new work schedule last week and has been trying to make adjustments.

Also, AMZ has created a Tumblr where you can follow all his updates. You will find it at animemasterzero. tumblr. com.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-103**

**The Science of Betrayal**

Zetsubou's clothes had reverted back to their original form and his new Duel Disk had vanished. All that remained was the ring on his left hand. As the group progressed across Karheim, the sky seemed to be darkening even more than they thought possible.

"As we approach Caius' palace, light will continue to fade until none remains," Mahad explained, "We must be cautious for by the time we reach the palace gates, we will be shrouded in pitch blackness."

"Won't your illumination spells work?" Noah asked.

"No," Manna answered, "Caius' darkness absorbs all light. We'll be blind. And it doesn't help that there will be things trying to eat us too." Noah let out a squeak of fear.

"I fear we may have more than Caius to worry about," Sako said as he pointed in the distance, "Look." Everyone followed his hand and saw what he was looking at. An army of machines was marching upon Caius' palace just as they were. Countless ground troops moved in formation while above their heads flew a swarm of Cyberdark robots. There were also Hunter Dragons equipped with mind control devices on their heads. Flying over all the troops was a machine designed to look like Kozaky with Kozaky himself in the pilot's seat.

"Kozaky, is everything ready?" Jinzo asked as he appeared on a view screen on the demonic scientist's dash.

"Everything is ready to proceed, Jinzo," Kozaky reported.

"Excellent. Commence the final stage of the plan at once then."

"At once."

o o o

The approaching machine army did not go unnoticed. Caius saw it on the scrying orb and was fuming at the very thought that one of his own would dare attack him.

"Lord Caius," the mechanical filtered voice of Jinzo greeted.

"Where have you been?" the Shadow Monarch demanded as his Chief Scientist entered the throne room.

"Repairing myself," Jinzo confessed, "I was attacked and severely damaged. I've been attempting to repair myself ever since. Please forgive me for my absence, Lord Caius."

Caius said nothing as he returned to his orb. "Prepare the troops to defend the palace."

"What of the Terrans? They encroach upon us as well."

"Send some troops to slow them down," Caius ordered.

"At once, my Lord."

o o o

After having seen the machine army, Mahad had urged the group to move faster. Exactly as the Dark Magician had told them, everything did grow darker the closer they approached Caius' palace.

"This totally isn't creepy at all!" Noah told himself out loud.

"Keep a lookout anyway," Getsu said.

Mikomi patted Noah on the shoulder, which caused him to look over at her. "It'll be alright. We'll get through this, we'll bet Caius, and we'll go home."

"We may have a problem," Zetsubou stated.

"What's that?" Sammie inquired. From the shadows, a large troop of soldiers wielding swords appeared.

"What are they?" asked Sako. In his experience as the Duel Sniper, he had never seen monsters like these.

"Chthonian Soldiers," Mahad answered.

"Are they strong?" asked Sako.

"Not really," Manna replied.

"That would explain it."

Zetsubou and Getsu drew their weapons, Mahad and Manna readied their staves, Mikomi, Noah, and Sammie summoned their monsters, and the blonde also readied herself to fight head-on.

o o o

Meanwhile, not far from their location, Gorz crouched on a rock ledge watching the Terran team. He knew that these troops would prove completely ineffectual against his targets. However, if there were enough of them, they were bound to tire out, making his job significantly easier. Slinking back into the shadows, the mercenary bided his time. The opportunity to strike would come soon.

o o o

Caius' own forces marched to meet with the machine army. A multitude of demons, warriors, and other species from the realm of darkness set forth. The Blackwing clan flew overhead with Blackwing Armor Master at its head. From within the walls of the palace, Caius observed the movement of his forces while seated upon his throne.

"Are you certain it will be enough?" asked Jinzo.

"The swifter we can destroy those damned machines, the sooner I can focus on the Terrans," Caius answered.

_The Terrans are the least of your worries_, Jinzo thought as he laughed silently in his head.

o o o

The battle began without a hitch. Machines rolled forward opening fire while the forces of darkness rushed in weapons drawn and magical energies powering up.

"Attack! Attack!" ordered Caius' general in charge, Diabolos, King of the Abyss. A horde of Vorse Raiders roared and charged with Pandemonium Watchbears running alongside them. Overhead the Blackwings swooped down upon the mechanical army.

"Do not give in! Attack!" Kozaky yelled. Below him, Mechanicalchasers and Cannon Soldiers marched forward while Heavy Mech Support Platforms flew overhead dropping Black Salvos. Explosions dotted the forces of darkness as they pushed forward with Red-Eyes Black Dragons and Summoned Skulls while the machines were backed up by Fusilier Dragons and Fiendish Engine Omega.

"The battle has started," Mahad said as he could hear the explosions in the distance.

"That's great, but how about focusing on the here and now?" asked Sammie and she pummeled another Chthonian Soldier in the face. Her opponent went down and she turned on another, throwing it into one that was about to hit Noah from behind.

"These guys are a lot easier to fight off than I thought," Mikomi commented as two soldiers tripped over each other trying to reach her.

"I'm actually almost disappointed," Zetsubou replied.

"Maybe Caius is slipping?" asked Noah.

"Not likely. He must have something planned," Getsu answered.

o o o

"How goes the battle?" asked Caius.

"Against the machines, we seem to be at a stalemate," Jinzo reported.

"And what of the Terrans?"

"As you requested, we're throwing wave after wave of the easily-defeatable Chthonian Soldiers at them."

"And how is that going?"

"Poorly."

"Excellent." Caius opened his hand and an orb of darkness rose up from it, revealing a dim image of Gorz. "My mercenary shall deal with them in due time."

"I am quite certain all will be dealt with in due time," the Chief Scientist replied.

o o o

"You know we can't just stay here and fight these guys," Sammie pointed out.

"Oh I know they're just a distraction," Sako answered as he shot one in the head with his pistol, "But we can't move if they don't let up."

"Can't you and Zetsu just do your thing?" Noah asked.

Sako and Zetsubou stopped and looked at each other. The latter pressed his ring and transformed his clothes into his bodysuit. The Duel Sniper then signaled and Mahad blinked him up to a stone ledge where he went prong and began sniping. Chthonian Soldiers started dropping like flies. The ones that stayed alive looked about in confusion as the darkness above had completely cloaked the sniper. However, their worries were quickly laid to rest as Zetsubou dashed through them while delivering a series of kicks and punches, pausing only after he arrived at the end of a large mass of them only to pose before the soldiers exploded behind him.

"Leave this to us!" the transformed assassin yelled.

"Good luck, Zetsu!" Mikomi called out as she and the others took off.

"Think you got this," asked Sako as the others left.

"Well might be trouble if one more shows up," Zetsubou answered facetiously.

"Then that'll be the one I kill."

"What? You're fighting too?"

Sako smirked and opened fire. As more Chthonian Soldiers fell, Zetsubou weaved through them, delivering a series of devastating strikes and slashes with his knives. As the Duel Sniper continued his attack, he suddenly noticed a darker shadow appear from overhead. He looked up in time to see Gorz coming down on him with his sword drawn. Sako moved fast and jumped for the ledge just before the mercenary's blade came down on the spot he had been crouching on mere seconds ago. Sako pulled his SMG out from Heward's Handy Haversack and as he landed, he rolled on the ground and pumped bullets into a Chthonian Soldier as he stood back up before slamming it on the head with his rifle.

"I need another weapon!" Zetsubou yelled, having had to throw his knives to kill two enemies in the distance.

Sako quickly reached into his haversack and pulled out the first thing he could get his hands on, which was a shotgun. "Catch!" He threw the weapon across the battlefield and Zetsubou caught it and fired it into the face of an oncoming Chthonian Soldier.

"Not my preferred choice of weapon, but it'll do." He cocked the gun and fired again. With the transformed assassin taking care of the footsoldiers, Sako turned all his attention on the Emissary of Darkness.

"We shall settle this here and now," declared Gorz.

"I couldn't agree more," Sako replied.

o o o

Unfortunately for the group, the shortest route to the palace took them right through the ongoing battle. With none of the members actually being active combatants Getsu, Mahad, and Manna were being relied upon to keep the combatting forces at bay as they moved toward the castle. Machinery and wiring erupted in a storm of shrapnel before them. Flesh was torn through by artillery fire as fiends let out a death knell. This was war. And they knew it.

"We have to stop the fighting if we want to make it through alive," Getsu muttered as she cut through another fiend, disintegrating it with the magical power of her blade.

"That means taking out their leaders," Sammie pointed out.

"I can deal with Kozaky," Mikomi offered.

"Mikomi, are you sure?" Noah asked.

"He's got the command over every machine in Karheim," Manna said.

Mikomi nodded. "If my big brother can handle himself, I have to too. I don't want to be one of those defenseless little sisters who's always a burden."

Noah nodded with understanding. "Alright then. But we need to get up there."

"Our biggest problem is that," Sammie said pointing up to Diabolos.

"Leave that to us. We just need to get close enough," Mahad replied.

"Then hop on." Mikomi summoned Scrap Dragon and everybody got onto its back. The mechanical dragon took flight and flew toward the sky. Diabolos was in the air breathing fire on the battlefield, paying no attention to what was happening overhead. When Scrap Dragon was in position, Mahad, Manna, and Getsu jumped off and landed on his back.

"Time for us to bail," said Sammie. Noah nodded and called out Light and Darkness Dragon. He and Sammie hopped onto its back and flew toward the palace, leaving Mikomi to deal with Kozaky.

The demonic scientist was not oblivious to his surroundings and it was quite clear that he had a visitor approaching. "So, the Terrans think a little girl can stop me?" he asked mockingly.

"You're about to see what this little girl can do," Mikomi replied.

"Oh I wouldn't doubt that." Kozaky snapped his fingers and the Cyberdarks came around him. "I wouldn't doubt that at all."

o o o

Light and Darkness Dragon flew across the dark sky leaving everything behind it, but several Blackwings had picked up on them and gave pursuit. "Don't these guys know when to quit?" Noah sighed. He summoned Lightpulsar Dragon and Darkflare Dragon. "Keep them off our backs." As the two dragons fended off the dark Winged Beasts, Sammie couldn't help but wonder how the others were doing.

o o o

Zetsubou kicked a Chthonian Soldier off the ground before crouching down and firing a shotgun shell into his chest. He turned around and slammed the butt of the gun into another one and turned to fire again, but found he was out of ammunition. Instead of asking Sako for more shells, he used the weapon as a club and made his way across the battlefield to where his knives now lay embedded in two fallen soldiers. He threw the shotgun and hit another opponent before making a dive and grabbing his blades. He pulled them out of the eye sockets of his dead targets and began slashing again.

Meanwhile, Sako kept his distance from Gorz. He refrained from summoning any monsters to aid him should his opponent summon Kaien the Emissary of Darkness again. However, the mercenary's relentless attacks kept him using all of his efforts at a comfortable distance away. Gorz was a merciless attacker and Sako could barely get a shot in. He resorted to using his sidearm quite often, but his opponent would block his bullets with the flat of his blade. Reaching into his haversack once more, Sako pulled out two hand grenades and removed the pins with his teeth. He left them on the stone ledge he stood upon and jumped as Gorz came up. Just as the dark mercenary approached, the grenades exploded.

"How charming! You actually tried to trap me!" The Emissary of Darkness flew out of the cloud of smoke and thrust his sword toward Sako. The Duel Sniper avoided his attack and rolled away. He landed on the ground and pointed his sniper rifle at his enemy. He pulled the trigger and fired. Gorz swung his sword to block, but came in slightly too late and the impact knocked his weapon out of his hand. However, he was used to this. No sooner had the blade left his grip, the Emissary of Darkness threw a weapon akin to a bladed boomerang and knocked Sako's rifle away. The Duel Sniper watched where his weapon flew to and got up, but found himself face-to-face with his foe.

"It's going to be a shame to destroy such a worthy adversary," Gorz said.

"A job's a job," Sako replied.

The two combatants stood there for a moment in complete silence before rushing toward one another. Sako drew two more firearms while Gorz brandished his arm blades.

o o o

Mikomi had engaged Kozaky in a duel. The demonic scientist cackled as he drew his card while looking at the Scrap Twin Dragon his opponent had summoned and the Scrap Dragon that had destroyed his Five God Dragon.

"You'll regret having destroyed my five-headed beast. I activate Power Bond. Now I fuse from my hand Cyberdark Horn, Cyberdark Edge, and Cyberdark Keel to summon Cyberdark Dragon!" A large mechanical dragon with the three aforementioned creatures as its head, wings, and tail respectively rose up and roared. "And thanks to Power Bond's effect, its attack power is doubled. But that's not all! For now any dragon in my graveyard can be equipped to it and adds its power to my Cyberdark Dragon!" Five-God Dragon appeared and was grabbed in Cyberdark Dragon's claws, boosting its attack power to seven thousand.

"And now I'll activate Cyberdark Impact! Now by returning Cyberdark Horn, Cyberdark Edge, and Cyberdark Keel to my deck, I can summon another Cyberdark Dragon!" Another Cyberdark Dragon appeared on the field and roared, which Kozaky promptly equipped with Black Skull Dragon. "Destroy!" On Kozaky's command, his two monsters fired and destroyed Mikomi's Scrap Dragon and Scrap Twin Dragon.

Meanwhile, Mahad, Manna, and Getsu had come to the horrifying discovery that Diabolos' armor was riveted directly into his flesh. "The pain must have been unbearable," Getsu commented.

"How could anyone want something like that?" asked Manna.

"You can be horrified later. We must stop this mad beast!" Mahad said snapping his two comrades back to attention. With that, he, Manna, and Getsu started attacking the armor plates. It took a lot of firepower, but eventually they were able to loosen the first and Getsu placed her sword under and pried. Manna aided her while Mahad kept them shielded. Then with a sickening sound accompanied by a roar of pain, the rivets ripped out of Diabolos' flesh and the plate flew off.

"We're in bigger trouble now," said Manna. From the wounds left behind by the rivets, Giant Germs began to crawl out.

"I should have suspected Diabolos' internal defenses would try to kill us too," Mahad thought aloud as he, Getsu, and Manna took up battle stances.

o o o

"Sammie, look!" Noah yelled pointing. Sammie followed his finger and couldn't believe what she saw. It was Caius' palace, a fortress of blackest stone with towers jutting out like jagged spikes with a spiked ring surrounding its exterior. The entire castle was floating over a seemingly endless void. Noah couldn't help but peer into the chasm.

"Blackwings! Knock them down into the Abyss!" yelled Blackwing Armor Master.

"These guys just don't quit, do they?" Sammie yelled.

"I'm taking us to the castle!" Noah shouted as he turned his dragon and sent it straight toward the palace.

o o o

"How convenient that the Terrans would enter the battle," Caius mused as he resumed watching the scrying orb. "Wait a moment. What is that?" He took a closer look at a device on the machines side of the battlefield. "A Spell Canceller! Diabolos, get those infernal mages off your back and destroy that machine!"

"Don't worry about a thing, Lord Caius," Jinzo said reassuringly, "Everything is under control."

"They had better be," growled the Dark Emperor.

"Under. Control." Jinzo stepped back a few steps and several wires shot out from his back like tentacles and stuck against Caius' back, sending several thousand volts of electricity through his body. The Shadow Monarch cried out before collapsing off his throne onto the dais.

"Jinzo... You dare...betray me?"

"An intellect far superior to your own deserves to be the true ruler of Karheim," Jinzo said as he shocked the demonic king again, "But my ambitions surpass yours by far. At first I was not sure to what extent my influence could reach. However, with the arrival of the Terrans on Ardent, my hypothesis was confirmed. _Lord_ Caius..." He stressed the title mockingly. "I have no intention of ruling merely this land of darkness. I intend to control Ardent. And once I have accomplished that, I will rule all worlds! I shall become a god and not even the UnGod will be able to surpass me."

"You dare compare yourself to the UnGod?" Caius demanded. In response, Jinzo shocked him again.

"In this universe, intellect is everything. There are none who can surpass mine. You had not even realized that I had upgraded since last you saw me. I am not merely Jinzo, the man who was once your Chief Scientist. I am Jinzo - Lord! A title befitting for the new ruler of this world."

"You will regret your decision, traitor." Black fog appeared around Caius' hand and vanished almost immediately, leaving behind a long wicked sword with a jagged-edged blade and a horned demon skull surrounding the crossguard. Jinzo sent more electricity through his wires, but the Dark Emperor withstood the pain and slowly rose to his feet.

"Now begone to the other dimension!" He stabbed his blade against the floor, but nothing happened.

"I have taken precautions against all of your magic," Jinzo boasted, "Though my most recent attempts to grant myself omnipotence was for naught I at least gained enough information to ensure my victory. You have no power here anymore, Caius." He shocked the Dark Emperor again and brought him down to his knees.

"I will destroy you, traitor!" Caius swore over the pain.

"I've already won."

There was suddenly a crash as Light and Darkness Dragon plowed through a window and crashed into the throne room, throwing its passengers off onto the floor.

"See? I told you I could get us in!" Noah yelled.

"Yeah, but you also said you knew how to fly your dragon," Sammie replied.

"And I do!"

"Then why'd we crash through a window?"

"I said I had figured out how to fly a dragon. I haven't quite done the same yet for landing one."

"Ah, uninvited guests," Jinzo noted. He turned to Caius. "I'll finish you later." He unplugged his wires from the Shadow Monarch and turned around to face the intruders.

"Okay, Caius! We're here to kick your ass and- WHAT THE HELL?!" Sammie looked at the scene before her.

"You're a little late for that, girl," Jinzo said, "Caius has already been...deposed."

"Bloody hell," was all Noah could say.

Jinzo kicked Caius off the dais and sat himself upon the throne as the Dark Emperor vanished into one of his corridors of darkness. "As ruler of Karheim, I now possess the power over all forces of darkness. With its armies at my command, I shall rule all of Ardent. And then, I shall rule all worlds, beginning with yours."

"You want to take over our world?" Sammie asked.

"How?" Noah added.

"Once I control all of Ardent, I shall access the Tower of Divinity. With its power, I can access any world."

"What's the Tower of Divinity?" asked Sammie.

"It makes sense that you have never heard of it," Jinzo answered before he started to explain, "As you know, Ardent is divided into six realms: Paslie, the Realm of Wind; Aeagnaap, the Realm of Earth; Vazrana, the Realm of Water; Orstrem, the Realm of Fire; Hieratine, the Realm of Light; and Karheim, the Realm of Darkness. While vast and expansive, all the realms share one single border. And it is at this shared border the Tower of Divinity was erected."

"I see. So the Tower of Divinity represents the seventh attribute, Divine," Noah thought out loud.

"Correct. The Tower of Divinity draws power from all six realms and keeps them in balance. As a result, it is the single location in Ardent to possess immeasurable power. And those who wield this power will be able to accomplish anything that they desire. It was my Plan B in the event to attain godhood, had my Infinite Probability Engine failed. It is always good to have a back up, after all."

"So that's your plan." Noah stepped forward. "You intend to use the Tower of Divinity as a means of interdimensional transportation to travel across the multiverse and take control of each world one at a time thereby immortalizing yourself and as a result becoming the newfound god of all that exists."

"You are surprisingly intelligent for a child," Jinzo said, obviously impressed, "Naive, but intelligent. Perhaps you would consider allying yourself with me. A great intellect like your own must not be wasted among the rabble. Join the ranks of other great minds and rule the multiverse with us."

"Your offer is tempting, but I'm going to refuse," Noah answered, "I'm quite happy with my friends and I'd never abandon them."

"A pity. Then I'm afraid I must terminate you." Jinzo readied his wires.

"Settle with me the old fashioned way then." Noah put on and activated his Duel Disk.

"I suppose there is no harm in indulging one final request." Jinzo held out his left arm and a Duel Disk unfolded from it.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 8000

**Jinzo:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I will permit you to go first," Jinzo offered.

"With pleasure." Noah drew his first card. "I set two cards. Then I play the Field Spell, Chaos Zone." He placed his card inside his field tray and watched as the throne room transformed into a space between dimensions. "Now whenever a monster gets banished, my Field Spell gains a Chaos Counter. So now I'll play Gold Sarcophagus and I'll banish Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon from my deck. Then it comes to my hand in two turns." A golden box appeared on the field and his selected card was sealed within it, causing a portal to open up in the space between dimensions.

"Now I summon Eclipse Wyvern." A black and white dragon with red runes tattooed all over its body appeared and roared (ATK/1600 DEF/1000). "That ends my turn."

"I draw." Jinzo drew his card. "I will begin with Pot of Duality." A large porcelain jug appeared bearing the face of Pot of Greed. "First I reveal three cards from the top of my deck." He drew three cards and the third lens of his goggles suddenly lit up like a projector to display them. They were Battle Fader, Enemy Controller, and Call of the Haunted. "I shall place Enemy Controller into my hand."

Suddenly, Pot of Duality turned around, showing Noah a calm white face with a serene expression. "Now I return the other two cards to my deck and shuffle." Jinzo placed his cards back on top of his deck and his Duel Disk automatically shuffled it. "Now I shall conclude my turn."

Noah looked at the field. Jinzo had placed nothing out. But he kept himself on his toes. This man was not Caius' Chief Scientist for nothing. He slowly drew his next card. "Eclipse Wyvern, attack directly!"

"I negate your attack by summoning Battle Fader in defense position." A demon resembling a mix between a bell and a clock pendulum appeared in front of Jinzo and swung its arm from one side to the other to block the attack (ATK/0 DEF/0).

"I thought so," Noah thought out loud, "I end my turn."

"My turn now." Jinzo drew his card. "First I activate Enemy Controller from my hand." He played the Spell Card he had brought to his hand with the effect of his Pot of Duality from earlier, which summoned a large game controller before him. Now I input my code: Left, Right, A, B." The buttons moved as commanded and the cord shot out and grabbed Eclipse Wyvern. Battle Fader was destroyed and banished by its own effect, which gave Noah's Chaos Zone another Chaos Counter as the dragon was placed on Jinzo's side of the field.

"Now I sacrifice Eclipse Wyvern and summon forth Jinzo!" Eclipse Wyvern vanished and in its place arose Jinzo's previous form (ATK/2400 DEF/1500).

"When Eclipse Wyvern goes to the graveyard, his effect lets me banish one level seven or higher Light or Dark Dragon from my deck. Then when he gets banished in turn, that Dragon comes to my hand." Noah searched his deck. "And I'm choosing my Light and Darkness Dragon." He placed it in his pocket and allowed his deck to reshuffle as his Chaos Zone gained another counter.

"So it would seem. However as I am certain you are aware, all my forms are equipped with trap cancellation drivers. Now feel my wrath!" Jinzo on the field charged up a sparking black ball of energy and fired it at Noah.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 5600

**Jinzo:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I'll set one card and end my turn," announced Jinzo.

"Well, it's my turn now." Noah drew his card. "And as per my Gold Sarcophagus' effect, Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon comes to my hand." The golden box opened and Noah's dragon was placed in his hand. "Okay, now here's what I'm going to do. First, I'm going to Special Summon Vice Dragon in defense mode. By doing so, his stats will get halved." A purple dragon with green wings appeared crouching defensively (ATK/2000 DEF/2400). However, its body seemed to weaken as its attack and defense stats became one thousand and twelve hundred points respectively. "Next I banish Eclipse Wyvern from my graveyard, bringing Light and Darkness Dragon to my hand and gaining another Chaos Counter in the process, to Special Summon Ghost Ship in attack mode." As a fourth portal appeared in the space between dimensions, a haunting sea vessel brought back from its watery grave arose, its tatters sails flapping in the non-existent wind as spirits floated about it (ATK/1900 DEF/1000).

"You may have a Trap negater, Jinzo, but I also know that you've got the means to protect it," Noah continued, "Your facedown is a Quickplay Spell, isn't it? It can't be a Trap otherwise your monster would negate it, thus rendering it useless. But I have news. I'm not going to let you use it. I sacrifice Vice Dragon and Ghost Ship to summon Light and Darkness Dragon!" The two creatures vanished and in their place rose Noah's signature black and white dragon (ATK/2800 DEF/2400).

"That ends my turn," announced the young prodigy.

"Playing defensively?" Jinzo drew his card. "Admirable, but foolish. Your creature will lose power regardless of what I activate. In the end, my monster is far superior and I shall prove it. I reveal my facedown, Shrink!"

"And Light and Darkness Dragon negates that!" Noah countered. His monster released a pulse of darkness that cancelled out Shrink and reduced its stats by five hundred down to twenty-three hundred attack points and nineteen hundred defense points.

"Now attack!" ordered Jinzo. His lesser form charged up an attack and fired, blasting Light and Darkness Dragon into oblivion.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 5500

**Jinzo:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I end my turn," announced the Chief Scientist.

Noah drew his card. "I summon Divine Dragon Apocralyph!" A long-necked dragon made entirely of flames soared onto the field and landed with a roar (ATK/1000 DEF/1500). "Now I banish it to Special Summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" The creature was thrown into another dimension, giving Noah a fifth Chaos Counter and he summoned out his enormous black metallic dragon (ATK/2800 DEF/2400).

"Attack!" Noah's order echoed through the throne room as Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon powered up its Darkness Metal Flare and fired a bright red burst of energy from its mouth at Jinzo.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 5500

**Jinzo:** 7600

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Now I activate Fiend Comedian!" A golden coin appeared in Noah's hand. "If I call it right, I can banish every card in your graveyard. If I call it wrong, I must send cards from my deck to my graveyard equal to the number of cards in your graveyard. I call Tails!" He tossed the coin skyward and reached out to catch it. He missed it entirely and it landed on the black stone floor on Heads.

"You suck at coin tosses, Noah!" Sammie yelled.

"I have four cards in my graveyard," Jinzo announced.

"And four cards I shall send to my graveyard." Noah dug through his deck and sent Divine Dragon Apocralyph, Dimensional Alchemist, Lightpulsar Dragon, and Darkflare Dragon to his graveyard before putting his cards back in place and letting his Duel Disk shuffle his deck. "Now I'll use my Red-Eyes' effect to resurrect Lightpulsar Dragon!"

"I discard Effect Veiler to negate your creature's effect this turn." Jinzo dropped his card into his graveyard and Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon was stopped dead.

"I'm done then," announced Noah.

Jinzo drew his card. "I activate Allure of Darkness. I begin by drawing two cards." He drew two more. "Then I must banish one Dark monster in my hand. Elsewise, I must discard my entire hand."

"Do you banish?" asked Noah.

"I banish a Jinzo - Returner." Jinzo placed his card off to the side and Noah's Field Spell Card gained a sixth counter. "I now conclude my turn."

Noah was iffy again. His opponent had a clear field. Why again? He drew his card and weighed his options. "I summon Dimensional Alchemist." An angelic knight appeared in front of him (ATK/1300 DEF/200). "Now I use his effect and banish the top card of my deck to raise his attack power by five hundred." His card turned out to be Delta Flyer and his Field Spell Card gained its seventh counter while Dimensional Alchemist's attack power rose to eighteen hundred. "Now with Red-Eyes effect, I summon Lightpulsar Dragon!" A white shining dragon of light rose up and roared from the grave (ATK/2500 DEF/1500).

"Now Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, attack!" Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon fired off another Darkness Metal Flare at Jinzo.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 5500

**Jinzo:** 4800

–––––––––––––––––––––

"I Special Summon Gorz the Emissary of Darkness!" The blade-wielding mercenary appeared in front of Jinzo and swung his sword briefly before sliding it into its sheath behind his back (ATK/2700 DEF/2500). "And since he was summoned by Battle Damage, his effect lets me summon an Emissary of Darkness Token with attack and defense points equal to the damage I just took." Kaien the Emissary of Darkness appeared and stood beside her male counterpart as a level seven Light Fairy with twenty-eight hundred attack and defense points.

"Well played," Noah muttered.

"Anything else?" asked Jinzo.

"No..." And with that, Dimensional Alchemist's attack points lowered back down to thirteen hundred.

"I draw." Jinzo drew his card. "Excellent. Now it all comes together. I play D.D.R. - Different Dimension Reincarnation. I begin by discarding one card and then I will return Jinzo - Returner from banishment." He sent Unkown Synchron to his graveyard and a portal opened up to bring back the smaller equivalent of Jinzo (ATK/600 DEF/1400).

"I activate my facedown!" Noah quickly yelled, "Another Fiend Comedian. I call Heads!" He flipped the coin and failed to catch it once again, resulting it to land on the floor on Tails. With seven cards in his opponent's graveyard, he sent Delta Flyer, Lightray Diabolos, Lightpulsar Dragon, Darkflare Dragon, Dark Armed Dragon, Eclipse Wyvern, and Vice Dragon from his deck to his graveyard.

"Now I sacrifice Jinzo - Returner to resurrect Jinzo!" Jinzo - Returner vanished and the original Jinzo returned to the field. "Next I sacrifice him and bring out my current form, Jinzo - Lord!" A light appeared on the field and Jinzo stepped into it, causing it to rise up in a column and signalling his entry into battle (ATK/2600 DEF/1600).

"You're entering combat?" asked Noah.

"If you want something done, do it yourself," was Jinzo's answer. "And now I shall empower myself with the Amplifier!" A helmet with a massive array of dials, gauges, and knobs appeared and the Chief Scientist placed it upon his head. "This will further augment my powers and focus my trap cancellers only at you. Now Kaien, destroy Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" The Emissary of Darkness Token leapt forward and swung her sword at Noah's black dragon, which countered with its own attack. Both combatants were destroyed together. "Now Gorz, destroy Lightpulsar Dragon!" Gorz drew his sword and beheaded Lightpulsar Dragon with little effort.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 5300

**Jinzo:** 4800

–––––––––––––––––––––

"And I will deal with Dimensional Alchemist myself!" Jinzo's wires charged up with a powerful electric attack and fired it at his target.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 4000

**Jinzo:** 4800

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Feel free to do what you will, boy. Nothing can stop me now," Jinzo boasted.

"Your overconfidence is your weakness," Noah said.

"Your faith in your friends is yours," Jinzo replied.

Noah drew his card. The moment he saw it, he immediately re-checked his graveyard. "I think I'm about to win."

"And why do you say that?" asked Jinzo.

Noah revealed his card. "Because I just drew Dragon's Mirror. And in case you'd forgotten, my Chaos Zone is still active." He played his card. "I remove Lightray Diabolos, Dark Armed Dragon, Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, Vice Dragon, and Light and Darkness Dragon!" Five more portals opened up around them, totalling twelve. A different dragon appeared in front of each of the new ones and were pulled in before a fusion portal opened up and deposited an enormous dragon with five heads.

"Five God Dragon!" Noah's beast's roar rocked the entire palace (ATK/5000 DEF/5000).

"You expect me to fear this beast?" asked Jinzo.

"This beast is just the first step," Noah corrected, "Now I use the other effect of my Chaos Zone. By removing so many Chaos Counters, I can Special Summon one banished monster whose level is equal to that number of counters."

"And how many do you plan on removing?" Jinzo inquired.

Noah smiled. "Ten." Ten portals disappeared and merged into one enormous one to make way for a large black winged shadow. "Welcome back, Red-Eyes!" His Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon flew out and landed on the field before letting out a terrifying roar. "Then I'll top it off using Red-Eyes' effect to resurrect Lightpulsar Dragon." His white dragon reappeared and let out a roar.

"Red-Eyes, attack Gorz!" Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon released a powerful Darkness Metal Flare and blasted away Gorz the Emissary of Darkness.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 4000

**Jinzo:** 4700

–––––––––––––––––––––

"Five God Dragon, attack the token!" Noah's orders were heeded and Five God Dragon's five heads each released their respective breaths which spiraled together into a single entity and struck down the female Emissary of Darkness.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 4000

**Jinzo:** 2500

–––––––––––––––––––––

"That's it for now," Noah declared.

Jinzo drew his card. "I set one card. Your turn."

Noah looked at the field. His opponent had a facedown and that unnerved him. Jinzo had equipped himself with Amplifier, meaning that he would be able to activate Trap Cards.

Which meant that facedown had to be a Trap Card.

Jinzo almost smiled behind his respirator. As long as he wore his Amplifier, he could activate Mirror Force and obliterate his opponent.

Noah closed his eyes and brought his left hand to his deck. His Rose Mark started to glow as he placed his fingers on the top card and slowly pulled it out from his Duel Disk.

He opened and saw his draw. His eyes brightened. "I summon Mirage Dragon!" A translucent golden dragon with a mane of blue hair materialized from a mist that had suddenly entered the throne room and hissed (ATK/1600 DEF/600). "And Mirage Dragon's effect will take place during the Battle Phase."

"What does it do?" asked Jinzo.

"Oh I think you know this effect better than anyone else," Noah said with a smile of absolute delight, "He negates Trap Cards."

Jinzo's eyes widened behind his goggles.

Noah snapped his fingers. "Red-Eyes, please do the honours." Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon powered up its attack and fired off a flare that rammed into Jinzo - Lord.

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 4000

**Jinzo:** 2300

–––––––––––––––––––––

The impact and resulting explosion threw Jinzo off the field and back behind his own front lines. Noah then pointed up at his strongest monster and turned his finger toward his opponent. "It's time to kiss your arse goodbye!" Five God Dragon opened its mouths and fired off streams of fire, water, sand, darkness, and wind which spiraled into a multi-elemental helix that completely engulfed Jinzo in its powerful blast.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

–––––––––––––––––––––

**Noah:** 4000

**Jinzo:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––

Jinzo fell to his knees upon the dais as Noah's monsters vanished and he shut off his Duel Disk. "Defeated by a child! Such degradation!" His communicator beeped and he answered it. "What, Kozaky?"

"Bad news, Jinzo," the demonic scientist reported, "We're withdrawing our forces."

"They were just a distraction anyway. Why does it matter right now?" Jinzo demanded.

o o o

"Because the Terrans defeated us," Kozaky answered. Back out on the battlefield, the twisted man of science was frantically trying to pull away with what few machines he had left. But overhead, Diabolos continued to pursue. On his back, Mahad, Manna, and Getsu had succeeded in removing several of his armor plates.

"Blast him!" yelled Mahad. The two mages fired spells and Getsu stabbed into the flesh, causing Diabolos to roar in pain. His flight staggered and he lost altitude. Kozaky could only scream in horror as the massive black dragon came crashing down on top of his flying machine.

o o o

"Incompetence!" Jinzo threw his communicator onto the floor and stood back up. "If you want something right, do it yourself." He was about to walk down the steps when a sharp agonizing pain suddenly penetrated through his back.

"I couldn't have agreed more." Caius stood behind his former Chief Scientist as his corridor of darkness vanished with his sword impaled through Jinzo's body.

"Caius! You're still..."

"I'm well, Jinzo. But I cannot say the same for you. You may be an intellect, but you are still no warrior. And one thing you lack is the warrior's mind."

"Warriors are brutes! They are incapable of anything but exercising their strength."

"Not so true. They have combat strategy." And with that Caius pulled his sword out. Jinzo stumbled for a moment, but something didn't feel right.

"What...did you...do?"

"Your technology could stop my powers, correct?" Caius asked, "No matter what I used to protect myself, you could still cancel my magic. But you're wrong. There is one thing that is shielded from that technology."

"And what would that be?" Jinzo demanded.

"Your own body."

Jinzo suddenly understood what had happened. He clutched his wound on his chest. "You..."

"I opened a portal inside your body," Caius said, "You are being banished from the inside out."

Jinzo collapsed onto his knees as he felt his insides slowly being removed. "So close! I was...SO...CLOSE!"

Caius stabbed his sword into the floor. "I want you to suffer, Jinzo. And just before the last of you is consumed, I will trap your soul within Blackmourne where you shall spend eternity enduring neverending torment." Bit by bit, Jinzo continued to be consumed. Slowly, parts of his armor began to get pulled inside as a black orb of energy expanded out from his core. Caius grabbed his head in that moment, pulled his sword out, and touched the tip to his remains, absorbing his soul into the dark blade. The orb continued to expand, taking the rest of Jinzo's body until nothing remained.

Caius stepped in front of his throne and looked down at Noah and Sammie. "Now that the traitor has been disposed of, I have some unfinished business to attend to." His tattered cape seemed to wave in a nonexistent breeze as the tension in the throne room rose.

The true final battle of Karheim had begun.

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

Caius betrayed the Monarchs to serve the UnGod. His hour of judgment has come. The Dark Emperor must be brought to justice for his crime against his brethren. The final battle of darkness begins next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	191. The Dark Emperor

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic is a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-104**

**The Dark Emperor**

Gorz and Sako were still locked in their fierce battle. Two mercenaries with opposite combat expertises, one a sniper the other a swordsman, engaged against each other demonstrating which style was superior. "You've proven yourself time and time again to be a worthy adversary!" Gorz complimented as he flew toward Sako with a powerful jump, "With such impressive skills, why do you continue to place yourself in the company of those weak children?"

"Consider it a debt to be owed," Sako answered as he dodged and fired again.

Gorz deflected the shot with his arm blade, "And what sort of bounty would prompt you to owe another such a debt?"

"It's no bounty," Sako answered as he ran along a ridge, "What binds me to this debt...is blood." He avoided another attack and jumped down to another ledge, turning around to look back at his opponent.

"Blood?" Gorz stood erect with his sword in one hand, "You are bound to this debt by blood? You must have gone mad. To allow yourself to be born down by such a weakness. That is a grave mistake for a mercenary."

"It was no mistake," Sako replied, "This blood debt is what keeps me going strong."

"Then let's see just how strong it makes you." Before Gorz could make a move, he suddenly felt two sharp pains in his lower back.

"It's a bond the likes of you will never understand," Zetsubou said before he pulled his knives out of Gorz's back and kicked him off the ledge.

"I was wondering when you'd finish up," Sako called up. Zetsubou jumped from the ridge and landed beside Sako.

"They may have been weak soldiers, but their numbers were something else."

Gorz got back to his feet at the bottom of the canyon and Sako and Zetsubou jumped down and landed side-by-side facing their enemy. "I shall destroy you both!"

"Shall we?" Zetsubou.

"You first," Sako offered.

Zetsubou drew three cards and placed them on his Duel Disk. "Inzektor Hornet, Inzektor Dragonfly, and Inzektor Giga-Mantis! Come!" His three monsters appeared and flew toward Gorz. The visored mercenary swung his blade and chopped downward, but was blocked by Inzektor Giga-Mantis. That gave Inzektor Dragonfly the time she needed to fire her blaster to stun him and Inzektor Hornet struck the paralyzed demon man with his tonfa. He collapsed onto one knee and used his sword to push himself back up. At that moment, the Inzektors cleared away.

"Inzketor Kick!" Zetsubou suddenly came at him with a flying kick and struck him hard on the chest, sending him flying back. As the assassin recovered in midair, Sako took aim with his M-107 Barrett.

"Drop this." He pulled the trigger and a shot rang out as a single fifty-calibre bullet shot across the canyon and pierced through Gorz. He lowered his rifle as Zetsubou landed beside him. The two men turned their backs toward their enemy as Gorz hit the ground and his body exploded.

"Shall we go catch up with the others now?" asked Sako.

"Yes. Let's," answered Sako before the two men took off running.

o o o

Sammie and Noah were confronted by Caius the Shadow Monarch, who stood in front of his throne looking down at them. The Dark Emperor strode across the dais holding his sword in one hand. "You've obviously come to destroy me and you know as well as I that I cannot allow that if you had the means."

"What do you mean by 'had the means'?" asked Noah.

"Jinzo failed in his attempt to overthrow me," Caius explained, "His betrayal had obviously been carefully planned out. He had everything completely under his control. He would have succeeded had his overconfidence been his undoing. In the end, his own body destroyed him."

"Remember that it was you who betrayed the other Monarchs, so you had this coming to you," Sammie pointed out.

Caius stabbed Blackmourne into the floor. "The UnGod promised untold power to those who allied with Him. Who was I to turn down such an offer?"

"But your fellow Monarchs," Noah protested, "Aren't you all brothers?"

"We have no relation nor bond by blood," Caius answered, "Ruling each of the realms of Ardent was not enough. I sought greater things. I needed that power!"

"So you turned your back on your own kind to serve the UnGod, who may or may not even grant you that power?" asked Sammie.

"He has already given me much."

"And what's to stop Him from taking it away?"

Caius pulled his sword out and pointed it at Sammie. "Nothing. But as long as I continue to do as he pleases, I shall gain all the power I desire. And I'll begin by eliminating you."

"You really think you can?" Sammie asked as she activated her Duel Disk.

"With ease."

"Then bring it on!"

Caius held out his left arm and a wicked black Duel Disk magically appeared on it. "You shall regret your decision."

"We'll see. Come at me!"

"Blackmourne hungers!"

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 8000

**Caius:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I draw." Caius drew his first card. "I'll set two cards and call forth D.D. Survivor." A man wrapped up in a dirty cloak appeared before him (ATK/1800 DEF/200). "That will be all."

"My turn!" Sammie drew her first card and examined her hand. "I begin by activating Ascending Soul. When I Ritual Summon a monster, this lets me return one of those tributed monsters from my graveyard to my hand."

"I'm afraid your graveyard won't be accessible in this duel," Caius argued.

"And why is that?" Sammie asked.

"This." Caius revealed one of his set cards. "Macro Cosmos. As long as this card remains active, all cards sent to the graveyard are banished instead."

Sammie cringed a little. However, she only counted this as a setback. "I activate End of the World. I discard Ritual Raven to Ritual Summon Demise, King of Armageddon!" A dark portal opened up and the axe-wielding demon king arose from the abyss (ATK/2400 DEF/2000). "Now I'm going to use his effect to destroy everything by paying two thousand Life Points."

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 6000

**Caius:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I'm afraid not! I activate Book of Moon!" Caius revealed his second facedown card and suddenly Demise was switched into facedown defense position.

Sammie grimaced. "I end my turn," she announced.

Caius drew his next card. "I now sacrifice my D.D. Survivor." The cloaked wanderer disappeared and was swallowed up into the different dimension. "And I call upon myself into battle!" The Shadow Monarch disappeared through a corridor of darkness and reappeared as another one appeared on the field, placing him in battle (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "Now I'll use my powers to banish your King of Armageddon, which I believe is a Dark monster." Caius held out his hand and a dark orb appeared as a gateway to another dimension and swallowed up Sammie's card. The orb then shrank down to a miniscule size before suddenly erupting into a powerful dark explosion.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 5000

**Caius:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now it's my turn." Caius turned on Sammie and raised his sword. "Feel Blackmourne's bite!" And he swung.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 2600

**Caius:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Hold on, Sammie!" Noah yelled.

"This doesn't look good." The boy turned around to see Zetsubou and Sako standing behind him.

"How did things go?" he asked.

"We finished," answered Sako, "Then we got a ride from Mikomi." Suddenly Scrap Dragon came flying in through the broken window Noah's Light and Darkness Dragon had made and disappeared, allowing Mikomi to join them. Suddenly, Manna and Getsu flew in on Manna's staff. The samurai jumped and landed beside Zetsubou while Manna pulled her staff out from between her legs and dropped down next to the group.

"Where's Mahad?" asked Sako.

"He's just finishing up," answered Manna. They could hear an explosion followed by a loud roar coming from somewhere outside in the distance.

Getsu looked at the field. "Caius always was brash like that."

"What do you mean?" asked Noah.

"If Samantha can defeat him while he is on the field, she will win automatically. It's a strange weakness to every Regent Lord of the UnGod."

Back at the duel, Caius set two cards and ended his turn. "On my End Phase, if D.D. Survivor has been banished from the field he returns to the field." The cloaked wanderer reappeared and stood beside the Dark Emperor.

Sammie nodded and drew her card. Nothing. She had a Ritual Monster, but no means to summon it. She regretfully ended her turn.

Caius drew his card and examined it. Had his face not been hidden by his helmet, his expression would have depicted positivity. "You seem a little desperate, so I will aid you," Caius offered.

"What do you mean?" Sammie asked suspiciously.

"I summon Grinder Golem!" Caius placed the card on his Duel Disk and a massive mechanical demon appeared covered in chains and spikes with an enormous circular saw in the middle of its body in place of a head (ATK/3000 DEF/300).

"That's a big one," Noah commented.

"It's on Sammie's side," Mikomi pointed out. Indeed, the massive creature was standing on Sammie's side of the field.

"Why would he give her such a powerful monster?" Manna wondered.

"I know exactly why," Zetsubou answered.

Two smaller Grinder Golems appeared before Caius, each one a level one Dark Fiend with zero attack and defense points. The Shadow Monarch cackled.

"What's the purpose of this?" Sammie asked.

"You're about to find out. Grinder Token, attack Grinder Golem!" On Caius' order, one of the tokens charged. Grinder Golem in turn began spinning its massive blade and fired it off at its tiny clone, reloading a new one in the process as it sliced the creature in half.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 2600

**Caius:** 5000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now I activate in response, Inferno Tempest!"

"Oh shit," Sammie muttered.

"What's that do?" Mikomi asked.

"Caius just took three thousand points of damage," Noah explained, "That means he can use that card to banish every single monster in both his and Sammie's decks and graveyards." A massive fiery tempest erupted from the card and swallowed up every monster in both Duelists decks. Sammie's Duel Disk ejected every single card she had and she was forced to place them all in her pocket.

"Do you not enjoy the devastation?" Caius taunted, "It is simply...breathtaking. Oh, but there's another. One of my banished cards was Necroface."

"Oh shit," Sako muttered, "That means they both have to banish five more cards from the top of their decks."

Once all monsters had been removed, Sammie and Caius did the same with the top five cards of their decks. "I end my turn," the Dark Emperor announced, "And on my End Phase, since they were banished, I can bring back my D.D. Scout Planes." Two silver orbs with skinny metal arms and a single eye each appeared on his field (ATK/800 DEF/1200).

Sammie drew her card. She had almost nothing left save for the Grinder Golem Caius had given her, but even then she couldn't trust it. Her opponent had two facedown cards; most likely countermeasures against giving her such a powerful monster. She had to think of something. Looking at the card she just drew, however, gave her an idea.

"Give me your best," Caius taunted.

"You want my best?" asked Sammie, "I'll give you my best! I activate Contract with the Abyss! This lets me Ritual Summon a Dark monster. And I'll use Grinder Golem as the sacrifice!" An altar appeared and Grinder Golem was sacrificed. "Come out Demise, King of Armageddon!" A second Demise emerged and stood over the field. Sammie pointed up at him as she gave up two thousand Life Points.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 600

**Caius:** 5000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Go, Demise! World Ender!" Demise, King of Armageddon raised his axe and slammed it into the floor, causing it to split wide open.

"Compulsory Evacuation Device!" Caius activated his facedown and was propelled off the field back onto the dais as Demise's power destroyed everything on the field.

"Your defenses are no more," Sammie pointed out.

"Even if you attack, you cannot destroy me," Caius said. He was right. Demise has twenty-four hundred attack points while he still had five thousand Life Points. And as the Dark Emperor looked through his hand, he could see his own card and Fiend's Sanctuary. On his next turn, he would use the Spell Card to summon a Fiend Token and sacrifice it to bring himself out and use his power to banish Demise, dealing one thousand points of direct damage to his opponent.

"Oh I'm going to attack. But first I'm going to play Cup of Ace." The card appeared in front of Sammie and began to rotate. "Tell it to stop and whichever position it lands on determines who draws two cards."

"Stop!" Caius yelled. The card slowed down and eventually came to rest in an upright position.

"That means I get to draw two cards." Sammie drew her cards. "I play Burial from a Different Dimension! With this, I can choose up to three monsters that have been removed from play and return them to their graveyards."

"And what do you hope to bring back?" asked Caius.

"Just one," Sammie answered, "The one you gave me."

"Grinder Golem? What could you possibly want with that?"

"This. I now play Monster Reborn!" Sammie played her card and Grinder Golem rose up on her side of the field. "See, I've realized something. Grinder Golem must first be Special Summoned from your hand to your opponent's side of the field by Special Summoning two Grinder Tokens in face-up Attack Position on your side of the field. The keyword there is the word 'first'. Once Grinder Golem has been Special Summoned properly by its own effect the first time, it can be Special Summoned again by other means."

"Clever girl," Zetsubou commented.

"Now Grinder Golem, attack!" Grinder Golem powered up its saw blade and fired it off at Caius.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 600

**Caius:** 2000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Demise, end it now!" ordered Sammie. Demise, King of Armageddon moved in for the killing blow and swung his axe, bringing it down hard on the Shadow Monarch.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Sammie:** 600

**Caius:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––––

Caius was thrown back from the impact and the monsters vanished.

"Sammie, you did it!" Noah cheered as everyone ran up to her.

"This can't be!" Caius roared, "I was defeated! How?"

"Caius, you can't beat us," Sammie declared.

"I beg to differ!" Caius stood up and clenched his sword. "I will do this myself!" He raised his weapon over his head and dark energy started to gather at the tip. "_**APOCALYPSE!**_"

"The fiend! He's preparing to unleash his most devastating attack!" Getsu cried.

"We gotta get out of here!" Mikomi yelled.

"We won't be able to escape!" Manna screamed.

"Perhaps I can help!" Mahad's image suddenly appeared.

"Master!"

"Mahad, Caius is about to-" Sammie began but was cut off.

"Just get out of that palace now!" Mahad commanded.

Nobody had to be told twice. Everybody scrambled onto Scrap Dragon and took off out through the broken window. As they left, they could see a severely injured Diabolos approaching. Mahad had clearly done a lot to him. The Dark Magician suddenly blinked onto Scrap Dragon's back and unleashed a powerful blast from his staff that struck the King of the Abyss' now-exposed body and pierced through it. Diabolos roared in pain as he fell and crashed into Caius' palace, taking it and the Dark Emperor down with him into the Abyss.

Scrap Dragon flew over to one of the floating black rocks dotting the air around the endless pit and dropped everybody off. "It is done. At last, the Dark Emperor has been slain," said Getsu.

"I can't believe it's finally done." Mikomi sat down.

"Karheim is free at last of that tyrant," sighed Noah.

"You may want to save your relief for later," Mahad cautioned them.

From deep within the Abyss, a loud growl seemed to echo from its bottomless depths and suddenly streams of darkness poured out from within.

"The Soul Gate!" Zetsubou realized.

"It's the Indoctrination of the Night!" Manna exclaimed.

"You have done NOTHING!" Caius' voice echoed across the realm of darkness, "CHAOS EXULTATION!" All remaining forces of Karheim were swallowed up and absorbed into the Abyss. When the last had been consumed, several long tentacle-like appendages rose up and grabbed onto several floating rocks with massive warped dragon claws.

What rose up from the Abyss was a true horror. It looked like Diabolos almost ten times larger, but his face had been fused with Caius' helmet on his left side and his right shoulder had become fused with Caius' own armor. His wings rose up behind him, but had become as decayed and tattered as the Shadow Monarch's cape. The rest of his body seemed to disappear into the Abyss, as though he had fused with darkness itself.

"_**I will tear Ardent APART!"**_ a demonic mutation of Caius`voice roared. Blood as black as the darkest night seeped out from the wounds on his claws and dripped onto the stone, transforming into horrid creatures and moving in on the group.

"NOW it's the final battle!" Knives were drawn, guns were loaded, staves were readied, and Black Luster Soldier, Light and Darkness Dragon, and Atomic Scrap Dragon were summoned.

Manna ran forward to join the others in battle, but Mahad stopped her. "Manna, no. You stay back."

"But master, they need me!" the Dark Magician Girl protested, "I have to help!"

"You will help, my apprentice. But not in the heat of battle." Mahad knelt and looked into her eyes. "Your talent as a mage is exceptional, but your strongest talent lies in healing spells. And right now, that is what I need you for."

"You...want me to use my healing spells?" Manna asked.

"Yes! You're our healer!" Noah yelled as his dragon swept past them.

Manna put on a strong face. "I'll do it!"

"Now do your thing and heal!" Zetsubou dashed past with a few of his Inzektors and began his attack on the claw that had grabbed onto their rock. Sako's Rose Mark was glowing bright as he fired round after round, trying to hit Caius' head in order to have him break off. However, much to his surprise, even his fifty-calibre bullets, designed to pierce tank armor, was unable to penetrate that of the Shadow Monarch's dragon-mutated form.

"Well, this could be a problem," he said to no one in particular. He suddenly called out Y-Dragon Head and jumped on in order to get closer.

"_**There is no shelter from my fury!"**_ A stray limb shot out from the abyss and destroyed the mechanical red dragon, sending the Duel Sniper plummeting. Instead of panicking, he turned his sights on his target and kept firing. He aimed for the more organic side of Caius' head hoping his shots could pierce the dragon hide that had been a part of Diabolos. Atomic Scrap Dragon flew past and caught him before taking off and firing a triple atomic blast from all three heads.

Meanwhile, Black Luster Soldier continued to hack away at the claw that grabbed the rock he was on. The massive dragonic mutation was relentless. No matter how hard he tried, Caius would not let go. What was worse, he had begun pulling everything he grabbed down into the Abyss. _**"The Abyss will consume you!"**_ Sammie's Rose Mark was glowing as she called out Reshef the Dark Being and rode him, making sure to pick up Black Luster Soldier as she lifted off.

"This fiend is far more powerful than I had imagined, Milady," the dark knight said. Mahad appeared over them briefly and fired a volley of arcane missiles before disappearing again. Meanwhile, Getsu ran along the wretched limbs, avoiding Mucus Yolks that formed from the black blood that bled from Caius' wounds and swung her katana. She thought her sword's enchantment against demons would have made the fight easier, but it seemed it was doing as much damage as a flyswatter. She stuck her blade deep into one of the gashes and twisted. A loud roar escaped from the Dark Emperor. She felt like she had finally managed to deal any decent damage. But suddenly another claw came and slashed her across the chest. Getsu fell and began to fall into the Abyss, but Manna suddenly flew by and grabbed her.

"Hold on!" The Dark Magician Girl flew away from the battle and dropped Getsu off before using her magic to heal her wounds. "Are you alright?"

"I will be fine. Take me back. I was able to wound him."

"You're not going back out onto that...thing's...arm...tentacle...whatever."

Light and Darkness Dragon shot another light burst, which prompted Caius to retaliate. The Shadow Monarch turned his head upward, mouth open, and a torrent of black fire shot out at his target. "YOW, that's hot!" Noah pulled his dragon away and circled around for an attack from another angle, weaving past the mutant's tattered wings.

Black Luster Soldier cut open a hole in space as one of the claws came toward him and closed it quickly, severing one of its fingers upon banishment. Caius roared in pain as he withdrew his limb, but the blood that poured out warped and transformed into Mucus Yolks which rained down on Black Luster Soldier. He raised his shield to protect himself, but the loud hiss and trails of smoke they made upon touching it made him quickly withdraw. Their bodies were acidic! He tried to fight them off, but they only continued to corrode his armor and weapons. All seemed lost until Mahad appeared and blasted them all away.

"Hold on." The Dark Magician grabbed onto Black Luster Soldier and blinked him onto one of the remaining floating rocks. "We mustn't allow this battle to run its course for long. In time we will fatigue, but Caius has acquired transfinite power limits."

"What do you suggest?" Noah asked as he brought Light and Darkness Dragon in for a landing while Sammie came behind him on Reshef the Dark Being as Manna dropped down from her staff to give healing to everybody present.

"I will need time to prepare." Mahad held out his free hand and summoned his spellbook. "I will attempt the forbidden spell." A gasp escaped from Manna's lips.

"Master! The forbidden spell was forbidden by the order of Endymion! If you use it, you'll be excommunicated from the order!"

"I know that, Manna. But I also know that I cannot allow Caius to run rampant. His madness has reached new limits and must be stopped." Mahad opened his spellbook. "I require you all to keep his attention off me whilst I prepare the spell."

"You'd risk everything to destroy the evil king?" Black Luster Soldier asked.

"Yes."

"Then we'll back you up," said Sammie.

"Leave it to us!" Noah patted his dragon and it spread its wings and took off.

"Black Luster Soldier, let's go!" ordered Sammie. Her loyal soldier nodded and mounted Reshef with her before riding it back into battle.

Mahad turned to Manna. "Go. Worry not about me. Let your spells continue to heal those who fight."

The Dark Magician Girl nodded. "I'll do my best, Master." She placed her staff between her legs and flew back into the fray, leaving Mahad to begin the incantation.

"_**I shall tear this world apart!"**_ Caius' claws began reaching past the floating rocks and started making their way toward the solid perimeter of the Abyss.

"Do not let him escape the Abyss!" shouted Getsu, "We must defeat Caius here and now!" All forces turned and began focusing their firepower on the Shadow Monarch's head.

"Watch out!" Noah yelled as Caius opened his mouth and expelled another torrent of black fire.

"_**I will banish your souls to the world beyond!"**_ The Dark Emperor let out a ground-shaking roar and opened his mouth wide. But instead of more flames, an orb of pure blackness started to build up.

"What's he doing?" asked Mikomi.

"He's going to banish us all!" Sako realized.

"We can't let him do that! Everyone, concentrate all firepower on Caius!" ordered Zetsubou. Everyone did as commanded and began focusing all their firepower on Caius' head. Several of the melee fighters moved in closer to attack his jaw, hoping a hard-enough impact would force it shut upon the expanding portal.

"Any time now, master!" Manna yelled as she switched between healing and damaging spells. Meanwhile, Black Luster Soldier ran along Caius' head after being dropped off by Sammie and thrusting his sword into the Shadow Monarch's eye. However, he seemed unaffected by it as he continued charging up his ultimate attack.

"We're done for!" Sako yelled.

"We have no escape!" Noah cried.

"Everybody back!" Mahad's voice commanded, "It is time! Throw him back and move away!"

"You heard the man! Let's go!" Sammie yelled. As she pulled away, Reshef the Dark Being fired off three more shots while Black Luster Soldier slashed twice more before jumping back on.

"Five God Dragon, help!" Noah called upon his strongest monster and watched as it unleashed its quintuple-element breath helix while he flew back on Light and Darkness Dragon.

"Inzektor Kick!" Zetsubou flew in with a powerful flying kick and struck Caius before leaping back and catching onto Mikomi's Atomic Scrap Dragon as it launched its Atomic Blast attack. Getsu slashed and Sako fired before the pair retreated.

The six combatants and their monsters retreated behind Mahad, who now raised his staff toward the black sky. "I call upon the forbidden spell! Strike now, Raigeki!" An enormous thunderbolt shot down from the heavens and struck Caius with full force. He let out an enormous roar as he felt the power course through his body.

"Shield yourselves!" On Mahad's order, everybody hid as Caius the Shadow Monarch, the Dark Emperor, let out one final roar before countless explosions rocked his body, forcing him to release his hold, and causing him to sink into the Abyss before an enormous explosion erupted from its depths.

"It's finally over," sighed Sammie.

"The Dark Emperor has, at last, been defeat." Getsu sheathed her katana, "Perhaps now we can finally rebuild Karheim."

"In order to do that, the realm of darkness must first have a leader," Zetsubou pointed out.

"Someone like Mahad?" asked Sako.

Everyone turned to the Dark Magician. "I like that idea," Mikomi thought out loud.

"I agree," Noah said nodding, "Mahad would make a great ruler."

"Getting ahead of yourselves, now, are we?" Everybody suddenly turned to see Kage standing on an adjacent rock with Judgement behind him.

"Kage," Zetsubou recognized.

"So you defeated the Dark Emperor," the dark man mused, "Impressive. But what of your friends? Have they succeeded in defeating the other Regent Lords?"

"We believe in them. I'm sure they did," Sammie answered, "But now that we have the chance, we're going to beat you too!" Everyone attacked, but suddenly a black blur flashed past that blocked the attacks.

"I don't think so." Kage didn't seem to be the one speaking this time, nor was it Judgement. Suddenly the darkness seemed to solidify and materialize into a physical form. A large man in black and silver armor appeared with pauldrons like the wings of many bats with a dark grey cape draped from his shoulders and his head covered by a mask of a helmet. In his hand was black scythe with a blade shaped like a bat wing.

"Who is that?" asked Getsu.

"He looks like one of the Monarchs," Sammie replied, "Wait a minute..."

Kage looked at the newcomer. "So nice of you to finally join us, Delg."

"I knew it," Sammie thought out loud, "It's the eighth emperor. Delg the Dark Monarch."

Delg lowered his scythe and turned to Kage. "What shall we do about them?"

"We'll deal with them later, Delg. The UnGod has plans for them," Kage answered. As he cackled, Sammie could have sworn she saw his tattoos. "We will meet you at the Tower of Divinity." And with that, Kage faded into the shadows with Delg and Judgement, leaving the team alone.

"There's that term again," Noah realized, "Tower of Divinity."

"What's this Tower of Divinity?" asked Zetsubou.

"It's some kind of tower where all six realms share a border," Sammie answered, remembering what Jinzo had said, "Apparently it draws power from all of them and can do almost anything, even send people to other worlds."

"Which means we can use it to get back home!" Noah chimed.

Everyone thought about this. "It's worth a shot at least," Sako said.

"The Tower of Divinity is a stronghold of powerful magic," Mahad explained, "To enter will be no easy feat."

"But it's not like we have any other choice," Mikomi replied.

"Mahad, can you use your magic to send messages to other parts of Ardent?" Sammie asked.

"With a proper scrying orb to channel it, yes," Mahad answered.

"You mean something like this?" Noah suddenly picked up Caius' scrying orb which he had conveniently found lying nearby. Mahad nodded and the boy carried it over. Sammie stood in front of the Dark Magician as he began focusing his magic.

o o o

Reko was celebrating with Saito, Reka, and the residents of Paslie in Raiza's throne room when an orb of light suddenly appeared. Though no face was visible, a voice could clearly be heard.

"Everyone! This is Sammie! We have news! We have a way to get home! Everyone needs to meet us at the Tower of Divinity! I repeat: meet us at the Tower of Divinity!"

As the message ended, Reko and Saito turned to Reka and Raiza. The two of them seemed to understand exactly what Sammie was talking about and nodded. The Storm Monarch stood up from his throne.

"All troops prepare to mobilize! We march upon the Tower of Divinity!"

o o o

The funeral for Ingus, formerly Fulhelmknight of the X-Saber clan, had been sombre. Few words had been spoken as Granmarg opened the earth and laid his body to rest. All those who had fought for the liberation of Aeagnaap from the Black King were gathered, though none were sadder than Bethany.

As the ceremony drew to a close, Sammie's message came through and Granmarg's composure seemed to change. Recca, Wes, Max, Hayley, and Gio watched as he spoke slowly, "Prepare. We march on the Tower of Divinity."

o o o

Gishki Ariel was still in mourning as the school tried to recover from the attack by Gogiga Gagagigo. The Beast had done quite a lot of damage during his attack on Duel Academy, which was still in Vazrana. Milena, Umi, and Victoria were among those who were helping when Sammie's message came.

"Let us march," Mobius said, "The Tower of Divinity awaits."

o o o

Jurrac Meteor had been destroyed, much to the surprise of Jaden, Charlie, Nellie, Coltyn, Cassie, and Caerik. As they wondered what happened in the sky over Orstrem, they suddenly saw an orb of light and Sammie's voice speak. Thestalos suddenly appeared before them in a flash of fire.

"We march on the Tower of Divinity!"

o o o

Kuraz's palace was filled with the residents of Hieratine as Kuraz the Light Monarch stood before his throne with Zaborg to his side. Mikey, Gabe, Amadis, and Jaeger knelt before him as the golden emperor touched each of their shoulders with Excalibur.

"From this day onward, you shall be forever remembered as knights of the light," he declared. As the four of them rose, a light appeared over everybody's heads.

"Everyone! This is Sammie! We have news! We have a way to get home! Everyone needs to meet us at the Tower of Divinity! I repeat: meet us at the Tower of Divinity!"

Kuraz looked back at Mikey as the message ended and Mikey looked back at him.

"That was Sammie's voice," Gabe said.

"I know," Mikey replied.

Kuraz's gaze never left the seventeen-year-old boy. "What say you, Mikey."

Mikey looked around at everybody who occupied the throne room and turned back to Kuraz. "We don't have a choice. This could be our only chance to get back home." No more needed to be said as Kuraz gave the order and everybody prepared to mobilize.

"Bro, you sure about this?" Gabe asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," was Mikey's reply, "We have to get back home and we only have one shot at it. We march on the Tower of Divinity."

* * *

**Next Week on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_**

The Tower of Divinity stands where the borders of Hieratine, Vazrana, Orstrem, Aeagnaap, Paslie, and Karheim come together. Friends once divided to purge Ardent of the UnGod's influence reunite for one final battle to return home. But the tower's powerful defenses as well as an unseen enemy shall make this the most trying battle to come. The journey home begins next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	192. The Tower of Divinity

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic is a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-105**

**The Tower of Divinity**

There was no time for anybody to re-consolidate their forces. As soon as the message was received, the Monarchs assembled the troops they had gathered to liberate their respective realms from the Regent Lords of the UnGod and prepared to march out. The forces of Paslie flew behind Raiza, who led the way in his tornado. Behind him the Gusto clan, the Dragunity clan, the Ninjas, and even the remaining Harpies who wanted to avenge their queen flew in formation with their respective groups. Reko and Reka rode together on Gusto Griffin while the younger twin's Duel Runner was being carried by other members of the Gusto clan. Saito rode with the Dragunities.

"Reka, are you okay?" asked Reko.

Reka nodded. "It's just almost hard to believe. We're so close to the end and I can finally go home."

"You have no idea how much mom missed you," Reko answered, "She's going to be so happy to see you again."

"I missed everyone." Reka had obviously missed her family.

"You'll see them again real soon," Reko assured her. Reko smiled at her brother as they continued flying over Paslie to the place where the six realms met.

o o o

The forces of Aeagnaap assembled in front of Granmarg's palace in predetermined groups. One by one, the Rock Monarch used his powers to raised the earth beneath them and send them topside up the walls of the Great Stone Canyon. The Amazonesses were all together, as were several Rock monsters. Recca, Gio, Max, Hayley, Wes, Bethany, and Katasuo rode one to the top with Granmarg.

"Friends and subjects," the Rock Monarch addressed, "We march upon a stronghold none have dared to storm. Know now that you have a choice. Should you choose not to fight, it shall not be held against you. Those who wish not to fight, step down now." Everybody looked around. There was clearly mixed feelings among the crowd. Wes took that opportunity to step forward.

"We made it this far, Granmarg. To stop now would mean our entire mission was in vain. We must press on if we want to succeed and get back home." His words were felt and all stood proud. Granmarg would have smiled if he face could be seen.

"Then let us proceed onward." He slammed his fists against the ground and the giant stones on which everyone stood rose up and slid along the rock surface toward the shared border. Unbeknownst to them, a young woman with glasses had been caught on one of the moving plateaus and was now riding it against her will to places beyond her understanding.

o o o

Ariel wanted to hold a service for Gogiga Gagagigo, but she knew she would be unable to do so in time. Umi placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "I know you loved him, Ariel. But there will be a time for mourning later." The young water sorceress put on a strong face and nodded. She followed the pop star to the submarine where Victoria was waiting.

"All hands accounted for?" the captain asked.

"We are missing just one," Milena reported, "but he refuses to board."

"Let me talk to him." Victoria climbed down from the conning tower and approached Tsunami, who was sitting on his shark beside the submarine.

"Let us be off quickly!" the Legendary Fisherman cried, "The more time we waste, the less chance we have of engaging this final enemy."

"You're getting in," Victoria ordered.

"I have no desire to travel in a vessel that separates me from the ocean!" Tsunami declared.

"Get in," the captain repeated.

"I refuse."

"Tsunami, do as she says." Mobius suddenly appeared and picked up Tsunami. The Legendary Fisherman struggled but could not get free as he was placed inside the subcraft. He then turned to Victoria.

"I'll be relying on you, Mobius," she said. The Frost Monarch nodded.

"You need only heed my frost." And with that, Mobius took up his place at the bow of the submarine. Victoria returned to the conning tower and kept her radio handy.

"Proceed forward," she ordered and her crew pushed out.

o o o

In preparation for the battle to come, Thestalos had managed to tame the Evoltiles, Evolsaurs, and Evolzars. In addition, an inspection of the armory yielded a plethora of Volcanics at their disposal. It wasn't much, but it was all they could muster before they began their march.

"Cassie, are you sure you want to come with us?" Jaden asked.

"Of course, daddy! I made it this far with you. I want to be there with you when we finish. We'll be the best father-daughter combo ever!" Cassie replied enthusiastically. Whenever she did that, Jaden couldn't help but do as she wanted.

"You're just like me," he said, which really brightened the girl up.

Meanwhile Coltyn approached Charlie. "We're ready to move out."

The Duel Guerilla stood up from her sitting position. "Then let's go. Nellie, inform Thestalos."

"Right away!" Nellie took off as quickly as she could and found Thestalos standing beside Caerik talking with the Flame Swordsman. "Hey, we're ready to go!"

"Then we march." Thestalos held up his hammer as he turned to everyone. "For Orstrem and all of Ardent!" And with that, the forces of Fire marched while a girl with fiery red hair followed in secret.

o o o

No realm of Ardent could have seen any army larger than that of Heiratine. Zaborg marched alongside Kuraz with the Watts, the Batterymen, Gilford the Lightning, and Rai-Jin and Rai-Mei behind him. The Light Monarch himself had the Lightsworn, the Fairies, following him. Even the Ojama tribe they had saved had come to join them. What came as a surprise was when Amadis stepped forward with the Agents behind her.

"They want revenge against the UnGod for what He did to Hyperion," she said.

"It will be dangerous," Kuraz began until Mikey stepped in.

"And she helped us through all the danger here. Besides, she really wants to do this. I say let her."

Kuraz took in Mikey's words and nodded. "Very well then. The march begins soon."

As the Light Monarch turned and walked away, Gabe poked his brother in the ribs. "You got a thing for her?"

That's where they were now. The forces of Heiratine marched on the Tower of Divinity with Mikey in the lead accompanied by Gabe and Jaeger while Kuraz and Zaborg led their own respective forces while a girl with white hair trailed after them.

o o o

Mahad had called upon his summons and it wasn't long before the mages of Endymion came to heed his call. It was most unfortunate that they could not gather any more forces, but this was the best they could do.

"It's good to see you again, Mahad," Dharc greeted, "We'll gladly fight this final battle alongside you."

Mahad nodded. "It is good to have you with me."

Suddenly several black feathers rained down from the sky as the Blackwing clan descended from above. Everybody quickly took up a battle stance, but Blackwing Armor Master held up his hand. "Wait! We come in peace!"

"Don't believe him!" Noah warned, but Mahad approached him calmly.

"You may speak," said the Dark Magician.

"We were used by Caius," Blackwing Armor Master explained, "He had a hold over us. If we did not obey, he threatened to destroy that which our clan has treasured for generations. But now the Dark Emperor is vanquished and we are free. Alas though, we lost our beloved leader, Silverwind. We wish to avenge him. Let us join you in the fight."

"Then welcome. We march on the Tower of Divinity," Mahad declared.

"You're just going to let them join?" asked Zetsubou.

"We need all the help we can get and if they're offering, I see no reason to accept their allegiance," Sako replied.

"Agreed," answered Getsu.

With what little they were able to scrape together around Karheim, the march began.

o o o

"Paslie. Aeagnaap. Vazrana. Orstrem. Heiratine. Karheim. The forces of all six realms are uniting against us," a regal figure from within one of the innermost chambers of the Tower of Divinity contemplated aloud as he stood on a dais by a large window.

"The tower's defenses will protect us," another man's voice responded.

"We are not dealing with just anyone." The shadows seemed to shift as a dark man covered in tattoos stepped out. "These are the Rose Crusaders. Defeating them will be no easy feat."

"Don't forget that our own leader is among them," yet another figure pointed out, "But until they choose to reveal themself, we must be ready for anything."

"If they make it this far, leave them to me," the regal man said as he turned around and stepped into the light, revealing a handsome man in red and gold robes. "This tower was my stronghold once before. It shall be my stronghold once again."

"We will leave you to it then, Kel'aral." The others seemed to disappear, leaving Prince Kel'aral alone.

"Come then, Terrans. Your demise is imminent." He then turned to a black-clad figure kneeling on the floor. "And I suppose part of that will be thanks to you, Grandmaster Hanzo." Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo bowed his head.

"My men were destroyed in Orstrem. I am in your debt for what you have done."

"Know that what we have taught you is considered forbidden among your order."

"I am full aware of that," Hanzo replied, "But to regain my men, it was worth it."

"Then you know what you must do."

"I do." The Ninja Grandmaster nodded and bowed before he and his ninjas vanished.

Kel'aral turned and looked back out the window. "That should buy me some time." He then walked back to the center of the dais and raised his arms. Around him four crystals embedded in the walls began to glow and started charging him with purple lightning.

o o o

The Tower of Divinity stood tall surrounded on all sides by the six realms of Ardent. It was an enormous structure rising high beyond vision. A massive golden spire covered with giant red and purple crystals glowing and sparking with magic and energy. Beyond its walls, the land itself seemed to be covered with golden soil for nearly half a kilometer. Beyond that point, the ground very distinctly split off into different types of terrain. Wind-eroded grey stone led into Paslie. Bare brown rock and shallow soil indicating the way into Aeagnaap. A small beach feeding into the sea was the starting point into Vazrana. Molten rock was the beginning of Orstrem. Lush green grass led into the radiant realm of Heiratine. Pitch black soil was the beginning of the path into Karheim.

But from each of these lands, an army entered the zone of golden soil. Very slowly, Raiza the Storm Monarch, Granmarg the Rock Monarch, Mobius the Frost Monarch, Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch, Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, Kuraz the Light Monarch, and Mahad the Dark Magician led their armies toward the giant tower. Needless to say, there were tearful reunions all around. Mikey, Sammie, Max, Coltyn, and Gabe were quick to reunite with each other. Saito calmly approached Wes, Nellie, and Hayley. Sako, Charlie, Victoria, and Jaeger met up with each other to discuss their experiences in their respective realms. Noah, Cassie, and Gio were fighting to see who would get to tell their story first. Recca was so excited to see her daughter again that she, Reka, and Reko spent the most time out of anybody else catching up. The Monarchs said nothing as they chatted away. After all, they knew what it was like to be separated from one's brethren for so long.

"So Caius had actually betrayed us?" Raiza asked as Mahad explained to them the events in Karheim.

"That is correct," the Dark Magician replied, "Furthermore, there was another Monarch present. An eighth among your ranks."

"Our lost brother Delg," Kuraz thought aloud, "He was believed to have only been a myth. But if your words hold true, then he is alive."

"Why has he not taken up the throne of darkness then?" asked Mobius.

"I fear that the man I saw either not the real Delg or perhaps one who has succumbed to the will of the UnGod," answered Mahad. Everybody fell silent.

"If he has been gone for so long," Zaborg began to say, "it's possible he's been with the UnGod since the beginning."

"That much exposure to His influence would make him irredeemable," Granmarg said slowly.

"Am I seriously the last person to know that my brother is gay?" they could hear Mikey yell from across the field.

"Seriously Mikey, you're the only one he actually told," Max replied, "The rest of us figured it out a _long_ time ago!"

"Though it pains me to say it, we have no choice," Kuraz said returning the conversation to its subject, "We have to destroy our brother."

Meanwhile, Dharc had been wandering around and came across two old friends. "Wynn? Eria? Is that you?"

"Dharc!" Wynnda and Ariel opened their arms as Dharc ran over to them and they pulled him into a hug.

"It's been so long!" Wynnda exclaimed.

"How have you been?" asked Ariel.

"I've been studying," Dharc replied.

"That's just so you!" Wynnda laughed.

"Heck yeah it is!" The three Charmers turned to see a girl with fiery red hair accompanied by a Fox Fire, "Long time no see, guys!"

"Hiita!" exclaimed Ariel.

"Don't forget me." The voice belonged to a shy young girl with white hair accompanied by a Happy Lover.

"Lyna." Dharc recognized her immediately and a light blush crept up on his face.

"Awww, Darky still got a crush?" Hiita asked, poking the Dark Charmer.

"Shut up!" Dharc yelled hiding his face. Lyna said nothing, but she turned her head away as she began to blush.

"Marmot, slow down!" they heard a new voice call out as an Archfiend Marmot of Nefariousness ran up to them followed by a girl with glasses.

"Aussa, it's you!" Wynnda recognized. Aussa the Earth Charmer stopped and picked up her familiar and looked around her.

"It's you guys!" she exclaimed happily.

"Looks like the Charmers are back together finally!" Hiita said with a big grin on her face.

While the Charmers were busy catching up, the Monarchs were discussing a battle plan. As they huddled around a table and a map, they suddenly became aware of another presence. They looked up and saw men in feudal Japanese armor approaching.

"Who are they?" Mikey asked.

"It's the Six Samurai," Sammie answered. Indeed, the six noble warriors - Zanji, Irou, Yaichi, Kamon, Nisashi, and Yariza - approached with their Grandmaster all led by none other than Great Shogun Shien. When they arrived, Shien looked around.

"Where is the one called Mahad?"

"I am Mahad." The Dark Magician approached. "What is your purpose here, Shien."

"We come to offer aid, but to maximize our strength we request the aid of one of your mages, the Time Wizard," the Great Shogun answered.

"I understand. So be it then." Mahad banged his staff on the ground and the small clock-shaped wizard appeared. "Time Wizard, do as Shien requests."

Time Wizard held up his staff and a time warp appeared. "Time Magic!" From the portal through time came the samurai warriors of the past, Enishi, Kageki, Kizan, Mizuho, Shinai, and a younger form of the Great Shogun known as Shi En.

"What brings you here, Shien?" asked Kuraz.

"We have heard that the Ninjas have allied themselves with the UnGod," the Great Shogun answered.

"Yes, it is true," Thestalos answered, "and they were destroyed in Orstrem."

"I fear that the threat may have only just begun."

Suddenly Mikey came running in. "Kuraz! You might want to come see this." The Monarchs followed him. When they stopped they could see a lone figure walking out from the Tower of Divinity.

"It's Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo!" exclaimed Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke.

The dark ninja walked toward the six armies and stopped. No sooner had he halted in his footsteps, six statues dropped behind him and formed a barrier around the Tower of Divinity.

"Barrier Statues?" asked Noah.

"Barrier Statues," confirmed Wes.

All eyes turned back to Hanzo as he placed his hands together and closed his eyes. Suddenly without warning, several wooden coffins rose out of the ground in front of him in upright positions. One by one, the lids fell open revealing the bodies inside.

"It's the other ninjas!" Zanji recognized.

"But they were all defeated," Charlie assured them.

"You did kill them, yes. But death has no meaning to one who has mastered the Impure World Resurrection technique." Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo opened his eyes and the dead ninjas did the same. They stepped out of their coffins together and stood facing the army before them. Apart from the ninjas they had encountered in Orstrem, three more had joined them: a fat man known only as Upstart Golden Ninja, a blond man in red with a fiery dragon spirit called Red Dragon Ninja, and a black-haired man in blue with a sea serpent spirit called Blue Dragon Ninja.

"Attack." Right on his command, the ninjas dashed forward into battle. As they approached their enemies, a cloud of shadow descended behind them and deposited an army of Gene Erics.

"Oh fuck, these guys again," Sammie groaned as the clones drew cards and placed them on their Duel Disks, summoning out Gil Garths, Insect Knights, Blazing Inpachis, Alexandrite Dragons, Sea Serpent Warriors of Darkness, and Harpie's Brothers.

"Don't worry, we can take them." Mikey held up his Rose Card as his Red Rose Mark started to glow on his right forearm. Sammie gasped when she saw it. She could hardly believe it; Mikey was the Crusader of the Red Rose! She quickly regained her composure and stood beside him as the Vanguard of the Red Rose, her Rose Mark glowing over her heart as she held her Red Rose Card. Following them, the Knights of the Red Rose followed with their cards and marks. Max with his mark on his right cheek, Gabe with his mark on his right thigh, Reko with his mark on his right bicep, Mikomi's mark on her naval, Charlie's mark above her bosom, and Victoria with her mark glowing on her right palm.

Beside them, Saito stood as the Crusader of the White Rose holding his White Rose Card as his White Rose Mark glowed on his left forearm. Wes stood at his side as the Vanguard of the White Rose, his mark glowing over his heart as he held his card. Behind them, the Knights of the White Rose followed. Hayley with her mark on her left cheek, Nellie with her mark on her shoulder blade, Sako with his mark on his right eye, Jaeger with his mark on his left achilles tendon, Zetsubou's mark on his jugular, and Noah with his mark glowing on the back of his left hand.

The two Crusaders spoke. "Guardians of the Rose, united we shall prevail!" Everybody drew a card and the light of their marks passed into them which resulting in the summoning of Constellar Pleiades, Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, The Tricky, Vylon Epsilon, Daigusto Eguls, Scrap Dragon, Laval Judgment Lord,Evigishki Soul Ogre, Inzektor Giga-Mantis, Light and Darkness Dragon, Barrel Dragon, Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, Darklord Asmodeus, Cyber Eltanin, Koa'ki Meiru Maximus, and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"Brothers, ready!" Kuraz shouted as he drew his sword, "Excalibur!"

Raiza summoned his bow, "Aeolus!"

Mobius formed his lance. "Blizzaga!"

Granmarg punched the ground and formed stone gauntlets over his fists. "Gaia!"

Zaborg summoned his staff in a flash of lightning. "Voltolos!"

Thestalos' hammer appeared in a flash of fire. "Incendius!"

Weapons raised, the Monarchs turned to their armies. Kuraz spoke to his men. "For Heiratine."

"For Aeagnaap."

"For Paslie."

"For Vazrana."

"For Orstrem."

The armies of darkness turned and looked at Mahad. The Dark Magician looked at them calmly and spoke. "For Karheim." He turned toward the Tower of Divinity and raised his staff.

Together with the Monarchs, they shouted. "For Ardent!" And with that, they charged.

"Let's go too." Jaden's eyes changed color as he brought a card out. "Elemental Hero Neos!"

"Let me help too, daddy." Cassie brought out a card. "Elemental Hero Terra Firma!"

"Don't forget me!" Gio yelled. "Exxod, Master of the Guard!"

Amadis stood with her Agents. "This is for Hyperion."

Milena placed a card upon her Duel Disk calmly. "Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier."

Recca was equally calm as she stood beside her daughter. "Naturia Exterio!"

"Locomotion R-Genex!"

Umi, not wanting to just stand back and watch, raised her own card toward the sky. "Sea Dragon Lord Gishilnodon!"

"Charmers, let's go!" Hiita, Aussa, Wynnda, Dharc, and Lyna held up their staffs and transformed their familiars into spirit forms. The took them in their hands and fused them with their hearts.

"I'm very sorry, Eria," Lyna said to Ariel before the six of them joined the fight.

"Samurai!" Great Shogun Shien shouted, "For great honor!" And with that, the Samurai charged.

The armies of Ardent and the armies of the UnGod ran and they clashed halfway between the border and the Tower of Divinity.

o o o

"My Prince! Our forces have engaged the enemy!" A soldier came into the chamber and reported as Kel'aral continued consuming energy.

"Excellent. Make sure they enter our stronghold, but not without first wearing themselves out in the battle," the dimensional prince replied, "Though it matters little. I will soon possess all the energy of Ardent as my own and there is nothing they can do to stop me!"

o o o

It was madness. Sheer madness. Chaos was abound all around the Tower of Divinity as the forces of good and evil clashed in a battle of epic proportions. Saito's Blue-Eyes White Dragon opened its mouth and fired a powerful stream of energy down a line of enemies. It then swept its head to the side and dragged its beam along with it, taking out large numbers of Genes and their monsters. Mikomi flew overhead on Scrap Dragon blasting through their ranks. Zetsubou leapt off his sister's beast and landed with his knives penetrating two more Genes through the eye as Inzektor Giga-Mantis cut down their monsters. Koa'ki Meiru Maximus flapped its wings as it flew over the battlefield and unleashed its mighty breath attack as the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys flew over and incinerated all within the fiery wake of its wings. Reko dominated the skies on Daigusto Eguls as Reka ploughed through the Genes on Locomotion R-Genex. The Tricky threw daggers into any Gene he flew across while Laval Judgment Lord and Evigishki Soul Ogre blasted through their ranks with fire and water respectively. Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier froze several Genes' monsters solid before they were smashed to pieces by Elemental Hero Neos and Elemental Hero Terra Firma. Bullets rained down on the battlefield like hellfire as Gatling Dragon fired all its turrets while Vylon Epsilon fired its equipped weapons. Cyber Eltanin and Light and Darkness Dragon flew over the battlefield shooting lasers and beams of light while Constellar Pleiades and Black Luster Soldier cut through the Gene army.

"We need to destroy those Barrier Statues!" Mikey yelled.

"That is only possible if they are all destroyed at the same time!" Kuraz replied as he appeared and stabbed a Gil Garth with Excalibur. A Neo Bug tried to jump him from behind, but Raiza drew his bowstring and conjured up an arrow of wind which he let loose and drilled through the insect.

"Let us do it!" the Charmers called at once. They banged their staffs against the ground and blinked out of battle.

"Clear the paths for the young ones!" Zaborg yelled as he raised his staff and brought down a powerful Lightning Vortex around him. Not far away, Granmarg opened up the ground and swallowed up all the troops he had been dealing with.

"By Fire be purged!" Thestalos slammed Incendius on the ground and the resulting wave of fire that exploded forth incinerated everything in his path while behind Mobius thrust his lance skyward and a rain of icicle spears came down on his enemies. Raiza spun around and the wind generated from his cape created enough force to blow more opponents away.

"Excalibur's Light!" Kuraz's sword unleashed a golden energy wave that cut down multiple enemies. "GO!"

The Charmers all appeared in front of the Barrier Statues, each facing the one of their respective element. They aimed their staffs carefully and began charging up for their strongest spells. When the signal was given, they released all that power and shattered the statues together. The barrier instantly dropped from the Tower.

"Let's go!" yelled Mikey as he switched to Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7 and rode him toward his destination, grabbing whoever he could on the way in.

"I shall accompany you!" Kuraz teleported toward Mikey in a stream of light, leaving the others to fight the rest of the enemies.

"Good luck, Crusaders," Mahad wished.

o o o

"My Prince, the Terrans have entered!" the messenger reported.

"It matters little now," Kel'aral said.

o o o

"This place is beautiful!" Sammie marvelled as the group entered the Tower of Divinity. The walls were gold, scarlet, and pink with bright violet crystals and golden statues of gods with a long spiraling ramp leaping upward. As they moved toward the center of the ground floor, they heard a voice speak, echoed by the halls of the Tower itself.

"_Energy. Power. My people are addicted to it. Their dependence made manifest after our home was destroyed."_

"I recognize that voice," Mikey thought out loud.

"_Welcome to the future...a pity you're too late to stop it. No one can stop me now."_

* * *

**Next Week on **_**Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext**_

The final battle of Ardent draws to a close. Mikey and his friends must defeat the dimensional prince if they are to return home. But a new terrifying secret is about to reveal itself. It's the third season finale next Friday on _Yu-Gi-Oh! GNext_!


	193. Going Home

**Disclaimer:** All official _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami.

This fic is a joint project with two of my closest friends, Comic Master Alpha and Strawberry Bunny.

* * *

**EPISODE 3-106**

**Going Home**

"_Welcome to the future...a pity you're too late to stop it. No one can stop me now."_

"It's Kel'aral," Mikey said as he stepped forward.

"The guy who attacked when we were visiting Industrial Illusions?" asked Max.

"It's not easy to forget a voice like that."

"So he's the cause of everything that's been happening in Ardent?" Mikomi inquired.

"No, what's happened to this land is clearly the work of the UnGod's influence," Zetsubou answered, "However, this Kel'aral no doubt acts as a catalyst to aid it."

"Then we must stop him at all costs." Saito stepped forward.

"Halt, young Kaiba," Kuraz cautioned, "No doubt he is waiting for us."

"Last time we encountered him, he had possession of your card," Mikey remembered as looked up at the Emperor of Light.

"It was not a pleasant experience," Kuraz uttered.

"Think he'll want it back?" Mikey asked.

"Likely. We must proceed with caution."

"The longer we wait, the more time he has to prepare a defense against us. We must move quickly," Saito said. He took a few steps forward and a bolt of energy suddenly shot out at him from one of the large crystals. He raised his arm to shield himself and the bolt struck his Duel Disk instead.

"Saito! You okay?" asked Sammie.

"Didn't even hit me," Saito assured her.

"I'll go first," Wes volunteered.

"No, I will," Zetsubou said, "I'm the most adept at close quarters combat." Everyone agreed and the assassin took the lead. They ascended to the first chamber which was occupied by many flame-wielding warriors including Evocator Chevalier, Prominent Knight, and Achacha Chanbara led by Phoenix Gearfried. Above their heads a giant, yet majestic, Fushi no Tori flew around the room in circles.

"Let me handle this," Reko volunteered.

"Not alone, you aren't." Nellie stepped forward. "That thing's a phoenix. That's my thing."

"You'll need strategy," said Wes, "I'll fight with you."

"No, as the White Vanguard, Saito's going to need your help," Reko replied.

"I'll stay then." Zetsubou spun his knives on his fingers.

"Not without me." Mikomi stepped up beside her brother.

"Then the rest of us will go on ahead," Saito said.

"Good luck you guys," Noah wished as he and the others left, going up the ramp and disappearing into one of the hallways.

"So how are we going to do this?" Reko asked.

"Mikomi and I will take the left, you and Nellie will take the right. We'll meet on the opposite platform and attack the phoenix together," said Zetsubou.

"Sounds like a plan." Reko, Mikomi, and Nellie readied their Duel Disks as Zetsubou activated his ring's power.

o o o

The hallway was covered in silver, but had the same pink, red, and purple gems and walls. The walk was short with a few guards on the way, but soon they reached a split in the path.

"We'll have to split up again," Max noted.

A loud mechanical roar seemed to come from down one hallway. Charlie turned to her fellow Duel Mercenaries. "This one is ours." Sako, Jaeger, and Victoria nodded and followed their leader, leaving behind the remaining eight.

"Let's go then," Saito instructed, prompting the others to follow.

o o o

The Duel Mercenaries followed the hallway and entered into a large violet room that seemed to be occupied by only a single entity, Fiendish Engine Ω.

"Just like old times, isn't it?" Sako asked.

"Just like old times," Charlie replied with a smirk.

"Not one to bring down the team, but how are we supposed to bring down that behemoth without my plane or Victoria's submarine?" asked Jaeger.

In response, Sako dipped his hand into Heward's Handy Haversack and produced a plethora of firearms.

"You mad bastard!" remarked Victoria, "Where did you get all this?"

Sako locked and loaded his sniper rifle. "I'll tell you after we make it out of this alive."

Everyone grabbed weapons and stood side by side. The Duel Guerilla, the Duel Sniper, the Duel Ace, and the Duel Submariner were back. They took aim and opened fire, which prompted Fiendish Engine Ω to turn on them.

"ALERT! YOU ARE MARKED FOR EXTERMINA-"

The mechanical beast didn't even get a chance to finish its sentence as bullets seemed to rain down on it. Several bursts all fired at its face as the unit seemed to fire move around in syncronicity. Every moment the beast thought it would get a moment to retaliate it was met with another burst of bullets. Jaeger and Victoria took aim at the eyes. Sako fired at the chest. Charlie? She had vanished into the shadows with an RPG and a few pounds of C4. Her troop knew what she was doing. She was going to call upon a sharpnel thunder.

o o o

The next chamber had the appearance of a shining observatory with gold and purple walls and a large holographic display of the solar system hovering overhead. Standing in the middle of the room was a creature Mikey hadn't seen in a long time.

"Cosmo Queen," he whispered.

"And she's not alone," Hayley noted. And indeed her words were true for Cosmo Queen was flanked by two Heralds of Creation.

"They must be there to heal her," Noah guessed.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Gabe as he stepped forward. Max and Hayley joined him and soon so did Noah.

"The hallway goes upstairs," Max pointed out as he donned his mask.

"That's gotta be where the boss is," Hayley added as she put on her own.

"Be safe, guys," Mikey wished as he, Sammie, Saito, and Wes headed upstairs. The four who remained turned toward the spellcaster.

"Let's do this," Noah said as they approached. Cosmo Queen sensed their presence and turned around.

"Your soul belongs to the abyss!"

o o o

The final chamber was the largest they had ever seen. Kel'aral stood on a dais looking out a large pink window. Surrounding the raised platform were two enormous golden statues of himself.

"So, you made it all the way here," he noted.

"We're here to stop you, Kel'aral," Mikey declared.

"As I expected. However, do you truly have the power to stop me?" Kel'aral turned around and faced the four teenagers, "Especially when the legendary Crusaders of the Rose are without their vanguards?" He held out his hands and an invisible force suddenly pushed Sammie and Wes out of the room and a magical barrier sealed them off.

"Sammie!"

"Wes!"

"Now you're all alone. Prepare you feel the power of Ardent at my fingertips." Kel'aral stepped forward and activated his Duel Disk. Mikey and Saito activated theirs in response.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saito:** 8000

**Kel'aral:** 8000

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Royalty first!" Kel'aral drew his first card. "I set two facedowns and activate Dimensional Fissure. With this card activated, any monsters sent to the graveyard shall be banished instead." A rip in space appeared over the field. "Then I will summon D.D. Survivor." A cloaked wanderer appeared in front of him (ATK/1800 DEF/200). "That will be all."

"My turn!" Mikey was about to draw his card, but Saito stopped him.

"The next turn is mine."

"Who says you get to go next?" Mikey demanded.

"Because I'm a far superior Duelist than you."

"Oh really?"

"Have you forgotten the times I've completely obliterated you?"

"I have a new deck."

"And that's supposed to change anything?"

"You can be so stubborn, Saito!"

"And you sound like a nagging wife!"

"I do NOT sound like a nagging wife!"

"One of you just take a turn!" Kel'aral roared.

"Fine, we'll just settle this the old-fashioned way," Mikey declared.

"I couldn't agree more," Saito said.

"That's a first."

"Very well then."

"On three?"

"On three."

"Rock, Paper, Scissors!"

"Paper beats rock!" Mikey announced.

"You have to win a duel against me for it to count as a victory," Saito responded.

"I'm drawing." Mikey drew his card. "Okay, this could very well deplete my whole hand right on the word go, but it's the best move I've got. I'll start by activating Constellar Star Chart. This lets me draw a card when I Special Summon a Constellar Xyz Summon for the first time each turn. Now I summon the Star of Taurus, Constellar Alderbaran!" A column of light descended from the heavens and the sign of Taurus appeared as the bull-like knight appeared (ATK/1300 DEF/800). "And when Constellar Alderbaran is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a level three Constellar monster from my hand. So here's the Star of Leo, Constellar Leonis! In defense mode!" Another light descended and the sign of Leo appeared as the lion-like warrior appeared and crouched down defensively (ATK/1000 DEF/1800).

"With Leonis on the field, I can Normal Summon another Constellar monster once per turn. So I summon the Star of Gemini, Constellar Pollux." A light and the sign of Gemini appeared, which allowed the dual knight to drop down (ATK/1700 DEF/600). "When Pollux is summoned, I can Normal Summon a Constellar monster. So I summon the Star of Capricorn, Constellar Algiedi." The sign of Capricorn appeared with the column of light and deposited the magical goat knight (ATK/1600 DEF/1400). "And when she's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one more level four Constellar monster. So I summon Constellar Kaust!" The sign of Sagittarius appeared as a light descended from the heavens and the centaur archer dropped down (ATK/1800 DEF/700).

"Now I'm going to use Kaust's effect. Twice per turn, he can raise or lower the level of a Constellar monster by one. I'm going to use that effect to increase Leonis and Alderbaran by one level each." As Mikey ended his sentence, the top light on Constellar Kaust's bow lit up and he pulled back his string, conjuring up two arrows of light, which he fired into Constellar Leonis and Constellar Alderbaran, raising their levels up to four. "Now I Overlay Constellar Leonis and constellar Alderbaran. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters." The two monsters transformed into streams of golden light and spiraled into a vortex that appeared. "Xyz Summon! Shine, Constellar Beehive!" Mikey's mechanical knight emerged from the vortex and stood proud with two orbs of light orbiting him (ATK/2400 DEF/800). The power of Constellar Star Chart activated and he drew another card.

"Now I Overlay Constellar Pollux and Constellar Algiedi. I construct another Overlay Network with my two monsters." Once again, the same holographic graphics overtook the field. "Xyz Summon! Rise, Constellar Omega!" The winged centaur appeared with two orbs of light orbiting his body (AT/2400 DEF/500).

"I'll set a card and end my turn," announced Mikey.

"You took your time," Saito muttered.

"Hey, it was a good move," Mikey pointed out.

Saito did have to confess to himself that it was a good move. He drew his card and looked at his hand. He stood there silent for a moment.

"What's wrong?" asked Mikey.

"This is my deck, but these aren't my cards," Saito replied. Indeed it seemed that every single one of his Dragunity cards had been replaced as if by magic. He wondered how it could have happened, but then he remembered the bolt that had struck his Duel Disk.

"Kuraz, what's going on?" Mikey whispered.

"It seems the Tower of Divinity has chosen to grant Saito a new power," Kuraz replied as he appeared beside Mikey in spirit form.

"Well the duel's already started, so I'll work with it." Saito placed a card on his Duel Disk. "Since you have monsters and I don't, I Special Summon Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit." A majestic gold and white dragon descended from the heavens and roared (ATK/2100 DEF/1400). "It can't attack on the turn it's summoned this way, which is why I now summon Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb." A glowing dragon man with orange armor appeared on the field and roared (ATK/1800 DEF/400). "Now I sacrifice Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb to Special Summon Hieratic Dragon of Su." The orange dragon disappeared and a blue dragon in golden armor took its place (ATK/2200 DEF/1000).

"Since Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb was tributed, I can Special Summon one Dragon-type Normal Monster from my hand, deck, or graveyard, but its attack and defense points will be reduced to zero. I will summon Hieratic Seal of the Dragon King from my deck." A large golden dragon egg appeared on the field (ATK/0 DEF/0).

"Now I'll activate Su's effect. By tributing a monster from my hand or field, I can destroy one Spell or Trap Card." Saito took Hieratic Dragon of Eset from his hand and Hieratic Dragon of Su opened its wings and began showering Kel'aral's backfield with light, destroying Dimensional Fissure and closing up the hole in space. "And since Hieratic Dragon of Eset was tributed, the effect of summoning a Normal Dragon-type takes place. I summon Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord from my deck." A golden sphere descended from the heavens and appeared on Saito's field (ATK/0 DEF/0).

"Now I Overlay Hieratic Dragon of Su with Hieratic Seal of the Dragon King. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters." Saito's two dragons were transformed into streams of golden light and spiraled into the vortex that opened up. "Xyz Summon! Descend from Heaven, Hieratic Dragon King of Atum!" A humanoid dark blue dragon emerged from the light clad in golden armor with two orbs of light orbiting its body as it roared (ATK/2400 DEF/2100).

"Hieratic Dragon King of Atum, attack!" ordered Saito. Hieratic Dargon King of Atum spread out his wings and absorbed light through them before rearing back his head and shooting a solid stream of sunlight.

"I activate Macro Cosmos!" Kel'aral revealed one of his facedowns, "Now _everything_ that goes to the graveyard will be banished!" He watched as the attack struck D.D. Survivor and killed him.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saito:** 8000

**Kel'aral:** 7400

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I set a card and then I'll activate Super Rejuvenation," Saito announced, "This card lets me draw one card on my End Phase for every Dragon that I tributed this turn. That being said, I end my turn now. Since I tributed two monsters, that means two cards." He took the top two cards off his deck and placed them in his hand.

"And on the End Phase, D.D. Survivor returns from the other dimension." The cloaked wanderer returned to the field as Kel'aral explained his monster's effect. "It's my turn now." The twisted prince drew his card. "I sacrifice D.D. Survivor to summon Mobius the Frost Monarch!" D.D. Survivor vanished and in his place a giant ice meteor fell and shattered, depositing Mobius the Frost Monarch with a black chain wrapped around his chest (ATK/2400 DEF/1000).

"Okay, that is definitely not supposed to be there," Mikey said making note of the chain.

"Now destroy those two set cards!" ordered Kel'aral. Mobius raised his arms and a rain of icicles came down and impaled Mikey's and Saito's facedown cards. "And now for my other facedown, Double Summon."

"Oh no, he's not going to do what I think he's doing, is he?" Mikey asked.

"The question is, which one?" replied Saito.

"I activate Soul Exchange," Kel'aral announced.

"Oh no he isn't," Mikey muttered.

"I'll sacrifice Constellar Beehive." Kel'aral's Spell Card took effect and Mikey's monster was swallowed up in light and banished along with all of its Overlay Units. "I summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!" A lightning bolt struck the floor and Zaborg the Thunder Monarch appeared, also with a black chain around his chest (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "Now Zaborg, destroy Hieratic Dragon King of Atum!" Zaborg pointed his finger at the intended target and fired off a burst of lightning that surged through his body before finally destroying him.

"Now since I used Soul Exchange, I cannot conduct my Battle Phase. So I will end my turn and as a result, D.D. Survivor returns," announced Kel'aral. Following his statement, D.D. Survivor returned to the field.

"We've got a problem," said Mikey.

"Macro Monarchs are anti-meta and our decks are incredibly meta," Saito responded.

Mikey drew his card. "Let's hope we can make it work somehow. I summon the Star of Cancer, Constellar Acubens!" The sign of Cancer appeared and a light descended from above, depositing the crab-like mechanical warrior (ATK/800 DEF/2000). "And when he's Normal Summoned, all Constellars on the field gain five hundred attack points." Constellar Acubens opened his claws and showered the field with light, raising his own attack points to thirteen hundred, Constellar Kaust's to twenty-three hundred, and Constellar Omega's to twenty-nine hundred. "Now Kaust will increase his level and Acubens' by one." Constellar Kaust drew back his bowstring as the top light of his bow lit up and he fired arrows of light into Cosntellar Acubens and at his own feet, raising them both to level five.

"I Overlay Constellar Acubens and Constellar Kaust. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters. Xyz Summon! Descend, Constellar Pleiades!" From the vortex, a light emerged and from the radiance stepped out a Mikey's shining knight with two orbs of light orbiting his body (ATK/2500 DEF/1500). Constellar Star Chart activated and he drew his card. "And now I detach one of Pleiades' Overlay Units to bounce once card back to the hand." Constellar Pleiades absorbed one orb into his weapon and spun it around before pointing it at Macro Cosmos. He placed his blade against the floor and swept his weapon across, sending a strong energy wave that bounced the Trap Card back to Kel'aral's hand.

"Now your D.D. Survivor can't come back. Constellar Pleiades, attack D.D. Survivor!" The star knight rushed in and slashed the wanderer with his weapon.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saito:** 8000

**Kel'aral:** 6700

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Constellar Omega, attack Mobius!" On Mikey's command, Constellar Omega galloped forward and trampled the Frost Monarch.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saito:** 8000

**Kel'aral:** 6200

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I'm done," Mikey announced.

"And now it's my turn." Saito drew his card. "Well it looks like this duel's about to end sooner than we thought."

"Why do you say that?" asked Mikey.

"I play Ancient Rules," announced Saito, "This lets me Special Summon one level five or higher Normal Monster from my hand."

"You mean," Mikey began, "you're bringing out...?"

"Come forth, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" In a shining burst of light, Saito's family signature monster rose up, a majestic white dragon with eyes like sapphires (ATK/3000 DEF/2500).

"So this is what it feels like to be on this end of a Blue-Eyes," Mikey thought aloud.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, destroy Zaborg the Thunder Monarch! Burst Stream of Destruction!" Saito's Blue-Eyes White Dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a powerful blast of energy that completely obliterated Zaborg the Thunder Monarch.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saito:** 8000

**Kel'aral:** 5600

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit, attack directly!" ordered Saito. His other dragon flew in and absorbed sunlight through its wings before releasing a stream of light from its mouth directly at the prince.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saito:** 8000

**Kel'aral:** 3500

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I set one card." Saito placed a card facedown on his backfield, "Your move. Good luck trying to recover."

"Ha. Do you honestly believe you've won simply that you've taken no damage and my Life Points are nearly depleted?" Kel'aral scoffed, "I am the master of the Tower of Divinity! It's power is mine alone to command! And I shall prove it!" He raised his hand with his only card left and a bolt of pink lightning struck him and suddenly added five cards to his hand.

"That's cheating!" Mikey yelled.

"There are no rules against using magic in a duel," Kel'aral declared as he conducted his Draw Phase, using the power of the Tower's magic to add a card to his hand. "And now I'm going to use that power. I begin with Fiend's Sanctuary to summon one Fiend Token." A creature made of mercury appeared as a level one Dark Fiend with zero attack and defense points. "Now I'll sacrifice it to summon Raiza the Storm Monarch!" The token disappeared and in its place rose a tornado which deposited the emperor of wind with a black chain around his chest (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "Now blow that dragon back to his deck!" A strong wind erupted from Raiza and blasted Saito's Blue-Eyes White Dragon to the top of his deck.

"Now I play Double Summon and another Fiend's Sanctuary." Another Fiend Token appeared before Kel'aral and wiggled nervously. "Now I sacrifice it to summon Granmarg the Rock Monarch!" The token vanished and in its place the emperor of stone emerged from the ground, also with a black chain around his chest (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "And with his effect, I'll destroy your set card." Granmarg punched the ground and a line of overturned earth shot forward and blasted Saito's facedown card. "Now I activate Monster Reborn and resurrect Zaborg the Thunder Monarch." Zaborg blasted up from his grave in a shower of lightning.

Kel'aral turned his gaze on Saito. "Granmarg, destroy Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord." The Rock Monarch pounded the ground and surrounded his fist with stone before launching it at the golden sphere and destroying it with one blow. "Now Zaborg, destroy Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit!" Zaborg summoned his staff and cast a powerful lightning spell that destroyed Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saito:** 7700

**Kel'aral:** 3500

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Raiza, attack directly!" ordered Kel'aral. The Storm Monarch summoned his bow and pulled back the string. An arrow of wind appeared and he released it, sending into Saito.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saito:** 5300

**Kel'aral:** 3500

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I'll set one card and end my turn," announced Kel'aral.

"We are SO screwed right now," Mikey said as he drew. "Constellar Pleiades, attack and destroy Granmarg!" Constellar Pleiades complied with his order and charged, slashing the Rock Monarch with his blade.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saito:** 5300

**Kel'aral:** 3400

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Constellar Omega, attack Raiza!" Mikey's monster galloped forward and trampled over Raiza the Storm Monarch.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saito:** 5300

**Kel'aral:** 2900

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"That will be all," Mikey announced.

"Now it's my turn." Saito drew his card, which was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon that had been bounced back to his deck. Unfortunately, the other card he had gave him no way to summon it. There was nothing he could do.

"Don't feel bad," Kel'aral cackled as he held his arm up and the Tower of Divinity's magic placed six cards in his hand, "You will at least be remembered for dying while fighting." He drew his card. "I activate Macro Cosmos and use its effect to bring out Helios - The Primordial Sun!" A slim female mummy with a sun for a head appeared (ATK/? DEF/?). "And I'll sacrifice Helios to summon Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch!" Helios - The Primordial Sun disappeared and in her place the emperor of fire appeared in a burst of flame with a black chain around his chest (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "Let him take care of that card for you." Thestalos snapped his fingers and a blast of flame sent Saito's Blue-Eyes White Dragon from his hand.

"Luckily for you, Thestalos' burn effect only works if the target is sent to the graveyard," said Kel'aral. "Next I will activate Magical Stone Excavation. By discarding two cards, I can add a Spell Card from my graveyard to my hand. I will discard D.D. Scout Plane and Necroface. And since they were banished instead, Necroface's effect activates, forcing all of us to banish the top five cards of our decks. Needless to say, Saito and Mikey were horrified to see some of the cards they had to remove from play.

"And the card I return to my hand is Monster Reborn, which I will use to resurrect Mobius." The Frost Monarch rejoined the field in an explosion of ice. "Mobius, attack." Mobius formed his Ice Lance and threw it at Saito.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saito:** 2900

**Kel'aral:** 2900

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Thestalos, attack!" On Kel'aral's command, Thestalos summoned his hammer and slammed it against the floor to cause a fiery explosion to erupt toward Saito.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saito:** 500

**Kel'aral:** 2900

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Finish him, Zaborg!" Kel'aral ordered. Zaborg raised his staff and a bolt of lightning came striking down on Saito.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Saito:** 0

**Kel'aral:** 2900

–––––––––––––––––––––––

Saito was blown back from the blast and was slammed against the wall behind him.

"Saito!" Mikey turned to his duel partner.

"One down, one to go." Kel'aral laughed, "This power is incredible!"

"This isn't true power," Mikey said as he turned back to Kel'aral as the twisted prince set three cards.

"Oh I'm _so_ terrified!" The man laughed, "My turn ends and as a result, D.D. Scout Plane returns." A spherical dimensional probe appeared beside the Monarchs on Kel'aral's field and beeped (ATK/800 DEF/1200).

Mikey drew his card. "First I'm going to use Pleiades' effect to bounce Macro Cosmos back."

"I don't think so," Kel'aral replied as he activated his set card, "Forbidden Chalice will negate it!" As Constellar Pleiades absorbed his final Overlay Unit, a chalice appeared and tried to force the nectar it held into his mouth.

"Your gift of four hundred attack points is appreciated, but not the effect-negation it comes with, which is why I'm detaching an Overlay Unit from Constellar Omega," announced Mikey, "This will protect all my face-up Constellars from all Spell and Trap effects!" Constellar Omega absorbed one orb as Mikey detached Constellar Pollux and an energy spread out from the centaur's wings and erected a barrier.

"And now, since they're unaffected by Spells and Traps, nothing's stopping me from attacking. Pleiades, attack!" Constellar Pleiades moved first and attacked D.D. Scout Plane.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Kel'aral:** 1200

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Now Omega, attack Mobius!" Constellar Omega galloped forth and tramped over Mobius the Frost Monarch.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 8000

**Kel'aral:** 700

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"I'm setting two cards and performing a Chaos Xyz Summon with Constellar Pleiades!" announced Mikey. "Chaos Xyz Evolution! Right now, show yourself, Constellar Ptolemys Messier 7!" In one magnificent display of light, his white dragon emerged with wings of pure energy flapping in the air as it landed, replacing Constellar Pleiades. Only one orb of light orbited its body (ATK/2700 DEF/2000). Constellar Star Chart activated and he drew his card. "Your move."

"Allow me to begin by replenishing my hand on your End Phase as well as bring back my D.D. Scout Plane." Kel'aral held his hand up and once again it was replenished by the Tower of Divinity as his D.D. Scout Plane returned from the other dimension. Then on his Draw Phase he drew his card. "Your monster may be able to protect against Spells and Traps, but it won't work against Monster Effects. I sacrifice D.D. Scout Plane to summon Caius the Shadow Monarch!" The traitor king of darkness appeared on the field, also sporting a black chain around his chest (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "Now banish Constellar Omega!" Caius created a ball of black energy and fired it at his target, sending Constellar Omega into a world beyond.

"Now I activate Lightning Vortex!" A torrent of lightning came crashing down and destroyed Mikey's remaining monster, leaving the boy exposed. "Now Thestalos, attack!" The Firestorm Monarch slammed his hammer down and blasted Mikey with fire.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 5600

**Kel'aral:** 700

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Zaborg, your turn!" Zaborg raised his staff and Mikey was struck by lightning.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 3200

**Kel'aral:** 700

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"Caius, finish it," Kel'aral commanded. Caius summoned Blackmourne and held it out, creating a ball of black energy that exploded at Mikey.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 800

**Kel'aral:** 700

–––––––––––––––––––––––

"You're so close to defeat," Kel'aral cackled, "What will you do now?"

"You want to know?" Mikey's Rose Mark began to glow, "I'll show you." He drew his card. "I Special Summon the Star of Aquarius, Constellar Schet!" The sign of Aquarious appeared as a light descended from above and dropped down a small knight with a water urn twice the size of its body (ATK/100 DEF/1600). "Now I summon the Star of Aries, Constellar Sheratan." The sign of Aries appeared as a light descended from on high and deposited the ram-headed knight (ATK/700 DEF/1900). "And his summoning allows me to bring a Constellar monster to my hand. I bring Constellar Kaust. Now I activate a facedown, Photon Lead. This lets me Special Summon one level four or lower Light monster from my hand in attack mode. So here's Constellar Kaust!" The sign of Sagittarius appeared again and the light paved the way for Constellar Kaust to descend onto the field. "Kaust, level up Sheratan by one." Constellar Kaust lit up the top light of his bow and shot an arrow of light into his partner, raising Constellar Sheratan up to level four.

"Now I Overlay Constellar Kaust and Constellar Sheratan. I construct an Overlay Network with my two monsters. Xyz Summon! Shine, Constellar Beehive!" A second Constellar Beehive descended from above. "And now Constellar Star Chart lets me draw a card." Mikey drew his card and examined his hand, "Now I activate my other facedown, Double Summon. But before I continue, I play Heavy Storm." A powerful wind blew across the field and destroyed Kel'aral's backfield.

"Now I sacrifice Constellar Schet and summon Kuraz the Light Monarch!" The knight of Aquarius vanished and Mikey played his final card, summoning the golden emperor (ATK/2400 DEF/1000). "Destroy Thestalos and Zaborg!"

"I shall slay these imposters!" Kuraz drew Excalibur and a light shined from the flat of his blade and destroyed the two Monarchs, which prompted Kel'aral to draw two cards.

"Now I detach one of Beehive's Overlay Units to power him up." Mikey removed Constellar Sheratan and Constellar Beehive absorbed one of his orbs, increasing his attack power by one thousand to thirty-four hundred.

"Constellar Beehive, attack Caius the Shadow Monarch!" The honeycomb silos locked and loaded and unleashed four golden missiles into the air that soared back down and struck down the Dark Emperor.

–––––––––––––––––––––––

**Mikey:** 800

**Kel'aral:** 0

–––––––––––––––––––––––

Kel'aral stumbled back as the shields blocking the doors dropped, allowing Wes and Sammie to enter.

"It's over, Kel'aral," Mikey said. As the twisted prince stood back up, the others finally arrived.

"You took your time," said Saito.

"It took a while," answered Sako.

Everyone stood together facing Kel'aral. "Perhaps I underestimated you," the prince said, "I suppose that I shall need to cease playing nice." He raised his hand and suddenly Zaborg, Granmarg, Raiza, Thestalos, Mobius, and Caius all rose up around him, all with black chains binding their chests.

"Okay, seriously, what's up with those chains?" demanded Mikey.

"They represent the shackles that bind them to my will," Kel'aral explained, "What you see before you are not the original Monarchs, but merely avatars. But they still possess wills and must therefore be suppressed."

"That's horrible!" exclaimed Victoria.

"How did you do that?" asked Reko," You didn't...?"

As if to answer his question, a circular black pendant fell out from within Kel'aral's robes with a keyhole in the center. "My Wicked Seal grants me the power to generate and propagate bonds, both physical and spiritual."

"The hell is a Wicked Seal?" asked Gabe.

"The instrument of your demise!" Kel'aral's pendant started to pulse with a black aura. "Get them!" The chains seemed to tighten suddenly and the soulless avatars of the Monarchs charged.

"I almost can't bring myself to attack them," Mikey said worriedly.

"We aren't!" At the same time, Sammie, Sako, Noah, Mikomi, and Zetsubou summoned their monsters and launched their attacks at Caius.

"Was he really that bad?" asked Mikey.

"Pretty bad," answered Noah.

"They are nothing but shadows," Kuraz declared as he materialized into solid form before the group. He threw back his cape and drew Excalibur from its scabbard. "Attack!"

o o o

The battle outside had not died down one bit since it began. While everybody was engaged in combat against a Gene or an ninja, Great Shogun Shien was locked in combat against Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo. "Your clan was defeated by Terrans, Hanzo. You stand alone."

"I have my clan back! They are mine to command!" Hanzo cried as he pushed his opponent's katana away with his folded fuma shuriken. He leapt back and opened his weapon before throwing it. Shien tried to block, but the weapon flew past and cut through his armor.

"Your men are mindless puppets brought back from the dead!" the Great Shogun yelled as the shuriken returned to his opponent, "There are no warriors among them."

"Silence!" Hanzo prepared to deal a killing blow with his weapon, but suddenly Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke intervened and threw several kunai at him. Some buried themselves in the dark Grandmaster, while others missed as he retreated.

"Your assistance was not required," said Shien.

"Just take it," Sasuke replied.

"I will not be defeated!" Hanzo snarled as he removed each kunai from his body, but no blood spilled.

"Do you see it?" asked Sasuke.

"I do," answered Shien, "He does not bleed."

"Which can mean only one thing," Sasuke surmised, "Hanzo is also dead."

Meanwhile, Reka's Locomotion R-Genex ploughed through several Gene Erics and their monsters while Recca's Naturia Exterio unleashed powerful nature-based attacks ranging from vine whips storms of razor leaves to root spears and concentrated beams of sunlight. Jaden and Cassie were on its back with Recca using Elemental Hero Neos and Elemental Hero Terra Firma to fight.

"Something seems off," Jaden said.

"Whatever do you mean, hon?" asked Recca.

"Does it feel like we're missing someone to you?"

"How can you tell with all this, daddy?" asked Cassie.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Jaden said. But he still couldn't shake the feeling.

o o o

Lightning, fire, wind, ice, darkness, and stone flew all across the room as the Monarch avatars heeded Kel'aral's orders to destroy the Rose Crusaders.

"We'll never get to him as long as these things keep us from reaching him!" Saito yelled as his Blue-Eyes White Dragon blasted back Zaborg.

"I have an idea!" Sammie drew a card from her deck, "Dark Hole!" A black hole opened up and the six soulless Monarch avatars were pulled in screaming in agony and fear as they disappeared into the abyss.

"What now, Kel'aral?" Zetsubou demanded.

"Without your Monarch avatars, what left do you have to hide behind?" added Wes.

"Alas, sometimes one must take matters into one's own hands." With nothing left to hide behind, Kel'aral stepped forward. Without warning, he raised his hand and a powerful blast of fire erupted forth and threw everyone back. With his opponents stunned, he raised his hands and absorbed as much magical energy from the tower as he could. In doing so, his body grew ten times in size and the window behind him shattered.

"I have not come this far to be stopped! The future I have planned will not be jeopardized! Now, you will taste true power!" With the Tower of Divinity's power coursing through his body, Kel'aral unleashed powerful spell after powerful spell.

"You just HAD to provoke him!" Charlie yelled as she took cover.

"How are we supposed to defeat him now?" Max asked.

"We beat his ass!" Sammie sent Black Luster Soldier forward and watched as he led the other monsters forward into battle.

"Let us see how you fare when your world is turned upside down." Kel'aral raised his hand and suddenly all the monsters were lifted into the air as if gravity had just been eliminated altogether.

"This is going to be a lot harder than we thought," Mikey thought out loud.

"It's a final boss, Mikey!" Noah said as he hid behind some fallen debris, "It's always hard."

"Well we need a plan," Mikey said, "Maybe if..." Before he could finish his thought, Charlie ran past him.

"GO!" Sako's voice rang clear as he, Jaeger, and Victoria opened fire. Their shots grabbed Kel'aral's attention and the dimensional prince turned around and cast his gravity lapse spell on the three of them.

"Having trouble staying grounded?" In response, Sako flipped himself around and fired. It didn't matter what the state of the battlefield was. He was a soldier and it was his duty to continue fighting regardless of circumstances. Kel'aral stepped back from the first few shots and then threw the Duel Sniper to the floor. "I've had enough of this!" His pendant pulsed with black magic and suddenly black chains appeared and ensnared everybody.

"I will destroy you all with my Wicked Seal's power. I will ensure there will be nothing left!" Kel'aral's voice rose higher as the Tower of Divinity started to glow, as if in response to his power. He clenched his hand into a fist and the chains started to grow tighter around their captives. "Now, you all die." As he was about to deal the killing blow, the Tower of Divinity's magic suddenly erupted and Kel'aral could feel the heat of a thousand suns coursing through his body. He screamed in pain as the chains released their hold and everybody got up.

"What's going on?" asked Mikey.

"It seems as if the Tower's power is rejecting Kel'aral," Kuraz responded as they watched the power drain out of Kel'aral and his body shrank back to normal size. There was a brief flash of an image of an old man with a long beard as the radiance faded.

"This...cannot...be!"

"You have failed," Kuraz declared. Suddenly a tornado rose up from outside and Raiza flew in through the broken window.

"Brother! The battle is won!" Suddenly a large block of ice came crashing in and shattered, revealing Mobius.

"A light erupted from the Tower of Divinity and the Ninjas and the creatures were destroyed." A flash of fire rose up and Thestalos appeared.

"Victory is ours!" Granmarg suddenly rose out of the ground.

"We have won." A bolt of lightning struck the floor and deposited Zaborg.

"Kuraz, what news have you of this battle?" Mahad blinked into the chamber.

"It appears as though the culprit has been dealt with."

"Yes," Kuraz affirmed," Ardent has at last been restored.

"So that means we can go home now?" asked Mikomi.

"Almost," the Light Monarch replied, "First we must undo the atrocities that have been done upon your school." He, the other Monarchs, and Mahad raised their weapons up toward the ceiling. "Magic of the Divine, heed our words. Grant us the power to restore the lives of those lost." The crystals flashed and a brilliant golden light flooded the chamber for several seconds before once again fading away.

"Is that it?" asked Hayley.

"That is all," said Kuraz, "Once you have returned to your island, we shall use the Tower's power once again to send you back home."

"Kuraz..." Mikey stepped forward, "does this mean you'll be staying too?"

"As much as it would be my greatest desire to do so, Mikey, my place is with you," answered the Light Monarch. Mikey smiled. It was a bittersweet smile. He was happy that Kuraz would be staying with him, but it also knew it pained him to have to leave his home once again.

"Such a touching scene!" Kel'aral slowly rose back to his feet, causing everyone to turn, weapons drawn and pointed at him. "Do you really think you've won?"

"I think we have," was Gabe's answer, "You're pretty much fucked over."

"Ha! Fools! Everything you've done up until this point has been for a greater cause!"

"And what cause would that be?" inquired Sammie.

"Why, the UnGod's of course," a familiar voice said. From behind one corner stepped out a man in a purple business suit whom Saito recognized immediately.

"Roman!"

"Good to see you again, young Mr. Kaiba," Roman greeted. The businessman from Duelist Kingdom and the invasion on Duel Academy stood beside Kel'aral with one hand behind his back. The other had the shirt cuff button undone, and the sleeve was rolled up slightly to expose a black bracelet on his arm.

"I can't say the pleasure is mine," replied Saito.

"He's not the only one." From the shadows, the dark clad figure of Kage seemed to emerge.

"Uncle Kage!" Mikey and Gabe realized together.

"You finally remember me, boys."

"And me," Sammie said.

"Ah, Sammie. It's good to see you again. You know you always were good to Mikey," said Kage as he stood with the other men, his tattoos seeming to move on their own.

"Shut it. The hell do you want?"

"Impatience will get you nowhere." This new voice belonged to a blind man with a band of black covering his eyes. He was accompanied by two hooded figures.

"I remember you," said Max, "You're that fortune teller we met two years ago!"

"My name is Omen and I foresee nothing but despair in your futures." Amidst his robes, the others could see a black-framed mirror hanging from around his neck. The other two figures - one seemingly big and grizzled and the other one short and feminine - stood behind the four, The big one seemed to be glowing black from their arm while the other seemed to be glowing black from their chest.

"What are you all doing here?" Sako demanded as he aimed with his sniper rifle.

"Merely bringing the seven of us back together," answered Roman.

"We are the seven heralds of the UnGod," Kage added, "When the time of His return is nearly at hand, we gather together to perform the final rituals in preparation for His return."

"Each one of us was bestowed with one of the seven Wicked Artifacts," Kel'aral continued, "The Wicked Seal was bestowed unto me."

"The Wicked Oracle, mine," Omen said as his mirror pulsed.

"The Wicked Manacle was given to me." Roman revealed his bracelet.

"I was granted the Wicked Rune." Now everyone could clearly see that Kage's tattoos were indeed moving on their own.

"And I'm assuming the two behind you have two more," Charlie said.

"But what about the last one?" asked Mikomi.

Zetsubou suddenly gasped. "The Wicked Archive!"

As if on cue, Kage pulled out the ancient black book. "He who possesses the Wicked Archive has been deemed by the UnGod to be the leader of His heralds."

"So where is he then?" asked Mikey.

"Hello Mikey." The brunet teen turned around and saw Coltyn entering the room.

"Coltyn, it's dangerous here," he warned.

"I know, but we've been in worse scrapes before, right?" asked the Ra Yellow.

"Not really, no," Mikey replied as he contemplated the other times they had been in bad situations.

"Well I guess not," Coltyn replied with a shrug, "Not you guys at least, anyway."

"What does he mean by that?" asked Gabe.

Coltyn walked past them and approached the group of six. "I guess I've hidden it for so long that you really don't see it at all. Let me put it to you another way." He reached over and took the Wicked Archive from Kage.

"Coltyn..."

"You're smart, Mikey. I'm sure you figured it out."

"You're one of the UnGod's heralds?"

"And their leader." Coltyn chuckled lightly and it slowly transformed into a diabolical cackle.

"But... My grandmother never even sensed any evil in you!" Reko protested, "I mean sure you weren't chosen as a Crusader but-"

"You're right, she didn't choose me," Coltyn answered, "But the reason why she never sensed any evil in me? I had my memories and my true heart locked away. It was only recently, thanks to Kage, that I was able to regain them. Do you want to know where they were hidden?"

"Inside the eye of the priestess," Kage answered for him.

"Mika!" Mikey was horrified, "So that's why she-"

"Clever little ploy, wouldn't you say? But it was necessary to seal a part of myself away. I knew that if my will was strong enough, I could still make sure everything went according to plan even without my memories. And it worked. Everybody, whether knowingly or not, went along with my plans, completing the rituals necessary to resurrect the UnGod."

"Rituals?"

"All will be revealed in due time. But let me thank you personally, Mikey. Had you not come to Duel Academy, none of this would have been possible." Coltyn grinned as he raised his free hand and snapped his fingers. "Let's go, everyone."

Kel'aral cast a spell and opened a portal. The two hooded figures went in first followed by Omen, then Roman, Kage, and Kel'aral himself. Coltyn was the last to step through.

"See you again after Christmas break." And with those words, he stepped back through the portal and it closed.

Mikey dropped to his knees. "All this time...?"

"He was evil all along," Saito thought aloud, "We can't do anything about it for now. We better get back to the school so the Monarchs can perform the spell."

"He's right," said Wes, "We can worry about Coltyn later."

"That was so totally unfabulous!" Max exclaimed as they left. Sammie and Mikey were the last to go, mainly because the latter was still shocked about the recent revelation. The blonde came over and shook him back into reality.

"Let's go, Mikey. I know how broken up you are about this, but we have to go."

Slowly, Mikey nodded and he got up and followed.

o o o

The welcome back to Duel Academy was bittersweet. Everybody was glad to see that they had returned safely and that most of the people who were killed during the invasion were alive again. However, none of it felt at all joyous for Mikey, Sammie, Max, Gabe, Hayley, Nellie, Saito, Wes, Sako, Charlie, Jaeger, Victoria, Zetsubou, Mikomi, Reko, or Noah. Not even the people who had accompanied them on their quest knew about the startling revelation inside the Tower of Divinity. The Charmers had come along with them as well to see them off in the absence of the Monarchs. Many of them gasped when they saw the fallen corpse of Gogiga Gagagigo.

"Is that...?" Wynnda asked. Ariel nodded slowly.

"I'm so sorry," Aussa whispered.

Dharc and Lyna planted their staffs in the ground and uttered prayers in silence. As the remaining Charmers joined them, it was as if the gods had heard their words for suddenly a white light engulfed Gogiga Gagagigo.

"What's going on?" asked Ariel. The giant corpse suddenly shrank down to normal size and the light dispersed. The demonic lizard form of Gogiga Gagagigo was no more. Instead, a tall proud reptilian warrior stood clad in angelic armor with holy symbols tattooed all over his body.

"Gagagigo?" Ariel looked hopeful. The reptilian warrior looked down at her and suddenly pulled her into his arms. "IT IS YOU! I've missed you!" The purified Gagagigo the Risen grunted and hugged her tighter.

"Hey, this gives me an idea," Hitta piped up, "Does this mean that the other Regent Lords...?" As if on cue, a dimensional portal opened up and Bethany and Dark Lucius fell out. The latter was glowing and he let out a roar as he was engulfed in light and transformed back into his former human self, except now clad in white and blue. He had become Lightray Grepher.

o o o

Out in Paslie, the fallen body of The Atmopshere was engulfed in light and the enormous winged beast stood up and flew off, his heart purified once again.

o o o

In Hieratine, Amadis was kneeling beside the fallen form of Master Hyperion when suddenly a ray of light descended upon him and he groaned.

"Hyperion!" she gasped, "Are you alright?"

The Titan of Light slowly stood up and clutched his head. "Amadis... What has happened? I feel as if I have just awoken from a nightmare."

Tears were streaming from her eyes now as Amadis took Hyperion's hand in her arms. "Everything's going to be alright now, Hyperion.

o o o

In Orstrem, the ghost of Evil Hero Malicious Fiend appeared over the fires of the throne room in Thestalos' palace.

"You're finally free of the nightmare, Jaden," he whispered in an echo, "I have no more purpose for existence anymore." And with that, his spirit burned out like a candle.

o o o

Nothing in Karheim seemed to have changed, but with Caius gone the Blackwings were free to re-establish themselves and the mages of Endymion began to restore their order.

o o o

"You and your friends have done Ardent a great service, Mikey, and we are truly grateful," said Kuraz.

"We were happy to help, Kuraz," Mikey said.

With everyone settling in, the Monarchs in the Tower of Divinity channeled the tower's magical energies and used it to cast the spell. A light surrounded the entire island and the landmass vanished from Ardent.

o o o

Duel Academy reappeared in the human world just as it had vanished from it. The students and staff looked around and were making exclamations of being home.

Sammie approached Mikey as he looked out at sea. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, kind of," Mikey replied, "It's great to be back, but you and I both know that we can't relax just yet."

Sammie nodded. "The UnGod."

"And Coltyn." Mikey still couldn't believe it, but he knew that he had to accepted it. "Now the true battle begins."

* * *

_**TO BE CONTINUED IN SEASON 4!**_


End file.
